Why Believe? Volume 1: Answers to Life's Questions

Why Believe? is a series unlike any other. It is truly a New Apologetics for the New Evangelization!

Today, many Catholics confront daily the implicit claim that our secular culture provides fully for human happiness. Why Believe? responds directly to that claim by a compelling argument that faith in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, is the only adequate answer to the human heart’s desire for happiness. That argument unfolds over the 30 chapters of the two-volume textbook.

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Find Volume 2 here!

Book Details

– Published 2018
– Authors: Michael Augros, Michael Barber, Christopher Blum, Daniel McInerny, and John Sehorn
– Pages: 283
– Editors: Christopher Blum, Tim Gray, and Daniel McInerny

You Are Forgiven - Student Activity Book

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Each session of this full color Student Activity Book includes sticker pages and engaging, lively activities including family take home pages in English and Spanish, word searches, songs, crossword puzzles, and flash cards.

About You Are Forgiven

Signs of Grace: You Are Forgiven prepares children to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time by revealing that God is indeed “rich in mercy.” It is most effective when used with The Augustine Institute’s Forgiven: The Transforming Power of Confession to catechise the parent’s and help meet the crucial need for ongoing formation and catechesis for the entire family.

You Are Forgiven includes seven sessions, each presenting the good news of salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ, with a focus on helping children understand that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a real encounter with him, and that he desires to forgive and heal us at the deepest levels of our humanity.

And while the curriculum is focused on the child, it also recognizes that it is in the Christian family that the Faith is first learned and is most effectively understood and lived out. A Family Take Home Page is provided with each session in English and Spanish to engage parents and the entire family in this journey of Faith.

You Are Forgiven - Student Guide

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Each session of this full-color Student Guide includes a story from Scripture as well as a story of a saint relevant to the lesson, key word definitions, a fun activity, a story featuring fictional characters children can relate to, and a session recap.

About You Are Forgiven

Signs of Grace: You Are Forgiven prepares children to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time by revealing that God is indeed “rich in mercy.” It is most effective when used with The Augustine Institute’s Forgiven: The Transforming Power of Confession to catechise the parent’s and help meet the crucial need for ongoing formation and catechesis for the entire family.

You Are Forgiven includes seven sessions, each presenting the good news of salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ, with a focus on helping children understand that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a real encounter with him, and that he desires to forgive and heal us at the deepest levels of our humanity.

And while the curriculum is focused on the child, it also recognizes that it is in the Christian family that the Faith is first learned and is most effectively understood and lived out. A Family Take Home Page is provided with each session in English and Spanish to engage parents and the entire family in this journey of Faith.

Made for Love

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Father Michael Schmitz addresses the teachings of the Catholic Church on the issue of same-sex attraction. With compassion and clarity, he shows that the Church’s teachings are rooted in the yearnings for authentic love that are shared by all who are made in the image and likeness of God. With his trademark fresh and engaging style, Fr. Schmitz addresses:

 • Different types of love
 • The nature of the human being and human sexuality
 • Disordered attractions
 • Identity and sexuality
 • Jesus’s teachings on marriage
 • Popular misconceptions about the teachings of the Church and same-sex attraction
 • God’s all-encompassing love

Above all, Made for Love is about genuine love: how we can truly love each other, how the Bible teaches us to love, and how God is not simply loving, but love itself.

About the Author

Fr. Mike Schmitz is one of the leading speakers in the Catholic church today. He preaches to youth and young adults across the country about the love of God and the call of Jesus Christ for saints to be raised up in the Church. He serves as both the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. His ministry focuses on being fed by the Sacraments and a solid theological formation as the foundation for true discipleship and evangelization. Fr. Michael is known nationally for his inspiring homilies, his presentations and talks to university students, and his tremendous sense of humor.

Product Details

192 Pages
Book size: 5.25" x 8"
Paperback
Publication year: 2017

Praise for Made for Love

“Fr. Michael Schmitz strikes all the right notes, explaining what the Church teaches (the true), why it’s the right path (the good), and how it leads to happiness (the beautiful). He explains the Church’s full teachings on homosexuality but with remarkable ‘gentleness and reverence’ (1 Pt 3:15).”

– Brandon Vogt, founder of ClaritasU and author of RETURN: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church

“When others would muddy the waters of Our Lord’s love for all, Fr. Schmitz’s book filters the pure and renewing love of God for those who experience same-sex attraction and helps their loved ones understand this particular struggle.”

– Curtis Martin, founder of FOCUS

“In a culture that confuses love with moral relativism, many people have difficulties with the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. Fr. Schmitz helps us approach this topic with compassion and clarity, showing how the Church’s teaching on this topic is all about love—that we are made from love, by love, and for love.”

– Edward Sri, author of Who Am I to Judge?

You Are Loved - Student Activity Book

View Sample

Each session of this full color Student Activity Book includes sticker pages and engaging, lively activities including family take home pages in English and Spanish, word searches, songs, crossword puzzles, and flash cards.

About You Are Loved

Signs of Grace: You Are Loved prepares children to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time by revealing the intimate love that God has for us. It is most effective when used with The Augustine Institute’s Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist to catechise the parent’s and help meet the crucial need for ongoing formation and catechesis for the entire family.

You Are Loved includes eight sessions, each presenting the teachings of the Church on the Sacrament of the Eucharist with a focus on helping the children understand that the Sacrament of First Holy Communion is a real encounter with Jesus Christ who desires to unite himself to us at the deepest levels of our humanity.

And while the curriculum is focused on the child, it also recognizes that it is in the Christian family that the Faith is first learned and is most effectively understood and lived out. A Family Take Home Page is provided with each session in English and Spanish to engage parents and the entire family in this journey of Faith.

Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained - PART 1 - Participant Guide

This guide for Part 1 of Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained is the key for helping participants apply what they learn about their faith to their daily lives.   

Click here for a sample of the Study Guide.

Full-color sacred art draws people into the beauty of the Catholic Faith. Quotes from Scripture, the saints and recent popes deepen their understanding of the Church’s teachings. Engaging discussion topics and reflections inspire participants to give their lives more to Christ and provide practical life application.

Perfect Gifts: The Adventures of Nick & Sam

Double the Fun, Double the Trouble

Introducing Book #1 in The Adventures of Nick & Sam!

The end of summer means two things for the twins Nicholas and Samantha. First, pack in a lot of fun before school starts. Second, get presents for their birthday.

But this year has its share of trouble when Nick and Sam get caught sneaking peeks at their hidden presents. And that's just the start! Later, Nick turns a family hike into a stinky event. Sam discovers just how dangerous disobedience can be. And an unwise buying spree leads to more problems than Nick could imagine.

Will the twins be able to celebrate their birthday this year?

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About the Series

Nicolas (Nick) and Samantha (Sam) Perry are twins in the Perry family. They moved with their parents, their brother Andrew, and their sister Lizzy, to Hope Springs in the summer. Hope Springs is a fictional town in the mountains of Colorado, the setting of the Hope Springs series. Hope Springs is a multi-faceted series of stories that explores living the Catholic faith in the modern world. This series presents the adventures of the twins, their family, their friends, and the people they encounter at school, church, and in town. This series presents Catholic culture easily and normally, and provides opportunities for readers to think about the consequences of words and actions. Centered around the Perry family, Hope Springs was introduced as short stories in the Signs Of Grace catechetical workbooks and now includes novels for First Readers (ages 7+) under the banner The Adventures Of Nick & Sam. The world of Hope Springs also appears in the grown-up novel Blue Christmas. The likeable and engaging characters reflect the sensibilities and struggles of being Catholic in the quirky small town of Hope Springs, playing out their faith at the St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church and School, with their neighborhood friends and adversaries, and in the many adventures that makes the teachings of the Church come alive. This series is written similarly to the Adventures in Odyssey series and the Magic Tree House Series, and is recommended for readers ages seven and up, but can also be read by parents to younger children.

About the Author

Paul McCusker is an American writer most widely known for Adventures in Odyssey, but he has worked on many other types of writing projects: novels, plays, musicals, radio dramas, and movie scripts. Paul now writes for the Augustine Institute Radio Theatre productions and the Publishing Department. He is a convert to Catholicism, and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife and children.

Product Details

– 153 Pages
– Released 2018
– Paperback