Catholic artist, designer illustrates guide to Mass

(Photos provided/”Mass Explained”)

MIAMI, Fla.—The website for “Mass Explained,” a richly-illustrated guide to the Catholic Mass, poses a question: If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how valuable are several hundred?

Valuable enough to spend 30 years delving into the Church’s inheritance of sacred art, author and designer Dan Gonzalez recounts. Those 30 years have been in pursuit of describing the beauty of the liturgy. 

Catholic university offers free courses

(Photo/Ave Maria University)

By SueAnn Howell | OSV News

(OSV News)—Ave Maria University is now offering "The Pursuit of Wisdom," a series of free online courses presented by university faculty that provides practical wisdom and insights on interesting topics and themes to help Catholics contemplate the true, good and beautiful.

The series so far consists of seven courses, which can also be accessed at thepursuitofwisdom.org and via apps, and covers a variety of subjects with broad appeal. Each video course is between one to three hours and broken down into segments for ease of viewing, addressing such themes as artificial intelligence and computer science; motherhood and relationship; stewardship and environment; scholars and saints; and the foundations of America.

Pope: Contemplate greatness of God's love in simplicity of a crèche

(CNS photo/courtesy New City Press)

By Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Whether simple or elaborate, the same every year or constantly changing, a Nativity scene echoes “the beauty of our faith,” Pope Francis wrote.

Marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy, the Vatican publishing house compiled texts by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes and asked him to write a special introduction.

A key message of the Nativity scene is that the mystery of Christmas “loves to hide within what is infinitely small,” the pope wrote in “Christmas at the Nativity,” which was released in English in the United States by New City Press.

'Hello Beautiful': A novel for complicated families

(OSV News photo/Megan Marley)

This photo was taken at a Barnes & Noble in Overland Park, Kan. 

By Cecilia Cicone | OSV News

When it comes to matters of the heart, blood may not be thicker than water.

“Hello Beautiful” is a rare work of fiction that mirrors real life so closely as to inspire readers to address challenges in their own relationships. Through relatable characters, pages filled with drama, and just a touch of humor, Ann Napolitano’s latest work is destined to be a classic.

The novel follows the Padavanos, a Chicagoan Italian-American family, made up of a mother, Rose, a father, Charlie, and their four daughters, Emeline, Cecelia, Sylvie, and Julia, as they come of age in the 1980s and the decades that follow.

Searing novel explores ‘Christ-haunted’ American south

(OSV News photo/courtesy Flatiron Books)

By Cecilia Cicone | OSV News

Flannery O’Connor described the American south as “Christ-haunted.” Her analysis, juxtaposed against a society that claims to be Christ-centered, comes alive in S.A. Cosby’s newest novel, “All the Sinners Bleed.”

The book opens with an overview of the history of Charon County, Virginia, a place where white landowners ran the last remaining indigenous inhabitants out of town by setting fire to their land. Residents would describe Charon County as a quiet community with minimal problems, despite the fact that drugs have ravaged the community’s poorest families.

Carlo Acutis: New biographies showcase a teen’s spirituality

By Mike Mastromatteo | OSV News

Two recent releases on the life and work of Blessed Carlo Acutis bring very different perspectives yet tell us similar things about faith and holiness. In this case a little repetition becomes a helpful thing.

Carlo Acutis, beatified by Pope Francis in 2020, is the 15 year-old Italian millennial who is almost single handedly leading his generation into Eucharistic appreciation; his fascination with miracles associated with the holy Eucharist becomes a moving witness to the truth that a Christ-centered life is available for the asking.

Blessed Carlo died of leukemia in 2006 but not before convincing just about everyone who came into his life of the beauty of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and their understated importance in extending divine grace to believers.

(Photo/Leaflet Missal)

With “My Son Carlo,” Acutis’ mother Antonia Salzano Acutis outlines how her son’s humble example not only rekindled her faith and her spiritual practices, but also influenced those fortunate enough to encounter him. “It was he who brought us close to God. It was not that we were opposed to faith. We were just used to living without it,” Antonia writes. “The arrival of Carlo in our lives was like a prophecy, an invitation to look at things from a different angle, to be different, to dive deeply.”

The Acutises were materially well-off, able to provide good schools and frequent travel opportunities for their spiritually precocious son. Antonia relates how the young Carlo developed an immediate love for the daily Mass, and — from an early age — seemed to stand apart from his contemporaries. Like another Italian young man from a prosperous family, Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo eschewed material possessions, often organizing collections for the poor and homeless in his neighborhood.

'Gift and Grit' makes case for counter-cultural detachment

(OSV News photos/
courtesy Ascension Publishing)

By Mike Mastromatteo | OSV News

Andrew Swafford is an associate professor of theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. His wife, Sarah, is author of the book “Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships.” For over 15 years they have worked as a team in youth ministries, and now they have collaborated on a book. “Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships” effectively combines male and female perspectives on issues important to all Catholics, but especially young Catholic adults.

Much of the content in “Gift and Grit” is taken from a St. Benedictine College student retreat in Florence, Italy, and led by the authors. While there, participants experienced “Srodowisko,” a Polish term for “environment” or “milieu” that also refers to friendship anchored by a common pursuit of transcendent good. “It means friendship enhanced and illuminated by the light of faith, walking together with mission and purpose, and supporting one another along the way,” the authors explain.