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.

Feels Like Home: A book for every Catholic bookshelf

(Photos provided)

By Sister Beth Murphy, OP | 
Communications director of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield

Though I’ve been quite aware of the shortage of Catholic sisters in the United States for some time, an experience last year took me by surprise. Our vocation director Sister Denise Glazik and I were at my alma mater—Eastern Illinois University—for a Busy Persons Retreat at the Newman Center where my religious vocation was nurtured 40 years earlier. It was Catholic Sisters Week, and I had a brilliant idea: We’d invite the students to create selfies for social media with posters that included a shout-out to their favorite Catholic sisters.

“I’m not sure that will work,” Sister Denise calmly remarked. “I don’t think the students have much contact with sisters.” She was correct. An informal poll that day uncovered two students among 30 or so who had a relationship with a Catholic sister. Two.

Catholic author’s values shine in suspenseful sci-fi read

(OSV News/courtesy Thomas & Mercer Publishing)

By Mike Mastromatteo | OSV News

Since publishing his first book in 1968, bestselling author Dean Koontz has been described as a horror genre specialist, a sci-fi writer with a yen for the paranormal and a master of the suspense novel. More recently, critics have recognized a subtle but persistent Catholic flavor in his work.

Koontz’s latest release, “The House at the End of the World,” might be categorized as “any or all of the above.” Catholic readers are certain to pick up on such faith-related themes as the salvific power of suffering, and the need to stay vigilant against the forces of evil.