spirituality

“Christian silence” is not about seeking a sense of emptiness or nothingness, but “is about presence. It is an encounter with Jesus.”

The California Catholic Conference commemorated the fourth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home” by issuing a pastoral statement calling for heightened attention to ecological issues in the state that could affect future generations.

Barb Friederichs from St. Mary Parish in Alexandria and Tami Rieland from St. Paul Parish in Sauk Centre are among five registered nurses who completed the program.

With “Renaissance Woman,” Ramie Targoff, a professor of English and co-chair of Italian studies at Brandeis University, offers readers not only an intimate portrayal of the life of Vittoria Colonna (1492-1547), but a wide-ranging and detailed background to her life.

Midwifery, the art or act of assisting with childbirth, has captivated St. Onge Carneiro since she was a teenager after the lifelong Catholic met her first midwife, her then-boyfriend’s mom, at 16.

Tom Zanzig in “The Transformed Heart: Spirituality, Religion and the Struggle for Integrity” and Sister Mary Kathleen Glavich, a Sister of Notre Dame, in “Praying on Empty: A Guide to Rediscovering Your Prayerful Self” provide valuable resources that can help us to grow in our personal prayer lives and help parents and their children in theirs.

The meaningful dinner conversations sparked by “Feeding Your Family’s Soul” will make this book a daily dinnertime treat.

If we’re considering deepening our spiritual life during 2017, we start with the wonderful feeling of invitation, not obligation.