Christopher Closeup

Journalist and author Amanda Ripley discusses her Christopher Award-winning book "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out," which explores the anger and division that affects our relationships and society – and what we can do to move toward a more healthy, peaceful way of living.

Hayley Arceneaux, the author of "Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships" discusses being diagnosed with bone cancer at age 10, the help and healing she found at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, her road to becoming a physician's assistant at St. Jude's, her recent trip to space as an astronaut on SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission, the reason she takes part in medical mission trips, and how she views her life through the lens of her Christian faith.

Anitra Rowe Schulte, the Christopher Award-winning author of the children's book "Dancing with Daddy," shares her mission to make the world more inclusive for children with disabilities because of her experiences with her own daughter. Schulte also reveals the role that faith plays in her own and her daughter's life.

Chief Joseph Pfeifer, the retired FDNY fire chief and Christopher Award-winning author of "Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11," recalls the courage and devastation he saw on September 11, 2001, along with his own journey, from pursuing the priesthood to becoming a firefighter to becoming a teacher of crisis leadership and disaster preparedness.

Amy Julia Becker, the author of "To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope" explores Jesus's healings in the gospels and what they can teach us about restoring our health in physical, emotional, and social ways. She also discusses how having a daughter with Down syndrome opened her up to a richer and more full experience of love and the power of inclusion.

Tony Cordero, the founder of "Sons and Daughters in Touch" reveals how the isolation he felt after his father was killed in the Vietnam War led him to start this organization which connects others who lost their dads during that conflict, allowing them to build bonds of unity, support, and friendship. He also discusses the ways his Catholic faith and a trip to Vietnam helped him move past the resentment he felt about losing his father.

Critical care doctor Wes Ely discusses his groundbreaking and life-saving work changing the way patients are cared for in the Intensive Care Unit – and he reveals the simple message he got from his mom that built the foundation of his Catholic faith.

Dr. Wes Ely, the Christopher Award-winning author of "Every Deep-Drawn Breath: A Critical Care Doctor on Healing, Recovery, and Transforming Medicine in the ICU" discusses the ways in which his Catholic faith has guided his vocation as a physician – and about his mission to return humanity to doctoring.

1) Noreen Madden McInnes, Part 2 – the author of "Keep At It, Riley!" in which she chronicles the experience of caring for her elderly parents, explores the new perspective on faith she gained from her mother during her senior years, as well as the dignity and graces that her father displayed during his dying days.

2) Deacon Greg Kandra – the popular blogger and author discusses his book "Befriending St. Joseph," the reasons why St. Joseph remains a timely and relevant role model for our modern world, and how we can find faith, hope, and courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion.

Noreen Madden McInnes, the author of "Keep At It, Riley! Accompanying My Father Through Death Into Life" discusses caring for her father during his senior years and how her family's faith and the sacraments gave them all strength and hope during some dark days.