Off The Shelf

This week we have a special episode just in time for National Vocation Awareness week. Rhonda Gruenewald joins me to discuss her non-profit Vocation Ministry, which she began in her own parish to help bring awareness to the need to cultivate the next generation of priests and religious. We take a look at her incredible book Hundredfold: A Guide to Parish Vocation Ministry which lays out an actionable step-by-step plan for parishes to begin their own Vocation Ministry program.

So you think history is boring? Than you haven't read a book on early Church history from my friend Mike Aquilina! Join Mike and I as we discuss his book The Church and the Roman Empire: Constantine, Councils, and the Fall of Rome. This book is one in a larger series Reclaiming Church History from Ave Maria Press of which Mike serves as series editor. History isn't boring, it's fascinating and this series brings it alive

Join Kevin Wells and I as we discuss a book our generation of the Church most desperately needs. Kevin has written, in a loving and straightforward manner, The Priests We Need to Save the Church and it DELIVERS.......big time! This is an episode you will want to listen to and share with friends and even your parish priest! Get your copy here.

We live in a fractured society. If you haven't noticed it is a very "us versus them" environment we currently find ourselves in. To make matters worse we are chained to devices that provide nothing more than talking heads filtering information to us to suit their end goals. What is the answer to all this chaos? The classics! Join Deal W. Hudson and I as we discuss classic books, music, and movies and how they can turn society around by making each of critical thinkers. Check out Deal's book How to Keep From Losing Your Mind: Educating Yourself Classically to Resist Cultural Indoctrination.

Has your mind every turned to contemplating what heaven will be like? Have you considered the value of our suffering here on earth? How much do you really know about our eternal reward? Join Sister Mary Ann Fatulas as we discuss what scripture and the saints have to tell us. Check out her book Heaven's Splendor: And the Riches That Await You There. 

Those in ministry may find it difficult to market their service or product. After all it's supposed to be mission related work for the kingdom right? In her book Marketing God: Inspired Strategies for Building the Kingdom Donna A. Heckler lays out a crash-course for faith-based organizations to market themselves. This book is  a must for Catholic parishes, dioceses, religious orders, Catholic organizations, start-ups, apostolates, and more. Join Donna and I as we discuss some of the strategies she reveals in this book.  

Has anyone ever told you they are spiritual but not religious? Or how about religious but not spiritual? Join Father John Bartunek and I as we discuss how both are interlinked and cannot be separated as he writes in his book Spiritual but not Religious: The Search for Meaning in a Material World. 

Did you know the Bible is a Catholic book? Some of our Protestant brothers and sisters may not believe that but it's true. Listen in as Jimmy Akin and I discuss the origins of the Bible and the role the Catholic Church played in bringing it to all Christians today. 

Do you feel anxious, worried, filled with anxiety? Does your job make you feel as if you must multi-task ten things at once? Is technology driving your every interaction and move? Tired of all that? Join Father Jeffrey Kirby and I as we discuss how to overcome these obstacles with the help of Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussad. Check out Father Kirby's book Be Not Troubled: A 6-Day Personal Retreat with Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade.

This week Sam Guzman aka The Catholic Gentlemen joins me to cover his book The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today. We take at look at what it takes to carry our roles as virtuous men in a society that pushes back against us. It's time for authentic manhood to see a revival. Sam Guzman tells us how to make that happen!