Tag: Emily Jaminet

Advent wreath

Advent Resources for You and your Family

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Don’t think for one second that it’s too early to plan for Advent. With the current news of paper shortages and shipping delays, the time to purchase what you’ll need for Advent (and Christmas, really) is now. I had the opportunity to peek at two new Advent resources: one for adults, and one for the whole family.

For the Family

Catholic Mom contributor Emily Jaminet’s booklet, On the Way to Bethlehem: Advent Daily Devotions for Families, is great for families with preschoolers on up. A QR code on the back of the booklet takes you to a website where you can download coloring and activity pages. There is not a printable page for every day, but there are 21 in all, including a day-by-day tracker. Your children can color or add a sticker to each day’s square as your family prays together that day. There is also an Advent Wreath coloring page with instructions to color one candle each Sunday. This extra resource is a great value for families because it’s easy to print enough coloring or activity pages for each child to have one.

My favorite part about this booklet is the call to action. Each day, there is a themed call to action that individuals or families can do. These correspond to the four themes of Advent: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Emily also includes suggestions for parents to talk with their children about topics such as Heaven, trusting in God, and loving others when that seems difficult. On the Way to Bethlehem is available for Kindle and in print from Creative Communications for the Parish. Print copies are only 99 cents when you purchase two or more, and bulk discounts are available.

For you

Ave Maria Press has published a beautiful new Advent prayer journal by Fr. John Burns and illustrated by Valerie Delgado. Adore: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation is such a beautiful book, I could hardly resist the temptation to grab my favorite pen and start using it right now.

Adore is organized into four weekly themes: watchfulness, preparation, nearness, and Emmanuel. Each day’s section contains four parts: a quotation from Scripture, a saint, or a great teacher; Fr. John Burns’ meditation, space to reflect along with journal prompts based on that meditation, and a closing prayer.

The book’s design is spare and uncluttered, with a different color palette for headings, quotations, and prayers each week. To begin the week, a beautiful painting by Valerie Delgado spans a two-page spread. You won’t want to stop looking at this lovely art!

There’s a free leader’s guide available from Ave Maria Press if you’d like to use Adore with your family, prayer group, or even your whole parish. Each week, you can get free access to the author’s video series. Adore is available in ebook and print format. The print version is priced at $10.95, with discounts available for purchases of 10 copies or more.

 

I previewed several other Advent resources this year which are Christian but not Catholic. Those haven’t been included in this article because they are set up on an “Advent has 24 days” model, and that’s not the way the Church works. For Catholics, Advent has four Sundays before Christmas. It can actually have as few as 22 days, in years when Christmas falls on a Monday – or as many as 29 days, as it will in 2022 when Christmas falls on a Sunday. For some materials, that doesn’t matter; it really depends on the individual resource, so check things like that carefully when you purchase such resources.

Advent resources are often evergreen, so if you’d like to check out some items I’ve reviewed in the past, last year I had a list of 10 books and booklets you can try. Visit Prepare the Way: Advent Prayer Resources to learn more.

Finally: it’s not too early to purchase your Advent candles! Visit your local Catholic shop or order them online now, and put them in a place where you won’t forget them come November 28. I suggest you store them inside your turkey roaster, if you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year!

Copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Image: Stencil
This article contains Amazon affiliate links; your purchases through these links benefit the author. 

On Barb’s Bookshelf: “Pray Fully”

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Pray Fully-h

CatholicMom.com contributors Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet are known for their encouraging spiritual books for women, Divine Mercy for Moms and The Friendship Project (both from Ave Maria Press) and Our Friend Faustina (from Marian Press). They have teamed up once again to write Pray Fully, a practical guide to deepening your prayer life.

Pray Fully: Simple Steps for Becoming a Woman of Prayer (Ave Maria Press) is written from that friend-to-friend point of view that Michele and Emily do so well. Taking turns chapter by chapter, they share their own stories of struggles and victories in prayer, offering advice based on what they’ve learned the hard way.

pray fully

The authors back up their own advice with saintly examples; each chapter has a section titled “Meet your Heavenly Friend,” in which readers learn about the prayer lives and practices of Sts. Gemma Galgani, Teresa of Kolkata (Mother Teresa), Gianna Beretta Molla, Louis and Zélie Martin, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and Margaret Mery Alacoque. Each chapter also includes a reflection by one of the authors, a “Let’s Pray” section that explains a particular prayer practice, inspiring quotes from the saints, and a prayer prompt.

Because prayer is not a one-size-fits-all experience, and our own prayer needs, opportunities, and preferences change, Michele and Emily outline several different approaches to prayer, along with providing the opportunity to explore each of them. These approaches include resting in Jesus’ presence, lectio divina, making an examen, and creating a legacy of faith. They address the tough questions associated with unanswered prayers, and also discuss personal devotions such as dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The final chapter offers meditations, reflections, and journaling space for readers to explore the various prayer approaches discussed in Pray Fully. You’re not expected to do it all — there’s not enough time in the day to do it all — but encouraged to find a way to add or deepen a prayer practice.

Pray Fully would make an excellent Lenten spiritual read.

CH 2 PF

Copyright 2020 Barb Szyszkiewicz
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I was given a free review copy of this book, but no other compensation. Opinions expressed here are mine alone.

"An Open Book" linkup hosted at CarolynAstfalk.com and CatholicMom.com

An Open Book: August 2017 Reads

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The first Wednesday of each month, Carolyn Astfalk hosts #OpenBook, where bloggers link posts about books they’ve read recently.

Working full-time doesn’t leave me much room for pleasure reading, so my book consumption has definitely slowed. Here’s a taste of what I’ve been reading:

Fiction

maggies wayLinda Bradley, Maggie’s Way (Montana Bound Series book 1). Maggie, arguably, has it tough this summer. Her husband of 20+ years has just “come out” and divorced her, and she’s undergoing radiation for breast cancer with only her mom for support, because she won’t tell anyone else about it. And now she has a new next-door neighbor, a very needy little girl who’s been abandoned (over and over again) by her own mother, and whose father finds himself attracted to Maggie. While the main character of this novel was irritating at times, little Chloe stole my heart.

comfort of secretsChristine Nolfi, The Comfort of Secrets. Cat Mendoza wants her marketing job to work out so she can help save her small town. A new business associate, Ryan, proves to be more than a coworker–but complications from his past threaten their future. I liked how the story came full circle–and then some! This was a story and cast of characters that I had a hard time parting with; they’re still inhabiting my thoughts.

wedding miracleMelissa Storm, A Wedding Miracle. It’s no joke: a minister and a rabbi meet at the wedding of their good friends, and it soon becomes clear that they’re destined to be together. This short rom-com would make a terrific movie! It has that same “these two really do belong together” feel that you get when you watch “You’ve Got Mail.”

Children’s/YA

other side of freedomCynthia T. Toney, The Other Side of Freedom. In Prohibition-era Louisiana, Sal struggles with questions of right and wrong as an organized-crime ring forces family members into involvement with bootlegging, with heartbreaking results. Keeping the secret will keep Sal and his parents alive, but is it worth the cost of losing contact with friends and his beloved uncle? I love how the cover image focuses on the very worried eyes of the young man in this novel. Recommended for middle-school readers and young teens studying this period of American history. (ARC provided by author)

Nonfiction

busy lives and restless soulsBusy Lives & Restless Souls. I picked up this book because I knew nothing about Ignatian spirituality and I welcomed the chance to learn something new. As a pragmatic person, I found comfort in the practical advice that I learned is a hallmark of the Ignatian way of life and which is so clearly explained by author Becky Eldredge. (ARC received from publisher) Read my full review.
101 places to pray before you die101 Places to Pray Before You Die. Since many holy sites are closing due to lack of visitors and funding, like the St. Katharine Drexel Shrine near Philadelphia, PA, this book is a well-timed reminder to take the opportunity to visit such places while the opportunity still exists. Your visit supports the efforts of those who maintain and staff these churches, shrines and other sites. (ARC received from publisher) Read my full review.
friendship projectThe Friendship Project. This new book from Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet (Ave Maria Press, 2017) inspires women to foster friendships based on holy virtues. Friends since college, Michele and Emily write from their own experience, sharing the joys of their twenty-year friendship. Each chapter features a pair of women saints who were friends, and focuses on one virtue that will help us to become better friends and deepen our spiritual friendships. (ARC received from publisher) Read my full review.

 

Links to books in this post are Amazon affiliate links. Your purchases made through these links support Franciscanmom.com. Thank you!

Follow my Goodreads reviews for the full list of what I’ve read recently (even the duds!)

Visit today’s #OpenBook post to join the linkup or just get some great ideas about what to read! You’ll find it at Carolyn Astfalk’s A Scribbler’s Heart and at CatholicMom.com!

Copyright 2017 Barb Szyszkiewicz

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On Barb’s Bookshelf: The Friendship Project

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Barb's Book shelf blog title

Today I’m your hostess for “Friendship Friday” on The Friendship Project blog tour. This new book from Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet (Ave Maria Press, 2017) inspires women to foster friendships based on holy virtues.

The title of this book immediately made me think of Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project, but there’s a big difference here. Rubin’s book is all about how to make things more pleasant for yourself. The Friendship Project invites you outside your personal cocoon into a world of relationship where you and your friends encourage each other. As Sister John Dominic, O.P., remarks in her back-cover endorsement,

“We live in a technology-driven world where people are instantly connected, yet in our own personal lives, we often feel isolated and alone. … [The Friendship Project] underscores the truth that happiness lies in living a virtuous life.”

Friends since college, Michele and Emily write from their own experience, sharing the joys of their twenty-year friendship. Each chapter features a pair of women saints who were friends, and focuses on one virtue that will help us to become better friends and deepen our spiritual friendships.

friendship project

I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I was struck by this book’s lovely cover design featuring images by Ivona Staszewski. The folk-art style portraits of saints fit so well with the down-to-earth treatment of saints and holy friendships that Emily and Michele discuss in this book.

Emily Jaminet (l) and Michele Faehnle with advance copy of The Friendship Project at Catholic Marketing Network 2017. Photo copyright 2017 Barb Szyszkiewicz. All rights reserved.
Emily Jaminet (l) and Michele Faehnle with advance copy of The Friendship Project at Catholic Marketing Network 2017. Photo copyright 2017 Barb Szyszkiewicz. All rights reserved.

I met Emily and Michele earlier this summer at the Catholic Marketing Network, where they displayed advance reading copies of their book. They are powerhouses: energetic, prayerful, dedicated women–and clearly BFFs. When you meet them in this book, you’re going to want what they have. When you read The Friendship Project, you’ll find out how to get it.

Friendship Friday blog tour for
Courtesy of Ave Maria Press. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Visit the other stops on The Friendship Project blog tour!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links; your purchase through these links helps support this blog. Thank you! I was given a free review copy of this book, but no other compensation. Opinions expressed here are mine alone.

Copyright 2017 Barb Szyszkiewicz