Books published by Ave Maria Press

Christine Valters Paintner, author of Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire, invites readers to discover and develop their creative gifts in a spirit of prayer and reflection. This twelve-week course draws on the insights and practices of Benedictine spirituality to explore the interplay between contemplation and creativity. Summarized in the phrase pray and work, The Rule of St. Benedict provides the inspiration for Christine Valters Paintners newest exploration of the mutually nourishing relationship between contemplative practices and creative expression. Artists of all stripes and stations in life--poets or painters, potters or photographers--will discover how traditions of Benedictine, Celtic, and desert spirituality can offer new sources of inspiration for their work. Through this twelve-week course, themes like Sacred Tools and Sacred Space, Creative Solitude and Community, and Nature as a Source of Revelation and Inspiration are enriched by Paintners perceptive discussion and enhanced by insightful quotations from well-known artists and writers. Each week offers suggestions for grounding both the creative and the spiritual life through three basic practices: walking, lectio divina, and journaling. In sync with Paintners vibrant Internet presence, The Artists Rule is supplemented with online resources, including guided meditation podcasts, video lessons, and discussions.

Lisa M. Hendey, founder of the award-winning CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms and The Grace of Yes shares her passion for the saints by introducing fifty-two holy companions as guides for the amazing vocation of Catholic motherhood.Guided by the example of the saints, Hendey eloquently links personal stories, scripture, prayer, and soul-strengthening exercises into a spiritually rich and deeply practical resource for Catholic women. This edition includes a new preface and cover and is updated with information about saints canonized since the first edition.Allow The Book of Saints for Catholic Moms to help you grow in your faith and enrich your heart, mind, body, and soul by spending each week of the year with Lisa M. Hendey and a different saint. This award-winning spiritual guidebook introduces you to popular saints such as Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Calcutta, John Paul II, and Patrick, as well as lesser known but equally inspiring saints such as Gianna Beretta Molla and Damien of Molokai.Each week Hendey offers: a thematic prayer intention;biographical and devotional information about the saint;lessons she learned from each saint;daily scripture meditations;prayers;activities for moms and children; andpractical, spiritually rich steps that help moms incorporate the wisdom and exemplary faith of each figure into their own lives.

Following the footsteps of the Masters of Carmel, Fr. Marie-Eugene opens up the paths of contemplation and holiness to all, in the midst of ordinary life. This is a classic for all interested in Carmelite spirituality.

This handy reference provides a compact overview of the most important canonical issues facing pastoral ministers today. Arranged by topic, this resource offers a thorough summary of church law along with helpful sections of "frequently asked questions" at the end of the chapters.

With 250,000 copies sold, this new edition of Joyce Rupp's most popular book offers a fresh opportunity for readers to reflect, ritualize, and reorient themselves as they navigate life's inevitable changes. Everyone has unique goodbyestimes of losing someone or something that has given life meaning and value. With the touch of a poet, Joyce Rupp offers her wisdom on these experiences of leaving behind and moving on, the stories of union and separation that are written in all our hearts. Praying Our Goodbyes, Rupp says, is about the spirituality of change. It is a book for anyone who has experienced loss, whether a job change, the end of a relationship, the death of a loved one, a financial struggle, a mid-life crisis, or an extended illness. It is designed to help readers reflect, ritualize, and re-orient themselvesto help heal the hurts caused by goodbyes and the anxieties encountered when one season of life ends and another begins.

The prayers in this book are intended to help groups acknowledge God's role at the center of their common work and in all of life. These prayers fit the needs of groups in all stages of life. A welcome addition to any parish, school or other faith based organization's resource shelf.

In this practical and hopeful book, the author leads readers on the path of sensitivity, encouraging them not to withdraw from the darkness in the world, while warning of the pitfalls of cynicism and burnout. Rooted in the richness of spiritual tradition, this book is indeed a guiding light for those who seek to live a sensitive life.

With wisdom and common sense, Father Thomas Green engages the topic of spiritual discernment and shows that it is a function of an individual's personal relationship with God. Discernment, he says, is where prayer meets action.

Henri Nouwen invites us to reflect on the tension between our desire for solitude and the demands of contemporary life. He reminds us that it was in solitude that Jesus found the courage to follow God's will. And he shows us that fruitful love and service must spring from a living relationship with God. Beautifully written, elegantly simple, Out of Solitude is as fresh today as it was thirty years ago. "e;We want to overcome problems and adversities and want to change at all costs. An alternative is to care for ourselves, each other, and our world."e;-Thomas Moore, from the Foreword

This new, revised, and expanded edition of MacNutt's bestselling book Healing provides a context within which to understand healing. Covers topics including the basis of the healing ministry, kinds of healing, and the connections between sacraments and healing. MacNutt discusses new discoveries of connections between the spiritual and the physical, including scientific inquiries into the healing power of prayer.

Joyce Rupps bestselling contemporary classic has sold more than 200,000 copies. This new edition continues a fifteen-year tradition of helping individuals and groups pray. Now with a new preface and fresh design, The Cup of Our Life is available to anyone seeking a more intimate and disciplined life of prayer. Joyce Rupp, the bestselling Catholic woman writer today, illustrates how the ordinary cups used each day can become sacred vessels that connect readers with life and bring them into closer union with the Divine. She explores how the cup is a rich symbol of life, with its emptiness and fullness, its brokenness and flaws, and its many blessings. With daily devotions for six weeks, this book is ideal for individual usage as well as group usage in parish settings, religious communities, and small Christian communities.

Joyce Rupps characteristic creativity and reverence for the Divine are on full display in this collection of prayer resources for birthdays, holidays, holy days, transitions, and many other occasions, helping readers enter more deeply and reflectively into the liturgical and seasonal celebrations of their lives. Ideal for personal use, or as a gift for loved ones celebrating a landmark occasion, this enduring spiritual classic is an invaluable resource for ministers, spiritual directors, and lay leaders alike, who turn to its prayers, reflections, and rituals for personal and communal occasions both ordinary and profound.