Sophia Insider: November 2019

This Month at Sophia Institute Press Sophia Authors in the News – Sophia authors continue to appear in major print publications and on top shows in Catholic and broadcast media. New Book Announcements – Read about the great new books we're publishing, sure to delight the whole family! New Sophia Video Trailers – Sophia books and programs are gaining attention through the visual media. Watch our short video trailers for The First Christmas and In the Beginning. Sophia Book Reviews – Latest rave reviews and features of Sophia books. Hot Topic Featurettes – Sophia’s websites featured must-read articles this month. Don’t miss major features that ran on our websites this month and were read by hundreds of thousands. Classics Corner – A carefully curated selection for this month's liturgical calendar. Peruse the Sophia archives for timely books to help you integrate your prayer life with the sacred rhythm of the Church's feasts.  Latest Endorsements – Exciting endorsements for our books. Faith leaders and Catholic personalities weigh in on our new and forthcoming books.  Book Industry Update – Franciscan University of Steubenville professor releases collection of Flannery O'Connor's unpublished letters. Find out six things you never knew about this extraordinary Catholic writer. Sophia's Newest Releases – Stay abreast of Sophia’s newest offerings, and don’t miss our $2 and $5 Catholic classics!

Sophia Authors in the News Sophia authors in the news this month

Cardinal Marc Ouellet gave a press conference for his book Friends of the Bridegroom: For a Renewed Vision of Priestly Celibacy. His conference received coverage from EWTN, Catholic News Agency, the Washington Post, and more.

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Bestselling author Anthony DeStefano and EWTN's Teresa Tomeo reflected on the many inspiring messages shared in DeStefano's newest book, The Seed Who Was Afraid to be Planted.

LISTEN HERE

James Papandrea, author of the newly released What Really Happens After We Die, had a lively conversation with Fr. Mark and Br. John of EWTN's Life on the Rock about the many Christ figures in popular media, as described in Papandrea's book From Star Wars to Superman.

WATCH HERE

New Book Announcements New Sophia titles this month

New Sophia Video Trailers Watch our newest book promo videos

The First Christmas

In the Beginning

Sophia Book Reviews A selection of reviews of Sophia books

The Seed Who Was Afraid to be Planted in Good Books for Catholic Kids by Brittany Izneo

Have your kids asked you to explain suffering? If they haven’t yet, believe me, they will! Why does a loving God allow us to suffer? This is a question that has been repeated and pondered throughout the ages. In The Seed Who Was Afraid to be Planted Anthony DeStefano takes on the question of suffering with a simple story that even young children will be able to understand. DeStefano seamlessly weaves together several Bible verses into a parable about a fearful seed whom a wise gardener insists on planting. Planted in a dark hole, the terrified seed feels abandoned and alone. But then the tiny seed begins to grow into a magnificent tree which helps others and experiences a beauty and freedom it had never dreamed possible.

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Faith and Fury on Catholic Culture by Dr. Jeff Mirus

In an intriguing new book by Fr. Charles P. Connor, the Catholic position on slavery leading up to and during the American Civil War (1861-1865) is explored in considerable depth. What we learn from it is how much cultural conditioning and competing interests can modify or “slant” the moral positions of bishops within the same Church. The book is Faith and Fury: The Rise of Catholicism During the Civil War.

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Fit for Eternal Life! in U.S. Catholic by Jennon Bell Hoffmann

Stretch, bend, . . . pray? From group fitness classes to mindfulness apps, health and wellness is a part of our cultural fabric more than ever. But where does faith fit in? When I was asked to write about health and wellness through a Catholic lens, my initial thoughts were that fitness is for the gym, faith is for prayer time. What does my Zumba class have to do with God?  So it was a surprise to find many connections between a strong faith life and a strong physical life. I also found some interesting discussions about why it matters to take care of your body as a gift from God and how to practice physical wellness as a follower of Christ. Turns out that “finding God in all things” can definitely apply to your morning stretches.

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Hot Topic Featurettes Selections from Sophia websites

Saintly Words of Consolation for Those Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) by Melissa Guerrero

Ah, autumn. It’s the time for coziness, warmth, and so many get-togethers with loved ones. It’s many people’s favorite season for these and many other reasons. For some people, however, the days getting shorter and the nights longer means they’re more susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Like with most illnesses, some days are better than others. On the harder days, sometimes we need that little bit of encouragement to keep fighting on. Here are some saintly friends to remind you that you’re not alone and that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

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I'm Still Thankful for Pope St. John Paul II by Louise Merrie

I will always be grateful to Saint John Paul II for his influence on my life and his leadership of the Church. After I experienced a conversion (or reversion, as I was brought up Catholic) as a college student, the Pope became important in my life. I began reading his encyclicals, apostolic letters, and talks. I came to understand why the Pope is called our Holy Father, because he really was a true father to me and to all Catholics. He was someone I could rely on to help me live as a faithful laywoman in the modern world. I prayed for him often and knew he prayed for me as a member of the Church. Saint John Paul II influenced me in many ways. He helped me understand my vocation as a laywoman and made me realize the importance of supporting priests and working for a culture of life.

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A Nation that Can't Forgive is Doomed by Casey Chalk

On October 2, former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of murdering Botham Jean in his own home. Guyger claims she entered Jean’s apartment by accident (she lived on the floor above) and, mistaking him for a burglar, shot him dead. Jean was eating a bowl of ice cream. Following Guyger’s sentencing, Jean’s 18-year-old brother Brandt embraced Guyger. “I forgive you,” he told her; “I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you.”

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Classics Corner A selection of Sophia classics tied to the liturgical calendar

Latest Endorsements Faith leaders and personalities weigh in on our new and forthcoming books

"It is a great joy for us all that Susan Tassone continues the witness of St. Faustina Kowalska to the whole Church through her excellent books, making Faustina's insights available in a manner that is accessible to all. May Jesus Speaks to Faustina and You, in the words of St. John Paul II, enable “'the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sister Faustina's charism [to] illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.'” Robert Cardinal Sarah Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

"When society is suffering, God chooses a person, or groups of people, to respond to those needs. Today the problem of drugs plagues our society, families, and individuals. Mother Elvira Petrozzi and her community encountered this need and addressed the challenge." Bishop William Michael Mulvey Bishop of Corpus Christi

"An important and quite beautiful exploration of an under-appreciated state of life, written by one who has lived the single vocation with grace and courage, to the benefit of both Church and society." George Weigel Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies "This book is critical. It also happens to be a rigorous, joyful labor of love, and a gift to us." Kathryn Jean Lopez Senior Fellow and Editor-at-Large, National Review   "Single for a Greater Purpose is a book that will surely aid the spirituality of those who read it." Cardinal Timothy Dolan Archbishop of New York

Book Industry Update

6 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Flannery O'Connor by Benjamin B. Alexander

Flannery O'Connor is a master of the American short story, joining since her untimely death in 1964, Hawthorne, Poe, Hemingway, and Faulkner in the literary canon. Now a fixture in textbooks and collections, she composed on an old typewriter with bookshelves nearby of modern fiction, philosophy, and theology unique among American writers. The novels of William Faulkner, the American Virgil, beside the writings of the angelic doctor Thomas Aquinas testified to wide study. Here are some interesting observations I discovered in editing Good Things Out of Nazareth.

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