“The Church today demands a profound renewal of celibate priesthood and the fatherhood to which it is ordered.” Priestly celibacy, some say, is an outdated relic from another age. Others see it as a lonely way of life. But as Fr. Carter Griffin argues in Why Celibacy?: Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest, the ancient practice of celibacy, when lived well, helps a priest exercise his spiritual fatherhood joyfully and fruitfully. Along the way, Griffin explores: the question of optional celibacy some pitfalls of celibate paternity the selection and formation of candidates for celibate priesthood why biological fathers are also called to spiritual fatherhood the powerful impact of celibacy on the Church and the wider culture In a critical moment for the Catholic priesthood, Fr. Griffin brings light and hope with a new perspective on the Church’s perennial wisdom on celibacy.

Priests are called to be worthy spiritual fathers to the souls entrusted to their care. Years of seminary formation ideally forge them into faithful, generous, healthy priests, ready to serve the needs of the Church. But priests are not immune to the busyness, pressures, and distractions of a life of ministry. Over time, the lessons from their formation can fade into the background. Forming Fathers: Seminary Wisdom for Every Priest seeks to remind priests of the lessons so greatly needed to fulfill their calling faithfully. Originally delivered by Fr. Carter Griffin as talks to seminarians, this series of short, inspiring vignettes can help rekindle a priest’s first love and awaken the aspirations that brought him into the seminary in the first place. Much of what is contained in these pages is also applicable to Catholic laymen, themselves called to the virtues of Christian manhood, the responsibilities of discipleship, and the dignity of spiritual fatherhood. Fr. Griffin covers such central topics as the life of prayer, offering Holy Mass well, the importance of priestly friendships, and the need for fortitude. He addresses challenging issues, such as chaste celibacy, loving the Church, and living material simplicity, with simple truth. Priests may benefit most, however, from some of the themes that might have been overlooked in their seminary days: the importance of courtesy, the vital role of order and daily exposure to beauty, the virtue of magnanimity and its impact on priestly happiness, and exercising priestly leadership.

"The Church today demands a profound renewal of celibate priesthood and the fatherhood to which it is ordered."Priestly celibacy, some say, is an outdated relic from another age. Others see it as a lonely way of life.But as Fr. Carter Griffin argues in Why Celibacy?: Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest, the ancient practice of celibacy, when lived well, helps a priest exercise his spiritual fatherhood joyfully and fruitfully. Along the way, Griffin explores:the question of optional celibacysome pitfalls of celibate paternitythe selection and formation of candidates for celibate priesthoodwhy biological fathers are also called to spiritual fatherhoodthe powerful impact of celibacy on the Church and the wider cultureIn a critical moment for the Catholic priesthood, Fr. Griffin brings light and hope with a new perspective on the Church's perennial wisdom on celibacy.

While dissolute bishops and priests around the world grab headlines for their untoward words and deeds, too many other unfruitful priests minister as little more than glad-handing bachelors doing social service work. Top and bottom, is this the Church that Christ intended? Are these the priests we need? “No!” cries author Kevin Wells in these compelling pages that showcase how heroic priests can faithfully tread the narrow path of holy self-sacrifice first blazed by the apostles themselves. From scores of insightful interviews with modern priests, exorcists, seminary formators, and even disillusioned laity, Wells here draws forth a blueprint for priestly holiness that can once again fill our Church with priests abounding with sincere, supernatural faith, on fire with God's love, and moved by the irresistible impulse to save souls, no matter the cost to themselves. Reading this book will deepen your own faith and help you understand what all priests, by their vocation, are consecrated and called to be. Giving a copy to your parish priest will help him – and encourage him – as he strives to become a member of the small but growing contingent of holy priests we need.

Enjoy this Free Contemporary Small Town Amateur Sleuth Mystery Series Boxset. The Reluctant Rector is a boxset of the first three books in The Father Tom Mysteries. Meet Father Tom Greer and Detective Helen Parr, former lovers reunited after twenty years, as they solve crimes old and new--and explore the profound mysteries of the human heart. The Penitent Priest (Book 1)--My wife died in my arms, the victim of a nameless killer's bullet. I should have died with her. But God had other plans for me. Fifteen years later, I'm back where it all happened. I just want to forget, but the past won't leave me alone. Now, I'm asking a woman who I left broken-hearted twenty years before to catch my wife's killer. I'm Father Tom Greer, a Catholic priest, and I'm playing with fire. The Framed Father (Book 2)--My wife’s killer finally caught, I was content to leave Myerton to serve in the isolation of the same monastery where I found my call to the priesthood. The temptations of the past still occupy my mind, but behind these walls I’m safe from them. A call from the Archbishop sends me back to Saint Clare’s, to find out if a young priest has broken his vows. Confident I’ll find nothing wrong, I’m content to return. Then a young woman is murdered, and the priest stands accused. Helen is on the case, and I must work with her again to find the truth. But the feelings we left unspoken before are harder to avoid, and I find my heart struggling with my head. Can I save a young man’s life without risking my soul? The Redemptive Return (Book 3)--My faith lies in tatters after the events of the summer. I’ve neglected my prayers. I’ve avoided my priestly duties. I am questioning everything about myself--except my feelings for Helen. When my estranged sister goes missing, I fly home to look for her--with Helen surprising me on the plane. My sister’s dead when I arrive. I’m too late to save her. But I swear to find her killer. But emotions are fragile things, and in the depths of my despair, my love for Helen bursts forth in a grief fueled frenzy of passion and longing. In coming home, what have I found--my damnation, or my redemption? The Reluctant Rector: The Father Tom Mysteries, Books 1-3 is the first book in The Father Tom Mysteries Boxset series, a contemporary small town mystery series. It features Father Tom Greer, a Catholic Priest who is also an amateur sleuth in the tradition of Father Brown. If you enjoy the works of Rhys Dylan, Andrew Mayne, and Mary Stone, you will enjoy this novel.

Enjoy this Small-Town Amateur Sleuth Mystery My faith lies in tatters after the events of the summer. I’ve neglected my prayers. I’ve avoided my priestly duties. I am questioning everything about myself--except my feelings for Helen. When my estranged sister goes missing, I fly home to look for her--with Helen surprising me on the plane. My sister’s dead when I arrive. I’m too late to save her. But I swear to find her killer. But emotions are fragile things, and in the depths of my despair, my love for Helen bursts forth in a grief fueled frenzy of passion and longing. In coming home, what have I found--my damnation, or my redemption? The Redemptive Return is the third book in The Father Tom Mysteries series, a contemporary small town mystery series. It features Father Tom Greer, a Catholic Priest who is also an amateur sleuth in the tradition of Father Brown. If you enjoy the works of Rhys Dylan, Andrew Mayne, and Mary Stone, you will enjoy this novel.

While social norms and political movements are rapidly changing, the truth of the Catholic faith stands firm. In Cross-Examined: Catholic Responses to the World’s Questions, readers are equipped to address even the most sensitive topics, from the existence of God to the existence of hell, from women’s ordination to Marian devotion, from assisted suicide to transgenderism. In Cross-Examined, Fr. Carter Griffin begins each discussion not with Catholic teaching but rather with its most common objections. Articulating these objections serves several purposes. First, it helps Catholics to respect those who do not share their beliefs by identifying intelligent grounds for disagreement. Pointing out objections also helps believers respond more persuasively in discussions with non-Catholic friends. Perhaps most importantly, knowing the common objects instills confidence that the Church is committed to the truth and unafraid to engage with those who dispute her teaching. After identifying principal objections, each discussion continues with a brief summary of relevant Catholic teaching and then responds to each objection in turn. In our shrill age that seems ever less capable of rational discourse, the method used in Cross-Examined can offer a way to remain faithful to our beliefs while acknowledging, respecting, and responding to alternative points of view.

"Contributors explore the "complementarity" of women and men--that women and men are equal and different--as underpinned by Catholic theology and expressed in philosophy, theology, psychology, and art"--

Winner of the Resource of the Year award and a first-place award in resources for ministry from the Association of Catholic Publishers and a third-place award in pastoral ministry books from the Catholic Media Association. Many pastoral leaders feel ill-equipped to respond to the turmoil of those who face the death by suicide of a loved one. Responding to Suicide is the first book written for Catholic leaders that takes a holistic approach to understanding suicide and ministering effectively in its aftermath. More than a dozen leading mental health practitioners, Catholic theologians, and pastoral care experts share how best to respond to suicide as leaders in parishes, schools, healthcare systems, and other Church settings. The book offers a cross-disciplinary approach that provides basic information about the central role of mental health in suicide and clarifies Church teaching about suicide, funerals and burials for those who have died by suicide, and their afterlife. The National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that suicide was the tenth most common cause of death among Americans of all ages in 2017 and the second leading cause of death among fifteen to twenty-four year-olds. Death by suicide is usually sudden, often violent, and frequently comes at the end of a long and difficult struggle with a mental illness. Heaped on top of that is a social stigma that leaves loved ones in shock and often burdened with shame. Responding to Suicide addresses common concerns of the bereaved following a suicide: skepticism that Catholic leaders will understand; fear that the Church teaches that their loved one is in hell; and belief that they will find little if any support in the Church. More than a dozen contributors from across the spectrum of Catholic life provide rich guidance rooted in firsthand experience of suicide loss. Contributors include Deacon Ed Shoener, Bishop John P. Dolan, Msgr. Charles Pope, Leticia Adams, Archbishop Wilton Gregory, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, and clinical experts in the field of mental health and suicide. They share personal stories of loss, grief, hope, and healing, and clear up misconceptions about Church teaching. They offer practical takeaways for pastoral leaders: dos and don’ts when talking about suicide guidance for preaching and planning funerals information on the role of mental illnesses in suicide resource lists for those who grieve as well as for your own professional development suggested protocols for ministering to a school or parish community following a suicide ideas about forming parish outreach ministries to the bereaved that address the needs of suicide loss

John Henry Newman (1801-1890), renowned thinker and writer, Anglican clergyman and later Roman Catholic priest and cardinal, has had a lasting influence on both Anglicans and Catholics, in the fields of literature, education, and theology. On October 13, 2019, Pope Francis declared him a saint in Rome. Appealing to both the student and the scholar, A Guide to John Henry Newman provides a wide range of subjects on Newman's life and thought relevant for our times and complementary to biographies of Newman. The contributors include authors from many different disciplines such as theology, education, literature, history, and philosophy, highlighting the wide range of Newman's work. These authors offer a positive assessment of Newman's thought and contribute to the discussion of the recent scholarship of others. A Guide to John Henry Newman will interest educated readers and professors alike, and serve as a text for college seminars for the purpose of studying Newman.