Happy Anniversary!

Ten years ago today I married my wife at St. Luke’s Church in Irving, TX. The Mass was glorious – we had seven servers, a full polyphonic choir, a Novus Ordo Mass in Latin with our favorite priest, Fr. James, saying Mass versus orientem.

The reception, attended by the largest gathering on both sides of our families in years, was held at the University of Dallas cafeteria. We had a live polka band (everyone should have a live band that plays music everyone can dance to) and the desserts were delicious. One of my brothers-in-law made a chocolate cake that used ground nuts for the flour. I don’t think I have ever had anything so rich in my life.

Ten years later, we can point to our eight kids (two in heaven) and say “See how much I love you?” My wife has never lost faith in me even though I frequently lose it in myself, especially trying to run a Catholic bookstore.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie! I would do it all over again if given the chance. You are a wonderful blessing to me and all our kids.

Calendars to INSPIRE Your New Year!

November 27, 2006   Happy New Year! Read below  Want to know when to expect your order? Read our Shipping Guide.    This is probably the most beautiful Catholic calendar available anywhere. Mary and the Saints Calendar 2007 This beautiful Calendar features a different full-color picture of Our Lady for each month, plus Marian prayers, Scripture passages and Catholic traditions on the Blessed Virgin Mary. It shows the Saints’ feast days and Sundays of both the New Calendar and the Traditional Calendar … This calendar is a great aid to sanctifying each day. … a great resource for spreading the Divine Mercy Devotion even after the calendar expires. Divine Mercy Calendar 2007   This inspiring calendar features the Divine Mercy picture in full color and a quote from Our Lord to St. Faustina for each month, plus an explanation of the Divine Mercy Devotion and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It shows the Saints’ feast days and Sundays of both the New Calendar and the Traditional Calendar … St. Joseph Guide of the Liturgy of the Hours 2007 (Large Type) Handy guide that facilitates use of the large-type edition of THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS by providing clear, accurate references for each day of the period specified.      2007 Keys to Grace Appointment Calendar   This 6″ x 9″, 128-page, “week-at-a-glance” desktop appointment calendar: Lists all the indulgenced works of the Church on a week-at-a-glance basis, Highlights the twenty-two special days when a partial indulgence becomes plenary to honor a day, Has scholarly notes on the history of indulgences, Contains the conditions for earning both partial and plenary indulgences, Gives the complete text of over a dozen different indulgenced prayers, Carries weekly reminders for Friday fasts and Saturday confession Provides the Scriptural supports for one dozen different apologetics topics Deluxe Ecumenical Daily Appointment Calendar  – Convenient Desk Size 71/2″ x 101/2″ – Daily Feast Days – Liturgical Rank and Color – Thirteen Months (January – January) – Specific Half Hour Appointment Space – Exclusive Year-At-A-Glance for Current and Following Year – Extra Pages for Telephone Numbers and Addresses – Guide Indicators serve as Index Tabs for QuickReference in Scheduling Appointments     2007 Illustrated Saints Calendar And Daily Planner   This Daily Planner has lots and lots of Saints! For each day it features the Saints’ feast day(s). All feast days are marked as to their status. This Daily Planner shows both the obligatory and the recommended days of fast and abstinence, and distinguishes between them, with explanation. Much, much more…   Advent: Waiting in Joyful Hope First Sunday of Advent   Wednesday New Year’s Day is still a month away, but this week begins a new year in the Church. We begin January full of resolutions to lose weight or save money. During this first week of Advent, do the same thing for your faith… Read More

A Call For Volunteers – Review Your Religious Education Material!

Over the past couple of weeks I have exchanged letters with a bishop who did not like my religious education critiques or my reference to the USCCB’s Catechetical list (The List) as a magic eight ball. He took my comments as an insult directed at the bishops’ wisdom and teaching. To avoid any misunderstandings, I won’t be using that reference to The List anymore.

He also had the following comment about The List which I think is a very important point that just about everyone, including the National Catholic Register which has been running a long series on dioceses being in compliance with The List, has missed.

Placing a text or series on the approved list does not constitute an endorsement. Similar to an imprimatur, it means only that the series is in conformity with the Catechism and does not contradict it. This is a negative statement and should be understood that way.

Since I know of at least one parish that has banned the use of the Baltimore Catechism because it is not on The List and since I have never talked to anyone about The List who didn’t think that The List was either a recommendation list by the bishops or the only texts allowed for use in the Church, I thought quoting the bishop here was important.

Because The List is the lowest possible bar on which to choose a text and really doesn’t give any indication of the quality of a series, we have started a new project – Catholic Catechetical Review (www.catecheticalreview.com) This website is a wiki, meaning that anyone can add and edit the content of the site. We thought that such an open, colaborative project would be the best way to build up a body of helpful information about the various religious education programs on the market. This site is meant to point out both the good and bad points within programs and we hope will become a main stopping point for educators and parents before making a decision about the programs they choose.

If you want to help with the project, simply create an acount and start reviewing the program you are currently using.

We are in the process of building up some help files to assist you, as wiki editing is different than your standard blog or website. We are also looking for donations so that we can purchase different series and mail them to people who would like to review them. This project is part of our commitment to providing you with the best in Catholic products to assist you on your journey to Heaven.

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Everything is 15% Off!

We Need To Hear More Like This From Our Shepherds!

This week’s Catholic Herald contains a column from our bishop addressing the issue of Mass attendance. He encouraged all parents to set the example for their children by attending Mass weekly and taking their children with them. He quoted the Catechism on the subject and emphasized that not attending Mass weekly can put their souls in jeopardy.

The column isn’t up yet, but check back to the link above for the full text shortly.

How Can This Possibly Be Just?

I just got a notice from our health insurance company that our health insurance is going up 20% next year. For $600 of month ($7200 a year), I will have a $5,000 deductible for my family. This year, we had to pay over $5,000 in medical bills because some stuff was out of network.

Our health insurance costs have gone up 100% ($300 a month) in the last three years. Of that amount,  $100 a month is because we had two more kids.

Does anyone have any suggestions (apart from giving up our kids for adoption) of where to get reasonably priced insurance? This is our greatest monthly expense after our mortgage, even more than food!  If we have one semi-major injury in a year we are going to be paying over $13,000 out of pocket for medical costs for the year.

You constantly hear about how many uninsured people there are in the country but they never break it down by how many don’t want insurance, how many are really too poor and how many are average people who have to make a choice between insurance and food.

Last Chance to Get Catholic Classics at a Huge Discount!

Just a last minute reminder for you . . .

If you haven’t already signed up for the Essential Classics of Catholic Spirituality pre-notification list, there’s only a few hours left until the launch. And the Essential Classics collection will only be available to people on this list. . . you won’t be able to get a hold of it any other way. The sale ends today (Thursday) at 5pm!

Here’s the link. Get on the list right now before you miss your chance:

Click Here for the special offer!

Where Not to Shop for Chirstmas Presents (Updated)

From this link:

Chadwicks – No
Best Buy – No

Land’s End – Yes
Dillards – Yes
Kohl’s – Yes
Macy’s – Yes

Walmart – No. Walmart has decided to use the word “Christmas” this year but has also decided that cozying up to homosexual special interest groups is a good idea.

Best Buy says it “respects all holidays”. Anyone want to guess how many menorahs, Kwanzaa candles and Islamic symbols will be in their “holiday” ads, versus “holiday” trees, Santa hats and candy canes?

Update on ProLifeSearch Catholic Classics

Updated again (9/22/07): Pro Life Search seems to have gone out of business taking a bunch of peoples’ money with it. they never delivered the books they promised but if you happened to sign up for updates you are probably now getting spammed by the former owner. Be warned.

Just a quick update — ProLifeSearch has some more “freebies”
related to their Essential Classics of Catholic Spirituality. If you haven’t checked it out, you should now because there is a new, free audio file of one of the Classics. Go to:

http://www.prolifesearch.com/spiritualclassics.html?c=8

There’s only a few days left before the Essential Classics become available, and they’ll only be offered for 4 days. After that, they might not be made available again until 2007. So don’t miss out!

In the meantime, you can watch this countdown page as we get closer.
If you missed our previous emails and need to catch up on the ongoing and sometimes controversial saga of this launch, you can access the Essential Classics blog by signing up here:

http://www.prolifesearch.com/spiritualclassics.html?c=8

God bless!

Are You Ready for Advent and Christmas?

How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus   St. Nicholas comes to life in this video portrayal through authentic costumes, historical data, story-telling and sing-along music.  This unique experience helps children understand what Christmas is all about:  the celebration of jesus’ birthday.

Christmas Cards   It’s not too late to order Christmas cards! We have 50 different beautiful designs available.

Dawn of the Messiah     Perhaps the story of Christ’s birth has become almost too familiar.  We’ve heard the story so many times that it fails to shock us: the appearances of the angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of shepherds and magi. Today’s reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the significance of many details in the Gospel accounts of the birth of the Messiah.  This book bridges the gap, explaining the original context of every line and detail in the biblical stories.  Sri not only helps readers understand an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings them to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of God’s entry into the world as one of us.

Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook This reader-friendly companion provides everything Catholics need for a richer experience of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Whether readers wish to follow a traditional, contemporary, or family program of devotion and prayer for Advent and Christmas, this all-in-one resource will be a treasured guidebook.

Magnificat Advent Companion Advent is the sacred season of anticipation and expectation in which we prepare for the coming of our blessed Savior. To live Advent is to live in an awareness of a Presence that changes our lives. The Magnificat Advent Companion is a rich spiritual guide that will accompany you daily through the 4 weeks of this holy season. It provides original daily reflections based on the Scriptures of the Mass for each day of Advent written by some of the finest Catholic writers in the world. In addition, it offers superb essays, devotions, prayers, and other liturgical and spiritual aids to guide and enrich the reader’s experience of Advent. This invaluable booklet will bring you ever closer to the Infant King.  To order a Magnificat subscription click here.

Advent and Christmas with the Saints The Advent and Christmas season is a time of anticipation and preparation, celebration and joy.  Beginning with the first day of Advent and continuing through the twelve days of Christmas, Advent and Christmas With the Saints guides readers to an experience of closeness with God.  Words of devotion and excitement fill each page, from the pens of such luminaries as Francis of Assisi, Therese of Lisieux, and many, many others.

Approaching Christmas In the rush before Christmas, it is easy to forget that the very preparations themselves—decorations, music, gifts and meals—are a wonderful opportunity to prepare for the Lord. This book will help the readers to discover, through lyrical prose and masterpiece art, the spiritual scope of the season’s festivities, and restore the wonder of Christmas to their hearts.

 

Jesse Tree Kit The Jesse Tree is a wonderful Advent tradition that fosters reflection on salvation history as a preparation for the celebration of Christmas. This user-friendly kit features a history of the Jesse Tree, suggested Scripture verses to accompany each ornament, and a Jesse Tree prayer service. This great activity for families, classrooms, and parishes is ideal for kids ages 6-12.

Make Your Own Christmas Nativity Kids can create their very own Nativity scene with this delightful activity book! Just fold out the stable on the cover and add the press-out background pieces. Then count on hours of fun coloring and cutting out the familiar Christmas figures to complete the scene! Makes a wonderful Advent gift. A Christmas treat for children ages 6–10!

 

Advent Wreaths

Pewter Nativity Statues and Sets This hand sculptured fine pewter creche includes 12 figures approximately 3″ high and a stylish wooden stable with a rich cherry finish.  Stable measures 6 1/2″ H x 10″W x 4 3/4″D.  All pieces individually gift boxed. Made in the USA!

Outdoor Nativity Statues and Sets We have a variety of nativity sets, both indoor and outdoor in all price ranges for you to dress up your yard and home.

Creche Ceramic Plaque This hand-painted ceramic creche is 12 inches high and 7 inches wide.  It features Mary and Joseph and the Child Jesus, with 2 angels and various farm animals.
	Christmas Pins Wear a beautiful reminder about the season this year! These gold-plated, Swarovski Crystal pins are a perfect, tasteful reminder about the meaning of Christmas.

As We Wait in Joyful Hope… Ancient Catholic Customs Can Control Christmas Materialism By Kevin Orlin Johnson For many American Catholics, Thanksgiving kicks off another season of “here we go again”-fending off the annual bombardment from advertisers and the temptation to measure Christmas in terms of presents. It’s a month-long struggle to get all of our holiday work done and somehow keep Christ in Christmas, too. Many of us look back to a simpler Christmas in the “good old days,” a mythical time when the holiday came wrapped in a stocking full of chocolates and maybe an orange. Well, let’s look back a little farther and stand where we can get some perspective on the matter. For one thing, when you look at the liturgical calendar, you’ll notice that Christmas isn’t the Church’s major holiday. It never has been. Church Fathers such as Augustine didn’t include a commemoration of Christ’s birth in their lists of holidays at all. Early Christians focused their attention on Easter, the holiest day in the Church’s calendar, the solemnity of solemnities. Read the Article