BOOKS

Here we are, Divine Mercy Sunday, this first Sunday of April, the Month of Divine Mercy, and the Year of Mercy, so what could be more appropriate than Vinny Flynn’s new book: “The 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy”?

Despite being a person of faith, deeply involved in Church life and a sinner ever seeking God’s mercy, I was raised in a scientific-thinking household. My father was a research biologist and this kind of thinking pervaded our lives, but never at the expense of faith.

With the eighth centenary of the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans, upon us this year, the book is very timely.

In the end, 259 children in 26 countries submitted questions in 14 languages. They come from children in wealthy cities, poor rural areas and even refugee centers.

Social Justice has been my deepest interest since my former Lay Dominican chapter decided to explore it for a year of on-going formation. The first question that the facilitator asked, to illustrate what social justice meant, was, “How many people in the world live on less than two dollars a day?”

A man who, as a boy, responded that he'd like to be pope when he grew up, helped launch the pontiff's new book-length interview about his experience of mercy.

As a book critic, novelist, and a professor of English and Creative Writing, I am always looking for Catholic novels to read and review. Richard Novak’s new novel, The Platonia Chamber fits that bill; not only that, but the subject of the novel is of great personal delight — St. Laurentius or St. Lawrence, deacon to the 24th Bishop of Rome, Sixtus II.

More than 20 titles to choose from for die hard readers, Pope Francis aficionados and the average Catholic searching for prayer guides. Plus a title for teenagers and another for moms.

New book shows how Bible supports Church teaching on Eucharist. It’s one thing to be born and baptized into the Church or make up our own mind, for whatever reason to become Catholic, but it’s something altogether different to prove why being Catholic lies at the root of the Truth.

This new, full color graphic book brings the story of the nation's first identified black priest to life in a 48-page, 12-by-9-inch novel aimed at helping young people and adults learn about Fr. Augustus Tolton's extraordinary life.