Catholic Fire

Using St. Therese of Lisieux as a spiritual guide, author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle effectively assists families in experiencing a deeper spiritual growth and conversion during the holy and penitential season of Lent in Bringing Lent Home with St. Therese of Lisieux . The daily devotional begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday, providing prayers, reflections, and activities for the entire family. Each day, the family gathers together in the morning or evening to read a quote from St. Therese, reflect on points to ponder, read a brief excerpt from the life of St. Therese, discuss and choose fasting and almsgiving suggestions, and pray a simple, yet poignant prayer.  In this way, the three essential components of the Lenten season are fulfilled: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. I was very impressed with both the spiritual depth of this book for families, as well as the practicality of the format. As a Doctor of the Universal Church, whose spiritual doctrine co...

By Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, to be released May 9, 2013, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Indiana, Paperback. Available from Our Sunday Visitor, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Catholic  book stores. Autographed copies are available at Donna- Marie's website HERE . Reviewed by Jean M. Heimann, M. A. Theology, wife, mother, freelance writer, and oblate with the Community of St. John. In her latest book, Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year , Donna-Marie Cooper-O’Boyle offers busy Catholic moms a wonderful way to grow closer to God by rejuvenating their prayer lives. She provides 365 days of devotions based on the virtues of faith, hope, and love that are brief enough to be enjoyed in just five minutes.  Each meditation consists of four parts: Ponder, which is the reading of a Scripture verse or quote, Offer, which entails offering yourself to the Lord through an activity or idea, Pray, which consists of the recitation of a few short prayers ...

By Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, released March 2013, Paraclete Press, 70 pages. Available from Paraclete Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Major books stores and Catholic and Christian book stores . Reviewed by JEAN M. HEIMANN, wife and mother, M.A. in Theology, freelance writer, retired psychologist, and oblate with the Community of St. John. Pope John Paul II in his weekly catechesis stated: The grace conferred by the Sacrament of Confirmation is more specifically a gift of strength. This gift corresponds to the need for greater zeal in facing the 'spiritual battle' of faith and charity in order to resist temptation and give the witness of Christian word and deed to the world with courage, fervor and perseverance. This zeal is conferred by the Holy Spirit. ( L'osservatore Romano , 8 Apr 92. Summa Theol. III, q.72, a.5) The Holy Father went on to say, "Since the Middle Ages, theology — which developed in a context of generous commitment to 'spiritual com...

Be sure to stop by Catholic Exchange today to read my book review on Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle's latest book, Grace Café: Serving up Recipes for Faithful Mothering. You can learn more about Donna and order her books at her new website here.