Catholic Fire

Pope Francis is set to release a new children’s book in February, entitled “Love Before the World”. The book – published by Loyola Press (orig. Italian title “L’amore prima del mondo”) – contains the Holy Father’s responses to letters written by children from around the world. What did God do before creating the world? “God loved.” Why do my parents fight sometimes? “They are human.” These are some of the questions put to Pope Francis by children between the ages of 6-13 from 26 countries, including Albania, China, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Fr. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, director of ‘La Civiltà Cattolica’, met with the pope at the Casa Santa Marta several times during the last months, giving the Holy Father a chance to respond to the children’s letters spontaneously. “These are hard questions,” Pope Francis said, smiling. The drawings and questions of 31 children were chosen for the book, which will be presented to the Holy Father by several of the children who wrote t...

by Maria Stewart, Bezalel Books , paperback, 24 pages, released August 29, 2013. Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at Chrisian and Catholic bookstores. An Omelet fit for a King is a charming children’s tale containing a catechetical lesson.  It is a well-written and colorfully illustrated story about a poor, but cheerful peasant girl, Teresa, who lives with her widowed father. Life on the farm has not been easy for them, as they have had to deal with the death of Teresa’s mother, the hard labor involved in farming, and strong storms which have stripped their fields and destroyed their farm. However, there is a silver lining in the midst of all these clouds and, as the story opens, Teresa and her father are happily reminiscing about it.  Out of these trials, Teresa has learned the true meaning of humility.  Even better, she will soon be passing on this gift to another character in the story who is in dire need of it. This enjoyable and inspiring story foc...

I recently had the pleasure of reading a galley copy of Hear My Voice by Jonathan Stampf. In Hear My Voice , Stampf presents us with a children’s translation of Gospel readings for the Catholic Mass for the 2009 liturgical year. The hardcover book is beautifully illustrated by the award – winning, graphic designer Robert Conrad. Rosemarie Duckman, veteran Catholic teacher for 20+ years and a dedicated, retired Catholic elementary school principal, Rosemarie Duckman, edited and reviewed the book. Hear My Voice effectively conveys to children the message of the gospel, enabling the child to fully and actively participate in the Mass by presenting the entire gospel reading and at the same time providing a clear, simple message in larger type, explaining the gospel to the child in a language that he can easily understand, without speaking down to him. The beautifully colored illustrations and the clear message are sure to attract and hold the child’s attention not only during private stu...

This week's Catholic Carnival shines brightly, providing relief from all the political stress of the past week. You'll find it over at Ebeth's A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars. Here are a few of my favorite posts there: A Blankie Prayer by Sarah at Behold Your Mother . A Prayer to My Mom from Steve at The Catholic Journeyman. Saving Mister Nibbles! Elliot's Park Book 1 - Patrick Carman by Steven at Book Reviews and More. How Do We Know the Catholic Church Teaches Truth? by Marcel at Aggie Catholics. Jay, at Deo Omnis Gloria , shares the stark reality of pro-choice through his post Eduardo Verastegui: The Man Behind Bella Why this Election matters by Elena at My Domestic Church. (a beautiful pro-life post). Be sure to go there and read all the great posts!