Teens and Young Adults

In What Matters Most, University of Notre Dame theology professor Leonard J. DeLorenzo urges youth ministers, teachers, and parents to help young people redefine success in light of their call to discipleship--completely saying yes to God.

In Luke's account of the Annunciation, Mary offers a true model of discipleship for young people to follow. Her example will empower them to make choices about how to live their lives as a courageous yes to God in everything they choose--just as she did.

DeLorenzo, who served as the long-time director of Notre Dame Vision--a program designed to help young Catholics find their true calling as disciples of Jesus--shows how Mary exhibited four habits that will guide young people to make important life decisions:

Offers 150 fantastic fun facts from the Bible. Each is full of surprises, secret messages, adventure, and intrigue.

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A Lion for the Emperor is the second volume of the gripping new series for 10 year olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (5 books total). Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .

Maximus and Aghiles join their friend Titus on his father's expedition to capture a magnificent lion in the forests of North Africa. After surviving the dangers of the hunt, the three friends face a perilous voyage back to Rome. Their mission: present Emperor Diocletian with a priceless beast that will be used to satisfy the pagan appetite for violence during games in the Colosseum.

Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships--and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of the Rome.

Following Christ isn't always easy. You need faith, courage, patience, and love.

Colleen Swaim looks at eight young souls who became saints for the against-the-current, selfless heroism of their teen years. In addition to the inspiring stories, Ablaze includes maps, recipes, prayers, journal prompts, scripture references and reflection questions to help the reader apply the saints' experiences to every day life.

Read how an Italian high school student inspired thousands as she faced cancer joyfully. Follow a new Christian as he marches to his death by fire after standing firm in his faith in the face of a wretched king. Lock arms with a young man and his crucifix as he dares brawling teens to throw the first stone.

We are all called to follow Christ in our own ways. This book will inflame your heart with vivid storytelling, saintly challenges, prayers, images, and more. Discover how you can set your world ablaze with love for the Lord!

Features: Saint Dominic Savio; Saint Teresa of the Andes; Saint Kizito; Blessed Chiara Luce Badano; Saint Stanislaus Kostka; Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception; Blessed Pedro Calungsod; and Saint Maria Goretti.

View sample pages.

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Review by Lisa M. Hendey, CatholicMom.com webmaster:

If you're a mom of teens like me, you're constantly on the lookout for books and resources that will help inspire your family. With this new book by Colleen Swaim -- her first, but hopefully just the start of a prolific writing career -- we discover a treasure of the faith for Catholics young and old.

Ablaze is aimed at teens, but truthfully, the resources contained within this book will aid anyone looking to grow in sanctity and faith. Colleen profiles the lives of eight young saints and blesseds, sharing their path to sainthood with accounts that are filled with insight and detail. She has a voice that truly manages to bring these stories to life. Perhaps it's her work as a high school teacher that has provided her with an insight into what will move, challenge and inspire young people. Ablaze is filled with so much more than simply biographical details, including sidebars, vocabulary descriptions, maps, sacramental lessons, and even recipes. Journal prompts, prayers, scripture references and reflection questions help the reader to fully interact with the content presented, applying it to the challenges of every day life.

Each of the saints profiled, though living in different periods of history, has a freshness and a relevance to the world our teens face today. Colleen Swaim aptly brings their heroic virtues to light in a way that will have teens (and grown ups too!), eagerly interacting with her content and asking for more. I give Ablaze my highest recommendation and will enjoy sharing it with my own son this summer.

The author has been a baseball fan for more than forty years and a Catholic a lot longer than that. He has played, coached, watched, or taught baseball since he was seven years old. He is very active in lay ministry and catechetics at his Catholic parish in Seattle, and has found both the Bible and baseball to be among the greatest teachers in his life.
This book includes 8 pages of timeless photographs. You won't find a more inspiring gift for that baseball player in your life--of whatever age--or that fan in front of your TV!

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Avonlea's new schoolma'am, at the age of 15, is barely older then her pupils. Anne earnestly strives to win the affection of every student while maintaining the decorum of her new role. Her irrepressible spirit and lively imagination, however, often sidetrack her into amusing mischief and mortifying scrapes, all eventually remedied by the warmth of friendship and goodwill.
In this classic sequel to Anne of Green Gables, the author once again draws from girlhood memories of Prince Edward Island to portray the sweet, old-fashioned village of Avonlea, situated amid the natural beauty of the Canadian Maritimes. Although Anne and her friends and neighbors dwell in a bygone age of gaslight and horse-drawn carriages, Anne's dreams of the future, lofty aspirations, and romantic visions make her a heroine for all ages. Modern readers continue to share her tribulations and triumphs in leading the village improvement society, adapting to the boisterous arrival at Green Gables of a pair of 6-year-old orphans, and searching always for the company of kindred spirits.
Since Anne's debut in 1908, generations of readers around the world have grown up with the starry-eyed young woman with the shining hair (please, call it auburn, not red). This inexpensive new edition of Anne's further adventures ensures the continuation of a joyful tradition.

From the outside, seventeen-year-old Siena has the perfect life. She and her two younger sisters are adored by their wealthy father and grandmother. They are removed from the world, living in a modern-day castle in the middle of their grand family estate on the majestic shores of Maine. There is nothing to fear-Siena's father has made sure of that. Unfortunately, he has forgotten that the greatest threats can come from within.

On the edge of their idyllic property is a dilapidated inn built long ago. Thomas, the boy Siena grew up with, is drawn to the weathered building next to the sea. He is the opposite of Luca, the troubled young man who just moved to the expansive property. While Thomas tries to draw Siena closer to the inn, Luca warns her to stay away.

The inn holds far more mysteries than Siena's family is willing to tell ... but ignorance provides no protection.

Awakening is the first in a new series by best-selling author Jacqueline Brown. She again invites readers into a world of intriguing characters and vivid scenes which prompt readers to suspend belief in the limits of physical reality and subtly question-Is there something more?

Lucid and inspiring, Behold the Man is a unique exploration of Catholic spirituality for men. Much of the literature written for Catholic men focuses on topical issues such as fatherhood and sexuality. While this book does not exclude these subjects, it is the first to present a comprehensive picture of Catholic male spirituality.

What is authentic male Catholic spirituality? What distinguishes it from Protestant male spirituality? How does masculine spirituality complement feminine spirituality? These questions and many more are answered in this book.

Drawing from Scripture and Church teaching, the author roots Catholic male spirituality in a covenant relationship with God and the cross of Jesus Christ. He demonstrates that when a man embraces the cross he is truly able to be himself--the man that God created and calls him to be. Behold the Man can deepen a man's experience of Christ and help him to know the Lord more intimately.