In her latest book, “The Women,” Kristin Hannah tells the story of a woman who finds her life’s purpose — and suffers greatly because of it. (OSV News photo/St. Martin’s Press) By Cecilia Cicone | OSV News “The Women: A Novel”Kristin Hannah, St. Martin’s Press (2024) 480 pages, $30 The religious vocations posters that adorn the walls of church vestibules are filled with smiling priests, religious sisters piously praying the rosary while walking in the woods, and couples absolutely over the moon on their wedding day. Typically, the joy of a life spent for the Lord overshadows any sacrifices th ..read more

By Kelly Nicholaides | OSV News Leaning into a sprinter’s stance while watching the 2008 Olympics, 8-year-old Sydney McLaughlin visualized her future. Fast forward eight years. The junior at Union Catholic High School earned a spot on the Women’s USA Track and Field Team. Riddled with anxiety, fear, and self-doubt, she failed to earn a medal in the 400-meter hurdle at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but she overcame adversity and won the gold twice four years later. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is pictured on the cover of her new book, “Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith.” The 24-year-old, who ..read more

This is the cover of the “The Father’s House: Discovering Our Home in the Trinity” by Dominican Father James Dominic Brent. (OSV News/Pauline Books and Media) By Cecilia Cicone | OSV News “The Father’s House: Discovering Our Home in the Trinity”Father James Dominic Brent, OP, Pauline Books and Media (2023) 176 pages, $21.95 At some point or another, most Christians have worn or at least seen a bracelet made up of beads that hold the letters “WWJD,” meaning, “What would Jesus do?” It is intended to give Christians a pause before they make decisions or get involved in something that is opposed ..read more

By Mike Mastromatteo | OSV News “In the Courts of Three Popes”Mary Ann Glendon Image Books, 2024; 219 pages Mary Ann Glendon’s new book is a welcome addition to the body of narrative nonfiction on the inner-workings of influential but only dimly understood institutions. “In the Courts of the Three Popes” is a memoir-like examination of Vatican operations, both diplomatic and administrative, from a front-line observer. Subtitled “An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West,” Glendon’s book offers keen insights into how the last three pontiffs handled the more tempo ..read more

This is the cover of “True Confessions” by Francis X. Maier. (OSV News photo/Ignatius Press) By Russell Shaw | OSV News Parishes closing or consolidating. Fewer and fewer people at Sunday Mass. An aging corps of priests and not enough new vocations to take their place. These and similar items combine in a pattern of downsizing by the Catholic Church nearly everywhere in America today. Other churches are having the same problems. No one has a formula for halting, much less reversing, what’s happening. But people who know the Catholic Church well can provide informed assessments along with shrew ..read more

By Lauretta Brown | OSV News Father Mark-Mary Ames of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal had an atypical Ash Wednesday this year after celebrating an early morning Mass for actors Jonathan Roumie and Mark Wahlberg. An undated headshot of Father Mark-Mary Ames of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. (OSV News photo/courtesy Prevish Marketing) Hallow reached out to Father Mark-Mary, an author who has narrated an audiobook for the popular Catholic prayer app, about saying Mass Feb. 14 in New York City prior to the actors’ morning appearance on “Fox & Friends” to talk about Hallow’s huge in ..read more

This is the cover of “Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism” by Deacon Harold-Burke Sivers. (OSV News photo/Ignatius) By Cecilia Cicone “Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism” Harold Burke-Sivers, Ignatius Press (2023) 236 pages, $18.95 When protests broke out in late spring of 2020 following the death of George Floyd, many Catholics were faced with a reckoning: racism is intrinsically evil, and yet they felt woefully unprepared to come to the aid of brothers and sisters of color. In his latest book, “Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic ..read more

OSV News The season of Lent is an ideal time to grow in the spiritual life. Here are five great reads to help you on your way. These are the covers of “Finding God in Suffering” by Father Christopher M. Mahar, and “Legacy of Mercy” by Gretchen R. Crowe. (OSV News illustration) • “Salvifici Doloris” by Pope St. John Paul II Written in the wake of his assassination attempt and published as an apostolic letter in 1984, “Salvifici Doloris” is a treatise on the redemptive value of suffering, one of the hidden gems of St. John Paul II’s bibliography. It explains that all suffering finds its meaning ..read more

By Kenneth Craycraft “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No,'” said Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. “Anything more is from the evil one” (Mt 5:37). I thought of this passage often as I re-read, and then rewatched, a fine production of Arthur Miller’s tragic play “Death of a Salesman.” Premiering on Broadway 75 years ago, in February 1949, Miller’s work is a meditation on the corrosive effect of deceit and deception, both of self and others. Playwright Arthur Miller is pictured in a 1999 photo accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tony Awards ceremony in New York City. M ..read more

By Lauretta Brown Amid the distractions of everyday life, it is easy to miss the treasure of timeless wisdom the church has in the form of spiritual works throughout the centuries. In reflecting upon new habits to be formed as the new year commenced, I resolved to make some time to explore these ancient truths by revisiting one Catholic spiritual classic a month. For many, the month of January meant making a fresh start at something or seeking out new perspectives. In that vein, I decided to begin this journey with a spiritual classic that dramatically altered the way I viewed religious life w ..read more