Recommended Reading
BOOKS
Jesus Calling, Sarah Young. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004.
Written as if Jesus is speaking directly to the reader, the writings contain words of hope, guidance and peace with Scriptural references. The daily devotions instill a deeper relationship through a real presence with Jesus.
Saints Behaving Badly, Thomas J. Craughwell, Doubleday, 2006.
This book tells how 32 holy men and women turned their unsaintly lives around. The reading provides hope and inspiration to those “less-than-perfect” who are trying to better their lives through grace.
Through the Year with Pope Francis. Our Sunday Visitor, 2013.
These 365 short meditations by Pope Francis inspire and challenge the reader to pray, study Scripture and reach out to fellow pilgrims.
What Does It All Mean? Richard Leonard, SJ. Paulist Press, 2017.
An unusual book that addresses the tough questions about faith, prayer, suffering, free will and eternal life in a liberating, easy-to-read and understandable format.
Forming a Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult Faith Formation Today. Jane E. Regan. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014.
A Practical Guide for Starting an Adult Faith Formation Program. Richard C. Brown. Resource Publications, Inc.
WEBSITES
The Catholic Apostolate Center, (catholicapostolatecenter.org), a ministry of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, offers valuable webinars, podcasts, blogcasts, videos and online resources. The website includes a Spanish translation of all the resources.
The Catholic Divorced Ministry (www.nacsdc.org) offers information, retreats and conferences for separated and divorced Catholics. Organized regionally, they have local representatives and a newsletter, Jacob’s Well.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.usccb.org) offers news, issues, statements and an array of resources such as Daily Mass readings, the complete Books of the Bible with study materials, explanations of Catholic teachings on topics from A-Y, diocese information and more.
ARTICLES
With Love and Listening, Landings guides returning Catholics back to pews. Catholic News Service recently profiled our Landings International ministry highlighting the important work that ministry leaders do in their parishes welcoming back those who feel the need to rekindle their faith.
Finding Faith and Healing at Queen of Heaven Cemetery. The Catholic Voice, the Diocese of Oakland’s official publication, profiles Joe Witherspoon, who recently started the Landings program at Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Funeral Home in Oakland. He hopes to bring the Landings message of healing and reconciliation to distanced Catholics who visit the cemetery.
How to help Catholics come home. By Melanie Rigney and Anna LaNave
You Can Go Home Again. By Kristin Peterson
How to Evangelize. This month the world’s bishops will gather for a Synod dedicated to the new evangelization.
Christian unity and the new evangelization.
In the mid-19th century, Paulist founder Father Isaac Hecker’s vision was to make America Catholic. But as Father Frank DiSiano, CSP, notes in his Perspectives for the Synod on the New Evangelization, “older patterns of conversion and identity have forever shifted during the twentieth century.”