Pauline Author now Vicar General for Ordinariate

On January 1, the "Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter" was formally established for Anglican groups in the US who are entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. The Ordinary, Fr. Jeffrey Steenson, will be installed on Feb. 19. His Vicar General is Father Scott Hurd, like Fr. Steenson, a former Episcopalian priest; unlike Fr. Steenson, an author for Pauline Books & Media. (He's also a good friend of the Daughters of St. Paul in Alexandria, VA.)

Get Fr. Hurd's book on Forgiveness from Pauline, or right on your Kindle.

Catholic Cultural Opportunities in the Loop

In case your new year's resolution included brushing up your knowledge of Catholic faith and life, the Loop is the place to be this first part of 2012!

Here at Pauline, we will continue our Saturday morning adult faith program for Lent, using Fr. Barron's Catholicism DVDs. The sessions will be led by a Chicago seminarian. Call for details or to register: 312-346-4228 The comprehensive study guide and text are optional, but highly recommended. After all, you want this to stick, right?

St Peter's Church (Madison and Clark) has filled the calendar with great Catholic study and discussion programs that are well worth investigating. For more information on the following programs, contact Carolyn Jarosz at ST. Peter's (312-853-2376).

For starters, they are offering four sessions on the book of Revelation. This will be led by Dr. Jim Papandrea, and meets from 12:10-12:50 on the Thursdays of January. Papandrea uses history along with theology to penetrate the meaning of the images in this most controversial (and confusing) book of the Bible.

Looking for cultural enrichment? Join Fr. Bob Sprott on Thursdays in February and March for an exploration of T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets" (most often encountered in the form of pithy quotes; more rarely in its context). This class doesn't meet every single Thursday, so check St. Peter's website for the exact dates.

If you're not free at lunch hour, Fr. Elric Sampson is offering an evening review of the history of the Catholic Church, Wednesdays from Feb. 1-Mar. 14 (5:30-7:00). This is an introductory "survey" course, not a detailed study of the past 2,000 years.


The book study with Fr. Bob Pawell (Tuesdays of January; noon) will cover Fr. Jim Martin's "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life."

 Don't forget to "like" us on Facebook, and use the "share" link on our Facebook page to invite your friends to grow in their faith and spiritual life through the ministry of Pauline Books & Media!

Changes in the Mass: What you can do to help spread the word

Thanksgiving offers a great opportunity to casually mention to your extended family (all of whom may not be especially frequent Mass-goers) that the words of the Mass will be changing this weekend. It would be sad if the Christmas-and-Easter Catholics are so caught off-guard that they feel alienated for good from the Church.

Right-click to download a copy of the business card
or just click it to go to the download site.

And to help you in this endeavor, the sisters at the motherhouse have created a Mass app that doesn't just offer the new words: it offers basic explanations of key words throughout the new translation. Not to mention the inspirational quotes from spiritual authors like Blessed John Paul II.

iTunes provides a way for you to actually gift someone with an app, making it even easier to share the new translation with your wired relatives for only 99 cents a pop.

That's one thing you can do.

You could also download the Mass app poster, print it on sturdy paper (photo paper works best) and ask your pastor if it can be posted on a the parish bulletin boards. Or download the business card size to print and distribute freely!

Right-click to download a copy of the business card
or just click it to go to the download site.

Advent Retreat: Are you registered yet?

It's in the (Pauline!) Bag!

Pretty soon you'll be able to put your Pauline books in a Pauline bag--the handy kind that zips into its own pouch (in Sr Diane's hand) so you can be ready at a moment's notice to pick up a few items (or accept a handful of whatever free samples they'll be giving out at the Thanksgiving Day parade this year). With the inspiring "Discover Hope" motto (and the $3.95 price), they make a gently uplifting add-on gift for just about anyone. Call the book center to order a few before the holiday rush!

Changes in the Mass!

If you haven't heard already, there will be changes in the translation of the Mass beginning the first Sunday of Advent. Not only is this an opportunity to come to a greater awareness of what the Mass is: it is an occasion to reach out to family and friends who may have drifted away from regular Sunday Mass. Without some kind of advance warning, they may feel alienated from the Church for good if they go to Mass on Christmas (or for a funeral) and find themselves unequipped with the new responses.
To help you help them, Pauline Books & Media is offering three noontime sessions on the new Roman Missal. All sessions are free; each will cover slightly different aspects of the Missal, with plenty of time for your questions. Presenter is Sr Anne Flanagan.
Join us for the first three Thursdays of November at 172 N. Michigan Avenue:
Bring your lunch! Bring your questions! Bring a friend!


You can find more in-depth video presentations on the new Missal at the Pauline Books & Media publishing house website. (More to come!)  For children, order "The Mass Explained for Kids."

8 Steps to Inner Peace: Advent Women's Retreat

How can we be more present to God, ourselves and others?

Registration is open for the Advent Women's Retreat on Saturday, December 3 (from 9:00-4:00). Retreat director and best-selling author Sr Kathryn Hermes is back again, to share

8 Steps to Inner Peace

Practical Prayer Tools and Experiences

Pre-registration is a must! $35 fee includes coffee/donuts and cold lunch. Sr Kathryn's books will be available for purchase and signing. The retreat will be held at St. Peter's (110 W. Madison St. just off Clark, downtown Chicago). For info and to register by phone, call Pauline Books (312-346-4228).

Sr Kathryn Hermes holds a Masters in Theological Studies and an advanced Certificate in Scripture. She is a sought-after speaker and retreat leader, best-selling author, and curren director of the Electronic Publishing Department of Pauline Books & Media, Boston.