"When it comes to being social, Athena Graves is far more comfortable creating a mixtape playlist than she is talking to cute boys--or anyone, for that matter. Plus her staunchly feminist views and love of punk rock aren't exactly mainstream at St. Ann's, her conservative Catholic high school. Then a malicious rumor starts spreading through the halls...a rumor that her popular, pretty, pro-life sister had an abortion over the summer. A rumor that...

Who is Mary to you? What role does she play in your spiritual life? Are you struggling to get focused spiritually or looking for a way to grow to new heights? Mary is the most famous woman in history. She has inspired more art and music than any other woman and she fascinates the imaginations of men and women of all faiths. Many holy men and women of monumental virtue considered Mary's humility to be a sure path to intimacy with God. They have surrendered...

Spirituality meets philosophy in the Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection collection "The Practice of the Presence of God and the Spiritual Maxims." This challenging yet fruitful read describes Brother Lawrence's philosophy that a relationship with God is more important than the service and work done in God's name. Through a series of letters to nuns and other monks, he states that people become caught up in trying to prove their worth to God. According...

When John Paul II lapsed into illness for the last time, people flocked from all over the world to pray. He had become a father figure to millions, who now felt orphaned. After more than 26 years of his guidance, the Catholic Church is entering a new age, with its bedrock traditions intact but with pressing questions to address in a rapidly changing world. Beginning with the story of John Paul's final months, this book offers an inside account of...

"The Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world. Thirteen times it has been vandalized, dismantled, or stolen. Why? What secrets does it hold? Enter UNESCO investigator, Nicholas Lee, who works for the United Nations' Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO). Nick's job is to protect the world's cultural artifacts-including countless lesser-known objects and national treasures. When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with...

"Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into Venice for a much-needed holiday with his wife and two young children. But when Pope Paul VII dies suddenly, Gabriel is summoned to Rome by the Holy Father's loyal private secretary, Archbishop Luigi Donati. A billion Catholic faithful have been told that the pope died of a heart attack. Donati, however, has two good reasons to suspect his master was murdered. The Swiss Guard who was standing watch outside the...

Written in the 16th century by a reform-minded Carmelite monk, Dark Night of the Soul is a treatise focusing on the metaphor of a dark night to represent a lonely phase in one's personal spiritual life. Saint John was a Roman Catholic mystic and a Spanish poet, and this work reflects his mystical stages toward union with God. Written on a scroll smuggled to him by one of his guards, his songs are the ultimate expression of the spiritual seeker's journey...

Overcome by spiritual restlessness as her children gain independence, a devout Catholic adopts a child from Eastern Europe whose complicated needs estrange the woman from her biological children.