Catholic Women's Book Group
Meeting Time and Location
The book group meets the first Tuesday of each month from 2-3:30pm in the Parish Ministry Center. For more information, contact Sue Andzik (719-359-2471 or sandzik@gmail.com). |
2022 Book List
- January Habits of Holiness: Small Steps for making Big Spiritual Progress by Fr. Mark-Mary Ames C.F.R.
- February Chosen and Cherished: Biblical Wisdom for Your Marriage by Kimberly Hahn
- March Wisdom from the Psalms by Peter Kreeft
- April Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body by Scott Hahn
- May Mulier’s Digntatem by Pope John Paul II (available online)
- June Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday by Danielle Bean
- July By God’s Grace by Laura and Michael Kondratuk (available at Catholic Shop online)
- August When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement by Ryan T. Anderson
- September The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfection for God by Colleen Carroll Campbell
- October Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church by Brandon Vogt
- November Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory by Susan Tassone
- December Joseph the Man Who Raised Jesus by Gary Caster
2022 Book Reviews
Ratings 1–5 †
Ratings 1–5 †
May 2022
Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, The Dignity and Vocation of Women by John Paul II (††††) Synopsis: (gathered from different resources) This Apostolic Letter is one of many remarkable resources available to anyone wishing to understand seriously the Catholic Church's teaching on the dignity and unique vocation of women. Pope John Paul II insists that any discussion about woman is necessarily a study of what it first means to be a human being and what the Incarnation signifies to our humanness. This eternal truth about the human being--man and woman-–is immutably fixed in human experience –at the same time constitutes the mystery which only in 'the Incarnate Word’ takes on light. The document teaches that Mary is the fulfillment of the creation of the human person in the image and likeness of God. Mulieris Dignitatem presents the doctrine of creation, especially the creation of the human person as person-communion-gift. The reason that a human person is like God is because this is God's choice in creating us in his image and likeness. The document discusses the Church as Bride of Christ, explains the Church's relationship to Christ, and ultimately, the mystery and the gift are love. Hence, woman - in herself and in what she represents in and to the Church – is described as an answer of love for the Church, the world, and to God. Mulieris Dignitatem defends the equality of women, the vocation to love, the mutual submission of husbands and wives, the on-going impact of Original Sin on male/female relationships, Jesus's modeling of how to treat women, the significance of Jesus's mother for today's Christians, and the nature of the relationship between Christ and His Church including the role of the Eucharist as expressing the total self-gift of Christ and making possible the reciprocal total self-gift of the recipient. Some Comments from the Group’s Discussion:
April 2022
Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body by Scott Hahn (†††††) Synopsis: As Catholics, we believe in the resurrection of the body. We profess it in our creed. We're taught that to bury and pray for the dead are corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We honor the dead in our Liturgy through the Rite of Christian burial. We do all of this, and more, because when Jesus Christ took on flesh for the salvation of our souls, he also bestowed great dignity on our bodies. In Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body, Scott Hahn explores the significance of death and burial from a Catholic perspective. The promise of the bodily resurrection brings into focus the need for the dignified care of our bodies at the hour of death. Unpacking both Scripture and Catholic teaching, Hope to Die reminds us that we are destined for glorification on the last day. Our bodies have been made by a God who loves us. Even in death, those bodies point to the mystery of our salvation. Some Comments from the Group’s Discussion:
March 2022
Wisdom from the Psalms by Peter J. Kreeft (†††††) Synopsis: (taken from the inside cover) The Psalms make up the most popular, most universally loved and used book in the Bible, which is the most widely read book in the world. They are hymns, songs, poems, and prayers—at once formal and informal, liturgical and spontaneous, communal and individual. As a result, they have many layers of meaning. In this work, Peter Kreeft focuses on a dozen of the best-known psalms, including Psalms 23 and 51. He leads the reader through his personal explorations of this deep ocean of divinely inspired spiritual water, pulling up treasures for the soul along the way. "What prayers did Jesus and his disciples pray?" The Psalms! As all Jews have always done ever since they had them. The Psalms are God's answer to our plea, 'Teach us to pray.' Christ prayed them not only in the synagogue but throughout His life, and at his death." Some Comments from the Group’s Discussion:
Quote: Theology teaches us what God is; only prayer and the moral life teach us who He is. February 2022
Chosen and Cherished, Biblical Wisdom for Your Marriage by Kimberly Hahn. (†††) Synopsis: Source taken from The St. Paul Center Review Author Kimberly Hahn is a Catholic speaker and author who for decades has shared her wisdom with other wives and mothers. Married to Scott for more than forty years, they have six children and nineteen grandchildren. After homeschooling for twenty-six years, Kimberly now serves as Council-at-Large in Steubenville, OH, and hosts the St. Paul Center podcast. In her book Chosen and Cherished, a Bible Study Based on Proverbs 31, she highlights this radiant image as a model for all wives and provides lessons on marriage for each season of life. . Some Comments from the Group’s Discussion:
January 2022
Habits of Holiness: Small Steps for making Big Spiritual Progress by Fr. Mark-Mary Ames C.F.R. (†††††) Synopsis: The ideal of holiness can seem impossible as we find ourselves busier and more distracted in our increasingly complicated world. Yet the witness of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal offers us hope that it is possible to become a saint while living in the world. In fact, it is by opening ourselves up to others and making time for prayer and sacrifices in our daily lives that we can bring God’s love to the world. The book is all about making spiritual progress on the journey of living out the faith, of prayer, and of virtue. It is not impossible to become holy, and this is the goal of the book - to teach the reader through questions, reflections, and dialogue what it means to be “holy”. Some Comments from the Group’s Discussion:
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