In The Lay Saint, Mary Harvey Doyno investigates the phenomenon of saintly cults that formed around pious merchants, artisans, midwives, domestic servants, and others in the medieval communes of northern and central Italy. Drawing on a wide array of sources—vitae documenting their saintly lives and legends, miracle books, religious art, and communal records—Doyno uses the rise of and tensions surrounding these civic cults to explore medieval notions of lay religiosity, charismatic power, civic identity, and the church's authority in this period. Although claims about laymen's and laywomen's miraculous abilities challenged the church's expanding political and spiritual dominion, both papal and civic authorities, Doyno finds, vigorously promoted their cults. She shows that this support was neither a simple reflection of the extraordinary lay religious zeal that marked late medieval urban life nor of the Church's recognition of that enthusiasm. Rather, the history of lay saints' cults powerfully illustrates the extent to which lay Christians embraced the vita apostolic—the ideal way of life as modeled by the Apostles—and of the church's efforts to restrain and manage such claims.

In The Lay Saint, Mary Harvey Doyno investigates the phenomenon of saintly cults that formed around pious merchants, artisans, midwives, domestic servants, and others in the medieval communes of northern and central Italy. Drawing on a wide array of sources—vitae documenting their saintly lives and legends, miracle books, religious art, and communal records—Doyno uses the rise of and tensions surrounding these civic cults to explore medieval notions of lay religiosity, charismatic power, civic identity, and the church's authority in this period. Although claims about laymen's and laywomen's miraculous abilities challenged the church's expanding political and spiritual dominion, both papal and civic authorities, Doyno finds, vigorously promoted their cults. She shows that this support was neither a simple reflection of the extraordinary lay religious zeal that marked late medieval urban life nor of the Church's recognition of that enthusiasm. Rather, the history of lay saints' cults powerfully illustrates the extent to which lay Christians embraced the vita apostolic—the ideal way of life as modeled by the Apostles—and of the church's efforts to restrain and manage such claims.

"It is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him, not the same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly, not the same thing to hear his word as not to know it.... We know that with Jesus life becomes richer."-Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel In her first book, Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry Weddell, cofounder of the Catherine of Siena Institute, captured the attention of Catholics across the globe as she uncovered the life-changing power that accompanies the conscious decision to follow Jesus as his disciple. Now, in the groundbreaking Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples, she has gathered together experienced leaders and collaborators whose exceptional field-tested wisdom and enthusiasm for transforming Catholic parishes into centers of discipleship and apostolic outreach is both inspiring and practical. The authors consider: The role of intercessory prayer in parish transformation How "fireside chats" can help a pastor connect with his parishioners and call them to personal discipleship and mission The co-responsibility of lay people andpastors in the work of making disciples The revolutionary impact of a discipleship approach to youth ministry How one parish successfully fostered a culture of intentional discipleship, and much more As Sherry asks in her own chapter, "Are we willing to answer the call and pay the price necessary to become a new generation of saints through which God can do extraordinary things in our time?"

Everyone has dreams and goals that they want to achieve, but the foremost and overarching goal for every catholic, and the only one that brings true happiness, should be to become a saint and enjoy the Beatific Vision. It is a momentous task that can often seem overwhelming and unattainable. Indeed, without the aid of grace it is impossible. But confident hope can be placed in God that He will always provide the grace necessary to accomplish such a feat. The saints in this volume are evidence of this fact and serve as role models for cooperation with the action of God’s grace. Within this volume are fifty eight saints who achieved holiness as husbands, wives, parents, or youth. Some lived in marital bliss with never a quarrel; others suffered greatly at the hands of their spouse, and many became saints while still at a tender young age. Each of these saints have qualities to be emulated in living as a member of a family, whether patience is needed in bearing with the faults of a spouse or temperance is needed to check a natural inclination to anger.

“These are the footprints that the saints on ascending to heaven left behind upon our earth, in order that we, following after, might attain to the same reward.” —The Venerable Bede In Lay Saints: Ascetics and Penitents, Joan Carroll Cruz guides you through the lives of fifty-eight lay men and women who achieved the heights of sanctity. These inspiring biographies present saints who seemed destined for sainthood, as well as those who led sinful lives prior to a conversion of heart. Find a role model from among these saints as Joan Carroll Cruz explores: -the acts of charity that you can imitate -ascetical practices that lead us closer to God -stories of conversion -effective acts of penance to atone for prior sins -the stories of pilgrims who spent their lives searching for closer union with God Both those who have just begun their spiritual journey and those well advanced on the road to perfection will find a saint to help them take that next step closer to God. Through their examples, these saints will inspire ever-greater acts of charity and remind sinners that there is yet hope for salvation.

In this revised edition of her groundbreaking original volume, Zeni Fox emphasizes the crucial relationship between lay ecclesial ministers and the Church's response to them in light of the many developments in recent years. Written in a clear, crisp style, the book is divided into three parts: Part one describes the present reality, both sociological research about who these new lay professionals are and a review of the ways in which theologians are reflecting upon this new phenomenon. The second part explores the new reality from the standpoint of tradition, including Scripture, the documents of Vatican II and the work of U.S. bishops. The final part assesses this reality in light of the tradition, and outlines steps needed to more fully integrate lay leaders into the fabric of the Church.

How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.