Books

Books by Amy Welborn

Here’s a list of books I’ve written over the past few years.

(Here’s an author page at Our Sunday Visitor that has not only books but pamphlets, as well.)

(The Ave Maria press page with the JPII Stations of the Cross – also available in IPhone App.)

My Amazon Author Page

The links take you to Amazon or another bookseller or the publisher.

Most recently there’s this – a memoir of the first few months after my husband’s sudden death from a heart attack.

I don’t have a lot to say about it.  I intended for it to speak for itself. I hope it does.

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The Catholic Woman’s Book of Days is a 365-day devotional for Catholic women. It is loosely tied to the liturgical year, is a very handy size, and features special devotions for several saints. It is not structured to be tied to any particular year. So it’s sort of perennial. And no, I don’t know about the crosses on the cover. People always ask me about them, thinking they’re mine.

You can take a look inside the devotional, including several entries for January and June here.

Mary and the Christian Life is a simple book introducing the reader to Mary: what Scripture says about her, what Tradition teaches, and how all of that relates to our lives as disciples of Jesus. I pull in devotions, prayers and even plants.

(This is now out of print. But I see several new and used copies still available at Amazon.)

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Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI is a book that I hope will serve as a simple, popular introduction to the theological and pastoral mind of the Holy Father.

You can see the table of contents and read excerpts here. 

Sticking with the Pope Benedict theme – Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion is based on a dialogue in St. Peter’s Square that took place in 2006.

Artist Ann Engelhart thought the dialogue would make a wonderful children’s book and asked me to help edit it and get it published.  It was first published in England by the Catholic Truth Society in 2010 and then picked up by Ignatius Press in 2011.

Here’s an interview with Ann about the book on the Ignatius Press site.

Another interview with her at the Patheos site.

The Catholic Truth Society has just (January 2011) published another book illustrated by Ann and edited by me, based on another dialogue – the Holy Father’s “Big Assembly” with schoolchildren in England in September 2010. It’s called Be Saints! An Invitation from pope Benedict XVI

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The Loyola Kids’ Book of Saints

Over 40 saints’ lives,written at a middle-school reading level.

I. Saints are People Who Love Children
St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla

Saints Are People Who Love Their Families
St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,

Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena

Saints Are People Who Create
St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro

Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray
St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort

Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday
St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio

Saints Are People Who Travel From Home
St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders
St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann

Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth
St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma

Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God
St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein

Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God
St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel

Saints Are People Who Are Brave
St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe

Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster

Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways
St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux

Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta

The Loyola Kids Book of Heroes

More saints’ lives, organized according to the virtues they expressed through their lives.

I. Faith

1. Introduction: Jesus is Born
2. John the Baptist: A Hero Prepares the Way
3. Early Christian Martyrs: Heroes are Faithful Friends
4. Medieval Mystery Plays: Heroes Make the Bible Come to Life
5. St. Albert the Great: Heroes Study God’s Creation
6. Sister Blandina Segale: Heroes Work in Faith

II. Hope

1. Introduction: Jesus Teaches
2. Pentecost: Heroes on Fire with Hope
3. Paul: A Hero Changes and Finds Hope
4. St. Patrick and St. Columba: Heroes Bring Hope into Darkness
5. St. Jane de Chantal: Heroes Hope through Loss
6. St. Mary Faustina Kowalska: A Hero Finds Hope in Mercy

Charity

1. Introduction: Jesus Works Miracles
2. Peter and John: Heroes are Known by their Love
3. St. Genevieve: A City is Saved by a Hero’s Charity
4. St. Meinrad and St. Edmund Campion: Heroes love their Enemies
5. Venerable Pierre Toussaint: A Hero Lives a Life of Charity
6. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop: A Hero Cares for Those Who Need it Most
7. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: A Hero Lives Charity with the Dying

Temperance

1. Introduction: Jesus Strikes a Balance
2. Peter and Cornelius: Heroes Love Their Neighbors
3. Charlemagne and Alcuin: Heroes Use their Talents for Good
4. St. Francis: A Hero Appreciates Creation
5. Venerable Matt Talbot: Heroes Can Let Go
6. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: A Hero Enjoys the Gift of Life

Prudence

1. Introduction: Jesus Gives Us Leaders to Help us Make Good Choices
2. Paul and Barnabas at Lystra: Heroes See the Good in All Things
3. St. Jean de Brebeuf: A Hero Respects Others
4. Catherine Doherty and Jean Vanier: Heroes Bring New Ideas
5. Venerable Solanus Casey: A Hero Accepts His Life
6. Blessed John XXIII: A Hero Finds a New Way

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The Prove It series – apologetics for teens and young adults.

Prove It: God

I Don’t Believe in God Because….

• …No One Can Prove He Exists
• …Science Shows That the Universe Exists Without a God
• …People Could Have Just Made the Stuff in the Bible up
• …It’s So Difficult to Find Him
• …People Have So Many Different Ideas About Him
• …There are So Many Hypocrites in Churches
• …People Do Such Horrible Things in the Name of Religion
• …It’s What I Believe and I Don’t Need Anyone Else to Tell Me What to Believe!
• …I Want to Be Free to Be Myself
• …I Don’t Need Him
• …Innocent People Suffer

Prove It: Church

1. What Church Do You Go To?
2. Why Isn’t Your Church a ‘Bible Only’ Church?
3. Why Don’t You Read the Bible Literally?
4. Why Aren’t Some of Your Beliefs in the Bible?
5. Why Doesn’t Your Church Let You Interpret Scripture?
6. Why Has Your Church Added Books to the Bible?
7. Why Were You Baptized as a Baby?
8. Why Aren’t You Saved?
9. Why Does Your Church Say You’re Saved by Works, Not by Faith?
10. Why Do You Pray to Saints?
11. Why Do You Honor Mary So Much?
12. Why Does Your Church Have Statues?
13. Why Do you Believe That the Pope is Infallible?
14. Why Do You Confess to a Priest?
15. Why Do You Call Priests, “Father?”
16. Why Do You Believe In Purgatory?

Prove It: Jesus

I’ve Always Wondered….

1. …Is What the Gospels Say About Jesus True?
2. …What Are the Basic Facts About Jesus?
3. …What Did Jesus Really Teach?
4. …Did Jesus Really Perform Miracles?
5. …Why Was Jesus Executed?
6. …Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead?
7. …When Is Jesus Going to Come Again?
8. …Was Jesus Really God?
9. …How Could Jesus Be Both God and Human?
10. …Why Did Jesus Come at All, and What Does It Mean for Me Today?

Excerpt from Prove It: Jesus

Prove It; Prayer

Section 1 I Don’t Pray Because….

1. …God’s In My Heart All the Time
2. …God Already Knows Everything I Feel: I Don’t Have to Tell Him
3. …God’s In Control: My Prayer Doesn’t Influence Him

Section II I Want to Pray, But It’s Difficult Because…

1. …I’m Too Busy
2. …I Don’t Know Where to Start
3. …Meditation is Weird
4. …I Can’t Concentrate
5. …The Bible is Too Hard to Read
6. …Memorized Prayers Are Meaningless
7. …I don’t Know Whether It’s God I’m Hearing, or Just Me

Epilogue: Prayer and the Rest of Your Life

Excerpt from Prove It: Prayer.

Prove It: You

The final book in the series isn’t apologetics, but a guide to discipleship. How can a teen live joyfully and faithfully? What does it mean to do that? What’s right and what’s wrong? What’s my life for?

• Who Am I
• Sure, I Want to Be a Good Person, But…How?
• What’s Jesus Got To Do With It?
• It Was Only a Little Lie. So?
• I’ve Got All The Time In The World…Don’t I?
• Love Who? Everyone? Really?
• It’s My Body. All Mine.
• How Far Can I Go?
• Whose Life Is Worth Living?
• It’s A Big World With Too Many Problems.  Can’t I Just Live My Life?
• “Be Not Afraid”

I know that you as young people have great aspirations, that you want to pledge yourselves to build a better world . Let others see this, let the world see it, since this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ; in this way, and through your love above all, the world will be able to disvoer the star that we follow as believers. – Pope Benedict XVI, homily, World Youth Day, Cologne, Germany, 8/21/2005

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Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life was written for young adults. In it, I’m trying to help young adults see how the needs and desires and yearnings they experience are answered in Christ, and that Christ is found in His Church. I wrote it after, in the space of a week, visiting my two young adult sons and then spending time at the enormous Christian Booksellers’ Association trade show, then pondering the myriad of resources and energies that evangelical Christians dedicate to young adults and comparing that to what Catholic resources and support are out there.

***crickets***

So I wrote this book. “Good” has a double meaning. It means a life that’s experienced as good – as joyful and peace-filled. It also means a life that is, well, good , as in virtuous. The latter leading to the former, of course. It’s also a shout-out to Augustine, of De Beata Vita fame. And a few other things.

You can read the introduction here.

The Words We Pray is a collection of essays on the prayers listed below – traditional Catholic prayers. In the book, I make the case for praying these prayers, suggesting that there is great value in joining our own hearts to the prayers of the Scriptures and of the saints. They’re a little bit of history and a little bit personal reflection. It’s probably my favorite of all the books I’ve written.

More information

• The Sign of the Cross
• The Our Father
• Hail Mary
• Credo
• The Morning Offering
• Salve Regina
• The Act of Contrition
• The Jesus Prayer
• Anima Christi
• Angel Prayers
• Prayers of St. Francis
• St. Patrick’s Breastplate
• Memorare
• Suscipe
• Veni Creator Spiritus
• Grace at Meals
• The Liturgy of the Hours
• Glory Be
• Amen
• Where Do My Prayers Go?
• Using Vocal Prayer

There’s a great deal of material out there on Mary Magdalene, it’s true. Some of the scholarly material is really fine, but too many of the books for popular audiences are informed by one ideology or another, or fall completely into fantasy.

In De-coding Mary Magdalene I stick to the facts – what we know about Mary Magdalene from the Gospels, and then how Christian tradition in both East and West continued to meditate on the figure of Mary Magdalene, seeing in her the model disciple – and weaving all kinds of fascinating legends around her as well.

Here’s the bottom line: The Da Vinci Code propogates the lie that Christianity through the ages marginalized and demonized Mary Magdalene as a “whore” in order to minimize her impact.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Mary Magdalene was the second most popular saint of the Middle Ages. And do catch that word – saint – Honoring someone as a saint (feastday July 22) is a truly odd way of “demonizing” a person. Don’t you think?

So – come meet Mary Magdalene – as she comes to us in the Gospels, as Christians imagined her through the ages as they contemplated her fidelity and discipleship, and how some contemporary interpreters get her so completely wrong.

Table of Contents

• Mary of Magdala
• “Why Are You Weeping?
• The Real Mary?
• Apostle to the Apostles
• Which Mary?
• The Golden Legend
• Touching the Magdalene
• To the East
• The Penitent
• Mary and the Mystics
• The Magdalene in Art
• Rediscovery

My paen to Dan Brown:

• “Only a Novel?”
• Secrets and Lies
• Who picked the Gospels?
• Divine Election
• Toppled Kings?
• Mary, Called Magdalene
• The Age of the Goddess?
• Stolen Gods? Christianity and the Mystery Religions
• Surely, He Got Leonardo Da Vinci Right?
• The Grail, the Priory and the Knights Templar
• The Catholic Code

More information.

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Other books:

From Loyola Press’ 6 Weeks With the Bible series (for group and individual study)

Matthew: Jesus’ Life-Giving Death. Chapters 26-28

Parables: Stories of the Kingdom

A Child’s Book of Psalms. I wrote introductory and additional matter.

Study Guide to The Apostles (by Pope Benedict)

I’ve written many pamphlets for Our Sunday Visitor, including  this one on Pope Benedict, being

widely distributed these days.

 Here’s a  Lenten daily devotional I wrote for Creative Communications.  They have digital editions too. Very handy:

 

This page has the following sub pages.

• First Communion Books from Amy Welborn
• Mother’s Day Gifts From Amy Welborn
• Michael Dubruiel’s Power of the Cross