Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of December 12 and 26, 2008!
(Because of the Christmas holiday next week there will be no e-news, so we picked two winners for this week.)
Congratulations to Sue Stout and Marita Ringwald!

Sue Stout and Marita Ringwald will each receive a copy of The Catholic Youth Prayer Book, a $14.95 value.

Help young people understand the meaning of Christian prayer. Introduce them to traditional and devotional prayers of the Church, as well as to contemporary styles and methods.

This all-in-one resource for prayer forms was specially written for teens, in the PRAY IT! STUDY IT! LIVE IT!® model, like The Catholic Youth Bible® and The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. It is the most expansive prayer book for teens. The Catholic Youth Prayer Book does more than teach about prayer. It helps teens become prayerful people by encouraging them in the habit of daily prayer.

Look Inside: You can view an online sampler of The Catholic Youth Prayer Book on the SMP Web catalog. Search for "Catholic Youth Prayer Book," or use this link to go to the product description, http://www.smp.org/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemNum=1335. Then use the "look inside" button next to the cover image for a sampler, including the table of contents, the introduction, the beginning of the first chapter, "Prayers for Living," and the beginning of chapter 13, "The Four-Week Psalter."

The Catholic Youth Prayer Book, by Laure Krupp, Matt Miller, and Mary Shrader
ISBN 978-0-88489-900-6, green leatherette, 232 pages, $14.95
http://www.smp.org/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemNum=1335

Also Available with a NEW cover!
This version of The Catholic Youth Prayer Book includes all of the same content as the one above, but with a cool purple and teal cover that makes it a great gift for any teen!

The Catholic Youth Prayer Book,
by Laure Krupp, Matt Miller, and Mary Shrader
ISBN 978-0-88489-559-6,
teal/purple leatherette, 232 pages, $17.95
http://www.smp.org/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemNum=13555

Merry Christmas!

The employees of Saint Mary's Press wish you a warm and happy Christmas. May the joy of Christ touch your heart, as you have touched the hearts of so many young people with the Good News!

This Christmas, our office will be closed from December 24, 2008 through January 1, 2009 to allow our employees time with their families. As always, our Web site is open and accessible 24/7, and you are welcome to browse or place your order online any time. Any orders placed online between December 24 and January 1 will be shipped immediately on January 2. We look forward to serving you in the new year!

Getting a Fresh Start: A Reflection Activity on New Year?s Resolutions
by Roxane Kadrlik Chlachula

This activity is taken from Holiday and Seasonal Ideas for Ministry with Young Teens. It takes only 10 minutes and gives young people a chance to make a concrete resolution for the New Year and to create a symbol that represents that resolution.

Materials Needed:
• 3-by-5 inch index cards, one for each person
• envelopes, one for each person
• pens or pencils
• colored pencils or thin-line markers

Procedure:

1. Invite the young people to consider an area of their life that needs improvement. For example, some may need to work harder in school, or use more loving behavior in a family relationship.
2. Give each person one 3-by-5-inch index card, a pen or pencil, and an envelope. Make colored pencils or thin-line markers available to everyone. Tell the young people that they are to write on their card a resolution for improving the area of their life that they have just considered. Then on the other side of the card, they are to draw a symbol that illustrates the resolution. For example, they might sketch a math book if their area needing improvement is academics, or a heart to symbolize the need for more loving behavior in a family relationship.
3. When the young people finish drawing, have them place their card in their envelope and write their name on the front of the envelope. Comment briefly that change is difficult and takes patience and persistence, but is always possible.
4. Close with the following prayer:
   O God, send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we face the challenges of making a fresh start. Bless our efforts and help us to remember that we are not alone. We have the support of one another and the guidance of your Spirit. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
5. Collect the participants? envelopes and save them for at least one month. After that time distribute the envelopes to the young people to remind them of their resolutions and give them an opportunity to assess their progress.

Holiday and Seasonal Ideas for Ministry with Young Teens,
by Carole Goodwin and Marilyn Kielbasa,
ISBN 978-0-88489-605-0, paper, 136 pages, $20.95
http://www.smp.org/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemNum=3401