Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of February 6, 2009!
Congratulations to Susanne Yoders!

Susanne Yoders will receive a copy of the
Saint Mary's Press® Personal Journey Bible, a $18.95 value.

This pocket-size Bible is a great gift
for teens on the go!

The Saint Mary's Press Personal Journey Bible is ready to go wherever young people are going. This unique edition of the Bible contains the New Testament and Psalms from the best-selling The Catholic Youth Bible,® Revised--including all the Pray it! Study it! Live it! articles--and comes complete with eleven new inserts created by five respected authors and speakers: Jerry Goebel, Anna Scally, Brian Singer-Towns, Dennis Kurtz, and Michael Theisen.

Each insert contains three topical Bible studies that will help teens direct their life by God's divine compass. Topics include

• Finding Christ in Being Authentic
• Finding Christ in Friends
• Finding Christ in Media
• Finding Christ in Family
• Finding Christ in You!
• Finding Christ in Money and Possessions
• Finding Christ in Tough Times
• Finding Christ in Choices
• Finding Christ in Justice
• Finding Christ in School
  Look Inside: You can view an online sampler of the Saint Mary's Press Personal Journey Bible on the SMP Web catalog. Search for "Personal Journey Bible," or use this link to go to the product description, http://www.smp.org/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemNum=4126. Then use the "look inside" button next to the cover image to see pages from the book of Matthew as well as full-color illustrated pages from the "Finding Christ in Being Authentic" insert.
  
  Saint Mary's Press Personal Journey Bible, Brian Singer-Towns, general editor
  ISBN 978-0-88489-974-7, blue and green leatherette, 608 pages, $18.95
  http://www.smp.org/ItemDetail.cfm?ItemNum=4126

Learning About Saints Through Art
by Maura Thompson Hagarty

The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers includes twenty-two images of saints and other holy people created by artist Vicki Shuck from Bend, Oregon. Each image is accompanied by a biographical essay. Combining detailed visuals with written biographies helps young people learn and retain information about the featured holy people. Here's an example of Vicki's art:

Do you recognize this person? She is Saint Teresa of Avila. Notice the way the artist used details to convey information about the person's life. Did these provide you with clues?

For a handout with eight images of different people of faith from The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers, go to http://www.smp.org/resourcepage.cfm?article=553. Feel free to use this handout with your teens to introduce them to saints and holy people or for review after they have studied the lives of saints.

Meet Our New Editor: Javier Bravo
by Steven McGlaun

Development editor Steven McGlaun would like to welcome and introduce readers to Javier Bravo. Javier has recently joined the staff of Saint Mary's Press as a development editor of high school resources. We are extremely excited to have Javier joining us, and we truly appreciate his courage in moving, with his wife and daughter, from Yuma, Arizona, to Winona, Minnesota. Please keep them in your prayers as they experience their first Minnesota winter, which just happens to be one of the coldest winters in 10 years.

Javier, how did you get involved in ministry with young people?
After high school I had a great desire to serve the Church. I began the discernment process for the priesthood. After six and a half years in the seminary, I discerned that the priesthood was not where God was calling me to serve Him. While at the seminary, I had the opportunity to help in various aspects of youth ministry and found it very intriguing. When I left the seminary, I was invited by my pastor to teach theology at the local high school. I happily took up the invitation, and I discovered that working with young people was an extremely challenging and rewarding ministry.

Why do you think ministry with young people is so important in the Church today?
In my work as a youth minister and as a high school teacher, I have witnessed the hunger youth have for a deepening of their faith. When youth are ignited with love for their faith, their hunger and thirst for knowledge and growth in the faith is magnified. I recall many experiences when youth would come to me asking question after question on various aspects of the faith. The look of excitement on their faces as they discovered truth motivated me to serve them.

What most intrigues you about the work you will be doing with Saint Mary's Press?
The aspects of my work that intrigues me the most is working with the authors of the various resources. I understand that part of my work will be to recruit new authors, men and women who currently work in the field of youth ministry or high school education, and offer them the opportunity to create resources for the work they are presently doing.

What gifts do you bring to your ministry as an editor for SMP?
I bring not only my experience as a youth minister and as a high school teacher, but also my experiences from ministering in a border town. Additionally, I bring my background as the child of a migrant worker. Lastly, I am excited to share my talent of being bilingual in English and Spanish.

Saint Mary's Press Is Hiring!

Saint Mary's Press is growing and changing. We currently have four open positions in our Development Department:

• Editorial Brand Manager for Bible and Trade Publishing
  The Editorial Brand manager for Bible and Trade Publishing is responsible for continuously articulating a guiding vision that inspires Bible line product generativity and leads Saint Mary's Press to becoming the premier Bible publisher for Catholic young people throughout the U.S.
  
  
• Editorial Brand Manager for High School Publishing
  The Editorial Brand manager for high school is responsible for continuously articulating a guiding vision that inspires high school curriculum generativity and inspires the Saint Mary's Press school audience, clearly meeting and exceeding their need for engaging curriculum.
  
  
• Editorial Brand Manager for Parish Publishing
  The Editorial Brand manager for parish is responsible for continuously articulating a guiding vision that inspires parish curriculum generativity and inspires the Saint Mary's Press parish audience, clearly meeting and exceeding their need for engaging curriculum.
  
  
• Editorial Director
  Provide visionary editorial leadership, inspire excellence and a Lasallian editorial voice in all products, lead change, demonstrate Brand management leadership, manage budgeting, and demonstrate team leadership skills.

Our forward-thinking, innovative staff creates an inviting and collaborative working atmosphere at Saint Mary's Press. It is a feeling you can sense the moment you walk in our door. Belief in our company mission, community involvement, and genuine camaraderie are all part of what keeps the employees motivated and the company successful.

If you are interested in learning more or applying for these positions, visit http://www.smp.org/employment.cfm.

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