"Virtual Votive" How do you summon the youth with which you are in ministry into prayer? How do you invite them to share their intentions? How do you encourage them to pray for the intentions of others, both in their community and in the larger world? When I was a … Read more...

"Holy Week Reflections from Saint John Baptist de La Salle" As we begin Holy Week and approach the glorious celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord, I thought it would again be fitting to simply provide you with the two reflections from Saint John Baptist de La Salle that I … Read more...

"Palm Sunday" It was on Palm Sunday several years ago when I proposed to my wife. I must confess, the fact that it was Palm Sunday did not factor into my decision to propose that day; it was just a coincidence. In retrospect, however, I consider it a blessing that … Read more...

"Saint Mary’s Press Is on the Road" The time is approaching for two of the bigger conferences that Saint Mary’s Press is lucky enough to attend as an exhibitor. The Los Angeles Religious Education (LARE) Congress is March 23–25 and the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Convention and Expo is … Read more...

"Lessons From Saint Patrick" I thought it would be appropriate to share with you again the Focus on Faith, Make It Happen, and Saint Spotlight articles from this week last year. I pray you have a blessed Saint Patrick’s Day. Later this week we will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Beyond … Read more...

"Yo Te Amo Mucho" Last week I attended Sunday Mass where a mariachi band led the congregation in music. The song the band chose for the offertory was “Yo Te Amo Mucho,” which translated in English means “I love you very much.” This stuck with me for two reasons. First, … Read more...

"Lenten Top 10" The other day my wife and I were trying to explain Lent to our oldest daughter. She just turned four in November so it was an extremely basic explanation. The facts of Lent that she picked up right away were that the priest would be wearing purple, … Read more...

"Let Us Be Concerned for Each Other" It might be hard to believe, but Ash Wednesday, and the start of the Lenten season, is this Wednesday. I would like to share with you a wonderful Lenten resource to assist you and your community with entering into and experiencing the season. … Read more...

Presence Last week a coworker and I took a 2½-hour drive to a high school where we would be visiting with teachers and students. Over the course of the 5 total hours of driving and the 7 hours we spent at the school, I was reminded of something that is … Read more...

God Is Love With Valentine’s Day being a week away, I thought it would be fitting to share with you again the subject of last year’s Servant Leader article, a Valentine’s Day reflection. I was recently looking for Valentine’s Day cards my daughters could give to their classmates. Amid the … Read more...

Super Bowl Halftime Bible Study On February 5 Super Bowl XLVI will be played in Indianapolis between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Even if you are not a sports fan, the Super Bowl presents you with an opportunity to build fellowship among your young people and … Read more...

Remembering an Amazing Lasallian On January 8th Catholic schools and the Lasallian community lost an amazing man, advocate, and role model in the passing of Br. Michael Collins. At the time of his passing, Brother Michael was serving as the president of De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, but … Read more...

Biblical Spirituality Last week the Servant Leader included part 1 of an article written by Brian Singer-Towns addressing biblical literacy. This week’s issue includes part 2 of the article, in which Brian explores biblical spirituality in relation to biblical literacy. I hope this article provides you with some good ideas … Read more...

Biblical Literacy I pray you had a blessed Christmas and Epiphany and are excited about the New Year. One of the things we are excited about at Saint Mary’s Press in this new year is the release of The Catholic Youth Bible® with new translation. For this reason I thought … Read more...

Have a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year As we near the end of our Advent journey and the start of a new year, I would like to once again, on behalf of Saint Mary’s Press, wish you a blessed Christmas. I hope this Advent season has been a time … Read more...

Christmas Blessings Dear Partners in Ministry, On behalf of the staff of Saint Mary’s Press, I send you well wishes for a blessed Christmas season and New Year. We thank God each day for the gift of your ministry in the lives of young people. As our founder, Saint John … Read more...

Advent Reflection from Saint John Baptist de La Salle Many years ago I heard a homily in which the priest shared a story about asking a group of children what the pink (or rose-colored) Advent candle signified. After a long pause, a child raised his hand and said it meant … Read more...

Revised Roman Missal When you attended Mass this past weekend, you probably noticed some changes to the words used during the liturgy. As I am sure you are aware, the Roman Missal has been revised. In May of this year, I shared with you some resources developed by Saint Mary’s … Read more...