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This is something I hadn’t really considered much until very recently.  Certainly, it’s always preferrable to shop from local vendors, to support small businesses and local talents.  But there’s something to be said about shopping locally for the sheer purpose of saving money.

I’m keenly aware that many online vendors offer free freight–especially superhouse chain stores.  But those kinds of deals usually only work for the very big chains, and only if you have a membership or order a large minimum.  While we can’t offer free shipping, there is something only local retailers can offer…we shop with such a variety of vendors that we can often get your materials here with no additional costs.  That means you don’t pay for shipping to us, you don’t incur a “special order fee”, and you can often have books in as little as one week.

With this comes the added benefit of knowing the people who order your books.  That seems to be such a great side-benefit, because when you call a big chain, you may speak to someone who takes your order, someone else when the order arrives, and a third person when you pick it up, and yet, not one of those people may know YOU.  Shopping local–and shopping local regularly–means that you can get to know the people who place your orders and who sell you the items.

Just in time for the newest (and last) session of Why Catholic? in our diocese, a brand new book of prayers have been released from Ave Maria Press and the University of Notre Dame. 

For several years, one of our most popular prayer books for graduation, confirmation, and college students, Day by Day: Notre Dame Prayer Book for Students has provided guided reflections, meditations, and traditional prayer forms.  Full disclosure: this was the first prayer book I ever purchased for myself, while I was in 7th Grade.  That edition still sits on my bookshelf, right next to a revised edition I purchased while working with a local parish’s youth group that traveled to NCYC.  This prayer book has become a favorite of many customers, because it is designed for young people and their daily living concerns; from majors to marriage, reconciliation to reflection, Day by Day has proven itself as a superb resource for classrooms, youth ministries, and as a gift for all young people.

After multiple revised editions, the editors at Ave Maria Press (the publishers of Day by Day) decided to go full-out with the gift idea.   Released in September, The Notre Dame Book of Prayer is one of the most outstanding and complete prayer resources I have ever encountered.  The hardcover gift edition includes a beautiful dust jacket, complete with gold foil detail, and four-color imprinting throughout the book.  Compiled by the Office of Campus Ministry at the University of Notre Dame and edited by popular Catholic columnist Heidi Schlumpf, the book encompasses much of the prayer lives of students and those who are well beyond classroom days.

What I love most about this book is that it provides a tour of the campus in print.  Reflections and explanations are offered on the many parts of the University of Notre Dame’s campus, from the chapel to the stadium, helping readers gain insight to the daily working of this prestigious school.  Interspersed with classic prayers and meditations from a variety of canonized Saints and Blesseds are thoughts, prayers, and reflections composed by graduates of the University.

This is truly an all-around resource for a variety of needs, and it will provide readers and praying people with a multitude of starting places to enhance their spiritual growth.  Ideal for campus ministries, Catholic high school classrooms, parish school of religion programs, RCIA faith formation teams, small groups, and retreat leaders, this resource will not stay on the shelf, but be a regularly-used text.  This would make an ideal gift for graduates, youth ministry leaders, Why Catholic? group leaders, pastors, and those who need a spiritual boost.

Click on the image above to reserve your copy or to order additional resources.  You can also find more Why Catholic? supplemental resources by clicking HERE.

We are proud of our Catholic heritage, and we encourage our customers to consider the very personal touch and nature of Rosaries, especially during the month of October.

Come in to De Sales Catholic Bookstore to receive a special coupon, good through the month of October, for books on the Rosary, our selection of Rosaries, and CDs with the Rosary on them!  So plan ahead for that special person in your life who might like a Rosary for Christmas, a birthday, or just because.  With dozens of options in stock and many more available to us through our catalog collections, we are postive that De Sales Catholic Bookstore can find you that special, one-of-a-kind idea for the special people in your life!

One of the more unusual gift items I’ve found in the last few years has been prayer boxes.  For a while, that has been one of our most popular ideas, and ultimately, it stands to reason.  After all, it’s a great generic gift, but it allows the gift-giver a chance to show appreciation, care, concern, or thought for a person, especially when words aren’t especially forthcoming.

Recently, I had a customer come in to the store, hoping to find a gift that would be a small token for a friend.  The friend, I learned was currently in Ireland, and a Celtic-inspired gift made a great deal of sense for the customer.  After looking at jewelry, Rosaries, and other ideas, we finally thought of something that was both unusual and interesting: the “Lord, hear my prayer” gift box, pictured at left.  A simple design with plenty of open space, it was just what the customer hoped to find.

What we love about this gift, and all prayer box ideas, is the simple elegance it offers.  In addition to being a beautiful addition to a desktop, bureau, or counter, it’s a perfect place to store small things that might otherwise get lost.  And for those who wish to hold on to key ideas or thoughts, it can store prayers.  Simply encouraging the recipient to write down their prayer on a small strip of paper, fold it, and put inside the box for future reference gives them a place to maintain heartfelt thoughts.

We have a few other options available in prayer boxes, so stop in, or do a keyword search at our website.  We look forward to helping you find that just-right gift for the special people in your life!

Thanks for shopping local with De Sales Catholic Bookstore!

In keeping with the idea of simplicity, I figured I would round out this series with another book by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, his latest release.  Titled Simply Living the Beatitudes, Brother Victor-Antoine provides readers with a beautiful and touching series of reflections on each of the beatitudes.

The book is one of the most expertly designed I’ve seen in a while, largely due to its easy-to-follow formatting.  Beginning with an entire page dedicated to one beatitude, each section devotes itself to a virtue, a thought, and reflections on each theme from the Sermon on the Mount.  This is followed by a short reflection, explaining the purpose and historical context of the idea.  As we know now, so much of what Jesus is quoted as saying in the Gospels did not follow the logic or consensus of the time; even the parables were designed to confound and challenge people to re-examine their understanding of any social structure.

Brother Victor-Antoine also includes brief thoughts on these themes from the saints, allowing us an even more complex perspective of the history of each beatitude.  These themes culminate with a prayer about the theme, providing readers with a superb way to implement each thought, each beatitude, into daily living.

 Simply Living the Beatitudes is a great foundation for lectio divina or retreats, due to the intense spiritual reflection on specific themes from Scripture.  It is also an ideal resource for parish staffs as a theme for an entire school year of parish catechesis.  The book also would serve any small faith group with plenty of reflective ideas for several weeks.  If, however, readers are looking for at-home daily devotion or reflection materials, this book is perhaps the most appropriate for such a task.  Brother Victor-Antoine’s easy style of writing will engage you, drawing you into the text of the Sermon on the Mount.

Click on the image above to read a description or place your order for Simply Living the Beatitudes.

As the month of September comes to a close for us, we are interested in making sure that you have what you need in advance.  Be sure to come by the store and see the new things we are carrying–and the favorites that are making a return for us.

Divine Mercy from Joseph's Studio

One of the things that we’ve been excited about is the sheer number of new statuary items that are scheduled for this coming season.  Our Joseph’s Studio line has been one of the most popular for several years.  Because of the individual quality and amazing prices, these statues are among our most requested items.  The statues have tended to range from about 9″ in height to well over two feet, making ideal additions to churches and special locations throughout the home.  This year, we have learned that the company will begin manufacturing a smaller size, roughly 6″ in height.

We have currently ordered limited quantities of the most popular images, Our Lady of Grace and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as a few other saints, including St. Joseph, St. Anthony, and St. Therese.  These will make absolutely amazing gifts, just right for saying thank you from a parish group, or even to add a personal touch to special locations throuhgout your home.

Be sure to contact us early to reserve your statue in this smaller line, or browse our current selection of statuary through the website by clicking HERE.  We will do our best to be sure that we can find the best statue for your needs and budget!

As always, thank you for shopping with us.

I just received word on Friday morning on a new career endeavor; September 29th will be my last official day at De Sales Catholic Bookstore.  While my time here has been enjoyable and rewarding, it is the right opportunity and right time for me to make a move.

Because of that, our blog posts will be on hold for a while.  I have scheduled book reviews through October 4, and we will keep those on the list.  Be sure to check our new items and come by the store to find out what’s new and exciting in our world.

Thanks so much for the great memories and excitement I’ve expereinced while working at DCB.  I look forward to my new career and the memories yet to be made.

As I’ve spend the last couple of weeks on simplicity, I’m starting to see why the idea is becoming more interesting to me, especially in the last couple of years.  Not only is there the likelihood that at some point, I will desire to move from my apartment to some other space, but also I am plainly aware that every time I add to my possessions, my finances deplete just a bit.  Given that the economy is still not entirely stable, and keeping in mind the idea that many financial gurus promote the concept of self-insurance (that is, keeping enough money on hand that you don’t need to worry about other resources), simplicity seems a great option to consider.

But one of the things psychologist Robert J. Wicks might say to all of this is that simplicity is more than learning to live with less.  It’s about the personal growth, the interior life.  In Simple Changes, Wicks offers readers a guide to remove and overcome our difficulties in the effort to personal growth.  Ultimately, Wicks posits in this small devotional-style book, simplicity is about inner freedom.

Like many of Wicks’s books, including Everday Simplicity, which I wrote about two weeks ago, the chapters are designed not as heavy reading, but sources of inspiration fro developing action.  This particular book includes materials for a 30-day retreat, which can be done at home.  Plenty of resources are included to help you make use of the ideas, which can be contemplated over coffee or lunch, but applied throughout the day, and built upon with each passing week.

As mentioned previously, I’m rather a fan of Robert J. Wicks, largely due to his ability to combine psychological theory with religious and spiritual ideology.  This particular book is one I have used myself, and it certainly has the strong possibility of being revisited with time.  Click on the image above to learn more about this book or to place your order with De Sales Catholic Bookstore.

Again, I’m on that topic started last week…Catholic media, which can only be found locally by shopping at De Sales Catholic Bookstore!

For several years, I’ve been known as “the music guy” here.  Generally, it has to do with the simple fact that I served as music director of a parish in town for five years, and continue to be active in music ministry in a couple of places.  One of the many lessons learned from being active in this ministry and working at De Sales is that there is a need for knowledge when it comes to Catholic music.  A lot of people don’t realize the amazing traditions we have, both long-term and in more contemporary markets.  One of our sales representatives for a music publisher remarked that I was perhaps her most knowledgeable customer, when it came to both liturgical and prayerful music overall, and specifically what worked in our market.  So many of her retailers, she explained, don’t have anyone on staff who actually works with music outside of the store; that means limited selection or a lot of product that simply doesn’t make a great deal of sense for that store.

While I’m not the only one on staff with musical tastes, I can tell you that we have one of the best collections of music I’ve seen anywhere.  While you won’t find anything on the Top 40 charts in our store, you will find both contemporary and classic music of the Catholic tradition, as well as instrumental music and CDs to help your prayer life.

Rather than reprinting a bunch of reviews on CDs, I’m going to do what I did last week for DVDs.  Here are a couple of my favorite CDs we carry, hand picked by yours truly!

If we’re going to talk about contemporary Catholic music, we have to start with the guy who’s been in the business since it began, Steve Angrisano.  A delight to watch perform, an inspiration to hear speak, and a genuinely nice guy, Angrisano has been making music professionally for nearly 25 years, and has cowritten or written pieces for a number of albums.  In his most recent release, Inescapable Love, Angrisano bridges musical styles with ease and grace.  While he can rock out with the best of them, this album contains many songs that have an air of bluegrass picking.  Ultimately, though, most of his works reflect a simpler, more acoustic style and sound, including my favorite piece on the entire album, “Falling into You.”  It is a light sound, full with strings and piano, but classic Angrisano.  It is also the song from which the album’s title derived.

Going to the pure liturgical market, I have to go with the composer who has penned the bulk of my musical repertoire, David Haas.  A gifted musician and excellent vocalist, Haas has written pieces from “We Are Called” to “Blest Are They”, one of the epitomal musical reflections on the beatitudes.  What impresses me most about his music collections is that they simply know so few bounds.  In Echo of Faith, Haas provides new words and new life to the classic hymn tune PICARDY through the “Song of the Transfiguration.”  It is a haunting melody and the words offered provide congregations with much to consider about both Christ’s trasnfiguration and our own.  Another of the more inspirational pieces on this album comes from the most famous passage from the first letter to the Corinthians, “Love Never Fails.”  A melody that tells a story in itself, coupled with beautiful choral arrangements would make this work outstanding for any wedding or anniversary celebration, but also a great reminder of our calling to love every person.

In the instrumental market, one of my more favorite albums on hand is Rufino Zaragoza’s A Sacred Place.  Opening with wind chimes and incredibly airy piano, within one minute of play time, I often find myself taking a deep breath in, and slowly exhaling any concerns.  Fittingly enough, the first song is the title track, “A Sacred Place” with the second title of “Detachment”; it’s difficult to not detach from the world and those concerns when hearing it.  The theme of this piece is brought to fruition by the end of the album, when a reprise of the melody appears under the secondary title of “Transcendence.”  Ideal for meditation time or group retreats, this album is one of the most amazing and relaxing I’ve heard.  It’s no wonder that I’ve heard comments from our sales rep that this album often finds its way into the sound systems of massage therapists’ offices.

Of coruse, this is nothing like a complete listing of the music we have available at De Sales Catholic Bookstore.  We are incredibly proud of the music we’ve been able to add to our list each year, and we’re often on the lookout for more!  Click on to our website, and check back with us regularly for the latest updates!

If I had to pick a denomination of Christianity (besides Catholicism) that really intrigued me, it would have to be Quakerism.  There’s something about the focus on simplicity, on seeking peace at all times, and the comfort with silence that really opens my heart.  Unfortunately, I’m the kind of person who likes to be surrounded by noise, and like many others, I tend to find myself surrounded by possessions, rather than learning to let go.

These are just a few of the themes Catherine Whitmore explores in her book Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity.  This particular book is unlike most I’ve reviewed in that it isn’t the author’s take on any particular subject.  Rather, it’s a collection of thoughts, reflections, and ideas gleaned from life, gathered from a variety of sources and individuals.  I was a little surprised to see thoughts from the early 20th Century, but shocked to see a reflection on the toipc of death that was written initially in 1693.

For those unfamiliar with Quakerism–which began in a very structured society of England in the 1650s, I’ll pass along my limited knowledge of the tradition.  One of the primary components of this tradition is the pervasive belief that the Light of God shines in every single person, regardless of status, title, background, or education.  In other words, we can learn from any person, at any time, and that knowledge can help us in our own spiritual growth and development.  In part because of this belief, one of the more unusual concepts of “church” from our highly-ritualized tradition, is that rather than offering a structured component to the gathering of others, people are expected to simply speak when God reveals some truth to them.  In the midst of silent meditation as a group, an occasional voice will interrupt the silence with a simple, perhaps profound, thought.

It is that concept that most readily eminates from Plain Living.  Most of the people whose words are shared in this text are not famous, not religiously touted as sources of ideology or theology.  And yet, that’s precisely what’s going on with these ideas, brought out for us to read and learn.  With an impressive introduction written by Parker J. Palmer, a Quaker whose spirituality has revitalized the concepts of higher education in the last 20 years, this book is certainly a great book for anyone seeking inspiration on their faith journey.

Ideal as a gift book, Plain Living will offer readers more than enough material to make a beautiful foundation for a fantastic spiritual life.  The included questions at the end of each section will offer readers journal prompts to learn their own truths of spirituality and faith.

Click on the image to read a description from the publisher and to order a copy of Plain Living from De Sales Catholic Bookstore.