Favorite Letter of the Week

There I was, a cup of my favorite tea in hand ... and suddenly, it was all over the screen.

Here ... read this.

THANKS, Sarah!

Special post at "Streams of Mercy"

Although I've temporarily stopped posting at "Streams of Mercy" until the Mary blog gets going full steam, I came across this post today at Catholic Converts about an apostolate called "Catholics Come Home" that is reaching out to those who have become alienated from the Church with impressive multi-media presentations. This movie particularly touched me. Enjoy!

New Saints Blog!

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle has started a new blog dedicated to the saints.

Check it out here.

Letter of Thanks

Today I received an e-mail a subscriber, and it moved me so much I just had to share it with you. Letters like this remind me why we're working so hard to let people know about Canticle ... The little magazine is truly changing lives! (Do you know any widows who might particularly benefit from our Lent issue? You can order individual copies of Issue #38 by calling 800-558-5452).

Good morning Heidi,

Thank you so much for the beautiful March/April issue of “Canticle.” I serve as Director of Adult Faith Formation and Family Life Ministries at _____ Church in Kansas City, Kansas and I am long overdue to send a note of thanks for the magazine. It is a joy to share it in “Women of Grace” groups when in session and other groups such as parent groups, sacrament preparation classes, RCIA and many others.

I especially want to thank all who produce “Canticle” for the articles addressing the needs of widows. Our parish Grief Support group is filled with many wise, grace filled women and I have used thoughts from various articles in the past to share with them. Every month, our meetings begin with lunch (so many will not eat well at home because they don’t like to eat alone). After the meal, we celebrate birthdays and have a speaker or informal discussion. I always have a faith-based topic or article to start the discussion but this particular month was a struggle. Normally, I would be ready several days in advance but this month was different. I prayed for guidance and even though I still wasn’t sure of our direction for this month, I was at peace. I knew that my prayer would be answered. Tuesday, the day before our meeting, “Canticle” arrived in my mailbox. My eyes immediately were drawn to the headline “Stations of the Cross for Widows” and I knew that, yes indeed, my prayers were answered.

Our pastor, _________, and I read the “Stations of the Cross for Widows” together for our Grief Support Group. He introduced each station with a prayer and I read the reflection. We have had extraordinary gatherings with these adults before but nothing like this. The response was amazing – it touched the hearts of everyone. The beauty of the Stations combined with Dr. Chervin’s inspiration was a wonderful gift to these women and men this Lent. Someone understood them! Someone else had been there and that someone was Our Blessed Mother. How grateful we are for Dr. Chervin’s words and to “Canticle” for presenting them to us.

Thank you again for the work and dedication of all the staff to produce a faith filled publication that teaches women how to be Women of Grace. May God bless you all and please know that you can count on our continued prayers and support. We also are happy to join you in promoting “Canticle” magazine.

With gratitude from your sister in Christ,

January and March 2008 ... spread the word!

I'd like to congratulate our contributers to the first two issues of 2008 for their excellent work. Please consider posting the cover image on your blog or website along with a bit about your article ... help us spread the word!

These issues feature the writings of ...

January-February 2008

• Marie Pitt-Payne: "Waltz of Love"
• Genevieve Kineke: "Choosing Well ... with Good Reason"
• Gina Switzer: "Re-Discovering the Sacramental Imagination"
• Katherine Towne Sherwin: "Precious, but Prudent? A Reflection on Opposite-Sex Friendships"
• Anna Abbott: "'Hooking Up' With God: The Problem of Casual Communion"
• Jessica Mayo: "A Subtle Sin: Lust and the Womanly Heart"
• Theresa Cavicchio: "Grandparenting for God"
• Susan Ekins: "Taking Care of Me"
• Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur: "Prayer as a Tool for Christian Unity"
  

March-April 2008

• Denise Bossert: "Judith: An Image of Feminine Valor"
• Ronda Chervin: "The Stations of the Cross for Widows"
• Gretchen Garrity: "Giving Lent a Try"
• Laura Yeager: "Grace-Filled Speaking"
• Lisa Hendey: "Knit Together in Love"
• Deb Richards: "Hope in the Desert"
• Pat Gohn: "Longing to Have Them Home"
• Karen Edmisten: "Seconds and Sacrifice"
• Sarah Reinhard: "Smells Like Roses to Me!"
  Judy McCloskey: "Fear's Growth Potential"
  

Thanks again for all your hard work!

May Issue: A Pro-Life Story

In the May issue of Canticle, Kate Wicker paints a vivid picture of Diane Tandy, a pro-life midwife who saves the life of a preborn child and the child's mother every single day. When asked how she manages to get these women to change their minds, Diane says:

“We all tend to want to walk in and flood these women with our knowledge and our enthusiasm, but the bottom line is, you have to wait and listen,” she says. “Each of these girls has unique problems and a unique trigger point that will make them go from thinking about abortion to ‘I can do this.’ I wait and listen and then put my arms around them and convince them that they’re going to be okay. Honestly, I never know what to say. It’s never me. It’s the Holy Spirit working through me.”

To order your trial subscription (first issue is FREE), call 800-558-5452.

New at ChristianWord.com!

My husband worked until the wee hours to update our website ChristianWord.com, which now has the capability of receiving orders via PayPal or credit card. (Isn't he smart?!)

We are now offering an even sweeter deal on Behold Your Mother: Order as many copies as you like for $10/book, and we pay all shipping costs (in the continental U.S. only).

In addition, the first six people to get in touch with me and offer to review Raising Up Mommy will get your own autographed copy, absolutely free. Just drop me an e-mail at hsaxton(at)christianword(dot)com and give me your physical address, name to be included in the autograph, and the name of the website or other publication where you will be posting this review.

Thanks!

Prayers Answered

Today my friend Christine Trollinger, who is a regular contributer at "Canticle," sent this exciting answer to prayer!

Thank you Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta...Gabby my year old Bichon Friese dog was suppose to have surgery this morning for Cherry eye. Last night I asked Mother Teresa to intercede for Gabby and fix her eyes without need for very expensive surgery that I really cannot afford. I touched Gabby's eyes with a relic card the Nun's sent me. This morning her eyes were clear...I took her into the Veterinarian this morning as scheduled to double check that a miracle healing had indeed taken place. He confirmed it. The tear duct's had re-anchored themselves and she just has to have eye drops for the next few days. Thank You Abba Father and Blessed Mother Teresa.

2008 Catholic Blog Awards...

The nomination process has begun! To nominate your favorite blogs, click here.

"Behold Your Mother" Book Blog

Those of you who follow my "Streams of Mercy" blog may be a bit startled to discover that I've decided to suspend it for a time ... in order to start up a new blog, dedicated to Our Lady in thanksgiving for the publication of my new book about her, entitled "Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert."

I invite you to come and join me at "Behold Your Mother." And please get in touch with me if you have something special to contribute ... Write to me at hsaxton(at)christianword(dot)com if you have ...

* a favorite true "Mary story" (I've posted one there already)
* a question about Mary
* a favorite Mary image you'd like to share

* an answer to prayer, in which you invoked intercession of Our Lady

* a favorite Marian feast tradition
* a favorite Marian resource, prayer, or novena (especially one associated with a particular feast day).

It is my sincere prayer that this would not be one more way for me to fill up cyberspace with my own writing, but be a forum for all "Mary girls" to share their love and collective experiences about our Blessed Mother. I look forward to seeing you there!

Feedback...

I was wondering what readers thought about the "Easter insert" that we included in the Lent issue. (We're thinking of running it Lent and Advent.) In particular, I'm wondering ...

This Lenten issue is the first time we've decided to print an "Easter" insert (we're thinking of doing it for Easter and Christmas). I was hoping some of you might offer your first impressions:

Do you plan (as we intended) to remove the insert after you've read it and give it to someone else who might be interested in the magazine? Or are you going to just enjoy the magazine, intact?

What is your impression of how the insert "fits" with the rest of the magazine? Does it strike you as having a different focus/purpose? Or just more of the same?

Any other feedback?

If you don't want to go on record, go ahead and e-mail me privately: hsaxton (at) christianword (dot) com.

Thanks!

"Most Tolerant Writer" Award...

This year this little-coveted award (given to those who respond to my editorial missteps with an extraordinary level of grace) goes to ...

Lisa HENDEY
Lisa HENDEY
Lisa HENDEY

(Well, it WAS the Lent issue, so maybe she was just offering it up...)

Your *blushing* editor,

Heidi

Hot off the Press!!!

I'm delighted to report that Bezalel Press will be bringing back into print my book on Mary, which I've retitled Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert.

This edition is even better than the first one for one simple reason: In the interim, I became an adoptive mother myself! If you know someone who struggles to think of Mary as her spiritual mother, please consider buying this for her as an Easter or Mother's Day gift.

To sweeten the deal, I offer a special pre-pub deal here.

Happy Lent!

Novena for Cancer Victims -- and a prayer request

Kathleen Miller at "The Daily Grotto" has asked me to pass along this urgent prayer request for Melissa Hackney, a young woman battling breast cancer. The details are here, along with a wonderful novena to St. Peregrine, patron of cancer patients.

This is a beautiful prayer, both for this brave young woman or for any other loved one who is fighting for his or her life due to this awful disease.

St. Peregrine, pray for us!