Sr Joanna Coleiro, fsp, is a Daughter of St Paul with a long-time interest in the spiritual growth, faith development and religious experience of both adults and children.  Each month, Sr Joanna provides a selection of books available to purchase online from Pauline Books & Media. 

Rising: Learning from Women’s Leadership in Catholic Ministries

by Carolyn Woo

Although in Rising, Dr Carolyn Woo does not address the challenging ecclesial issue of the lack of women in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, what she does offer us here is an opportunity to see the increasing number of executive roles being filled by women in the Church’s many local, national and global ministries – in particular across the USA. She reminds us that there is more to Church leadership than simply hierarchical structures, and challenges the misperception that there are few opportunities for women leaders in the Catholic Church. By doing so she helps to expand our sometimes narrow definition of Church leadership.

Dr Woo draws on her own experience together with that of other women in senior Church leadership positions in the fields of social justice, leadership of women’s religious congregations, education, media, diocesan organisms, NGOs, etc., to highlight the characteristics of women’s leadership and the unique contribution it can make in ministry. Significantly, Dr Woo highlights the distinctive character of leadership motivated by a Christian ethos.

Available online from Pauline Books & Media.

Saints Like Me

by Lisa Hendy, Illustrated by Katie Broussard

Lisa Hendey, bestselling author of I’m a Saint in the Making, presents this delightful book to help young children discover that God has a special mission just for them! 

Even ordinary people can live amazing lives – that’s the message of Saints Like Me! This is a book to help the young children understand that God has a plan and a purpose for their lives. We don’t have to be grownups, and we don’t have to do big things. Whenever we do a little thing with great love, we are just like Jesus and the saints! 

The board-book format implies this book is for very young children, and parents can certainly sit down to read it with toddlers, however many of the concepts are better explored with early and middle childhood aged children. This is a wonderful book for starting children on the journey of living a Christian life and an ideal addition to any young family’s book collection!

Available online from Pauline Books & Media

The Meal That Reconnects: Eucharistic Eating and the Global Food Crisis

by Mary McGann

The Meal That Reconnects invites readers to a more profound appreciation of the sacredness of eating, the planetary interdependence that food and the sharing of food entails, and the destructiveness of the industrial food system that is supplying food to tables globally.

Drawing on the origins of the Eucharist in Jesus’ meal fellowship and the worship of early Christians, McGann invites Catholic communities to reclaim the foundational meal character of Eucharistic celebration while offering pertinent strategies for this renewal. She explores the notions of food as commodity and food as gift, recognising the fundamental role of eating in healing broken relationships and forming new ones.

Available online from Pauline Books & Media

By Sr Joanna Coleiro fsp

Pauline Books & Media is run by The Daughters of St Paul, which is an international congregation of religious women founded to spread the Gospel through the channels of the modern media.  Why not visit the book shop at 7 Denmark Hill Road, East Hawthorn.  Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and Saturday 9.00 am to 12 noon.