Books

"Saint Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portrait" by Dianne Marie Traflet, Pauline Books (Boston, 2008), 179 pp., $16.95. "Joan of Arc: A Life" by Mary Gordon, Penguin Lives (New York, 2008), 180 pp., $14.

Centuries separate St. Joan of Arc and St. Edith Stein. And the women who wrote about them are different — Mary Gordon, a novelist, and Dianne Marie Traflet, a professor.

However, the authors both provide incredibly compelling works about the warrior saint and philosopher nun that strike similar chords with the reader. And as one reads about the horrific yet courageous deaths suffered by both St. Edith and St. Joan, one can see just what these two had in common — courage and grace.

In "Saint Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portrait," Traflet, associate dean and professor of pastoral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., offers a wonderful insight into the mind and life of St. Edith.

"SAINTS AT THE DINNER TABLE" by Amy Heyd, St. Anthony Messenger Press (Cincinnati, 2008), 158 pp., $19.95.

(CNS) — "Saints at the Dinner Table" is simple and satisfying in its idea and execution: to create and present menus inspired by reflections on the lives of 12 saints. The book is informed by author Amy Heyd’s gratitude for her family, her faith and her vocation as a wife, mother of three children and gifted cook.

Heyd’s inspiration for the book was the realization that her prayers were more confident when she felt a connection with a saint’s life. She writes about praying to St. Joseph in the dark hours when her father was hospitalized with a serious stroke. "In that quiet and heart-wrenching moment, I felt that Joseph himself had stepped off the pedestal, took my hand and walked into my dad’s room with me." In St. Joseph’s strength and presence she found a "wonderful listener" and "friend I could talk to in my time of need."

"In my quest to ‘relate’ to the saints, I started an intentioned journey to find a collection of saints on whom I could call," Heyd writes. She began with those who, like her, were interested in "food and caretaking."

Sometimes the realities of life — moving to a new house, the death of a family member, even an annoying sibling — can have an impact on children.

That’s why Father Joseph G. Kempf has just released a book of prayers to help nurture in children the values of the Gospel as they head down life’s bumpy road.

"My Sister Is Annoying and Other Prayers for Children," was published last month by Liguori Publications. The 47-page book retails for $16.95.

The book is intended for children about ages 5 through 10, and is available at several local Catholic bookstores, including Catholic Supply, O’Byrne Religious Goods in St. Peters, Catholic Gifts and Books in Chesterfield and Pauline Books and Media in Crestwood.

"These prayers are about the real-life stuff that children encounter," said the pastor of Assumption Parish in O’Fallon, who spoke via phone earlier this week from the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, where he was a speaker.

"THE FAITH OF SCIENTISTS: IN THEIR OWN WORDS," edited by Nancy K. Frankenberry, Princeton University Press (Princeton, N.J., 2008), 523 pp., $29.95.

Reviewed by

Christopher Fenoglio

Catholic News Service

For centuries, some of the greatest minds in history have grappled with the relationship between religion and science: Did God create the universe? Is man’s position above all other creatures the work of divine management, a natural selection process or a lucky chance? Can we look deep into the universe or inside our own DNA and see the fingerprints of God?

These questions have been debated since they were first posed and will continue to be discussed for all time. In our efforts to understand these issues, we tend to look first to the latest papers or focus on the newest interpretations.

That’s a mistake, suggests Nancy Frankenberry in her new book, "The Faith of Scientists: In Their Own Words." To really explore these human and historical questions about God, the universe and science, one should first seek to understand the scientists themselves.