What to read

How They Love Mary: 28 Life-Changing Stories of Devotion to Our Lady
Father Edward Looney
Sophia Institute Press, 240 pages (pb)

Ideal for the month of May, this 30-day Marian devotional provides powerful readings not just about the Virgin Mary, but specifically about the devotion that some of our greatest saints and holy ones have had for her. You’ll find stories about St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Faustina Kowalska, Mother Angelica, Bishop Fulton Sheen, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and nearly two dozen more Catholic figures who maintained a special love for the Blessed Mother. There’s also a fine collection of Marian prayers and litanies. It’s like seeing Mary through new eyes, and it might just infuse you with fresh perspectives and renewed reverence for the Mother of God.

The Woman in the Trees: A Novel About America’s First Approved Marian Apparition
Theonie Bell
TAN Books, 224 pages

Here is a clever retelling of the story of the 1859 apparition of Our Lady of Good Hope in Robinsonville (now Champion), WI, through the eyes of a young Belgian immigrant girl. When little Slainie, disfigured and griefstricken, becomes a pupil of visionary Adele Brise, she is skeptical but curious about the reports surrounding her claims and is slowly drawn into the mystery. Adele’s lived witness challenges Slainie’s dormant faith as she comes to new perspectives on her personal tragedies. This is historical fiction that packs a lot of truth, and it makes for edifying reading for adults and young people alike.

Couples, Awaken Your Love!
Robert Cardinal Sarah
Ignatius Press, 138 pages

When a marriage goes from “sweetheart” to “falling apart,” or when that spark of love that brought a couple together has dimmed, it’s a sign that the husband and wife have not adequately nurtured their relationship sufficiently to keep their love alive and vibrant. Cardinal Sarah has preached retreats to married couples on how they can renew their relationships even if they seem to be at a crossroads. This collection of retreat talks, if read and discussed thoughtfully, can help husbands and wives strengthen or even save their marriages through a rediscovery of faith, the meaning of marriage, the sacraments, and the intercessory power of Our Lady.