Thanks be to God if you have someone in your live who’s decided to join the Catholic church or who is spending their first Christmas as a Catholic. These newbies need your support to help their faith flourish and grow so they will continue to become active Catholics who are making a difference in the world and spreading the Good News.

As someone now in their second Christmas as a Catholic, here are some suggestions for what to buy the budding Catholic in your life, most of which are less than $25:

1) A Rosary – Every Catholic needs a rosary (well, everyone in the world needs a rosary!), but to help keep their faith on fire (see more ideas), a devotion to Mary will do wonders. She will guide and mold them into the people God wants them to be. One of the best ways to get to know Mary — and her Son — is to pray the rosary. Buy them a simple rosary — it doesn’t need to be anything expensive or fancy they’ll be afraid to use — and print them out a guide to how to pray it like this one on Real Men Pray the Rosary.

2) “Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers” book – I just came across this resource on the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops website, which I think is perfect for someone still learning the faith. This paperback book helps you memorize essential prayers, explains the Liturgy of the Hours, goes through the Church’s liturgical year and how to pray throughout, as well as provides basic prayers for meals, blessing a house, Advent wreaths, times of distress and more. Plus, they’re giving away 1 copy daily throughout Advent. Enter to win here.

3) Advent Wreath – No need to buy a fancy, dancy wreath! Make your own just like I did in these 4 simple steps that even the least crafty of us can accomplish. I’ve found many longtime Catholics do not have Advent wreaths, so this is a great way to get them started and it gives them something to pass down from generation to generation.

4) A Miraculous Medal – Continue to develop their devotion to the Blessed Mother by giving them a Miraculous Medal to wear. Mary asked St. Catherine Laboure to have this image cast into a medal and promised many blessings (and conversions) to those who wear it. Mother Teresa handed them out regularly. They only cost $1 at most Catholic book stores. I now have a store of them to pass out because mine always generates conversation among Catholics and non-Catholics alike!

5) “The Way of Serenity” (Harper Collins, 2014) by Father Jonathan Morris – There are several Catholics in the public eye who do a remarkable job of reaching across faith boundaries and demonstrating Catholicism to be modern, relevant and even fun! Father Jonathan Morris, a regular correspondent on Fox News Channel and program director for Sirius’ The Catholic Channel, is one. His new book, which looks at faith through the lens of the Serenity prayer, offers some of the most amazing conversational gems of wisdom that will certainly relate to your Catholic newbie. It’s an easy, inspiring read and it will likely encourage them to delve deeper into the Catholic faith.

6) “God’s Bucket List” (Image Books, 2013) by Teresa Tomeo – Another easy-to-relate-to Catholic who has the gift of reaching outside of Catholicism is Teresa Tomeo, author and host of Catholic Connection, a daily Catholic news and talk radio show on EWTN Radio. I have listened to Teresa Tomeo almost daily since I happened upon the existence of Catholic radio and really enjoy her conversational and fun take on the world, the faith and how we can live it authentically. Her latest book, “God’s Bucket List” challenges you to consider what God has planned for you and shares her own wisdom and experiences through many laugh-out-loud stories.

7) The  New American Bible & the Catechism of the Catholic Church – Everyone should have both of these — enough said! Package them together and perhaps bookmark a favorite passage in each that you think will be meaningful to them for a personal touch.

8) “7 Secrets of Confession” (Ignatius Press) by Vinny Flynn — Confession, or Reconciliation, is an easy one for new Catholics to avoid. Or if you have someone going through RCIA, they’re likely very nervous about their First Reconciliation. I’ve got tips in my blog post on what I wish every RCIA candidate new about confession, but this book will do wonders in educating them in an easy-to-read way about the benefits and the reasons for confession. I loved it! It will inspire you to get there much more often, as well.

9) “The Holy Land” (Servant Books, 2013) by Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ – I think that as Christians, we need to take the time to understand the Holy Land in order to provide context in which to place Bible readings and Jesus’ life. For example, when the Bible tells us Mary, newly pregnant, went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, did you know geographically how challenging that was? Seeing where she had to walk and the hills she had to climb gives you a new perspective on the self-sacrifice she made. Father Mitch, whom I adore for his ability to simply explain the Catholic faith without all the jargon, takes you on an armchair journey in this beautiful coffee table book filled with photos to all the key spots mentioned in the Bible, offering his unique insight along the way.

10) “Rediscover Catholicism” by Matthew Kelly – I just can’t have a list of recommendations without this book! It was key to my conversion and I think if you have any fence-sitters when it comes to the faith, it will help them make the leap. Matthew Kelly has a unique gift, not unlike Father Jonathan and Teresa Tomeo, to make the faith relevant to you today and explain why fasting, confession, weekly mass attendance and more is important and will help you on the path to becoming your best self. You can order a free copy here.

Let me know what you pick and if they liked it! May they have a very Merry Christmas as they unearth all the amazing resources of the Church!

Would you be so kind as to “like” Catholic Newbie on Facebook?

Read More:

• How to Make an Advent Wreath in 4 Easy Steps
• My favorite Catholic Resources & Catholic Books
• 10 Things I Wish Non-Catholic Christians Knew About Catholicism
• Why did I convert to Catholicism? Read my Conversion Story
• Catholic Newbie’s Most Popular Posts
• 13 Things to Do After RCIA to Keep Your Faith on Fire
• The 1 Thing I Wish All RCIA Candidates Knew About Confession
• My First Reconciliation/Confession Experience

If you are new to the Catholic church or considering joining, Mary is definitely going to be a topic that will come up again and again. Catholics’ reverence of Mary differs greatly from Protestants, and so for many, it’s a long process of understanding why this is so. While this was never an issue for me (where purgatory and contraception were), I truly didn’t have the faintest idea WHY Catholics held Mary in such high regard, and only over time have I begun to grasp the surface of the vast depths of wisdom and grace that is Mary.

My affection for Mary began once I actually joined the Catholic Church. I began to desire to pray the Rosary and the Angelus, consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary and learned more about Our Lady and she has blessed me abundantly. The more I’ve read and researched, the more astounded I am at how amazing this woman truly is and how our reverence, while solidly grounded in the fact that she is the Mother of Jesus, goes much, much deeper.

Mark Miravalle in his book, Meet Your Mother (see how you can win 1 of 4 copies below), does the best job I’ve seen of presenting a thorough, yet easy-to-read look at Mary and all the issues surrounding her, such as her Immaculate Conception, maintaining her virginity, her Assumption into heaven and more. Most of the books I’ve read on this topic barely skimmed the surface and focused more on the virtues of Mary that we should imitate (of course, good information, too :)).

“Virgo det Josef Moroder” by Wolfgang Moroder – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Dr. Miravelle really takes an intellectual’s look at the role of Mary in salvation and overcomes any possible argument you could have to the contrary. If you love to read and learn and dive deeply into a topic, this is the book for you if you desire to know Our Blessed Mother more deeply.

But don’t be concerned that it’s too theological or challenging to read. It IS theological but it’s presented in a way anyone can understand.

I absolutely loved this book and I think it should be required reading for ANYONE joining the Catholic church. Not only should you understand Mary as a Catholic, but you are missing SO MUCH not to delve deeply into the mystery of Mary. I’ll telling you … Mary is a topic I could sit and ponder the rest of my life and still not get it all :).

Thanks to the folks at Catholic Word (for more information and their selection of books, visit www.catholicword.com) and Marian Press, I have four copies of this awesome book to give away and help share the love and joy that comes from Mary whose greatest desire is to save souls for her Son. Enter to win below!

I’d also love to hear from you what questions you have about Mary. A big one for me is how it was determined she is the dispenser of all graces for Jesus. What questions do you have? And do you have a special moment to share about Mary? Please tell us!

In an upcoming post, I’m going to attempt to summarize some key teachings about Mary. I hope to do so in a way that does not diminish their greatness by my simplicity, but that gives a quick look at Our Blessed Mother so more souls may understand and be blessed by her.

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Credit: SoulCore

Our bodies are a gift from God and they are an essential part of our being. Someday, we will reunite with our bodies in heaven. So we should honor our bodies here on earth as the divine gifts they are in everything from the clothing we wear to the food we eat to keeping it in healthy physical shape.

SoulCore, a program started by a parishioner in Carmel, Ind., offers a new way to honor your body with physical exercises while praying the Rosary, something Our Lady has asked us to do every day! What a wonderful way to accomplish two important tasks at the same time — and in the company of others with the same intentions.

SoulCore combines core exercises, similar to Pilates and yoga postures, with praying the Rosary. Here is a video that helps explain the program:

Started by parishioners within my diocese of Lafayette, Ind., I first heard about this in my local Catholic newspaper and local Catholic radio station. As a former practitioner of yoga before joining the Catholic Church, I was excited about the idea, but classes were not offered close enough to me to try it.

Our parish purchased a DVD version and invited parishioners to do the program together while watching the DVD and so I have now done the program many times. I really enjoy it and highly recommend it to others. It’s a peaceful respite in the midst of a hectic world and accomplishes two very important tasks that should be at the top of all of our to-do lists.

One note, for those of you who practice yoga. Did you know that yoga and Catholicism don’t jive? Here’s a great post on the subject from Spiritual Direction.

Essentially, there’s nothing wrong with the poses, but you must be sure the “intention” of your exercise is not directed to Gods or religions or other things that don’t fit within Christianity. And you certainly should not be saying words of which you don’t know the meaning.

SoulCore involves similar exercises (afterall, yoga doesn’t have a trademark on stretches and body exercises!), but with the proper intention of lifting our thoughts to Jesus and Mary.

According to the founders of SoulCore, while the program hasn’t been “officially” approved by the bishop of our Lafayette, Ind., diocese, Timothy Doherty, he did come talk with the founders, blessed the project and is “fully supportive” of it. He also encouraged our diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Moment, to write an article. SoulCore has also been featured on Seize the Day with Gus Lloyd on the Catholic Channel on Sirius XM radio and on EWTN’s The Son Rise Morning Show.

Says Colleen Scariano, co-founder, “We also have the full support of our pastor Fr. Doerr at Our Lady of Mt Carmel parish, as well as area priests, including Fr. Joshua Janko at Guerin Catholic [High School] and Fr. Haan at St. Elizabeth Seton [parish].” I can also say that Fr. O’Keefe of my parish, St. Alphonsus Liguori in Zionsville, also approves since he is permitting an organized gathering to do the program.

Want to try SoulCore? You can order a DVD or, if you happen to be local, they offer classes in Noblesville, Ind., and at Purdue University in Lafayette, Ind. You can also join us at St. Alphonsus on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Thursdays at 9:45 a.m. (right after daily mass at 9 a.m.) at the Parish Hall to do the program as a group. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Are looking for peace in your life? I know that’s what drew me to the Catholic Church. I have the answer: don’t worry, just work!

When you are a follower of Christ, you know that you can give everything to Him, or to his Blessed Mother whom he has designated as the dispenser of all grace and our advocate. Jesus and Mary WANT to take your worry and your stress and your anxiety and your problems and give you peace in return.

I recently finished reading Gary Zimak’s new book “From Fear to Faith: A Worrier’s Guide to Discovering Peace.” Gary is a renowned Catholic speaker on the topic of worry and anxiety, and he outlines this important process in his 5-step plan to let go of worry and find peace. He was recently on one of my favorite Catholic radio shows, Catholic Answers Live, discussing the topic, which you can watch here:

For Gary, the first step in letting go of worry and finding peace is: Prepare.

You do this by prayerfully asking God to help you with a given problem and by asking Mary, and any of the saints, to pray for you regarding this problem. Then, you look for signs from God (you WILL see them if you’re paying attention) and do the “work” He is asking you to do. We can’t expect God to take care of the whole problem without us doing our part; however, we need to be sure “our part” is His will and we do so through prayer and careful discernment.

Then, do everything that’s in your power to help solve the problem. If you need a job, polish your resume and look for work. If you’re sick, go to the doctor and follow his or her orders. If you’re having a problem with a family member, speak the words you feel called to say, asking the Holy Spirit to speak through you.

Then… let God do the rest. His will be done! And be at peace.

Gary gives several wonderful examples of this process in the Bible. First is the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Jesus gives the apostles work to do: ordering the crowd and distributing the food. The apostles did the work and Jesus performed the miracle, creating more than enough food for everyone.

Another example would be the Wedding Feast at Cana where Jesus began his public ministry. After Mary’s statement that the married couple had no more wine, Jesus directs the workers in filling jars with water. Then… HE performs the miracle that solves the problem.

I recently had a similar issue with my mother, who was completely against moving to a new home, which really is a necessity for her financial stability. I had done everything I could to help her with her finances and run out of options. Out of no where, a friend suggested this VERY SAME new place to live and she was suddenly miraculously convinced that it was not just the right thing for her but something she really wanted to do. I did the work I could; God performed the miracle. Thanks be to God!

This has happened to me so many times in the last couple years since becoming Catholic and especially since consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary and praying the rosary daily. If you pay attention and give your live over to God, these things will happen to you. I hope you are able to recognize them as the work of God and remember to give thanks :). Let these miracles uplift you as you encounter the next problem in your life.

Do you see how this works? Can you stop worrying and just work? Totally trust God to do the rest? You will be blessed in abundance if so. Even if His solution is not your solution, you will have peace about it — whatever it may be.