Books published by publisher Paraclete Press (MA)

So you want to be a Dragon Slayer, do you? Well then, you have picked the right book.So begins Sir Wyvern Pugilist's new guide for preparing the young to engage the snarly and slimy monsters presently inhabiting our spiritual world. Lest you think, however, that this is a manual for anyone casually contemplating a match with a dragon, read on. Pugilist, an experienced Dragon Slayer, makes it clear that this is no small task, and he pulls no punches. He alternately yells and cajoles, pleads and flatters—whatever it takes to grow his students into bona fide Dragon Slayers. But be careful: This is only for those who are most serious about facing the malicious monsters (sin!) head-on! Sir Wyvern includes the essentials on armor and powerful prayers to ward off spiritual attacks from dragons."Would that all Dragon Slayers wrote like this! Wyvern Pugilist, where have you been all our lives?" The Boston Post and Intelligentsia "It was not until I read this guide that I discovered I have used all the wrong methods in fighting dragons." An Anonymous Dragon Slayer in California"There is no doubt that Sir Wyvern Pugilist's detailed guidebook will spring to the top of the bestseller lists in no time. I suggest you buy yours now, before the title sells out and you have to wait in line for more copies. Because wait-in-line you will!" Joanne de Arc, Director Emeritus, French Institute for the Slaying of the Dragons"Congratulations to Paraclete Press for successfully persuading Sir Wyvern to put pen to paper and for giving us this new manual on Dragon Slaying! It is long overdue! We enthusiastically recommend this guidebook for young and old alike, it's just that good." Slayers' Weekly

God has a special mission for each of us! With engaging prose and delightful illustrations, I'm a Saint in the Making reminds children of their unique call from God to live with mission and love. By recounting the highlights of the stories of both well-known and newer saints (including John Paul II, Mary MacKillop, Augustus Tolton, Teresa of Calcutta, Juan Diego and Chiara Badano) in relatable lessons, the book helps readers learn that there is no one single way to live a life of sanctity. I'm a Saint in the Making offers simple but impactful suggestions for ways children can offer acts of prayer, service, and love. Resources for parents, teachers, and caregivers at the end of book provide support for adults as they seek to encourage and accompany their young saints in the making.

It's Christmas Eve 722, and Kristoph, a young orphan boy, is accompanying the missionary priest Boniface through the German countryside. They are hurrying to reach the next village by nightfall when they come upon a group of people in the forest worshiping an oak tree and preparing to sacrifice the son of the village chieftain. To prove that the oak is powerless and that there is only One True God, Boniface miraculously fells the giant tree with a single ax stroke. In its place stands an evergreen. Calling it “the tree of the Christ Child,” he instructs the men to mend their lives and take the tree home where it will shelter “loving gifts and lights of kindness.” Now rescued, the son of the village chieftain invites Boniface and Kristoph to share Christmas with his family . . . around another evergreen that Kristoph cuts down for their own celebration.

A book for little readers encountering loss and grief for the first time. Piggy and his heavenly friends, Fuzzbuzz and Bubbleberry, walk together through Piggy's first moments in heaven—eating grass, wondering if heavenly piggies have wings, and looking forward to being reunited with loved ones. With humor and understanding, Piggy in Heaven celebrates the reality that we bring our own endearing personalities into the life Christ grants us after death. This is a sad book and a funny book. Sometimes, you have to laugh and cry at the same time to heal.

Look! A Child’s Guide to Advent and Christmas presents Advent as special time for waiting and watching—paying attention—to the ways God comes to us. Told from the point of a view of a child, the story weaves together familiar Advent traditions like the Jesse tree and the Advent wreath, biblical stories and characters, and reflections on what these stories call us to do and be. This book reassures children of the presence of God in all times and places and invites them to become part of the holy work of making Christ present in the world.

"Before Margaret met the Pope, she lived on the streets of Rome. She was a small cat in one of the busiest, most crowded, cities in all Europe. Rome is the capital of Italy. Rome surrounds Vatican City, the world’s tiniest country, and home to the Pope, the Curia, and the Swiss Guard." So begins this 5th adventure in the lives of Margaret and the Pope. A prequel, this episode tells of the conclave that elected the Pope who would one day meet Margaret on the Via della Conciliazone. It turns out, Margaret was somehow there, watching, in the Sistine Chapel as the votes were cast. Children and adults alike will delight in this behind the scenes story about love and the Church, learning not only about what popes do, but this time, how popes are chosen.

Zeal and excitement are a part of every child. This picture book celebrates a young boy’s enthusiasm to put into practice the words of Christ: to feed and clothe the poor; help the needy; and love one’s neighbor. As Thomas shows his family the items he has packed into his suitcase after hearing a stirring homily at church, they marvel at his inventiveness and loving heart—he is traveling to the Kingdom of Heaven, and he knows what it takes to get there! Thomas and his family figure out a way, with his suitcase, to accomplish the goal that Thomas is so excited about: to arrive at the Kingdom.

Writing to God – Kid’s’ Edition offers guidance to kids that parents can also appreciate: It invites them to speak to God creatively through their pens (or pencils, or crayons). In 35 days, kids are invited to pray to God using their senses, reflecting on their feelings, in light of Bible verses, looking at nature, to understand the ordinary events of life, to use new words and pictures for God, and as a way to say “thank you.” “Hackenberg’s book gives children permission to experience prayer as daily conversation with God. The freshness and honesty of her own prayers and her helpful prompts invite them to find and value their own words as offerings to a God who wants to be in relationship with them.” –Anabel Proffitt, Associate Professor of Educational Ministries, Lancaster Theological Seminary

The story of Margaret and her friend the Pope continues with Book 3 in The Pope’s Cat series. This latest adventure has Margaret experiencing the prayers, penitence, liturgy, and excitement of Holy Week in the Vatican and Rome—from the joy of Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square, to foot-washing in a Roman prison, the solemnity of Good Friday, and the expectation of Easter. She learns about Jesus and the meaning of his Passion, visits important new places such as The Sistine Chapel, where she seems to pray beside the Pope, and the Roman Colosseum, where she learns that many early Christians were martyrs for their faith. Margaret's friends, the Swiss Guards, are watching over her, and she manages to eat (she still loves to eat!) some interesting foods, even though it's Holy Week. Oh yes, and she sleeps a lot.

In this fourth installment of "The Pope's Cat" series, Margaret and the Pope travel for the first time together away from the Vatican and out of Rome. They go by train to the Umbrian hill town of Assisi, a place of pilgrimage for Christians all over the world who want to remember the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Together they visit the great Basilica named for St. Francis, greet Franciscan friars at the monastery, attend a World Day of Prayer for Peace, meet religious leaders (each, it seems, with a very different hat!) from around the world, and see evidence of the spirit of St. Francis all over town.Most of all, the Pope shows his love and care for his vulnerable creature friend, as at the beginning of the book when someone from the Curia has frightened Margaret and she's hiding in a closet in the Pope's apartment. “Don’t worry, il mio amore.” (Il mio amore means “My love.”) “People can be so fussy, can’t they?” the Pope says, picking her up in his arms.

So you want to be a Dragon Slayer, do you? Well then, you have picked the right book.So begins Sir Wyvern Pugilist's new guide for preparing the young to engage the snarly and slimy monsters presently inhabiting our spiritual world. Lest you think, however, that this is a manual for anyone casually contemplating a match with a dragon, read on. Pugilist, an experienced Dragon Slayer, makes it clear that this is no small task, and he pulls no punches. He alternately yells and cajoles, pleads and flatters—whatever it takes to grow his students into bona fide Dragon Slayers. But be careful: This is only for those who are most serious about facing the malicious monsters (sin!) head-on! Sir Wyvern includes the essentials on armor and powerful prayers to ward off spiritual attacks from dragons."Would that all Dragon Slayers wrote like this! Wyvern Pugilist, where have you been all our lives?" The Boston Post and Intelligentsia"It was not until I read this guide that I discovered I have used all the wrong methods in fighting dragons." An Anonymous Dragon Slayer in California"There is no doubt that Sir Wyvern Pugilist's detailed guidebook will spring to the top of the bestseller lists in no time. I suggest you buy yours now, before the title sells out and you have to wait in line for more copies. Because wait-in-line you will!" Joanne de Arc, Director Emeritus, French Institute for the Slaying of the Dragons"Congratulations to Paraclete Press for successfully persuading Sir Wyvern to put pen to paper and for giving us this new manual on Dragon Slaying! It is long overdue! We enthusiastically recommend this guidebook for young and old alike, it's just that good." Slayers' Weekly