Do you want to better understand Mary’s role in your Catholic faith?
Sign up for Ave Explores: Mary.
Ave Maria Press’s newest campaign to help everyday Catholics better understand their faith gets under way October 15. Each Tuesday through November 12 readers who sign up will receive an email newsletter with links to fresh, engaging, and practical content including articles, videos, and podcasts. Resources are also available for classrooms and parishes.
Katie Prejean McGrady is your host. She gathered a variety of experts to look at the Blessed Mother’s role in areas including prayer, ministry, film, femininity, and the family. You’ll also learn about St. Joseph as a model for masculinity. Well-known Catholics such as Jeannie Gaffigan, Fr. Mike Schmitz, J.D. Flynn, and Leticia Ochoa Adams share deeply personal stories about how Mary touched their lives.
Other experts include:
Michael O’Neill
Sonja Corbitt
Fr. Rafael Capó
Fr. Edward Looney
Timothy P. O’Malley
Claire Swinarski
Patrick Neve
Katie Hartfiel
Fr. James Phalan, CSC
Maria Morera Johnson
Meg Hunter-Kilmer
Fr. Anthony Sciarappa.
Sign up here.
The Ave Maria Press edition of St. Teresa of Avila’s spiritual classic, Interior Castle: The Classic Text with a Spiritual Commentary, will be the featured book in the Renovaré Book Club from Feb. 3 to March 21, 2020.
Interior Castle is one of the most celebrated books of Christian mysticism ever written. Remarkably simple both in style and structure, Teresa's book begins with the vision of the soul as a “castle made of a single diamond ... in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions.” Building on this image, Teresa constructs a work of stunning spiritual and psychological wisdom. In his commentary, Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R., breathes fresh air into this timeless work by examining Teresa's thought in its historical context and summarizing her teaching in a brief and straightforward manner. Ave’s edition of this work is the only one to provide spiritual nourishment in an accessible form while remaining completely faithful to Teresa’s mystical vision.
Renovaré is a Christian nonprofit organization “that models, resources, and advocates fullness of life with God experienced, by grace, through the spiritual practices of Jesus and of the historical Church.”
The book club is being facilitated by Mimi Dixon, a member of Renovaré’s Board of Directors and a teacher at the Renovaré Institute.
You can get more information about the book club on Renovaré’s website. Signups begin August 26, 2019. The cost is $50.
NOTRE DAME, Ind.—Ave Maria Press is pleased to announce the hiring of two executives for its core management team.
Daniel Marrs will become vice president and editorial director on August 19. Kyle Marscola is joining Ave as vice president and director of finance and operations on July 30.
Marrs is leaving his position as publisher of the Thomas Nelson Bible Group, a division of HarperCollins
Christian Publishing, in Nashville, Tennessee. "It's such a delight and privilege to join this publishing
team,” Marrs said. “I resonate deeply with Ave’s mission to help people grow in their knowledge and love
of God. I see my new role as an opportunity to contribute to Ave’s legacy of sharing the gospel of Jesus through the written word."
Marrs worked as a freelance editor for a variety of publishers between 2005 and 2015. He earned a doctorate in religious studies from Baylor University, where he also taught biblical theology, church history, philosophy, theological ethics, bioethics, and historical theology. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from Shepherd University and a master’s degree in theology from the Talbot School of Theology.
Marrs replaces Robert Hamma, who retired in 2016. Publisher Thomas Grady has been filling the editorial director role since Hamma’s retirement.
Marscola, the director of finance at Gibson Insurance in South Bend, is replacing the retiring Mark Witbeck. "I am very honored, excited, and blessed to join Ave Maria Press and to help serve the mission put in place by Fr. Sorin in 1865," Marscola said. "Everyone can find ways to serve and do more in this world, but to have the opportunity to be part of an organization that lives and breathes this mission daily is amazing!"
Marscola has a bachelor’s degree from Texas A& M University at Commerce and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He worked in various positions in finance and accounting in the Indiana-Michigan area and in Texas, where he was raised.
Marrs and Marscola will join Karey Circosta, associate publisher and director of sales & marketing, and Kristen Hornyak Bonelli, vice president and creative director, on Ave’s executive management team.
"I’m thrilled to welcome Daniel and Kyle to Ave," Grady said. "Both are enormously talented and immensely likable, and they bring a clear commitment to and passion for the mission of the Press and the Congregation of Holy Cross."
Ave Maria Press was founded by Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., in 1865 and is recognized as a leader in publishing Catholic high school religion textbooks, parish resources, and books on prayer and spirituality. Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers.
Mark Witbeck, vice president and director of finance and operations, is retiring after 30 years at Ave Maria Press.
Publisher Thomas Grady acknowledged that it was “impossible to summarize adequately the many contributions that Mark has made during his 30-year tenure at Ave Maria Press. He and his seasoned team of colleagues are responsible for developing, maintaining, and improving the infrastructure that allows the rest of the rest of us to do our jobs.”
Grady credited Witbeck with creating and refining the tools and metrics that Ave uses to help measure its performance and its success as a business; transitioning the accounting department from adding machines and early spreadsheets to the sophisticated computer systems we use now; spearheading the effort to acquire the Thomas More, Christian Classics, and Forest of Peace imprints for Ave in 2003; leading the effort to professionalize the company’s shipping and warehousing operation while maintaining a near-perfect efficiency rate; and overseeing the closing of Ave’s printing business in 2012. Grady noted that Witbeck has ensured a strong, professional, and productive relationship with the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priest and Brothers, of which Ave is an apostolate.
“Ave Maria Press has truly been a great place to work with a supportive board of directors, a great management team, and a dedicated, long-term staff,” Witbeck said. “We have seen tremendous change and disruption in the publishing industry in the past 30 years, but always came out stronger in the end.”
Outside of his work at Ave Maria Press, Witbeck opened the first Sports Clips franchise in South Bend in 2009 and a second in 2012. He sold his stores in 2017 in preparation for retirement. He has served on the board of directors for First Tee of Indiana-Michigan since 2013.
Prior to becoming controller at Ave in 1989, Witbeck worked in community newspapers in Houston, Texas, and Big Rapids, Michigan, and managed a video rental business for Family Video. He was also elected the youngest-ever member of the Big Rapids City Commission at age 26.
Witbeck and his wife Lana have a daughter Analise. He plans to christen his retirement in September by spending a year cruising the Great Loop.
Ave Maria Press was founded by Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., in 1865 and is recognized as a leader in publishing Catholic high school religion textbooks, parish resources, and books on prayer and spirituality. Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers.
Following a successful pilot project last fall, Ave Maria Press is pleased to announce the next edition of Ave Explores—an initiative aimed at helping everyday Catholics better live their faith.
Catholic author and speaker Katie Prejean McGrady is the project manager for Ave Explores. The next month-long installment launching this fall will focus on the role of the Virgin Mary in the life of the Catholic Church. Prejean McGrady, award-winning author of Follow and Room 24, spearheaded a similar project surrounding the Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment in 2018 that was geared toward youth ministry leaders.
Ave Explores: Mary will include articles, videos, podcasts, social media exclusives, surprising facts, and resources for classrooms and parishes. Signup is free at avemariapress.com.
“So many people feel faith is something you do only on Sunday when you attend Mass. Ave Explores will help you see your faith as something you can live every day,” Prejean McGrady said.
Experts will provide insight, ideas, and practical resources to help Catholics better understand the continued importance of Christ’s mother not only in the Church but also in their own lives. “We’re going to look at how Mary is a model of discipleship and an example of how to be in intimate relationship with the Lord. We will examine how Mary is our companion, our supporter, and a guide for families in how to live a faithful life,” Prejean McGrady said.
Other issues include:
how Mary can influence our prayer practice;
Mary as a model for our families;
celebrating Marian feast days; and
ways to teach non-Catholics about why Mary is important for all of us.
Karey Circosta, associate publisher and vice president of sales and marketing at Ave Maria Press, emphasized that Ave Explores is free to anyone who wants to receive the material via email and on Ave Maria Press’s website and social media. “Ave’s commitment to the Church goes beyond publishing high school textbooks, ministry resources, and books on prayer and spirituality,” she said. “We also want to provide online content on important issues in the Church that offers spiritual enrichment and practical resources to help all Catholics grow in their faith.”
Circosta said that Mary is a perfect topic for the new Ave Explores because Our Lady of Sorrows is the patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross, of which Ave Maria Press is an apostolate.
“We are pleased to be working with Katie Prejean McGrady on this initiative. She brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and contacts within the Church that will make this project beneficial to all,” Circosta said.
Sign Up Here for Ave Explores
Ave Maria Press was founded by Fr. Edward Sorin, CSC, in 1865 and is recognized as a leader in publishing Catholic high school religion textbooks, parish resources, and books on prayer and spirituality. Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers.
Ave Maria Press authors and designers earned ten awards—including three first-place honors—in the annual book awards sponsored by the Catholic Press Association.
Joyce Rupp won first place in spirituality/soft cover books for Boundless Compassion, which earned a second-place award last month from the Association of Catholic Publishers. Rupp also took second place in collections of prayers for Anchors for the Soul from CPA.
Br. Paul Quenon, OCSO, placed first in memoir for In Praise of the Useless Life, which also earned second place for cover design. Samantha Watson created the cover for Ave.
The Catholic Hipster Handbook, edited by Tommy Tighe, won first place in the “backlist beauty” category.
Ave graphic designer Brianna Dombo won two awards—an honorable mention for design and production for the mother-daughter journal Side by Side by Lori and Ava Ubowski. Dombo also earned an honorable mention for the cover design of Gratefulness by Susan Muto.
Gratefulness won second place in ACP’s inspirational books category last month.
Other winners from Ave Maria Press included:
Timothy P. O’Malley, second place in the family life category for Off the Hook
Emily Wilson Hussem, honorable mention in books for teens and young adults for Go Bravely
Justin McClain, honorable mention in collections of prayers for Called to Pray
Meanwhile, CatholicMom.com, a ministry of Holy Cross Family Ministries—an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross—won second place for best blog at the 2019 Gabriel Awards, which were also given out this week during the Catholic Media Conference.
Family Theater Productions, an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross, won first place for a teen-specific television documentary of more than sixty minutes for Catholic Central episodes The Mass, Catholic Dating, and Life After Life. The organization also won second place for best internet video of between four and ten minutes for Catholic Central’s The Mass.
Book awards were announced Friday night at the Catholic Media Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Gabriel Awards were handed out Thursday night. To see the complete list of book winners, check out the CPA website.
Ave Maria Press is pleased to announce that three authors have won Excellence in Publishing Awards from the Association of Catholic Publishers.
Katie Prejean McGrady won first place in the teen books category for Follow: Your Lifelong Adventure with Jesus. In it she shares sometimes embarrassing, often humorous, and always inspiring stories about how she came to know and love Jesus and shows readers can, too, through prayer, scripture, sacraments, and service.
Bestselling author Joyce Rupp received a second-place award for Boundless Compassion: Creating a Way of Life in spirituality books. She guides readers to discover compassion from science, medicine, theology, spirituality, sociology, and psychology. She also encourages readers to explore personal and professional expressions of compassion, and to re-energize their ability to offer loving kindness to those around them.
In the inspirational category, Susan Muto earned second place for Gratefulness: The Habit of a Grace-Filled Life. The executive director of the Epiphany Association, she reminds readers that gratefulness is a gift from God and reveals that grateful living is not another new fad but has been the way of saints and Christian mystics for centuries.
“We are very excited for Katie, Joyce, and Susan,” said Karey Circosta, Ave’s associate publisher and vice president of sales and marketing. “Each of their books has an important message that is much needed in today’s world.”
“We are also proud of all of the authors who were named ACP award finalists,” Circosta said.
The Association of Catholic Publishers is a membership organization of Catholic publishers.
Lou Holtz is a College Football Hall of Fame coach who led the University of Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988. Holtz is also a sought-after motivational speaker and author of several books, including A Teen’s Game Plan for Life and the recently released Three Rules for Living a Good Life.
The legendary coach recently talked with Ave’s Bob Wieneke, a former ND football writer for The South Bend Tribune, about his newest book and his hopes for helping younger generations.
Ave Maria Press: You wrote in the introduction that you were not going to preach in this book, instead telling readers what you believe. Why was it important to write the book this way?
Lou Holtz: “When you tell people what to do, you’re giving them advice. There’s a big difference between opinion and advice. When coaches call me, I give them my opinion. Opinion is my thought—this is what I believe, this is why I believe it. I can only tell you what my experience was and what my thoughts are. I’m not going to give you advice. I just want to make sure they understand this is my opinion but it’s their life. They can do what they want.”
Ave: What is the satisfaction of authoring a book like this and helping people?
Holtz: “The only things that are going to change between where you are today and where you’re going to be five years from now are the books that you read, the people you meet, and the dreams you dream. Books can have a strong influence. They had a strong influence on me growing up. You try to take advantage of the experiences you’ve had. I don’t write about something I’ve read about or heard about. I write or talk about things that I believe, things that have happened, and experiences I’ve had.
“I think that the most important thing in that book is that’s life’s a matter of choices. Whoever you are, good or bad, is going to be because of the choices you make. Wherever you are, good or bad, the kind of choices you make, those three rules will help you always make good choices. You’ll never need a fourth.”
Ave: Is there anybody in particular you’ve really felt you’ve made a difference with?
Holtz: “So many letters from former players. I never felt I coached football. If felt I coached life. The same things that make you a good player are the same things that’ll make you a good father or a good husband. I get a lot of letters from various people. I made a speech not long ago and mentioned something about my wife’s health. (I got a letter from a woman saying) the speech was impactful and simple and powerful and it changed her life. She had a young woman who worked for her who had cystic fibrosis (which Holtz’s wife, Beth, is also faced with). She had 25 percent lung capacity, an infection in her lungs which could not be cured. They found a doctor in Seattle and the young woman now has 80 percent function in her lungs, the infection is gone, and she hikes and camps and things like that. In the letter the lady said ‘you’ve done so much for me I wanted to do this for you and share this with you.’
“God is the one who influences it. My job is to write the book and God’s job is to see if there is somebody who will use the book for the good of it. But the fact that the book is sold predominantly by word of mouth speaks volumes for it, not about me.”
Ave: You intersperse your faith throughout the book. How important is it for you to deliver that message?
Holtz: “I don’t know how people function without faith. You grew up having that faith and belief and you get away from home and go to college and start questioning if there is a God. When you start looking at the makeup of a human being, how can you tell me all this happened by chance? When you look at the fact that eleven of the twelve apostles died as martyrs, you don’t die for a lie.”
Ave: In the book you talk about the importance of growing rather than maintaining. What was it like to realize that lesson and grow from it?
Holtz: “When I was at the University of Notre Dame, we had tremendous success with that program, but you reach a point, no matter what you do, when it doesn’t seem to be good enough. You finish second in the country and everybody calls you an idiot. So you get to a point where you’re thinking, well, you know, let’s not change anything. Let’s just maintain what we have. Let’s keep being one of the best in the country each and every year. This is a pretty good life.
“When I left Notre Dame I thought I was tired of coaching. But I was not tired of coaching. What I was tired of was maintaining. I still missed the relationships with the players, the competition, things like that. The only reason I went back into coaching was because the AD at South Carolina convinced me that the program was in very, very poor shape. The challenge was going back to correct it. I tell people no matter your age, you have to have something you want to accomplish, what gets you up every day.”
“That’s the thing with my wife – trying to give her goals, a purpose, and something to achieve. It doesn’t have to be big lofty things—just little things, little goals. Let’s see if we can walk a half-mile today. Yesterday we did a quarter of a mile. Let’s see how soon we can get to a half-mile. That’s all that is.”
Ave: Anything else?
Holtz: “I hope that this book will enable people to avoid the mistakes that I made when I got out of college, give them the benefit of what I experienced after college. I wish I’d known how simple making good choices is and how important it is. Making good choices is not trying to impress somebody else or be somebody you aren’t.”
