The Journal
Feast days, holy seasons, and where to begin with the great sacred lives. Every entry stands in its own right, and every one opens a door to the shelf.
Christian Lives
Where to Begin with John Bunyan: A Reader's First Step
New to John Bunyan? Start here: which edition of Pilgrim's Progress to read, why he was jailed, and the free first volume of his life.
Thomas à Kempis: The Quiet Cell, a Life in Three Volumes
Thomas à Kempis, the hidden monk behind The Imitation of Christ, told across three volumes, begin free with his life at Mount Saint Agnes.
Mary Magdalene Feast Day: July 22, Apostle to the Apostles
Mary Magdalene's feast day is July 22. Discover why she is called Apostle to the Apostles and what her life still asks of us.
Simon Peter: Where to Begin Reading About the Apostle Peter
New to Simon Peter, called Cephas? Start here, the name, the denial, the rock, and the free first volume of his life.
Saint Paul the Apostle: His Life in Three Volumes
Meet Saint Paul the Apostle across three volumes: the Pharisee, the missionary, and the letters that still shape the Church.
G.K. Chesterton: Where to Start Reading, A Reader's Guide
New to G.K. Chesterton? The right first book, the reading order, the best biography, and a free way into his life and Catholic faith.
Saint John Chrysostom: A Three-Volume Life, Golden-Mouthed
Saint John Chrysostom's full life across three volumes: his hidden years, his preaching and exile, and what he left the Church. Start free.
Saint Catherine of Siena: Where to Begin Reading Her Life
New to Saint Catherine of Siena? Here is the right first step, before Raymond of Capua, before the Dialogue, before choosing a translation.
Saint John of the Cross: A Three-Volume Life
Saint John of the Cross: the poor child of Castile, the Toledo prisoner, the poet of the Dark Night. A three-volume life for readers ready to meet him.
Feast Day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola: July 31 Explained
When Catholics keep the feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, why July 31, his patronage, and how Jesuit schools and parishes mark the day.
Julian of Norwich: Her Life in Three Volumes
Julian of Norwich, the anchoress who saw sixteen showings of divine love, her full life told across three volumes, beginning free.
St. Thomas Aquinas: Feast Day, Patronage, and How to Keep It
St. Thomas Aquinas's feast is January 28. Why it moved from March 7, what he patrons, his Prayer Before Study, and how the day is kept.
Mary of Nazareth: Where to Begin Reading Her Life
New to Mary, the Blessed Virgin, the Theotokos? Start here, the free Invitation volume, the Theotokos title explained, and where the fuller life waits.
Saint Anthony of Padua Feast Day: June 13, Life & Traditions
Saint Anthony of Padua's feast is June 13. Meet Fernando Martins de Bulhões, the customs that mark his day, and where to read his life.
Saint Brigid of Kildare: A Three-Volume Life of Naomh Bríd
Who Saint Brigid of Kildare really was, what each volume of her three-volume life covers, and where to begin reading free.
Charles Spurgeon: Remembering the Prince of Preachers
Charles Haddon Spurgeon has no official feast day, but Baptists and Reformed Christians still remember him. Here is how, and what to read.
St. Teresa of Calcutta: Where to Begin
New to St. Teresa of Calcutta? A clear guide to her best biography, her own writings, the Come Be My Light letters, and the free first step.
Hildegard of Bingen: A Three-Volume Life of the Sibyl of the Rhine
A three-volume life of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, visionary, composer, healer, and Doctor of the Church. Start with the free volume.
Saint Augustine of Hippo: His Feast Day and How It Is Kept
When is Saint Augustine of Hippo's feast day, why brewers claim him, and how East and West mark this Doctor of Grace. A guide to the day and what to read.
Nicholas of Myra: Where to Begin Reading His Life
New to Nicholas of Myra? Start with the free Invitation volume and discover the real bishop behind Santa Claus and Sinterklaas.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Feast Day, October 1
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's feast falls October 1. Why that date, how the Shower of Roses is kept, and what to read of her Little Way.
Francis of Assisi: The Poor Man of Assisi Trilogy
Francis of Assisi's full life in three volumes, wealth, conversion, the Sultan, the stigmata, and death, plus a free Invitation volume to begin.
Where to Start with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Reader's Guide
New to Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Here is the first book to read, how the major biographies compare, and where his own writings fit.
John Wesley: The Life Behind Methodism, in Three Volumes
John Wesley's full story, Epworth, Oxford, Georgia, Aldersgate, and the revival that followed, told across a three-volume life for the searching reader.
Corrie ten Boom: Remembering Her on April 15
Corrie ten Boom has no official feast day, but April 15, her birth and death date, is widely kept in her honor. Here's how.
Saint Benedict of Nursia: Where to Start Reading His Life
New to Saint Benedict of Nursia? Here is where to start: the best biography, the Rule for beginners, and a free first volume of his life.
St. Teresa of Avila: A Life in Three Volumes
St. Teresa of Avila's whole life across three volumes, the restless novice, the road-worn reformer, and the mystic who mapped the soul.
St. Joan of Arc: Feast Day, Life, and Legacy
St. Joan of Arc's feast day is May 30, the anniversary of her death at Rouen. Her life, patronage, and how the faithful keep her day.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Three-Volume Life for Readers Who Want the Whole Man
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life in three volumes: formation, resistance, and legacy. Start free and find where his story of costly grace begins for you.
John Wesley's Feast Day: March 3 and Aldersgate Day, May 24
John Wesley is kept on March 3 with brother Charles in the Anglican calendar, and remembered every May 24 as Aldersgate Day. Here is why, and what to read.
Corrie ten Boom: A Three-Volume Life, and Where to Begin
Corrie ten Boom's full story in three volumes, Haarlem, Ravensbrück, and sixty nations of ministry. Start free with the Invitation volume.
Saint Benedict of Nursia: Feast Day, July 11 and March 21
Saint Benedict of Nursia's feast day, why the Church keeps two dates, how Benedictines mark it, and what to read to know the father of Western monasticism.
St. Teresa of Avila: Where to Begin Reading Her Life and Works
Confused about The Life, Interior Castle, and translations? Start with St. Teresa of Avila the person, not the theology, and the rest opens up.
St. Joan of Arc: A Catholic Biography in Three Volumes
The full life of St. Joan of Arc, Domremy, her voices, her mission, her trial, and her fire, told across three volumes, free to begin.
St. Seraphim of Sarov: His Life in Three Books
Meet St. Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonderworker of Sarov, through a three-volume life, his formation, his hermitage, and his teaching that endures.
Fr. Seraphim Rose: Where to Begin Reading His Life
New to Hieromonk Seraphim Rose? Start here: which book comes first, is he a saint, and how his conversion still speaks to seekers today.
Saint Patrick: The Real Story Behind the Legend (Full Biography)
Saint Patrick was no Irishman with a shamrock, he was a kidnapped Roman-British boy who became Ireland's apostle. Read his real life in three volumes.
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina: Feast Day September 23 Explained
When is Padre Pio's feast day, why September 23, his patronages, and how the faithful keep it with Mass, confession, and the novena.
Saint John the Baptist: The Forerunner's Life in Three Volumes
A reverent three-volume life of Saint John the Forerunner, from his hidden years to his martyrdom and his enduring intercession. Start free.
Eastern Lives
Tulsidas Jayanti: Remembering Goswami Tulsidas, Born Rambola Dubey
Tulsidas Jayanti marks the birth of Goswami Tulsidas, poet-saint of the Ramcharitmanas. How the day is kept, and what to read for it.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: Where to Begin
New to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? Learn who he was, what to read first, and why the free Invitation volume is the place to start.
Padmasambhava: The Life of Guru Rinpoche in Three Volumes
Padmasambhava, the Lotus-Born Guru Rinpoche, his miraculous birth, Tibet's taming, and living presence, told across a three-volume life.
Sai Baba of Shirdi: Punyatithi, Guru Purnima, and How to Keep the Day
Sai Baba of Shirdi: when Punyatithi and Guru Purnima fall, why the calendar moves, and how devotees keep the day at home with udi and Nav Guruwar.
Ajahn Chah Memorial Day: January 16 at Wat Nong Pah Pong
Ajahn Chah's memorial day falls each January 16, how Wat Nong Pah Pong and forest monasteries worldwide keep it, and what to read for the day.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: Feast, Jayanti, and What to Read
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: who he was, when Ramakrishna Jayanti falls each year, how it is kept, and where to begin reading his life.
Swami Vivekananda: Where to Begin, and the Best First Book
New to Swami Vivekananda? Start with the boyhood of Narendranath Datta, the Chicago speech, the Four Yogas, and the free first volume.
Lao Tzu: A Three-Volume Life of the Old Master
Lao Tzu's life across three volumes, archivist, teacher, and Taishang Laojun. Meet the trilogy and start free with the Invitation volume.
Thich Nhat Hanh: Where to Begin, Start With the Free Invitation
Unsure where to start with Thich Nhat Hanh? The free Invitation to his life story is the first step, read why before Peace Is Every Step.
Ramana Maharshi Biography: The Sage of Arunachala, in Three Volumes
Ramana Maharshi's life in three volumes: the boy who died into God at sixteen, the silent sage of Arunachala, and the Who am I teaching he left behind.
Where to Begin with Paramahansa Yogananda
New to Paramahansa Yogananda? Start here: which edition to read, what order, who Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya were, and the free first step.
Milarepa's Feast Day: When and How Kagyu Practitioners Keep It
When Jetsün Milarepa's anniversary falls, how Kagyu practitioners keep it with guru yoga and tsok, and what to read to enter his life.
Baal Shem Tov Yahrzeit & Chai Elul: The Besht's Sacred Days
When the Baal Shem Tov died, why his yahrzeit falls on Shavuot, what Chai Elul celebrates, and how Hasidim keep both days today.
Sant Mirabai: Where to Begin the Life of Meera Bai
New to Sant Mirabai? Start with her true story, the poison, the songs, Dwarka, and read Volume One's Invitation free before anything else.
Adi Shankaracharya: The Life Behind the Light That Did Not Go Out
Adi Shankaracharya's full story in three volumes: the child, the Digvijaya, the living teaching. Start with the free Invitation volume.
Guru Nanak Jayanti: Gurpurab, the Feast of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
When Guru Nanak Jayanti falls, why the date moves, and how Sikhs keep Gurpurab with Akhand Path, Nagar Kirtan, and langar.
Siddhartha Gautama: Where to Begin Reading About the Buddha
New to the Buddha? Start where the story starts, free, with the Invitation to a three-volume life of Siddhartha Gautama.
Li Hongzhi: World Falun Dafa Day and the Life Behind May 13
Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Dafa, why May 13 is kept as his birthday and the practice's founding, and what to read for it.
Where to Begin with Sri Krishna: A Reader's First Step
New to Sri Krishna? Start with the free Invitation volume, the gentle, accurate first step before the Gita, the Bhagavatam, and the epic.
Papaji Jayanti & Mahasamadhi: Remembering Sri H. W. L. Poonja
How Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja) is remembered on Jayanti and Mahasamadhi, his link to Ramana Maharshi, and the biography that opens the door to his life.
Seasons of the House
Holy Week and Easter: What They Are and How to Keep Them
Holy Week and Easter explained day by day, from Palm Sunday to Pascha, with a Bible reading plan and the saints who kept this week before you.
The Fire of Devotion: Bhakti, Surrender, and the Divine Beloved
What bhakti and sharanagati really mean, through Mirabai, Krishna, Chaitanya, and Christian mystics who loved God as the Beloved.
Lent: What It Is, How It's Kept, and What to Read
What Lent means, how the forty days are kept in fasting and prayer, and which lives on the shelf light the road to Easter.
Self-Inquiry and "Who Am I?": The Silent Way Inward
How Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry works, why it can feel like nothing is happening, and how it meets Christian contemplation and Buddhist no-self.
Christmas: The Nativity Feast and the Lives That Belong to It
What Christmas celebrates, how the season is kept, and the saints' lives, Mary, Nicholas, Francis, and more, that open its door.
Do All Religions Lead to the Same Truth? Saints Who Bridged Faiths
Do all paths lead to one God? Meet the saints and sages, Ramakrishna, Sai Baba, Francis, Rumi, Nanak, who lived the answer.
Advent: What the Season Means and How to Keep It
Advent explained: its meaning, dates, wreath and candles, home traditions, and the lives on our shelf that belong to a season of waiting.