The Zucchini Warriors - Gordon Korman - MacDonald Hall Book 5

The Zucchini Warriors

MacDonald Hall Book 5

Gordon Korman

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9781443124966

eISBN 9781443128056

ASIN B078GWZW4S

This book was the thirteenth story published by Gordon Korman. Midyear, in 2022, Korman published his 100th book. Yes you read that correctly, his hundredth book. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then, I have read 60 of his books, starting to make a dent in the bucket, being a little over halfway there now, but Korman is still publishing on average 2 new stories a year. With each one I am often challenged and always entertained. My son often reads these books to me or with me. I picked up this to read on my own to continue where it all began. At the time of the original publication of this book he had published a first other series, the Buggs Potter book, beginning with Who is Bugs Potter? and 6 stand-alone stories. The story is the past the midpoint in the MacDonald Hall series with four volumes before and 2 following it. I am currently bouncing around several of his series and from his most recent to oldest books.

My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together a few years ago, when he was given one as an end of year gift by his teacher. She gave the whole class the same Scholastic edition and wrote a note to each student in their copy of the book. Prior to that I had a read a few of his contributions to the 39 Clues series and had enjoyed them. After reading book 1 in the Bruno and Boots or MacDonald Hall series I was hooked and know I will be reading all the volumes that Korman has written. And maybe trying to track down some of the older editions before they were updated, for the original experienced of this series. The series consists of:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall 

Go Jump in the Pool 

Beware the Fish! 

The Wizzle War 

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle )

The Zucchini Warriors  

Light’s Camera, Disaster 

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

The stories were originally published between 1978 and 1995, though some have been rewritten to be more up to date. Three of the original 7 have been renamed at some point over the years. It should also be noted that the series was originally called Bruno & Boots and later rebranded MacDonald Hall. But back to the volume at hand. The current description of this volume is:

“Macdonald Hall's ivy-covered buildings have housed and educated many fine young Canadians. But Bruno Walton and Boots O'Neal are far from being fine young Canadians. The roommates and best friends are nothing but trouble! Together they've snuck out after lights-out, swapped flags, kidnapped mascots . . . and that's only the beginning.

Roommates Bruno and Boots find obstacles in their way as they attempt to lead the Macdonald Hall Zucchini Warriors to a victorious football season and earn the reward of a new recreation center.

Join two of Gordon Korman's most memorable characters in seven side-splitting, rip-roaring adventures! Macdonald Hall is the series that started it all, and thirty-five years later it remains a must-read for old fans and new, the young ― and the young at heart.”

The chapters in this volume are:

    Dedication

      1: Hank the Tank

      2: An Endangered Species

      3: The Zucchini Disposal Squad

      4: The Greenhouse Effect

      5: Quarterback Sneak

      6: Welcome to Macdonald Hill

      7: A Pale Flush

      8: Wrong-Way Rampulsky

      9: Under Contract

      10: The Glory and the Pizza

      11: Arnold the Stuffed Hyena

      12: The Return of The Beast

      13: The Final Touchdown

      14: Zucchini Kitchen

     Appendix

This is followed by a preview of the next volume, and highlights for each of the 7 in the series. This was the only volume published by Korman in 1988, which happened to be the year I graduated High School. Yes the story has been updated some over the years but the whole story and series is masterfully written. Korman is truly a master of the Middle Grade and even Young Adult genres, his books are amazing for kids, tweens and teens. And even some of us older readers. C.S. Lewis in On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature stated: 

“It is very rarely that a middle-aged man finds an author who gives him, what he knew so often in his teens and twenties, the sense of having opened a new door.” 

I said in a previous review that Korman accomplishes that in this and all of his other books I have read. This was another excellent read! I believe this one would have been published just after Korman graduated university. This one is very funny. It is a great fun clean read. And unlike most in the series the conflict between Bruno and Books and The fish is almost minimal, it is all about the new Football team and they sponsor and his fleet of Zucchini trucks and where the kids can hide all the uneaten deep fried food.

Bruno and Boots have a knack for creating trouble, and for not getting caught, or not until a very critical point. This time they are working on having a winning football team no matter how many zucchini sticks they have to pretend to eat, nor hiding a friend from the girl’s school across the street as the Quarterback. Oh and let’s not forget the missing endangered species. It’s a final game never to be forgotten! And why are they doing it all? Because they want a recreation room to hang out in.

Can they pull it off? Or will in all come tumbling down around their necks! Their pads might not even be enough to protect them by the end of this story. But to find out you need to read this volume! A story with great characters that are wonderfully written; it is a very fun story guaranteed to entertain the young and the young at heart! It is another fantastic read from Korman’s masterful pen! And one of his earliest, much of Korman’s cannon came after this volume but it is well worth reading! A great read, I can easily recommend this book and series!  

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

Ouch I got slapped (2023)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003)

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

Snoop (2025)

…

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

Gordon Korman Children’s Storytellers - Chris Bowman

...

Lectio Divina Spiritual Reading of the Bible - Jean Khoury - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

Lectio Divina: 

Spiritual Reading of the Bible

Deeper Christianity Series

Jean Khoury

Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860823596

eISBN 9781784693572

ASIN B073FHXFCS

CTS Booklet SP11

Over the last several years, I have read many books from the Catholic Truth Society, over 430 of them in fact. Most were good reads; some were great reads; and a few are exceptional. This is another excellent offering, as are the others in this series I have read. It is the fourteenth in the Deeper Christianity Series that I have read, many of them have been read twice, and this was the first volume from Father Jean Khoury’s pen that I have read. This series is one of my favourites. This edition was originally published 2006 and is an exact translation of Respirare la Parola and the eBook was released in 2017. The description of this volume is:

“In this booklet Lectio Divina is described in a fresh and practical way, encouraging every Christian to take up the Bible and find in it a true guide for the intellect and for the actions of every day.

Spiritual reading of the bible (Lectio Divina) has a long and eminent tradition in the Church. In this booklet the method is described in a fresh and practical way, encouraging every Christian to take up the Bible and find in it a true guide for the intellect and for the actions of every day. The Deeper Christianity Series delves into the mysteries of Christianity, opening up the spiritual treasures of the Church.”

The chapters in the book are:

Preface

The Basics of Lectio

The Process of Lectio

Around the process of Lectio

Conclusion

About the author we are informed:

“Jean Khoury BSc MA received his Theology degrees from the Teresianum in Rome and from the Institut Catholique of Toulouse. He is a highly respected authority for his work on spiritual life and an international author of several books on spirituality and meditation, as well as many articles and studies on mysticism. Jean lectures and leads retreats worldwide on spiritual life and meditation. He also practices Spiritual Counselling in London.”

I enjoyed this volume very much and was challenged by it. While reading this book I highlighted several passages some of them are:

“This book revolutionises the method as it brings a greater clarity on the subject and proposes a simple but efficient way to listen to God daily. It makes the action of God accessible to everyone and shows that our dialogue with God can be very real. So from the image we may have of a ‘silent-distant-mysterious God’, we are led to a new experience where he speaks to us every day, follows us and transforms our lives.”

“The eternal and uncreated Word became human words to nourish us with his divine life. Like a beautiful stained glass window, the words of the Bible let the light of God shine through and illuminate us.”

“If Scripture is to nurture us, in both soul and spirit, we must be determined to let ourselves be disturbed, converted, jostled and enlightened by what we read, instead of looking for what may comfort us.”

“It is impossible to assert that one should live by blind faith alone, opposing it to the understanding we get from the Word of God. Faith finds its sustenance in God’s Word. If this Word is absent, faith becomes very meagre. Conversely, the Word of God, above all else, can fortify it. Faith is, firstly, the belief in a word that has been given.”

“We need to maintain a living and daily contact with the Word so that it may be active in our lives.”

“One’s faith is directly proportional to one’s contact with the Word of God.”

“Lectio is extremely important for spiritual life. It brings us to realise the deep mystery of our vocation: the incarnation of Christ in our life, in our entire being. We are beings who have been given an intellect, a will and freedom.”

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us of this: “Seek in reading and you will find in meditating; knock in mental prayer and it will be opened to you by contemplation” (CCC 2654).”

“The aim of lectio, as we are presenting it here, is to listen to Christ, to receive a living and active word every day.”

“The morning is the best time for this because the mind is freer and more vigorous, and the light received will be of use all throughout the day.”

“We begin by invoking the Holy Spirit. A possible prayer would be: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, illuminate me, help me to understand the Word today’.”

“Let us then ask the Lord to tell us what He wants: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” This is the first request and the most important one because the entire evolution of the process of lectio depends on it.”

“We should avoid applying our intellect to the text, as this would be a mistake. We need to be receptive, and that is the most difficult thing to be. Our intellect should not only be silenced but also ‘malleable’ before the text, just like a light-sensitive film, while we wait for a word, a sentence to speak out to us, to imprint itself upon us and come to life, more luminous and more intense than the remainder of the text.”

“We do not accomplish our Christian vocation through the force of our will but rather through the humility of our entreaty.”

“Lectio includes only two requests that bring two respective answers from God. The first request (1) (see diagram below) is: “Lord tell me what you want of me” or “let me see the step to take today”. And the second (2) is: “Lord, give me your Holy Spirit in order to incarnate and realise what you are asking of me”.”

“Indeed, the process of lectio consists neither in studying nor analysing a text, it consists in listening and being receptive to the word.”

“Lectio is a great way for us to be assured that we are doing God’s will. It is a way of verification, a test, a true and practical confirmation of our desire to love God; it tells us where we are in our love for God. Loving God is simply doing his will, and the quest for this will is at the heart of lectio.”

I cannot help but believe that this is a perfect time to read this little volume.  The CTY is just publishing a new Lectionary and Missals for the Church in England, Scotland, and Wales. I already have on preorder ‘The CTS New Daily Missal’, and having that new daily missal to apply the method in this volume if exactly what is proscribed. Till it arrives I will be doing it with my readings from the American’s in the USCCB. 

I hope those samples above will intrigue you enough to pick up this book and give it a try. I know that some today consider Lectio a dirty word. But after reading this I believe it is a most importantly practice and it is vitally important for deep growth.

Khoury has written numerous books on Lectio Divina, and I believe there is an different version of this volume, Lectio Divina The Method, released in 2002. It is the first in a series. I did a side by side comparison and they are very similar. I just wish the others were available digitally. With a dual form of dyslexia I prefer the eBook so I can change the font and colour f page and font to make reading easier.

This book is one of those ones that I believe we really need today, in our current day and age. We need solid teaching, and spiritual nourishment. I have already read this one and plan to return to it again. This is a wonderful read in an excellent series. The CTS Deeper Christianity Series of books is written in such a way that they can easily be read in any order. Pick and choose the ones that interest you, read them in order, or jump around. I have been blessed by all the book in this series that I have read and can easily recommend this book and the series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews:  2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews of other books in the CTS Deeper Christianity Series click here.

Books in the Deeper Christianity Series:
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
8 Deadly Sins Learning to Defend the Life of Grace

Catholic Architecture 
Christian Fasting Disciplining the Body, Awakening the Spirit
Deepening Prayer Life Defined by Prayer
Desire & Delight
Faith, Hope and Love The Theological Virtues
Fruits of the Holy Spirit Living a Happy Life
Icons
Lectio Divina Spiritual Reading of the Bible
Making Sunday Special
Mary in the Liturgy
Mary Mysteries of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Providence and Prayer
Prayer in Sadness and Sorrow
Prudence, Justice, Courage, and Temperance
Purgatory A Mystery of Love
Rediscovering Virtue The Art of Christian Living

Spiritual Warfare Fighting the Good Fight

The Call to Evangelise: Founded on loving intimacy with the Lord
The Church's Year Unfolding the Mysteries of Christ
The Name of God The Revelation of the Merciful Presence of God
The Trinity and the Spiritual Life

Understanding The Story Of The Bible
Union with God
…

Books by Fr. Jean Khoury:

A Small Catechism on the Prayer of the Heart

Finished and Unfinished Lectio Divina

God Loves You

Igniting the Fire of Our Faith

Lectio Divina at the School of Mary

Lectio Divina - CTS Deeper Christianity

Lectio Divina in Daily Life

Lectio Divina, Mary and the Spirit

Lectio Divina, The Method

Luke's Final Pentecost

Mary's Fiery Prayer: Trinity, Altar, Fire and Offering

Praying the Mass

Praying with the Heart: The Little Way to Jesus

Seven Letters from your Angel

Small Catechism on Lectio Divina

Solid Foundations Handbook

The Foundations of Spiritual Life: according to St Teresa of Avila

The Interior Life of Mary in Monsieur Olier's letters

The Spiritual Journey: The Setting for Christian Hope

..

A Light in the Night: Meditations on Hope - Pope Francis - Jubilee 2025 Book 2

A Light in the Night Meditations on Hope

Jubilee 2025 Book 2

Pope Francis

New City Press

ISBN 9781565486430

eISBN 9781565486508

ASIN B0DNRCJBJ7

I stumbled upon this volume and a companion volume: Faith is a Journey, Meditations for Pilgrims and Wayfarers early in this Jubilee Year. I was searching for books to read during this year and decided to give these two a try. 

The description of this volume states:

“This short anthology begins with a meditation on Christmas and the Nativity scene and then dwells on a number of dangers we might encounter on the way. Christian hope is nourished by prayer and daily choices, by the example of Mary under the cross, and by the strength of the saints and martyrs. Cultivating hope means not giving up in the night, not being satisfied with worn-out words of consolation, preferring spring to autumn--as the Pope poetically states--and making all things new.”

The chapters in this volume are:

Introduction

Editor’s Note

Hope, the “Little” Virtue

Is My Heart an Open Drawer?

The Nativity Scene Conveys Hope

Demons of Noon

Pandora’s Box

The Powerlessness of Idols

The False Seers

Feeding Hope with Prayer

Mother of Hope

She “Stood By”

With This Poem I Awaken Hope

Lighting the Torch of Hope

Do Not Surrender to the Night

Rachel Does Not Want Consolation

Life is Beautiful

The Saints: Witnesses and Companions of Hope

Dust That Aspires to Heaven

Hope, Strength of the Martyrs

The Helmet of Hope

People of Springtime

Hoping Against Hope

Make All Things New

A Light in the Darkness

Sources

I highlighted a few passages while working through this book, some of them are:

From the introduction by Pope Francis:

“To hope is to wait for something that has already been given to us: salvation in the eternal and infinite love of God, that love, that salvation, that gives flavor to our life and that constitutes the cornerstone on which the world remains standing, despite all the wickedness and evil caused by our sins as men and women. To hope, therefore, is to welcome this gift that God offers us every day. To hope is to savor the wonder of being loved, sought, and desired by a God who did not hide in his impenetrable skies but became flesh and blood, history and days, to share our fate.”

“God is faithful to us, and our task is to respond to this faithfulness. But be careful: It is not we who generate this faithfulness. It is a gift from God that works in us if we allow ourselves to be shaped by his strength of love, the Holy Spirit who acts as a breath of inspiration in our hearts. It is up to us, therefore, to invoke this gift: “Lord, grant me to be faithful to you in hope!””

“Let us train ourselves to recognize hope. We will then be amazed at how much good exists in the world. And our hearts will light up with hope. We will be able to thus be beacons of the future for those around us.”

From the Editor’s Note:

“The theme of Hope, which Pope Francis has repeatedly examined, while also making it the subject of an extensive catechesis, offers an opportunity to reflect on what he calls a humble, minor, yet fundamental virtue.”

“This short anthology, which takes its starting point from a poem by Charles Péguy, begins with a meditation on Christmas and the Nativity scene and then dwells on the sloth so feared by monks, a rereading of the Pandora’s Box episode, the impotence of idols, and the ineffectiveness of false seers. Christian hope is something else. It is nourished by prayer and daily choices, by the example of Mary under the cross, and by the strength of the saints and martyrs.”

From the chapters:

“I, too, am convinced that hope is humble, little, yet essential. Think for a moment. How can we live without hope? What would our days be like? Hope is the salt of our daily lives.”

“When we speak of hope, often it refers to what is not in man’s power to realize, that which is invisible. In fact, what we hope for goes beyond our strength and our perception. But the birth of Christ, which inaugurates redemption, speaks to us of a different hope, a dependable, visible, and understandable hope, because it is founded in God.”

“Saint Paul summarizes all this with the expression, “in this hope we were saved” (Rom 8:24). In other words, walking in this world, with hope, we are saved. Here, each one of us can ask ourselves the question: Am I walking with hope or is my interior life static, closed? Is my heart a locked drawer or a drawer open to the hope which enables me to walk—not alone—but with Jesus?”

“They were poor in everything; some remained afloat just above the subsistence level, but they had a wealth of the most valuable asset that exists in this world: that is, the desire for change.”

“The monks of ancient times had identified one of the greatest enemies of fervor, that “midday demon” that wears down a life of commitment just as the sun burns high above. This temptation surprises us when we least expect it; the days become monotonous and boring, and no aim seems worthy of effort. This attitude is called sloth. It erodes life from within until it leaves it like an empty shell.”

“Hope is nurtured by our daily decisions. Saint Paul’s invitation to rejoice in hope (cf. Rom 12:12) calls for concrete choices in our everyday lives. I urge all of you to choose a style of life grounded in hope.”

“If we think about it, that was the hope of the Virgin Mary, who remained steadfast beneath the cross of Jesus, certain that the “good outcome” was near. Mary is the woman of hope, the Mother of Hope.”

“We are told that when people would come to Saint John Paul II to speak with him about a problem, the first question he asked was: “How do you see this in the light of faith?” When we see things in the light of hope, they appear different. I encourage you, then, to start seeing things this way. Thanks to God’s gift of hope, Christians are filled with a new joy that comes from within. The challenges and difficulties will always be there, but if we possess a hope “full of faith,” we can confront them in the knowledge that they do not have the final word. And we ourselves can become a small beacon of hope for others.”

“We must not flee from the world but love the times in which God has placed us, and not without reason. We can only find happiness by sharing the grace we have received with the brothers and sisters that the Lord gives us each day.”

“Wherever you may be, build! If you are down, stand up! Never stay down; stand up. Allow yourself to be helped to stand up. If you are seated, set out on a journey! If boredom paralyzes you, banish it with good works! If you feel empty or demoralized, ask that the Holy Spirit may fill your emptiness anew.”

“On the day of Baptism, the invocation of the saints echoed around us. Many of us were infants at that moment, carried in the arms of our parents. Shortly before the anointing with the Oil of Catechumens, the symbol of God’s strength in the fight against evil, the priest invited the entire assembly to pray for those who were about to receive Baptism, invoking the intercession of the saints. That was the first time in which, in the course of our lives, we were given this gift of the companionship of “big” brothers and sisters—the saints—who had taken this same path before us, who knew the same struggles, and who live forever in God’s embrace.”

“Christian hope is based on faith in God who always creates newness in the life of mankind, creates novelty in history, and creates novelty in the universe. Our God is the God who creates newness because he is the God of surprises.”

“But there is a Father who weeps with us; there is a Father who sheds tears of infinite compassion for his children. We have a Father who knows how to weep, who weeps with us. A Father who awaits us in order to console us because he knows our suffering and has prepared a different future for us. This is the great vision of Christian hope, which expands over all the days of our life, and seeks to raise us up once more.”

“Jesus has given us a light that shines in the darkness: defend it; protect it. That single light is the greatest treasure entrusted to your life”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. It is an edited selection of works from Pope Francis, pieces ranging from a General Audience in 2017 to messages for World Youth Day in 2023. The pieces are drawn from General audiences, refection’s and messages or addresses. It is a small volume but has some great information for the Jubilee year in 2025. There is also a companion volume: Faith is a Journey, Meditations for Pilgrims and Wayfarers, which I have picked and read prior to reading this one. 

This was an interesting little read. Good as a primer for the Jubilee Year. It can easily be read in a sitting or 2 over a large mug of tea. If you are looking for a small volume to pick up this Jubilee year and give a read this could be a good starting point. And the two combine are great together.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Click here for reviews of all books related to the Jubilee of Hope in 2025.

Jubilee of Hope 2025 Book List:

Hope An Anchor for the Soul 30 Daily Devotions - Amy Welborn 

Pocket Book of Hope: Words of Inspiration - Living with Christ

Stations of Hope: Praying the Stations of the Cross for Today - Father David M. Knight

Faith is a Journey, Meditations for Pilgrims and Wayfarers - Pope Francis

A Light in the Night Meditations on Hope - Pope Francis

Jesus and the Jubilee - John Bergsma

...

Notes on Prayer Series:

1. Prayer Today: A Challenge to Overcome - Cardinal Angelo Comastri

2. Praying with the Psalms - Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi

3. The Prayer of Jesus – Juan Lopez Vergara

4. Praying with Saints and Sinners - Fr Paul Brendan Murray, OP

5. The Parables of Prayer – Msgr Antonio Pitta

6. The Church in Prayer - Carthusian Monks

7. The Prayer of Mary and the Saints Who Met Her - Sr Catherine Aubin, OP

8. The Prayer Jesus Taught Us: Our Father - Fr Ugo Vanni

…

Overview of the Notes on Prayer Series

...

The Dream of Theodore Bogdan Janski, Apostle of Hope - Congregation of the Resurrection

The Dream of Theodore Bogdan Janski, Apostle of Hope

Congregation of the Resurrection

Editions du Signe

ISBN 9782746818323 

On Ash Wednesday this year I visited a parish I had only been in twice before in my 25 years in town. At the back of the church were stacks of this booklet in both Polish and English. I picked one up to give a read. It is a moving little volume. I cannot find it anywhere online. I am thankful I stumbled across it and have it a read. There is no description on the back of the booklet. I highlighted a few passages when reading through the book. Some of them are:

“When was that moment of grace, the instant he felt God's mercy pouring over him like a life-giving bath of regeneration? Whenever it was, Theodore Bogdan Janski had hit life's bottom and was rescued from a sinful life by God's healing power. This experience of saving grace inspired him to gather a group of young men lo live in a community which became the foundation for the present day Congregation of the Resurrection.”

“Once Bogdan found God through Jesus Christ in the sacrament of Confession, nothing could stop him from telling others about his new life and the hope that it brought him. He began to speak to his companions concerning his dream for a new Christian society.”

“On Ash Wednesday in 1836 Bogdan's dream of a new life for himself and his friends became a reality when he rented a house in Paris and invited Peter and Jerome and several other men to live with him, just like the small group of early Christians mentioned in Acts. They selected Janski as their "Elder Brother: This small community of young men became the inspiration for the Congregation of the Resurrection. Soon a few other men would join them. Brother Bogdan was twenty-nine years old when he formed his new community.”

“You have read the story of our founder; Brother Bogdan Janski. We, the Congregation of the Resurrection have dedicated our lives to his dream for the world. Our message is simple and clear: we strive to help those who are struggling with sin and who feel powerless or dead inside. We tell them of God's love and grace freely available through belief and commitment to Jesus Christ. We help them rise up from the darkness of sin to live in the light of the Gospel.”

“We are faithful to the charism of our Elder Brother Bogdan who illuminated his world with the light of Jesus Christ. We, the members of his Congregation, carry that light wherever we go. Brother Bogdans dream is our dream, too.”

The volume ends with a Beatification prayer to Brother Bogdan:

“Through his intercession, grant me (us) the grace ( ... mention your need) which I ask in Faith. Grant also that one day we may celebrate the beatification

of Brother Bogdan for your greater glory.

We ask all this through Christ Our Lord. 

Amen.”

We are informed that the text and images are taken from the archives of the Congregation of the Resurrection. On every facing page is a full page illustration or photo. It is printed in full colour on high quality glossy paper. It is a beautiful little booklet and the life and message of Brother Bogdan is inspiring and challenging. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Saint John the Apostle Kingston Ontario A Photo Essay

St John the Apostle Kingston Ontario

A Photo Essay

Recently I read somewhere or heard; though I do not recall where, about making a pilgrimage to the church you were baptised in. I believe it was either Father Mike Schmitz or Matthew Kelly. This past year I was in Kingston for Christmas visiting family. I decided to visit the church I was baptised in nearly 55 years earlier. A church I had not been in since a funeral 40 years earlier. These are some photo's I took during that visit. I was particularly taken by the three painting on the ceiling of The Annunciation, The Nativity, and The Resurrection.

I also really liked the two grotto's at the back of the church and the large square stations of the cross.

St. John the Apostle Parish

88 Patrick St

Kingston, On

K7K 3P1

St John the Apostle in the Archdiocese of Kingston.