Pauline Books & Media, Redwood City, CA

Christmas Drop-in

2009-12-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

Please stop by this Saturday, December 19th, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to join us for some yummy Christmas goodies and holiday cheer. This is our way of saying "THANK YOU" to our loyal friends for your friendship and support throughout the year.

All the refreshments and treats will be prepared by the Sisters. We look forward to seeing you and wishing you a "Merry Christmas" in person!

Baby Jesus Party this Saturday

2009-12-09T11:12:00.001-08:00

Please join us this Saturday, December 12, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m, for our annual Baby Jesus Party! Bring the family to the Pauline Center for games and crafts, a Christmas DVD showing, and, of course, birthday cake and other goodies! Prizes and gifts guaranteed for all.

Come and help us celebrate the birth of Jesus!

The First Noel

2009-12-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Our publishing house, Pauline Books & Media, has released a beautifully illustrated new book for children retelling the nativity story. The First Noel is available in our Center; check it out below!

FSP Choir on Facebook!

2009-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

For any who may be interested, our Daughters of St. Paul Choir now has a page on Facebook. You need to have a Facebook account (totally free) to access the page.

If you go to our page you can see photos posted from various practice sessions and the first several Christmas concerts. The singing sisters are also taking turns keeping the page updated.

You can also go and become a "fan" (we have over 3,000 already). It's a great way to show support for our singing ministry, and to suggest (demand!) that the choir come to the west coast next year!

Faith & Film Night: The Nativity Story

2009-12-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

Our presentation for this Friday's Faith & Film night is The Nativity Story, the wonderful 2006 movie about the incarnation and birth of the Messiah. You won't want to miss this beautiful story. Please join us this Friday, December 4th, at 6:30 p.m.

Below is the trailer for anyone who hasn't yet seen the movie:

Christmas music by the Daughters of St. Paul

2009-12-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

Our Sisters, the Daughters of St. Paul Choir, are currently on tour with Christmas concerts back east. They have a number of performances lined up this year in New York, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Virginia, and Ohio. Until we can get them to come over to the west coast (hopefully some day this will happen!), you will have to content yourselves with stopping by our Center to listen to and pick up your own CD of Christmas music. We have several wonderful collections to choose from!

If you want to listen to sample song selections, just follow these links (Flash Player required):

The Season of Love
Joy
Christmas Favorites

Advent Spiritual Reading

2009-11-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

Pauline Books & Media has a great selection of Advent books, which are detailed here, but I'd like to highlight one of our newest. Advent Grace is a daily book of reflections on the Gospel readings during Advent. These are all written by our Sisters, whose thoughts are the fruit of a prayerful search into God's Word. Below is an excerpt from the book.

Book excerpt:
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Sr. Karen Marie
Lectio:
Matthew 11:28–30
Meditatio:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Who cannot relate to this passage? The feeling of being tired and burdened can last all year for many of us, and is simply more intense these weeks before Christmas. Yet Advent is the one time we really long to slow down and appreciate the season. We know that we celebrate at Christmas the mystery that holds for us great joy—the birth of our Savior. Children are innately happy in this season, filled with eager anticipation—even the secular world celebrates this season of joy. We long to savor the gift, to get away from the frenetic pace so often connected with this season…
In the midst of this hectic season, Jesus invites us to take his “light” and “easy” yoke upon our shoulder. But to take up his yoke, we shall have to lay down our own—there is no room for two. We shall have to lay down those “unnecessary anxieties” that weigh on us and squelch our joy. Jesus invites us to let go of whatever weighs us down…

Advent Grace is available at our Pauline Center. A trim book at 128 pages and $7.95, this is the perfect Advent companion!

Faith & Film Night: The Long Walk Home

2009-11-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's film presentation is The Long Walk Home. The film, which stars Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg, centers around a white family in Montgomery, Alabama, during the beginning of the civil rights movement. The following is a great treatment of the film from Amazon.com:

"This underrated 1990 film directed by Richard Pearce (Country, Leap of Faith) features exceptionally nuanced performances by both Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner's Daughter) and Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost).... Spacek plays a Southern socialite who becomes gradually enlightened by the plight of her housekeeper, played by Whoopi Goldberg, as she struggles to raise her family amid the increasing turmoil, prejudice, and violence around her. A well-done treatment of an important period of American history, The Long Walk Home is an effective and accurate period drama. It is also an opportunity to see fine, understated performances by two very popular actresses in an earnest and socially conscious setting." --Robert Lane

I can't embed the trailer here, but you can see it by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. This is going to be a great film to discuss, and we look forward to viewing it with you. Please join us tomorrow, Friday evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi955646233/

Please Join Our Lectio Divina Group

2009-10-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

We are still in the initial stages of organizing our Lectio Divina group, which meets every other Tuesday to read and pray the Scriptures together. Our next meeting time is tomorrow, October 27th, at 6:30 p.m. Please consider joining us; you will be amazed by the power and grace of God's Word to daily transform your life.

The saints knew this, which is why they steeped themselves in the scriptures. So must we.

"To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches" (St. John Chrysostom, A.D. 347-407).

Upcoming Book Signing Event

2009-10-21T12:42:00.001-07:00

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting Fr. Andrews Amritharaj, author of the book From a Spiritual Perspective--Life is Meaningful, for a book signing here in our Pauline Center on Friday, October 30th, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Father teaches moral theology and spirituality at St. Patrick's Seminary and University in Menlo Park and is associate pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel in San Leandro.

Please plan on joining us to meet Fr. Andrews and find out a little about his new book.

Sr. Kelly's First Profession of Vows

2009-10-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

I'm sure many of you remember our novice, Sr. Kelly, who was with us for several months last year. Well, you'll be pleased to know that at the end of August she professed her first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Daughter of St. Paul! Her religious profession name is Sr. Kelly Andrew Marie, and we are blessed to welcome our newest professed sister to our province.

For those of you who are interested, we are happy to share with you two videos of the profession ceremony that were done by one of our sisters in Boston. The second video contains the actual profession of vows. Enjoy, and please keep Sr. Kelly and all religious vocations in your prayers!

We Need Your Help

2009-10-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

Our Marketing Department in Boston has just added a great new feature to their blog: reader polls. They've put up a poll this week about social networking book sites.

If you have a chance to respond to this very brief poll, it will help them with the feedback they need to create the best possible online experience for you, our privileged customers and friends. And if you get a chance, please visit our new website, which is currently in development.

Two New Saints' Biographies

2009-10-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

This Sunday, October 11th, Pope Benedict will canonize two new saints: Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Fr. Damien, the famous leper-priest of Molokai. Both of these persons lived heroic, selfless lives that serve as models of inspiration and holiness for others.

We at Pauline Books & Media are very pleased to announce that we have two new publications available on these saints. Song of Silence: The Journey of St. Jeanne Jugan, details the incredible ordeal the saint underwent in establishing her community--including repeated betrayals and rejection (to the point that she was not recognized as the foundress of her own Order until after her death). Still, she clung to faith and transformed her trials into a path toward holiness. St. Damien de Veuster, Missionary of Molokai is a 32-page booklet that includes a brief biography and novena prayers to the extraordinary priest who gave his life for the lepers of Hawaii.

Stop by the Center today to learn more about these two remarkable individuals who are the newest canonized saints of the Church.

Faith & Film Night: The Kid

2009-09-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

The next feature film presentation in our Lights, Camera...Faith series is Disney's The Kid, starring Bruce Willis. This film ties in with the liturgical readings for this coming Sunday, the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

If you haven't seen it yet, this is a charming comedic film with important life themes. Here's a great write-up about it from Amazon.com, followed by the trailer. Please join us this Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Disney's The Kid

Russ Duritz (Bruce Willis) is an ultra-cynical, 40-year-old L.A. image consultant who fashions bogus façades for scumbag clients. Oblivious to his own need for a makeover, he's a tyrant in the office (to the chagrin of his sarcastic assistant, played to perfection by Lily Tomlin), and he's emotionally unavailable to the morally centered woman (Emily Mortimer) who senses goodness beneath Russ's hardened veneer. Not a moment too soon, a pudgy kid (Spencer Breslin) mysteriously appears in Russ's life, revealing himself to be Rusty Duritz--that is, Russ's 8-year-old self, arriving by some magic to put the adult Russ's life into beneficial perspective. This variation on A Christmas Carol has Rusty guiding Russ on a tour of his past to reveal how he became a loveless, hard-shelled loser. It takes a bit of smarmy chicken-soup psychology to explain it all, but The Kid is an otherwise charming and involving fantasy, suggesting that perhaps we'd all benefit from a bit of counseling by our younger selves. Written with admirable restraint by Audrey Wells (who brought a similar appeal to The Truth About Cats and Dogs) and directed by Jon Turteltaub (Cool Runnings), the movie doesn't force its supernatural elements or attempt to explain Rusty's existence. It's just a fable for our modern age and a reminder to embrace the better angels of our nature. Delivered with an easy blend of humor and sentiment, that message makes The Kid an unexpected pleasure. (Look closely for Matthew Perry as Willis's shaggy-haired client.) --Jeff Shannon

Lectio Divina: Allowing God's Word to Guide Our Lives

2009-09-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning how Sacred Scripture can draw you to a deeper union with God? Want to experience a keener insight into the Lord's vision and plan for your daily life? Then we here at Pauline Books & Media invite you to explore with us the ancient practice of Lectio Divina--a slow, contemplative, prayerful reading of the scriptures.

Lectio Divina enables us to discern an underlying rhythm in our daily life. Within this rhythm, we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God continually extends to us in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ.

To facilitate this encounter with God through his holy Word, we will be meeting twice a month on every other Tuesday, beginning October 13th at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested, please join us for this time of shared contemplation.

Catholic Fiction Book Club--A Correction

2009-09-01T09:28:00.001-07:00

Hi, everyone. Just a heads up that our upcoming Catholic Fiction Book Club, which begins NEXT WEEK on September 9th, will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (I've corrected the time on the post below.) Apologies for having misinformed you about the time.

By way of a reminder, the first book we will be covering is Ron Hansen's Exiles. Here is a write-up about the book:

Veteran historical novelist Hansen (whose previous works include Atticus, 1996, and Hitler’s Niece, 1999) brilliantly, if soberly, weaves two interrelated story lines into a riveting novel based on the factual background to the writing of Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins’ classic epic poem “The Wreck of the Deutschland.” The two story lines—one, about what drew Hopkins to write the poem, and, two, about the lives of five Catholic nuns who drowned in the grounding of the German liner off the coast of England in 1875—are thematically connected, in addition to the literal one between author and poetic work. Born and raised in the Church of England, Hopkins as a young man not only converted to Roman Catholicism but also became a Jesuit priest. Thus, he was in spiritual exile from his original church and from his family, who were uncomfortable with his conversion, and when sent by the Jesuits to teach in Dublin, he was cast into physical exile from his native country. The five nuns, whose individual stories Hansen brings to light, were being sent into exile in the U.S. by their convent in Germany, in the shadow of the anti-Catholic laws being promulgated by the Bismarck regime. The tragic voyage of the ship the nuns were unfortunate enough to book passage on is itself chronicled with a heart-thumping vividness. --Brad Hooper

You can obtain a copy of Exiles from our Pauline Center. We hope to see many of you on the 9th for the Book Club!

Ancient Prayers, Ever New: Praying with the Psalms

2009-09-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Psalms not only enhance our liturgies and are the official prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, but they lift our spirits and express the deepest yearnings of the human heart.

We at Pauline Books & Media would like to invite you to embark on a journey into the world of the Psalms: their types, characteristics, language, metaphors and spirituality. Our moderator, Sr. Leonora Wilson, will help us explore methods for studying and praying the Psalms. Together we will experience the wealth and beauty of these ancient prayers of Israel and their relevance for our life of faith today.

So please join us for Ancient Prayers, Ever New: Praying with the Psalms, hosted at Pauline Books & Media at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16th.

Please bring your Bible with you!

New Faith & Film Series: Lights, Camera...Faith!

2009-08-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Due to the interest generated by our summer Faith & Film Series, we are happy to announce that we will be extending this series every first Friday of the month, beginning this coming Friday, September 4th, at 6:30 p.m.

Over the next few weeks we will be viewing a film chosen to illustrate and exemplify the coming Sunday's Gospel, using an approach conceived by one of our own sisters, Sr. Rose Pacatte, who reviews films for St. Anthony Messenger magazine and posts the reviews on her blog. Sr. Rose wrote a series of bestselling books, Lights, Camera...Faith, which offer an exciting approach to faith formation by creating a dialogue between Scripture and Film.

Our first film, this coming Friday, Sept. 4th, at 6:00p.m., will be Mr. Holland's Opus, starring Richard Dreyfus. The film's trailer is posted below. Admission is free! We hope you will be able to join us for this creative way to deepen our faith and love of God's Word.

From Russia to Redwood City

2009-08-31T12:16:00.001-07:00

Our Pauline community in Redwood City was reinforced recently with the arrival of Sr. Mary Leonora Wilson, as she transferred from our Russian mission community in Moscow back to the USA Province.

Sr. M. Leonora has been serving outside her homeland for almost 26 years (18 years in

Germany

and 8 years in

Russia

She received a warm, heartfelt welcome from the Sisters in Redwood City and is looking forward to meeting the many friends of our Pauline community as she joins her talents and energies with the gifts of so many others so that the Word of God and His Love “may speed on and triumph”!

There will be new challenges and new joys as Sister begins evangelizing on “home soil” once again.

Please join us in welcoming Sr. Leonora to the Bay area--a wonderful Pauline mission field!

Faith & Film Night: The Scarlet and the Black

2009-08-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow evening's presentation is The Scarlet and the Black, a 1983 made-for-TV movie detailing the true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. O'Flaherty was an Irish Catholic priest who saved thousands of Jews and prisoners of war during the Nazi occupation of Rome. The film is based on the best-selling book The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican and stars Gregory Peck in the leading role. Christopher Plummer and John Gielgud also star.

Tomorrow night is the close of our summer Faith & Film Fridays; however, by popular demand, we will be continuing the series once a month, beginning in September. Look for more information to follow soon!

In the meantime, we hope you will be able to join us tomorrow evening beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Faith & Film Night: Man for All Seasons

2009-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

This evening's presentation is the classic film, Man for All Seasons. Based on the play by Robert Bolt, this masterpiece stars Paul Scofield in an award-winning role as St. Thomas More. The film deals with More's refusal to compromise his conscience in the matter of King Henry VIII's decision to divorce his wife (who is unable to bear him a son) and remarry.

This is an extraordinary film--certainly one worth watching over and over again. We hope you will join us this evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m., to view and discuss the film.

Here's the trailer to refresh your memory of it:

Faith & Film Night: Clare & Francis

2009-08-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

Our next presentation, scheduled for this coming Friday, is Clare & Francis, the newest feature film out on the two saints. This movie is unique among films on St. Francis because of the historical accuracy of the story and its authentic spirit of joy and piety Francis was known for, as well as the major role played by Clare who is given equal stature with Francis.

We hope you will be able to join us this Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Catholic Fiction Book Club

2009-08-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to inform you that beginning in September we will be starting a new book club to read and discuss some of the greatest Catholic novels of past and present ages. Our Catholic Fiction Book Club is being organized now, so please consider joining us in exploring some of the wonderful works of Catholic literature and how their timeless themes relate to our own lives.

The book club will meet on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, in the evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Our first get-together is scheduled for September 9th, and the book we will be looking at is Exiles by Ron Hansen. In October we'll be reading A Thread of Grace, by Mary Doria Russell; and November's offering will be the classic tale Helena, by Evelyn Waugh.

We'll be posting more information regarding each of the book club titles closer to September. In the meantime, if you are interested in joining the club, please call 650-369-4230 or e-mail armandasantos@aol.com.

More information will also be forthcoming regarding our Saints Book Club!

Correction to tomorrow's Faith & Film Night

2009-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oops! I was just informed that tomorrow's presentation will NOT be Sophie Scholl but will be the film Spitfire Grill. Sophie Scholl will be our showing for next Friday, July 31st.

In the meantime, Spitfire Grill is the 1996 motion picture which deals with such themes as forgiveness and redemption. I can't embed the trailer here, but you can go to this link to see it (after an ad).

Again, tomorrow's presentation, Spitfire Grill, will start at 6:30 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Faith & Film Night: Sophie Scholl

2009-07-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow evening's film presentation is Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, the true story of the final sacrifice of Sophie Scholl, a twenty-one-year-old member of the anti-Nazi student-resistance group known as The White Rose.

This deeply moving film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005.

Please join us for the film presentation and discussion tomorrow, July 24th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.