Friends,
Between November 11 and December 9, we are publishing three books of profound importance. We hope that you will scroll down to read about each one, perhaps purchase one (or two, or three!), and then help us spread the word.
We are only here because of you, our readers. So thank you for your support!
Warmest wishes,
The Monkfish Team
JUST PUBLISHED:
My Son, The Priest
A Mother’s Crisis of Faith
Kristin Grady Gilger
Afterword by Patrick Gilger, SJ
978-1958972939
US $24.99
November 11, 2025
Not every Catholic mother wants her son to be a priest.
The true story of a young man’s journey to become a Jesuit priest—written by his mother, a fallen-away Catholic who must come to terms with her son’s decision or risk losing him. It is an intimate, sometimes irreverent, and often searing examination of faith, family, and reconciliation.
“You send your son off to college and you think that in a few years you might get a call, and he’ll announce that he has someone he’s bringing home, someone he wants you to meet. But then that someone turns out to be a recruiter hawking a lifetime of poverty, chastity and obedience. What college kid in his right mind would sign up for that?”
The book offers a rare, often entertaining, glimpse into the highly unusual Jesuit formation process—which includes sending would-be priests off on pilgrimages with $35 in their pockets. It also takes on tough issues, from the church’s history of sexual abuse to its treatment of women, and asks tough questions: Is it possible to be Catholic, liberal, and a feminist all at the same time? What does it mean to call yourself a Catholic?
About the Author
Kristin Gilger is professor emerita of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Previously, she held editing positions at newspapers that included The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, and The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. She is the lead author of the book, There’s No Crying in Newsrooms: What Women Have Learned About What It Takes to Lead (2019). She lives in Phoenix, AZ. Visit her website at www.mysonthepriest.com.
OUT NEXT MONTH:
Contemplate
Toward an Expansive Heart
Jacob Riyeff
978-1966608011
US $22.00
December 2, 2025
We have a contemplation problem, and here’s what to do about it.
Jacob Riyeff draws on 1,600 years of contemplative tradition in the West to show how humans are contemplative beings, what it means to contemplate in different areas of life, and how embracing a contemplative life can help lead anyone to a fuller experience of self, world, and communion with the Divine.
This is a volume of “spiritual theology,” using theological principles and understandings to shape one’s daily living. Drawing on the ways that John Cassian, St. Benedict, Gregory the Great, William of Saint-Thierry, Dame Gertrude More, and others shaped and passed on the Christian inheritance, Contemplate seeks to answer the question: What does the contemplative tradition have to offer Christians living post-industrial, digitally-saturated, ecologically fraught lives?
About the Author
Jacob Riyeff is a Milwaukee Catholic and a Benedictine oblate with Osage Deanery in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, with interests in interreligious dialogue, eco-spirituality, and world literature. He received a PhD in English literature from the University of Notre Dame, concentrating in medieval literature, and is a teaching associate professor at Marquette University. His first book, The Old English Rule of St. Benedict, won the 2019 award for best edition or translation of an Anglo-Saxon text from the International Society for the Study of Early Medieval England, and his essays and poems appear regularly in a variety of journals and magazines. He lives in Milwaukee, WI.
Leaving the Shore
Experiencing Poetry as Prayer
Colette Lafia
978-1966608035
US $22.99
December 9, 2025
Poems and related practices for a more contemplative life.
Leaving the Shore is a collection of poems with the intent of creating contemplative experiences for readers. The author has added guided Lectio Divina (sacred readings) and writing/journaling prompts, so that readers can pray and reflect with the poems.
Each poem is about some aspect of living the spiritual path: the desire to reach beyond what we know, the longing to step into the Divine Mystery, and the commitment to live in an intimate exchange of love with the Holy.
An experienced spiritual director, Lafia draws on her commitment to the contemplative life. These poems are an expression of contemplation in action as they explore the Holy in moments of daily living: within a marriage, while assisting a loved one dying, in the creative act of painting, and more. They are inspired by writings of the mystics, in particular Mechthild of Magdeburg and St. John of the Cross, and suffused with surrender, love, and awe. They invite the reader into prayer, self-reflection, and seeing their own lives as sacred texts.
About the Author
Colette Lafia is an award-winning writer, retreat leader, and spiritual director. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. A graduate of the Spiritual Directors’ Institute at Mercy Center in Burlingame, California, she also completed the Living School program in the Christian contemplative and mystical traditions, guided by Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and James Finley. She is the author of The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love, which received a 2022 Nautilus Book Award, as well as Seeking Surrender: How My Friendship with a Trappist Monk Taught Me to Trust and Embrace Life, and Comfort and Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others, named one of the best spiritual books of the year by Spirituality & Practice. As a contemplative teacher, Colette regularly gives retreats and workshops to an international audience both online and in person, and is a regular contributor to Gratefulness.org. To learn more visit https://colettelafia.com/.
