Seven authors from Conciliar

Conciliar Press has seven authors who will be presenting their books for book-signing at the All-American Council. Here's information about the individual titles:

DONNA FARLEY

Bearing the Saint

A historical novel for young adults set in turbulent ninth-century England.

Edmund is just an ordinary fisherman’s son from the island of Lindisfarne, whose one great talent and joy is running as a messenger for his bishop. But when Viking invaders threaten the holy island and its great treasure, the relics of St. Cuthbert, Edmund’s life changes forever. Along with his whole village, he must accompany their beloved saint on a perilous pilgrimage that will carry him across England, through adventure, heartbreak, miraculous deliverance, and budding love, all the way to manhood.
Bearing the Saint brings to life the late ninth century in Northumbria, a turbulent period of invasion and conquest that concluded with an uneasy peace between Saxon and Dane. This gripping story, infused with the holy breath of St. Cuthbert, will hold readers of all ages spellbound.

The Ravens of Farne

A picture book about St. Cuthbert and some of his naughtier feathered friends.

The seventh-century Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne is one of England’s most beloved saints, honored also by the Eastern Church. Saint Cuthbert’s adventurous yet humble spirit is demonstrated in this delightful tale of his encounter with an unruly raven. The lyrical, humorous text and simple, charming illustrations of The Ravens of Farne will appeal to readers of all ages.

FR. LAWRENCE FARLEY

The Gospel of Matthew: Torah for the Church

A volume of the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series

The New Testament is a Jewish book, and no part of it is more Jewish than the Gospel of Matthew—the story of how God fulfilled His word to Israel and sent them His Messiah, who carried out the work of redemption. The Gospel of Matthew was written to prove to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ, the fulfillment of their Scriptures. It contains the most thorough and organized presentation of Christ’s teaching anywhere in Scripture. Thus the Gospel of Matthew is like the Christian Torah, the record of God’s words and deeds through Christ. Matthew’s Gospel also stresses the Church, since it is the true Israel, the holy remnant, whose message is to be taken to Jews (and Gentiles) everywhere.

The Gospel of Luke: Good News for the Poor

A volume of the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series

The Gospel of St. Luke has been described as “the loveliest book in the world.” It was written by a Gentile for Gentiles, with the purpose of touching their hearts with the Good News of Christ. Luke speaks especially to the poor and the marginalized of society—including women—with an emphasis on joy, healing, and prayer.
With his gift for making the fruits of biblical scholarship accessible to the ordinary layperson, Fr. Lawrence Farley expounds this beautiful account of the life and ministry of Christ for contemporary Christians.

Let Us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy

A step-by-step explanation of the elements of the liturgy in their historical context.

A guide to understanding the Divine Liturgy, and a vibrant reminder of the centrality of the Eucharist in living the Christian life. Every Sunday morning we are literally taken on a journey into the Kingdom of God. Fr. Lawrence guides everyday believers in a devotional and historical walk through the Orthodox liturgy. Examining the Liturgy section by section, he provides both historical explanations of how the liturgy evolved, and devotional insights aimed at helping us pray the liturgy in the way the Fathers intended. In better understanding the depth of the liturgy's meaning and purpose, we can pray it properly. If you would like a deeper understanding of your Sunday morning experience so that you can draw closer to God, then this book is for you.

FR. RICHARD RENÉ

The Edge of Mysterion

The second volume in the young adult fantasy series, Tales of Mysterion

Isabella Morgan is lost, running away from a violent father and a broken home. Tempted by the evil Djinn, she finds herself in Mysterion, a hidden world peopled by Cyclops and giant turtles, dragons and mermaids and winged Angeli. There she reinvents herself as Bella Couteau, girl pirate, and seems destined for greatness as the chosen heir of the pirate king Hodoul. But when Hodoul commands her to assassinate Jonah, the New Elder of Mysterion, Bella encounters a world that challenges everything she believes and offers her a chance at a new and better life—if only she can trust enough to grasp it.

FR. STEPHEN FREEMAN

Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe

How to be aware of God’s presence in every aspect of our lives.

Have you ever referred to God as “the Man upstairs”? Most Christians living in a secular society have unwittingly relegated God and all things spiritual to the “second storey” of the universe: a realm we cannot reach except through death. The effect of this is to banish God, along with the saints and angels, from our everyday lives.
In Everywhere Present, popular blogger and podcaster Fr. Stephen Freeman makes a compelling case for becoming aware of God’s living and active presence in every moment of our lives here and now. Learning to practice your Christian faith in a one-storey universe will change your life—and make possible the living, intimate relationship with God you’ve always dreamed of.

FR. JAMES BERNSTEIN

Surprised by Christ: My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity

A personal conversion story combined with compelling history and theology.

Raised in Queens, New York, by formerly Orthodox Jewish parents whose faith had been undermined by the Holocaust, Arnold Bernstein went on his own personal quest for the God he instinctively felt was there. With his Jewish heritage as a foundation, he studied and evaluated, and eventually came to the conclusion that the faith of his forefathers was fully honored and brought to completion only in the Orthodox Christian Church. Surprised by Christ combines an engrossing memoir of one man’s life in historic times and situations—from the Six-Day War to the Civil Rights Movement to the Jesus Movement in Berkeley—with a deeply felt examination of the distinctives of Orthodox theology that make the Orthodox Church the true home not only for Christian Jews, but for all who seek to know God as fully as He may be known.

BEV COOKE

Royal Monastic: Princess Ileana of Romania

How Princess Ileana of Romania became Mother Alexandra of Pennsylvania.

The life of a princess is not all glamour, handsome princes, and beautiful clothes. It is also devotion to duty, sacrifice for your people, and a lot of just plain hard work. And if your country happens to suffer two world wars and a communist takeover in your lifetime, it means danger and suffering, exile and heartache as well. Princess Ileana of Romania endured all this and more. But her deeply rooted Orthodox faith saw her through it all, and eventually led her in her later years to the peaceful repose of monasticism. As Mother Alexandra she was called to build the first English-language Orthodox women’s monastery in the United States: the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Princess Ileana’s inspiring life stands as a beacon of faith and holiness for young women of all times and nations to follow.

Keeper of the Light: St. Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Saints

A fictionalized biography of a great saint for middle-grade readers.

Late in the fourth century, Christians are labeled enemies of the Roman Empire—hounded, arrested, tortured, and executed. Macrina and her husband Basil, once-wealthy Christians, flee with their small son to the mountainous forests south of the Black Sea. There, Macrina embarks on a seven-year journey of unexpected tests and trials that will take her through a harsh and hungry wilderness pilgrimage, only to plunge her into poverty and danger on the streets of Neocaesarea. So begins Macrina’s adventure in faith, as she undertakes the process of becoming one of the most influential women in sacred history, the mother and grandmother of saints—including St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Macrina the Younger.

MELINDA JOHNSON

Letters to Saint Lydia

A novel for young adults about a girl’s unusual relationship with her saint.

Lydia’s life is turning upside down. Her family has converted to Orthodox Christianity without her, she’s just about to leave home for college, one of her friends is pregnant, and soon she’ll be facing all the trials and temptations encountered by every young adult who’s on her own for the first time. Lydia needs a friend badly—and she finds one in the most unexpected place: an icon of St. Lydia. Young Lydia pours out her troubles in letters to St. Lydia, who (invisibly to Lydia) answers, guiding her through her time of troubles with deep love and compassion.