The wonders and mysteries of sacramental life are
celebrated in this distinctive collection of essays by
eight acclaimed Catholic writers. In Signatures of
Grace, Murray Bodo, O.F.M., Andre Dubus, Mary
Gordon, Patricia Hampl, Ron Hansen, Paula Huston, Paul
Mariani, and Katherine Vaz share the private experiences
that have deepened the significance of the sacraments in
their everyday lives. Their own stories are interwoven
with the stories of Baptism, Penance, Eucharist,
Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of
the Sick as these have unfolded through the centuries. Signatures
of Grace looks at these "outward signs" of
grace—the earthy elements of water, oil, bread and
wine—from an artist’s perspective. The contributors
to this collection are fiction writers and poets, and
their lyrical prose helps convey the unique aesthetic
experience of being Catholic. Each essay, however, also
points toward the invisible, spiritual realities that
lie behind the physical rituals.
Signatures of Grace was serialized in America,
Commonweal, Portland magazine, and on beliefnet.com.
A Catholic Book Club selection, it also made the Boston
Globe’s prestigious "Dean’s List,"
spent weeks near the top of Amazon.com’s New and
Notable Christian Books listing, and earned a starred
review from Publishers Weekly, who deemed it
"a treasure" for Catholics.
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