In addition to the usual Christmas cards and note cards, an array of special calendars, books and other holiday items are for sale through some Holy Name Province ministries.
The gift shop at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Manhattan is selling a St. Francis Prayer book, including the weekly devotions used at the church. Its price is $10.
Sacred Heart Parish in Tampa, Fla., has a nice selection of religious jewelry, many pieces with Murano glass or crystal; bronze crosses; themed wind chimes; saint statues; soy candles; and decorative religious items. Gifts can be viewed on the church website.
Books are always a welcomed gift idea, and the Franciscan Institute at SBU has several holiday specials, including free shipping on multiple purchases. Readers can use the code “Holiday12” for additional savings.
A special sale includes cycle C resources and the institute’s commentary on St. Luke’s Gospel. Each volume is 50 percent off the original price, with free shipping when all three are purchased.
Edited by scripture scholar Fr. Robert Karris, OFM, the institute is also offering St. Bonaventure’s Commentary on Luke’s Gospel — Thirty Days of Reflection and Prayer. The institute says this about the book: “From his work on translating and annotating St. Bonaventure’s three-volume commentary on Luke’s Gospel, Karris has developed this book of reflections for 30 days. Playfully referring to them as “BonaLuke bites,” Karris gives preferential treatment to those passages used in the Sunday lectionary during Cycle C.”
More information may be obtained on the institute’s website.
Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., is selling a heritage calendar showing photos from its 75-year history. “A Celebration of our History” sells for $7 and may be ordered by contacting: Siena College Library Att: Gloria Douyon, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211.
St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y., is selling a commemorative book about its basketball program. A Legacy Defined: How Two Teams Fulfilled Their Goals and Took Bona Nation on a Joyride to the NCAA Tournaments was released in April and tells the story of SBU’s 2011-12 season. The $19.95 book may be purchased on Franciscan Institute Publications’s website.
Both the Province’s retreat centers sell items that might make desirable Christmas gifts. Mt. Irenaeus Franciscan Mountain Retreat displays a variety of apparel on its website and St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in North Carolina sells an assortm of books, cards and Franciscan-themed items at its location in Stoneville, N.C.
Handmade leather items, including sandals, shoes, purses and wallets, may be purchased from Sebastian Tobin, OFM, the Province’s shoemaker in residence. Gift ideas can be seen on his webpage.
Trinity Religious Artwork and Icons, the company that handles the iconography of Robert Lentz, OFM, is offering a 10 percent discount on its products. Robert has several icons with Christmas themes.
The artwork of David Haack, OFM, is also for sale and available on his website.
— Wendy Healy, a freelance writer based in Connecticut, is a frequent contributor to this newsletter. Jocelyn Thomas provided research for this article.