At its annual convention in late May, the Catholic Press Association presented its awards to books judged superior in various categories. This week, The Tidings presents those books which earned first, second, third and honorable mention honors, with publishers listed in parentheses.

Popular presentation of the Catholic faith
First: "Blessed Among All Women," Robert Ellsberg (Crossroad).
Second Place (Tie): "The Untapped Power of the Sacrament of Penance," Father Christopher J. Walsh (Servant); "Remaining Catholic: Six Good Reasons for Staying in an Imperfect Church," Father Martin Pable, OFM Cap (ACTA).
Third: "Here on the Way to There," William H. Shannon (St. Anthony Messenger Press).
Honorable Mention: "Amazing Church," Gregory Baum (Orbis); "The Catholic Passion," David Scott (Loyola Press); "Imagining Faith with Kids," Mary Margaret Keaton (Pauline Books & Media).

Spirituality: Soft cover
First: "Walk in a Relaxed Manner," Joyce Rupp (Orbis).
Second Place (Tie): "To Follow You, Light of Life," Bruno Forte (Wm. B. Eerdmans); "The Circle of Life," Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr (Ave Maria Press).
Third: "Story of a Soul: Study Edition," St. Thérèse of Lisieux (ICS Publications).

Spirituality: Hard cover
First: "The Way of the Mystics," John Michael Talbot, with Steve Rabey (Jossey-Bass).
Second: "Blessed Among All Women," Robert Ellsberg (Crossroad).
Third: "Henri Nouwen: His Life and Vision," Michael O'Laughlin (Orbis).
Honorable Mention: "The Way We Were," Joan Chittister (Orbis).

Theology
First: "Theological Bioethics," Lisa Sowle Cahill (Georgetown University Press).
Second: "The Moral Theology of Pope John Paul II," Charles E. Curran (Georgetown).
Third (tie): "Holy People, Holy Land," Michael Dauphinais and Matthew Levering (Baker Publishing/Brazos Press); "The Future of Christology," Roger Haight (Continuum International).

Scripture
First: "Gospels and Acts: The St. John's Bible" (Liturgical Press).
Second (Tie): "The Gospel According to Mark: Meaning and Message," George Martin (Loyola Press); "Doubting Thomas," Glenn W. Most (Harvard University Press).
Third: "God's Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America," Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Orbis).
Honorable Mention: "Passionate Visionary: Leadership Lessons from the Apostle Paul," Richard S. Ascough and Sandy Cotton (Novalis).

Liturgy
First: "A Sense of the Sacred," R. Kevin Seasoltz, OSB (Continuum).
Second: "Fragments of Real Presence," Teresa Berger (Crossroad).
Third: "eucharist with a small 'e'," Miriam Therese Winter (Orbis).
Honorable Mention: "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines," Peter C. Pham. (Liturgical Press); "Translating Tradition: A Chant Historian Reads Liturgiam Authenticam," Peter Jeffery, Obl.SB (Liturgical Press); "Fulfilled in Our Hearing: History and Method of Christian Preaching," Guerric DeBona, OSB (Paulist).

Pastoral ministry
First: "Can Religious Life Be Prophetic?" Michael H. Crosby, OFM Cap (Crossroad).
Second (tie): "You Did It for Me," Kevin E. McKenna (Ave Maria); "The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick," Lizette Larson-Miller (Liturgical Press).
Third: "Transforming Trauma," Teresa Rhodes McGee (Orbis).
Honorable Mention: "My Opportunity for Giving: Stewardship as a Way of Life," Paul Wilkes (New Beginnings); "The Confirmed Catholic's Companion: A Guide to Abundant Living," Sister Kathleen Glavich (ACTA).

Professional books
First: "The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers," John Shea (Liturgical Press).
Second: "Alter Christus," John J. Gilchrist (Ave Maria Press).
Third: "The Joy of Priesthood," Father Stephen J. Rossetti (Ave Maria Press).
Honorable Mention: "Sacred Is the Call: Formation and Transformation in Spiritual Direction Programs," Suzanne M. Buckley (Crossroad); "Magnificence at Work: Living Faith in Business," John Dalla Costa (Novalis).

Educational books
First: "Call to Faith Student Edition K-6" (Harcourt).
Second (tie): "War & the Christian Conscience," Joseph J. Fahey (Orbis); "When God's People Have HIV/AIDS," Maria Cimperman (Orbis).
Third: "Trinity," Anne Hunt (Orbis).

Design and production
First: "Illuminating the Word: The Making of the Saint John's Bible," Christopher Calderhead (Liturgical Press).
Second (tie): "The St. Vincent Basilica, One Hundred Years," Kimberley A. Opatka-Metzgar (Archabbey Publications); "Ambrose and the Princess," Margo Sorenson & Katalin Szegedi (Liturgical Press).
Third: "Grand Coteau: The Holy Land of South Louisiana," Trent Angers (Acadian House).
Honorable Mention: "Women of Mercy," Kathy Coffey and Michael O'Neill McGrath (Orbis); "John Paul II: A Marian Treasury," Marianne Lorraine Trouvé, FSP (Pauline).

Children's books
First: "Child's Guide to the Seven Sacraments," Elizabeth Ficocelli (Paulist).
Second (tie): "On That First Christmas Eve," Carol Schulze Dowgiallo and Robert Dowgiallo (Our Sunday Visitor); "The Song of Francis and the Animals," Pat Mora (Wm. B. Eerdmans).
Third: "Holy Friends: Thirty Saints and Blesseds of the Americas," Diana M. Amadeo (Pauline).

First time author of a book
First: "Running into the Arms of God," Father Patrick Hannon (ACTA).
Second: "Swimming with Scapulars," Matthew Lickona (Loyola).
Third: "The Untapped Power of the Sacrament of Penance," Father Christopher J. Walsh (Servant).
Honorable Mention: "Black Elk," Damian Costello (Orbis); "Renewed Each Morning: Reflections from the Rocking Chair," Philip M. Kanfush, OSB (Archabbey).

Family life
First: "What Not to Expect: Meditations on the Spirituality of Parenting," Dr. Keith Frome (Crossroad).
Second (tie): "Watching My Friend Die: The Honest Death of Bob Schwartz," Mark Hare (ACTA).
Third (tie): "The Temperment God Gave You," Art and Laraine Bennett (Sophia Institute); "Stand Up Girl: Take Charge of Your Unexpected Pregnancy," Becky Fraser with Linda Shands (Servant).

History
First: "History of Christianity in Asia, Vol. II," Samuel Hugh Moffett (Orbis).
Second: "Amazing Church," Gregory Baum (Novalis).
Third (tie): "The Collegeville Church History Time-Line," Joseph F. Kelly (Liturgical Press); "The Catholic Worker Movement," Mark and Louise Zwick (Paulist).

Biography
First: "American Apostle of the Family Rosary: The Life of Patrick J. Peyton, CSC," Richard Gribble, CSC (Crossroad).
Second: "Jacques and Raïssa Maritain: Beggars for Heaven," Jean-Luc Barré (University of Notre Dame).
Third: "Reflections over the Long Haul," Robert McAfee Brown (Westminster John Knox).
Honorable Mention: "The Cave of the Heart: The Life of Swami Abhishiktananda," Shirley du Boulay (Orbis).

Gender issues
First: "Blessed Among All Women," Robert Ellsberg (Crossroad).
Second: "Women of Mercy," Kathy Coffey (Crossroad).
Third: "Fragments of Real Presence: Liturgical Traditions in the Hands of Women," Teresa Berger (Crossroad).
Honorable Mention: "Reclaiming your Christian Self in a Secular World: A Woman's Worth," Cheryl Dickow (Pleasant Word).

Spanish language titles
First: "Un Llamado a la Fe" (Harcourt).
Second: "La Biblia Católica Para Jóvenes" (Instituto Fe y Vida).
Third: "Un Solo Mundo, Una Sola Familia," Linda Unger and David Aquije (Orbis).

Reference books
First: "Modern Catholic Social Teaching," Kenneth R. Himes, editor (Georgetown).
Second: "Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible," Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Craig G. Bartholomew, Daniel J. Treier and N.T. Wright (Baker/Brazos).
Third: "How to Read a Church: A Guide to Symbols and Images in Churches and Cathedrals," Richard Taylor (Paulist).
Honorable Mention: "Acts: The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible," Jaroslav Pelikan (Baker/Brazos).

Best book by a small publisher
First: "The Gift of Prayer," Margaret Silf (Blue Bridge).
Second: "The Wisdom of the Benedictine Elders," Mark W. McGinnis (Blue Bridge).
Third: "The C.S. Lewis Chronicles," Colin Duriez (Blue Bridge).
Honorable Mention: "Imagine a World: Poetry for Peacemakers," Peggy Rosenthal (Pax Christi USA); "Three Minutes a Day, Vol. 40" (The Christophers).

THE PUBLISHERS
Acadian House Publishing, Lafayette, LA
ACTA Publications, Chicago, IL
Archabbey Publications, Latrobe, PA
Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN
Baker Publishing Group/Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI
Blue Bridge, New York, NY
The Christophers, New York, NY
Continuum International, New York, NY
Crossroad Publishing, New York, NY
Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC
Harcourt Religion Publishers, Orlando, FL
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
ICS Publications, Washington, DC
Instituto Fe y Vida and Editorial Verbo Divino, Stockton, CA
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA
Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO
Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN
Loyola Press, Chicago, IL
National Catholic Educational Assn., Washington, DC
New Beginnings, Wilmington, NC
Novalis, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY
Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, IN
Oxford University Press, New York, NY
Paraclete Press, Brewster, MA
Pastoral Press, Portland, OR
Pauline Books & Media, Boston, MA
Paulist Press, Mahwah, NJ
Pax Christi USA, Erie, PA
Pflaum Publishing Group, Dayton, OH
Pleasant Word, Enumclaw, WA
St. Anthony Messenger Press, Cincinnati, OH
Saint Mary's Press, Winona, MN
Servant Books, Cincinnati, OH
Sheed & Ward, Lanham, MD
Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN
Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, NH
Sorin Press, Notre Dame, IN
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
USCCB Publishing, Washington, DC
Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY
Wm. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI
World Library Publications, Franklin Park, IL

Good Reading: Award Winning Books