Welcome to the Church

This week has reminded me of how much I love our soon to be new Catholics coming into the store and sharing their excitement of the long awaited entry into Full Communion.  It's an amazing time to be sharing faith stories, and, for all of us, to be receiving the Body of Christ again at Mass inside our churches. It's as if we are all in a kind of celebration stage!
As you can imagine, people often ask us, "What is a good gift for someone coming into the Church?"
One wonderful book that we highly recommend is "Amazing Graces: The Blessings of Sacramentals". Not only does it give the history of our beautiful Sacramentals but it also gives testimony of how people have used Sacramentals to draw closer to Christ. Each chapter concludes with a prayer that ties the use of the Sacramentals to our faith journey.
Rosaries are always a great gift along with gift boxes or pouches to put them in. We have crosses with the RCIA symbols on them or Crucifixes that make wonderful gifts as well. If someone has taken a patron for Confirmation, we have many items specific to the Saints and if unsure, we have the ever popular Four-Way medal which includes a Scapular medal, a miraculous medal, St. Joseph and St. Christopher medals and some (Five Way) include the Holy Spirit on the center. These medals usually have inscribed on the back, "I am a Catholic". We have prayerbooks with nice covers that have simple short prayers for every day and we recommend to inscribe the books with a short note and the date. No matter the gift you choose, let us as always take time to pray for one another. Let us as always take time to listen to one another. Let us always take time to encourage one another in Faith. Everyone has a story and through the work of the Holy Spirit, they are all amazing!
We are open 9-3 Monday - Saturday (please wear a face mask) but you can always browse our website at www.stmarysbookstore.com and we are happy to curbside deliver.

Choosing a First Communion Gift

Whether you choose a First Communion gift that is specific to the Sacrament of Communion or simply what you feel the child would like, every gift can be memorable and special. We want to choose a gift to help a child not only remember their special day but also to further their prayer life and draw them closer each day to Jesus. How can we help?

Every day we are asked by parents and grandparents and friends and neighbors, aunts and uncles and godparents, WHAT is a good present for First Communion?

We highly recommend that parents and grandparents give the more traditionally "personal" gifts, such as, a rosary, a prayer book, a bible or a crucifix. Godparents may want to go with a piece of jewelry such as a cross or a bracelet with a chalice (we offer great masculine bracelets). Aunts and uncles may like to give a rosary box or pouch or a communion frame. Friends and neighbors can choose from many, many books about First Communion or the Mass. We suggest if anyone chooses to give a book, whether specific or general, that they personalize the inside with the date and a message for the child's special day. Other choices, in general, include medals, figurines and books of saints, bookmarks, crosses with communion symbols or a special message, and music boxes.
First Communion Day is a very special time for our children and we are aware that you want to keep the momentum of that day going forever. Let us help you choose something special.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2018

We all know Jesus is the REAL reason for the season. So...while we are picking out toys for children or clothes for adults, why not give a religious gift that reminds us why we celebrate Christmas? Here are some of our gift and stocking stuffer suggestions for every age group!

Mom/Grandmother

Pearl Rosaries $25-50
Bible in a Year: Your Daily Encounter with God $29.95
Daily Companion for Women $8.95
SS Miraculous Medals $35-60

Dad/Grandfather

4-5 Way SS Medals $35-60
Daily Companion for Men $8.95
Bible in a Year: Your Daily Encounter with God $29.95
Wood Rosaries $12-40

Child/Godchild

Saint Bracelets $7-14
Tiny Saints $5.50
Fontanini - My First Nativity Set (6pc) $115


More gifts can be found on our website (www.stmarysbookstore.com) or in our store (1909 West End Ave, Nashville, TN)

I Get Asked A Lot ...

"What medal is that?" "Where did you get it?" "Why do you wear it?" Many people I know wear medals they have received as gifts, from aunts or grandparents who "knew they would actually wear it", from places they have traveled, for protection and for devotional purposes. I personally own more medals than I could ever wear all at once. Medals that have been blessed by popes or in holy places. Medals that have been handed down from loved ones. Medals that I have purchased while traveling. Each and every one has significance to me. I have worn a St. Gerard medal for 29 years when it was given to me by one of our vendors after the loss of our first child and upon the birth of our oldest on earth. The only time I have taken it off for any length of time was when I put it over the head of a friend on her way to the hospital to give birth (she was a bit worried but all went well, of course). I also continually wear my Miraculous Medal that I received after my consecration to Mary and my scapular medal, because with promises like that, how can I not?! Last but not least, I wear a medal of St. John of God, patron of booksellers. I also often wear a shorter chained medal, usually something from a Marian Apparition; Fatima, Lourdes, or Guadalupe just because they are beautiful and they fill me with memories of being at a certain Grotto or apparition site.

Now don't get me wrong, I know that it's not as simple as putting a medal around our necks and POOF, protected or holy or instant sales or whatever. I know that these medals are simply reminders for us to pray to Our Lady and Our Lord and the patron Saints. They are reminders of promises to cling to faith and hope and love. They are reminders to visit and to listen. They are reminders of those who have come before us, the community of believers who have paved our way, who have planted seeds and who have prayed for the future of the Church on earth.

I get asked a lot, and so we ask you...what medals do you wear? Why?

Visitors Old and New - Gifts of the Spirit

I just have to say, last week was quite a week! A week of new customers from Dallas and California and Ohio and Oregon and probably many other places we were not told, as well as a week of regular customers from in and around Tennessee and Kentucky. A week of people with stories; stories that share the good stuff. And when we share the good stuff, we share Him. His Spirit. His work. His Love. His healing. His goodness. We share faith in Him and hope in our future with Him. And for today, I'm going to share one of those stories.

Thursday, May 31st, the Feast of the Visitation, on my day off, I was at the movies with my youngest and received a text from a long time family friend who's mother has been struggling with her health. She was in town and actually at the hospital close to the store. She had finished 33 Days to Morning Glory or True Devotion to Mary or Preparation for Total Consecration, one of them, and was ready to Consecrate herself with her mom. She needed an image of Mary over at the hospital and asked if someone could run one over. Immediately I could feel goosebumps. I told her to call the store and ask my daughter about the Consecration medal I had found the previous Sunday at none other than the Flea Market. (I thought it was a medal of St. Dominic receiving the rosary or a Scapular medal but after cleaning it, found it to be an old Consecration medal of Mary with the words "True Devotion to Mary" engraved in the book on the front and the back with a large M in a shield with a crown on top and the rosary draped down the side. The medal available now seems to have totus tuus on the reverse.) A minute later she texted and said her father came in so she was headed to the store. My daughter showed her the medal and told her all we knew about it and before it was all said and done she was crying and she had my two daughters and sister crying right along with her. I received a text soon after; "thank you for letting Mary and the Holy Spirit use you today." I thought just the opposite, "thank you for a bringing us the gift of the Spirit." And, thanks to all who visit and call and make our life here at St. Mary's a "gift of the Spirit." We cherish the time.

Help! I Was Asked to be a Godparent...What's a Good Gift?

First and foremost, let me just say, what an honor! You've been asked to stand up and witness to someone's Baptism and to support the parents in raising their child in the faith. You may want to mark the day on your calendar, just like some people mark birthdays, and encourage your godchild by sending a little note each year just to say you're continuing to pray for them on their journey.

One really nice suggestion for a Baptism gift is to start your godchild with a nativity set. We carry the Fontanini collection which can be bought piece by piece and is a nice way to eventually own a beautiful nativity if you decide to add to the set each Baptismal remembrance day or each Christmas. The pieces are made of PVC (nonbreakable) so they are safe for all ages.

Also, along the idea of keepsakes, a sterling silver or gold medal of the child's patron Saint or the Guardian Angel with the date of their Baptism engraved on the back makes a nice gift. A rosary is a beautiful, personal gift. A cross or crucifix for their room can also have a plate put on the back with the date of Baptism engraved on it. A nightlight, a music box, a holy water font or anything with the Guardian Angel or a Lamb or Noah's Ark makes a nice gift. You may even want to give a statue of Mary or St. Joseph or the Holy Family. There are many wonderful ideas for Baptism at the store and we're always happy to gift wrap. Oh, and remember a Baptism card!

Whatever you decide on for a gift, ask the priest or deacon at the ceremony to bless it.

Touching Hearts - Gifts with Meaning

 I just love this display put together with Studio pieces as well as the artwork of Kelly Rae Roberts. Crosses, Angel figurines for special occasions, canvases with Scripture, plaques, medals and mini journals make fantastic gift suggestions for Confirmation, Graduation, Birthdays or Occasions of Sympathy.  As you can see from the close up of the canvas, many pieces shown are two-dimensional, bringing out a richness in quality and yet still reasonably priced. 

We just love the work of many of the artists we display around the bookstore, intermingled with great book selections, movies and music. We find it more difficult and yet even more important to stay on top of trends in the marketplace. We love to shop with our customers in mind and certainly appreciate the positive feedback as they browse through the store. 

 

We may not have the manpower to put everything on our website but we do spend many hours hand picking just the right items that we believe will not only enhance homes but also touch hearts. We believe in gifts that brings us closer to Christ and we hope that the bookstore continues to have the atmosphere that touches the soul, warms the heart and passes on the love we all should have for one another, the love of Christ.

God bless us all as we continue together through the Lenten Season. May joy fill our hearts so that we may pass His love to all we meet along the way. Let's work to change the world. One Heart at a time.