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Christine Interviewed on Our Sunday Visitor

Christine was interviewed by Charles Camosy on Our Sunday Visitor about her book The Love of Thousands. Here is an excerpt: Charlie Camosy: I suppose I am not the first to suggest that one of the fundamental challenges that a book like “The Love of Thousands” faces is the fact that consumerist Western culture has been largely “disenchanted.” That is, many of us find it very difficult even to take seriously the ideas at the center of your book. Christine Valters Paintner: Indeed, one of the reasons such a book is needed at this time is precisely because the capitalist

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Christine Interviewed about The Love of Thousands in the National Catholic Reporter

Christine was recently interviewed by the National Catholic Reporter about her book The Love of Thousands and building bridges beyond the veil. Here is an excerpt: NCR: In your introduction you mention that this book began as an exploration of your relationship to your ancestors. How did that circle widen for you to include the angels and the saints? Paintner: I’ve had a long devotion and relationship to various saints — Hildegard of Bingen being the prime one, and also Benedict because I’m a Benedictine oblate. But when I was working with the ancestors, I suddenly realized that some of

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The Love of Thousands Reviewed by Spirituality & Practice

I’m honored to share this beautiful review by Jon M. Sweeney at Spirituality and Practice of my latest book The Love of Thousands: How Angels, Saints, and Ancestors Walk With Us Toward Holiness. Here is an excerpt: Christine Valters Paintner is one of our favorite spiritual writers, winner of several of our “Spiritual Book Awards,” and a member of our Living Spiritual Teachers Project. Her latest book is wonderful. Particularly if you find yourself lonely or losing hope, her words of support and encouragement from angels, saints, mystics, and other friends along the spiritual path will buoy your spirits. This is

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Update on Writing Projects ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, I thought I would share with you some of the writing projects I am involved in at the moment. This has been a very fruitful time for books with my poetry collection Love Holds You coming out last spring from Paraclete Press, then The Love of Thousands on honoring angels, saints, and ancestors being published in August from Ave Maria Press, and I have a book coming out in January 2024 with Broadleaf Books titled A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent which is now available for pre-order.  Right now, I am finalizing the edits to my

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The Love of Thousands Book Released Today!

I am delighted that my latest book The Love of Thousands: How Angels, Saints, and Ancestors Walk with Us Toward Holiness officially released today, August 18th! This book has been gestating for close to twenty years and I am thrilled with how it has formed. I pray it becomes a rich resource of support for many.  Here’s an excerpt from the book’s description: Christine Valters Paintner, popular spiritual writer and abbess of the online Abbey of the Arts, says these sacred beings are paving the way for our journey toward God’s love, even as we pass through a world rife with struggle,

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Christine’s Article on Ancestors as Creative Allies in U.S. Catholic

Christine’s article Our Ancestors are Allies on Our Creative Journey was published in the May 2023 issue of U.S. Catholic. It is adapted from her forthcoming book The Love of Thousands: How Angels, Saints, and Ancestors Walk with Us Toward Holiness (releases from Ave Maria Press August 18, 2023). Here is an excerpt: We are alive because of our ancestors, that “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in the letter to the Hebrews (12:1). Our grandmothers and grandfathers struggled, grieved, celebrated, and endured, and we can live our lives in ways that honor their memories. We can imagine that our ancestors

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Watch the Love Holds You Poetry Book Launch Recording

We had a wonderful gathering of dancing monks to help launch my third poetry collection Love Holds You: Poems and Devotions for Times of Uncertainty which releases tomorrow, May 9th. I enjoyed spending this hour of music, storytelling, and poetry with our community. A deep bow of gratitude to Simon de Voil for sharing his gift of song with us. You can order your copy of Love Holds You here. I am most grateful for your support! With great and growing love, Christine Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

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