“The Sober Catholic Way” is now available at more online stores!!!

The Sober Catholic Way is now available through numerous other online retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Apple Books. You can visit this universal link and find your fave ebook shop: “The Sober Catholic Way” on Books2Read 

Just click on the appropriate logo for the store you prefer. Don’t forget, it’s also available on Amazon Kindle.!

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I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

“The Sober Catholic Way” is available on Amazon Kindle!

Take a look at my latest Sober Catholic Book: “The Sober Catholic Way,” now available at Amazon as a Kindle book. Here’s the cover (designed by my very lovely, patient and understanding wife, Rose Santuci-Sofranko.)

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“The Sober Catholic Way” helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic.com, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression!

Discover the importance of the Real Presence, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph, St. Therese (the “Little Flower”) and Matt Talbot. You’ll get ideas on how to apply the Beatitudes, the Divine Mercy Message, as well as learning about the Apparitions of Our Lady at Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima and how they can guide one’s life.

“The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these things have helped the author keep his sobriety intact since May 22, 2002. Will he ever drink again? Quite unlikely, but the tools to help recover from a relapse are in every chapter! The love and mercy of God is everlasting and endless!

I am working on a paperback version, as well as additional print and digital distribution avenues. Check back for updates! Oh, yeah, GO BUY A COPY!!! 🙂 (And thank you!)

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Mother Angelica is as helpful and inspiring today as she was decades ago

 I couldn’t this morning decide what to watch on TV during the time I set aside for that before ‘beginning my day.’ Old reruns of “Sliders?” How about “Farscape?” “Babylon 5?” Maybe pick up where I left off during an interrupted binging of the original “Quantum Leap?” No, no, no, and no. I was restless in my indecision. Then I felt a tiny inspiration to watch classic Mother Angelica episodes on EWTN. And so I did!

Am I ever glad! 

I am, as usual, ‘going through stuff’ and I am awaiting a decision on a job application I made yesterday. And so I binged on Mother Angelica videos on EWTN and later YouTube for about 3 hours. Several were on fear, anxiety, and inner peace. I split my time between “Mother Angelica Live Classics” and “From the Heart with Mother Angelica” an older show I don’t think I’ve seen before.

I feel I’m being prepped for failure (I won’t get the job) or success (I’ll get it and properly cope with new job anxieties.) 

Either way, whatever happens, I feel like I received a grace today to cope with stuff. If the prayer is answered in the way that I hope it will, (I get the job) then “Yay!” If it gets answered ‘the other way,’ (I don’t get the job) then I’ll assume that God has other plans for me. I hope he lets me know what they are soon!

I cannot recommend watching Mother Angelica enough. I watched her programming quite a lot way back when, and I have read all the books she’s written and the ones edited or written by her biographer (Raymond Arroyo.) If you’re down, afraid, consumed with fear and anxiety, or are depressed, if you’re confused about anything: please go to the links I posted a few paragraphs above and just scroll through the offerings. If you’re suicidal, she has kind and loving things to say to you. She is a lifeline. She will help you pull back from the abyss.

“Mother Angelica Live Classics” is also available as audio-only. EWTN also has an audio-only version of  her EWTN call-in show, “Mother Angelica Answering the Call.” It’s about:

“Father Joseph Mary Wolfe and Doug Keck mine decades of viewer phone calls answered by Mother Angelica. Mother dishes out teaching, advice, laughter and plenty of prayers as she takes calls from her “Family”. No subject is off limits and no problem too big for the wisdom and compassion of the one and only, Mother Angelica!

I  listen to clips of this program on my local Catholic radio station (which is available to you on iCatholicRadio (available for the desktop or an iOS or Android app.) I may start listening to entire episodes: I need more Mother!

Mother Angelica is a balm, a healing remedy for these strange times which have gotten much worse since her shows aired. I kept thinking to myself “Imagine what she’d be saying nowadays!” She was four years younger than my Mom, but she’s always come across as a wise (-cracking) and loving Grandma who really cares about her family (all several million of us.)

I wish those folks down in Alabama would get started on her cause for beatification and canonization. If there was ever a woman who led a life of heroic virtue and who had a major, positive impact on millions of people worldwide, it’s Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Please turn your ad blockers off when reading Sober Catholic!

Please turn your ad blockers off when reading Sober Catholic! I receive a small income from ads placed on the blog, and while it isn’t much, it helps with incidentals and so forth. EVERY SINGLE ad placed on Sober Catholic is from a Catholic source; be it a business, publisher, service or charity, etc. 

When I browse, I typically have ad blockers running, so I understand. However, when the site is an interest of mine AND they run relevant ads, I disable the ad blocker as I find they add value to the site. 

So, please help me out and disable your ad blocker when visiting me! Most ad blockers have per site settings, so the blocker will turn back on after you leave me. 

(You can also donate by PayPal-ing me!)

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

I’ve been writing for Catholic365!

About two months ago I began oublishing articles on Catholic365. It’s a way to earn a little exta money. The emphasis is on the little, but I appreciate the exposure. I am actually hoping to be noticed by folks who don’t navigate to this blog; they can get a taste of my writing and perhaps offer lucrative writing gigs. That won’t mean I will abandon C365, I also have plans (years hence) to eventually  relocate the better SoberCatholic posts over there (most likely when I decide to ‘hang it up’ and quit blogging.) Or perhaps just use C365 for articles not suitable for this hypothetical lucrative writing gig. LOL 

Anyway if you want to read my stuff, here is my C365 page: Paul Sofranko on Catholic365.

I post at least once a week (except for when I got whacked by COVID.) What I will do from here on out, is post a weekly update here with links to my articles from the past week.

 

 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Miscellaneous Mary Musings

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary; originally known as Our Lady of Victory, it was created to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary whose protection and intervention were credited with the Holy League’s defeat of the Ottoman Navy in 1571. Failure of the League would have been disastrous for Christian Europe, already riven by heresy and schism. Not much would have prevented victorious Moslem forces from overrunning Europe and forcibly converting Christians (Catholic, heretic, schismatic) to Islam.

Today also happens to be the 21st Anniversary of my Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the manner developed by St. Maximilian Kolbe. I credit my consecration for starting this blog; I honestly don’t think I would have had the courage to do it on my own, without the graces given to me through Mary. From this consecration arose my recent book, “The Catholicpunk Manifesto,” which is my way of applying my consecration in a practical manner.

Today is also Immaculate Heart Saturday. It is also First Saturday, which I did today (recall I missed yesterday’s First Friday.) Hopefully you did your devotional duty and fulfilled the five requirements! Saying the Rosary every day and doing the Five First Saturdays are wonderful ways to weave garlands of roses for Our Lady.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Catholicpunk Manifesto is now available in paperback!!!

My new book, inspired by St. Maximilian Kolbe and my way of working out Total Consecration to Mary, is now available in paperback through Amazon! Some of you were waiting for this! (Thank you in advance!)

AMAZON LINK TO PURCHASE THE PAPERBACK!! 

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For info on where you can purchase the ebook version (available NOW!) visit: The Catholicpunk Manifesto

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Catholicpunk Manifesto is available all over the place!!!

The other day I announced a new book I wrote. Well, distribution of The Catholicpunk Manifesto has increased! You can now obtain an ebook copy for yourself through Amazon Kindle and through (as of now) a half-dozen or so other digital publishing sites via Books2Read: click here for the list of these additional options.

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There will be a paperback version, but I have to work out some issues with Amazon and Draft2Digital. The paperback edition should be available (hopefully) within a week or two? NOTE: Draft2Digital is a company that offers self-publishing opportunities to a growng number of people who seek to diversify away from (or in addition to) Amazon. I love Amazon, most of my sales for The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics and The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts come from them. But, it is prudent not to have all your beer bottles on one cooler, as they say, and Draft2Digital offers distribution to a wide array of epub sites. For those ‘in the know,’ I had used Smashwords previously as my Amazon alternative; Draft2Digital acquired Smashwords in 2021 and is slowly merging accounts. Within a few months, by Smashwords account will be merged into my Draft2Digital one, and my Smashwords storefront will have a new look.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

ANNOUNCEMENT!! NEW BOOK!!!! “The Catholicpunk Manifesto: ‘Creatives of Catholicism, unite! You have everything to gain, especially souls!'”

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I hinted at being busy with a new project that interfered a bit with posting to this blog. Well, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! I have written a new book. It isn’t recovery related, but it can be useful to you if you’ve sobered and cleaned up and now want to know what to do with the rest of  your life. It was inspired by some thinking done over the past few years, and was the subject of two recent blogposts, which  this book combines and greatly expands upon.

 

A N N O U N C I N G :

 

The Catholicpunk Manifesto: “Creatives of Catholicism, unite! You have everything to gain, especially souls!”

From the book description:

“The Catholicpunk Manifesto is a call to arms, or rather, a call to pens, paintbrushes, and video cameras, for creative Catholics to take up St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s call to infiltrate pop culture and help alleviate the ills that pervade contemporary society. St. Maximilian saw back in the 1920s how the use of cinema, radio, and mass-market books was corrupting society. He thought that those same tools could be used as a force to counter this corruption. The Catholicpunk Manifesto tells how the teachings of the Catholic Faith can be used to provide a road map out of our current morass and a blueprint to build a more just and fair society constructed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and other elements of traditional Catholic Social Teachings (CST).

A Catholicpunker is someone who Catholicpunks. Catholicpunk is, to borrow from the Manifesto:

“…a literary and artistic form that seeks to mak

e use of Catholic Social Teachings to lead the world away from the cliff of self-destruction it is heading towards…

The ‘-punk’ suffix as typically used in literary and artistic forms suggests a countercultural, anti-establishment, and anti-authoritarian ethic.

Think of ‘cyberpunk,’ ‘steampunk,’ ‘solarpunk,’ and so forth.

Therefore, ‘Catholicpunk’ utilizes countercultural values in opposition to secularist and modernist mores and values. It is anti-establishment inasmuch as it defies the increasingly centralized authority of modern governments and the intrusive reach of corporations and is anti-authoritarian based on Catholicism’s traditional opposition to dictatorships.

Catholicpunk addresses how the future might look if humanity survives the contemporary social and moral collapse plaguing the Western world and the poverty and oppression prevalent in the Global South and the East. Catholicpunk illustrates how applying CST solves major contemporary challenges made by globalism, militarism, and the anti-life and sexual libertine agendas. When Catholicpunk emphasizes sustainability, it will be with an eye towards responsible management of resources so that there will be plenty for future generations, and not through restrictions on population such as aggressive birth control and abortion agendas. People from womb to tomb will be viewed as resources to be cherished and valued, not as parasites or polluters.

Catholicism is the purest form of counter-cultural expression there is today. Catholicpunkers capitalize on this… and inspire people and give them a way out.”

Are you a creatively inclined Catholic? Are you an aspiring writer or musician, do you write poetry in secret, do you want to go to Hollywood and sell a spec script for millions, or did you draw on walls when you were little and never could color within the lines but loved drawing and coloring anyway, despite the critical opinions of others?”

Then you need to be a Catholicpunker, find other Catholicpunkers and mutually support one another in Catholicpunking! Buy and read one another’s works, listen to Catholicpunk music, watch Catholicpunk videos, support Catholicpunk painters, and so forth.”

This book can hopefully inspire you to get going and start creating and applying your Catholic faith to your works! Become a Catholicpunker!”

It’s available for $5.99 through this link: The Catholicpunk Manifesto. It will be available as a paperback within a few weeks (updates on that as I get them) and also through other online vendors. When those are completed, I’ll post updates. 

The book has it’s own Page: The Catholicpunk Manifesto Page on Paul Sofranko Space.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A funny thing happened while writing today’s Sacred Heart Friday post

A funny thing happened while writing today’s Sacred Heart Friday post. I was writing this (brilliant) piece in my series of posts on the Alliance of the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary and linking it to today’s feast day on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Unfortunately, after reading it and thankfully before hitting “send to blog” I noticed that it had much more to do with the Immaculate Conception of Mama Mary than her Birth. Actually, it didn’t have anything to do with her Birth.

Oops.

Yes, if I had started drafting it earlier this week I might have noticed. But I was very busy all week, especially today with stuff, and only got around to writing it tonight. 

So, no Sacred Heart Friday post for today. But there’s an utterly brilliant one scheduled to go out on Friday, December 8th!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)