Marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy, the Vatican publishing house compiled texts by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes and asked him to write a special introduction.

In this year’s annual fall book review, we offer seven selections to support you in your faith journey:

When Clive Staples Lewis bought The Kilns, a former brick factory, in 1930, he used its quiet remoteness to produce a stream of literary and spiritual masterpieces that are still quoted with reverence today.

Dorothy Day was “a great witness to faith, hope and charity in the 20th century,” a woman who loved the Catholic Church despite the flaws of its members and who knew that serving God meant serving the poor and working for justice, Pope Francis wrote.

Since 2016, Rachel L. Swarns has been researching Georgetown University’s involvement in the slave trade, including the 1838 sale of 272 enslaved people to help pay off debts the Jesuit priests incurred in running the university.

Joining Catholic Review Radio to talk about the significance of C.S. Lewis’ imaginative world and the spiritual benefit Lewis’ stories have on children and adults alike is Leonard DeLorenzo, editor of “Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey with C.S. Lewis.”

The Catholic Review talks with Father Robert Nixon about how he goes about translating spiritual classics and we take a closer look at one of his recently completed translations, a book by Thomas A Kempis called “Meditations on Death: Preparing for Eternity.”

In “Befriending St. Joseph: Finding Faith, Hope and Courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion” (Ave Maria Press, 2022), Deacon Greg Kandra was challenged to find a way to speak of — and perhaps for — this saint of silence.

Everyone must engage in politics, which is simply what it means to take part constructively in the life of a nation or society, Pope Francis said in a new book of interviews.

Father R. Aaron Wessman, the author of “The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World” (New City Press), explores how we might rein in the momentum of hate that is pushing us further and further apart.