In 2022, I was hired as editorial director at Ave Maria Press, a publishing ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross located at Notre Dame. It’s been a great blessing to join this ambitious team—they are talented and experienced and innovative. The editorial team at Ave is where all of our published content originates—this team of editors finds authors, develops projects, and shapes the writing to produce some of the best Catholic books in the country.
Seasonal Devotionals Writing
The team asked me to write a set of daily prayer companions for the seasons of Advent and Lent and I’m thrilled to see these little booklets out in the world now. They are perfect for anyone looking for a simple approach to daily prayer during these seasons. Last year’s editions were well-received (sold out!) and this year’s editions have a musical element: each day’s reflection is linked to a well-known hymn that fits with Advent or Lent (I cherry-picked some favorites and put them in a playlist–here’s one for Advent, and one for Lent). Like last year’s editions, the daily devotions include a few lines of reflection, prayers for morning and evening, and a question to ponder through the day. Writing these devotionals was a deeply prayerful experience, and I’m excited to share them. Let me know if you’d like to order copies for yourself or for your parish or small group–I’ll hook you up with a discount code. Aren’t the covers gorgeous?
History of Ave
Ave Maria Press is one of the oldest continually operating Catholic publishing houses in the country. We were founded more than 150 years ago as a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross to honor Mary, support the spiritual needs of our everyday living, and showcase the best American Catholic writing.
Great writing has always been the backbone of Ave Maria Press, and we’re proud to have shared the voices of American Catholic giants such as Dorothy Day and Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton. And our publications support Catholics in every stage of life, whether it’s a resource that helps a young couple prepare for marriage, a Bible that helps a new mother find hope in God’s faithfulness, a textbook that catechizes a high schooler, or a book that changes the way you walk through the seasons of the Church year.
Though not everything we publish speaks of her explicitly, our work also honors Mary—like her, we are here to fulfill a call to bear God’s Word to the world, and to help you do the same. At the heart of every Ave book, you can find a small Annunciation, an invitation to let God break into our lives in a new way. The words our authors share reflect their yes to this good news; they write to encourage you to say yes, too.
If you’d like to collaborate with Ave, let’s talk! Reach out and we can start a dialogue.
Josh Noem 