Mark G. Boyer, per course faculty member in our department at Missouri State University and a retired Catholic priest, recently announced the publication of two new books in 2017:
An Abecedarian of Sacred Trees: Spiritual Growth through Reflections on Woody Plants (Wipf & Stock, 2016), a companion volume to Animal Spirit Guides: Spiritual Growth through Reflections on Creatures (Wipf & Stock, 2016), explores various sacred trees in the world’s religions. “Trees have religious significance in most, if not all, cultures,” writes Boyer. An abecedarian – a book whose contents are in alphabetical order – explores the spiritual growth that is possible by reflecting on sacred trees. “Trees tell us about ourselves and about the divine,” writes Boyer. In forty entries, Boyer presents a text identifying the tree, a reflective study, a question for journaling or personal meditation, and a concluding prayer.
A Spirituality of Mission: Reflections for Holy Week and Easter (Liturgical Press, 2017) presents an exercise for every day of Holy Week and Easter aimed at guiding the reader to develop his or her own spirituality of mission. “Those who understand the gospel are called and sent to proclaim it in word and through the way they live their lives,” writes Boyer. The book is divided into twelve sections with five entries in each section. While the book is ideally used during Holy Week and the Easter Season, it can be read at any time a person wants to engage in the ongoing transformation that spirituality entails.
Since 1987, Boyer has written 51 books, some of which have been translated into Chinese, Spanish, and Italian.