Below is a selection of books, organizations and other resources that have influenced the On a Mission to Love ministry. I hope that something here will be helpful to you. If you would like to recommend a resource, or if you are an owner of a resource and would like to explore cross-linking, please email me.
Resources to help individuals and families pray the Rosary daily and grow in love for Our Lady.
Rosary Center & Confraternity | A ministry of the Dominican Friars and home of the Rosary Confraternity in the Western US, promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary especially through her Rosary — an 800-year-old charge from Our Lady to the Order of Preachers.
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC | Marian Father of the Immaculate Conception and author of “Champions of the Rosary” and “10 Wonders of the Rosary.” Fr. Calloway preaches the Rosary as Our Lady’s sword and one of the most powerful weapons of the spiritual life.
Hallow | The popular Catholic prayer app, with audio-guided Rosaries for each set of mysteries, the 54-day Rosary novena, minute-meditation single decades, and a newly released animated visual Rosary — making the prayer accessible wherever you are.
Mysteries of the Rosary Series | A Catholic video series from Paradisus Dei that takes viewers into the life of Jesus through the mysteries of the Rosary, filmed on location in the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and Paris.
Pray More Novenas — Our Lady of the Rosary Novena | A nine-day novena to Our Lady of the Rosary with daily prayers and email reminders to keep you praying through to the end. From the Deddens family ministry based in Dayton, Ohio.
The Scriptural Rosary with Psalms | A free booklet from Presentation Ministries (the lay association founded by Fr. Al Lauer of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati) that pairs the Psalms with each Hail Mary, re-establishing the ancient connection between the Psalter and Our Lady’s prayer.
St. John Paul II’s vision of the human person, drawn out by the institutes and teachers carrying it forward.
Theology of the Body Institute | The Theology of the Body Institute meets you in the longing for something more and offers a clear path toward awakening and becoming.
John Paul II Renewal Center | With fidelity to the Magisterium, the John Paul II Renewal Center seeks to renew individuals, families, religious, and parishes through projects and initiatives that promote what is true, good, and beautiful.
Claymore: Become Who You Are Podcast | Hosted by Jack Rigert, this podcast reads the signs of our times through the lens of Catholic teaching and the insights of St. John Paul II, taking up the timeless questions of the human heart.
Ruah Woods Institute | As a formation ministry, Ruah Woods Institute is here to serve the Catholic community in applying the Theology of the Body to our everyday lives — becoming more of the sons and daughters God, our Father, created us to be.
TOB Parent School | Equips Catholic parents to reclaim their role as primary educators of their children in matters of personhood and sexuality, drawing on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.
Katrina Zeno | An international speaker, retreat leader, and author dedicated to the legacy of St. John Paul II, bringing Theology of the Body to people of every age and state in life.
Into the Deep / ID Retreats | Founded by the late Jen Messing in 2012, Into the Deep invites people of all ages to encounter God, neighbor, and their unrepeatability through Eucharist-centered prayer, the Theology of the Body, and the adventure of truly living and loving as God intended.
TOB CLE | A ministry of the Diocese of Cleveland that witnesses to the truth, beauty, and goodness of our humanity, equipping teenagers and adults with an understanding of what it means to be human.
Ministries that walk with couples from preparation through the long road of growing together in the sacrament.
The Marriage Group | Since 2009, The Marriage Group has provided online Catholic marriage preparation, Natural Family Planning, and enrichment programs to over 50,000 couples worldwide. Courses are promoted by the USCCB and accepted by dioceses and parishes around the world.
Building a Eucharistic Marriage | Building a Eucharistic Marriage is a seven-part online video series from Catholic marriage therapist Greg Schutte that connects seven areas for therapeutically strengthening marriage with seven areas of deepening your relationship with Christ through the Eucharist. Home and parish-license editions are available.
Renew the ‘I do’ Foundation | Inspiring marriages to thrive in today’s culture through research, science, and the Holy Spirit. The foundation runs creative date nights, a Joy-Filled Marriage preparation weekend, Modern Fertility Care classes, and an annual Candlelight Mass in Pittsburgh to reaffirm the sacred vows (and offers resources for parishes that want to host their own).
Books that have shaped how we understand the human person and our shared call to love. Grouped below for ease of browsing.
Theology of the Body for Beginners
Christopher West
A short and popular summary of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, revised to incorporate Michael Waldstein’s improved translation and material from the John Paul II archives. West’s accessible entry point before the fuller commentary.
The Theology of the Body Made Simple
Anthony Percy
A brief and accessible introduction to the basic premise of the Theology of the Body — that our bodies are symbolic, free, meant for love, and redeemed by Christ. Presents clear reasons for the Church’s teaching on human sexuality.
Theology of the Body in One Hour
Jason Evert
A sixty-minute introduction from Jason Evert of the Chastity Project. Reveals how the human body, in its masculinity and femininity, points to who we are and how we are called to live.
Love and Responsibility
Karol Wojtyla
Written before his election as Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla’s study of personalism and sexual ethics established the framework the pope would return to in his Wednesday audiences, becoming the philosophical foundation for what he would later deliver as Theology of the Body.
Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body
John Paul II
St. John Paul II’s complete cycle of 129 Wednesday audience addresses delivered from 1979 to 1984, translated by Michael Waldstein. The primary source text for everything the Theology of the Body attempts to explain.
Theology of the Body Explained
Christopher West
West’s definitive six-hundred-page commentary on St. John Paul II’s 129 catechetical addresses. A standard reference in universities and seminaries, and the fullest treatment West has written of the material he introduces in the Beginners volume.
The Human Person According to St. John Paul II
J. Brian Bransfield
Fr. Bransfield’s synthesis of St. John Paul II’s teaching on the human person. A theological anthropology that draws on Theology of the Body while ranging across the pope’s philosophy and his reflection on the meaning of human suffering.
Discovering the Feminine Genius
Katrina Zeno
Zeno’s exploration of St. John Paul II’s teaching on the “feminine genius,” the distinctive vocation and gift of women in the Church and the world. Written from her own journey as a Catholic woman and international teacher of the Theology of the Body.
Men and Women Are from Eden
Mary Healy
A study guide to the Theology of the Body from Scripture scholar Mary Healy. Draws readers back to Genesis and the pattern established in Eden to recover what God’s original design for man and woman reveals about the meaning of our embodiment.
Fill These Hearts: God, Sex and the Universal Longing
Christopher West
A book about desire from Christopher West that weaves classical art, pop music, movies, and the Christian mystical tradition. Argues that the restless yearnings we feel in body and spirit are the cry of our hearts for God, and that Christianity was never meant to be the joyless religion of repression it has often been mistaken for.
Men, Women and the Mystery of Love
Practical insights from Karol Wojtyla’s Love and Responsibility, translated into accessible chapters on friendship, attraction, dating, and marriage. Sri unpacks Wojtyla’s philosophy for a general readership.
Good News About Sex and Marriage
Christopher West
A Q&A introduction to Catholic teaching on sexuality and marriage from Christopher West, written for engaged and married couples. Addresses the practical questions that arise about contraception, natural family planning, and married intimacy.
Heaven’s Song: Sexual Love as It Was Meant to Be
Christopher West
West’s exploration of the Song of Songs and the sacramental meaning of marriage. A meditation on how the union of husband and wife is meant to be a foretaste of the eternal union with God that Scripture foreshadows.
Made for Love: Same-Sex Attraction and the Catholic Church
Fr. Michael Schmitz
Fr. Schmitz addresses the questions Catholics have about same-sex attraction with pastoral clarity and doctrinal fidelity. Written for those who want to understand what the Church teaches and why, and how to live that teaching with charity.
Why I Don’t Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace
Daniel C. Mattson
Daniel Mattson’s frank memoir of his journey to and from a gay identity, chronicling his return to what he understands as his true identity as a beloved son of God. Part autobiography and part practical guide to living chastely.
Theology of the Body Rosary Meditations
Debbie Staresinic
Debbie Staresinic’s meditations that pair each mystery of the Rosary with St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. A Marian rhythm of reflection on the meaning of the human person and the redemption of the body.
On a Mission to Love: The Rosary for Children and Families
Debbie Staresinic
A family-friendly Rosary book from Debbie Staresinic, designed for parents to pray with their children. Short meditations and warm illustrations open each mystery to young hearts and invite Marian conversation across generations.
En misión de amor: Meditaciones del Santo Rosario para niños y familias
Debbie Staresinic
Un libro del Santo Rosario para toda la familia, de Debbie Staresinic, pensado para que los padres recen con sus hijos. Meditaciones breves e ilustraciones cálidas abren cada misterio a los corazones jóvenes e invitan a la conversación mariana entre generaciones.
Icon of Love: The Rosary for You and Your Spouse
Dan and Debbie Staresinic
Written for couples who want to pray together but may not know where to begin. A follow-along page structure makes the daily Rosary simple and accessible, while short meditations and beautiful iconography draw couples into deeper reflection on the meaning of their marriage.