Join Catholic Mom's Beautiful Second Act Book Club

We're excited to announce our March 2025 Book Club selection: Catholic Mom media editor Maria Morera Johnson's A Beautiful Second Act: Saints and Soul Sisters who Taught Me to Be a Badass Age with Grace, published by Ave Maria Press.

What's the Book About?

In A Beautiful Second Act, bestselling author Maria Morera Johnson explores the adventure of life’s second half, drawing inspiration from twenty saints and “soul sisters” who faced these challenges with courage.

As advancements in health and medicine extend our lifespan, women of the sandwich generation — those balancing the needs of both children and parents — are experiencing a multitude of challenges as they transition out of the workforce and into the promise of retirement. A Beautiful Second Act: Saints and Soul Sisters Who Taught Me to Be a Badass Age with Grace contains encouragement and wisdom from saints and contemporary soul sisters who experienced similar challenges during their transition to midlife and beyond and offers insight into the aging process.

Chapter after chapter, these inspiring saints and contemporary changemakers from all over the world will help you, too, embrace your second half and the changes it brings to our health, our personal relationships, our responsibilities, our work, and our faith.

Where can I get a copy of this book?

Ave Maria Press, the publisher, is offering a generous discount on A Beautiful Second Act: use code CATHOLICMOM to save 10% off the purchase price of the book. This offer expires April 27, 2025.

When does the book club meet?

Our own Allison Gingras will host the four Book Club sessions on Facebook and YouTube. You can choose to watch the sessions live at 3 PM Eastern every Thursday in March — or view them later, at your leisure. We'll also share audio versions of these discussions on future episodes of the Catholic Momcast. 

It's free to participate in our Book Club, and we hope you'll consider joining us and inviting a friend to join as well!