Lenten Campaign 2025
This content is free of charge, as are all our articles.
Support us with a donation that is tax-deductible and enable us to continue to reach millions of readers.
Timed to coincide with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year of 2025 — whose theme is “Pilgrims of Hope” — Paraclete Press has released a new anthology designed to meet the moment: Anchor of My Soul: A Treasury of Readings on Trust and Hope.
The 144-page hardcover, published January 21, is not structured as a conventional volume but as a curated spiritual companion. Drawing from classical literature, sacred Scripture, poetry, hymns, and visual art, the collection invites readers into what the editors describe as “a patient waiting, taut expectancy, and trustful anticipation” — three interwoven threads of the Christian understanding of hope.
In a year when the universal Church is called to be “a sign of hope in the world,” this compilation aligns with Pope Francis’ vision of the Jubilee as a time to rekindle confidence in God’s promises, particularly in a world marked by uncertainty and fatigue.
The collection includes selections from writers as diverse as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Emily Dickinson, Helen Keller, Walter Ciszek, and Nikki Grimes. These texts are accompanied by full-color reproductions of works by artists such as Vermeer, Van Gogh, Degas, and Redon, offering not only a literary experience but a visual one.
The book opens with the Maya Angelou quote, “Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay,” setting the tone for what follows. “To live without hope is to cease to live,” Dostoevsky echoes, grounding the theological concept in the urgency of lived experience.
Return as needed
Unlike traditional devotionals or sequential reads, Anchor of My Soul is meant to be approached slowly and reflectively. “It’s the kind of book you leave on the table and return to when needed,” the publishers note.
In the context of the Jubilee, the release is timely.
Pope Francis has called the faithful to be “Pilgrims of Hope,” inviting spiritual renewal after years of global instability. In his 2022 letter announcing the Jubilee, he emphasized the need for “hope that does not disappoint,” especially for young people, families, and those burdened by economic and social hardship.
The editors at Paraclete Press echo this sentiment in their introduction: “May you look forward with expectation, not because of assurance for what the future holds, but because of confidence in who holds the future.”
As 2025 continues to unfold with a spirit of pilgrimage, Anchor of My Soul offers a quiet path forward — not through certainty, but through trust.
