The Friendship Project
The Catholic Woman's Guide to Making and Keeping Fabulous, Faith-Filled Friends
by Michele Faehnle; Emily Jaminet
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Pub Date Sep 22 2017 | Archive Date Nov 06 2017
Description
In The Friendship Project, Faehnle and Jaminet explore the cardinal and theological virtues with an eye toward friendship. Focusing on faith, hope, love, prudence, gratitude, loyalty, generosity, and prayerfulness, they help us answer questions such as, “What does it mean to be women of hope, and how does that change our lives and make us more compassionate friends during difficult times?” and “How does prayerfulness teach us how to listen to and talk with both God and our friends, which helps us reach out to those we love?”
Faehnle and Jaminet answer these questions and more by employing Church teaching and telling us stories of their own friendships and those from the lives of saints and biblical women—including the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her sister Servant of God Léonie, and Sts. Perpetua and Felicity. Not only will you be drawn closer to friends both new and old but you’ll also be reminded how these friendships—and the virtues you practice to nurture them—draw you closer to God.
Prayers, discussion questions, and a study guide make this a perfect resource for women’s groups
A Note From the Publisher
Emily Jaminet is a contributor to CatholicMom.com and coauthor of Divine Mercy for Moms. She serves on the leadership team of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference. Jaminet earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1998. After several years working at the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, Jaminet moved back to Columbus, Ohio, to be a stay-at-home mom.
Jaminet offers a daily segment called “A Mother’s Moment” on St. Gabriel Catholic Radio and Mater Dei Radio. She has spoken to several women’s groups and conferences, including 1:38 Women, Mothering with Grace Annual Mother’s Conference, Indiana Catholic Women’s Conference, Women’s Day of Reflection for Homeschoolers, and the online Catholic Conference for Moms. Jaminet has appeared on EWTN’s At Home with Jim and Joy and a number of Catholic radio programs. She and her husband, John, have seven children and live in Columbus, Ohio.
Advance Praise
“In an age that values social networks over face-to-face relationships, Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet make a compelling case for the lost art of spiritual friendship. They draw from a rich vein of personal experience and the lives of the saints to prove that the old proverb is still true: to have a friend, you must be a friend. Read this book to find out how.”
Colleen Carroll Campbell
Author of My Sisters the Saints
“We live in a technology-driven world where people are instantly connected, yet in our own personal lives, we often feel isolated and alone. Each of us is ‘hard-wired’ to love and to be loved—to live in communion. The Friendship Project is an inspiring and uplifting answer to how we can be internally connected and equipped to form lasting friendships—first with God and second with others. It underscores the truth that happiness lies in living a virtuous life.”
Sr. John Dominic, O.P.
Developer of Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue
“The Bible says that ‘a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter and he that has found one has found a treasure.’ The same goes for finding this book! We are all a work in progress, and while finding virtuous friendships can be difficult, they are vital in life. The Friendship Project shows us just how to find and invest in these intentional and virtuous friendships. Thank you Michele and Emily for writing such a treasure!”
Sarah Swafford
Speaker and author of Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781594717611 |
| PRICE | $17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 160 |
Featured Reviews
Flávia G, Reviewer
This book challenged me to reach out to my old friends and to make new ones, revealing the true meaning of friendship. Emily and Michele share their lives, their experience in a very honest way and they talk about the virtues we need to nurture true friendship. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is to see the saints with their friends. We often here that the saints were good friends of Jesus. Sometimes we hear about their confessors, their parents, but I never thought that they had real human friends. Therefore, it was wonderful to get to know about the friendship among saints and to realize that holiness can be “contagious.”
Sr. Brittany H, Educator
A meaningful reflection on the purpose and value of friendship, seen in the light of the Catholic faith. Drawing on the writings of saints and scholars, "The Friendship Project" gives readers a deeper insight into the power of authentic relationships as a valuable aid to holiness and happiness.
Carolyn A, Reviewer
The Friendship Project is a thorough resource for Christian women seeking to cultivate friendships with like-minded women who seek to grow in holiness.
Organized by applicable virtues and examples of saint friends, the authors guide the reader in examining her relationships and offering concrete suggestions for both making new friends, deepening spiritual friendships, and being a better friend.
My withholding a star says less about the book than its applicability to my own life. My heart ached at the descriptions of deep, long-lasting, supportive friendships which have been absent from my own life for decades. My dearth of friendships left some of the material irrelevant to me at present.
Unfortunately, there's no magic formula for meeting friends, but The Friendship Project provides some useful tips to find friends which I hope to apply (although I admit that outside of personal prayer, they are somewhat a nightmare for an introvert).
Would make an excellent resource for small groups (for which additional guidance and materials are available).
Barb S, Media/Journalist
Spiritual friendships need to come from your own heart, and they need to be nurtured regularly. The Friendship Project tells you how, complete with personal stories to encourage you and tales of friendships among the saints to inspire you. This book inspires women to foster friendships based on holy virtues. The Friendship Project invites you outside your personal cocoon into a world of relationship where you and your friends encourage each other.
Friends since college, Michele and Emily write from their own experience, sharing the joys of their twenty-year friendship. Each chapter features a pair of women saints who were friends, and focuses on one virtue that will help us to become better friends and deepen our spiritual friendships.
Nekeisha C, Reviewer
Making and being a friend as an adult is hard. The authors Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet have been friends for over 20 years, they even had babies on the same day in in the same hospital. #friendshipgoals
There are 8 chapters they look at modern examples of the friendships of the authors and their friends as well as friendships examples of saints and women of the bible. I had heard about some of these saintly friendships before but it is a treasure to learn more especially in light of the virtues as well as to discover some new ones.
The book explores virtues to help us become better friends. Focusing on the virtues faith, hope, prudence, gratitude, loyalty, generosity and prayerfulness. The value of these in friendship is often dismissed but I have come to appreciate them.
The book provides practical advice and strategies to grow in virtue and to implement them into our relationships.
This book would be a great group study for a women's group or even a long standing group of friends.
Educator 63141
This book was beautifully written and a true treasure. As a Catholic woman in a faith-based book group, The Friendship Project was a great addition to our rotation. I loved the wisdom, insight, and Christian reflections focusing on exemplary saints and role models that we can aspire to embody. The emphasis on creating and cultivating friendships that honor the Lord and are rooted in love and faith was beautifully conveyed. The book revolves around being a better friend and supporting friends along their journey. This book was also a delightful gift to the many Catholic women that I have as friends. Such a treat!
