Week 2: Beautiful Second Act Book Club

Watch the video from Week 2 of the Catholic Mom Book Club featuring A Beautiful Second Act by Maria Morera Johnson.

The March 2025 Book Club features Catholic Mom media editor Maria Morera Johnson and her new book, A Beautiful Second Act: Saints and Soul Sisters who Taught Me to ~~Be a Badass~~ Age with Grace, published by Ave Maria Press.

Did you miss Week 2 of the Book Club? Watch the video here:

Maria and host Allison Gingras discuss Chapters 4 through 6 of our Book Club selection, chatting about the fascinating women profiled in this book and what we can learn from their successes and their difficulties. You'll also hear why we should take a moment to learn about those saints we don't feel attracted to at first glance! You have plenty of time to catch up on the reading if you're just getting started with this beautiful book.

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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 hosts the Book Club sessions on both Facebook and YouTube. You can choose to watch the final session live at 3 PM Eastern on Thursday, March 20 — or view it 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!