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For Immediate Release
Date: December 19, 2019
Contact: Sarah Lemieux
Phone: 603-641-9344 extension 334
Email: slemieux@SophiaInstitute.com

 
Fascinating Primer on the Dedicated Single Vocation Published by Sophia Press

New book chronicles the experiences of a growing number of Catholics who are deliberately remaining single for God 
 
Boston, MA —  There are more single people living in the United States now than ever before, according to a 2017 report from the U.S. census.* What is the typical experience of those choosing to live out an intentional single vocation? Does the unmarried, unconsecrated path tend to lead to fulfillment…or loneliness? What are the keys to obtaining peace in the single state of life?

A new book in stores now from Sophia Press, Single for a Greater Purpose, takes an in-depth look at the dedicated single vocation. Author Luanne Zurlo, herself a dedicated single, sheds light on this little-understood vocation, discerned and embraced by a growing number of single persons who are neither marrying nor entering religious life. 

"A married person gives his heart to his spouse, while priests and religious give their hearts to Christ,” explains Zurlo. “For single people, it can be quite easy to lack peace. But in my experience and that of many others, a profound sense of peace came once I gave my heart to Christ."

Zurlo refers to the dedicated single life as the "Martha and Mary" vocation because it combines both the active and contemplative life. "Dedicated single people have much more time for consecrating their work and cultivating contemplative prayer lives, which together make the vocation fruitful."

Single for a Greater Purpose has earned high praise from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, George Weigel, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Fr. Paul Murray O.P, and other leaders for its informative and insightful exploration of this unique vocation.

The vocation, which in most cases develops over time, is enriching lives and filling both the Church and the world with special graces that God provides souls who deliberately remain single for Him — in the world but not of it.

“In the face of mounting challenges in our world and our Church,” says Zurlo, “God is calling for an army of dedicated singles — lay men and women – for His Kingdom, to be nourished from within and empowered in a special way by an authentic, personal encounter with Him alone.”


*Friday, Francesca. "More Americans Are Single Than Ever Before—And They’re Healthier, Too." The Observer, Janaury 16, 2018, https://observer.com/2018/01/more-americans-are-single-than-ever-before-and-theyre-healthier-too/. Accessed December 16, 2019.

Praise for Single For a Greater Purpose

"Single for a Greater Purpose is a book that will surely aid the spirituality of those who read it."
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Archbishop of New York

 

"An important and quite beautiful exploration of an under-appreciated state of life, written by one who has lived the single vocation with grace and courage, to the benefit of both Church and society."
George Weigel
Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies

“This book is critical. It also happens to be a rigorous, joyful labor of love, and a gift to us. Read it. Pray about it. Discuss it. Guided by it, start looking around and rethinking assumptions and routines."
Kathryn Jean Lopez
Senior Fellow and Editor-at-Large, National Review

"I can only guess at the number of dedicated singles who will find in these pages not only lively encouragement, but also a depth of insight and spiritual illumination they will find nowhere else."
Fr. Paul Murray, OP
Professor, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas

"Pondering these pages is sure to help a reader to be courageous in finding a way to answer the call by offering something beautiful to the Lord."
Fr. Joseph Koterski, SJ
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University

“Embracing St Paul’s confident hope that ‘in everything God works for the good with those who love him,’ Luanne Zurlo marks a path for men and women who, for whatever reason, find themselves single but with full hearts for Christ.”
Fr. Paul N. Check
Rector, St. John Fisher Seminary
Diocese of Bridgeport


Request a Review Copy

 

Members of the media may send an email to Marketing Coordinator at slemiuex@SophiaInstitute.com to receive a complimentary review copy of Single for a Greater Purpose, or to schedule an interview with Luanne Zurlo. 
REQUEST NOW

About Sophia Institute Press

Sophia Institute Press publishes and distributes faithful Catholic classics and new texts by the great and enduring figures of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Sophia was established to nurture the spiritual, moral, and cultural life of souls and to spread the Gospel of Christ in conformity with the authentic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 2013, Sophia launched Sophia Institute for Teachers, an initiative that provides classroom teachers with the instructional materials and catechetical training they need to educate their students and prepare them to live their lives as active and faithful Catholics.

Sophia also serves as a leading online source for Catholic community, devotions, and other spiritual and practical resources. Our three major online platforms include www.CrisisMagazine.com, www.CatholicExchange.com, and www.EpicPew.com.
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