Published Works & UMary Press

University of Mary Press

The University of Mary Press seeks to publish significant, relevant, and innovative titles with a distinct focus on the university’s core mission: To serve the religious, academic, and cultural needs of the people in this region and beyond. Our titles align with the university’s Benedictine values of community, hospitality, moderation, prayer, respect for persons, and service. In addition, our books often become part of students’ coursework and encourage the ideals of servant leadership, spiritual development, and Catholic education.

Our books are available for purchase through the University of Mary or on .

From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age

Every human society possesses a moral and spiritual imaginative vision, a set of assumptions, and ways of looking at things according to which life proceeds. This essay is an attempt to contribute effective strategies to engage our own time and culture once more with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and – for a weary world – to awaken the Catholic imaginative vision.

The Religion of the Day

Sequel to From Christendom to Apostolic Mission
We are living in a highly religious age. Secular gospels and dogmatic faiths promising salvation are all around us. So what is the belief system, the religious vision, that is displacing Christianity as the assumed narrative by which our post-Christian, modern societies live? And what is the religion that we ourselves need to be converted out of, if we are to be fully converted to the Christian faith?

The Vocation of the Catholic University Professor

A Catholic university should invite students into a community of profound intellectual conversion. Its atmosphere is alive with the gaudium de veritate of Saint Augustine, the joy in the truth. Just there, in a classroom or laboratory at the end of the hallway, is to be found the “stupor” or astonishment of mind of Dante’s Convivio. There are many ways for this conversion to happen, but it simply will not happen without the teaching faculty. They are the lifeblood.

De la cristiandad a la mision apostolica

Toda sociedad humana posee una vision imaginativa moral y espirutal, un conjunto de supuestos y formas de ver las cosas de acuerdo con las cuales se desarrolla la vida. Este ensayo es el resultado de un esfuerzo por contribuir con estrategias efectivas para comprometer una vez mas a la cultura de nuestro tiempo con el Evangelio de Jesucristo y - en un mundo abatido - despertar la vision imaginativa catolica.

The Dignity of Grace

Larry Woiwode recounts the remarkable life of Sister Thomas Welder, Benedictine Sister of Annunciation Monastery and the fifth president of the University of Mary. A towering figure to North Dakotans, Sister Thomas was first Diane, a girl in whom the trace of her future influence was evident from the beginning—in her capacity for endurance amid suffering, her ease of affection and attention, her trademark magnanimity joined to her humility.

Renewal of Catholic Higher Education: Essays on Catholic Studies in Honor of Don J. Briel

This book began at the Twenty Years of Catholic Studies Conference held at the University of Mary in 2014. Catholic Studies professors, alumni, and scholars gathered to celebrate Dr. Briel’s enormous contributions to Catholic Studies programs nationwide and to reflect on ways to impact Catholic higher education more broadly.

A Legacy of Passion: A Scheel Family Story

At the heart of any thriving enterprise is the unflagging energy of innovators who believe in the power of the imagination, the call of the unseen, and the enduring value of principled self-sacrifice. In A Legacy of Passion: A Scheel Family Story, Larry Woiwode unveils the drive, determination, and drama of personality that built one of the top sporting-goods retailers in the nation: SCHEELS, a five-generation family business that boasts over two dozen franchises in 15 states. Outlining the distinct imprint of each generation’s vision, Woiwode chronicles the key events that propelled SCHEELS through the ranks and paints a rich portrait of the family whose bold resolve primed the company for lasting success.

Open Secrets of Success: The Gary Tharaldson Story

“This is a phenomenal story of Gary Tharaldson’s incredible accomplishment. Starting with nothing, he built over 400 hotels by himself, no partners—more than any single individual worldwide. What an inspiration to young people across the country!” — Rudy Ruettiger, motivational speaker and subject of the 1993 film “Rudy,” ranked among the top inspirational movies by the American Film Institute. “Gary is so down-to-earth, he’s actually subterranean. I was one of the fortunate ones because Gary shared everything with us: his building costs and operating numbers, which were tops in the industry, and how he produced them.” — Bruce White, Chairman, Founder and CEO of White Lodging.

Frank’s Extra Mile: A Gentleman’s Story

Frank’s Extra Mile tells the story of Frank Larson, a noble, down-to-earth North Dakotan, whom customers, competitors, staff, friends, and family describe as a true gentleman. With his wife Jo Andrea, Frank bought the Larson family’s first bank 50 years ago on January 1, 1969, in the farming community of Oakes, ND. Today, Starion has 12 locations in North Dakota and three in Wisconsin. Starion is a high-performing financial institution with an asset growth rate of 22 percent over the last five years and enjoys a five-star rating from Baurer Financial.

And You Will Find Rest: What God Does in Prayer

The Dark Night, by St. John of the Cross, and The Interior Castle, by St. Teresa of Avila, are the guides Father Wayne Sattler uses to explore the path of prayer leading to contemplation. On his own path, which eventually led to discerning a call to live as a diocesan hermit, Father Sattler began to more deeply appreciate the sound guidance of these two saints for understanding ‘what God does in prayer.

Learning to Lead

Learning to Lead recounts the journey of the University from a small women’s college to a thriving community of learners. Period commentaries, photographs, firsthand accounts, and recollections of alumni, administrators, and friends tell the fascinating story of the evolution of America’s Leadership University from its earliest days. How monastic love of learning and desire for God and the example of its pioneer founders have been expressed in Mary’s Christian, Catholic, Benedictine identity and her unique commitment to leadership through service is a tribute to the past and a promise to the future.

Invitation to Encounter: Occursus Domini Eucharistic Chapel

Invitation to Encounter guides visitors through Occursus Domini Chapel, drawing attention to details in the architecture and artwork designed to foster an intimate encounter with the Lord. It also includes a personal retreat given by Monsignor James Shea based on five specific encounters depicted in the space: the Annunciation; the Presentation; Jesus and the woman at the well; Jesus and the Magdalen on Easter morning; and Benedict and Scholastica in the storm.

Christ, the Wisdom of God – Retreat Conferences for the Faculty of the University of Mary

Teachers can receive no better guidance than to be inspired by the greatest teacher of all. Christ’s ministry on earth embodied the wisdom that can elevate the quality of instruction of any faculty member, particularly those teaching at parochial schools at all levels. Learn Christ’s lessons in teaching with joy, humility, integrity, and fortitude. Christ, the Wisdom of God, is impeccably researched with scripture as a foundation. The text was developed from a series of talks by Dr. Christopher Blum on retreat with the faculty at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.

Justified in Jesus Christ

In 2017, the National Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue in the United States, sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the University of Mary, completed its four-year round of discussions on the doctrine of justification. At each of these annual meetings, members presented background papers that formed the basis of that meeting’s discussions and became the starting point for constructing a common statement. These common statements and background papers comprise this book. Quite unexpectedly, the members of the dialogue discovered many points of convergence on the subject of justification.

North Dakota Voices of the Great War

This play was a collaboration between the history and theater programs at the University of Mary. History students researched the World War I Scrapbooks Collections at the North Dakota State Archives. Building on these letters, we created an original theatrical production, adding music and poetry from the Great War and improvising scenes based on the real letters. We believe they created a show with a very personal meaning for North Dakota. Daniel Bielinski & Dr. Joseph Stuart.

My Russian Way: A Spiritual Autobiography

Alexandre Havard, a Frenchman of Russian ancestry, chronicles his moral, intellectual, and spiritual development growing up in post-1968 France. He rejects the radical secular values of his contemporaries and embraces Christianity. At the same time, Havard traces his roots back to Russia and follows cultural and political developments in the final years of the Soviet Union. He prays that someday he will be able to contribute to the spiritual revival of his beloved ancestral homeland. In the end, his prayer is granted in dramatic ways.

Valerian Paczek: Priest, Soldier, Quiet Hero

Fr. Valerian Paczek’s tombstone is simple, without any words of praise. His obituary in the Lidgerwood Monitor contained only a brief mention of his military past. “He served in the Polish Army from 1935 to 1945, and in the English Army from 1945 to 1950 as a Senior Chaplain.” That’s all there is in print: no mention of prisoner camps, battles, rank or medals. Yet it is the way he would have wanted it. With hindsight, we can say it summarizes his life: A priest, a soldier, and a quiet hero.

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