This summer, why not try some of our suggestions for activities to do as a family, a community or as a personal journey? We take some of our favourite activities and suggest ways to tailor them to suit your summer season.
A summer break is the perfect time to relax with a book. But as we relax and unwind, it can also be a moment to explore our inner lives and expand our spiritually.
Why not incorporate something inspiring into your summer reading? Our comprehensive list below is organised by categories. We’ve also suggested some fiction and non-fiction pairings you might like. All of our suggestions are available as a handy printable PDF too!
Make it…
… Active:
Download an audiobook to your device and listen to it while you go out for a walk or a run. Most libraries have an audiobook lending app, such as Borrowbox or Libby, which you can download to your smartphone to access reads on the go. On our list, the 🎧 symbol denotes books available on at least one major audio platform.
… Social:
Start a reading group or book club. Pick a book, set a date and get together to share what you thought of it. Provide refreshments – you could even ask for donations to Missio if you’d like to make it a fundraiser!
Alternatively, why not start a lending library in your Church, community or outside your own house, where people can pick up a good read and add their own? Around the country we’ve seen communities make wonderful use of decommissioned bus stops and phone boxes to share a little joy and hope with their neighbours.
… Prayerful:
All of the books on this list are chosen because they will enhance your prayer life. But try and take time for yourself: carve out time to be quiet and fully absorb what you’re reading. Keep a prayer notebook to hand to copy out lines and quotes that particularly speak to you. Take notes, highlight quotes and bring your reflections into prayer.
Especially for young readers
There’s no reason why younger readers can’t join in with summer reading! In fact, Mission Together, our children’s branch, inspired this suggestion with the wonderful Words for our World resource. Children read books from every continent, and can fill in the special ‘passport’ reading record as they go. There’s also an option to turn this into a fundraiser in the form of a sponsored read.
The books
Click through the tabs below to find our suggestions
Non-fiction
🎧 Spe Salvi (Saved in Hope) – Pope Benedict XVI
A beautiful and accessible encyclical that explores Christian hope, its foundation in Christ and how it shapes our lives.
🎧 He Leadeth Me – Fr Walter J. Ciszek, SJ
A powerful testimony of enduring faith and hope in Soviet prison camps. Inspiring for anyone facing trials or discouragement.
🎧 Searching for and Maintaining Peace – Fr Jacques Philippe
A short but profound book on inner peace and trust in God, especially when faced with life’s uncertainties.
🎧 The Tears of Things – Fr Richard Rohr
A fresh look at the Hebrew prophets and the lessons we so need to learn from them today. Wise, grounded and inclusive.
🎧 Wrestling with God: Finding Hope and Meaning in Our Daily Struggles to Be Human – Ronald Rolheiser
An inspiring message of hope and perseverance for all of us struggling with our faith in tumultuous times
Hope Against Darkness: The Transforming Vision of Saint Francis in an Age of Anxiety – Fr Richard Rohr, John Bookser Feister
An award-winning read which explores how St Francis’ teaching can bring us though the anxieties of the age we live in, into a life of hope.
Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope – Joan D. Chittister
Sr Joan Chittister explores the story of Jacob wrestling with God and her own battle with life-changing struggles, inviting us to reflect on how ‘hope grows in us, despite our moments of darkness’.
🎧 Forming Intentional Disciples – Sherry Weddell
A practical and eye-opening book on how to help Catholics grow from cultural or passive faith into intentional, active discipleship.
🎧 The Joy of the Gospel – Pope Francis (Evangelii Gaudium)
The late Holy Father’s foundational work on the Church’s call to missionary discipleship. It’s pastoral, prophetic and filled with real encouragement.
Missionary Discipleship: From Mission to Evangelisation – Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis)
Written before he became Pope, this collection shows his deep heart for evangelisation in concrete ways.
🎧 To the Field of Stars – Kevin A. Codd
A modern-day priest’s pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago — both literal and spiritual journey with missionary insight.
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light – Edited by Fr Brian Kolodiejchuk
Her private writings show the deep interior struggle and faith of one of the greatest missionaries of our time.
🎧 The Long Loneliness – Dorothy Day
A moving autobiography that includes her conversion and life’s mission among the poor. Reflects deep missionary zeal and love in action.
🎧 The Shadow of His Wings – Fr Gereon Goldmann
The astonishing true story of a German seminarian and SS officer, who lived his priestly mission even in the darkest circumstances of WWII.
🎧 (Available on Soundcloud) Christus Vivit – Pope Francis (Post-Synodal Exhortation)
Written especially for young people, but deeply relevant for all ages. Encourages readers to embrace their role as missionaries of hope.
Life of the Beloved – Henri Nouwen
Though not explicitly Catholic in some language, it reflects deep Christian truths about identity, belovedness and sharing that love with others.
The Mission of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Missio) – St John Paul II
A key papal encyclical on the urgency and joy of mission — profound and extremely relevant.
🎧 Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St Thérèse of Lisieux – Thérèse of Lisieux
First published in 1898, the writings of St Thérèse of Lisieux quickly became a modern spiritual classic, read by millions and translated into over fifty-five languages.
What is the point of being a Christian– Fr Timothy Radcliffe (now Cardinal)
Apparently, Fr Radcliffe had a friend- a committed Christian- who had a son who kept asking his father: ‘What is the point of being a Christian?’ The book is Cardinal Radcliffe’s response, a warm, witty and entertaining book, illustrating the difference being a Christian makes not just to your own life but those around you.
Fiction
🎧 Silence – Shūsaku Endō
Set in 17th-century Japan, it follows Jesuit missionaries under persecution. It’s not ‘feel-good,’ but it’s a profound meditation on faith, mission and the mystery of God in suffering. Pairs well with He Leadeth Me for reflection on perseverance in hostile conditions.
🎧 In This House of Brede – Rumer Godden
A beautifully written novel about an English woman entering a Benedictine Abbey. Shows the quiet, hidden ‘mission’ of prayer and witness.
The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene
The story of a flawed priest in Mexico during anti-Catholic persecution. A gritty but deeply Catholic meditation on grace, redemption and the call to shepherd souls.
🎧 The Keys of the Kingdom – A. J. Cronin
A moving portrait of a Scottish priest’s lifelong missionary service in China. Highlights humility, perseverance and the beauty of cross-cultural ministry.
Come Rack! Come Rope! – Robert Hugh Benson
Historical novel about English Catholics under Elizabeth I. Heroism, evangeliaation and sacrificial love abound.
🎧 Home– Marylynne Robinson
A story about families, love, deathand faith. It’s a beautiful book about forgiveness and grace.
Brooklyn – Colm Tóibín
Set in 1950s, this is the story of a young Irish woman who immigrates to New York with the help of her parish priest. A coming-of-age story.
🎧 Diary of a Country Priest – Georges Bernanos
- A young, ailing priest in rural France struggles to serve his parish. Deeply hopeful despite hardship, and rich in spiritual insight
🎧The Bridge of San Luis Rey – Thornton Wilder
- While not explicitly Catholic, it examines lives through the lens of providence, love, and purpose — themes that align with hope and mission.
🎧 Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
- A South African novel about reconciliation, justice, and faith in the face of societal division — perfect for reflecting on the missionary call to heal and unite.
🎧 The Father Brown Stories – G. K. Chesterton
- Cozy early 20th century mysteries with a priest-detective who quietly evangelizes through wisdom and charity. Some of G. K. Chesterton’s work contains opinions and vocabulary which are now seen to be stereotyping or romanticisation.
The Song at the Scaffold – Gertrud von le Fort
- Short historical novella based on the true story of Carmelite nuns during the French Revolution. Inspiring, moving, but light enough to read in an afternoon.
Mr. Blue – Myles Connolly
Often called ‘the Catholic Great Gatsby,’ this short novel is about a joyful, eccentric man who lives radically for God. Light in tone but big in heart.
🎧 Mariette in Ecstasy – Ron Hansen
American Catholic novelist, sensitive portrayal of a young woman entering a convent in early 20th-century New York. Rich in spirituality and community life.
🎧 The Ninth Hour – Alice McDermott
Pulitzer Prize–winning Irish-American author. A tender portrait of Catholic sisters and the neighborhood they serve in Brooklyn, touching on vocation, mercy, and sacrifice.
Forbidden Fruit – Stanley Gazemba
Gazemba, a Kenyan Christian, writes about hope, perseverance, and faith in community — exploring rural Kenyan life with a deep sense of place and humanity.
The Fishermen’s Testament – César Vidal
A historical novel imagining the apostle Peter recounting his life of mission and hope. Written by a Spanish Catholic author.
A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M. Miller Jr.
A mid-20th-century classic with a forward-looking awareness of human dignity and post-war reconciliation. Monks preserve knowledge and faith after a nuclear apocalypse — a hopeful twist on sci-fi.
The Book of the Dun Cow – Walter Wangerin Jr.
Christian allegorical fantasy about good vs. evil, community, and sacrificial love. Imaginative, moving, and family-friendly.
The Night of the Confessor – Tomáš Halík (Czech Republic)
A blend of fiction, memoir, and reflection from a Catholic priest who lived under communist persecution. Speaks to missionary witness in hard places with great compassion.
The Sparrow – Mary Doria Russell
Jesuits go on a mission… to another planet. Mix of sci-fi and theology, grappling with cross-cultural encounter, evangelization, and the mystery of suffering.