Every one of us has to eat. Some of us eat too much food. Or we eat too little. Sometimes we eat without gratitude, without charity, or without respect. But, as award-winning author Emily Stimpson Chapman explains in The Catholic Table, with a sacramental worldview, the supernatural gift of God’s grace can transform and heal us through the food we make, eat, and share.

In The Catholic Table: Finding Joy Where Food and Faith Meet, you’ll discover a theology of food through the personal experience of the author and the wisdom of Scripture, the Saints, and more. Stimpson Chapman’s insightful survey of America’s food landscape is informed by the understanding of food as a sign and sacrament. As she explains, “There is nothing ordinary about food. By God’s grace, the simplest bowl of soup and the humblest hunk of cheese have the power to become an occasion of grace, drawing friends and family together around a shared table to build a shared life.”

The Church’s teachings on grace, the Eucharist, the virtues, fasting, hospitality, and the body are integral to how we consume our daily bread and lead us to peace, joy, and community (“and,” the author writes, “some really good dinners”). As Emily Stimpson Chapman explores these topics in The Catholic Table, she provides a delightfully written and meaningful framework for understanding feasting, fasting, and all the eating in between.

Now Available: The Catholic Table Video Series: a six-week study based on the book.

About the author
Emily Stimpson Chapman is a freelance Catholic writer based in Steubenville, Ohio. Her books include The American Catholic Almanac: The Patriots, Saints, Rogues, and Ordinary People Who Changed America (Image, 2014), These Beautiful Bones: An Everyday Theology of the Body (Emmaus Road, 2013), and The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years (Emmaus Road, 2012). A contributing editor to Our Sunday Visitor her writing has also appeared in First Things, the National Catholic Register, Catholic Digest, and elsewhere. She writes regularly about faith, hospitality, and food at her blog, The Catholic Table (www.thecatholictable.com).

Endorsements:
“The Catholic Table serves up a banquet of good sense infused with theology, blending practical advice with startling insights into our relationship with food—and on the side, what else but recipes? This is Emily Stimpson at her witty, well-educated, accessible best.” —Simcha Fisher, Author of The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning

“As an admitted non-foodie, I was surprised and delighted by Emily Stimpson Chapman’s The Catholic Table. Chock-full of practical and poignant thoughts and ideas, this book is mentally, spiritually and physically nutritious.” —Lisa M. Hendey, Founder of Catholic Mom.com and author of The Grace of Yes

“If you’ve ever struggled with eating too much or too little, binging or purging , obsessively counting calories or panicking over every food label in the store, Emily Stimpson Chapman is your guide to a better relationship with food. After reading The Catholic Table, you’ll not only be convinced that how you approach food is a vital part of living out your Christian faith, you’ll wish you could land yourself on Stimpson’s next dinner guest list.” —Zoe Romanowsky, freelance writer, blogger, and consultant