The Pope's Cat (Pope's Cat Series #1)

by Jon M. Sweeney, Roy DeLeon (Illustrator)

Overview

“A heartwarming tale, which gives the papacy a human touch.” –Christopher Lamb, Rome correspondent, The Tablet

"I give it one million stars!" —Luca, Mrs. Gilman's class, St. Margaret Mary School (Omaha, NE)

Meet Margaret — the Pope's cat — in the very first book in this best-selling series by Jon M. Sweeney!

This is the story of a stray born on the Via della Conciliazione in Rome, how she’s adopted by the Pope, and then “rules” the Vatican from museum to floorboard! First in a new series.
 
No one has a closer view of what’s happening in the world’s tiniest nation, Vatican City, than Margaret, the Pope’s new cat. But she wasn’t always Margaret, and she wasn’t always the Pope’s cat. She started out as a stray on the streets of Rome, and there are those in the Vatican who wish she’d never been allowed inside.
 
This fun, adorable new character will appeal to all kids!  Here is a cat who does what she likes regardless of what others, even someone like the Pope, expects of her—even when the Queen of England comes on a state visit!

This new fiction series is intended for Catholic schools, elementary school teachers, Catholic librarians, superintendents of schools, reading specialists, educators, catechists, school principals, Catholic homeschoolers, and parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612619354
Publisher:	Paraclete Press
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Series:	Pope's Cat Series , #1
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jon M. Sweeney is an independent scholar and award-winning author. His books have been translated into many languages. He's a popular interpreter of the life and work of Francis of Assisi, and author of more than 40 books including St. Francis of Assisi with a foreword by Richard Rohr, and The Complete Francis of Assisi used by Third Order Franciscans. HBO optioned the film rights to Sweeney's book on the medieval Pope Celestine V, The Pope Who Quit.

In 2023, Jon published Sit in the Sun: And Other Lessons in the Spiritual Wisdom of Cats, and Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness and Light, coauthored with Mark S. Burrows. Jon has been interviewed on CBS News, WGN-TV, Fox News, and CBS Saturday Morning, and by publications online from CNN to Romper. He's a practicing Catholic who also prays regularly with his wife, a congregational rabbi. He loves the church, the synagogue, and other aspects of organized religion. He would never say he's "spiritual but not religious." He is the father of four and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sweeney is codirector of The Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Sacred Heart Seminary; religion editor at Monkfish Book Publishing; editor of Living City magazine; and contributing editor for books at SpiritualityandPractice.com.

Roy DeLeon is an Oblate of St. Benedict, a spiritual director, a workshop facilitator focused on creative praying, an Urban Sketcher, and a professional illustrator. In addition to illustrating The Pope's Cat series, he is also the author of Praying with the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life. He lives in Bothell, Washington, with his wife, Annie.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The Pope’s Cat is a heartwarming tale, which gives the papacy a human touch, along with a taste of life in Rome. Sweeney has done an excellent job in opening up the world of the Vatican to youngsters. I read it to my two children and they both loved it!”
–Christopher Lamb, Rome correspondent for The Tablet (UK)

“Young readers and the young at heart will surely fall in love with Margaret, the spirit-filled pet at the heart of The Pope's Cat! Accompanied by fanciful illustrations from Roy Deleon, Jon Sweeney’s first book for children invites us to peek inside the Vatican and discover a Pope who loves sugar cookies and early morning walks and adorable cats just like the rest of us. I can’t wait for more Margaret the cat and her adventures in Rome!”
–Lisa M. Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com and author of the Chime Travelers series

“The Pope's Cat is the kind of book I would have demanded my parents read to me over and over again. The story takes its young readers behind the walls of what is to many of us a mysterious land—the Vatican—and makes it accessible and human, both real and extraordinary. Margaret the cat steps inside a world few outside of it ever get to even glimpse and sees it from a unique vantage point in a similar fashion to how Corduroy experiences the department store when he goes searching for a button or Claudia and Jamie Kincaid discover fascinating worlds inside the Museum of Natural History. The book contains its own hidden gems that readers (young and old) will find along the way: a bit of papal protocol and history, a few words of Italian, and charming nods to Franciscan spirituality that will stay with them perhaps for a lifetime. It is an uncommon and uncommonly good book for children of all ages—a perfect gift for Christmas and Easter this year and for many to come.”
–Cathleen Falsani, religion journalist; author of The God Factor and Sin Boldly

“The Pope’s Cat is a treat. A stray named Margaret brings joy and quiet companionship into the Pope’s life in this sweet tale of friendship that left me hungry—not only for gelato and spaghetti alle vongole—but for more stories about this dear pair.” 
–Jennifer Grant, award-winning author of Maybe God Is Like That Too
 
“As a self-professed gelateria Catholic, fascinated by Rome, the papacy, and cats, I cannot wait to read this story to our children and the cats we have at home.”
–Massimo Faggioli, Professor of Historical Theology, Villanova University

“DeLeon’s delightful illustrations bring a sense of place to this charming story of the Pope befriending a stray cat. With superb craft and attention to detail, these heartwarming visuals will no doubt lure young readers to discover for themselves where this unique friendship will lead.”
–Richard Sheppard, correspondent for Urban Sketchers, and author/illustrator of Impressions of Wine Country

“DeLeon has that rare gift: to see beneath the surface to people’s inner feelings and share these in his drawings. Each successive page brings more magic and it grows and makes us want to linger. Bravo!”
–Pat Southern-Pearce, Urban Sketchers, artist-in-residence, and illustrator of A Pocketful of Dreams

“The Pope’s Cat provides a beautiful view—from feline-floor level—of the Vatican with fun and inspiration leaping from the pages.”
–Mark Lombard, Clarion Herald, New Orleans, LA