Bishop Joseph Strickland is one of the Church’s boldest and most courageous leaders. His outspoken support of orthodox faith and morals, the sanctity of unborn life, and reforming Catholic institutions have made him a hero even to Catholics outside his little East Texas diocese.

In Light and Leaven he offers a forthright perspective on the state of the Church and the world today and calls on the lay faithful to meet its challenges unflinchingly. We must not shrink from the culture, he says, but be a light to it; we must not retreat from the world but leaven it with grace and truth.

In his direct and conversational manner, Bishop Strickland touches on a wide range of topics, including Church renewal in a time of scandal, the central importance of the Eucharist, how to build strong marriages, the need for prayer and silence in a noisy and distracted age, and the battle between good and evil in which all Christians are engaged.