Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriage

Intimate Graces invites couples to reciprocate the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy to strengthen their marriage, especially during this Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis.

In Intimate Graces, bestselling author and Catholic media personality Teresa Tomeo and her husband, Dominick Pastore, invite couples to enrich their marriages by practicing the fourteen Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. Through their own story and that of other married couples, Tomeo and Pastore demonstrate how reciprocating the works of mercy brings out the best in a marriage.

The Catholic Church encourages believers to perform Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, tangible actions that show charity toward others. In Intimate Graces, Teresa Tomeo and her husband, Dominick Pastore, demonstrate how applying the fourteen traditional virtues of Catholic spirituality can foster deeper intimacy in any marriage. The couple uses personal stories and reflections, as well as the experiences of other Catholic couples, to show how a husband and wife can become, in a real way, a haven of compassion and virtue for each other.

Tomeo and Pastore each write in their own voice and include reflection questions, practical suggestions, and a prayer at the end of each chapter.

Ordained a deacon in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2012, Dominick Pastore ministers to couples at retreats, pilgrimages, conferences. He serves as a deacon at St. Angela and St. Isaac Jogues churches in suburban Detroit. Pastore has a master's degree in pastoral studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

He is vice president and senior electrical engineer for SmithGroupJJR in Detroit, where he's been employed since 1980. Pastore is a knight in the Order of Malta, and member of the board of Mary's Mantle, a Catholic home for pregnant and unwed mothers. He and his wife lead pilgrimages to Rome and other parts of Italy for married couples.

Teresa Tomeo is a bestselling author, syndicated Catholic talk show host, and speaker with more than thirty years of experience in print and broadcast media. Her weekday radio program, Catholic Connection, a coproduction of Ave Maria Radio and EWTN, is heard daily on 300 stations nationwide and also SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Her TV show, The Catholic View for Women, is seen twice weekly on EWTN.

Tomeo is a columnist and special correspondent for Our Sunday Visitor. She has been featured on The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News, Fox and Friends, MSNBC, and the Dr. Laura Show. She was named a Vatican conference speaker and conference delegate and spoke at the 2013 conference the "Rights of the Family and the Challenges of the Contemporary World" sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family. Tomeo participated in the Vatican Women's Congress in 2008. She speaks throughout North America and also leads retreats and pilgrimages annually. Tomeo is a teacher for St. Benedict Press's Catholic Courses. Her books include Extreme Makeover, God's Bucket List, and Walk Softly and Carry and Great Bag. She and her husband, Dominick, Pastore live in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.