Do we live in “post-Christian” times? Or has secularization run its course, the sun of a new day breaking on both the Church and the world?

In Towards Dawn: Essays in Hopefulness, Bishop Erik Varden—a Trappist monk and the bishop of Trondheim in Norway—reflects on recent crises of the past and signs of hope for the future. Featuring essays on some of the most pressing subjects of the day for Catholics—evangelization, synodality, liturgy, blessings, the sexual abuse crisis, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and more—Bishop Varden unfurls “a blessed contagion” of hope rooted in authentic spirituality, the universal call to holiness, and the revelation of Christ, who makes all things new.

A compelling collection from one of the most impressive young voices of the episcopacy, Towards Dawn offers neither a bland optimism nor a bitter pessimism but a realistic, clear-eyed confidence that everything—even suffering, disappointment, and injustice—can be purposeful. We can move out of the meaninglessness and despair that surround us toward the Light that shines in the darkness. Here and now, hope glimmers.