We have been working on a major site upgrade for longer than I care to think about and, wisely or not, decided to roll it out ver early on Friday morning to cause as little disruption to our company as possible.

The upgrade was finished by 9am but the site kept slowing down and crashing. So instead of going back home to enjoy the day off I spent the whole day pouring through code that I thought must be the cause of the problem. I was able to find a few inefficiencies in our code but each time I fixed one the site would be fine for about two minutes and then crash again.

It turns out that we were the victims of a malicious denial-of-service attack which basically means that someone on the internet had one or more computers making so many requests for web pages from our site that it couldn’t handle the load. We weren’t able to block out all the attacks until around midnight which meant that for almost all of “Black Friday” our site was inaccessible.

I apologize for the disappointment and frustration that this may have caused you and hope you will give us another chance. Our Thanksgiving sale is still going on and if you haven’t ordered your Magnificat Advent Companion yet, they are 35% off today, while supplies last.

Aquinas and More is helping you take care of your Christmas shopping early so you can enjoy a spiritually rewarding Advent. Take 15% off just about everything on our site from Wednesday (21) evening – Monday (26) evening.

All orders over $55 will include a free copy of Catholic Men’s Quarterly and receive free standard shipping in the US. (Magazine subscriptions not included).

Here are some highlights:

The Shepherds’ Prayer

A young man with no name, orphaned as a baby, sets off to find out
the truth about the circumstances of his birth, the fate of his
parents, and his heritage. Having been raised in a culture where
bloodlines mean everything, he seems forever condemned to live as an
outsider on the fringes of society.

His only clue is a cryptic message on a lambskin
blanket about a child born in a stable in Bethlehem, near where his
adopted father had rescued him as a baby so long ago.

The townspeople offer no help, but later he seeks
out a band of shepherds who, it’s said, are evildoers who caused a
terrible massacre.

Can these rough herdsmen lead him to the truth he
is seeking? Burying his fear, he sets out to find them. He is
determined to learn the truth. What really happened in that stable
thirty years earlier?

The answers will change his life forever…and maybe yours.

Kissing the Face of God Christmas Card

This adorable card has been a runaway bestseller this season. More are on the way!

We also have plenty of other Advent and Christmas items available.

Since almost all of our jewelry is available for shipping within three business days, now the best time to get that special Christmas present.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Aquinas and More staff.

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