Reaching for Heaven

Michael Amodei is executive editor and curriculum development manager at Ave Maria Press, where he writes and edits Catholic high school religion textbooks. He is the author of several books, including Send Out Your Spirit, Catholic Essentials, The Ave Guide to the Scriptural Rosary, and The Ave Guide to Eucharistic Adoration. Amodei also has acquired a number of spiritual books for Ave Maria Press, including A Teen's Game Plan for Life by Lou Holtz, Holy Goals for Body and Soul by Bishop Thomas Paprocki, and Expect More! by Muffet McGraw.

Amodei earned his bachelor's degree in English from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, where he also earned a master's degree in religious education.

Amodei previously served as director of religious education and as a youth minister at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California. He also served as a math, religion, and gym teacher, as well as a Catholic Youth Organization sports coach at St. Monica Elementary School.

He is leader of the Ave Maria Press Chapter of Catholic Relief Services, a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers, and a third degree in the Knights of Columbus. Amodei has been a youth sports coach for more than forty years and is the field supervisor for home football games at the University of Notre Dame. Amodei lives with his family in South Bend, Indiana.