A Catholic Guide to Narnia

Jeffrey Cole joined Ascension in 2020, bringing with him significant previous experience in Catholic publishing, Catholic education, and legal practice. At Ascension, Jeffrey serves as the Director of the Parish, School, and Small Group Products Team. He has overseen the development of several flagship products, including Renewed: Your Journey to First Reconciliation, Received: Your Journey to First Communion, and Foundations of Faith: A Journey Through the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Jeffrey holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University. He also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Canterbury Christ College.

Jeffrey lives with his wife and children in Western Kentucky.

Michael Flickinger serves as the editorial director at Ascension for adult trade books, where he has helped shape the publisher’s books and faith-formation resources for many years. Working alongside Ascension’s founders and authors, he has had an editorial hand in bringing numerous Ascension titles to Catholic readers.

Matthew Pinto founded Ascension in 1998 and was the president and chief executive officer from 1998 to 2021. He is a recognized leader in Catholic marketing and communication in the Church in the United States. Matt has been at the forefront of several Catholic ministries and initiatives since he began full-time service to the Church in 1991, including Ascension Press, CatholicExchange.com, the Theology of the Body Institute, and Spark Catholic Communications.

He is a best-selling Catholic author, whose books include the teen question-and-answer books Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons?, Did Jesus Have a Last Name?, and Do I Have to Go: 101 Questions about the Mass, the Eucharist, and Your Spiritual Life, as well as the Amazing Grace series. Matt also co-authored A Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions About “The Passion of the Christ“, which went on to sell more than a million copies and reached #6 on the New York Times Religion Best-Seller List.

Matt is a recipient of the Catholic Leadership Institute’s Award for Outstanding Catholic Leadership (2004). He has served or presently serves on the boards of the Theology of the Body Institute, the Association of Catholic Publishers, and John Paul the Great University.

Matt and his wife, Maryanne, live in Pennsylvania, and are the parents of six children.

Mark Shea is a popular Catholic writer, apologist, and speaker. A convert to the Catholic faith from Evangelicalism in 1987, he has spent decades explaining and defending Catholic teaching with wit, erudition, and a storyteller’s touch, through books such as By What Authority? and the Mary, Mother of the Son trilogy, along with years of columns, blogs, and radio appearances.


For Ascension, he co-authored A Catholic Guide to Narnia: Questions and Activities for the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe .He also contributed to Disorientation: How to Go to College Without Losing Your Mind.