Books Published by Arouca Press

Originally published in 1909, the following pages on St. Dominic and his spirit, as embodied in the Order which he founded, were written in the form of letters-and there are ten of them-to an inquiring young friend, by the Very Rev. Père Duchaussoy, O.P. With his kind permission, they have been translated from the French, in which they were originally written, by the Rev. Fr. Bede Jarrett, B.A., S.T.L., of the same Order.To these letters another-as an appendix-has been added, at my suggestion...

In this second English-language issue of Sedes Sapientiæ, two prominent themes emerge. First, Fr. de Blignières and Joseph Shaw debate the feasibility of establishing an "ordinariate," i.e., a canonical structure with a bishop, to harbor traditional Catholics. This constructive solution to the current predicament of traditionalists stands in contrast to critical or defensive postures that "custodians of Tradition" have generally been constrained to adopt. Bishop Athanasius Schneider broaches ...

The story of the Martyrs of Castelfidardo is one of faith, heroism, and sacrifice. During the 1860s, the Papal States were under attack by a revolutionary movement to unite Italy under the banner of anti-clericalism. This attack was pushed by Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia-Piedmont and Italian secret societies.On September 11th, 1860 the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont invaded the Papal States, hellbent on seizing the patrimony of St. Peter, which stood for over 1000 years. The largest battle fo...

This is a story about a coming, slowly creeping, once in a millennium climatological disaster event. Yet the residents of a small Pacific Northwest town, especially their Mayor, seem more concerned with the taking up of a homeless man and his cohort in downtown, a development threatening to ruin their idyllic self-perceptions. Even as the storm readies to deliver a direct hit, many view the homeless men as the true "plague" rather than a dust storm, acid spitting, Tornado funnel-front that ha...

Don Giuseppe Pace, who wrote this novel under the pseudonym Walter Martin, takes on the excesses and inversions of the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council in this novel, with its host of lovable and infuriating characters and often surprising storyline. The new leader of the Church, a relative unknown who has been elected as a mere transitional pope, upsets the entire process of Reform that held sway over the Church up to his election. Opposed on almost all sides by shrewd careerists, he ...

First-ever translation of Essai sur la fin d'une civilisation originally published in 1949.Our contemporary civilization is in distress. Society is unraveling, with rampant individualism, moral dissipation, identity crises, unchecked consumerism, and social isolation. De Corte, writing in the mid-twentieth century, studies these trends and discerns their causes: the prevalence of philosophies rooted in idealism or materialism, the reign of ideologies inspired by these philosophies, objectific...

The Hippo Lectures is a book of essays that were first given as live audience, public talks. Catholicism being a "both/and" faith, this work is both fiction and non-fiction; speech and story; serious and absurd; broadly maximal and microscopically focused. It's singular glue, however, is the Catholic Faith. All the essays-whether about the environment, beauty, athletics, beer, sex, economics, film, or American politics, to name but a few-are viewed through a Catholic lens. Now nearly past the...

In these modern days of the six-minute homilette, some may question the use of translating musty old sermons. Why bother with the past? Wouldn't we be better off walking hand in hand into the future, leaving what is dead and buried behind us? These sermons can help us in our quest. Written during a time when the Catholic Church was under siege from Protestantism, the sermons are clear examples of how we might strengthen our own faith in the face of adversity. The author, Joseph Rivius (1607-1...

Inspirations & Lamentations: Literary Devotions of an Unusual Sort is a unique devotional book, combining a depth of spirituality, devotion, and desire for Him with a fresh, realistic, faith-filled contemporary assessment of modern life. 

Social justice: the expression evokes images of protests in the streets, economic and political debates about human and civil rights, unions, wages, welfare programs for the poor, foreign aid, immigration, race conflicts, and even climate change. All seemingly intractable problems. Taking the wrong side of the debate can lead to exclusion from our inclusive society. One thing is always missing in our secular, pluralistic society: God and religion. The Church herself seems to enter the debate ...

This is an updated edition of the English translation published in 1963 based on Volume I of Le Corps Mystique du Christ: Fr. Ernest Mura's classic treatment of the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ originally published in French in 1934. It also features the first-ever English translation of Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange's preface found in the original French edition.The unity of the total Christ and his supernatural activity are the two aspects of the theology of the Mystical Body. F...

If Christ came to "bring a sword" into history, it was a sword that was meant to fight on behalf of the personal and common good of individual human beings and the communities through which they work to perfect themselves. Everywhere that sword cut, it did so to fashion a true, good, and beautiful civilization in which men could live with a freedom and a dignity that surpasses all purely natural understanding.The enemies of the Incarnation and its central "practical" consequence for the tempo...

This book is a treasure trove of profoundly practical insights for living and loving faithfully in the twenty-first century. Just as St. Francis saw Assisi more accurately not as a fortified stronghold of safety and wealth but as a city hanging upside down by a providential thread, so does Carol Robinson evaluate the tenuous state of America. With Thomistic clarity and Chestertonian wit, she pierces through our current clouded state of affairs. In this small and efficient book, Robinson's lan...

The Collected Works of Carol Jackson Robinson, Volume 1 From the Foreword: In Designs for Christian Living, Carol Jackson Robinson practices what she preaches. Designs is not primarily a theological work but an essay into what Catholics can do in the here and now to begin the transformation of society. Interestingly, Robinson does not propose the formation of Catholic political parties or movements; she avoids the fallacy of urging the erection of a political house on the foundation of a cult...

Essays on the Beatitudes and The Gifts of the Holy GhostThe Collected Works of Carol Jackson Robinson, Volume 2 This book is the second in Carol Robinson's Collected Works series. Her penetrating and original analysis of the modern world shows the fruit of a mind absorbed in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas— her life-long companion. We hope that these essays will help Catholics understand how the Faith has importance for the totality of their lives which must not be hidden away from the publ...

This is the second edition of Dom Hubert van Zeller's short commentary on the Hail Mary which was part of his "In Other Words" series. Originally published in 1963, it has long been out of print. Permission has been granted by Downside Abbey Trustees to republish this wonderful work.

The Memoirs of Antonio Cardinal Bacci Antonio Bacci was rector of the archdiocesan seminary of Florence when his exceptional knowledge of Latin caused him to be summoned to Rome in 1922 to join the office of the Secretary of State as an assistant, first to Aurelio Galli and then to Nicola Sebastiani, the chief Latinists of the Holy See. Bacci succeeded Sebastiani as Secretary of Briefs to Princes upon the latter's death in 1931. In the first half of the memoirs here translated, Bacci discusse...

Historical & Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal When Ildefonso Schuster (1880-1954) transformed his copious and insightful lecture notes on the Roman liturgy into the five volumes of Liber Sacramentorum— known to us in English as The Sacramentary, and presented here for the first time in a modern reprint— he stated his purpose: "sharing with devout and studious souls, especially among my brother priests, whatever sentiments of faith and reverence Our Lord may have deigned to grant me, H...

Historical & Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal When Ildefonso Schuster (1880-1954) transformed his copious and insightful lecture notes on the Roman liturgy into the five volumes of Liber Sacramentorum— known to us in English as The Sacramentary, and presented here for the first time in a modern reprint— he stated his purpose: "sharing with devout and studious souls, especially among my brother priests, whatever sentiments of faith and reverence Our Lord may have deigned to grant me, H...

Historical & Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal When Ildefonso Schuster (1880-1954) transformed his copious and insightful lecture notes on the Roman liturgy into the five volumes of Liber Sacramentorum— known to us in English as The Sacramentary, and presented here for the first time in a modern reprint— he stated his purpose: "sharing with devout and studious souls, especially among my brother priests, whatever sentiments of faith and reverence Our Lord may have deigned to grant me, H...

Historical & Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal When Ildefonso Schuster (1880-1954) transformed his copious and insightful lecture notes on the Roman liturgy into the five volumes of Liber Sacramentorum— known to us in English as The Sacramentary, and presented here for the first time in a modern reprint— he stated his purpose: "sharing with devout and studious souls, especially among my brother priests, whatever sentiments of faith and reverence Our Lord may have deigned to grant me, H...

Historical & Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal When Ildefonso Schuster (1880-1954) transformed his copious and insightful lecture notes on the Roman liturgy into the five volumes of Liber Sacramentorum— known to us in English as The Sacramentary, and presented here for the first time in a modern reprint— he stated his purpose: "sharing with devout and studious souls, especially among my brother priests, whatever sentiments of faith and reverence Our Lord may have deigned to grant me, H...

The Ancient Church, The Middle Ages, The Beginnings of the Modern Period "The task of condensing the History of the Church within a few hundred pages is a delicate one. We have undertaken it in the hope that our efforts will benefit both seminarians and college students. Our chief concern throughout has been clearness, precision, and brevity, and for this reason we have carefully eliminated unnecessary details. On the other hand, we have thought it our duty to stress the dogmatic controversie...

The Modern Period: Contemporary Church History So vast is the material to be controlled, digested and presented in the work of preparing a manual of Church History for the use of students in colleges, seminaries and universities or for the enlightened portion of the general public, the historian who undertakes the task is always confronted with the problem of knowing what to leave out as non-essential details or events of secondary importance and what to include as matter of capital importanc...

Design, Theme, and Symbol in Worship Today there is a growing eagerness to enter into a deeper knowledge of the Mass, the sacraments and the whole life of the Church. A particularly rewarding insight comes from a penetration of the actual words, gestures and symbols used in worship. "The Church wants us to stop and look and be enriched by the glories she presents for our contemplation," writes Sister Laurentia. "The liturgy is God's art. For His material He uses our familiar earth, air, fire ...

Theology is in fact the intellectus fidei-the intelligence of the one faith, the same yesterday and today, composed of distinct but analogical mysteries. The truth is symphonic, as Hans Urs von Balthasar says. It is like one piece of music played by many instruments. The greater the variety of instruments playing the same piece, the better they express the beauty of that one musical score. The same should be true of the multitude of believers around the world. If this is not the case, there i...

Volume 1: A Manual for Priests, Teachers and Normal Schools From the Preface: Motivation may be a concomitant step in the teaching procedure, or it may be an independent effort at the conclusion. All through the teaching procedure the teacher will find story and example occurring frequently, in order to motivate the will. Again, at the conclusion of each section she will find a paragraph presenting a particular idea for motivation as if she would say to the class, 'You have learned something...

Volume 2: A Manual for Priests, Teachers and Normal Schools From the Preface: Motivation may be a concomitant step in the teaching procedure, or it may be an independent effort at the conclusion. All through the teaching procedure the teacher will find story and example occurring frequently, in order to motivate the will. Again, at the conclusion of each section she will find a paragraph presenting a particular idea for motivation as if she would say to the class, 'You have learned something...

Volume 3: A Manual for Priests, Teachers and Normal Schools From the Preface: Motivation may be a concomitant step in the teaching procedure, or it may be an independent effort at the conclusion. All through the teaching procedure the teacher will find story and example occurring frequently, in order to motivate the will. Again, at the conclusion of each section she will find a paragraph presenting a particular idea for motivation as if she would say to the class, 'You have learned something...

Ten Short Stories Based on Actual Events  Can priests miss Mass? This little book light-heartedly depicts ten Holy Masses nearly missed by priests due to some opposition from within Holy Church, not from without. From Kilimanjaro to Loch Ness, from Burma to Paris and more, the ten humorous short stories describe hindrances to the celebration of Holy Mass inflicted on innocent priests by sacristans, shrine rectors or even bishops. Those failed to recognise that, given a suitable time frame and...

From the Preface: The Renaissance was a time of realization, continuity and rebirth that began in fifteenth-century Italy. The name Renaissance or Classical is given to that manner of building and style of ornament which is an adaptation of the models of ancient Greece and Rome. These ancient classical models helped influence the new architecture and painting of Sant'Onofrio. It is my hope this little book will inspire you, dear pilgrim, and help create a conversation among other pilgrims to ...

This is the first of a series of reprints by Arouca Press. It features an exact reproduction of the interior from the original work published in 1961. It includes a new and classically designed cover. Excerpt from the Preface:The term "dialogue" crops up today more and more frequently. It emerges before the reading public in publications as diverse as Theological Studies, Time, Harper's, or the New Yorker. While this book was never intended by its author as a contribution to the dialogue betw...

Reflections on the Sacred Priesthood This book identifies sinful hindrances and spiritual resources for a fruitful and rewarding priestly life in the twenty-first century. These reflections are drawn from the author's traditional priestly formation and from his twenty years of experience as retreat master for clergy and laity, and as vocations promoter.

Volume 1 Edited by Canon George D. Smith, D.D., Ph.D. Contents: Faith and Revealed Truth An Outline of Catholic Teaching The One God The Blessed Trinity The Holy Ghost God the Creator Divine Providence The Angels Man and His Destiny The Fall of Man and Original Sin Jesus Christ, God and Man Jesus Christ, The Model of Manhood Jesus Christ, Man of Sorrows Christ, Priest and Redeemer Mary, Mother of God Sanctifying Grace Actual Grace The Supernatural Virtues Contributions by Rev. J. P. Arendzen ...

When confronted with the message of the Gospel, the Jews on the day of Pentecost were cut to the heart and said, "Brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37) Catholics today are asking themselves the same question. Phillip Campbell's The Way of Life offers a response. Drawing on the spiritual heritage of the Church, the essays in this book call us to refocus our sight on the Lord, cultivating "eyes to see" that we might have confidence in God's providence. Covering a host of subjects ranging fro...

The Liturgical Year in Word and Symbols In his Motu Proprio on sacred music issued in 1903, the saintly Pope Pius X urged a deeper understanding and an "active participation in the most holy mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church" (that is the liturgy of the Church). The word liturgy is of Greek origin and means public work or service. In Greece it was used to designate every citizen's contribution to the welfare of his country, work for which he was obligated according t...

(and A Young Poet's Elegy to the Court of God) A Traditional Play in Blank Verse The preternaturally great poet Orpheus has responded to the loss of his wife Eurydice to the Underworld by forsaking the society of his fellow men in Thrace, where he was a poet-king, and endlessly wandering through field and forest, using his poetic genius to lament his loss. Apollo, the god of poetry, urges him to give up his excessive mourning and return to Thrace and once more sing the deeds of the great hero...

Anselm Stolz, the author of this book, was a Benedictine monk of the German abbey of Gerleve. He was called to Rome to teach theology at Sant'Anselmo, the Roman Benedictine college, until his early death from typhus in 1942. In his life and teaching, as his confrère Elmar Salman points out, he united Christian belief and Christian living, he not only talked the talk in books and lectures, he walked the walk, in his life and death. A lifetime later, another Benedictine professor, Gerardo Békés...

Sermons on Septuagesima, Lent, & Eastertide In these modern days of the six-minute homilette, some may question the use of translating musty old sermons. Why bother with the past? Yet if we want to be whole Catholics, we need to know what went before us, as well as our present. In these confusing times where some in the Church are trying to erase any reminder of the past, it becomes all the more necessary to be familiar with the Faith as handed down through the centuries, in order to bett...

An Arouca Press Reprint of Msgr. Van Noort's classic work that was originally translated into English in 1955. It features an exact reproduction of the interior with a newly designed cover. Excerpt from the Preface: All priests know of many excellent manuals of theology in Latin. Many, however, confess that their long years in the ministry have seen them lose their mastery of that language and, as a consequence, the urge to pick up their seminary textbooks is not too strong. Our own teaching...

This is the first of a series of reprints by Arouca Press. It features an exact reproduction of the interior from the original work published in 1957. It includes a new and classically designed cover. From the inside of the original book:This volume is one of the most interesting in the series. It gives a full treatment of the Church, how it was considered through the ages, what others object to in Catholic teaching and what true theology can prove to be the case. While accurately adhering to...

Faith as a door is a fascinating image. A new horizon appears at precisely the moment when a man decides to cross the threshold and look out at the reality that is beyond his doorstep. Yet, faith turns out to be an absurdity in today's post-Christian society. Reason would no longer be able to furnish us with certainties, such as the foundational role of truth to undertake the study of any discipline. Consequently, God is nonsensical. But while reason has seen its oblivion, there is however an...

Sermons on the Gospels for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany In these modern days of the six-minute homilette, some may question the use of translating musty old sermons. Why bother with the past? Yet if we want to be whole Catholics, we need to know what went before us, as well as our present. In these confusing times where some in the Church are trying to erase any reminder of the past, it becomes all the more necessary to be familiar with the Faith as handed down through the centuries, in or...

Sermons for Pentecost and the Time after Pentecost In these modern days of the six-minute homilette, some may question the use of translating musty old sermons. Why bother with the past? Yet if we want to be whole Catholics, we need to know what went before us, as well as our present. In these confusing times where some in the Church are trying to erase any reminder of the past, it becomes all the more necessary to be familiar with the Faith as handed down through the centuries, in order to b...

Separating the occasional high points of the formal sessions of Vatican II were long stretches of procedural tedium and usually ponderous Latin speeches. Some of the anglophone council fathers found fleeting relief in recording their reactions, frustrations and opinions in limerick form. Many of these were collected in a typed manuscript together with their translations into Latin by Bishop Bernard Wall of Brentwood. The English limericks are a whimsical primary source for the history of Vati...