Biography

One Woman's Struggle Against Communism and Her Redemption "Step by step, I retreated from God and went forth to meet the world, the flesh, and the devil. . . . I'd join the devil himself. . . . There is no doubt that I traveled with him at my side and that he extorted a great price for his company." This is how Bella Dodd (1904-69) described her long battle with atheistic communism, an ideology her Church calls a "satanic scourge." She later described it as a "school of darkness," a school of...

From Fire, by Water is an inspiring and captivating account of one man’s journey to the Catholic faith. This book offers a firsthand look at Sohrab Ahmari’s incredible transformation from an atheist teenager in Iran to a devout Roman Catholic, bridging ancient faith with modern-day life. Through his eyes, readers will gain a unique perspective on the intellectual and spiritual struggles he faced in his search for higher truths.A unique and detailed memoir filled with personal reflections, Fro...

Explore the life and spirituality of Blessed Conchita, a mystic, saintly wife, and mother of nine, through "Beautiful Holiness: A Spiritual Journey with Blessed Conchita to the Heart of Jesus" by Kathleen Beckman. Discover how Blessed Conchita's experiences and writings offer profound insights for priests, religious, and married people alike. Learn about her vision of the Cross, her spiritual marriage with Christ, and her numerous mystical encounters, all while living a domestic life. This bo...

Élisabeth and Félix Leseur began their life together in France as a carefree young couple with a bright future ahead of them. They were beautifully and compatibly matched, except for one major difference--Élisabeth was a devout Catholic, and Félix was a firmly decided atheist. As they faced the seasons of life together, their relationship was tested, and both were called to deep spiritual transformation.Out of love for her husband, Élisabeth spent her life offering her many sufferings for the...

"One of the 100 best books of the year." --The Times Literary Supplement Christopher Columbus is reevaluated as a man of deep passion, patience, and religious conviction--on a mission to save Jerusalem from Islam. Five hundred years after he set sail, Columbus is still a controversial figure in history. Debates portray him either as the hero in the great drama of discovery or as an avaricious glory hunter and ruthless destroyer of indigenous cultures. In Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem, ...

Sister Mary Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, founded the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles in 1995 at the age of seventy. Four years after her death, in May 2023, the sisters were preparing for the reinternment of the remains of their beloved foundress after the completion of a St. Joseph Shrine. Upon seeing Sister Mary's remains, they discovered something incredible, something miraculous--her body appeared to be incorrupt!In The Life of Sister Mary Wilhelmina, you will become acquaint...

This inspiring book gives you a splendid example of how to live as a Christian in a secular environment that can be indifferent or hostile to your Faith. For Elisabeth Leseur had two great loves: God and her husband Felix, who was an atheist. Felix loved Elisabeth as well; yet to their mutual sorrow, he couldn't share the life of the Spirit that Elisabeth cherished. Occasionally the happiness of their life together in upper-class Parisian society was shattered by Felix's frustration and impat...

Written by a foremost expert on the life of the beloved St. Thérèse of Lisieux, this work is widely considered as the most definitive and popular presentation of her life. St. Thérèse is the most popular modern saint of our times.Who was this young French Carmelite who died in 1897 of tuberculosis at age twenty-four? At a time when extreme physical penance was widespread in many religious orders, Thérèse would have none of it. Her passionate love of Jesus led her to concentrate entirely on hi...

Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most popular modern saints in the world, but the details of her life and spirituality are still not widely known and are somewhat of a mystery even to her devoted followers.With over 150 stunning photographs, in-depth text, and plentiful sidebars on history, geography, and themes, this gorgeous work helps us enter into the universe of the greatest saint of modern times to discover the simplicity, yet depth of her daily life and of her relationships, both human...

"My Father, I put myself in your hands", wrote Charles de Foucauld in his journal. "Whatever you make of me, I thank you, I am ready for everything, I accept everything, I thank you for everything."When he was killed by bandits in 1916, the French aristocrat-turned-monk was virtually unknown. Over the course of a century, however, the radiance of Foucauld's hidden life has spread more and more, and the Church now recognizes him as a saint.His youth and early adulthood read like a novel--the l...

After a terrible misjudgment in the delivery room, Dr. John Bruchalski realized that with every pregnant woman he attends, there are two patients: the mother and her unborn child. In addition to this discovery, two remarkable spiritual experiences deepened his understanding of the kind of man he had become and the one he was called to be. Two Patients is the story of how a physician who practiced abortion came to question the medical status quo and to pioneer an approach to reproductive medic...

This book takes us into the heart of the Soviet Union, where Alexander Krylov grew up as an underground Catholic in the 1970's and 1980's, never even entering a church until he was a teenager. How does faith in God live on when God is outlawed? 'How I Became a Man' shows us, offering glimpses at the everyday reality of Communism through the eyes of a child, with humor, irony, and a keen sense of human goodness. 

"Hugh O'Flaherty: The Irish Priest Who Resisted the Nazis" by Fiorella De Maria tells the courageous story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, an Irish priest working in the Vatican during the Nazi occupation of Italy in 1943. Known for his heroic efforts to save lives during World War II, O'Flaherty's story was popularized by the movie, The Scarlet and the Black. This Vision Book highlights his bravery and moral conviction in the face of grave danger, making it a compelling read for young readers ...

A Pope for All Seasons: Testimonies Inspired by Saint John Paul II contains reminiscences by people who admired this saintly man as student, actor, professor, mentor, author, priest, pope, political leader, uncle, and friend. Among the nearly 50 men and women who share their intimate thoughts on the Polish pontiff are internationally recognized figures such as Maestro Placido Domingo, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Michael Reagan, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Newt...

In the ancient Christian Apostles' Creed, we speak the fourth line that Jesus Christ "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he went down to the dead (ad inferno-to hell)." This mysterious line of Christ's descent to hell generated a deep mystical spirituality in Adrienne von Speyr (d. 1967), a Swiss laywoman, physician, wife, mother, and spiritual writer. Her extensive, speculative mysticism influenced the critical work of the Catholic theologian, Hans Urs von Ba...

Until the end of the 1930s, the Carmel of Lisieux regularly published "rains of roses", collections of testimonies of people healed, converted, and reconciled through the intercession of little Thérèse. Thérèse had promised to "spend her heaven doing good on earth", a promise which is being fulfilled in the four corners of the world. It is this miracle worker Thérèse that Guy Gaucher presents to us through numerous testimonies. At the end of the 1997 World Youth Day in Paris, John Paul II ann...

In times of escalating evil, exorcists find themselves in greater demand. This collection of questions and answers takes you beyond Hollywood hyperbole and deep into Fr. Amorth's real-life private world, giving you a harrowing vision of his daily battles with the devil and a fascinating glimpse into his sacred ministry. The editors at Sophia Institute Press, publisher of three best-selling books by Fr. Amorth, separate the fantasy from the facts surrounding what really occurs in exorcisms. Th...

Confessions of a Convert is Robert Hugh Benson's autobiographical account of his journey from an Anglican brought up in "the moderate High Church school of thought" to a Catholic priest living under "the sunlight of Eternal Truth." Benson was raised as a faithful, yet unreflective member of the Anglican communion, whose childhood was dominated by his father's, the Archbishop of Canterbury's, unquestioning commitment to doctrine. Theology was merely the family business, and hints at a more per...

Priest of the Eucharist From a young age, (now St) Pierre-Julien Eymard wanted nothing more than to be a priest. Once ordained, young Fr Eymard quickly developed a deep devotion to his Lord in the Holy Eucharist. Consumed by his great love, Fr Eymard devoted his life to increasing devotion to Jesus in all tabernacles. In this biography of the "Priest of the Eucharist", Fr Tesnière, a novice trained by St Pierre-Julien, showcases the prayerful devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament that charac...

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the greatest and most recognizeable saints in the history of the Church. His life was a mirror of the life of Christ. In a decadent age, filled with corruption, Francis became not merely an impetus for reform, but a living image of Christ in his virtue and in his flesh through the stigmata. Candide Chalippe's work is not merely biography, it is a spiritual classic written by an author filled with piety and love for Christ and His Church. This new publication ed...

St. Thomas More, by E.E. Reynolds, is a complete life of the saint based on primary source accounts, state papers and contemporary registers. Reynolds leaves no written source uncovered in drawing together for us the man who became one of the most famous men not only in England, but even in Europe, who gave his life for the rights of the Church over the tyranny of the state. Reynolds traces More's life and environs, as well as More's writings and poetry, to bring out the man and the hour in w...

Mediatrix Press is pleased to put back into print: The Life of Pope Leo XIII written by the learned American Fr. Bernard O'Reilly, while that Pope was alive, and based on a memoir furnished to him by the Holy See. Thus, this work is nearly autobiographical, being based on the Pope's life as he wished it to be written. Fr. O'Reilly, making copious use of the Pope's Italian memoir, presents to us Gioacchomo Pecci, the future Leo XIII, in the midst of the dramatic and revolutionary changes affec...

Discover the life of Benedict of Nursia in a unique and insightful way with Saint Benedict and His Times, written by Ildefonso Schuster, one of the outstanding ecclesiastical scholars of the twentieth century. Piece together the puzzle of one of the most important figures in Church history with this comprehensive look at the times he lived. A millennium and a half have passed since Benedict penned his great Rule that has guided countless God-seeking souls ever since. Dig deep into history, ju...