Catholic Books

An Old Layman Questions Himself about the Present Time At eighty-five, Jacques Maritain, the most distinguished Catholic philosopher of the twentieth century, has written what he offers as his last book, and it turns out to be a shocker. The "peasant," as Maritain calls himself in the title, is a man who calls a spade a spade; and a storm of controversy descended immediately on the book's publication in France, as both Right and Left reeled from the force of Maritain's criticism.The Peasant ...

From Joseph Kleutgen to the Second Vatican Council This book, which is now in its second edition, expels the confusion surrounding the distinction between the ordinary and the extraordinary magisterium of the Church by exposing the ambiguity inherent in the term 'ordinary magisterium'. A detailed analysis of the origins of this terminology in the writings of Joseph Kleutgen, a nineteenth century neo-scholastic theologian, provides the historical and theological context for understanding its ...

The Dimensions of the Literary Imagination Christ and Apollo juxtaposes Christian definiteness to romantic mythologizing. A strong warning might be in order: anyone coming to this book expecting a comparison of Jesus Christ to the god Apollo or a treatment of Greek mythology next to the Christian story will be disappointed. Lynch's Apollo is not the god who batters Achilles' armor from the shoulders of Patroklos in Book XVI of the Iliad, but the symbol of art as dream reconceived by Nietzsche...

Seneca was not only Rome's major Stoic philosopher. He was its great tragic playwright. Classics of Latin literature, Seneca's dramas also inspired the revival of tragic theater in the Renaissance. They served as models for Shakespeare, Kyd, Racine, Corneille, and Calderon. Dana Gioia's new book provides two ways of approaching Seneca-the critical and the creative. The book begins with a compelling account of Seneca's remarkable life in Imperial Rome. It interweaves the Stoic's roles as philo...

Reflections on Society Beatified in Warsaw in 2021, Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński (1901-1981) is widely recognized as one of Poland's greatest heroes of the twentieth century. Exercising the function of Primate of Poland from 1948 until his death, he reminded the Polish people of their Christian heritage and opposed the abuses of the communist regime; his popularity made him the Polish communist's worst nightmare. In this collection, which is bound to become a classic, Cardinal Wyszyński ...

The Little House books tell the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who, with her family, was among the early pioneers of the American west. Born in 1867 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods in Wisconsin, Laura traveled with her family by covered wagon through Kansas, Minnesota, and finally the Dakota Territory, where she met and married Almanzo Wilder. There was deprivation and hard work. Crops were ruined by storms and grasshopper plagues. But there were also happy times of love an...

How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith What does Plato have to do with the Christian faith? Quite a bit, it turns out. In ways that might surprise us, Christians throughout the history of the church and even today have inherited aspects of the ancient Greek philosophy of Plato, who was both Socrates's student and Aristotle's teacher. To help us understand the influence of Platonic thought on the Christian faith, Louis Markos offers careful readings of some of Plato's best-known texts...

An Historical Inquiry Progress and Religion was perhaps the most influential of all Christopher Dawson's books, establishing him as an interpreter of history and a historian of ideas. It has been described as a brilliant work of synthesis, for in this single volume he outlined his main thesis for the history of culture, which was his life's work. Anthropology, sociology, philosophy, religion, and history formed the backdrop for the key idea of his thought--namely, that religion is the soul of...

Poems by Saint John of the Cross Regarded by many as one of the finest Spanish poets, the 16th century mystic St. John of the Cross wrote sublime poems that chronicle the soul's purificatory pilgrimage through the dark night of the soul to the joy of mystical union with the Creator. To translate such works, with their passionate, intimate intensity, requires both boldness and delicacy. The translator of poetry faces many challenges. As the late poet Timothy Murphy notes in his introduction, s...

A deceased art expert seemingly reappears in Japan, upsetting the plans of priestly diplomats. They fear that a ruthless schemer may have stolen his identity. How far will that possible super spy dare to go to subvert Church policy? The answer may be hidden in Vermeer's celebrated paintings. Against a Cold War backdrop, friendship, religion, the fine arts, and ideology intertwine. Loyalties are tested, leaving the only alternatives of betrayal or sacrifice. In the Church under attack, the wor...

The Collapse and Revival of American Community Updated to include a new chapter about the influence of social media and the Internet--the 20th anniversary edition of Bowling Alone remains a seminal work of social analysis, and its examination of what happened to our sense of community remains more relevant than ever in today's fractured America. Twenty years, ago, Robert D. Putnam made a seemingly simple observation: once we bowled in leagues, usually after work; but no longer. This seemingly...

Compiled in 1782 by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, the Philokalia is a rich collection of spiritual writings from the fourth century on to the fifteenth from various saints and great minds giving counsel to monastics in their ascetic struggles. Though mostly written for monastics, under good spiritual guidance there is much to be gleaned by commonplace Catholics— in particular Eastern (Byzantine) Catholics, as most of the authors presented here were of the Easte...

Unbeknownst to many, the new catechism published in 1992 is far from the only catechism. St. Peter Canisius wrote the first catechism in 1555. Less than a decade later in 1562, the Roman Catechism was commissioned by the Fathers of the Council of Trent, who saw the need for an authoritative explanation of the Faith for the universal Church. Prepared under St. Charles Borromeo's supervision and issued by Pope St. Pius V in 1566, it remains the most authoritative catechism in print. For modern ...

“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Irony, witty banter, and all the wisdom that defines Jane Austen's novels, pour forth from every page of Northanger Abbey. At the end of the 18th century, as Gothic literature was especially popular, an avid reader of such novels— young, affectionate, and unworldly Catherine Morland, the daughter of a country clergyman— sets off for the high society of lively Bath, thus to begin an adventure of her own...

The well-known children's story The Secret Garden lends itself to a religious and modern interpretation. Like orphaned children in desperate need of spiritual comfort, many Catholics discovered the traditional Latin Mass thanks to the Covid pandemic. Thirsting for Confession, for Eucharistic adoration, or for Holy Communion administered with reverence, they rejoiced when finding all this and more in traditional worship. This book offers an analogy between Frances Hodgson Burnett's pre-WWI tal...

Narrative and the Problem of Suffering Only the most naive or tendentious among us would deny the extent and intensity of suffering in the world. Can one hold, consistently with the common view of suffering in the world, that there is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good God? This book argues that one can. Wandering in Darkness first presents the moral psychology and value theory within which one typical traditional theodicy, namely, that of Thomas Aquinas, is embedded. It explicates Aqu...

The novel that first made Willa Cather famous--a powerfully mythic tale of the American frontier told through the life of one extraordinary woman One of America's greatest writers, Cather established her talent and her reputation with this extraordinary novel--the first of her books set on the Nebraska frontier. A tale of the prairie land encountered by America's Swedish, Czech, Bohemian, and French immigrants, as well as a story of how the land challenged them, changed them, and, in some cas...

An essential addition to the HarperCollins Spiritual Classics series, The Way of a Pilgrim is combined in one volume with its companion work, The Pilgrim Continues His Way. Translated from the original Russian by Reginald M. French and with an introduction by Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions, The Way of a Pilgrim is the chronicle of an anonymous nineteenth century Russian Christian's travels and spiritual inquiries. Eye-opening and extraordinary, The Way of a Pilgrim offers a one...

A Reader in the Philosophy of Catholic Education No other living tradition has been thinking about thinking longer than the Catholic Church. With carefully selected readings from classical, patristic, medieval, modern, and contemporary sources, Renewing the Mind proposes the Catholic tradition as the noblest and best hope for a recovery of humane learning in our time. Edited by theologian and philosopher Ryan N.S. Topping, this anthology draws from a range of classical and contemporary philo...

St Benedict and the European Future St. Benedict has been called the Father of Western Monasticism and Patron of Europe. In this masterful work, Christopher Derrick brings forward the relevance of the values in the Rule of St. Benedict for the temporal as well as the spiritual future of the Western world.

An Unabridged Edition with The Original Four Parts and All Chapters, Table of Contents: On Selection of Men for The Work of The Church - On the Sort of Life, The Pastor Ought to Live - On the Best Methods of Dealing with The Various Types of People Which Every Pastor Will be Likely to Encounter - On the Necessity That the Pastor Guard Himself Against Egotism and Personal Ambition, with footnotes.

The mission given to Sister Josefa Menéndez by Our Lord. The divine words of the message, addressed to the people of the world, are a reminder of the Love and Mercy of Our Lord. Jesus considered it necessary to come and confirm the promises of the New Testament with the words of the 20th century. Thus, nineteen centuries after having declared it during his public life, Jesus asks Josefa to remind us, and to confirm to us, in a very clear way, that he is a God of love, forgiveness, and inexha...

America's Third Struggle for Freedom Initially written in 1940, Rural Roads to Security is a well-documented book about agrarian life during the Great Depression, and carried a warranted subtitle: “America’s Third Struggle for Freedom”. According to the authors, the first struggle was the war for American independence from Great Britain. The second struggle was the American Civil War, which succeeded to preserve the union and emancipate the enslaved. The third struggle was taking place during...

"She was not often invited to join in the conversation of the others, nor did she desire it. Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions; and, in observing the appearance of the country, the bearings of the roads, the difference of soil, the state of the harvest, the cottages, the cattle, the children, she found entertainment that could only have been heightened by having Edmund to speak to of what she felt." In early 19th century England, Fanny Price, at ten years ol...

The Facts, The Fraud, The Stories We must continue to demand justice and compassion for victims of Catholic clergy abuse. This is not optional. However, there is a side of the Catholic Church abuse narrative that is not getting the attention it warrants. Countless priests in the United States have been falsely accused of committing horrendous child abuse. Topics in this book include:... how the most recent and reliable figures reveal that one-third of accused Catholic priests in a major archd...

In this #1 international bestseller, a young woman leaves everything behind to work as a librarian in a remote French village, where she finds her outlook on life and love challenged in every way. Prudencia Prim is a young woman of intelligence and achievement, with a deep knowledge of literature and several letters after her name. But when she accepts the post of private librarian in the village of San Ireneo de Arnois, she is unprepared for what she encounters there. Her employer, a book-lo...

"She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older— the natural consequence of an unnatural beginning." Eight years ago, Anne Elliot drew back her consent to marry Fredrick Wentworth, the headstrong and spirited naval commander of a yet-certain career or established fortune, in the conviction that she acted for his own good. Forbearing, selfless, and pensive, she would as yet have married him against the wishes of her vain and rank-obsessed father, Sir Walt...

"'For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?'" Set in the English countryside at the turn of the 19th century, Pride and Prejudice opens upon the excitement of the Bennet family of Longbourn Estate when a rich, eligible, and unsuspecting gentlemen has taken residence at nearby Netherfield. In the interest of financial security, little can deter Mrs. Bennet from doing all she can to encourage a marriage between amiable Mr. Bingley and one her five ...

A Novel Based on the Life of St. Augustine of Hippo "You say, the times are troublesome, the times are burdensome, the times are miserable. Live rightly and you will change the times. The times have never hurt anyone. Those who are hurt are human beings; those by whom they are hurt are also human beings. So, change human beings and the times will be changed." -St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 311, 8 Growing up on the northernmost edge of the African continent, young Augustine had never known a ...

A Novel Based on the Life of Luca Pacioli An orphan from a small town in Italy, Pacioli came of age during the Renaissance seemingly destined for a life of struggle and obscurity. But Pacioli had the good fortune of meeting mentors who recognized his uncanny ability with numbers and introduced him to renowned artists and philosophers, royalty, and popes. At a time when many still used Roman numerals and colleges didn't even teach mathematics, Pacioli was determined to share his passion and ma...

A Novel Based on the Life of St. Francis of Assisi His neighbors thought he was spoiled and lazy. His teachers found him incorrigible. His own father believed he was crazy. His mother never doubted that he was a true son of God. Arrogant and grandiose, young Francis di Bernardone was an embarrassment to his family and a source of amusement to his community. He led a lavish, undisciplined life, squandering his father's fortune on the finest food, wine, and late-night parties with his coterie o...

A Novel Inspired by the Life of Guido d'Arezzo It was too big a secret to keep and too great a price to pay. Though few details are known of 11th-century Benedictine monk Guido d'Arezzo, he is widely recognized for inventing the language of music. Music's Guiding Hand offers a fictional account as to how an unlikely friendship between two medieval monks might have inspired one of the most important and enduring innovations of the Western world. When a fellow monk continually struggles to lear...

A Novel Based on the Life of Thomas Aquinas Entering the world with a burning desire for knowledge, Thomas Aquinas set out on a quest for truth that forced him into captivity. But his thirst for truth never wavered. Known today among many as the most brilliant light of the church, Aquinas was a Catholic priest and a Doctor of the Church. His influence on Western thought as he attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity is considerable. Aquinas is distin...

A Novel Based on the Life of Father Eusebio Kino Through a great and terrible wilderness, with serpents, scorpions, and thirsty ground, he sowed peace and sustenance and left an enduring mark on the New World. A celebrated teacher of mathematics and astronomy, Eusebio Kino's future promised to be comfortable and secure. Jesuit elders urged the young priest to continue his ministry in education. But a greater voice called, and Father Kino answered by pursuing a lifetime of danger and uncertain...

What Old Books Can Tell Us (And Warn Us) About Living in the 21st Century Fake news, genetic engineering, designer babies, Big Pharma, incipient totalitarian rule, the destruction of books, transhumanism, the desire to play God, and the serial misuse of the word "science"-it may sound a lot like America in the 2020s, but these politically charged modern concerns have been probed deeply in classic fiction by a host of prescient authors over the past two centuries. The Art of Being Human draws ...

This book tells the story of a girl from a small convent in Normandy, who lived a life of complete seclusion, known only by a few close friends, and yet today is a canonized saint known throughout the world. Her convent in Lisieux is visited by pilgrims from around the globe, churches in nearly every country are dedicated to her, and her simple spirituality has resonated with people from all walks of life. This is the story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Yet, as with any person of such fame, it...

The life of St. John Vianney, also known as the Curé d'Ars (priest of Ars), is marked by boundless humility and obedience to God. When this simple French priest was assigned in 1818 to the parish of Ars, a town of just 250 people, few would have guessed that it would lead to his international recognition. Disturbed by the religious ignorance and indifference brought about by the French Revolution and openly displayed by his congregation, John Vianney began work in his parish that quickly flow...

First published in 1962, The Metaphysics of Love is both a concise study of Thomas Aquinas's existential metaphysics and a demonstration of the enduring influence of Thomism on Western thought. Penned by distinguished Thomist scholar Frederick Wilhelmsen, this book explores the ontology of the human person, placing it in dialogue with philosophers ranging from Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas to Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger. Wilhelmsen ultimately narrows his discussion to an examination of human l...

Poems by David Craig "This is a book of joy, an Easter of jubilation. Holiness infuses these poems: holy flights of imagination, holy laughter, holy living in the everyday, and holy resurrection hope. Even the punishing season of winter is 'a glass of chilled champagne.' And angels everywhere-materializing to sing a Bach mass in the middle of the night on an empty street, or maybe dropping in for a summer swim. The energy, the down-to-earth reverence-is all of a piece, creating an abundance o...

Identity means being the same and being different. It is a one-word oxymoron. How on earth can the concept make sense? This brilliant exposition of the question goes-by way of literature, philosophy, and psychology-to show that it can only be answered metaphysically. Identity is the mystery at the heart of creation, and, ultimately, the mystery of its Creator. Personal anxieties about who we are and political tensions about who others are melt before the radiance of God's truth. In that truth...

The Ancient Art of Memory Meets the Timeless Art of Living Memorize the Stoics! The Ancient Art of Memory Meets the Timeless Art of Living. The title says it all! Extolling the powers of God-given human reason, Stoic philosophers such as Roman knight Musonius Rufus and his student, the former slave, Epictetus, developed powerful practical lessons for living tranquil, virtuous, loving lives. These lessons were praised by such early Church Fathers as Justin Martyr and Origen. Epictetus's Handbo...

A Primer on Ascetical Theology Do you want to dive deeper in your relationship with Jesus Christ? Are you looking for the deep springs of our spiritual nature? Do you suspect that you're missing the fuller picture of our supernatural life? If so, Glory Unto Glory: A Primer on Ascetical Theology was written for you. Most such books today limit themselves to the practice of prayer or a broad introduction to the spiritual life. Some address moral truth. But few, if any, situate all these aspects...

Navigating the Spiritual Life with Blessed Columba Marmion In the early twentieth century, Blessed Columba Marmion's dogmatically-grounded spiritual theology, expressed in artful prose, set the Catholic world on fire. A century later, in The Grace of "Nothingness," Fr Cassian Koenemann seeks to rekindle that fire for a new generation with his inspired presentation of Marmion's key spiritual insights. To this task he brings a monk's sensitivity to friendship with God, a schoolteacher's focus o...

The Theology of the Christmas Mystery In Cradle of Redeeming Love, John Saward returns to the mystery of Christ's incarnation and birth. Drawing upon both the rich traditions of the Church and the writings of the great Christian mystics, he fashions a work both new and old, revolutionary and orthodox. This profoundly moving meditation on the meaning of the Incarnation will enrich any contemplation on the life of Christ. The subject of this book is the "Christmas" dogma: the divinely revealed ...