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A Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail

Original price $19.95 - Original price $19.95
Original price $19.95
$19.95
$19.95 - $19.95
Current price $19.95
Publisher: TAN Books
Publication Date:
Format: Paperback
Pages: 264
Availability: In Stock
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The Holy Grail: it conjures images of a rich and fantastic world full of magnificent adventures and perilous quests by gallant knights. It whispers of strange mysteries and fabled conspiracies staged by Templars, Cathars, Nazis, and innumerable secret societies. Was it the Cup used by Christ at the Last Supper, or something else? Is there any truth to the wonders and marvels bards and poets associated with it?

After years of being co-opted by pop culture and New Agers, what significance can this fairy tale still hold for Catholics? Ah, but this is no fairy tale! As A Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail shows, not only does the Grail exist, its whereabouts are known today!

Charles Coulombe examines the fabled vessel's literary and historical connections, but he offers far more than a stuffy history of a dusty old cup.  Rather, he shows how the Holy Grail is the key to an entire genre of glorious relics and miraculous phenomena that extend from the time of Christ to the present day. A Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail uncovers the Grail's intrinsic connections to Catholic Monarchy and Chivalry, to the Precious Blood of Christ, the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts devotions, and to the Kingship of Christ and Queenship of Mary, as well as its ties to the Passion of Our Lord and the Blessed Sacrament.

Indeed, the Holy Grail is not a myth, but a living reality, a key to a new understanding of the world in which we all live. As far in time and space as the Crucifixion at Golgotha and Medieval deeds of knightly valor, and as close as the next Mass you attend, the Holy Grail is there, a real myth. In these pages, discover the reality of the legend of the Holy Grail!

Charles A. Coulombe:

Charles A. Coulombe is one of North America’s most respected and sought-after commentators on culture, religion, history, and politics. A specialist in the history and government of the Catholic Church, Coulombe’s influence and expertise extend far beyond matters religious. He has written on topics ranging from the history of rum to haunted houses to a history of the United States.

Mr. Coulombe is a social and political commentator of note. In 2005 he provided narration and commentary for ABC News during the funeral of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election and installation of Pope Benedict XVI. A former journalist, Mr. Coulombe served as a film reviewer and Contributing Editor of the National Catholic Register, during which time he received the Christian Law Institute's Christ King Journalism Award. Coulombe's work has appeared in over than 20 journals, including regular columns in Fidelity (Australia), PRAG (London), Monarchy Canada, and Creole Magazine (Louisiana). He has also been a frequent contributor to such publications as Success, Catholic Twin Circle, Gnosis, FATE, and the New Oxford Review.

As an informed and passionate speaker on a wide variety of religious, social, political, historical, and literary topics, Mr. Coulombe has appeared on lecture circuits throughout the North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1992 he lectured at Oxford University and the following year embarked on a lecture tour of Ireland and Great Britain, returning to Oxford and Cambridge in 1995. Coulombe has also delivered lectures at the University of Southern California on the history of Rock & Roll and at Cleveland's John Carroll University on the history of medieval monarchy. In February 2011, he was invited to take part in a debate on the abolition of the monarchy before the prestigious Oxford Union.

Customer Reviews

Based on 21 reviews
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VincentF
Fervor-inducing classic!

I highly enjoyed reading this latest of Mr. Coulombe's works. This book did several things for me: 1.) it made the realities of the Faith more real to me via its discussion on relics and Eucharistic miracles 2.) it provided a history of all the major relics, explaining why they are important and significant 3.) it incited a fervor in me, to go on my own quest for the Holy Grail in my own way. Thank you Mr. Coulombe for another classic!

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P L
Unapologetically and Unashamedly Catholic

I was beyond surprised to receive this book for my birthday and couldn't wait to see what it was like. It turns out it was an exciting quest through Grail mythology, separating fact from fiction and revealing the true Catholic roots of the story. The writing is unapologetically and unashamedly Catholic, which is refreshing to find. This book is not just for people who are interested in King Arthur and legends of the Holy Grail; it's for anyone who wants to see how Catholic culture helped shape some of the most popular stories of our time.

D
Davis Blank
A Beautiful Ending

My first thought when I received this book was simply wow, for it is gorgeous. This is a hardcover that puts other hardcovers to shame and I wish all were of this quality. Not that aesthetics do not matter, for they do, but I will now move along to the content of the book, which is of far greater importance. As is to be expected from Mr. Coulombe, this book is overflowing with Catholic history. For someone as unlearned as myself, I am sad to say, due to my own fault, that it is overwhelming at times.

But! But but but! Read it through, for the end wraps everything together in a way that absolutely caught me off guard - Mr. Coulombe's conclusion to the Quest was a wonderful surprise. Read it not only for that wonderful surprise, but for the motivation it gives to go on that Quest and to enchant your life with the mysterious beauties of Christ and His Church.

Bravo.

J
Joseph G.
Medievalist thumbs up

I've only read the first chapter so far and I've already learned something I didn't know. I'm a medievalist (not specializing in Arthur) so I find this book very helpful.

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Eric Kelleher
A true Quest for our Confusing times

I am enjoying this book very much. Born in'81, I dare say I grew-up with Mass on Sunday, pop/rock-culture during the rest of the week culminating in Friday's and Saturday's where all bets were off and trying to make sense of the two worlds (Church and Society at large) in some way, much to my defeat! I found this book helped project those two worlds as anti-thetical. I feel like Perceval waking in empty Montsalvatch castle and on my journey to find it filled once again saying "Slay me if you will!"...

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Paddy Fournier
A Wonderful Book on a Subject "Miraculous, Sacramental, Devotional, Royal, and Chivalric" (p. 179)

Charles Coulombe hits the proverbial ball out of the park with this 2017 release from TAN Books! Throughout the course of its pages readers will discover the history and location of the Holy Grail, and so much more. As Thomas Johnsen mentions below, a lucid summation of the various Grail Legends both starts and finishes the book. The effect of this is to place our historical quest alongside and, in a sense, within, the journeys of Camelot's heroes.

Thus with Perceval and Lancelot we head out through the ages in search of the Chalice used by Our Lord at the Last Supper. From Saint Peter of Rome to the Nazis, legends and stories abound about the Grail! Mr. Coulombe manages to cut through both the modern skepticism and entertaining conspiracies in a manner and for a result that is decidedly Catholic. In doing so he explores the connection between the Sacred Heart, Precious Blood, Passion Relics, Our Lady, Catholic Monarchy and the cup in which the marvelous drama of our salvation was first offered to the Father. The result of this quest will be pleasantly surprising, if you're anything like me.

However, Charles also manages in this book to impress the reality of Divine Revelation on his readers. If you enjoy or would like to understand "Off the Menu" and the other works put out by Tumblar House, this text offers a wonderful articulation of the worldview behind them. Ours is an age of half truths and full-sale falsehoods. In response to this "dictatorship of relativism" our author leaves us this stirring challenge: "Why not? Why not, as individuals, study the Faith as completely and in as much detail as others study sports, the latest movies, or the law? Why not run our own lives according to the fasts and feasts of the Church? Why not attend Masses done in the true spirit of the Liturgy, be they Ordinary Form, Extraordinary Form, Anglican Use, or Eastern Rite?” (“A Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail,” page 179). God love you!

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Thomas Johnsen
Moving digests of the Legend. Devotional groundwork. Product of simple Faith.

I had very little knowledge Catholic or otherwise of the Grail Legend. The legends of Perceval and the Quest delivered as bookends at the beginning and end of this book were well written and very moving. I was consistently in tears for both. A beautiful introduction to the legend. In fact I'm glad I never encountered them before reading this work.

The body of the book focuses on what the Grail is and where it actually is today. It focuses on the Grail, relics of the passion, and devotion to the Precious Blood, Sacred Heart and Our Lady.

It is a bit prosaic and cursory at times. But this is not all bad. The book serves as a jumping off point for further reading, research and devotion especially considering the good bibliography and geographical index of relics located at the back.

The faith and devotion of the author shines through and makes this book a real treasure. Devoid of any pandering to popular academic and intellectual scepticism and unbelief. The simple belief implicit in Charles' coverage of every topic is a cool glass of water to the faithful soul.

M
Matthew Shaddrix
The Holy Grail of Grail Books

Absolutely stirring and thorough treatment of the Grail Mythos. It will make one desire to pledge oneself to the secret of the Grail every time the consecrated chalice is held aloft in the hands of the priest at Mass. The book is beautiful to look at as well.

M
Michael J Glanville
Enlightening

As an American and a new Catholic (relatively speaking), I found The Catholic Quest for the Holy Grail highly enlightening. So much about the Grail legend I had no idea how much was connected to relics that one can presently witness, that it took me by complete surprise after reading this book. And I appreciate Charles Coulombe's approach to this and other folklore, taking an approach that is, shall we say, more skeptical of the skeptics rather than of the very people who were there at the time handling these precious artefacts with love and faith. It makes me want to take another trip to Europe in the hopes of seeing these relics.

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Private
Excellent

All correspondence, purchases from Tumblar have always been excellent. Buy with confidence!