Books Published by Sophia Institute Press

Finally, the True, Untold Story of the Wise Men... They were not three kings. Nor were they from the Far East, or even Persia... In this thrilling, visual adventure capturing the wonder of the Christmas season, New York Times bestselling author Raymond Arroyo shares the true, hidden story of the mysterious Magi, who risked everything to discover the truth. Based on new historical evidence, The Wise Men Who Found Christmas is the miraculous, untold tale of three seekers who followed a star and...

"I know I am not worthy of her help, yet she is to me in my darkness of sin what the bright and shining star is to the mariner, for her pardon gives me hope." -- Alessandro Serenelli Through vivid storytelling, this historical account reveals the disturbing influences and grim motives that possessed Alessandro Serenelli, St. Maria Goretti's murderer. Yet it is much more than a chilling tale; this true narrative is a testament of transformation and redemption -- God's mercy shining forth throu...

"[I]t could be well said that a country, preserved at the sacrifice of all the cardinal principles of liberty, is not worth the cost of preservation." -- The Supreme Court in Ex Parte Milligan, 1866 This firsthand account by Jeffrey M. Trissell, Esq., one of the attorneys who fought on "the front lines" in the heroic legal battles during the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic, unravels the controversies surrounding the unprecedented lockdown of churches. He served on a legal team that represented chur...

Leaving no stone unturned, this authoritative book offers fresh perspectives on the life, times, and zealous ministry of St. Paul. Historian and professor Rev. Waldemar Chrostowski provides the chronology of the luminary apostle's life in fascinating detail, from his transformation at Damascus to his numerous escapes from mortal danger that rivaled those of an action-film hero. But these stories of persecutions, trials, sentencings, tumultuous missionary journeys, and encounters with remarkab...

Did you know that the latest research shows that one in three people will meet the criteria for anxiety disorder at some point in their lives?Even those of us who do not require professional help have certainly experienced the crippling effects of anxiety.World events, lockdowns, the destruction of traditional values, the rise of omnipresent screens and social media have all certainly contributed to the climbing levels of anxiety in today's world.Catholics are not immune and may be searching ...

He played video games, excelled athletically and academically, manifested contagious joy and wit -- even in suffering -- and befriended all those he met. St. Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), already hailed "the greatest saint of the century," was a Thomas Aquinas in blue jeans.It's almost unheard of that parents take part in the beatification of their own child. So, too, is it uncommon for parents to miraculously be brought back to the Faith and dedicated Christian living by their child. All this ha...

Embark on an enlightening journey through the wonders of transformation and renewal in this delightful children's book that unlocks the profound mysteries of the Eucharist in a way that is understandable, engaging, and deeply meaningful for young readers.Through charming rhymes and vivid illustrations, bestselling author Anthony DeStefano explores the many evolutions that take place in the world around us -- from the shifting seasons to the growth of plants to the metamorphosis of caterpillar...

With "game plans," life flows more smoothly and victories are more readily achieved. This is why we keep calendars, daily planners, and notes -- to remind us to prioritize our duties and schedules, increase our productivity, and avoid forgetting the people, appointments, and events that are important to us.What if we applied this same attentiveness to structuring our spiritual lives? Would it not help us to attain greater peace of heart on the road to eternity?This thirty-day journey will pro...

Surveys show that the leading cause of Catholics leaving the Church is not receiving solid, timely answers to questions about their Faith. Heightening this problem is a hostile secular culture that perceives faith as being at odds with science and the modern world.In these incisive pages, David Bonagura directly answers one hundred hot-button questions about the supernatural life and Catholicism today. The questions, which were submitted anonymously by young adults in New York City, leave no ...

In the eternal battle for souls, prayer is our greatest weapon.In this book on spiritual warfare, acclaimed author and radio host Jesse Romero emphasizes the importance of prayer in facing our modern crises, especially for men who are the heads of their households.He reminds us that the faculty of prayer is both a gift and a protective weapon from God. Far from a passive routine, it is an intrepid action in which we directly encounter the divine and drive away the diabolic.Romero identifies t...

Society no longer encourages wonder or spending time pondering the big questions of life. Indeed, the childlike gifts of curiosity and gratitude have been trampled over by technology and benumbed by complacency.In these engaging pages, Bobby Angel reveals how and why your life has meaning. Drawing from major thinkers from ancient to modern times, personal stories, historical lessons, and popular movies, he assists the layperson in absorbing vital philosophical concepts in an easily digestible...

Religious leaders do not teach about Hell to scare people to come to Church, though the fear of Hell often leads souls to turn back to God. Hell is the result of mankind's free will, not God's malice. French novelist Léon Bloy said: "The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint." Since only saints are in Heaven, the greatest tragedy, then, is to go to Hell.In these gripping pages, Dan Burke and Patrick O'Hearn present the most common r...

How recollected are you during the Collect, the Opening Prayer at Mass? To assist you in entering more deeply into the Mass and the mysteries of this sacred season, Fr. Edward Looney offers short daily meditations and reflection questions so that you may absorb all the richness of the prayers in the liturgy.Whether over a cup of coffee or while resting in the Lord's Presence before or after Mass, these meditations inspire both fruitful contemplation and vibrant group discussion. Fr. Looney re...

For too many of us, life is harder than it needs to be. We have forgotten the ancient system of "super habits" -- a specific set of habits for making decisions, managing our emotions, and dealing with other people that fosters lives of greater ease, happiness, and power.Ancient civilizations relied on these habits to produce some of the greatest achievements in human history. Now, contemporary researchers in psychology, education, and management are rediscovering these habits and empirically ...

Our Lord entrusted a very special revelation to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: the Heart of Jesus longs for your heart.This divine revelation inspired numerous saints to know, receive, and adore Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and to quench His thirst for our love by cultivating friendships, performing spiritual and corporal works of mercy, undertaking missionary endeavors, and imitating His Sacred Heart in daily life.The current Jubilee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which commemorates the 350th ...

From the dawn of creation, the serpent's whispered lie--"ye shall be as gods"--has echoed through history, and today it manifests itself in the growing transhumanist movement.Our world stands at a crossroads with commercial surrogacy, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and "gender-affirming care" threatening to radically reshape human nature. Will we stand firm on ancient wisdom or risk losing our humanity altogether?Grayson Quay deftly overturns the lies of transhumanism and cauti...

Bestselling author, human rights activist, political scientist, and filmmaker Jason Jones draws from his heart-pounding, boots-on-the-ground stories in war-torn countries and leaves no stone unturned in exposing the real narrative of our time that the media often ignores.Revealing the raw, true story about what caused him to become pro-life and dedicate his life to the defense of human dignity globally by founding the Vulnerable People Project, Jones pulls no punches in challenging the status...

"Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities, and iniquity shall not be your ruin," wrote the Holy Spirit by the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel. The Magdalena Prayer Book provides you with ways to practice conversion through perfect contrition -- in the footsteps of St. Mary Magdalene, "Queen of Penitents" -- and to unite yourself spiritually to our Lord in the Holy Eucharist as often as possible throughout the day to help you in your struggle against sin. In this powerful devotional, y...

If there is to be real renewal in Christian life, a culture steeped in the blood of the Lamb, saints must rise up to seed it. Only the witness of sanctity can save us now. More than ever, we need heroic men of God like St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr of the early Church, whose life and letters Dr. Regis Martin illuminates in these stirring pages. No other writer of the Apostolic Age has expressed with such passion, such blazing intensity, an ardent thirst for God as St. Ignatius, t...

At a time in which stress, depression, anxiety, and suicide are all on the rise, Peace Be with You will guide you and your loved ones on how to overcome negative thoughts, be freed -- externally and internally -- from sinful habits, access supernatural grace, and grow in happiness and holiness. You will learn concrete strategies for coping with emotions such as anger, sadness, doubt, worry, inferiority, and fear. The renowned missionary and psychologist Fr. Narciso Irala explains the secret t...

Here is the book you need to discover and develop the twelve virtues that St. John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719) -- patron of teachers, education reformer, and founder of the congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools -- determined were most important for teachers. Br. Luke Grande, F.S.C., fleshes out the essence of each virtue as it relates to teaching and how educators can cooperate with God's grace to actualize the potentialities of students in their charge. In page after page...

How do the Habsburgs approach family life? In a world that has gone mad, building a wholesome family cradle is daunting and often seems impossible. At the same time, many dare to dream of happiness in family life even today. How can you find the right spouse -- and make a lifelong marriage work -- in a culture that values transaction over commitment? How do you decide on core values and pass them on to your children? What are some practical ways to raise a family in the Faith? Let Archduke Ed...

In charming rhyming verse, Christmas in Heaven tells the poignant story of a little boy who is sad because his grandmother has passed away. It is Christmastime, and the boy asks his grandfather where his grandmother might be. The grandfather responds by telling the boy his fondest hope--that his grandmother is in Heaven. The boy closes his eyes as his grandfather describes that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and that a great, festive party is taking place in Heaven. It's a scene filled with ang...

All of us are wounded and in need of healing. In these pages, Dr. Gerry Crete accompanies you on your journey to overcome anxiety and traumas, big or small. You will benefit from his "parts work" therapeutic approach to find inner harmony, greater life fulfillment, and a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Through this specialized technique, you will experience growth, transformation, and ultimately, restoration. This book stands alone in its seamless integration of advanced trauma-b...

Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls is the perfect book to introduce young ones to the immense love offered by Christ and His profound suffering. Through twelve of award-winning author Caryll Houselander's cherished stories, children can deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith while being thoroughly enchanted. Quirky illustrations from Renae George bring each story to life as young readers follow along on an exciting journey full of pirates and princesses, castles and kings. Instill in...

I Believe in Love is a deeply spiritual classic that will help you journey closer to the Father and experience true peace in your soul. Originally authored by French priest, Fr. Jean C. J. D Elbée, I Believe in Love distills the teachings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux into an easy-to-understand meditation guide perfect for personal retreats and spiritual reading anytime, anywhere.This timeless book contains valuable wisdom on many aspects of life and spirituality, such as the importance of having...

My Path to Heaven is an old-fashioned "retreat-in-a-book" that helps Catholic children, ages 9-12, ponder the truths of the Faith and calls them to live lives of holiness in accordance with those truths. Based on the traditional St. Ignatius retreat (trusted by Catholics for centuries) and adapted for children, this clear, simple, thoughtful presentation of the Faith is invaluable for parents seeking to form their children in holiness. My Path to Heaven covers such essentials of the Faith as ...

If you're looking for solid Catholic answers to common Protestant challenges, but don't have lots of time, then reach for The One-Minute Apologist. Here renowned Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong (author of A Biblical Defense of Catholicism and The Catholic Verses) has assembled over sixty of the claims and arguments that Protestants (of all stripes) most frequently level against the Church. Drawing on a lifetime of study in Scripture, history, and the works of Catholic and Protestant theolog...

The seven deadly sins are generals leading a vast and deadly army. The soldiers are a variety of sins and misdeeds, and the capital sins are the officers who sent them on their nefarious tasks. With the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas as his guide, best-selling author Kevin Vost tackles the deadly sins one-by-one, showing how they take root in our soul and give birth to offspring other sinful thoughts and deeds that help it reach its sinful goals. You'll learn how they attacks us, and how they...

This collection of testimonies by people who’ve found new life in the Catholic Church is one of the most potent weapons for the Faith ever crafted! These authors don’t just tell their stories — they also give you an insider’s view of the fatal weaknesses in the creeds and belief systems that beckon unwary Catholics every day: Fundamentalism, New Age paganism, Mormonism, materialistic hedonism, and many others. You’ll discover why these converts forsook beliefs cherished by their families and ...

Here's an unabashedly Catholic history that documents scores of sustained and unprecedented assaults on our Catholic Faith these past five centuries and delineates our Church's brave response to each one. For five hundred years, from Luther to Marx, through Darwin, Hitler, and Rousseau, wave after wave of cynical anti-Catholic men and movements have wrought havoc even worse than that of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan, leaving our once noble Christendom a ruined city, devastated politically a...

Kindness counts. If you have trouble acting with the consistent kindness our Lord expects, your relationships with God and those you love may be suffering. Probably you just can't find the time and can't ever seem to develop the patience that you need in order to be consistently kind amid the irritations that afflict you daily. That's why this book is such a godsend. There's nothing complicated or magical about learning to be kinder; it just takes greater attention to the things that you do a...

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...

From the young St. Francis de Sales's heroic efforts to bring Calvinists back to the Faith comes this succinct, eloquent defense of the age-old Catholic practice of making the Sign of the Cross, which sixteenth-century Calvinists denounced as a Popish invention and many Protestants scorn even today. Embodying the zeal of youth and the wisdom of age, this gentle jewel of Catholic apologetics traces the origins of the Sign of the Cross back to the Fathers of the Church, to the Apostles before t...

Unlock the secret of your personality and learn how to be a better spouse, parent, friend, & Christian! All of us are born with distinct personality traits. Some of us live for crowds and parties; others seek solitude and time for quiet reflection. Some of us are naturally pushy, while others are content just to get along. We don't pick and choose these traits; they're just part of the way we're made. For in the womb God doesn't merely mold our body; He also gives us the temperament that,...

Never has there been spiritual reading as powerful as What Jesus Saw from the Cross, the book that will intensify your love of Jesus by burning the events of His Passion into your memory and imagination. Written early in this century by Rev. A. G. Sertillanges, a priest who lived in Jerusalem, this acclaimed devotional classic gives you vivid and dramatic details not included in the Gospel: With Jesus, you'll be jostled by crowds as you enter Jerusalem, choke on the dust of the narrow streets...

From Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the renowned exorcist in Rome, comes this powerful, eye-opening book on the deadly antics of Satan and his fallen angels, as well as spiritual remedies for each. These pages provide a basic orientation in the dark phenomenology, succinctly explaining Catholic doctrine on the fallen angels and the innumerable manifestations. Among the many questions Fr. Amorth answers in this book are: Where does the Evil One dwell in the human body? How does the Devil appear and what ...

From one of the world's leading exorcists comes this eye-opening book to help you recognize genuine cases of diabolical possession and know what to do when your friends or family show behaviors that leave you suspicious. Leaning heavily on Scripture and the teachings of the Church, as well as on his own extensive experiences as an exorcist, Fr. Paolo Carlin here unveils Satan's plan of attack while giving you the telltale signs that the Evil One is at work in your life or in the life of other...

If you're unhappy because the Mass has become for you routine or even boring and tedious these pages are for you. They teach you eight simple ways to make your every Mass a joyful time of piety and intense devotion. Explaining the spiritual meanings behind the signs and symbols, words and actions of the Mass, author Christopher Carstens teaches you spiritually-enriching ways to enter the church building, make the Sign of the Cross, pray the Opening Prayer, listen to the Readings, prepare your...

A Mythbusting Apologist Sets the Record Straight  Tired of being stumped when false claims are made about the Catholic Church? Want to be armed with knowledge that puts these mistruths to rest? In these pages, veteran apologist Gerard Verschuuren provides thorough yet concise answers to forty of the most common and absurd lies about the Catholic Church. With precision and charity, you'll soon be able to defend the Church when you're told that Catholics . . . Still lives in the Dark Ages Reje...

Explore a biblical defence of the Catholic Faith with author David Armstrong’s new book, A Biblical Defense Of Catholicism. Armstrong offers an extensive study of scriptural texts and their interpretation to demonstrate that the Catholic Faith is truly a ‘Bible-based’ Church par excellence. From Lutherans to Protestants and even non-denominationalists, no Christian will remain unmoved by this comprehensive work on the scripture’s integral role in the Catholic Faith.The Catholic mission has lo...

After decades of politically charged controversy, the reputation and standing of Christopher Columbus lies battered beneath mountains of misjudgments and distortions. The surge of historical revisionism now ravaging the legendary explorer insists that his daring adventures brought only tragic consequences: disease, death, subjugation of native peoples, incitement of the African slave trade, destruction of the environment, and other horrors. But is this a legitimate assessment of Europe's inev...

From raunchy television shows to immoral peers, the barriers to raising moral and mature children are higher and more treacherous than ever. In Raising Upright Kids in an Upside-Down World, acclaimed Catholic psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers parents a roadmap through this difficult and sometimes frightening terrain.Dr. Ray brings to bear his decades of clinical experience--and his experience as a father of ten--with some of the hardest questions of modern parenting: How do you manage kid...