Books Published by Sophia Institute Press

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...

The Shroud of Turin is celebrated as one of the holiest and most important relics of Christianity, with millions of pilgrims traveling to see the precious cloth in Italy on the rare occasions it has been displayed. Yet despite its enormous global popularity, the Shroud’s authenticity is not without question.To address lingering uncertainties head-on, celebrated Catholic scientist Dr. Gerard Verschuuren explores and synthesizes the various scientific studies conducted on the Shroud —including ...

The Catholic Guide to Miracles is an essential read for any Catholic looking to understand the definition of a miracle and differentiate between true miracles and the potential tricks of demons. In this book, Adam Blai offers a fair and careful exploration of miracles in our modern age and in Church history, all with respect for Catholic teaching. Upon reading this invaluable resource, readers will possess a better appreciation for these divine interventions from our Lord and feel more equip...

Many of us fail to recognize that obtaining the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to getting to heaven. We often block their reception through our own faults. We fail to see how they are passed on or strengthened in the sacraments. And, sadly, we forget to petition God in prayer to bestow these gifts upon us.In these pages, Dr. Kevin Vost best-selling author of The One-Minute Aquinas provides us with a substantive yet readable introduction to the seven gifts and how we ca...

Countless graces flow from the use of Holy Water when you understand its role in God's plan of salvation, and how it brings new graces into your life.In clear, convincing language, Father Theiler lays out for Christians countless surprising, but long-forgotten truths about Holy Water, and explains the interior acts and dispositions that are necessary for this blessed gift of God to have the sanctifying effect our Lord intends for you.Read these pages attentively; consider them thoughtfully; i...

In this profoundly insightful and highly readable book, Thomas Nash brilliantly refutes the common charge that the Mass is "unbiblical." As you'll discover in these pages, the story of the Mass goes much deeper than the Last Supper and Christ's Passion. Indeed, it's part of an unbroken story that begins in the Garden of Eden and continues today in your local parish. Working systematically through Scripture, Nash offers an authoritative explanation of salvation history, showing how the Old Tes...

This riveting account of true-life Fatima events of the past hundred years demonstrates that Our Lady's messages are more vital today than ever before. Here, author Joseph Pronechen reports on scores of post-Fatima incidents that reveal the wide-reaching influence the apparitions have had throughout this past century on the lives of ordinary people, popes, saints, and even unbelievers! You'll learn of amazing but little-known Fatima-related occurrences, including the role of the apparitions i...

In concise, straightforward prose, author Dan Burke here provides an invaluable road map for spiritual growth, complete with signposts to help ensure that you remain on the right path. He guides you through the hazardous terrain that can threaten your spiritual health and shows you how to discern God's will daily and follow it in a meaningful way. Through intensive study of the major Catholic mystics, Dan has acquired the keys to developing a more meaningful relationship with Christ, which he...

Ignatian Wisdom for Husbands and Wives To navigate the inevitable ups and downs of our spiritual lives, countless souls have found comfort and guidance in St. Ignatius of Loyola's Rules for Discernment. For the past forty years, popular retreat master and author Fr. Timothy Gallagher has been at the forefront of making St. Ignatius's Rules understandable and applicable to hundreds of thousands of Catholics seeking greater sensitivity to the "movements" of their souls. Now Fr. Gallagher return...

When He chiseled the Ten Commandments in stone, God did not write "Thou shalt not be an atheist." Instead, He commanded: "Thou shalt not have strange gods before me." Why? Because man is incurably God-centered. He cannot exist without a god, and if he rejects the true God, he will invariably create his own false god. Fr. Vincent Miceli breaks new ground in this fascinating analysis of seventeen Enlightenment theologians and philosophers who contributed to the rise of atheism. He explores thei...

Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It's a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth. All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord -- those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happe...

Demons, Possession, and the Modern-Day Battle Against Ancient Evil Exorcist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti has a very active caseload of demonic possessions, and in each case two vivid lessons consistently emerge: demons possess or harass people in a myriad of ways (even when they do not enter a body), and they are defeated decisively by the power of Christ and His Church--and especially by invocations to the Blessed Mother. In these pages, Msgr. Rossetti gives us an inside look at the intense experi...

The Final Campaign Against the Savior As G.K. Chesterton once remarked, the cleverest thing the devil ever did was to induce people to believe that he did not exist. It was truly a masterstroke, enabling him to carry on his nefarious operations, not just with the tolerance of so-called enlightened opinion; but with the active cooperation of well-meaning, charitable people like Eleanor Roosevelt, not to mention a large body of clergy of all denominations. Thus, for instance, the devil has been...

St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul We often think of demons appearing only in extravagant and extraordinary manifestations or working only through "bad" people. But the truth is more frightening than that. Most demonic activity takes place undetected, under the radar, and can even be hidden in our own prayer lives and in the churches where we attend Mass. Subtlety, illusion, and deceit are the preferred tactics of Satan's army of fallen angels, and they are w...

Make no mistake about it: the father of lies is waging a war against your soul. At the end of your life, it will be either he who has won - or you, through God's grace. Here is the book that pulls the curtain back on the devil's strategies and shows you how to safeguard yourself and your family against his deadly methods. In this spiritual classic, Fr. Godfrey Raupert unveils the true aim and character of those dangerous forces seeking to destroy your peace and your way of life. You'll learn ...

True Stories of Demonic Possession Drawing from his extensive experience in assisting with cases of demonic oppression and possession, in The Exorcism Files, Adam Blai presents readers with enlightening true stories and traces their causation. Whether people provided a gateway through Ouija boards, tarot cards, Reiki, Yoga, or martial arts, Blai reports from firsthand observation how they were lured into the occult. Blai also recounts shocking cases of participation in covens and cults under ...

One of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries is the Book of Revelation. The faithful have tried to decode the meaning of the Apocalypse for centuries. Finally, here is the accessible book you need to assist you in reflecting upon the epic battle it contains and its reverberations. The prophecies of St. John the Evangelist brought dire warnings not just to the pagan culture and lukewarm faithful of his time, but also exhort our blasphemous society and apathetic believers today. Learn about e...

An Exploration of Holy Matrimony from Genesis to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb This life is preparation for eternity, and from the beginning, God created marriage to help married couples become saints. Indeed, God has given to married couples the profound gift of being able to fulfill the purpose of their creation through, with, and in each other. Marriage is a foreshadowing of Heaven, and each married couple must work with God if their marriage is to be a foretaste of eternity. In this thoug...

Saint Joseph stands close to Jesus and Mary at the heart of the gospel story. Yet he remains largely in the background, silent and steady. Not surprisingly, Christians throughout the ages have pondered deeply this mystery that is Joseph.Many have speculated about the unknown details of his life, and several mystics were granted visions that portrayed the hidden days--both the ordinary and the extraordinary--of Our Lord's appointed guardian vividly and profoundly. The Life of Saint Joseph as S...

This Advent, lead your family closer to Christ as you prepare for the Lord's coming at Christmas. Engage with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets who are the branches in Jesus' family tree and come to understand fully how, in Christ, this family history becomes the history of our salvation. As you explore Jesus' fascinating ancestry, you'll see how God's plan of salvation unfolds from Adam and Eve, through the Old Testament prophets, to the birth of Christ, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mas...

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...

My Quest to Liberate Africa's "Untouchables" In the West African country of Benin - the birthplace of Voodoo - witches, "healers," and charms are common and a way of life for many. Yet those who suffer from mental illness are nearly universally perceived as being possessed demonically and are thus objects of shame, disgust, and terror. In fact, most are chained to trees and treated like animals. One man, however, travels all over West Africa to find those "unclean" people who have been disown...

A Nine-Day Preparation for Investiture in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady The Brown Scapular holds a special place in the devotional life of the faithful. It is neither jewelry, a sentimental religious article, nor a vain token of superstition. Rather, it is a silent prayer, a gift from our Heavenly Mother that draws us to the Sacred Heart of her Divine Son. A simple pairing of two pieces of cloth with ribbon, wearing the scapular is a declaration that you have put on Christ and are seeking to...

Its Place in the Spiritual Life This is the book you need to discover the significant advantages of frequent Confession and the keys to making each Confession more fruitful. Spiritual master Fr. Benedict Baur quells criticisms of frequent Confession and shares why it is more efficacious for vanquishing sin and repairing the damage due to sin. In this exceptional book, Fr. Baur shows you how to develop a well-formed conscience, properly confess your sins, and develop a firm, practical purpose ...

The seven sacraments are the principal channels of God's grace to His Mystical Body, the Church. Among these is one that washes us of sin and restores us to friendship with God. All this is accomplished by this one sacrament, this excellent channel of God's grace: Confession. Here is the single volume you need to guide you through making a good Confession and fruitful reparation thereafter. You'll learn the numerous monumental advantages that frequent Confession brings to your soul as well as...

Seven Insights from the Church Fathers to Help You Understand the Bible In this brief yet penetrating book, Dr. James Papandrea reveals what the early Church Fathers actually taught and believed about the Holy Scriptures as well as how they read, understood, and interpreted the Word of God. He explains the process by which the books of the Bible were selected and demonstrates the harmoniousness and complementarity of the Gospels. With Dr. Papandrea's guidance, you will see how Scripture attes...

The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva In this spiritual powerhouse of a book, Eric Sammons organizes the wisdom of St. Josemaría Escrivá into an action plan for living out holiness in your everyday life. The goal: to foster God's grace within you so that you can be transformed into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Declared "the saint of ordinary life" by Pope John Paul II, St. Josemaría Escrivá -- a twentieth-century Spanish saint and founder of Opus Dei -- did more than a...

A Catholic Guide to Health and Holiness"Our culture is facing a pandemic of obesity and a marked rise in diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's dementia. The problem is physiological, of course -- but it is also spiritual. Here is the book that will teach you how to attain optimal health and true harmony of mind, body, and spirit within the context of a well-rounded devotional life. In his straightforward and engaging style, Dr. Kevin Vost reflects upon teachings from Scripture and ...

Priestly Holiness on Earth and in Eternity In this powerful retreat-in-a-book for priests, Fr. Ezra Sullivan, a Dominican professor at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, reflects on the inestimable gift and responsibility of the priesthood. Utilizing the examples and teachings of the saints, Fr. Ezra explores how "fathers of souls" should shepherd their flocks with God's self-giving authority and why the Church needs strong, masculine priests to form her children on the ...

A Guide to Sexual Integration Andrew Comiskey, founder of Desert Stream/Living Waters Ministries for those struggling sexually, shares here his profound experience in moving from brokenness (including same-sex desires) to a healthy and renewed Christian life. The Church's clear, powerful teachings on marriage and family helped him control his passions and live a sexually integrated life. With candor and grace, Comiskey recounts real-life stories of people who were freed from the grip of sexua...

To the initial astonishment of Catholic moral theologians a century ago, purging psychology of its amoral and antireligious errors was found to actually confirm age-old Catholic teaching about the nature of man while providing invaluable guidance on the development of personality. In this trail-blazing book, first published in 1958, Fr. G. Emmett Carter has assembled the wisest Christian thought showing how psychology can aid the Christian in achieving maturity, overcoming character defects, ...

What It Is and How to Get There Here is the one book you need to grasp the illimitable joys of Heaven - and to discover how to get there. You will learn here what Scripture unveils and what the Church's greatest saints have written about Heaven and its joys, as well as the reason you'll experience bliss, happiness, delights of every kind, satisfaction of all desires, joy unbounded, and pleasure in Heaven. While any true understanding or appreciation of the joys of Heaven is impossible to us, ...

For Every Day in the Year Fr. Henry Sebastian Bowden wrote this powerful book so we will never forget the sacrifices of those martyrs who preserved and bequeathed to us our Catholic Faith. The heroic witness of the English martyrs you meet in this superb volume of daily meditations will instill a greater piety and zeal in your heart. Each day features a captivating short story from the life of a martyr or an excerpt from his or her writings. Their testimonies, sometimes prophetic, always prof...

The devil has always been an alluring figure of mystery, but many question whether he actually exists within today's world. Msgr. Leon Cristiani provides indisputable proof in his book, Evidence of Satan in the Modern World. In this compelling work, Cristiani brings together a wealth of data to demonstrate the presence of diabolical influences throughout modern society. Drawing from famous accounts of possession and exorcism as well as lesser-known cases, this book is one of the best ever wri...

Literary genius Caryll Houselander wrote this book out of an abiding compassion for those who are suffering and in search of healing and happiness. She presents in these pages gripping examples of famous men and women who battled some form of neurosis that led to either their sanctification or their destruction. The greatest suffering of our age is psychological pain, Houselander argues. A sufferer of neurosis herself, she unpacks the phenomenon that creates ego-neurosis -- a type of disorder...

40 Days with the Angelic Doctor There's a multitude of Lenten meditation books but only one that's packed with the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. Journey through Lent with the Church's greatest philosopher-theologian. This unrivaled spiritual master will guide you in encountering Our Lord and experiencing the type of fruitful Lent that he often experienced. You will relish this magnificent treasury of sixty-three of Aquinas's Scripture-based sermons specially selected for the holy season. From...

A Concise Guide to His Theology, His Letters, and His Life He traveled more than ten thousand miles without an airplane or car and founded fourteen dioceses. When he was blinded on the road to Damascus, St. Paul received his epic calling and was "made new." Although there are numerous books on St. Paul and his letters, none "knock over" the average person. In Understanding St. Paul, Deacon Bob Evans breaks open the wealth of St. Paul's wisdom in brief, understandable chapters through the lens...

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...

A Practical Guide for Growing in Holiness If you're hoping to get to Heaven, you'll need a plan to reach your goal. This handy manual not only presents all the elements of a life well lived; it also helps you incorporate those elements into everyday practice. Straight to Heaven is the one guide you need to achieve holiness now and Heaven later -- all while eluding the traps and pains of Hell. Fr. Morrow explains that happiness is attainable now for those who live the gospel because they are b...

A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine Heresies, schisms, culture of death, persecutions, excommunications ... While reflective of headlines from today, these difficulties roiled Christians of the early Church as well. In fact, the earliest Church manual, the Didache, brought clarity to a range of moral issues that our culture continues to grapple with to this day. Here is one of the most lucid and comprehensive overviews of the Patristic period ever written. With simp...

Unlocking the 24 Titles Given to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew Christ's contemporaries ascribed many names and titles to Him, as we see recorded in the New Testament. Each one tells us something different about who Jesus is. In this book, Eric Sammons frames a series of thoughtful reflections on the names of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew with references from the Church Fathers, saints, and Doctors of the Church. He translates the depth of the mystery of the Faith so readers can discover new...

A Guide to Discernment in Challenging Times Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the ongoing growth and perpetual validity of the Traditional Latin Mass, insisting that "what earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful." However, with the 2021 release of Traditionis Custodes, his successor has declared precisely the opposite, sending shockwaves through the Church by calling for the restriction and...