Books Published by Sophia Institute Press

In this game-changing book, Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., reveals how you can actively listen and open yourself to receive God's personal love for you in the Mass, where our Lord waits to quench your deepest longing and heal your wounds. Drawing from the wisdom of the saints, modern-day spiritual giants, and his own penetrating reflections, you will learn how to quiet your mind, stretch your heart, and become childlike in the sense of experiencing the sacred mysteries with wonder and awe. The M...

One of the most misunderstood -- and misrepresented -- elements of the Catholic Church is her social teaching. It is all too often misconstrued and even held hostage by speculative economic theories and partisan politics. When G. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and their colleagues endeavored to promote the ideas of property ownership and independence one hundred years ago, it was frequently misinterpreted due to the terminology used. Here, at last, is a clear explanation of authentic Catholic...

One can spend hours searching for answers about the Catholic Faith and how to share it with others. There are a multitude of books that explain the various areas of Church teaching, but never -- before now -- a definitive desktop volume on more than 260 Catholic topics, from A to Z, featuring key definitions, teachings, practices, people, and resources for further reading. This fascinating, one-stop guidebook delivers the intellectual tradition of the Church while providing practical Catholic...

"Sister Marie describes in detail the life of a Carmelite Nun and shows us by what means and in what manner rich spiritual treasure is being gathered for the benefit of all of us."-- Thomas L. Noa, Bishop of Marquette, in the original foreword This gem of a book is essential reading for anyone interested in knowing the hidden details of life in Carmel -- "the powerhouse of prayer." Sr. Marie, a young novice, addressed this revealing series of letters to her parents and family about her life i...

In this actionable analysis of one of the most damaging movements of the modern age, renowned author Maria Keffler makes a compelling case that what lies at the core of the transgender phenomenon is a crisis of identity, and that only a loving but firm reality check can staunch the hysteria. Keffler makes unassailable arguments: Maleness and femaleness are immutable biological facts. Masculinity and femininity are personality constructs, conditioned by societal norms. But "gender," the term f...

The Tragic Decline of Catholic Sacred In a world filled with disharmony, the topic of sacred music may seem less than relevant. But the need to restore authentic worship is more crucial than ever. We’ve all experienced it. As we prepare to enter into the silence of the sacred liturgy, banal music peals over the sound system, and we are barraged with irritating strains just as we are trying to quietly, peacefully worship the Lord. When the Harps Went Still, by Aurelio Porfiri, Athanasius Schne...

This book is the thundering voice of the martyrs of our time. Though mostly overlooked, the harrowing stories of hundreds of thousands of fellow Christians from around the world who gave their lives for the Faith in recent years -- including in full-scale genocides of Christians in several countries -- are a part of our history crying out to be told. Here is that history. Robert Royal chronicles the heartrending stories of heroic priests, religious, and laypeople who are being brutally persec...

Meet a Doctor of the Church whose wisdom on health and nutrition will aid you in everything from better digestion and sleep to improved mood, memory, and pain relief. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a mystic and scholar who chronicled more than six hundred pages of visions, wrote cantatas, and even devised her own language. She authored The Book of Divine Works, Causes and Cures, and Scivias and corresponded with the greatest intellectuals, theologians, and royals of her time.As a pioneer...

"There is no problem . . . no matter how difficult it may be, that we cannot resolve through the prayer of the Holy Rosary." -- Sister Lúcia of FátimaChampion of the Faith Bishop Athanasius Schneider sounds a rallying cry to all Catholics to take up the mightiest spiritual weapon in our arsenal: Our Lady wants you to embark on a Rosary Crusade, under her mantle, to repel the forces of evil and disentangle the vexing problems we face in these troubled times.Unite your prayers with those of the...

"They should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ" (John 17:3).Sometimes we become so consumed with "activism" that God becomes a mere concept, an uplifting idea we try to wrap our minds around, and we forget that He is really present and in love with us. Far too many souls, even good religious souls, tend to forget that God is a Person -- a Trinity of Persons, in fact -- longing to enter into a relationship with us.Fr. Wayne Sattler awakens us and places us in...

Although the story of our salvation began in the Orient, the richness of the spirituality of our Eastern Fathers and Mothers in the Faith has long remained hidden. The Church is indebted to the East for revealing how Christians from apostolic times lived their faith, from founding Christian monastic life to developing the worship that has helped shape our liturgy.In this spiritual masterpiece, Dr. Alexander Harb offers penetrating meditations on nine themes of the spiritual life, drawing from...

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are endlessly fascinating for those who long for Heaven or are just curious about the things we cannot see (yet). Lost in all the discussion of NDEs, however, is their long, rich history. Saints and mystics have been visiting Heaven for thousands of years, and here, for the first time, Scott L. Smith provides you with a glimpse of what they've been seeing these past two millennia.In these heart-pounding pages, you will first learn about the ancient origin of NDEs...

St. John Henry Newman, regarded as the most important English theologian of the nineteenth century, poignantly reflects on the thoughts that tormented Jesus as a result of His friends' betrayals and the anguish of His Heart in willingly suffering all for love of us. These penetrating meditations will enable you to enter more deeply into our Savior's Passion through multiple vantage points.This work features three of Cardinal Newman's most esteemed classics: Meditations on Lent: Hope in God, R...

Who, having witnessed a miracle, can deny the power of God?This awe-inspiring compendium of testimonies of the miraculous reinforces the role of supernatural grace in the life of the Church. The stories demonstrate how miracles prove the omnipotence of God, who speaks through His saints to heal and convert souls.Miracles of the Saints is a colorful treasury that includes stories of well-known saints as well as new intercessors in the Church Triumphant.Illustrated with holy images and photogra...

For six years, before becoming a well-regarded retreat master, Fr. Wayne Sattler lived as a diocesan hermit in a one-room cabin on an abandoned farmstead in rural North Dakota, striving to avail himself of the mystery of what God can do in prayer, clinging to the wisdom of the sixteenth-century Carmelite saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila as his trusted guides.Fr. Sattler was asked many times to write a book sharing the fruits of his time in solitude to help others progress in the s...

Dive into the fascinating and overlooked aspects of the Catholic faith with Weird Catholic Handbook by Michael Lichens. This book takes you on a Chestertonian romp through the peculiar and intriguing elements of Catholic history, offering a refreshing perspective on the faith that combines humor, curiosity, and profound insights.Lichens invites you to discover the bizarre and extraordinary stories that have shaped Catholicism. From saints who faced mythical monsters to the eerie beauty of bon...

Meet a modern-day Joan of Arc. Whether in scrubs, camouflage, or a religious habit, Sr. Dede Byrne, in her threefold calling as a professed religious sister, renowned surgeon, and U.S. Army colonel, inspire us to both virtue and action.If the apostles had remained hidden in the Upper Room, we would never have a Church today. Similarly, Sister's inspirational life serves as a call to emerge from the safety of the Upper Room and enter the public square to courageously infuse culture with an una...

It's no secret that there is an abundance of so-called Christian sects populating a wide range of churches, with different worship services and teachings regarding the salvation of your soul. But how can one intelligently make sense of this if there is one God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever? This book will take you on a fact-based journey from the earliest days of Christianity to now. Wherever your personal faith and belief system currently reside, this book will test that fait...

One of the most diabolical lies of all time is that the devil doesn't exist. When we lose sight of the reality of the devil's existence, our souls are in peril because we become defenseless in a battle we don't even realize is being fought. The opposite view can also be insidious, as is increasingly clear in our age of rising obsession with the allurements of evil and the occult. In this preeminent collection of more than thirty historical, literary, philosophical, and psychological essays fr...

Imagine the thrill and wonder in the hearts of children as they witness the divine power of Jesus -- in the astonished leper, his rags falling to the ground as he touches his smooth face; in the deaf man turning his head toward birdsong; in the bent, crippled woman unfurling to full stature, rejoicing!Through the stirring illustrations of Byron Hamilton and the searing simplicity of author Susan Joy Bellavance, When Jesus Speaks convinces each heart that the divine power of Jesus' word is rea...

Learning to Let Go with the Little Flower Do your possessions “spark joy”? In our materialistic society, we are often plagued with the slow torture of accumulated stuff, which creates disharmony, prevents us from living in the present moment, and keeps us from setting our eyes upon Heaven. The Little Way of Living with Less is a spiritual journey guided by St. Thérèse of Lisieux toward a “less is more” manner of living. It shares one couple’s effort to downsize, declutter, and detach― and the...

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...

The Beggar and the Bluebird is a modern-day fairytale in the tradition of Hans Christian Anderson and the Grimm Brothers. It tells the moving story of a little bird whose flight southward for the winter keeps getting delayed because of the strange requests of a local street beggar. The beggar asks the bird to deliver bread to a homeless man, money to a widow with children, and a gold cross to a sick boy in the hospital. As a result of performing these acts of mercy, the kind bird gets caught ...

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...

The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of Future Life is a timeless book written by 19th century French priest Father Charles Arminjon. Father Arminjon worked valiantly to turn his congregation’s thoughts away from worldly affairs and toward the spiritual world with a compassionate yet uncompromising perspective.In these conferences, Father Arminjon underscored the belief that heavenly goals should govern all aspects of life: what you say, what you do, and how you think. His profound ...

From 1899 until her death in 1903, the young Italian woman St. Gemma Galgani physically experienced the wounds of Christ every Thursday evening. The stigmata would appear and bleed on her hands, feet, and side, stopping only on Friday afternoon and leaving white marks as a reminder. St. Gemma also experienced countless visions, raptures, ecstasies, and other mystical graces― as well as intense temptations from the devil.Here is the remarkable diary of this young saint, which her spiritual dir...

Knowing how to make a good Confession can be intimidating, but with Fr. John Kane’s book How to Make a Good Confession, you can learn to make the most effective possible use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and carry its grace into your daily life.This down-to-earth, practical guide shows you how to transform a difficult situation into an opportunity for mercy and love. Fr. Kane helps you learn how to recognize and name yours sins, walk through an examination of conscience, articulate your ...