Books/Literature

Awarded third place in pilgrimages/Catholic travel by the Catholic Media Association.

Historian Kevin Schmiesing takes you to more than two-dozen sites and events that symbolize and embody America's rich and sometimes tumultuous Catholic past, including the Santa Fe Trail, Gettysburg, and the Bourbon Trail. You'll also meet both famous and infamous Catholics--including Augustus Tolton, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Frances Cabrini--who impacted our nation's history.

The idea for A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History came from Schmiesing's mother, he says. She turned every childhood vacation into a pilgrimage, purposely inserting religious sites into the family's journey to places such as Niagara Falls, Washington, DC, or Myrtle Beach.

Catholics have been part of the American experiment since the beginning--in founding the colonies and expanding the west, building education and health care systems, abolishing slavery, fighting on the front lines, and advancing science, technology, and space exploration. Each of the twenty-seven sites on Schmiesing's virtual itinerary--including, the Washington Monument, Wounded Knee Creek, the University of Notre Dame, and Mission San Diego de Alcalá--transports you to a significant time in US history and connects the dots to our Catholic heritage. You will meet notable Catholics such as John F. Kennedy, Black Elk, and Katharine Drexel, and learn more about their contributions to history.

You will explore the various and sometimes conflicting roles Catholics have played in key periods and events through the stories of shrines, memorials, and other historic places including:

Modernity, academia, and the media perceive and relentlessly advance a dichotomous, contradictory relationship between faith and science. However, from the time of Aristotle, it has been demonstrated that man is a rational being who reasons intellectually in a way that animals and technology cannot. Man is also a religious being, correlating himself to what is above and seeking answers to the ultimate questions of transcendence.

In his definitive book A Catholic Scientist Harmonizes Science and Faith, Dr. Gerard Verschuuren draws from the reflections of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Dr. Peter Kreeft, and numerous scientists, such as Albert Einstein and Gregor Mendel, who reveal the essential connection between reason and religion.

Dr. Verschuuren confirms the necessity of reasoning in scientific theory. Relying on true stories from scie

Catholic Social Teaching for Youth is a ready-to-use script for Catholic parents as they set to work teaching their children the Truth on all modern moral and social issues.

Catholic Spirituality From A to Z presents and inspiration about important topics in Catholic spiritual life, including significant writers, saints, scholars, movements, books, and concepts. A helpful resource for pastors, teachers, directors of religious education, RCIA instructors and candidates, as well as others interested in learning more about the Catholic faith. No other dictionary about Catholic spirituality speaks to both the head and the heart.

New converts and cradle Catholics alike are often perplexed by the myriad of devotions, traditions, practices, and beliefs that the Catholic Church has accumulated over the past twenty centuries. Why pray to St. Anthony to find something lost? Why keep a St. Christopher medal in your car? Or why bury a statue of St. Joseph -- upside down! -- in your yard when selling your house?

In Helen Hoffner's lovingly-illustrated, encyclopedic Catholic Treasures and Traditions, you'll find succinct - and sometimes amusing - answers to these and hundreds of other questions. This delightful book explains the origin and nature of most of the common traditions of the Catholic Faith, as well as the source and meaning of many of the quaint and obscure ones.

From Forty Hours to First Fridays and from Holy Hours to Holy Days, you'll find in these pages an informative, delightful compendium of the Catholic way of life, including information about:

* Advent Calendars * Icons * Jesse Trees *

* Novenas * Penance * Prayers for the Dead *

* Crucifixes * House Blessings * Prayer Corners *

* Relics * Stations of the Cross * The Sacraments *

* Religious Orders * The Holy See * The Roman Curia *

* St. Francis Statues * Bathtub Madonnas * Holy Cards *

* The Sacred Heart * The Liturgical Year * Holy Days *

* First Fridays * Votive Candles * Religious Medals *

* Marian Apparitions * Vestments * Divine Mercy *

* The Divine Office * Holy Oils * Genuflecting *

* The Angelus * Litanies * Patron Saints *

and much more to acquaint you with the many wonderful treasures and traditions of the Catholic Faith!

The Catholic Woman's Guide series integrates classic Catholic theology (Theology of the Body and teachings on contemplative prayer) with Sweet's unique brand of story and humor and will help you to find and hold on to authentic happiness, love, and joy in every area of your life. In this second volume, The Catholic Women's Guide to Romance, Sweet takes you through the doorway of romance that leads deep into the "Interior Life." Topics include:

The Adventure awaits! Accompany Rose through the portal of romance to the Love that never fails!

Peer through the stained glass and get an inside look at Christianity's most popular religion

Catholicism can seem a bit mysterious to non-Catholics--and even Catholics. Embrace your curiosity and turn to Dummies for answers! Full of fascinating facts and written in a friendly style, Catholicism For Dummies explains the basics of Catholic beliefs like the importance of Sunday Mass; the seven sacraments; the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; heaven, hell, and purgatory; the Trinity; and so much more. You'll learn about the Catholic perspective on women as priests, saints as examples of how to live, and prayer as the basis of a relationship with God.

This easy-to-read resource offers an overview of a rich and diverse faith. You'll also discover:

Whether you're a cradle Catholic or just curious about the world's second largest religion, Catholicism For Dummies has the answers you're seeking to a faith that's been around for thousands of years. Order your copy today.

"Know that even when you are in the kitchen, God moves amidst the pots and pans." --St. Teresa of Avila

For over two thousand years, Catholics have been at the heart of the culinary arts. Perhaps this should come as no surprise considering the sacred feast of the Eucharist gives life to our faith. From this foretaste of the heavenly banquet, we return to our domestic churches to gather around the dinner table, where families share joy, laughter, and love.

Yet as with so many other arenas of life, our relationship with food has become compromised, cheapened, unhealthy, and robbed of its wholesomeness and purpose. As we slip more and more into moral poverty, we lose the sacramental nature of eating and the sense of community that comes from a good meal.

The individuals featured in this work have spent a lifetime trying to turn back the tide of this downward spiral. They are farmers, ranchers, chefs, cooks, professors, authors, moms, dads, grandparents, priests. They have appeared on the Food Network, EWTN, and the Catholic Faith Network. They come from different regions--from Colorado to rural Virginia to the Louisiana Bayou--and from difficult cultures--Latino, Polish, Lebanese, Italian, Irish.

It is a wide pallet of humanity. And yet, the one ingredient found in all of them is the Catholic faith. Their faith journeys are as myriad as their backgrounds and favorite dishes, but each of them call Holy Mother Church home.

This cookbook shares an eclectic assortment of dishes, from Chicken Creole to Oyster Gumbo, from Fizzy Tea to Resurrection Rolls, from Butternut Squash Soup to Polish Cream Cake, and more. But it also shares stories of faith from ordinary people striving for heaven. Readers, then, will find in this collection nourishment for their bodies and their souls.

The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

Few today would contest that the priesthood is in a state of crisis. The nature and implications of that crisis, however, remain the subject of considerable discussion and debate. In The Changing Face of the Priesthood, Fr. Donald Cozzens offers insight into the crisis by reflecting on the issues, challenges, concerns, and realities of the priesthood today.

The same year that Pope John XXIII surprised the Catholic world with his call for an ecumenical council, Cozzens began his formal study of theology. As a seminarian he felt the shaking of the priesthood's foundations. The very face of the priesthood was evolving even as he arrived at his first parish assignment. A generation later, the face of the priesthood continues to reveal new contours, fascinating features, and sadly, some tragic blemishes.

In The Changing Face of the Priesthood, Cozzens takes a long, honest look at the present state of the priesthood. He provides this examination not merely from an empirical, scientific perspective but also from a personal, pastoral perspective. Drawing on clinical data, church documents, and his nearly forty years of pastoral experience, Cozzens gives shape and form to the changing face of the priesthood. Through his reflections he leads readers to both concern and hope for the priesthood of the twenty-first century.

Chapters are Discovering an Identity," *Guarding One's Integrity, - *Loving as a Celibate, - *Facing the Unconscious, - *Becoming a Man, - *Tending the Word, - *Considering Orientation, - *Betraying Our Young, - and *The Changing Face of the Priesthood. -

Donald Cozzens, PhD, a priest and writer, is author of two award-winning titles, Sacred Silence and The Changing Face of the Priesthood, and editor of The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest, all published by Liturgical Press. He is writer in residence at John Carroll University where he teaches in the religious studies department.

Joel Stepanek grew up believing that humility required shunning success, never accepting praise, and embracing a crummy life so that God would reward him in heaven. Then he became successful--at being a missionary. On a quest to find balance, Stepanek discovered powerful wisdom hidden within a nineteenth-century prayer that radically changed his life: the Litany of Humility. He shows you what he has learned about true Christian humility and how to right-size your expectations for living this crucial virtue.

As Stepanek, director of resource development at Life Teen, began to study and pray with the Litany of Humility, he discovered a pattern for spiritual growth that now anchors the way he lives. In Chasing Humility, he helps you explore eight essential aspects of humility in the life of a Christian: authenticity, confidence, gratitude, love, praise, empowerment, mentoring, and breaking barriers.

In addition to humorous and engaging stories and theological reflections, each chapter gives you practical exercises for spiritual growth such as:

This book will not only help you to understand and embrace the importance of humility, but teach you to love the virtue as well.

Over the centuries, Catholic spirituality has always given priority and special emphasis to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and rightly so. Yet, it cannot be denied that the Heart of St. Joseph is intimately linked with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. These three Hearts are inseparable, says Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, in this latest addition to his popular Gems series. "My hope is that the daily reflections in this book will inspire you to grow closer to the Heart of St. Joseph and ask his intercession in your life," Fr. Calloway writes. "At the same time, I want to encourage others to take up the pen and write about the Heart of St. Joseph. Who knows, maybe in the future devotion to the Heart of St. Joseph will be officially recognized and approved by the Church. Perhaps even a liturgical feast day in honor of the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph will be established. Dream big! "Until then, may this little book help you love the Heart of your spiritual father and may it contribute to the Church's growing interest in the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph."

Lizzie Velasquez recently graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos with a degree in communications. She is one of only three known people in the world with a medical syndrome that doesn't allow her to gain weight or create muscle. Lizzie, an author of three books, has appeared as a motivational speaker at more than 200 workshops. Her story has been featured in national and international media, including The Today Show, Inside Edition, Katie Couric, Dr. Drew, Australia's Sunday Night, and Germany's Explosiv.

What can we believe about--and how can we believe in--Jesus Christ in light of the Holocaust and other atrocities of the twentieth century and the drift from religion that followed? In this urgent and provocative work, award-winning author James Carroll traces centuries of religious history and theology to face this core challenge to modern faith and to rescue it for the secular age.

Far from another book about the "historical Jesus," Christ Actually takes the challenges of science and contemporary philosophy, of secularism, seriously. Carroll retrieves the power of Jesus both as an answer to humanity's perennial longing for transcendence and as a figure of profound ordinariness--his simple life, and his call to imitate him, all suggest an answer to the question "What is the future of Jesus Christ?" This book points the way.

"What we priests were forced to endure under the Nazi regime, especially in Dachau concentration camp, is no more than a cup filled from the vast sea of human suffering in the world today," wrote Fr. John Lenz. "It is not this suffering as such that is important. The important thing is to show those who have crosses of their own to bear in life just what the grace of God can do for those who follow faithfully in the footsteps of Christ the Crucified. It is no less important to reveal the wickedness of Hell."

The Nazi hellhole Dachau concentration camp held the largest number of Catholic priests -- more than 2,400 -- in the Nazi camp system. They came from two dozen countries, from every background -- parish priests and prelates, monks and friars, teachers and missionaries. More than one-third were killed.

Among the survivors was Fr. Lenz, who was asked by his superiors to write an account of what he saw -- and experienced -- so that it would not be forgotten. This book, filled with gripping real-life stories and eighty photos, was the stunning result and became an immediate sensation.

This work is unique among those written on the Holocaust; it reveals how, by tireless sacrifice amid barbaric suffering, the Church was victorious in one of the darkest times in human history. When the Nazis entered several European countries, many people were afraid to speak up. Numerous priests, however, continued to preach the gospel and the truth about the dignity of life and freedom. Through their courageous witness you will learn about:

"Only when we are forced to endure the most profound suffering and hardship do we learn how to catch hold of God's hand in our misery," Fr. Lenz reflected. "We learn to pray."

"Christ is alive!" proclaims the pope. Pope Francis's new Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit calls to "all Christian young people" and the People of God, including pastors and the faithful, and urges them to seek the youthful newness of life in Christ!

The pope proposes that youth engage the joy of a living God, the richness of their Catholic faith, and the strength of living in Christian community. He illuminates the Scriptures to give youth tangible hope and draw them more fully into the Church. And in a time of new technology and transformative social changes, the pope challenges youth to take the grounded path of generous sacrifice and faithful companionship with peers, family, neighbors, and elders.

Pope Francis knows committed and bold youth and young adults can change our world! He listened to youthful voices from all over the world during the synod on young people. Pope Francis now speaks full of the conviction that the youth will have great impact-and he challenges them to their best. The pope affirms the sacred time of youth as a time of dreams and decision, of maturity, courage, discernment, and valiant commitment. And he considers a plan for action that will take young people forward quickly, amid fears and hopes, into the work of a life with mission and purpose.

For the young and young at heart, this exhortation will stir all who read it to seek a newness of life in the promise of Christ's Resurrection. Christus Vivit is vital for youth and young adults, as they live out their vocation in the Church and their mission in the world. The exhortation is also an important read for pastors, parents, educators, families, youth and young adult ministries, and all Christian young people. Get your printed copy now, and pick up a copy for a friend or young adult in your life!

Jon Favreau captivated the world with the debut of his Mandalorian series, and while he likely never intended it to be overtly religious, or to infuse it with Christian symbolism, the extremely popular television series has many remarkable parallels with two specific Christian saints. Many have recognized in Din Djarin, the series’ titular character, similarities to St. Christopher, while others have found echoes of Jesus’ foster-father, St. Joseph.

In this short book, Voyage Comics presents a selection of articles that explore the inspiring Christian themes that can be found in The Mandalorian, as well as a collection of Christian stories and legends that visualize this connection more concretely.

In her penetrating exploration of Catholic Social Teaching, Sr. Mary Consilia O'Brien, O.P., Ph.D., offers the most clear-eyed description ever written on this foundational subject. She explores the Church's authentic teachings on the dignity of the human person as well as man's freedoms and obligations to society. She describes when individual liberties must transcend social control -- and when they must not. Best of all, she explains the final purpose of society, to which all its activities must be oriented.

Skillfully crafted to appeal to both students and adults, each chapter features a probe of the content, leavened by practical examples, excerpts from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, quotes from encyclicals, as well as discussion questions and additional study resources. In Christian Social Principles, you'll also learn:

After a bloody 20th century for Christians, the 21st remains onerous for those who face minority status in many places. In fact, an estimated 200 million Christians worldwide – that is, one out of every ten – suffer some form of persecution for their faith. For many, there is a price to pay for being a follower of Christ.

In Christians in Danger, author Marc Fromager offers a personal account of his experience in twenty countries where the future of Christians is anything but certain. He explains the historical and political situation of these Christians and describes the day-to-day tensions they face. With neither anger nor complacency, he leads us to a greater awareness of their sufferings and reminds us that we are still living in “the time of the martyrs”. But his message is not one of doom-and-gloom pessimism. Yes, Christians are in danger in many countries around the world, and yes, there are reasons for hope. This book takes a look at both.

In this book, Fromager walks alongside many well-known “underground” Christians in countries like Saudi Arabia, where the Catholic population is fifteen times larger than it was thirty years ago, but where everything is absolutely forbidden: no churches, no Bibles, no rosaries, no crucifixes. Everything is done in secret. He also takes you to places like the Philippines and France, where Christianity is well established, but where the situation is steadily eroding. These accounts will make you grateful for your own freedoms and will inspire you to pray for and support those brothers and sisters in the Faith who cannot rely on such freedoms.

Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (first place, best new religious book series).

Suspense, politics, sin, death, sex, and redemption: Not the plot of the latest crime novel, but elements of the true history of the Catholic Church.

Larger-than-life figures such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Augustine, and Constantine played an important part in the history of the Christianity. In The Church and the Roman Empire (AD 301-490): Constantine, Councils, and the Fall of Rome, popular Catholic author Mike Aquilina gives readers a vivid and engaging account of how Christianity developed and expanded as the Roman Empire declined.

Aquilina explores the dramatic backstory of the Council of Nicaea and why Christian unity and belief are still expressed by the Nicene Creed. He also sets the record straight about commonly held misconceptions about the Catholic Church.

In this book, you will learn:

Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History series, edited by Mike Aquilina and written by leading authors and historians, bring Church history to life, debunking the myths one era at a time.