History
The Twentieth Century's War for the Sake of the Cross
by Warren H. Carroll
Spain 1936...
“Crusade” means a war for the sake of the Cross, a war to protect Christian people from persecution and death on account of their faith in Jesus Christ. Everyone has heard of the crusades of the Middle Ages. But few know of the crusade fought for this same purpose in Spain during the early twentieth century.
In just six months of the year 1936, thirteen bishops and nearly seven thousand priests, seminarians, monks, and nuns were martyred in Spain by enemies of Christianity. It was the greatest clerical bloodletting in so short a span of time since the persecutions of the Chruch by the ancient Roman emporers. Already Pope John Paul II has beatified some two hundred of these martyrs. Tens of thousands of churches, chapels, and shrines in Spain were pillaged or destroyed. In response, faithful Spanish Catholics proclaimed a crusade. Agains all odds the crusaders
triumphed, and the Church and the Faith in Spain were saved.
This is the story of that crusade, now honored in no other book in print in the English language. Most people who know of the Spanish Civil war do not understand why it was fought or how it was really won. This book will tell you. There is no story like it in the history of the twentieth century.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 240 pages
by Warren H. Carroll
The slogans of the French Revolution are now accepted unquestioningly. We forget their bloody birth. Carroll helps us remember the Reign of Terror that claimed 40,000 lives in a few months. Covers Danton, the architect of the Terror, whose re-conversion to the Faith led him to a death-battle with the monster he created, and the heroic resistance of the Vendee.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 203 pages
Nineteenth-century Catholics and the Myth of Modern Freedom
by Dr John Rao
19TH CENTURY CATHOLICS AND THE MYTH OF MODERN FREEDOM Among American Catholics, there is a certain unwillingness to see anything amiss with modern civilization as embodied in the American dream of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Often, this is because the only alternatives to democracy we know are the much more frightening specters of socialism and communism. To many, it seems the only way to have an effective voice in the American political arena is to align ourselves with the so-called conservative "Right." Yet if we follow the logic of the "Right" today, we may wonder why people who support individual rights and freedom of conscience in the economic and political realm are so vehemently opposed to the supremacy of individual rights and freedom of conscience in the moral realm. Many Catholics give up following the logic at this point and cast their vote in favor of freedom of conscience as the most important principle - because it is the most advantageous to them at this moment.
LEARN THE TRUTH The Catholic Church, however, has never been concerned primarily with what is the most advantageous political system at a given point in history, but rather with the truth. In Removing the Blindfold, Dr. John Rao explains the conundrum that modern Catholics face in dealing with the current socio-political climate and traces the roots of this problem back to the French Revolution and the principles it espoused. He shows how most modern Catholics have embraced some form of revolutionary thought without even being aware of it, and reveals how revolutionary ideals are incompatible with Church teaching, and always have been.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 200 pages
A history of Christendom vol. 1
by Warren H. Carroll
This series is the only comprehensive narration of Western history written from the orthodox Catholic perspective still in print. How would a historical narrative read if the author began with these first principles: Truth exists; the Incarnation happened? This series is essential reading for those who consider the West worth defending.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 605 pages
A history of Christendom vol. 2
by Warren H. Carroll
This series is the only comprehensive narration of Western history written from the orthodox Catholic perspective still in print. How would a historical narrative read if the author began with these first principles: Truth exists; the Incarnation happened? This series is essential reading for those who consider the West worth defending.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 618 pages
by Henry Garnett
It was fall 1570, and rumors of an invasion by the Turks were spreading throughout Venice. Down by the docks, Guido Callata listened to the sailors as they discussed past battles and speculated about more fighting in the future. From the altar of St. Mark's, a message from His Holiness Pope Pius V had been read, calling for crusade to repel Turkish advances. A fleet of Venetian and Spanish vessels would be assembled, and Guido's father, like other wealthy Venetians, had agreed to build and equip a galley for the Christian fleet. Secretly, Guido hoped to sail to battle with his father's crew; instead, he was whisked off to the safety of a monastery, far from the excitement of the Venetian waterfront. How Guido finally manages to join the fleet and help to defeat the Turks in the memorable Battle of Lepanto is a colorful tale of danger, suspense, and adventure in sixteenth-century Italy.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 186 pages
The Catholic Queen
by Warren H. Carroll
One of the most powerful and compelling figures of all history, Isabel of Spain was a force with which to be reckoned, and should rightfully eclipse the better-known Elizabeth of England, both as a woman and a national leader.
The first full scholarly biography of Queen Isabel in English for nearly seventy-five years, Isabel of Spain is extensively annotated and eminently readable.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 464 pages
by G. K. Chesterton
Chesterton's visit to Ireland in early 1918 resulted in this unique, readable, and thought-provoking book on Ireland and the Irish situation of the early 20th-century from one of England's greatest essayists. In Irish Impressions, familiar Chestertonian themes — distribution of property, industrialism, the Faith and Christian society — are discussed in the context of Ireland's struggle for national and cultural independence from the Britain of the early 1900s. Not mincing words, Chesterton points out both the strengths and weakness of the English and Irish positions during that crucial period, always with wit and wisdom — and an appreciation of religious, cultural, and economic essentials, which is characteristic of Chesterton's work. Originally published: London, 1919.
IHS Press is extremely pleased to be able to offer with this newly edited, extensively footnoted edition, a new Preface by Dr. Dermot Quinn.
Dr. Quinn is an Associate Professor of History at Seton Hall University, and an intimate friend and colleague of Fr. Ian Boyd of Seton Hall's Chesterton Institute. Quinn received his doctorate from Oxford University, is author of Patronage and Piety: The Politics of English Roman Catholicis, 1850 — 1900 (Stanford University Press, 1993), and is a frequent contributor to The Chesterton Review.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 152 pages
by Fr Johannes Messner
Introduced in this book is Englebert Dollfuss, the Austrian hero who plotted a course for Austria against Nazism, against Socialism, and against unbridled capitalism until his assassination by the Nazis in 1934. This is the story of the Austrian chancellor who attempted to act as a moral force to bring a divided, bankrupt, and bitter Europe to its senses. It details how he persuaded people of many different political persuasions to follow and support that policy, not through elegant speeches, worthless programs, and empty promises, but through common sense, good humor, overpowering honesty, and tremendous personal sacrifice.
Dollfuss: An Austrian Patriot was written by neo-Thomist professor Fr. Johannes Messner based upon his close association and collaboration with Engelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria. Messner's account of Dollfuss's life provides a brief sketch of biographical details, but, more importantly, illustrates Dollfuss's social vision and provides an account of his attempt to structure Austrian social and economic life along the lines determined by Quadragesimo Anno. As a leading exponent of Catholic Social Doctrine as it was expressed in the Austrian tradition established by Karl von Vogelsang, Messner is uniquely qualified to highlight the reforms initiated by Dollfuss as they relate to the traditional social vision of the Church.
Dr. Zmirak is a student of traditional and Catholic political economy, and the author of Wilhelm Roepke: Swiss Localist; Global Economist. Dr. von Hildebrand is a frequent writer and lecturer on Catholic culture and related subjects. Her husband, the late Dr. Deitrich von Hildebrand, collaborated with Dollfuss and his associates on the paper of the Austrian state, The Christian Corporative State.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 160 pages
A History of the Protestant Reformation in England & Ireland
by William Cobbett
William Cobbett stunned the Protestant world of 19th century England with his publication in 1824 of his groundbreaking work The History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland.
Not only was the book deeply researched and footnoted, but it presented a historical picture that was profoundly contrary to the “official history” that had been drummed into the minds of countless Englishmen for three hundred years. In addition, the fact that it was so well written, so sympathetic to the Catholic cause, AND written by a fellow Church of England Protestant made this book an overnight bestseller running into many editions and reprints over the next thirty years.
Theological issues are not treated directly, but the illogic of the Protestant positions is clearly seen in the practical results of the break from Rome. For those who wish an objective history of this critical period of English and American history there is no better book available. The power of Cobbett’s prose and his convincing logic and sardonic wit make for a delightful reading experience as well.
This is one of the best books ever written on the EFFECTS in both the Church and in society of the English Reformation.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 349 pages
by Fr Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp
When Jesus Christ, our King and Master, taught us how to pray to His Father and Our Father, he used the phrase “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In heaven God’s will is perfectly accomplished, but here on earth, fallen mankind cannot fulfill God’s will without the constant assistance of sanctifying grace communicated to the world through the sacraments of His church.
After the fall of Adam, a world perfectly ordered to God’s divine will was corrupted and dis-order became the ‘natural’ state of mankind and the created universe. It was the role of the Messias to re-order this fallen world—to bring a new state of order to the world His Father had created. The means for establishing that order by which a fallen world may return to God is the Catholic church and the life of sanctifying grace. As Christians newly born into the life of grace—a ‘supernatural’ state of being—we are all called to bring as much order to this world as is possible, all the while never forgetting that this world is in a fallen and corrupted state and that a ‘utopia’ is not possible here on earth. The church of Christ is constantly opposed in this mission by all of the forces of ‘naturalism’ or dis-order, that is those forces opposed to the supernatural life of divine grace. It is the duty of all Christians of the Church Militant to battle against these forces.
This calling of Christians to the battle for order was the motto of the pontificate of Pope Saint X. That motto was Instaurare Omnia in Christo, “to restore all things in Christ”, taken from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 1:10. The modern popes have frequently warned us of the dangers of ‘naturalism’, which denies the supernatural life of grace and militates against it, and they have called us to fight in our private and public lives against this pernicious error. No priest has heeded that call and risen to defend the supernatural life of grace as clearly and as vigorously as Father Denis Fahey. He truly understood, and explained why, there is no salvation outside the Catholic church, either for individual persons or for the life of society and of nations.
A clear image of just what the life of a Christian in a society imbued from top to bottom with the social principles of Christ the King would be like, is not a widely shared understanding in much of the Christian world today, especially in America. We must remember that Christianity is a religion of world conquest! We are called to conquer the world for Christ and to do all that we can to subdue persons and nations to His will. A Catholic undertakes this battle first within himself and then within his family. Soon the influence of many families begins to pervade the community and then the nation or state. If Christian people do not have the full picture in their mind of exactly what God’s Plan for Order in this world would look like in its accomplishment, then they can have no long-term strategy for victory and little hope of achieving it. We have all of the tools required and all of the powers of heaven backing us. Let us take into our hearts and our minds the full plan and its potential for the realization of peace in the world and Christ the King of heaven and earth will bless our efforts. This was the permanent admonition of Fr. Fahey.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 92 pages
by Marie de Sainte-Hermine
Inspired by first hand accounts, this touching story of the French Revolution is a great example of the popular Catholic literature of the 19th century. Plunged into the disasters following the murder of Louis XVI, Marie de Sainte-Hermine recounts, as only a grandmother can, the history of her noble family and their struggle against the tyranny of the Revolution. The reader learns of her guilded childhood in the manor house of Bois-Joli, and follows her through the tragic hours of the Vendean War of 1793, the massacres and atrocities of the revolutionaries, and the sinister prison of Nantes, where her family paid the ultimate price. Through the darkness of the Terror, however, shines the light and power of Christian nobility and virtue - a lesson fit for all ages.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 357 pages
This is the true account of the martyrdom of Catholics, who, because they chose to bear witness to the Faith, died for it. Of the many jewels that form the Christian diadem of Spain, that of the martyrs is the most beautiful. In cities, towns, and villages throughout the land, people were tortured for witnessing to the Truth. Many priests, religious brothers, nuns, men, women, and children were murdered. "You be the judge of the following events and decide if they are only terrible or also triumphant in their eternal heroism."
The example of the Spanish martyrs makes us aware of the futility of our attempts to avoid guilt and escape from God by removing Him from society altogether. Their heroism forces us to take a long, clear, and unwavering look in the mirror. Is it possible that we find ourselves unknowingly in the enemy’s camp? Have we allowed ourselves to be absorbed by our culture merely to enjoy the safe but sterile existence of a microbe in a plastic society? Has much of what transpired in Spain in the heat of persecution already occurred here and passed unnoticed? Are we deserving of persecution? The Spanish martyrs have left us an admonition proper for the age: Imagined paradises lead to real hells. The martyrs are models of what Christians, armed by the grace of God, can be. They rise above themselves, their infirmities, and the vicissitudes of history to escape the gravity of the world. In so doing, they provide us with an example that we can ignore only at our peril.
THE BLOOD OF MARTYRS IS THE SEED OF THE CHURCH.
by Nicolas C. Prata
The year is A.D. 1565 and the tiny island fortress of Malta, defended by an anachronistic crusading order called the Knights of St. John Hospitallers, is all that stands between the war machine of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and the very heart of Christendom. Pitifully outmatched and against impossible odds, the indomitable Grand Master Jean Parisot de La Valette nevertheless inspires his knights to "strike a blow for Christ" and sacrifice their lives to halt the invading Turks at the gates of Europe. Nicholas Prata relates the actual events of the Great Siege in riveting and graphic prose which brings the extreme heroism of the knights and the horror of combat sharply into focus.
Age range: 12 years up
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 292 pages
The True Story of the Knight of Vivar
by James Fitzhenry
This book is an inspiring biography about an extraordinary Catholic knight chosen by God to save his nation from Islamic aggression. Known by the honorary title of El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz is an epic hero who is relevant to our time. Exiled by his king, insulted and maligned by those who should have supported him, he selflessly fought against seemingly insurmountable odds to save Christian Spain. Commanding the respect even of his enemies, upon his death a Muslim historian acclaimed him a "miracle among the great miracles of the Almighty."
The Cid is an example of what can be achieved through devotion to duty, prayer, and trust in God.
Ages: 12 and older
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 186 pages
by Fr John Gerard, S.J.
Truth is stranger than fiction. And nowhere in literature is it so apparent as in this classic work, The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest. This autobiography of a Jesuit priest in Elizabethan England is a most remarkable document and John Gerard, its author, a most remarkable priest in a time when to be a Catholic in England courted imprisonment and torture; to be a priest was treason by act of Parliament.
Smuggled into England after his ordination and dumped on a Norfolk beach at night, Fr. Gerard disguised himself as a country gentleman and traveled about the country saying Mass, preaching and ministering to the faithful in secret always in constant danger. The houses in which he found shelter were frequently raided by priest hunters; priest-holes, hide-outs and hair-breadth escapes were part of his daily life. He was finally caught and imprisoned, and later removed to the infamous Tower of London where he was brutally tortured.
The stirring account of his escape, by means of a rope thrown across the moat, is a daring and magnificent climax to a true story which, for sheer narrative power and interest, far exceeds any fiction. Here is an accurate and compelling picture of England when Catholics were denied their freedom to worship and endured vicious persecution and often martyrdom. But more than the story of a single priest, "The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest" epitomizes the constant struggle of all human beings through the ages to maintain their freedom. It is a book of courage and of conviction whose message is most timely for our age.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.5", 395 pages
by Father Henri Hello, C.M.
“The insincerity of some and the prejudices of others make the Inquisitor out to be a monster. However, the Catholic nations were very happy with an institution that both protected their Faith and ensured public order.” Father Henri Hello.
The very idea of the Inquisition is anathema to men of the 21st Century. Not only have we imbibed the anti-Catholic propaganda that depicts it as a club of stupid and ferocious monks who had men roasted for the fun of it, but we even struggle accepting the very principle of every inquisition, in other words, the right to seek out and punish heretics who are perverting the faithful.
But we cannot escape the fact that this principle was officially recognized in the Church and put into practice from the very beginning by the Roman Pontiffs and by the bishops.
In this short but thorough book, Father Henri Hello shows us how the Inquisition was both an eminently Catholic and an eminently commonsensical institution that the Church has every right to be proud of.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 90 pages
A Novel of Baldwin IV and the Crusades
by Susan Peek
A new historical novel about the unusual life of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, the leper crusader king who - despite ascending to the throne at only 13, his early death at 24 and his debilitating disease - performed great and heroic deeds in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Teenagers and avid readers of all ages will be amazed at this story and be inspired by a faith that accomplished the impossible!
Age range 13 - adult
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 185 pages