History
A Complete History of the Catholic Church to the Present Day
for High School, College, and Adult Reading
by Fr John Laux, M.A.
From the beginning to 1940. Written for both students and adults. The author intersperses the history with many brief, interesting biographies of famous people, and at the end of each chapter he quotes briefly from a famous writing of the era, blending a medley of elements into a comprehensive historical composition that is at once brilliant and fascinating. A story of the Church unparalleled in its scope, depth, variety and impact, and a book all Catholics should read.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 686 pages
A Compendium on the Life of St. Galgano
by Torchj Dei Gius Galetti
This is the first work of any length in the English language on St. Galgano, an Italian knight who gave up his comfortable life to become a hermit. One particular incident from his life is already known to English speaking audiences, though through entirely other means, namely, the medieval stories of King Arthur.
It may come as a surprise that there was a real sword in the stone, which may still be seen in Galgano, Italy.
The sword in the stone, though a significant miracle in St. Galgano’s life, is but a divine confirmation of his calling to penance, prayer and sacrifice for souls, whereas in Arthurian legend it is centered around the establishment of an earthly kingdom. This introduction into the Arthurian legend is late, around the 14th century, and most certainly has its origin in the story of St. Galgano.
This simple, straightforward narrative was written in the 19th century, and has been translated for the first time into English, so as to acquaint English speakers with this famous Italian saint.
The story traces St. Galgano’s life from his early youth and sinful years, his conversion, and the circumstances by which he became a hermit on Mt. Siepi. Then, the events of his holy life, his death and burial, as well as a description of what the abbey of St. Galgano looked like. The author, Galetti, even adds the testimony of miracles associated with Galgano’s head, a relic preserved in Siena.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 76 pages
by Hilaire Belloc
At last, this is an accurate explanation of how Christendom suffered "shipwreck" in the Protestant Reformation. Traces the titanic conflict blow-by-blow from pre-Luther, through "The Flood," "The English Accident," and Calvin, showing the spiritual, military, political and financial struggles which had ended in a divided Europe by 1648.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 180 pages
The Divine Surprises and Chastisements that Shaped the Church and Changed the World
by Diane Moczar
Here are the saints and sinners, popes and kings that God used to shape his Church and change the world. You'll meet Clovis and Charlemagne, Luther and Pope Leo, Suleiman and St. Francis, the Arians, the Franks, the Huguenots, and others whose sins or sacrifices altered the course of history.
Here, too, are the wars and plagues, the ideas and institutions -- and, yes, the miracles that gave birth to our Christian civilization and often threatened to doom it. Experience the battles of Tours and Lepanto, the Crusades, the Russian Revolution, and Fatima, the miracle that foretold (and offered a way to prevent) the conflicts that killed millions in the twentieth century.
Wars and terrorism have rendered the first years of our new century no less bloody. Has God now abandoned us?
Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know finds the answer in history: from the first days of the Christian era, at key moments when civilization hung in the balance, God has intervened sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically but ever and always he has come forward himself or given strength to those who were faithful to him.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 177 pages
Infamous Myths About the Church's Past and How to Answer Them
by Diane Moczar, PhD
In Seven Lies about Catholic History, Diane Moczar (author of Islam at the Gates) tackles the most infamous and prevalent historical myths about the Church—popular legends that you encounter everywhere from textbooks to T.V.—and reveals the real truth about them. She explains how they got started and why they're still around, and best of all, she gives you the facts and the arguments you need to set the record straight about:
- The Inquisition: how it was not a bloodthirsty institution but a merciful (and necessary) one;
- Galileo's trial: why moderns invented a myth around it to make science appear incompatible with the Catholic faith (it's not);
- The Reformation: why the 16th-century Church was not totally corrupt (as even some Catholics wrongly believe), as well as how the reformers made things worse for everybody;
- And other lies that the world uses to attack and discredit the Faith
Written in a brisk style that's fun and easy to read, Seven Lies about Catholic History provides the lessons that every Catholic needs in order to defend and explain not just apologize for the Church's rich and complex history.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 200 pages
Fr. Simeon Lourdel
Planting the Faith in the Furthest Africa
by F. A.Forbes
Fr Simeon Lourdel, a French missionary priest, became the Apostle of Uganda. In his short life, Fr. Lourdel had transformed the landscape of the entire country.
The charity, the tact and prudence of the missionary were taxed to the utmost. When after years of patient toil, he had the consolation of reaping the first fruits of his conquests for Christ, behold—a cruel and sudden persecution visited the newly established Christian Community, and in an instant, he had the untold sorrow of seeing his mission swept by fire and drenched in blood.
Midst this awful upheaval, the faith and the charity of the apostle waxed the stronger; at the peril of his life, the good shepherd remained close to his flock, encouraging them by day and by night, preparing them for the crown of martyrdom that was soon to be theirs. He hoped too that he would be allowed to share the sufferings of his children and to die with them in testimony for the Faith. But though repeatedly threatened with death and suffering, imprisonment twice—his cross—and could a heavier one be imagined?—was to witness the oppressing, and the slaying of his beloved neophytes.
Mother F.A. Forbes tells the story of Uganda’s first Apostle in a beautiful yet simple to read account that will inspire as well as uplift.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 126 pages
The Origin and Early Years of the Capuchin Reform
by Fra Ruffino da Siena and Fra Bernadino da Colpetrazzo
A Capuchin Chronicle is a translation of a 16th century account of the first Capuchin Franciscans: their trials, tribulations and holiness as they went on to become a great religious order in the Church.
The Chronicle, though anonymous, is attributed to Fra Ruffino da Siena, and begins with a review of previous reforms, laying the ground for the turbulent period of the 1530s and the struggle with the regular Franciscans to establish their first houses. Students of the discalced Carmelite reform will see here similar attitudes and obstacles to overcome to establish reform.
This chronicle while near contemporary and a great source for information on the order, is also a spiritual treatise of first rank, on the virtues which the men of that age felt were necessary to not only wear the habit of St. Francis, but truly embrace the spirit of their founder. This should be considered as a quintessential Franciscan work.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 266 pages
by Abbe Constant Fouard
Next to the period of Our Lord’s earthly life, the apostolic age that followed was—and is—the richest and most revealing for Christians. It was then that the blueprint for living the Gospels was drawn. Yet, for Catholics of the past two generations, the indispensable fruits of the Patristic Era have been all but memory holed, and the Church and broader society have suffered for it.
Fouard created an authoritative and reverent account based on the Acts of the Apostles, brimming with precious facts from historians of Greece and Rome, penetrating reflections on Saints Matthew and Mark’s Gospels, an extensive outline related by Saint Luke, and a timeless introduction by James Cardinal Gibbons which upholds the authenticity of the Sacred Scriptures.
As Catholic World magazine trumpeted over 100 years ago:
“[Abbe Fouard’s book] shows how much may be obtained by the diligent and truth-seeking student ... simple, clear [and] distinct. ... Peter and the other Apostles seem to stand before us as living men. With him we follow them as they descend the Mount of Olives to re-enter the Supper-Room, where with Mary they persevered in prayer until the Holy Spirit came. Afterwards we see how he to whom Jesus had said, ‘Feed my lambs, feed my sheep,’ took the position of leader. ... Our author does not have to prove that there was a church, because his readers hear the Church speaking.
“We wish that more Church historians knew how to bring out our religion as a living thing. ... Men are perishing because the truth is being willfully ignored, Christianity is being rejected because erroneous confessions of faith can be picked to pieces. Conviction is being overthrown to give place to doubt, and the remedy is knowledge of religion as God gave it to man through the channels which He appointed for its extension. ... Abbe Fouard’s book will help to make the truth known.”
This work brings to life through fascinating narratives and intimate details:
- The life of St. Peter. not only as an apostle, but as a man
- The true story of the early Church—free from modern criticism
- The ancient Roman culture and religion
- The moral condition of the pagan world (Is it better or worse than today?)
- Six fascinating aspects of early Christian worship
- Three ways that the Holy Spirit taught the Apostles to transmit the Faith
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 472 pages
Crisis of Christendom
A History of Christendom vol. 6
by Warren H. Carroll
The Crisis of Christendom is the sixth and final volume of Dr. Warren H. Carroll's history of Christendom. It is concerned with the "crises," or turning points, in the diseases which plagued humanity during the modern era. The book discusses in detail Nazi and Japanese militarism and its crisis in World War II, the inhuman system of Communism and its fall in 1989, and the origins and consequences of the denial of human dignity in the modern culture of death. Carroll shows the power of evil in the twentieth century, but focuses also on the great popes, in particular Pope John Paul II, and the great apparitions of the Marian Century. He ends with a call to hope and action.
As did earlier volumes in this sweeping series, The Crisis of Christendom reflects an unabashedly Christian and Catholic view of history, taking as one of its major themes the centrality of the Papacy to the destiny of the West. Dr. Carroll holds that God and individual men and women, not impersonal social and economic "forces," make history. The characters and actions of these history-makers, both good and evil, are vividly depicted as essential elements in the triumphs and tragedies of Christian civilization in Europe and the New World for two centuries (1815-2010).
Both a gripping, dramatic narrative and an indispensable work of reference for Christian history, this volume, and the entire series of which it is a part, belong in the library of every serious Catholic who desires to understand the work that Christ has done in the world through His Church and His faithful people.
How would a historical narrative read if the author began with the first principles that truth exists and the Incarnation happened? The long-awaited sixth and final volume to the late Warren Carroll's highly regarded history of Christendom covers the years 1815 through 2005. This series is the only in-print, comprehensive narration of Western history written from an orthodox Catholic perspective
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 700 pages
The Story of Takashi Nagai a Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb
by Fr Paul Glynn, S.M.
On August 9, 1945, an American B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye, while fatally injuring and poisoning thousands more. Among the survivors was Takashi Nagai, a pioneer in radiology research and a convert to the Catholic Faith. Living in the rubble of the ruined city and suffering from leukemia caused by over-exposure to radiation, Nagai lived out the remainder of his remarkable life by bringing physical and spiritual healing to his war-weary people.
A Song for Nagasaki tells the moving story of this extraordinary man, beginning with his boyhood and the heroic tales and stoic virtues of his family's Shinto religion. It reveals the inspiring story of Nagai's remarkable spiritual journey from Shintoism to atheism to Catholicism. Mixed with interesting details about Japanese history and culture, the biography traces Nagai's spiritual quest as he studied medicine at Nagasaki University, served as a medic with the Japanese army during its occupation of Manchuria, and returned to Nagasaki to dedicate himself to the science of radiology. The historic Catholic district of the city, where Nagai became a Catholic and began a family, was ground zero for the atomic bomb.
After the bomb disaster that killed thousands, including Nagai's beloved wife, Nagai, then Dean of Radiology at Nagasaki University, threw himself into service to the countless victims of the bomb explosion, even though it meant deadly exposure to the radiation which eventually would cause his own death. While dying, he also wrote powerful books that became best-sellers in Japan. These included The Bells of Nagasaki, which resonated deeply with the Japanese people in their great suffering as it explores the Christian message of love and forgiveness. Nagai became a highly revered man and is considered a saint by many Japanese people. Illustrated
"Christians and non-Christians alike were deeply moved by Nagai's faith in Christ that made him like Job of the Scriptures: in the midst of the nuclear wilderness he kept his heart in tranquility and peace, neither bearing resentment against any man nor cursing God." — Shusaku Endo, from the Foreword
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 267 pages
by G.K. Chesterton
Edited by Dale Ahlquist
Hilaire Belloc called “Lepanto” Chesterton’s greatest poem and the greatest poem of his generation. But not only have English classes neglected this masterpiece of rhyme and meter, History classes have neglected the story of the pivotal battle upon which the poem is based.
This book brings together the poem, the historical background of the famous battle, a riveting account of the battle itself, and a discussion of its historical consequences. The poem is fully annotated, and is supplemented with two interesting essays by Chesterton himself. Well-known Chesterton expert, Dale Ahlquist, has gathered together all the insightful commentaries and explanatory notes. Here is the story behind the modern conflict between Christianity and Islam, between Protestant and Catholic Europe, and the origin of the Feast of the Holy Rosary. A fascinating blend of literature, history, religion and romance!
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 124 pages
The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within
by Taylor R. Marshall
It took nearly two millennia for the enemies of the Catholic Church to realize they could not successfully attack the Church from the outside. Indeed, countless nemeses from Nero to Napoleon succeeded only in creating sympathy and martyrs for our Catholic Faith.
That all changed in the mid-19th century, when clandestine societies populated by Modernists and Marxists hatched a plan to subvert the Catholic Church from within. Their goal: to change Her doctrine, Her liturgy, and Her mission.
In this captivating and carefully documented book, Dr. Taylor Marshall pulls back the curtain on their nefarious plan, showing how these enemies of Christ strategically infiltrated the seminaries, then the priesthood, then the episcopacy, and eventually the cardinal-electors all with the eventual goal of electing one of their own as pope.
You'll come to see that the seemingly endless scandals plaguing the Church are not the result, as so many think, of cultural changes, or of Vatican II, but rather the natural consequences of an orchestrated demonic plot to destroy the Church.
In these gripping pages, you'll discover:
- How popes of the 1800s discovered a plot to infiltrate the Church
- How theologians suspected of being Modernists became Vatican powerbrokers.
- How modifications in Catholic canon law enabled predator priests like Theodore McCarrick to stay in positions of power.
- How Our Lady of La Salette gave a prophetic warning of the plot to infiltrate the Church.
- How the chief architect of liturgical reforms was discovered to be a Freemason.
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen's role in exposing the Communist infiltration of the priesthood.
- How the confusing history of the Third Secret of Fatima relates to the infiltration of the Catholic Church.
- That Pope Paul VI explained that Vatican II was not infallible.
- How Pope Paul VI revoked the voting rights of cardinals over 80, thus guaranteeing that all voting cardinals were appointed by him.
- How the criteria for sainthood shifted from a person's historical acts to his personal beliefs.
- The complex roots of the St. Gallen Mafia and how they plotted to modify Catholic doctrine and elect Pope Francis.
Hardcover, size 8.6" x 5.6", 224 pages
A history of Christendom vol. 4
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", 801 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 John Lenz
“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:
- The arrest and imprisonment of priests and other faithful citizens
- What really happened at Dachau and the horrific treatment of prisoners
- How priests ministered to fellow prisoners and prayed unceasingly in the camps
- Ways in which priests secretly brought the Blessed Sacrament to the people and heard confessions
- Spiritual lessons learned in the face of death and despair
“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.”
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 328 pages
Saint Pius V
The legendary Pope Who Excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I, Standardized the Mass, and Defeated the Ottoman Empire
by Prof Roberto de Mattei
Few Catholic writers have been as prolific as University of Rome Professor Roberto de Mattei. Over decades he has produced a wealth of incisive analyses about the Catholic world’s collapse and charted an authoritative path back to health and sanity.
He has now written an exceedingly compelling and powerful biography of Pope Pius V, widely recognized as one of the boldest and most courageous popes of the past millennium, who decisively defeated the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Lepanto and fought head-on the Protestant Reformation, which had assailed the Church.
The life of every Christian is a battle, and St. Pius V offers us a luminous example of leadership in a time of trial. In these pages, you’ll learn:
- How the “Revolution of Luther” was met with a papal shrug — that is, until Pius V became pope
- The inside story of how Pope Pius V led the Counter-Reformation on multiple fronts
- How the devastating Sack of Rome in 1527 forever changed the Holy See and had deadly consequences for clergy and religious alike
- Why St. Pius V’s no-compromise approach toward both the Renaissance and Humanist corruption preserved the Church to this day
- The behind-the-scenes story of the Council of Trent — the most dramatic conclave in the history of the Church
- The role inquisitions played in the time of Pope Pius V and what they enabled him to accomplish
- How St. Pius V dealt with stray bishops and how his rebukes and mandates led to meaningful reform of both their lives and the Church
- How St. Pius V dealt with rebellious Catholics in France and England and what led to the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth
You’ll also learn of Pope Pius V’s remarkable spiritual life and regimen, his foresight and prudence in dealing with the iconoclastic fury of the Huguenots in France, and the way he handled the trials of excommunicated heretics and reformed the rotting religious orders of his
day.
Professor de Mattei makes clear that Pope Pius V was so effective and so holy that no pontificate can be judged accurately without measuring it against his. In page after fascinating page, he shows contemporary Catholics what it means to be “a great pope” or “a saintly bishop.” Here, at last, is the complete life and times of one of the Church’s greatest prelates by one of her finest historians.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 464 pages
by Rose Hu
Rose Hu was born on May 4, 1933, in Shanghai, the eighth of nine children. She converted to Catholicism and was baptized on April 17, 1949 just six months prior to China officially becoming Communist.
Following her arrest in 1951, Rose spent the next 26 years in Chinese concentration camps under Mao Tse-Tung. After her release in 1982, she was able to tell this story in her own words.
This book is filled with the raw, unfiltered thoughts and experiences of a soul who endured much for Christ. What Rose suffered for her Catholic Faith defies belief, demands respect and certainly draws a clear picture of the treatment of Catholics under Communism in China.
Recently translated for an English audience, this is an inspirational story of a young woman's life in communist China, that lead her to the Catholic Faith. She gives her account of Catholics suffering in a Chinese labor camp during the communists' persecutions in the 1950's. Her story is highly recommended by Fr. Daniel Couture, SSPX, her spiritual director.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 287 pages