Ignatius Press
A Muslim Risks All to Follow Christ
by Joseph Fadelle
During his military service, Muhammad, a young Muslim Iraqi from a leading Shiite family, discovers to his dismay that his roommate is a Christian. Muhammad tries to convert his roommate, but he is the one who is converted.
In Islam changing one's religion is a crime, and Muhammad's family does everything possible to make him renounce his new faith in Christ. After threats and blows come prison and torture. Muhammad, who has become Joseph by his baptism, experiences a long Calvary but does not give in. Finally, he is taken from prison by relatives who threaten to kill him if he does not resubmit to Islam. They shoot him and leave him for dead.
The Price to Pay is the true story of Joseph Fadelle's conversion to Catholicism. He risks everything-family, friends, his inheritance and home, and even his life-in order to follow Christ. In a dramatic and personal narrative style, Fadelle reveals the horrible persecution endured by Christians living in a violent and hostile Muslim world.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 232 pages
by Helen Walker Homan
Helen Walker Homan contributes her third volume to the Vision Books series of saints for youth in this story of the life of the greatly beloved St. Anthony of Padua.
Homan covers many of the important and exciting events in Friar Anthony's life including a voyage to the Mohammedan land of Morocco, a shipwreck, and the meeting in Assisi with St. Francis and all of the Friars Minor. From his days as a youth to the dramatic accounts of his powerful preaching and working miracles as a follower of St. Francis, Homan presents a fascinating account of St. Anthony that youth, and all ages, will find enthralling.
Ages: 10+
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 174 pages
by Helen Walker Homan
A story about St. Francis and St. Clare, captures all the excitement and beauty of the lives of these saints from their childhood growing up together in Assisi to their profound conversion and lifelong influence on the whole world.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 190 pages, Illus.
by Alma Power-Waters
In 1975, Mother Elizabeth Seton was canonized as America's first native-born Roman Catholic saint. This Vision Book tells the inspiring true story of the life of Elizabeth Bayley Seton from her childhood in a distinguished New York family to her becoming a sister and foundress of an order of nuns.
Born in 1774, Elizabeth Bayley grew up in a well-to-do Protestant family and seemed destined for a tranquil life. At age 19 she married William Seton and together they had five children. Tragedy struck when William died of tuberculosis in 1803. Elizabeth learned that her family fortune was lost as well. She converted to Catholicism at a time when Catholics were the object of persecutions in the United States. Her family was shocked by this decision. Elizabeth met Bishop Carroll of Maryland, and he gave her the inspiration to found the American Sisters of Charity and the first American parochial Catholic school. In time her order of sisters flourished, and they established more schools, orphanages and hospitals across the United States. At her early death (46 years old) Mother Seton's congregation numbered twenty-one communities throughout the country. Illustrated
Ages 9-15
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 168 pages
In the Sadows of Rome Vol 5
by Sophie de Mullenhein
The Secret Tomb is the fifth volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (6 books total).
Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .
Titus' father thinks his son is a coward and arranges a stay with the police to make a man out of him. Soon, Titus finds himself hunting down Christians and trying to discover where they've hidden the body of Peter, Apostle of Jesus, who died 250 years earlier. Meanwhile, his friend Maximus is given the mission to find Peter’s tomb before it’s destroyed. Will their friendship survive the test of their loyalties?
Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships—and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of Rome.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 208 pages
In the Sadows of Rome Vol 3
by Sophie de Mullenhein
The Mysterious Goblet is the third volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (6 books total).
Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .
Maximus, his slave Aghiles, and their friend Titus are again caught up in exciting and dangerous events—this time when Titus discovers a rather ordinary goblet in his sack. Where did it come from? Who put it there and why? The plot thickens when a man is killed outside Titus' house. The boys must decide, and quickly, what to do about the goblet before somebody else gets hurt.
Follow their adventures as they forge priceless friendships—and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of Rome.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 240 pages
In the Sadows of Rome Vol 1
by Sophie de Mullenhein
The Phantom of the Colosseum is the first volume of the gripping new series for 10 yr. olds and up titled In the Shadows of Rome (6 books total).
Being a Christian in ancient Rome was very dangerous. To spread the faith and stay alive, you had to live in the shadows . . .
Now that Blandula's master has been arrested for being a Christian, what will she do? Little does she know that she is about to meet three boys who will help her to find the answer: Maximus, the son of a senator; his slave Aghiles; and Titus, who never goes anywhere without his pet monkey.
Follow their adventures as Blandula and her new companions forge priceless friendships—and discover the many secrets lurking in the shadows of the Colosseum.
Paperback, size 8.25" x 5.5", 208 pages
by G. K. Chesterton
Introduction by Dale Ahlquist
This classic novel by the brilliant G. K. Chesterton tells the rollicking tale of Innocent Smith, a man who may be crazy-or possibly the most sane man of all. Arriving at a dreary London boarding house accompanied by a windstorm, Smith is an exuberant, eccentric and sweet-natured man. Smith has a positive effect on the house-he creates his own court, brings a few couples together, and falls in love with a paid companion next door. All seems to be well with the world.
Then the unexpected happens: Smith shoots at one of the tenants, and two doctors arrive to arrest him, claiming that he's a bigamist, an attempted murderer, and a thief. But cynical writer Moon insists that the case be tried there-and they explore Smith's past history, revealing startling truths about what he does. Is he the wickedest man in Britain, or is he "blameless as a buttercup"?
Beautifully written, mixing the ridiculous with the profound, full of hilarious dialogue and lushly detailed writing, Chesterton's main character Innocent Smith somehow manages to restore joy to all the dull and cynical lives around him. In this delightfully strange mystery, Chesterton demonstrates why life is worth living, and that sometimes we need a little madness just to know we are alive.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 200 pages
A Most Dangerous Innocence
by Fiorella de Maria
It is 1940, the time of the Phoney War. Britain stands alone with German invaders waiting across the Channel and an anxious population preparing for the bloody battle ahead. In an isolated girls' boarding school, sixteen-year-old Judy Randall watches the coming of war with a mixture of fascination and fear. She is a misfit in an institution that prizes conformity; a Catholic with Jewish heritage at a time when anti-Semitism is still commonplace. Most inconveniently of all, she is autistic, and her behavior is misunderstood as merely eccentric and insolent.
Bored and frustrated by her inability to help the war effort, Judy becomes obsessed with the idea that her hated headmistress is a Nazi, and she goes to increasingly reckless lengths to prove her theory. In the meantime, the adults of the school busy themselves with planning how best to protect the children in their care if occupying forces overrun the country. For teacher John Peterson, who has seen armed conflict before, his own agonizing history forces him to consider what sacrifices he might have to make if the horrors of the war overtake them all.
A Most Dangerous Innocence offers a glimpse into the early days of the Second World War, seen from a sleepy corner of Britain. It is also a meditation on childhood guilt, innocence, loyalty, and the courage to stand alone.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 214 pages
by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan
The story of the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world. He spent his life caring for all the needs of the outcast lepers, and even after Damien himself contracted leprosy he carried on working for his "fellow lepers" to the end.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 168 pages
The Girl Soldier
by Louis de Wohl
This volume in the Vision Books series of saints for youth combines a world famous Catholic novelist, Louis de Wohl, with one of the most thrilling and dramatic saint's lives in history, St. Joan of Arc. De Wohl uses his famed narrative skill to tell young people about the brave teenage French girl who had visions and led armies in battle, but also about how her entire life testifies to the amazing power of God's grace.
It's all here: how Joan, a humble maiden in an insignificant town, was told by St. Michael the Archangel, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret to lead the French in battle against the English; how she finally succeeded in convincing the French of the truth of her mission; how she met with fantastic success but was betrayed, captured, and imprisoned; and finally, how she suffered through a politically motivated trial for heresy and was burned at the stake.
Best of all, de Wohl is not interested solely in the external details of Joan's life, but in Joan's all-encompassing love for God, which informed all her courageous actions from beginning to end. You'll not only thrill to Joan's heroism; your heart will delight in her example of loving surrender to God's will. Every detail of her life will ring out to you as a joyful witness to the grace of God.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 176 pages
by Louis de Wohl
Set against the colourful background of power struggles in imperial Rome and battling Roman legions, this is the exciting story of St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, who found the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem. This book for young people paints a vivid portrait of a remarkable woman who overcame every obstacle with faith, hope, perseverance-- and a healthy dose of ambition.
In this acclaimed Vision Books series for youth, Louis de Wohl, known for his masterful storytelling, describes the amazing events that led to the conversion of Helena and the rise to power of her son. He also recounts the vision Constantine experienced on the eve of a pivotal battle and his subsequent legalization of Christianity in the fourth century.The story dramatically concludes with St. Helena's final accomplishment- her dangerous and miraculous expedition to the Holy Land.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 160 pages
Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum
by Laura M. Berquist
Contains poems chosen to foster a love of language in students of any age level, including works by Robert Louis Stevenson, Longfellow, Frost, and Yeats; and includes dictation selections to help improve writing ability, and study questions for many of the poems.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 493 pages
A Novel on St Francis Xavier
by Louis de Wohl
Saint Francis Xavier's life is, in itself, a dramatic story. With humility and deep religious conviction, the famous Catholic novelist Louis de Wohl takes us into the mind and heart of this great missionary and saint who went by order of St. Ignatius of Loyola to "set all afire" in the Orient. Louis de Wohl captivates the reader as he follows Xavier's life from student days in Paris, through his meeting with Ignatius, his rather reluctant conversion, and his travels as one of the first Jesuits. The story takes the reader from Europe to Goa, India, Malaysia, Japan, and finally, to an island off the coast of China, where the exiled Xavier dies virtually alone. The book captures the dramatic struggles and inspiring zeal of this remarkable saint, giving at the same time an enthralling picture of the age in which he lived.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 280 pages
A Novel on St Augustine
by Louis de Wohl
This is a stirring novel which deals reverently but realistically with the fascinating life and era of St. Augustine, one of the most remarkable men of all time.
In his vigorous and inimitable style, Louis de Wohl tells the story of St. Augustine's transformation from a vain, sensual youth to the brilliant, devout writer and theologian - the man who conquered himself as completely as he did the adversaries of the Church - whose literary and philosophical masterpieces were to dominate Western thought for a thousand years. He has carefully re-created the exciting historical background of the time - the turbulent atmosphere of the Roman Empire in the last days of decadence - skillfully weaving together the personalities whose lives closely affected Augustine: Monica, his saintly and heroic mother; majestic Ambrose, Bishop of Milan; and many others whom lend richness and depth to the life story of this great Doctor of the Church.
Here is a novel that glistens with the imaginative and vivid drama that epitomized St. Augustine's tumultuous life, presented with a master story-teller's characteristic flair for graphic description, sensitive portraiture and fascinating historical lore.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 303 pages
A Novel on St Thomas Aquinas
by Louis de Wohl
he famous novelist de Wohl presents a stimulating historical novel about the great St. Thomas Aquinas, set against the violent background of the Italy of the Crusades. He tells the intriguing story of St. Thomas who defied his illustrious, prominent family's ambition for him to have great power in the Church by taking a vow of poverty and joining the Dominicans.
The battles and Crusades of the 13th century and the ruthlessness of the excommunicated Emperor Frederick II play a big part of the story, but it is Thomas of Aquino who dominates this book. De Wohl succeeds notably in portraying the exceptional quality of this man, a fusion of mighty intellect and childlike simplicity. A pupil of St. Albert the Great, the humble Thomas, through an intense life of study, writing, prayer, preaching and contemplation, ironically rose to become the influential figure of his age, and later was proclaimed by the Church as the Angelic Doctor.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 377 pages
A Novel about St Ignatius Loyola
by Louis de Wohl
As in his other popular novels, Louis de Wohl, with humility and deep religious conviction, takes us into the mind and heart of a saint, giving at the same time an enthralling picture of the era in which he lived.
Here is a skillful weaving of the story of St. Ignatius Loyola’s conversion and pilgrimage with the colorful and dangerous history of Spain and Italy in the early sixteenth century. The life of the very human, very great Basque nobleman who founded the Jesuit Order, makes for one of de Wohl’s finest novels.
Seriously wounded at the siege of Pamplona in 1521, Don Inigo de Loyola learned that to be a Knight of God was an infinitely greater honor (and infinitely more dangerous) than to be a Knight in the forces of the Emperor. Uli von der Flue, humorous, intelligent and courageous Swiss mercenary, was responsible for the canon shot which incapacitated the worldly and ambitious young nobleman, and Uli became deeply involved in Loyola’s life. With Juanita, disguised as the boy Juan, Uli followed Loyola on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to protect him, but it was the saint who protected Uli and Juan. Through Uli’s eyes we see the surge and violence of the turbulent period in Jerusalem, Spain and Rome.
Louis de Wohl has again created an exciting and spiritually inspiring novel for all readers of historical fiction.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 315 pages
A Novel about St Francis of Assisi
by Louis de Wohl
In this magnificent and stirring novel, Louis de Wohl turns his famed narrative skill to the story of the soldier and merchant's son who might have been right-hand man to a king … and who became instead the most beloved of all saints. Set against the tempestuous background of 13th Century Italy and Egypt, here is the magnificent and inspiring story of Francis Bernardone, the brash, pleasure-loving young officer who was to become immortalized as St. Francis of Assisi.
The story teems with action, pageantry and intrigue with finely conceived characters-the beautiful, saintly Clare, Frederick, the hawk-faced King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor, the Sultan Al Kamil, Pope Innocent III. The scene shifts from Assisi, Rome and Sicily to the deadly sands of Egypt.
This book was made into a feature film by 20th Century Fox entitled Francis of Assisi.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 374 pages
A Novel on St Catherine of Siena
by Louis de Wohl
Continuing his popular series of novels about saints of the Church, de Wohl devotes his considerable talents to an interpretation of one of the most unusual women of all time, Saint Catherine of Siena. The daughter of a prosperous dyer in fourteenth- century Siena, Catherine never forgot the mystical experience of her extreme youth; at that time she devoted herself to Christ. It was, however, a shock to her family when, refusing marriage, she insisted on giving her life totally to God.
Her career was extraordinary. In that confused and dangerous era of history, the Pope was living at Avignon: Catherine persuaded him to return to Rome. The City-States of Italy were at war with each other: Catherine subdued them. There was pestilence: Catherine served and saved. She performed miracles, she received the stigmata, she drew about her a crowd of devoted men and women.
A saint who would not let the Lord God alone, she really did lay siege to heaven-and changed the face of her world. This novel, which is also a vivid biography, brings Catherine of Siena to life in a remarkable way. She lives on every page.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 361 pages
A Novel about Don Juan of Austria
by Louis de Wohl
Don Juan of Austria, one of history’s most triumphant and inspiring heroes, is reborn in this opulent novel by Louis de Wohl.
Because of the circumstances of his birth, this last son of Emperor Charles the Fifth spent his childhood in a Spanish peasant’s hut. Acknowledged by King Philip as his half-brother, the attractive youth quickly became a central figure in a Court where intrigues and romances abounded. Don Juan’s intelligence, kindness and devout attachment to the Church enabled him to live unscathed in an environment of luxury, violence and treachery.
De Wohl paints in brilliant color the vivid scenes and characters at the Court of King Philip, Juan’s campaign against rebel Moriscos in Andalusia, and the amazing climactic victory at Lepanto where he saved the Christian world from Islamic dominance. Here is a novel of high adventure which brings to life the turbulence of the sixteenth century with its conflicts of wickedness and piety, its sins of pride and conquest, its seething heresies and its great faith.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 497 pages