Search
Search Criteria
Search
Resisting Temptation and Overcoming Sin
by Venerable Louis of Grenada
The Sinner's Guide is the most famous work of one of the most prominent and exceptional spiritual teachers of the sixteenth century. It has been compared to The Imitation of Christ for its breadth, intensity, and usefulness for devotion and has been translated into Italian, French, German, Polish, Latin, and Greek. Covering what many spiritual writers neglect, Venerable Louis discusses both virtue and vice—how to both do good and avoid evil.
Included in this volume are chapters on:
- Eleven motives for practicing virtue
- Twelve privileges of virtue
- Cautions against deferring conversion
- Remedies for the seven deadly sins and others
- Virtues and duties of our state
- And far more!
Venerable Louis stands as a master of the spiritual life throughout the whole Christian tradition. Born in extremely poor circumstances, his mother was widowed when he was five, and the pair subsisted on alms gathered from outside the gate of a Dominican priory. Eventually, Louis became a Dominican himself, and began a career of preaching that resulted, at length, in traveling throughout Spain and Portugal. He attained—despite the humble friar's best efforts—various posts in the Order of Preachers and served at courts of nobles and the queen regent of Portugal. He was offered bishoprics and the cardinalate, but declined all offers. He suffered much in his life, accused by the Spanish Inquisition of heresy unjustly; he was later vindicated by the Council of Trent and the witness of subsequent saints. Indeed, he counts among his readers and recommenders such pillars of sanctity as St. Rose of Lima, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Francis de Sales, who recommended Venerable Louis's works be read as a "second Breviary."
But Venerable Louis's primary mission, quite unusually for his time, was to write and preach for the laity. Indeed, a disapproving observer said Venerable Louis wrote for "wives of carpenters," maybe forgetting who the Blessed Virgin was. Let, then, the words of this venerable Spanish preacher illuminate your heart with the light of Christ, speaking, as it were, straight from the bosom of the Master.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 496 pages
Catholic Stories For Boys & Girls III
by Catholic Nuns in America
Continue your family’s reading adventures with Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls, Volume III! In the penultimate volume of this four-part series read:
- “Begga’s Bracelet”—The Irish Princess Begga’s promise to live for God alone - St Begga
- “In the Tower of London”—The story of St. Edmund Campion, with the disguises he used and dangers he faced as a priest to keep the Catholic Faith alive in England
- “Joseph”—A fictional account of the life of Saint Joseph from boyhood to his holy, happy death
- “Louise”— The story of how Louise’s generosity and kindness from childhood led her to sainthood - St Louise de Marillac
Written to be read aloud for the entire family’s entertainment, Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls offers four volumes each holding a handful of happy and courageous stories, compiled and written by Catholic nuns in the 1930's. Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls appeals to the whole family by using simple vocabulary to engage children but also providing well-developed plots to captivate adults’ interest.
Each story highlights a different virtue, and, to reinforce the virtue, every chapter closes with a two-line rhyming verse that provides both a chapter summary and a pithy message, all underlining the books’ main theme—the Church gives life to the soul through grace. Excellent when read by children, and even better when read to children by parents and older siblings, these timeless stories show the reward of virtue by the wondrous events that occur when one is generous with God.
As taken from the front cover of the book, the stories herein are republished in the hope that in a small way the Faith, Culture, and Tradition of the Holy Catholic Church may be preserved for our most prized possession, our children.
Our prayer for these books is the same as Baltimore’s first Archbishop, the Most Reverend Michael J. Curley, prayed when these books were first published:
“May our Divine Lord bless each boy and girl who reads these stories, as well as every one who helps to place them in their hands.”
Hardcover, size 7" x 4.75", 141 pages, Illustrated
by Venerable Louis of Grenada
In Marvels of Creation, Venerable Louis of Granada writes beautifully and profoundly, so that we might see the wonders that God has put in plain sight and give glory to Him for them. Here is great spiritual fruit that has nourished the greatest saints for centuries and now will sustain you in prayerful reflection and wonder of all that God created in His perfect and awesome design.
One of the most prominent and exceptional spiritual teachers of the sixteenth century, this holy Dominican stands as a master of the spiritual life throughout the whole Christian tradition. Born in extremely poor circumstances, his mother was widowed when he was five, and the pair subsisted on alms gathered from outside the gate of a Dominican priory.
Eventually, Louis became a Dominican himself, and began a career of preaching that resulted, at length, in traveling throughout Spain and Portugal. He attained—despite the humble friar's best efforts—various posts in the Order of Preachers and served at courts of nobles and the queen regent of Portugal. He was offered bishoprics and the cardinalate, but declined all offers.
He suffered much in his life, accused by the Spanish Inquisition of heresy unjustly; he was later vindicated by the Council of Trent and the witness of subsequent saints. Indeed, he counts among his readers and recommenders such pillars of sanctity as St. Rose of Lima, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Francis de Sales, who recommended Venerable Louis's work be read as a "second Breviary."
Venerable Louis's Sinner's Guide has been compared to The Imitation of Christ for its breadth, intensity, and usefulness for devotion and has been translated into Italian, French, German, Polish, Latin, and Greek. Some of his books have even made it into Turkish and Japanese. But Venerable Louis's primary mission, quite unusually for his time, was to write and preach for the laity. Indeed, a disapproving observer said Venerable Louis wrote for "wives of carpenters," maybe forgetting who the Blessed Virgin was. Let, then, the words of this venerable Spanish preacher illuminate your heart with the light of Christ, speaking, as it were, straight from the bosom of the Master.
With this updated and annotated edition of The Marvels of Creation, you can discover what the great saints have known: that we are to wonder and praise all things, great and small, which our creator God has placed in the world around us . . . and that Venerable Louis is a spiritual guide unlike any other.
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 160 pages
by Fr Lawrence G. Lovasik
St. Joseph Picture Book Series, Part 4 of 12 books on the "Super-Heroes of God"--commonly known as Saints--by beloved author Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D. introduces Catholic children to 15 of the most well-known Saints. Among the features of this book are:
- a full-color illustration of each Saint
- short, easy-to-understand lives of the Saints that offer a window on what made them so special in the eyes of God
- the feast day for each Saint in accordance with the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church
Saints included in this edition are:
| St. Sebastian of Rome | St. John of God | St. Angela Merici | St. Cyril and Methodius |
| St. Louise de Marillac | St. John Nepomucene | St. Rita of Cascia | St. Joachim |
| St. Boniface | St. Alphonsus Liguori | St. John Vianney | St. Dominic |
| St. Helen | St. Barbara | St. Nicholas of Myra |
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 32 pages
Servant of the Poor
by Sr Vincent Regnault, D.C.
Saints often come in pairs or triples; it is remarkable when one meets multiple in his or her life. Such is the case of Saint Louise de Marillac, who was advised by both Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Vincent de Paul. Born in 1591, she was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy French nobleman. She grew up cared for by Dominican nuns, receiving an excellent education, and, at her father's death when she was 12, learned skills of medicine and management. She became increasingly devout and desired to enter a religious community; however, she was rejected by the Capuchin nuns in Paris. Devastated, her spiritual director at the time consoled her, and her family encouraged her to get married, which she did. Her husband was the young and ambitious secretary to Queen Marie of France, and they had one son. For ten years, Louise persisted in her vocation of marriage, but when she her husband was dying, she found her real calling in pursuing religion. It was then that she was consoled and advised by St. Francis de Sales.
After the death of her husband, she took to forming a religious order; her guidance came from St. Vincent de Paul. Together, they came to found a community, the Daughters of Charity. This permanent institution put haphazard works of charity onto a stable footing, forming hospitals, child-care institutions, homes for the aged and infirm, centers for the care of prisoners and those on the battlefield, psychiatric centers, and nursing homes. They were unique and unprecedented in being mobile, unlike other female religious institutions at the time. The secret to her and the Daughters' success was in combining contemplation and activity. She would herself write, "Certainly it is the great secret of the spiritual life to abandon to God all that we love by abandoning ourselves to all that He wills." Indeed, though she was a social worker saint, she had a formidable mystical and meditative sense, which exists in her writings. She died in 1660 and was canonized in 1934.
Take heed from the life of this marvelous saint, a hidden mystic and friend of two stalwart saints. Truly a heroic one among the heavenly court, Saint Louise's life, presented in this biography, will inspire in you a desire to do all you can to serve the Lord your God.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 144 pages
by Brother Ernerst, C.S.C.
In 1591, Louise was born into a wealthy family. Her father was a member of the French Parliment. She was married and had a son. After her husband's death she vowed to spend the rest of her life caring for the sick and poor. With the help of her Spiritual Director, St Vincent de Paul, she founded the Sisters of Charity.
Level 1
Paperback, size 8" x 6", 30 pages
- 1