Prayer
by Fr John J. Kiernan, P.R.
St Michael Novena booklet includes 24 pages of exclusive Italian 'Fratelli Bonella' fine art and special prayers. The cover displays a colourful gold outlined image of St Michael from the exclusive Italian 'Bonella' art collection. Each page is filled with beautiful prayers, surrounded by colourful, decorative designs.
Booklet, size 6" x 3.75", 24 pages
by Mother Mary Loyola
This last of Mother Mary Loyola's full-length works is an object lesson in learning to trust implicitly in God for all things, especially when it is most difficult to do so. Who better than she to lead us on this path--having begun her long life as an orphan, and now patiently awaiting eternity, bedridden with a broken hip for 5 years?
Her firsthand experience tells in this intimate portrait, as she extols the rewards inherent in the very struggle in which she found herself enmeshed. Amidst her trials, she holds up for us the examples of the saints and the martyrs, the faith of the Patriarchs, and the solicitousness of our Father in Heaven, Whose gifts to us are without number, and in return asks of us what any loving parent longs for: the unconditional love and trust of His child.
Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 162 pages
Catholic Prayers (pocket edition)
compiled from Traditional Sources by Thomas A. Nelson
An essential collection of the most popular prayers that have formed the core of Catholic tradition for centuries. Contains over 100 carefully selected prayers, ranging from prayers all Catholics should know by heart, to prayers invoking the saints, to morning and evening offerings.
This prayer book is divided into four sections:
• Beloved Prayers, including basic prayers such as the Our Father and Hail Mary, and classic prayers like the Acts of Faith, Hope, Charity, and more.
• Powerful Prayers for special needs, like the Novena to Our Lady of Good Remedy; Prayer to St. Jude, the Patron of Hopeless Cases; and prayers to Saints Joseph, Rita, Anthony, Philomena, and many others!
• Favorite Prayers that have been used by Catholics for centuries, such as Morning Offerings, litanies, the Prayer of St. Francis, the Offering of St. Ignatius, and other favorites.
• Special Prayers for specific petitions, such as the prayers to St. Gerard Majella for motherhood, St. Peregrine for the healing of cancer, St. Raphael for purity, the Fatima prayers, and dozens more!
Booklet, 128 pages
My Prayer Book - black (paperback)
Happiness in Goodness
by Fr Francis Xavier Lasance
If you were permitted to possess only one prayer book, this would be it! In addition to the Ordinary of the Mass and the Rosary, and virtually every prayer with which Catholics are familiar, this book is filled with counsels and reflections that make the reader discover the meaning of the subtitle, "Happiness in Goodness." Imprimatur: 1908
Paperback, size 5.4" x 4" x 1.2", 700 pages
by Saint Gregory the Great
Translated by Nora Burke
No matter the stage, the career of Saint Gregory the Great was marked consistently by excellence. Appointed Prefect of Rome around the age of thirty, Gregory forsook his worldly success in favor of monastic silence and communion with God, establishing at his ancestral home the Monastery of St. Andrew. There, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, he lived a “life of permanent dialogue with the Lord in listening to his word.” Providentially, Gregory was called in turn to leave the monastery for the See of Peter; there, his deep understanding of the Divine Word stood him in excellent stead—perhaps nowhere more tangibly than in his preaching.
Selected from his work of forty homilies on the Gospels (Homilia XL in Evangelia) and translated by Nora Burke, Saint Gregory’s Parables of the Gospel comprises an even dozen sermons on the parables of the Hidden Treasure; the Laborers in the Vineyard; the Marriage Feast; the Ten Virgins; the Talents; the Sower; the Great Harvest; the Barren Fig Tree; the Great Banquet; the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin; the Rich Man and Lazarus; and the Good Shepherd.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 180 pages
by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
In the face of a world crisis, which is manifestly deeper than one can imagine, many are inclined to ask: “Has Christianity failed?” Fulton Sheen’s Thinking Life Through seeks to answer this critical question. The conclusions the author proposes are far-reaching and touch upon subjects as diverse as the truth and meaning of human sexuality, the purpose of life, discordant marriages, angels, alcoholism, the vocation of the soldier, materialism, parenting, and even the question of spanking children.
On the critical subject of freedom, Sheen writes, “The true definition of freedom is the right to do whatever one ought, and oughtness implies law, goals, purposes, and perfection. Freedom is a moral power and not a physical one. It revolves around what man is rather than what man does. We are more free within the law than outside of it.”
Thinking Life Through also addresses the world’s political climate, something that in many ways mirrors the present political discourse. Focusing on the tragic decline of post-Christian society, Sheen gives special attention to both the threat of communism and the dangers of socialism. Sheen also gives clarity to the role of the individual and the family while living in a time of moral and political uncertainty. Finally, Sheen addresses good manners and politeness as he states in his quintessential style, “Another effect of materialism is to be seen in the decline of courtesy. There is politeness and decorum and a desire to please others when it is generally recognized that every person bears within himself an image of the Divine.” For anyone seeking to grow in wisdom, Thinking Life Through will be your guide.
Hardcover, size 8.75" x 5.75", 264 pages
Let us go to Jesus
Devotions in Honour of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King
Complied by Fr Francis Xavier Lasance
Brief Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, together with Prayers for Mass and Holy Communion, Litanies and Devotions for Various Occasions by Fr. Lasance.
Among his many writings, Lasance offers up a small book of various devotions, prayers, and litanies for all occasions. Included in this book are footnotes which act as a follow up to previous passages to further emphasize specific phrases.
Along with illustrations, Lasance touches on certain prayer passages and indulges his readers on further reflections on their meanings. For example, from his Reflections on the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom Come”, Lasance says, “Consider that in this the second petition of the “Our Father” we pray for the kingdom of God. Now, we find in Holy Writ that the kingdom of God is understood in three different ways. First, of the eternal kingdom of God. . .”. With his teachings, Lasance brings traditional prayers into a new light.
Softcover, 132 pages
The 15 Decades of the Most Holy Rosary
A book to assist in your meditation of the mysteries
Enjoy this 15 Decade, large Rosary Devotional. As Catholics, we know that the Rosary is more vital than ever, even while our schedules become more hectic - especially for those with large families.
This simple book is meant to be used while praying the Rosary, providing a way to keep one's thoughts on the devotion for each decade.
Each work of art was selected for its impact and when possible, a work was chosen that has many details. Our hope is that even after many uses, you will be able to find something new to turn your attention to, providing added richness to your mediations. A tool to aid in you and your family in saying our most important prayer!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 11" 32 pages, Full Color
by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Amidst the backdrop of World War II, the great Fulton Sheen wrote Preface to Religion, his first book published after the war ended. As the world was recovering from death, destruction, and despair, Sheen’s timely work tackles the most salient questions pertaining to happiness and sanity. With simplicity and frankness, Sheen declares, “If you do not worship God, you worship something, and nine times out of ten it will be yourself. If there is no God, then you are a god.” Throughout this work, Sheen addresses the perennial subjects of fallen nature, forgiveness, the four last things, how God remakes us, the role of religion in the process, and the gift of second chances.
Contrary to the modern world, God does not give us what “we want for our pleasure” but “what we need for our perfection.” Preface to Religion reminds us of education’s primary purpose, which is to train the mind to use freedom rightly. God chose to make a moral universe, but morality is impossible without freedom. And therefore, the reader will see that the body must always serve the soul.
Finally, Sheen writes on faith, that “the modern man who is not living according to his conscience wants a religion without a Cross, a Christ without a Calvary, a Kingdom without Justice,” and a pastor “who never mentions hell to ears polite.” For anyone seeking to find true happiness and true freedom, Preface to Religion will be your guide.
Hardcover, size 8.75" x 5.75", 184 pages
A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology
by Fr. Adolphe Tanquerey, SS, DD
The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology by Fr. Tanquerey is undoubtedly the finest, most comprehensive and best respected one-volume treatise on the spiritual life ever written.
Clear, thorough, easy to read, orthodox, authoritative, beautifully organized, logically developed, lively, and practical, the book covers the whole field of spirituality.
Based on Sacred Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, especially St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as other great Saints and spiritual writers of all ages.
Hardcover, size 8.75" x 5.75", 832 pages
by Rev. P. Huguet, Marist,
translated by a Sister of Mercy.
Pious souls, deeply afflicted by the outrages that the Sacred Heart of Jesus receives from careless and impious Christians, consecrate to It, in the spirit of reparation, the first Friday of each month. Is it possible, O faithful souls who read these touching words proceeding from the Heart of your loving Saviour, that you can remain insensible to the invitation that He extends to you to repair the outrages heaped upon His love ? Will you have less zeal for Jesus Christ than for an earthly friend or for a loving father—you who can not bear to see a loved one suffer the least ill-treatment without expressing your grief and endeavoring to console him by your affectionate tenderness?
Paperback, size 5.5" x 4", 155 pages, Impr 1884
by Rev Fr Francis J. Connell, C.SS.R
Tradition holds that the original of this miraculous painting was created by Saint Luke the Evangelist - the original was destroyed by the Moslem invaders in 1453 - and that the most famous copy of it is now in Rome. This is the story of that painting.
Booklet, size 8.5" x 5.5", 42 pages
Sacred Heart Book
by Fr Francis Xavier Lasance
We purpose, by means of this book, to inculcate the proper spirit of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, to assist souls in cultivating the interior life in the midst of the distracting pursuits of the world, and to foster a fervent yet reasonable devotion - a love that is both affective and effective - not a mere sentimentality, but a robust and practical piety.
It is this that lives become self-forgetting, devoted, according to the Heart of Jesus, and, through, union with Him, are hidden in God.
Paperback, 638 pages
Practical Meditations for Each Day of the Month of November
by Abbé Berlioux
The two great commandments are to love God above all things and one's neighbor as oneself. The highest regard that can be paid to one's neighbor is to remember him, and all the poor souls in Purgatory after they have passed out of this world beyond the grave. This is why man needs the liturgical month of November.
The season has passed from the heat of summer to the crispness of Autumn with all its bounty. Many reap from the gardens and fields that which God graciously bestowed to them through the labor of their hands. Harvests are celebrated and preserved in various ways all around the world. Fittingly, we retire with full larder and bursting barns in order to now pull from the treasure of graces and indulgences, that are available at every moment for the relief of the poor souls in Purgatory, again, from our Father's loving hand. To better make use of these graces, and to preserve a holy life, The Month of the Souls in Purgatory, by the Abbé Berlioux, contains a valuable harvest of devotions, practices and meditations toward sanctifying the month of November. The book is excellent as a daily reader for the month, but also very useful for the anniversaries of the deaths of loved ones, whose daily assistance is a chief duty of the Church Militant. Let us remember the dead, and look to our last day as well.
Each chapter contains the whole day's reading, prayer, and a fitting example for the reading, usually taken from the author's personal knowledge or some other historical example. The subjects range from the ancientness of praying for the dead, the pains and nature of the suffering, the holiness and nearness to God of the souls, the favors granted by them to those on earth who relieve them, the various means of relieving the poor souls, the ways souls end up in Purgatory and how to avoid these downfalls, as also apparitions by the dead, carrying out the wishes of those who pass before us, an admonition to make provisions in one's own will that supplies for masses and alms against time spent in Purgatory, and more. The readings are short and easy to complete for a morning meditation, between the labors of a busy life, and for raising to a higher level one's entire being toward a particular goal that is common to all men. As one saint said before beginning the November devotions, "Let us empty Purgatory!"
The Month of the Souls in Purgatory was first published in the French language in Grenoble. The book was soon after translated for the English-speaking world and published in 1886. The Abbé Berlioux was a priest of the diocese of Grenoble and was the Curé, or parish priest, of the church of St. Bruno. In this work, he calls out to the reader, addressing him by the name, "Christian Soul", in nearly each day's reading as he gets to the point of what the individual could do to utilize and live a Christian life based on a greater devotion to the souls in Purgatory, increasing the seriousness of the tone as well as gripping the attention of the reader with it.
Read The Month of the Souls in Purgatory to increase in the soul the love of God's justice and mercy! In its pages you will find:
- An organized 30 days of devotions to the Holy Souls for the complete month of November
- Daily spiritual reading on the various truths and means of the devotion
- A detailed study of the pains and helplessness of Souls in Purgatory, and ways to personally apply the message
- Daily prayers to and for these suffering souls
- Daily examples of true-life stories that draw out the truths within each day's reading.
- A special Rosary of the Dead
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 158 pages
Also available in Hardcover with dust jacket upon request (additional cost)
Forty-Two Virtues to Reach Heaven
by St Albert the Great
“For I am certain that if anyone reaches perfection in just a single one of these virtues, they shall achieve perfection in them all. And whoever increases in one virtue, will simultaneously grow in every other virtue, too.” — Saint Albert the Great
What is virtue? It is not a question often asked anymore; yet throughout the centuries, philosophers have considered it one of the most important questions of human life. Coming from the Latin word for "strength," virtue denotes a steady habit of willing the good—in Christian terms, pursuing the love of God and neighbor—in some particular way. While most Catholics know the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, as well as prudence, temperance, courage, and justice, many of us are unaware of numerous other virtues, such as discretion, constancy, and holy silence.
Saint Albert the Great, one of the greatest Doctors of the Church, and one of the greatest intellects of all time, recognized 42 distinct virtues. His teachings not only name and define the virtues, but also direct and guide us in their fruitful exercise. Few are as qualified to teach on this subject as Albert, the Universal Doctor, best known as the teacher of Saint Thomas Aquinas himself. Only a man of true virtue could teach the truth of the virtues.
Brimming with heavenly insights, The Paradise of the Soul teaches what it means to attain beatitude—that is, the fulfillment of all virtue. But as Saint Albert knew, since the fullness of virtues is contained in love, and because God is love, ultimately, we can only achieve true plenitude of virtue by possessing God Himself. This is the true paradise of the soul. Let Saint Albert the Great, Doctor of the Angelic Doctor, instruct you on the path to sanctity among angels.
Hardcover, size 7" x 5", 288 pages
From Thomas A Kempis, For Every Day in the Year
compiled by Sara O'Brien
Consider this little pocket book as a precious gift for a loved one!
A beautiful pocket book of “Little Gems”, short inspirational thoughts, selected and arranged for every day in the year. “If thou considerest the dignity of the giver, no gift will seem to thee little, which is given by so great a God.”
Paperback, size 2.5" x x3.5", 128 pages, Impr 1891
compiled from Traditional Sources by Joan Carroll Cruz
This unique book of powerful prayers and devotions compiled by Joan Carroll Cruz includes wonderful promises made by Our Lord or Our Lady, most of which were revealed to famous Saints, including St. Faustina, St. Gertrude, and St. Catherine Labouré. Author Joan Carroll Cruz has carefully selected and compiled devotions to Our Lady, the Infant Jesus, the Precious Blood, the Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy, St. Michael, and more in one place so that your daily prayer can be more powerful and more fruitful than ever before.
Among the many treasures in this book you will find:
- Supplemental prayers, devotions, and promises to the Holy Rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet, making these common prayers even more fruitful.
- St. Louis de Montfort’s beautiful Consecration to Jesus through Mary
- Dozens of devotions to Our Lady from St. Bridget of Sweden, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and others, offer unique promises of grace and blessings
- Powerful, in-depth meditations and reflections on Our Lord’s Passion and Death, including the powerful graces promised to St. Martha Mary Chambon
The promises set forth in this book show that God is eager to grant us many favors—if we will just pray! Designed to fit in your pocket or purse, you will have these powerful prayers with you at all times.
Paperback, size 6" x 3.75", 142 pages
Selection from Father Faber
by Rev. John Fitzpatrick, O.M.I.
This is a Christmas book about the Blessed Sacrament.
When, at the good tidings of great joy, the little ones crowd to the Crib, going over, as it were, and going back to Bethlehem, to see the gracious mystery which has come to pass, we elders turn rather to the Tabernacle, to find there once again, new-born in mystic birth and wrapped in the swaddling-clothes of the sacramental species, Him for whom there is really no far-away and no long-ago.
These pages will help to penetrate us, while kneeling there in lowly adoration, with the spirit of the dweller in that ‘house of bread’, and to make us, in very truth, as little, children once again.
Paperback, size 5" x 3.8", 120 pages, Impr 1901
by Pere Liagre C.S. Sp.
This "retreat in a book" presents to the busy reader of today a perfect little tool to assist in translating from inspiration to action, the exquisite lessons gleaned from The Autobiography of a Soul.
“In Spiritual Childhood lies the secret of sanctity for all the faithful throughout the whole world.”
“It is our special desire that the secret of Sister Thérèse’s sanctity may be disclosed to all our children.” –Pope Benedict XV.
“We nourish the hope today of seeing springing up in the souls of the faithful of Christ a burning desire of leading a life of Spiritual Childhood.”
“We earnestly desire that all the faithful should study her in order to copy her, becoming children themselves, since otherwise they cannot, as the Master saith, enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” –Pope St. Pius X
One day a novice, coming to Sister Thérèse for advice, said to her, “Oh, when I think of all I have yet to acquire.” “Say, rather, to lose,” was the answer—an answer alight with wisdom. Let us think that we have much more to lose than to acquire if we are to profit in Thérèse’s school, and learn, from her the science of holiness.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 96 pages
by Rev. Herman J. Heuser, D.D.
A book is a book, and a very good thing, for all the wisdom and knowledge that makes up its contents. Books are common, everyday tools of leisure, education, and prayer; but not every book is a common thing - the Holy Bible is certainly an extraordinary one; and so too the Breviary of the Catholic priest is a very great book, having its roots in Holy Scripture itself. The breviary is the lifetime companion of the priest. It is his first act in the morning to open its pages and begin the day with prayer. It is his last act in the evening, to finish the day's prescribed reading and prayers from it. We may hear priestly conversation on the subject of the breviary, but did you ever wonder what a breviary, may reflect about itself?
Chances are that no, not many have sat and contemplated what the life of a breviary might have held; and this is why The Autobiography of an Old Breviary is an interesting speculative read; and the author makes it quite entertaining. To educate and inspire the reader, Rev. Herman J. Heuser amusingly writes in the first person the "character" of a Totum Roman Breviary, or complete breviary. This character is high-minded, being a Totum and not just an abbreviated prayer book, and begins with a complaint at having been shelved at assumedly nearing the end of its life. "Sometimes," says the Totum, "I have been in the hands of clerics who just treated me as if I were nothing but a common prayer-book, or a school manual which one wants to get through with as quickly as possible. But the professor knew better." The professor here is the Totum's inseparable companion, the Padre. Likening a priest and breviary to be a couple, working through the hardships of life together, much of the complaint of the Totum is that it is being treated ill compared to its high value, and set aside much as a wife might complain about her husband for being preoccupied or set aside for other persons.
The "Voice" of the Breviary speaks more than the story would relate, which is a pleasant read to say the least. Yet it goes further to uncover the deep reverence one must hold for the Roman Breviary itself, and its relationship with the priest, and indeed all the faithful. The author states in the introduction that the main purpose for the title is the encouragement and benefit of the priest, who by reading will be inspired with a greater devotion and love for his duty toward the Divine Office.
The book does well to detail the Hebrew origins of the Catholic liturgy, and spends a good deal of time doing so. It is a very exact and well-referenced study, relating the psalms by name and their use in both the Hebrew worship and the Catholic, and explaining their fittingness and meaning of use.
Autobiography of an Old Breviary is a cherished read, once begun. In the process of reading this title, the reader gains:
· A complete history of the Roman Breviary
· An Apologia for the Faith, Priesthood, and Catholic interpretation of the Bible
· In-depth detail of the linguistics of the Church
· An excellent explanation of the Church's liturgy and culture through the Kalendorium
· A brief instruction on how to follow the Breviary with description of its parts
· A greater devotion in the recitation of the breviary
Paperback, size 8.6" x 5.5", 204 pages