“In my distress, I cried out with absolute faith: ‘Over here, Sister Thérèse!’ No sooner had I uttered these words than the saint suddenly appeared to me, bright and with a large halo. With her mighty hand, she abruptly stopped the enemy’s shooting, and not a single shell was released any more, until I arrived in Verdun.” (May 1916) “I saw a sort of brightness, and the little Sister Thérèse who was looking at me with a smile. Oh, what kind eyes this saint had for me!” (June 1917) “I began to pray to the little Sister to have mercy on me, for I was without courage at the moment, and she appeared to me as she is on her image, but without telling me anything; I only felt she was protecting me, it was as if I read in her eyes: ‘I am here, do not fear anything.’” (October 1918)

In the seventeen years between her death in 1897 and the outbreak of World War I, the fame of Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face had spread widely, especially in France and its colonies: her autobiography The Story of a Soul was hugely popular, and soldiers carried around holy cards, medals, and relics. This remarkable collection of letters from (mostly French) soldiers fighting in the Great War and enduring its abysmal horrors are astonishing and moving testimonies of how Thérèse appeared to them or spoke to them when invoked—how she miraculously protected them from “showers of iron and fire,” delivered them from precipitous danger, healed them when doctors despaired, and encouraged them in the trials of battle. Shedding new light on the enduring mission of this beloved saint, Stronger than Steel will rekindle the reader’s devotion to “the greatest saint of modern times” (in the words of her devotee, Pope Pius X).

“Garcia Moreno is a shining example of what a heroic Catholic president looks like. He fought the good fight and dies a hero defending the Faith and his country.” -Fr. Paul Kimball

In the contemporary world, where the liberal ideology of strict separationism between Church and State is widespread, the idea of a Catholic government seems incredible. As recently as 150 years ago, however, it was still possible to find authentically Catholic political leaders in the world, such as Gabriel Garcia Moreno (1821-1875). Garcia Moreno served twice as President of Ecuador where he worked diligently to uplift Ecuadorian society with reforms directly shaped by Catholic principles. 

Despite fierce opposition from liberals and Freemasons, Garcia Moreno promoted Catholicism as the official religion of Ecuador and oversaw the country’s consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

A victim for his fidelity to the Catholic Church, Garcia Moreno was assassinated following his third presidential victory. His death prompted Pope Leo XIII to lament that Garcia Moreno “fell under the steel of the wicked for the Church.” Despite politically motivated setbacks in his official canonization process, Garcia Moreno is rightly called a martyr for the Faith and a champion of Catholic social principles.

“In this book, the reader will see that it is possible to vanquish anti-Catholic revolutionaries and, like Garcia Moreno, stand up for applying Catholic social teachings and principles to the political sphere.” -Fr. Paul Kimball.

Hardcover, 401 pp, 66 photos and drawings and a preface by Fr. Paul Kimball.

By Fr. Jean C. J. d'Elbée
The key to happiness from one who found it in joyful abundance: St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

This spiritual classic has long been beloved by Catholics for its wondrous distillation of the teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux into a reader-friendly set of meditations. It's perfect as a personal retreat when you have only a few moments to spare each day - and for spiritual reading anytime and anywhere.

Fr. Jean C. J. d'Elbée, a French priest deeply imbued with St. Thérèse's spirit, brings you St. Thérèse's teachings on God's love and the confidence in Him that it should inspire in your soul; humility, peace, and fraternal charity; the apostolate; the Cross; and what it means truly to abandon yourself to Divine Providence. I Believe in Love has helped countless souls embark on the way to the Father. It will help you focus on Him throughout each day, rest in Him amid your troubles, and live joyfully with Him at every moment!

You'll learn:

• How you can (and must) have confidence in God, not in spite of your sufferings, but because of them!

• The secret that makes sense of the pain and trouble in your life - no matter how great

• One thing you must cherish in your soul, or you'll never learn to love as Jesus loves

• God's love for you personally: are you really aware of its reality in every moment of your life? How you can see it at work

• The spiritual goldmine that is at your fingertips now - if you know where to find it

• What you must do before you speak about the Faith, or your words will be useless

• Crosses: why you can't avoid them - and why you should love the ones God sends you

• How to deal with failures, reversals, and difficult moments of all kinds - without losing your spiritual or emotional equilibrium

• The Fall of Adam and Eve: how even it shows God's abiding love for every soul

• The sin that destroys countless souls - since few know how to recognize and fight it

• Do you wish you had the love of God that the saints have - but are discouraged by your weaknesses? Why you should take heart

• Are you drawing on all the treasures of the Eucharist and the saints? How you can be sure

• The comforting reason why our Lord at times chooses not to deliver you from trials

• Much more that will show you how to live in the glorious love of God at each moment!

Paperback, 304 pages

The Life of St Thomas

“All who desire to know Saint Thomas personally would do well to read this striking account of his life.” —Fr. Paul Robinson 

This book was used as part of the canonization process for St. Thomas Aquinas. It is published in English for the first time in history by Angelus Press and translated by David Foley. 

While most Catholics are familiar with the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, little is known about the saint himself… until now. This insightful biography of St. Thomas Aquinas appears for the first time in English after its composition seven centuries ago. Its author, Brother William of Tocco, used his own contact with the saint and interviews with many who knew him to set down his life. 

In this easy-to-read translation, you will find the remarkable story of the life of the Angelic Doctor, including his imprisonment by his family; his incredible powers of abstraction and memory; his refutation of heresies and his heroic virtues; his levitation and other miracles; and his holy death.

This book gives a charming eyewitness account of the unseen life of St. Thomas Aquinas and helps us better understand the family, friends, and era that produced one of the greatest theologians of all time.

Hardback, pp. 227

The Angels and the Demons
by Dom Bernard-Marie Maréchaux

“Let us open our eyes to recognize our friends and our enemies. Let us win over the favor of the good angels and keep ourselves on guard against the wicked one. Resist him, Saint James cries out to us, and he will fly from you.” (Dom Bernard-Marie Maréchaux)

Is there a spiritual world around us? If so, who are the beings that make up this world? What is their nature? What is their place in creation? How do they interact among themselves and with us? How are the good spirits our friends, and the bad spirits our foes?

Dom Bernard-Marie Maréchaux asks and answers all these questions in this short but complete tour of the angelic world.

The extraordinary role of these “sublime creatures more imperceptible than the wind and swifter than lightning” will perhaps astonish us. We will realize how “we live immersed in the invisible world, caught up in a double angelic and diabolic current, the object of a bitter struggle for influence between angels and demons.”

Paperback, 94 pages

Treasures: Visible and Invisible
by Various

This is a collection of short stories by eight CatholicTeenBooks.com authors.

1. A teen boy sets out to save a friend from pagan druids, but maybe he's the one who needs saving. (Treasure in the Bogs by Theresa Linden)
2. Between an unearthed treasure and a visit from Heaven, a young monk is in for the surprise of his life! (A Single Day ... Or Not by Susan Peek)
3. A young girl seeks a mysterious treasure that holds the key to granting a nun's dying wish. (Lucy and the Hidden Clover by Antony B. Kolenc)
4. Honora is desperate-then a peculiar clover and a mysterious young man change everything.  (Lucky and Blessed by Amanda Lauer)
5. William's weekend job is a little gift from heaven, but now his family needs a real miracle. (Danke by Carolyn Astfalk)
6. When threatened by mobsters, Grace receives help from a surprising source. (Grace Among Gangsters by Leslea Wahl)
7. Alone and afraid, a young girl finds friendship in a stranger. But could this boy be trouble? (In Mouth of Friend and Stranger by T. M Gaouette)
8. Kyle was determined to save the precious relic--but now his whole family is in danger. (The Underappreciate Virtues of Green-Fingered Monsters by Corinna Turner)

As an infant, Mortara was on the point of death and secretly baptized by a Catholic servant employed by his family. He recovered his health, and in the Papal States where his family lived, the law required that he, like other baptized children, receive a Christian education. After several failed attempts to persuade his parents to enroll him in a local Catholic school, in 1858 Pope Pius IX had the boy taken from his family in Bologna and sent to a Catholic boarding school in Rome. There the child grew in Faith and eventually responded to the calling to become a Catholic priest.

The Mortara Case reverberated around the world. Journalists, politicians, and Jewish leaders tried to pressure Pius IX to reverse his decision. The pope's refusal to do so was used as one of the reasons to dissolve the Papal States in 1870. Currently the case is being used as an argument against the canonization of Pius IX, whom John Paul II beatified in 2000.

Paperback, 190 pages