The Four Last Things
This essential booklet gives detailed explanations of the following:
- What to do in Danger of Death
- Sick Calls: How to prepare for Priest and What to Do When He Arrives
- Extreme Unction – Confession and Communion of the Sick - Viaticum
- Apostolic Blessing, Prayers for the Dying
- Visitation and Care of the Sick: Imposition of Hands
- Praying for the Dying Person especially when the Last Agony begins, at the Moment of Death, and after the Soul Has Departed
by Fr John Furniss, C.SS.R
One of the devil’s favorite ways of tempting us to follow him down the broad path is by convincing us there is no hell. Yet Christ himself admonishes us in the Gospels:
“And if thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire: Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.” (Mk. 9:42-43)
What better reminder can we have to remain on the narrow path, despite its hardships and sorrows, than a vivid picture of the torments awaiting us at the end of the broad path? The Sight of Hell is just such a picture. Based on scriptural passages and the accounts of the saints, this book seeks to describe for us—yes, even for children!—the very real horrors that await the wicked in this life.
Suggested Age Range:5-12
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 64 pages
Defending the Interior Castle of the Soul
by Pope Saint Leo IX
What is the greatest spiritual battle?
The greatest battles do not occur in a distant land or even in past times but in the depths of the human soul. It is the battle between virtue and vice, the conflict between aspiring to be a saint or living a mediocre life. The conflict between reaching heaven or forfeiting it.
In this spiritual masterpiece, Pope Saint Leo IX, identifies our foes: “The enemies in this battle—the vices and temptations which infect our fallen nature—are invisible and internal.”
These invisible and internal vices have dragged many souls to hell, and they will not stop until every person has surrendered to their pernicious and vile attacks. Are you saddened and discouraged by such daily assaults? There is hope. In these pages, you will find over twenty-five virtues to help you win the spiritual victory against sin. With God’s grace and virtues like humility, detachment, prudent restraint, firm stability, and others, the battle can be won.
But keep in mind that spiritual victory does not happen overnight. The battle wages on until your final breath. The question remains: Are you willing to fight?
Just as this book is a dialogue between the virtues and vices, so too must we learn to listen to the voice of truth and not the voice of lies. The Lord, the General of our souls, whispers words of encouragement and peace while the devil, the captain of vice and enemy of our souls, tempts us to sin and then accuses us.
On our earthly pilgrimage fraught with suffering, sorrow, and trials, let us keep our eyes fixed on our celestial homeland, the eternal city, where there will be perpetual peace. In Heaven, Our Lord will welcome His glorious martyrs and courageous soldiers, those who have kept the faith and fought victoriously.
There is nothing more important in this life than fortifying the interior castle of the soul with virtue.
Hardcover, size 7.25" x 5.25", 136 pages
by St. Francis de Sales
In Consoling Thoughts on Eternity, St. Francis de Sales, the beloved Doctor of the Church, speaks to us of the Christian manner in which we should mourn those whom we have lost.
Taken mostly from the letters of the saint, this masterful work gives us the consolation he offered to parents on the deaths of their sons, to a lady on the death of her father, a wife on the death of her husband, and others mourning their loved ones. Throughout he gives reason to hope, and explains how much the thought of Heaven should console us, and how agreeable it will be to parents and friends to meet again and converse together in Heaven.
Readers of Consoling Thoughts on Eternity will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 96 pages
by St. Francis de Sales
In Consoling Thoughts on Sickness and Death, St. Francis de Sales, the beloved Doctor of the Church, teaches how to grow closer to God through suffering well the most bitter trials.
The bed of sickness is an altar of sacrifice, writes the saint in this treasure of spirituality. He explains what prayers are suitable for the sick, how to persevere in patience, and even how to overcome an excessive fear of death. Most importantly, St. Francis de Sales teaches about abandonment to God's will in both life and death, drawing from his memories of the deaths of his own mother and sister.
Readers of Consoling Thoughts on Sickness and Death will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 156 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)
The Members of the Church Suffering
by St Robert Bellarmine
In the De Controversiis, St. Robert Bellarmine defends the doctrines and teaching of the Church against all comers, starting from Scripture, the Church Fathers and also reason. His work was widely read and commented on by both Catholics and Protestants and quickly became one of the standard texts in Catholic theology for centuries.
In On Purgatory, Bellarmine defends what is one of the more difficult doctrines to understand in his characteristic style beginning with Scripture and the Fathers, stopping at every step of the way to answer the objections of all the major Protestants of his day, not only Luther and Calvin, but also those less known to us such as Brenz and Peter Martyr. Dividing his work into two books, Bellarmine shows that there is such a place as Purgatory by copious exegesis on Old and New Testament passages, and the clear consensus of the Church Fathers who witness the fact that prayer was made for the dead in the early Church.
Then, in book 2, he examines questions about the specifics of Purgatory, what souls there suffer, where it is located, how the faithful can assist the souls of Purgatory, and other questions.
This treatise, translated into English for the first time, is the best and most in depth treatise on this subject available, and is just as relevant today as when it was first penned.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 250 pages
by Dom Alban Fruth, O.SS.B.
Tonio Martinez and Andrew de Thaye made their lives a song of love for both Jesus and His Blessed Mother, Mary. These boys in a few short years have attained that goal which sometimes takes grown-ups a whole lifetime to reach. If you do what these boys did, Jesus will also consider you a hero.
Booklet, size 8.5" x 5.2", 32 pages
by St. Robert Bellarmine
Rather than turning away from death, great saints such as Robert Bellarmine, the author of this book, use it as a lens through which to view life from the right perspective — God's perspective.
Seen this way, death becomes for them — and can become for you — a source of spiritual liberation rather than a reason for fear, enabling you to love the world as it ought to be loved and to answer your final summons with joy.
St. Robert Bellarmine makes it simple for you. He explains sixteen things you can do to put your life in order now, so you'll start living better today and be prepared for death whenever it comes, be it tomorrow or years from now. Not only will these sixteen insightful measures free you from fear; they'll invigorate your spiritual life and bring into all aspects of your life the consoling peace of Christ.
Let St. Robert Bellarmine — the brilliant Doctor of the Church who influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence and other American founding documents — introduce you to The Art of Dying Well. You'll discover:
- Why learning these principles is more important than anything else you can do today
- How to die to the world while living in it — without losing the truly good things in life
- Fasting: how this spiritual discipline can determine your soul's destiny
- The secret spoiler of prayers and good works: has it crept into your heart?
- Why now is the time to prepare for death — whether you're young or in your twilight years
- And much more to help you learn to live well now and to die holy when God calls you!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 144 pages
Holy Souls Book
Reflections on Purgatory
A Complete Prayer book
Including Special Prayers and Devotions in Behalf of the Poor Souls in Purgatory
by Fr Francis Xavier Lasance
A Rare and Unusual Book!
It is hoped that this book will cultivate a special devotion to the holy souls in Purgatory. This devotion, while it solaces the Holy Souls, in whose behalf it is directly exercised, is eminently pleasing to God, and beneficial to ourselves. It is hoped that the “Reflections” contained in the first part of this little book will stimulate the pious reader to make frequent use of the prayers and devotions which are found in the second part for the solace of the suffering souls in Purgatory.
Paperback, size 6.25" x 4.25", 442 pages
by St Thomas More
In The Four Last Things, St. Thomas More prescribes frequent meditation on Death, Judgment, Pain and Joy in order to combat the spiritual diseases of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth.
The Supplication of Souls is More's vigorous, humorous, and artful defense of one of the flashpoints of the Reformation: the Catholic dogma of Purgatory. It is his devastating response to a defamatory political tract that claimed that the greed and corruption of English clergymen stemmed from their insistence on being paid to pray for the dead.
A Dialogue on Conscience sets forth More's reasons for refusing to abjure his Catholic faith by taking the oath of allegiance to King Henry VIII as the head of the Church in England. It illustrates why More has a deserved place among the Church's greatest saints and martyrs.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 218 pages
A Theological Treatise on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell
by Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
A serious, profound theological treatise, purposely written for the average reader. 32 brief, enlightening chapters, giving a great, learned theologian's view in language anyone can understand.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 274 pages, Impr.
Illustrated by Facts Taken from Profane and Sacred History
by Fr F X Schouppe, SJ
The Dogma of Hell explores the basic Catholic doctrine on Hell, purposefully awakening in the reader a profound realization of its reality and eternity of horrors. Eminent French theologian Fr F X Schouppe, SJ, author of Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints, has written here a similar but much smaller book.
In short chapters, he has recounted numerous true stories, apparitions of the damned, and complete Catholic teaching on Hell. He clearly shows that for those who are not motivated to do good out of love of God, the fear of Hell is a legitimate and often salutary motive for avoiding sin. Although the subject matter is frightening, the ultimate purpose of this book is not to frighten souls, but to help them avoid damnation by reminding them of the pain and suffering in an eternity spent in the absence of God.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 112 pages
by Marie Edouard Mott, C.M.
The work that appears today on the Green Scapular with its origin and the countless favors of which it is the instrument, has been in demand for a long time.
It is true, its marvelous effects were well known, but its origin remained shrouded in an almost impenetrable mystery, upon which, however, people were most anxious to be enlightened.
One can easily understand why this mystery might have prevailed during the life time of the happy seer of whom God chose to make use for the transmission of this pledge of salvation, namely Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, Daught of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Booklet, size 8" x 5.3", 56 page, Impr 1942.
Purgatory
The Two Catholic Views Of Purgatory Based On Catholic Teaching And Revelations Of Saintly Souls
by Fr. Frederick William Faber
In Purgatory: The Two Catholic Views of Purgatory Based on Catholic Teaching and Revelations of Saintly Souls, Fr. Faber is at it again explaining Catholic doctrine in a clear and engaging manner rare in modern times. Considering the different views Catholics have had about Purgatory over the ages, Fr. Faber asks: What is Purgatory like? Is it almost like Hell? Or is it a place of relative peace and even joy? Emphasizing that Catholicism has no definitive answer for such mysteries, Fr. Faber explores the traditions about this place of God's Mercy that nevertheless involves pain. He bases his discussion on teachings and revelations from saintly souls, including St. Catherine of Genoa's well-known Treatise on Purgatory (available in The Spiritual Doctrine of St. Catherine of Genoa).
As always, Fr. Faber's prowess as a writer and teacher of the Catholic Faith shines admirably. His work is thorough, concise, and, as ever, deeply moving on account of the holiness of his own soul and the beauty of the words that spring from it.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 96 pages
All Souls' Forget-Me-Not!
by Rev Louis Gemminger
The All Souls’ Forget-me-not is the book for all those devoted to the souls in Purgatory. “Why,” the author asks, “does this little prayer-book take its name from the simple flower, the Forget-me-not? Why do they remind one of those poor, forgotten and often neglected souls? The forget-me-not grows in marshy places, by the banks of rivers and streams. And is not Purgatory a dismal swamp wherein the tears of sorrow and desire are ever flowing? Who can count the myriads of souls lingering and suffering in Purgatory, since nothing with the smallest spot of impurity can enter heaven?
“Our faith tells us we can help these poor souls; the Church permits us to pray for them; our own heart tells us that we should and must contribute to their aid in every way that we can. On these grounds, therefore, we venture to publish this little prayer-book, which under the title ‘The Forget-me-not of the Souls in Purgatory,’ admonishes the living not to forget the dead.”
The All Souls’ Forget-me-not places at the disposal of all prayers and devotions sufficient to make offerings and reparations for the sake of the holy souls. It contains several different methods of assisting at Mass, as well as the Rosary, drawn up with special meditations for the faithful departed, stations of the Cross, numerous prayers and meditations for the saints, a small treatise on Purgatory which is largely drawn from St. Robert Bellarmine’s work, and the entirety of the Office and Mass for the dead according to the Traditional rites of the Church. This book is ideal for anyone that has participated in or joined a Purgatorial Society.
If you are devoted to the soul’s in purgatory and wish to win as many soul’s for Christ as one can, this book gives a practical means for which you can pour out your devotion into the Sacred Heart for souls.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 333 pages
Also available in Hardback (with dust jacket) on request (additional cost)
by St Robert Bellarmine
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” (Mark 9:43)
Hell is a terrible place…but how horrific is it actually?
What would happen to me if I were to be there eternally?
St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, explains the horrors of Hell in clear details in Hell and its Torments. St. Robert explains why Our Lord repeatedly mentions the “fires of Gehenna” and the fate of the souls who turn against him. Of Judas he says. “it would be better for that man if he had never been born” (Matt 26:24). Our dear loving Lord’s numerous references to Hell and warnings against it should prompt us to consider it in detail and understand its horror.
If we cannot be inspired to run towards God by the rewards and joys of Heaven, let us at the least begin our movement towards our loving God by fleeing the fires of Hell.
Originally one part of a four-part sermon, St. Robert Bellarmine’s vigorous examination of the reality of Hell will inspire you to amend your life and desire even more the blessedness of Heaven. This small and powerful booklet is perfectly composed so as to focus our minds on the essential realities of Hell.
The meditations on the pains of Hell, written in 1574, remain surprisingly relevant to our modern world. The sermon considers the tremendous gravity of sin, the complete and unthinkable suffering of those in Hell, and the contrast of Hell with the blessed souls in Heaven. In all these considerations, St. Robert Bellarmine vigorously pursues the truth of Hell and its relevance to us as sinners.
The brief and powerful lessons in Hell and Its Torments will touch your soul and inspire to abandon sin and turn to the grace that God constantly offers so that we can become saints.
Booklet, size 6" x 3.25", 46 pages
Avoiding Bitterness In Suffering
by Dr Ronda Chervin
When Ronda Chervin’s son, Charles, ended his own life, he did so believing that it is pointless to endure inevitable suffering. In the wake of Charles’s death, Dr. Chervin set out to discover some of the most basic — but all too often misunderstood — answers to why God allows us to suffer, and how we can bear it with perseverance and hope.
She shares her discoveries in these pages, helping you understand that while there is no escape from pain, pain itself is the road into the heart of Christ where peace can be found.
You’ll be given encouragement and practical advice as you explore afflictions such as failure, fear, frustration, loneliness, loss, marital problems, physical pain, fatigue, and temptation.
Dr. Chervin explains each affliction in detail and offers reflections on the lives of saints who suffered from the very same cross. Throughout each chapter you’re given practical suggestions on how you can meet Christ in your particular pain.
You’ll draw wisdom from the lives and writings of saints who were addicted, depressed, exhausted, raped, and unhappily married. And among these saints, you’ll discover within their responses a pattern that you can ponder and imitate.
Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering will bring courage and hope that in Christ and in communion with his saints, you can — and will — triumph over every kind of adversity. You’ll also learn:
- How you can overcome the pain associated with loneliness and isolation.
- Five ways to overcome doubts about the Faith.
- Four steps to liberation from the suffering of indecision.
- Five ways to meet Christ in the suffering of exploitation.
- What St. Benedict teaches us about failure – and how it changed the world.
- How to cope with failure and poverty.
- Five ways you can transform fear into trust in Christ.
- How you can turn frustrations and anger into a Christian spirit.
- How you can respond in a holy way to marital discord, demanding spouses, physical abuse, psychological abuse, abandonment, and rage.
- Four ways you can turn to Christ in times of temptation.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 243 pages
Preparation for Death to be made each Month
by Rev. Emile Bauduin, Redemptorist
This Preparation for Death was not originally intended for publication. The Rev. Father Bauduin revised it each month for his own personal use. "Come, come, O Mary, come and take me."
May you, devout reader, be faithful in the regular observance of making this preparation for death every month, and you, like its author, will reap inestimable fruits at your last hour, and in heaven for all eternity.
Booklet, size 8" x 4.75", 50 pages