Well Known/Famous Persons

Zita
Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary
by Charles A. Coulombe

Empress Zita of Austria (1892—1989) was declared a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. But who is she? What is it about her life and spirituality that inspired the Church to open the investigation into her beatification?

Zita’s life and her integral role within the House of Habsburg during the tumultuous 20th century are not well known. In Zita: Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Charles Coulombe takes readers through Zita’s lineage and the political climate she was born into, Bl. Charles and Zita’s marriage, her support of Bl. Charles amid the destruction of the Catholic Monarchy, and much more. Bl. Charles and Zita’s story is one of hope, perseverance, and great faith. Through this couple’s devotion to the Sacred Heart, they inspired their children and their peoples to a greater love of God and country, despite the many trials they faced. As we similarly live in a society that denies God and attacks the family, we can turn to the example of this saintly couple.

Journey with Zita to learn how she persevered after Charles’s death, which left her in exile with their seven children and an eighth on the way, and how she kept the hope of a restored House of Habsburg alive, even under the threat of Nazism.

Hardcover, size 8.5" x 5.5", 424 pages

The Life of Little Nellie of Holy God
Little Violet of The Blessed Sacrament
by Anonymous sources

The wonderful story of the 4-year-old child whose story inspired Pope St. Pius X to lower the First Communion age from 12 to 7.

Includes her desire to receive "Holy God;" her First Communion; incidents with the Sisters who raised her; the finding of her incorrupt body and favours received through her intercession.

Perfect to teach, love and respect for Our Lord in the Eucharist! Adult version

Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 120 pages

Removing the Blindfold
Nineteenth-century Catholics and the Myth of Modern Freedom
by Dr John Rao

19TH CENTURY CATHOLICS AND THE MYTH OF MODERN FREEDOM Among American Catholics, there is a certain unwillingness to see anything amiss with modern civilization as embodied in the American dream of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Often, this is because the only alternatives to democracy we know are the much more frightening specters of socialism and communism. To many, it seems the only way to have an effective voice in the American political arena is to align ourselves with the so-called conservative "Right." Yet if we follow the logic of the "Right" today, we may wonder why people who support individual rights and freedom of conscience in the economic and political realm are so vehemently opposed to the supremacy of individual rights and freedom of conscience in the moral realm. Many Catholics give up following the logic at this point and cast their vote in favor of freedom of conscience as the most important principle - because it is the most advantageous to them at this moment.

LEARN THE TRUTH The Catholic Church, however, has never been concerned primarily with what is the most advantageous political system at a given point in history, but rather with the truth. In Removing the Blindfold, Dr. John Rao explains the conundrum that modern Catholics face in dealing with the current socio-political climate and traces the roots of this problem back to the French Revolution and the principles it espoused. He shows how most modern Catholics have embraced some form of revolutionary thought without even being aware of it, and reveals how revolutionary ideals are incompatible with Church teaching, and always have been.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 200 pages

Little Nellie of Holy God
1903-1908
by Sr. Mary Dominic, R.G.S.

Booklet, size  8" x 6", 32 pages

The Price to Pay
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

The Conversion of Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne
by Baron Theodore de Bussieres

Alphonse Ratisbonne was a French Jew who was miraculously converted while at Rome in the Church of San Andrea della Frate. His brother had previously converted and become a Catholic priest, but Alphonse hated the Catholic church and vowed never to enter.

This is the story of the power of prayer and a miracle of grace. It is a powerful, delightful, and consoling story that every apostolic Catholic should know.

This is how Ratisbonne related his experience in the church that cold day in January of 1842. “All I can say is that the moment when the Blessed Virgin made a sign with her hand, the veil fell from my eyes; not one veil only, but all the veils which were wrapped around me disappeared, just as snow melts beneath the rays of the sun.’ ‘I am asked how I attained a knowledge of these truths, since it is well known that I never opened a religious book, had never read a page of the Bible, and that the dogma of original sin, which is either denied or utterly forgotten by the modern Jews, had never for a single moment occupied my thoughts—indeed, I doubt whether I had ever heard the words which express it. How, then, did I arrive at a knowledge of it? I know not. All that I know is that when I entered that church I was profoundly ignorant of everything, and that when I came out I saw everything clearly and distinctly.”

Baron de Bussieres states, “We have given in this volume a literal translation of the original accounts of the conversion of M. Alphonse Ratisbonne along with many other letters and documents relating to the miraculous conversion.”

This edition is faithful to the original published in 1842.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 96 pages

The World is His Parish
The Story of Pope Pius XII
by Mary Fabyan Windeatt

THE STORY OF OUR HOLY FATHER THE POPE REALLY BEGINS WHEN......
Jesus, having come into the district of Caesarea Philippi, began to ask His disciples, saying, "Who do men say the Son of Man is?" But they said, "Some say John the Baptist and others, Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus answered and said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but My Father in heaven. And I say to thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matt, 16, 13-19.

Thus Our Lord founded our Church and appointed Peter His Vicar on earth the first Pope. There have been many Popes since then, but one thing has never changed. Each is Christ's Vicar and each possesses the same power and authority that was given to St. Peter. Our Lord spoke both to Peter and to Peter's successors, and so the story that began with Peter at Caesarea Philippi was continued at Rome with Eugenio Pacelli. As Our Lord changed Simon Bar-Jona's name to Peter, the Holy Father changed his name to Pius. The Rock upon which the Church stood from 1939 to 1958 was known to us as Pius XII.

Full colour comic paperback, size 11" x 8.5", 36 pages

So Much Generosity
by Michael D. Greaney

The late Dr. Ralph McInerny, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame du Lac, once commented that some Catholic novels are so good, they're bad. He meant that the heroes are so virtuous that you simply can't believe them. Worse, the novels try so hard to be "Catholic" that they fail to be catholic, that is, universal, or even any sort of realistic commentary on the human condition.

Worst of all are probably the novels that try to imitate the authors profiled in this appreciation of the fiction of Nicolas Cardinal Wiseman(1802-1865), John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), and Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914). Part of this is due to the fact that many people misunderstand not only why these writers wrote, but what they wrote. Benson's wonderfully barbed satire, for example, endeared him to Evelyn Waugh, yet it is often characterized as "prophecy"!

This collection of biographical sketches and essays by Mr. Michael D. Greaney,  does much to dispel the misimpressions and misunderstandings many people might have of the novels of Wiseman, Newman, and Benson. More than that, this compendium introduces these works to a new generation of readers, and makes it clear that the authors wrote for everyone, not just for Catholics, or even Christians.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 268 pages

The Smile of a Ragpicker
The Life of Satoko Kitahara - Convert and Servant of the Slums of Tokyo
by Fr Paul Glynn, S.M.

Following his acclaimed work, A Song for Nagasaki, in which Fr. Paul Glynn told the powerful story of Dr. Nagai, a Christian convert of remarkable courage and compassion who ministered to victims of the atomic bomb attack on his city, The Smile of a Ragpicker brings us the heroic story of Satoko Kitahara, a young, beautiful woman of wealth who gave up her riches and comfort to be among the ragpickers in the Tokyo slums. Motivated by her newfound faith in Christ, she plunged into the life of the poor, regardless of the consequences.

As Satoko helped the poor with their material and spiritual needs, she also helped them to recover their self-respect and dignity. Satoko’s story demonstrates how one person’s life can affect so many others.

Every day Satoko encountered Christ in some new and challenging way, calling the Church back to identification with the poor. Like Dr. Nagai, she expressed her faith through the sensitivity and beauty of her own Japanese culture. Satoko died a young woman, in dire poverty. Yet her death, mourned by many thousands, reflected her triumphant life of deep Christian faith and charity.

This is a powerful story of reconciliation and healing, between people of different social, economic and religious backgrounds, inspired by a frail young woman of luminous faith. 

Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 289 pages, Illustrated with photos

Hugh O'Flaherty
The Irish Priest Who Resisted the Nazis
by Fiorella De Maria

Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty was working in the Vatican when dictator Benito Mussolini fell from power and Germany invaded Italy in 1943. This courageous Irish priest who resisted the Nazi occupation was made famous by the movie, The Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck. The Monsignor O'Flaherty brought to life in this story is as intriguing and exciting as the film version.

Witty, brilliant, and fearless, Monsignor O'Flaherty helped escaped Allied prisoners of war and persecuted Jews to elude capture by the Germans. At great risk to themselves, Monsignor O'Flaherty and his equally brave friends—priests, nuns, and lay men and women, including a few aristocrats—saved thousands of lives. They constantly needed to stay one step ahead of the ever-persistent Nazis until their surrender to the Allies in 1945.

Not just a thrilling adventure story, this book offers a portal into a real-life battle between good and evil. It also tells of the need after a war for forgiveness and redemption.

Paberback, size 8" x 5.25", 196 pages

The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest
by Fr John Gerard, S.J.

Truth is stranger than fiction. And nowhere in literature is it so apparent as in this classic work, The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest. This autobiography of a Jesuit priest in Elizabethan England is a most remarkable document and John Gerard, its author, a most remarkable priest in a time when to be a Catholic in England courted imprisonment and torture; to be a priest was treason by act of Parliament.

Smuggled into England after his ordination and dumped on a Norfolk beach at night, Fr. Gerard disguised himself as a country gentleman and traveled about the country saying Mass, preaching and ministering to the faithful in secret always in constant danger. The houses in which he found shelter were frequently raided by priest hunters; priest-holes, hide-outs and hair-breadth escapes were part of his daily life. He was finally caught and imprisoned, and later removed to the infamous Tower of London where he was brutally tortured.

The stirring account of his escape, by means of a rope thrown across the moat, is a daring and magnificent climax to a true story which, for sheer narrative power and interest, far exceeds any fiction. Here is an accurate and compelling picture of England when Catholics were denied their freedom to worship and endured vicious persecution and often martyrdom. But more than the story of a single priest, "The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest" epitomizes the constant struggle of all human beings through the ages to maintain their freedom. It is a book of courage and of conviction whose message is most timely for our age.

Paperback, size 8" x 5.5", 395 pages

The Soul of a Lion
Dietrich Von Hildebrand : a Biography
by Alice Von Hildebrand

Dietrich von Hildebrand, widely regarded as one of the great Catholic philosophers of the 20th century, is well-known for his numerous books, but, until this present work, not much has been known of his remarkable and inspiring life.

Written by his wife, Alice, also a highly respected Catholic thinker, this is a fascinating, moving and, at times, gripping account of a truly great man of the Church who suffered much for the faith.

Based on a very long "letter" Dietrich wrote to his wife late in his life, it tells his story from his glorious youth with a unique intellectual and cultural formation, his coversion to Catholisism, his great passion for truth and beauty, his extensive writing on Christian philosophy and theology, and his steadfast, determined opposition to Nazism that made him a marked man who miraculously escaped execution. A powerful biography of a relentless fighter against injustice, a devoted son of the Church, a man who had the "soul of a lion". Illustrated.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 322 pages

They Lived the Faith: Great Lay Leaders of Modern Times
by Thomas P. Neill

They Lived the Faith is a truly uniqe work, combining the biographies of numerous Catholic lay leaders in the 19th and 20th century to illustrate the singular theme of Catholic Action in both social and political life.

While many books focus on clerical leaders, They Lived the Faith looks at laity, who worked in politics, literature, and social life to bring the light of the Gospel to ameliorate society’s evils. Featuring biographies of Daniel O’Connel, Count Montalembert, Ludwig Windhorst, Gabriel Garcia Moreno, Bl. Pauline Jaricot, Bl. Frédéric Ozanam, Albert de Mun, Joseph de Maistre, Joseph Görres, Donoso Cortés, Orestes Brownson, Luis Veuillot, and Wilfrid Ward.

In this work, you will learn how these thirteen Catholic lay leaders confronted the aftermath of the French Revolution; attempted to address Church and State relations; fought the onslaught of Liberalism, Socialism, and Communism; and so much more.

Paperback, size 9" x 6", 444 pages

Also available in Hardback (with dust jacket) on request (additional cost)

Isabel of Spain
The Catholic Queen
by Warren H. Carroll

One of the most powerful and compelling figures of all history, Isabel of Spain was a force with which to be reckoned, and should rightfully eclipse the better-known Elizabeth of England, both as a woman and a national leader.

The first full scholarly biography of Queen Isabel in English for nearly seventy-five years, Isabel of Spain is extensively annotated and eminently readable.

Paperback, size 9" x 6", 464 pages

Dom Guéranger
Monk at the Heart of the Church
by Dom Guy Marie Oury, O.S.B.
Translated by Hope Heaney 

After the devastation of the French Revolution, the first abbot of Solesmes launched the ecclesial movement which invited all Christians to experience a spiritual participation in the liturgy, “the initial source of the true  Christian spirit.” Dom Guéranger worked to instill knowledge and love for the origins of Christianity and the Church of the Fathers, thus preparing a fertile and fruitful “return to the sources” for the entire Church.

He defined himself as “a man of the spiritual order,” opposed in every way to the naturalism of his era. It seemed to him, and rightly so, that God’s mystery could not be treated as were the human sciences—He transcended them. Throughout his entire life, Dom Guéranger never stopped protesting against “the diminished truths” mentioned in Psalm 11:2.

Paperback, size 9" x 6", 440 pages

Dollfuss - An Austrian Patriot
by Fr Johannes Messner

Introduced in this book is Englebert Dollfuss, the Austrian hero who plotted a course for Austria against Nazism, against Socialism, and against unbridled capitalism until his assassination by the Nazis in 1934. This is the story of the Austrian chancellor who attempted to act as a moral force to bring a divided, bankrupt, and bitter Europe to its senses. It details how he persuaded people of many different political persuasions to follow and support that policy, not through elegant speeches, worthless programs, and empty promises, but through common sense, good humor, overpowering honesty, and tremendous personal sacrifice.

Dollfuss: An Austrian Patriot was written by neo-Thomist professor Fr. Johannes Messner based upon his close association and collaboration with Engelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria. Messner's account of Dollfuss's life provides a brief sketch of biographical details, but, more importantly, illustrates Dollfuss's social vision and provides an account of his attempt to structure Austrian social and economic life along the lines determined by Quadragesimo Anno. As a leading exponent of Catholic Social Doctrine as it was expressed in the Austrian tradition established by Karl von Vogelsang, Messner is uniquely qualified to highlight the reforms initiated by Dollfuss as they relate to the traditional social vision of the Church.

Dr. Zmirak is a student of traditional and Catholic political economy, and the author of Wilhelm Roepke: Swiss Localist; Global Economist. Dr. von Hildebrand is a frequent writer and lecturer on Catholic culture and related subjects. Her husband, the late Dr. Deitrich von Hildebrand, collaborated with Dollfuss and his associates on the paper of the Austrian state, The Christian Corporative State.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 160 pages

The Iron Man of China
An American Missionary's Story
by Dr Paul Lavin and Robert Lavin

Except for a year furlough home in the US, Father Joseph Lavin served the Chinese people for twenty years (1932-1953), traversing thousands of miles by foot or bicycle, and exposing himself every day to life threatening dangers. In 1953 the Communists expelled him from the mainland threatening him with death if he should ever return.

This well-documented book, written by the Iron Man's nephew, illustrates one of the reasons why there are ten million Catholics, loyal to Rome, in China today.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 337 pages

The Golden Arrow
The Autobiography and Revelations of Sister Mary of St. Peter (1816-1848) on Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
by Sister Mary of Saint Peter

Born in 1816 in Brittany, France, Sister Mary of Saint Peter lost her mother at age 12. Soon after entering the Carmelite convent at Tours in 1839 at age 23, she began to receive remarkable and intimate communications from Our Lord, Who told her of His great distressed over the evil actions and blasphemous declarations of the Marxist revolutionaries of the time. He also bemoaned the indifference to and profanation of Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation of even Christians. These errors, begun in Sister Mary's time, have grown monstrously ingrained in our present fearful age.

But the Lord provided Sister Mary over a century and a half ago with the means of fighting these catastrophes and making solemn reparation: devotion to His Holy Face. In addition, He gave her a prayer, a "Golden Arrow" fit to pierce His Heart delightfully, in reparation for the painful "poison arrows" of blasphemy launched by so many poor sinners, even children.

The Golden Arrow tells of both the life of Sister Mary of Saint Peter and her life's work: the devotion, granted to her by Jesus Himself, to His Holy Face. Approved by Pope Leo XIII and promoted by St. Therese of Lisieux half a century later, the devotion to the Holy Face may be the single most important devotion of our time that still remains relatively unknown.

In our age so sorely afflicted by the same grievous errors as Sister Mary of Saint Peter's, learn to adore Our Blessed Saviour's wounded Face, so as to make reparation for the sacrileges and blasphemies of our decadent age.

May the most Holy, most Sacred, most Adorable,
Most Incomprehensible and Ineffable Name of God
Be always Praised, Blessed, Loved, Adored and Glorified,
In Heaven, on Earth and in Hell,
By all the Creatures of God,
And by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
In the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Amen.

Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 248 pages