In the late 1800s, discrimination against American Catholics was widespread. Many Catholics struggled to find work and ended up in inferno-like mills. An injury or the death of the wage earner would leave a family penniless. The grim threat of chronic homelessness and even starvation could fast become realities. Called to action in 1882 by his sympathy for these suffering people, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, an organization that has helped to save countless families from the indignity of destitution. From its uncertain beginnings, when Father McGivney was the only person willing to work toward its success, it has grown to an international membership of 1.7 million men.
At heart, though, Father McGivney was never anything more than an American parish priest, and nothing less than that, either -- beloved by children, trusted by young adults, and regarded as a "positive saint" by the elderly in his New Haven parish.
In an incredible work of academic research, Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster re-create the life of Father McGivney, a fiercely dynamic yet tenderhearted man. Though he was only thirty-eight when he died, Father McGivney has never been forgotten. He remains a true "people's priest," a genuinely holy man -- and perhaps the most beloved parish priest in U.S. history. Moving and inspirational, Parish Priest chronicles the process of canonization that may well make Father McGivney the first American-born parish priest to be declared a saint by the Vatican. Quantity
Product Details 2272 pages; 10 pt. type; 6-9/16 x 9 inches Quantity
Over three hundred years ago, many Frenchmen came to the unknown forests along the St. Lawrence River. Most of them came in search of furs and wealth. But there were some--a handful of Jesuit missionaries--who came not to get, but to give. They wished to give the savage Indians the knowledge of God and of His love for them. One of these missionaries was Isaac Jogues, martyr and Saint. This is the story of his dangerous and difficult life among the Indian tribes in their tree-dark country--of his work of conversion, of his efforts to teach the Indians rules of health and to set them free from their superstitious belief in the power of their medicine men. This is the inspiring story of his enslavement by the Mohawks, his daring escape, and finally, his death as a martyr for the Faith. Milton Lomask was an instructor of writing at New York University's Writing Center, and taught also at Danbury State Teachers' College. His artices have appeared in such magazines as The Catholic Digest, The Sign, America, and The Rotarian.
Cover art by Chris Pelicano
170 pages; paperback Quantity
This Vision book for youth tells the beautiful story of American's recently canonized saint and servant of the oppressed, St. Katharine Drexel. Born in 1858 to Francis and Emma Drexel, Katharine grew up in a happy, devout, and wealthy Catholic family in Philadelphia. Her parents were greatly loved and admired by many for their kindness and generosity to the poor and needy.
After the death of her parents the young Katharine decided to use all the fortune she had inherited to help the less fortunate in America, especially the Indians and African Americans. Acting upon the words she had heard come from a statue of Our Lady, "Freely you have received, freely give", and from the direct advice given her by Pope Leo XIII to become a missionary, Katharine Drexel became a religious sister and founded the order of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1891. Mother Katharine and her sisters worked tirelessly to serve the material and spiritual needs of the downtrodden through numerous schools and institutions she established around the country. She died in 1955, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001. Illustrated. Softcover. 170 pages. Ignatius Press Fall 2002 Quantity
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, once declared: “Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed that easily.” Nevertheless, the cause for her canonization began in 2000, and her prophetic example remains a provocative challenge to the status quo that cannot be easily dismissed. This intriguing biography of the highly controversial journalist and social activist draws from her voluminous writings and the testimony of people who knew her well. It explores the connections between Day’s formidable public achievements and her private life of prayer, Scripture study, and devotion to the Sacraments. The result is a stirring portrait of a champion of justice for the poor and oppressed who worked tirelessly to awaken the conscience of a nation. Paperback 146 Pages Servant Publications, October 2002
In the sixteenth century, Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared to a poor little man named Juan Diego. Through her motherly love, she offered him great consolation. Her appearance and miracles lead to the conversion of millions of indigenous people. But does Our Lady of Guadalupe have any relevance to the people of the third millennium? Does her message of salvation and peace cross cultural barriers or is she only the Mother of Mexico? Is she as Pope John Paul II said, "The Mother of America?"
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America explores the significance of the Blessed Mother’s appearances to St. Juan Diego. This documentary proposes that Our Lady of Guadalupe is the answer for all Americans who are seeking peace, the good things in life and even eternal life.
In Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, you’ll experience the feast day of Mary in Mexico City: exuberant Aztec song and dance, mariachis, contemporary music, heartfelt interviews and insightful words from Church leaders. You’ll see the creation of an exquisite work of art: a nine-foot statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that is the focal point of a new shrine in the United States. And you’ll witness how Our Lady of Guadalupe is touching many hearts beyond the borders of Mexico.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America is convincing evidence of the necessity of the Mother of God within the Christian faith. 35 min. DVD
The fascinating life story of Padre Pio, with emphasis on his life as a seminarian, young priest and his early years at San Giovanni Rotondo. From this small, remote mountain friary, he became world famous and exercised unbelievable influence on the entire world, though he was soon forbidden by his superiors to preach, to correspond or to write. Covers his early work with Mary Pyle, and with the American GIs who came to visit him during WWII when his part of Italy was liberated. Padre Pio developed a special love for America and Americans - to the point that he wished that all Americans would become his spiritual children. This book demonstrates his amazing sense of humor, his prayer and fasting, his uncanny knowledge of people (even before they visited), and his profound supernatural awareness. In sum, Padre Pio and America will instill a profound awe in readers over the impact a truly saintly priest can have on all who come into contact with him! TAN Books Spring 2006
Who are the people behind this battle? Kevin Seamus Hasson thinks of them as “the Pilgrims” and the “Park Rangers.” Pilgrims believe that their truths requires them to restrict others' religious freedom. Park Rangers believe that their freedoms require them to make sure others' religious truths remain private. Together, these groups are responsible for the impasse over the role of religion in our public life.
The Right to be Wrong explains why the Pilgrims and Park Rangers are both mistaken. A partisan both of religious expression and personal freedom, Hasson takes the reader on a tour of the American tradition in pointing the way toward a pluralism that grounds religious freedom for all in the truth about each of us. You'll never look at the culture wars quite the same way after reading this book.
"A rational argument on a very important topic, at a crucial time in our nation's history." — Jon Ward, Sunday Times
"A powerful case countering the conventional pitting of truth against tolerance." — First Things
Kevin Seamus Hasson is the founder and chairman of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm that protects the free expression of all religious traditions. Hasson lives with his family in Fairfax County, Virginia. Quantity
When author David Carlin was a young man, it was scandalous for a good Catholic to be anything but a good Democrat. In the pews, pubs, and union halls of America’s cities, millions of poor European immigrants and their children pledged allegiance to the Church of Rome and the party of FDR.
All that changed in the 1960s, with the rise of a new kind of Democrat: wealthy, secular, ideological. Even as Carlin served the party he loved — twelve years as a Rhode Island state senator and once a candidate for Congress — he could only watch in dismay as its national leaders abandoned their blue-collar, pro-life, and religious constituencies and took up with NOW, Hollywood, and the abortion lobby.
So complete has been this transformation that we no longer speak of a natural alliance between Catholics and the Democratic Party. Indeed, Carlin here asks whether today it’s even possible to be both a faithful Catholic and a Democratic true believer.
A veteran sociologist, philosophy professor, and author of The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America, Carlin shows how his party and his religion have taken opposite sides in the Culture War. On issues of human life, sex, faith, morality, suffering — and the public policies that stem from them — the modern, secularist Democratic Party has become the enemy of Catholicism; indeed, of all traditional religions.
Carlin shatters the excuses that Catholic Democratic politicians employ in a vain attempt to reconcile their faith and their votes, and then, with what he calls the “political equivalent of a broken heart,” he examines his own political conscience. As a faithful Catholic and a Democrat approaching his seventieth year, must he now leave the party he’s called home since birth?
David Carlin’s arguments challenge all religious Democrats to ask themselves the same question.
256 pages paperback Quantity
Which Catholic was involved in the Lincoln assassination? Who was the first Catholic woman to demand the right to vote? Care to guess when the first Catholic ceremony was performed in the White House?
This fun, informative calendar spotlights the Catholic men and women who helped build America.
370 pages, 6 in. high X 4 1/2 in. wide. Spiral binding; table stand. Quantity
FR. FRANK PAVONE, M.E.V
In a collection of stirring and informative pro-life essays, the author convincingly portrays the negative ramifications that the abuse of freedom and the right to choose have unleashed on our society since abortion was legalized. Father Pavone insists that people of goodwill can end the scourge of abortion and restore the right to life for those who cannot speak for themselves.
No. of Pages: 224 Size: 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 Cover: FLEXIBLE Quantity
Lives of fifteen Saints from North America, Central America, and South America, illustrated in full color. Quantity
by Jacques Maritain Compiled & Edited by James Kelly
Some Americans claim we should exclude Christian values from the public square. On the contrary, argues philosopher Jacques Maritain, good Christians make good citizens.
They live by gospel values: honesty, integrity, and compassion. They obey the law. They resist the selfishness that unbelief and materialism breed. And they subordinate their own interests to the common good.
No wonder, says Maritain, that American democracy — which arose from a Christian people — has served so well and lasted so long.
Here Maritain shows that in a society unleavened by religious ideals, an enduring democracy can never take root. And once a religious people abandons its faith, even the greatest democracy must wither and die. Untethered from transcendent values, democracy becomes little more than a struggle to be won by the most powerful and the ruthless.
The hour is late. Too long have we stood by while politicians promise never to let their religious beliefs influence their political judgments. Too long has a false understanding of democracy cowed us into laying aside our Christian values when we vote.
As Maritain demonstrates in these lucid pages, Christians are vital to democracy. Good Christians make good citizens, and good citizens make strong democracies. If America and her ideals are to endure, says Maritain, Christians and their values must not be excluded from public discourse, but eagerly welcomed into it.
160 pp paperback Quantity
Informing Your Conscience and Your Vote
by Michael J. McDermott
As Catholics living in a democratic society, teens have a responsibility to inform their conscience and their vote. During an election year they will be inundated with messages from candidates and interest groups urging them to vote for someone or for an issue. Their conscience, their experiences, and the teaching of the Church can help teens to cast their vote in a way that will respect the dignity of human life and support the development of the common good. In the pages of this book, teens will find an introduction to many of the issues they will have the opportunity to vote on, and guidance in discerning where to cast their vote. Faithful Citizen, Faithful Catholic is just the beginning of their journey to becoming a faithful citizen and a faithful Catholic.
Paperback; Size: 6 x 9; 40 pages Quantity
Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., addresses all these questions in his new book, The Cross at Ground Zero. He reassures us that the iron cross, found at the world trade center, leads to the cross of Jesus which stands at the center of all pain, all suffering, indeed all history. He explains that Jesus did not come to take away suffering. He came to sanctify suffering by His presence. He was at Ground Zero in the World Trade Center. He will be with you in your own personal Ground Zero whether it is the death of a child, a cancer diagnosis, the loss of a job.
This is the Official Commemorative book on Pope Benedict’s apostolic visit to the USA April 15 – 20, 2008. This lavishly illustrated, large-size edition, has dozens of fabulous photos of all the papal visit venues during his historic visit, with inspiring, informative commentary on the various papal events, and also includes the texts all the Pope’s addresses, homilies, and his prayer at Ground Zero.
This beautifully produced, high quality coffee-table book is a deluxe edition for all those who want to have a keepsake treasure of this powerful six day visit to the USA by Pope Benedict who won the hearts and minds of countless people with his inspiring words and gestures of love, truth, hope and compassion.
From his first stepping off the Shepherd One plane in Washington, to his White House visit and warm exchange with President Bush, the moving, festive Masses in two baseball stadiums, his inspiring address to the United Nations, his talks to U S Bishops, Catholic educators and to youth, and deeply moving visit to Ground Zero, the many memorable moments of Pope Benedict’s apostolic journey are captured in moving pictures and words in this collector’s edition.
Lavishly illustrated with dozens of inspiring photos! Includes all the Pope's talks and homilies! Large 8.5 x 10.5 coffee-table size Hardcover 145 pages, Ignatius Press 2008. Quantity
