A celebration of all things chivalrous, this fascinating book features page after page of colorful pictures of heroic knights, fair maidens, and deadly weapons. It recounts captivating tales of life as it really was a thousand years ago, among the Crusaders who followed Richard the Lionheart to the Holy Lands, as well as the much-loved legends of Camelot and King Arthur's Round Table.

Author and artist Jack Coggins wrote and illustrated several books on subjects ranging from space travel to underwater exploration. His expertise in arms and armor is reflected in the authenticity of these illustrations of medieval weapons. Coggins also provides an informed and lively perspective on the training, duties, and benefits of knighthood.

Pages: 112

Author: Jack Coggins

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas À Kempis needs no introduction. For more than five centuries it has been the most popular spiritual book second only to the Sacred Scriptures. It presents the fundamental principles of the spiritual life. The Christian soul is invited to follow Christ Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As we study its contents we are convinced that without that Way there is no going, without that Truth there is no knowing, and without that Life, there is no real living.

Translated from the original Latin by the Right Rev. Richard Challoner, D.D. This edition has been re-typeset using the text of the 1893 edition originally published by Desclée, Lefebvre & Co., Belgium, with an Imprimatur by G. F. J. Bouvry Vic. Gen., Tournai, 28th September 1893.

Letters to and from St. Therese of Lisieux from April 1877 (Childhood) to September 1890 (Novitiate period as a Carmelite Nun). Letter writing at the end of the nineteenth century was an important activity for the people of France. Those who received letters from family and friends alike usually kept the hand-written texts sent to them as precious gifts. That is why this collection of letters by and to one of the greatest saints of modern times is so interesting to us today. No mere notes slapped together in distracted haste, the missives found in this volume reveal communications of warm personal sentiment along with expressions of lively spiritual development.Therese's efforts as a fifteen-year-old to enter Carmel before reaching the required age appear in revealing detail. This "tortuous course of a very subtle diplomacy" is set out not only by the letters of Therese herself, but also by those of so many others who shared her hopes and eventual victory.

The translator-editor gives us 75 pages of introductory remarks to Therese's letters. This volume also includes 4 pages of facsimiles of Therese's letters.

Translated from the critical edition by John Clarke, OCD

Letters to and from St. Therese of Lisieux from September 1890 (Novitiate period as a Carmelite Nun) to September 1897 (death). Includes 4 pages of facsimiles of Therese's letters, plus a general and biblical index to both volumes.

This sequel to volume 1 contains all of Therese's letters from the end of September 1890 (during her novitiate) until she died in 1897, as well as many letters written to or about her. Here the mature Saint Therese shows the path of her growth as a religious and as a deep spiritual writer. The reader learns much about all of her correspondents, including her two "missionary brothers," and gains familiarity with the development of her thoughts and messages. Fifty pages of complementary documents give us useful tools for studying the texts.

Translated from the critical edition by John Clarke, OCD

The Life of Saint Benedict: The Great Patriarch of the Western Monks (480-547 A.D.)

The famous, classic life of St. Benedict, written by Pope St. Gregory the Great, is filled with miracles, holy stories, and inspiring idealism. It is delightful reading for all ages and describes much of what is known about St. Benedict, including the founding of the Benedictine order.

Meet Saint William, a young French nobleman who could have had it all . . . and gave it all up! Riches, fame, knighthood, an easy life in a grand castle. These were the things that rightly belonged to William by his noble birth. Instead, he chose to leave it all behind and give himself completely to God. Building a hut in the quiet woods, he planned to live out his days there in prayer and solitude. But God had other plans for William . . . plans that ensured his suitcase would never stay unpacked! Join William as God sends him one surprise after another, until William finally receives the biggest surprise of all! With charming full-color illustrations and easy-to-read text, this second book in Susan Peek's new series for children (companion to her series for teens, "God's Forgotten Friends: Lives of Little-known Saints") is sure to capture the hearts of Catholic children everywhere.

The residence of the local lord and the center of the community, the medieval castle was also a stronghold against enemy attacks. Virtually self-contained, this fortress had everything necessary to maintain the life of the lord and his family. In 29 detailed, ready-to-color illustrations, artist A. G. Smith focuses on the activities of castle life and how the heavily fortified structure functioned.
Included are detailed views of the castle’s main features: the moat, drawbridge, and portcullis (a heavy iron gate suspended by chains); strong tower, or keep; the Great Hall, the center of court life; a chapel, the castle’s spiritual center; spiral staircases built within thick tower walls; dungeons; and other areas. Here also are scenes of a lady doing needlework at a window seat, stable workers caring for their steeds, a fair held on castle grounds, a crossbowman atop an outer wall, a castle under attack, catapults hurling large missiles, and more.
Ideal for use at home or in the classroom, this fascinating book invites youngsters to have fun coloring while learning about life within a medieval castle.
 

The Monastic Diurnal or the Day Hours of the Monastic Breviary (8th edition)
A republication of the 1963 edition of the Benedictine hours of Prime, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline, in Latin and English in parallel columns for all the feasts and seasons in the traditional Benedictine calendar, with an updated table of movable feasts and a Benedictus/Magnificat card. The Latin text is the traditional Vulgate Psalter. Ideal for novices, monks, and nuns when traveling, Benedictine oblates, guests at monasteries, and all who wish to draw upon the riches of the ancient and traditional Benedictine office. Printed in black and red throughout and bound in real Moroccan leather with a flexible cover, gilt edges, and six marker ribbons, this is a truly beautiful book.

The new 8th edition shares the same texts as the preceding ones, but is printed on thinner paper, significantly reducing the volume's thickness.

- Printed at St Michale's Abbey Press, England.

Who shall find a valiant woman? far and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her.

Women are attacked on all sides. One side of the attack finds its origin in Protestantism, in which women are sub-par creatures, not helpmates but slaves to men, never to develop the immense talents given by God. On the other side, far more common in our age, women are to remake themselves entirely into the strict imitation of men, breaking down all of the distinctions and differences that are the glory of women. But what is the solution? Are we stuck in one or the other?

This excellent work The Nature, Dignity, and Mission of Woman is a resounding cry by Fr. Karl Stehlin against both of these errors. Fr. Stehlin, a priest with over 25 years of pastoral experience, takes up his pen to examine, explain, and defend real femininity. This book, the fruit of a series of talks given to young ladies at a Catholic boarding school, will help all Catholics, but especially the young, rediscover the immense dignity of being a woman, as lived out in accord with the plan of God‰Û¡ó»s creation.

Topics Covered Include:

The Human Being is the Image of God
Union of Opposites
The Essential Vocation of Woman: Virgo, Sponsa, Mater, Icona Immaculata
Woman as Home-Maker
Woman‰Û¡ó»s Mission in Serving, Suffering, and Hoping
Today‰Û¡ó»s Problems
Preserving Her Beauty
Finding Her Vocation
The Specific Choice of a Husband
Much more!
This book is perfect for any woman or young lady who wishes to understand her important role as a Catholic woman created in the image of God and given a beautiful nature, dignity, and mission!

Calm and spirituality—the true hallmarks of Carthusian writings—distinguish this book. The first part sets out the principles of the interior life; the second works out a method of prayer. There follow eleven sermons, originally given to monks in the chapter, which illustrate this approach. The final portion discusses the complex doctrine of the Trinity with extraordinary clarity. Broken into short chapters, the book is designed for personal reflection and meditation.

Author:  A Carthusian

"For me," wrote Therese of Lisieux toward the end of her life, "prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love amid trial as well as joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus." Besides the countless spontaneous prayers found throughout her autobiography, letters, poetry, and plays, St. Therese left behind 21 additional independent prayers, from every period of her life, here collected for the first time. In this book, we find prayers to the Infant Jesus and the Holy Face, prayers to Mary and the saints, prayers composed in joy and sorrow, and prayers written for her novices and missionary brothers. All of them reflect the Saint's passionate love of God, which she wished to share with friends near and far. The highlight of this volume is the first critical text of Therese's famous "Offering to Merciful Love," fully annotated. Ample background materials explain the setting and significance of each prayer. Scholars will find here essential new information for the study of the Saint's doctrine; general readers will find this book an indispensable resource for learning to pray as Therese did. "It is prayer, it is the sacrifice which gives me all my strength; these are the invincible weapons Jesus has given me. They can touch souls much better than words."

Complete collection of Therese's independent prayers, translated from the critical edition, with 9 pages of photos.

Translated by Aletheia Kane, OCD

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, friends, his inheritance and home, and even his life 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.

Rule of St. Benedict in English and Latin (side by side)

"Remarkable for its discretion and its clarity." - St. Gregory the Great.
It was 594 when Pope St. Gregory the Great - himself a Benedictine - wrote this tribute to the little book which had shaped his life, and stands today as one of the cornerstones of religious life.
St. Benedict - credited with saving Western Civilization through his monastery system - adopted a remarkably common approach to growing in grace.
In part, St. Benedict was reacting to the extreme ascetical practices of the East where hermits starved themselves, went without sleep, and dressed in rags. Without minimizing the importance of that self-sacrifice, St. Benedict insisted that monks could not attend properly to their work and study, let alone their celebration of Mass and the Divine Office, if they were denied nutritious meals, ample rest, proper clothing - and daily structure.
The Benedictine historian, Dom David Knowles, wrote that in the Rule, St. Benedict created a new type of monastery, one that was "neither a penitentiary nor a school of ascetic mountaineering, but a family, a home for those seeking God."
If Benedict was comparatively lenient about disciplining the body, he was adamant about the need to subdue the will. His Rule emphasizes:• obedience • humility • fraternal charity • These virtues, once acquired, root out pride. Then, to the standard vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, St. Benedict added the vow of stability, in which a monk promised to remain in his monastery until death (unless his superiors sent him elsewhere). By this fourth vow, Benedict made each monastery a brotherhood, a family, in which each member works for the good of the whole.
Furthermore, each member of the monastic family found in the Rule a standard against which he could measure his every action. By being moderate and flexible in day-to-day concerns, but uncompromising in spiritual matters, St. Benedict's Rule has endured for 1,500 years as a living code, a guiding light that has shown untold numbers of religious men and women the path to holiness. No rectory, no religious house, and no Catholic family, should be without a copy of this seminal work.

Translated & Edited by - Abbot Justin McCann, O.S.B.
Paperback

Dom Delatte's masterpiece on the Rule of St. Benedict. (softcover)

- Complete with Vespers and the Kyriale in modern notation
- Hard-bound
- 5 multi-colored ribbon markers
- Contains over 1900 pages
- The Ordinary of the Mass printed with red rubrics
- Beautiful narrative of each feast day as well as spiritual and doctrinal notes
- Imprimatur 1945 - Reprint of the 1945 edition

Probably the finest book ever written about the Rosary; appeals to all ages. Shows the great spiritual power of the Rosary, which is appreciated by few. Tells why the Rosary is the most important private prayer. Canon William says of De Montfort's book, "It goes far beyond mere research. We might say that it contains everything that can be said about the Rosary -- its content and form, its real worth, about the instruction necessary for its appreciation and use." Over 5,300,000 copies printed!

The author of The Secret of the Rosary and the originator of total consecration to Mary, St. Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort (1673-1716) remains one of the greatest apostles of Marian devotion the world has ever known. As a young priest, De Montfort dedicated himself to preaching to the people. This highly gifted orator's language was simple but full of divine love, much as you will find in True Devotion to Mary. De Montfort's whole life was marked by constant prayer, love for the poor, and holy joy in humiliations and persecutions. De Montfort was canonized by Pius XII in 1947.

In this age of relentless activity, it is easy for Christians, particularly those involved in good works, to fall into the pattern of the activist. But mere activity and material results are not sufficient for a successful apostolate. Dom Chartraud demonstrates that the very foundation of all apostolic work must be the Interior Life. The apostle of Christ will grow to become an instrument and true channel of God’s graces to the world only through prayer, meditation, and the cultivation of the Interior Life. When one is involved in works of spiritual or corporal charity, his work can only be efficacious when he anchors his Interior Life to in Christ. Without Christ, we can do nothing.

Author: Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O.

The present treatise on prayer was first of all printed privately in the French language, and was intended exclusively for the instruction of the daughters of St Benedict. All souls, however, who are aiming at perfection may derive profit and edification from its pages. The spirit of the venerable Abbot Gueranger breathes through the whole work. What this distinguished man thought on the all-important subject of prayer, what he expressed in his conferences, and what he wrote in many parts of his classical work, "The Liturgical Year," is found here systematically arranged. Some of the chapters are real masterpieces.

-Mgr. Paul Leopold Haffner, Bishop of Mayence, September 10, 1896."

Spiritual Life and Prayer according to the Monastic Tradition, is a spiritual treatise on the soul's journey to God. Carefully considering the spiritual life as lived among the trials of the world, the Sacraments, the author considers who are the true worshipers of God and how we become such based on the testimony of Sacred Tradition and the Holy Fathers. Though it is a century old, being based on such timeless testimony it has not lost its luster.

This relatively short book is widely regarded as the best on the apparition of Our Lady in 1531 in Mexico City. Tells the complete story; from the Conquest of Mexico and the conversion of the Aztecs; through the development of the devotion and into the modern era. An enthralling story and an essential devotion for our times!

Author: Francis W. Johnston

Description

Tranquility is a gentle, sweet blend of Ylang ylang (Cananga Odorata Flower), Mandarin (Citrus Reticulata Peel), Blue Tansy (Tanacetum Annuum Leaf), Patchouli (Pogostemon Cablin Leaf), and Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel). Diffuse it to evoke a sense of peace and calm.

100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil.

Benefits

The ingredients in this blend may have different benefits:

• Ylang-Ylang can boost mood, reduce depression, and alleviate anxiety.

• Mandarin has calming effects similar to lavender.

• Blue Tansy with anti-inflammatory properties.

• Patchouli has pain relief properties.

• Orange helps ease anxiety and depression.

What it does for you

Looking for an oil that promotes peaceful feelings? This is your blend. Many times in our lives, we face with unwanted emotions, strong fears, and anxiousness. With so many overwhelming situations, you must take some time to breathe and calm down with the aid of this excellent essential oil blend.

Caution: Do not use undiluted on the skin. Keep out of the reach of children. If pregnant/nursing consult with a physician.

Studies

PubMed Central, a highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health, gives us more information about some of the different studies regarding the health benefits of Tranquility’s ingredients:

• Aromatherapy with Ylang Ylang for anxiety and self-esteem.

• Terpenes from forests and human health.

• Identification of 1,8-cineole, Borneol, Camphor, and Thujone as anti-inflammatory compounds

• Effect of aromatherapy with orange essential oil on salivary cortisol and pulse rate in children during dental treatment.

• The effect of aromatherapy by essential oil of orange on anxiety.

Other studies have been conducted:

• Patchoulene epoxide isolated from suppresses acute inflammation.