This is an entirely new edition and translation of Conrad De Meester's brilliant and moving presentation of the life, thought, and spirituality of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The author has completely revised and amplified his previous book in the light of the new, thoroughly annotated editions of her own works and the many recent works of research and commentary, which have led him to develop and change some of his interpretations of the saint's life and character.

Fr. De Meester asks why and how this young girl, who asked to be admitted to the Carmel of Lisieux and persevered in her vocation to a hidden life in the small town of Normandy, is not only loved and invoked by millions of people but has become a profound influence on theology, spirituality and the missionary apostolate, culminating in her being declared a Doctor of the Church. He shows how the intuitions of her faith were achieved by growing from spiritual poverty to spiritual maturity through much suffering and despite many crises and reversals. This book reveals Thérèse as the saint of hope, whose constant watchword was "My God, I love you!"

Translated by Conrad De Meester, OCD

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

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.

A true treasure of spiritual insights, this little booklet contains the remarkable meditations on the Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane by Blessed Padre Pio, the stigmatist priest. One of his few writings, the booklet also includes many pictures of Blessed Padre Pio from throughout his ministry. Padre Pio's beautiful and descriptive manner of writing provides a wonderful spiritual insight into that last night of Jesus' human life.

Excerpt:

"Jesus has returned to His place of prayer, and another picture, more terrible than the first, presents itself to Him. All our sins with their entire ugliness parade before Him in every detail. He must clothe Himself with this entire unclean mass of human corruption and present Himself before the sanctity of His Father, to expiate everything with individual pains, to render Him all that glory of which they have robbed Him, to cleanse that human cesspool in which man wallows with contemptible indifference.

And all this does not make Him retreat. As a raging sea, this mass inundates Him, enfolds Him, and oppresses Him. Behold Him before His Father the God of Justice, facing the full penalty of divine justice. He, the essence of purity, sanctity by nature, in contact with sin, indeed, as if He Himself had become a sinner! Who can fathom the disgust that He feels in His innermost spirit? The horror He feels? The nausea, the contempt He senses so vividly? And having taken all upon Himself, nothing excepted, He is crushed by this immense weight, oppressed, thrown down, prostrated. Exhausted, He groans beneath the weight of Divine Justice, before His Father, Who has permitted His Son to offer Himself as a Victim for sin, as one accursed."

Mary Fabyan Windeatt presents the powerful story of the famous life and miracles of St. Benedict for the Vision Book series of saints for youth. Known as the Father of Western Monasticism, St. Benedict played a major role in the Christianization and civilization of post-Roman Europe in the sixth century.

Having lived in an era of great immorality and vice, Benedict founded an order for monks whose strong life of prayer and work helped convert the godless society around them. It tells how his Benedictine order of monks spread throughout Europe and the New World. The heroic life of his sister St. Scholastica, his saving a boy from drowning, raising one from the dead, and the story of poisoned wine are all told in this exciting, dramatic tale of a great saint. Illustrated.

Written during his benedictine years, these colloquies reveal William's inner struggle to reach out to God by stripping away encumbrances, to learn to love, and to accept God's love by learning to accept himself.

Blessed Padre Pio, a humble peasant, and world-famous stigmatist, spoke simple words of Christian encouragement and inspiration to all who approached him seeking counsel. This biographical sketch and collection of memorable sayings is a compact and accessible introduction to the life and message of one of the great religious figures of the 20th century.

Compiled by Anthony F. Chiffolo

Become a Knight of the Immaculate Virgin Mary by joining the Militia Immaculatae, founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917. Learn the object of the M.I., the conditions of joining, and the means of being a member. This book includes the origin and history of the M.I., Explanatory Notes by St. Maximilian Kolbe himself, Indulgences granted to the M.I., and the Ceremony of Enrollment to the M.I

Our principal motive is to help the greatest possible number of souls to be united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the mediation of the Immaculata. "It should not be viewed as just one organization among many others; rather, it ought to penetrate into the depths of all other organizations. The essence of the M.I. consists of belonging to the Immaculata unconditionally, irrevocably, unreservedly, and entirely... The object of the M.I. is to strive for the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics, etc., and especially of Freemasons, as well as for the sanctification of all, under the protection and through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin." (St. Maximilian Kolbe)
"Isn't it beautiful, this ideal of life? The battle to conquer the whole world, the hearts of all men and of each one in particular beginning with oneself... Our strength consists of recognizing our own stupidity, weakness, and misery, and entrusting ourselves entirely to the goodness and power of the Immaculata." (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

We live in an age characterized by agitation and lack of peace. This tendency manifests itself in our spiritual as well as our secular life. In our search for God and holiness, in our service to our neighbor, a kind of restlessness and anxiety take the place of the confidence and peace that ought to be ours. What must we do to overcome the moments of fear and distress which assail us? How can we learn to place all our confidence in God and abandon ourselves to his loving care? This is what is taught in this simple, yet profound little treatise on peace of mind. Taking concrete examples from our everyday lives, the author invites us to respond in a Gospel fashion to the upsetting situations we must all confront. Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue, and ask him for without ceasing. This book is here to help us in that pursuit.

Author: Jacques Philippe

This Book of Meditations is a classic and is seeped in Carmelite spirituality. For every day it offers two meditations, in liturgical arrangement, that enable the soul to enter the conscious presence of God and to reflect on the theme of the day. These are followed by a ‘Colloquy’ that helps the person at prayer to start a friendly conversation with God where acts of praise and love, petition, and thanksgiving are made, together with good resolutions for the future. Here we are at the very heart of prayer, which is a heart-to-heart encounter in faith with the living God. -  by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.

Divine Intimacy is the highest state attainable on earth. In this union of love, the soul produces acts of love that have an immense apostolic influence on a multitude of souls. This knowledge of the ways that lead to God, according to the teaching of the renowned Spanish mystics, is distilled into the pages of this book.

This book aims to be an answer to the requests of all those who want to know more profoundly the message and the spirituality of Fatima.

The first goal of the following lines is to consider, meditate, and comment on the words, gestures, and actions of Our Lady during these apparitions, but also the work of the Angel of Fatima, as well as the reaction of the the three children and faithful present at Cova da Iria.

The second goal is to help the reader to apply the message of Our Lady to himself and fulfill Her request for his own conversion, salvation, and sanctification.

The third goal is to penetrate the devotee of Fatima so much with the spiritual presence of the Immaculate Heart, so that he automatically wants to be an instrument in Her Immaculate hands to make Her know, and to bring to Her footsteps as many "poor children of Eve" as possible.

As the centenary of Our Lady's apparitions draws near, let us become faithful children of our Heavenly Mother, imitating the spiritual life of the three children of Fatima. Let us gather around Her as a small army, to become bridges and channels through which She may pass Her graces into souls.

"O gentle Immaculate Heart of Mary, be my salvation!"

(Preferred ejaculatory prayer of Jacinta)

Written in 1709. "Go to Joseph" is the advice of the Church. This book shows the way. Tremendous insights on St. Joseph, plus reasons for our devotion to him. Learn about the man God chose to represent the ideal of fatherhood in the Holy Family! Includes prayers, novenas, and hymns.

Ideal for those wanting to carry the New Testament and Psalms at all times for meditation and prayer. This handy volume will easily fit into a shirt pocket or handbag.

It uses the same solid Douay-Rheims translation of the New Testament and Psalms as our Bible, and is well organized for prayerful meditation, excellent for evangelism, and a great portable gift for graduates and friends alike.

Catholics looking for the traditional Catholic Bible in English should look no further!

In 1546, the Council of Trent declared the Latin Vulgate Bible as authentic, and declared that "No one (may) dare or presume under any pretext whatsoever to reject it" (4th Session, April 8, 1546). The Douay-Rheims Bible is an English translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible, a version universally used in the Church for over 1500 years, itself meticulously translated from the original Hebrew and Greek by St. Jerome (A.D. 340-420).

The Douay-Rheims was completed in 1609, and is therefore older than the King James Version, the oldest Protestant translation still in use, which was published in 1611. The Rheims New Testament was published nearly thirty years earlier, in 1582. Further, the translators of the KJV make specific reference to the Douay version in their translators' preface. It is commonly acknowledged that, in preparing the KJV, the translators made use of the Rheims New Testament and adopted many of its readings in preference to those of other English editions.

Since it was translated quite literally and with great reverence for each individual word from the Vulgate, which in turn reflects the structure of the original languages very clearly, the Douay-Rheims Bible can give great insight into the minds of the sacred authors.

In 1749-1752, Bishop Challoner, knowing that many English Catholics were reading distorted Protestant versions of the Bible such as the King James Version (KJV), made major revisions to the Douay-Rheims version, to improve its readability without diminishing its accuracy. The notes, written by Bishop Challoner are entirely faithful to the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. The revised Douay-Rheims Bible has been approved by the Church many times over.

For over 300 years, the Douay Rheims Bible was the only Catholic English translation of Scripture used. It continues to be used officially in Catholic churches today.

"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

Intimate revelations of Our Lord to three 20th-century mystics: Sr. Josefa Menendez, Sr. Mary of the Trinity, and Sr. Consolata Betrone on a host of subjects. Surprising revelations on how and why Our Lord acts as He does toward people. Beautiful!

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.

St Catherine of Siena's Dialogue describes the entire spiritual life through a series of conversations between God and the soul, represented by Catherine herself. Readers of The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena, will find her revelations from God as informative - and formative - as those who recognized her sanctity during her life.

Author: St. Catherine of Siena
 

This practical guide to the spiritual life, cherished by monks, beguines, and layfolk for eight centuries, can still lead men and women to God.

Ideal for those wanting to carry the New Testament and Psalms at all times for meditation and prayer. This handy volume will easily fit into a shirt pocket or handbag.

It uses the same solid Douay-Rheims translation of the New Testament and Psalms as our Bible, and is well organized for prayerful meditation, excellent for evangelism, and a great portable gift for graduates and friends alike.

Catholics looking for the traditional Catholic Bible in English should look no further!

In 1546, the Council of Trent declared the Latin Vulgate Bible as authentic, and declared that "No one (may) dare or presume under any pretext whatsoever to reject it" (4th Session, April 8, 1546). The Douay-Rheims Bible is an English translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible, a version universally used in the Church for over 1500 years, itself meticulously translated from the original Hebrew and Greek by St. Jerome (A.D. 340-420).

The Douay-Rheims was completed in 1609, and is therefore older than the King James Version, the oldest Protestant translation still in use, which was published in 1611. The Rheims New Testament was published nearly thirty years earlier, in 1582. Further, the translators of the KJV make specific reference to the Douay version in their translators' preface. It is commonly acknowledged that, in preparing the KJV, the translators made use of the Rheims New Testament and adopted many of its readings in preference to those of other English editions.

Since it was translated quite literally and with great reverence for each individual word from the Vulgate, which in turn reflects the structure of the original languages very clearly, the Douay-Rheims Bible can give great insight into the minds of the sacred authors.

In 1749-1752, Bishop Challoner, knowing that many English Catholics were reading distorted Protestant versions of the Bible such as the King James Version (KJV), made major revisions to the Douay-Rheims version, to improve its readability without diminishing its accuracy. The notes, written by Bishop Challoner are entirely faithful to the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. The revised Douay-Rheims Bible has been approved by the Church many times over, including the approbation of Cardinal Gibbons for the 1899 edition that Baronius Press is publishing.

For over 300 years, the Douay Rheims Bible was the only Catholic English translation of Scripture used. It continues to be used officially in Catholic churches today.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most beloved symbol of Mexican Catholicism, and devotion to her is widespread in the USA. While she has entranced and encouraged Mexican Catholics for several centuries, believers and even nonbelievers the world over are inspired and intrigued by her. Millions of pilgrims visit her shrine in Mexico City every year. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have traveled there to pray for her motherly intercession. And scientists from many disciplines have studied the amazing attributes of her mysterious image.

In this glorious, lavishly illustrated book, the renowned author-photographer team Grzegorz Górny and Janusz Rosikon take the reader on an illustrated pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. They tell the amazing story of her apparition to Juan Diego in 1531 and its dramatic impact on the destiny of an entire people. They interview the various experts on the image and reveal its symbolic messages, those of the past and those speaking to us today.