Thomas More (1478-1535) was born one year after William Caxton used the movable type printing press to print the first book ever printed on English soil—an edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. It was an auspicious beginning for a man who would someday become one of the leading Renaissance scholars of his day. More was a man of letters, learning, and law, but he would end his life much more than a scholar and lawyer…Thomas More’s early years were spent during...

Very little in this world stays fresh and life-giving for 1,500 years. But when that happens we should ask ourselves why and what that had to do with us.In this book, The Radical Christian Life: A Year with Saint Benedict, Joan Chittister encourages us to look at that question. In an introductory essay she examines how the insights and values of the sixth-century Visionary Saint Benedict can illuminate today's search for a meaningful life. Then she leads us throug...

"Nunnery Life in the Church of England; or, Seventeen Years with Father Ignatius, O.S.B." by Sister Mary Agnes offers a profound insight into the life of a nun within the Anglican tradition. The author shares her personal experiences and reflections during her time in the nunnery, highlighting the spiritual discipline, community life, and the challenges faced by those dedicated to a religious vocation. Through her narrative, readers gain an understanding of the daily routines, prayers, and...

Set in the fictional Irish locale of Ardmuirland, the novel likely explores the lives and experiences of its characters within the context of rural Ireland during the late 19th century. Rev. Michael Barrett, being a clergyman, might infuse elements of faith, morality, and social commentary into the narrative."Up in Ardmuirland" may offer insights into Irish culture, customs, and traditions of the time, presenting a vivid portrait of rural life and the challenges faced by its inhabitants. T...

The completion of all thirty-seven volumes of the New Collegeville Bible Commentary means an important new resource is fully available to all who wish to delve more deeply into the word of God. Now the one-volume, hardcover edition brings together every volume into a single, accessible guide to the entire Bible in a convenient and attractive format.This comprehensive resource contains the same expert commentary that characterizes the complete series of individual books. Contributor...

How do we deal with and attempt to understand God's presence and overarching love for us when life goes wrong, when we encounter difficulties and tragedies?This noted Benedictine monk and priest shares his personal journeys through troubled times, using the discipline of meditating on single words of Scripture from the New Testament. He skilfully translates from Greek to English to reveal these "buried treasures" with multiple nuances of meaning that give light along difficult path...

The ever increasing interest in the Liturgical Traditions of the Church gives rise to the need for adequately trained altar servers and what better way to assist than to resurrect this classic! This famous handbook is an invaluable resource for all altar boys from beginning to advanced. Though written for Instructors, this manual can also be used for home study, schools and sacristies. Dom Matthew Britt begins by offering specific instructions on common ceremonial actions, including how to...

Living a morally good life today is a challenge. But we become fully and authentically human precisely by the decisions we make every day--some of them relatively simple, others complex and difficult. Once a choice is made, we still must claim the moral resolve and strength of character to implement it. Virtues are precisely the sustained habits that help us maneuver life's many choices and to become the good people that we want to be. St. Thomas Aquinas offers the classic Christian presen...

Timeless and contemplative sayings from the earliest Christian sages of desert spirituality can be a companion on your own spiritual journey.The desert fathers and mothers were ordinary Christians living in solitude in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Arabia who chose to renounce the world in order to deliberately and individually follow God's call. They embraced lives of celibacy, labor, fasting, prayer and poverty, believing that denouncing material goo...

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams often says that, no matter what, the proper stance of the Christian in the world is one of gratitude. In this book, Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, and Archbishop Rowan Williams offer us a sweeping set of things and circumstances to be grateful for 'things for which we can sing alleluia," "praise and thanks be to God."Some are things we naturally feel grateful for: God, peace, wealth, life, faith, and unity. But when these are set alongside othe...

The meditations and contemplative poetry of a Benedictine Monk who was once a journalist. The collecton was unearthed in forty year old archives. The work is balanced between memories of reporting from the front lines of the traumatic 'troubles' in Ireland and his life of prayer and meditation as a monk. It includes some poems from his time working at La Grange as a Lay Missionary and his period of 'Solemn Professsion' to the Benedictine Order in the monastery at New Norcia in Western Aust...

2022 Catholic Media Association honorable mention in mysticismOver time our ideas about God and religion tend to match the stage of our own maturity and the level of our own consciousness. In addition to our different ideas of God, there are also those who profess some form of monotheistic religion but worship other gods: the power of the economy, military strength, fame. Perhaps they even use––or misuse––the name of God or credit God with whatever is gain...