Transfigured: Patricia Sandoval's Escape from Drugs, Homelessness, and the Back Doors of Planned Parenthood by Christine Watkins and Patricia Sandoval

Paperback: Transfigured (2017) is endorsed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Michael Barber SJ, Diocese of Oakland, California, with a Foreword written by Father Donald Calloway, MIC. 

Patricia Sandoval has a truly amazing story, one of sin and suffering but also of grace and redemption. Above all, it is a reminder of how much God loves us, walks with us even when we stumble, and "works all things to the good for those who love Him." This well-written book is always engaging and has something to challenge and inspire each of us, particularly in support of God's littlest ones, the unborn. - Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Archdiocese of San Francisco, California

When Patricia Sandoval worked at Planned Parenthood, they told her, “Never tell a soul what you see behind this door.” So now she is telling the world. 

Transfigured is, however, so much more than a compelling tool in the hands of pro-life and chastity advocates. It is the riveting life story of a young girl who felt abandoned by her parents, and after three abortions and work at an abortion clinic, became a methamphetamine addict living on the streets - until a miracle occurred.

Ms Sandoval is now a renowned, full-time international pro-life and chastity speaker inspiring thousands with her harrowing and exhilarating story of redemption. Ms Sandoval has shared her story through media outlets worldwide, such as EWTN’s Cara a Cara, Women of Grace, At Home with Jim & Joy, and EWTN Bookmark. Young and old travel for hours, sometimes across country lines, not only to hear Ms Sandoval’s testimony, but to thank her for changing their lives. And through the written word, this outstanding autobiography is bringing the same healing love, mercy, and hope that God gave to Patricia, directly to the reader’s heart.

This book comes with short companion videos of Patricia Sandoval speaking to the reader at various chapter intervals. When you see the words "Chapter Video", you are invited to go to the YouTube site listed to hear a message from Ms Sandoval that relates to the content you will have just read.

About the authors: Mrs Christine Watkins, MTS, LCSW, is an inspirational Catholic speaker and author, who has hosted her own shows on Catholic radio and television. Formerly an anti-Christian atheist, she began a life of service to the Catholic Church after a miraculous healing from Jesus through Mary, which saved her from death. Before her conversion to Catholicism, she danced professionally with the San Francisco Ballet Company. Mrs Watkins is the author of Full of Grace: Miraculous Stories of Healing and Conversion through Mary’s Intercession, published by Ave Maria Press, and is the founder of Queen of Peace Media. Watkins holds a master's degree in theological studies from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and a master's degree in social welfare from the University of California at Berkeley's School of Social Welfare. She has twenty years of work experience as a spiritual director, licensed counselor, inspirational speaker, and retreat leader. 

Patricia Sandoval is an international pro-life and chastity speaker who has appeared on countless television and radio shows, as well as co-hosted shows on EWTN - The Eternal Word Television Network. Patricia has dual-citizenship in the United States and Mexico, and throughout Latin America is regarded as a primary voice for the unborn, chastity, and post-abortion healing. Sandoval shares her message of God’s mercy, healing, and gift of life in packed stadiums and media channels across the globe.

Elijah in Jerusalem (Christian Fiction) by Michael D O'Brien

Hardback: Elijah in Jerusalem (2015), the long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed, best-selling novel Father Elijah: An Apocalypse, is the continuing story of the Catholic priest called to confront a powerful politician who could be the Antichrist foretold in the Bible.

A convert from Judaism, a survivor of the Holocaust, and a participant in the founding of Israel, Father Elijah was for decades a monk on Mount Carmel, the mountain made famous by his Old Testament prophet-namesake. In the events of the preceding novel, the Pope commissioned Father Elijah to meet the President of the European Union, a man rising toward global control as President of the soon- to-be realized World Government. Recognizing in the President a resemblance to the anticipated Antichrist, the Pope asked Father Elijah to call the President to repentance, a mission that ended in failure.

In this sequel, now-Bishop Elijah, wanted for a murder he did not commit, tries again to meet the President. Accompanied by his fellow monk Brother Enoch, he enters Jerusalem just as the President arrives in the holy city to inaugurate a new stage of his rise to world power. This time Elijah hopes to unmask him as a spiritual danger to mankind. As the story unfolds, people of various backgrounds meet the fugitive priest, and in the encounter their souls are revealed and tested.

Elijah perseveres in his mission even when all seems lost. The dramatic climax is surprising, yet it underlines that God works all things to the good for those who love him. 

The Children of the Last Days series comprise of seven novels that examine the major moral and spiritual struggles of our times. Each can be read independently of the others. There are, however, two trilogies within the larger work. The first three of the series, however, are best read in chronological order, for they form a trilogy within the larger work. 

The books in the Children of the Last Days series, in chronological order, are Strangers and Sojourners, Plague Journal, Eclipse of the Sun (these first three make up a trilogy), Father Elijah, Elijah in Jerusalem (its sequel), Sophia House (these make up the second trilogy), and A Cry of Stone. 

About the author: Michael D O’Brien is the former editor of the Catholic family magazine, Nazareth Journal. He is also the author of several books, including his nine-volume series of novels published by Ignatius Press, notably the best-selling Father Elijah. For more than thirty years he has been a professional artist. Michael and his wife Sheila have six children. He writes and paints full-time at his home near Combermere, Ontario.

Rating: 5/5 

The Beatification of Father Titus Brandsma, Carmelite (1881-1942) Martyr in Dachau prepared by Redemptus Maria Valabek, OCarm

Paperback: Born at Bolsward (The Netherlands) in 1881, Blessed Titus Brandsma joined the Carmelite Order as a young man. 

Ordained priest in 1905, he obtained a doctorate in philosophy in Rome. He then taught in various schools in Holland and was named professor of philosophy and of the history of mysticism in the Catholic University of Nijmegen where he also served as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone. 

He was a professional journalist, and in 1935 he was appointed ecclesiastical advisor to Catholic journalists. Both before and during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands he fought, faithful to the Gospel, against the spread of the Nazi ideology and for the freedom of Catholic education and the Catholic press. For this he was arrested and sent to a succession of prisons and concentration camps where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners and did good even to his tormentors. 

In 1942, after much suffering and humiliations he was killed at Dachau. He was beatified by John Paul II on November 3rd 1985.

The Beatification of Father Titus Brandsma, Carmelite (1986) writes about the beatification of Father Titus Brandsma and the three-day of solemn Triduum on 3 November 1985 at St Peter's Church, Rome. It is a reprint from Carmel in the World, 25 (1986), 83-240.

About the editor: Reverend Redemptus Valabek, OCarm (1934-2003) had been the editor and driving force behind Carmel in the World. In August 2003, Redemptus Valabek, OCarm died tragically in a road traffic accident while on holidays in the United States.

Rev Redemptus Maria Valabek, OCarm was a member of the Order of Carmelites and of the North American Province of St Elias. He was 69 years old. Father Redemptus was born in Shelton, Connecticut, on 3 July 1934, to Frank and Anna Valcik Valabek. His parents predeceased him. He is survived by one sister, Ann, and her husband, James Waldron; niece, Theresa and her husband, Marcus, and son, Marcus, Jr. Yancoskie, nieces, Angela Waldron and Renee Waldron all of Shelton, Connecticut, several cousins in Albany and in the Czech Republic also survive him. After completing his studies at St Albert's Junior Seminary in Middletown, New York, Father Redemptus received his habit in the Order of Carmelites, in September 1953, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, when he entered the Carmelite Novitiate. Following his Novitiate year he professed First Vows on 8 September 8 1954, in Williamstown, and three years later professed his Solemn Vows of Obedience, Poverty and Chastity on 15 September 1957. He was ordained to the priesthood on 25 July 25 1960, in Hamilton, Massachusetts. A 1957 graduate of St Bonaventure College in Olean, NewYork, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Latin. He then traveled to Rome, Italy, and attended the College of San Alberto, where he studied Theology and then earned his Doctorate in Theology from the Lateran University in 1965. 

Father Redemptus spent 40 years of his Carmelite ministry life in Rome, Italy. He served as the Master of Students and headed the theology-spirituality section at the College of Saint Albert; was Apostolic Examiner of the Clergy from 1967-75, lectured on liturgy at several Roman universities and was Postulator General of the Causes of Saints for the Order of Carmelites from 1981-1995. He served as Dean of Regina Mundi College, was a member of the Institutum Carmelitanum, a Confessor at St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, and Editor of the English language magazine, Carmel in the World. He further served the Order as General Delegate for the Donum Dei Missionary Family from 1998 until his death. He authored six books on Carmelite topics. He was an organizer of the Carmelite Order's International Congress on Prayer, the Order's month-long workshop on Leadership and Values, attended the Congress of the Carmelite Rule in 1986, was organizer of the International Marian Congress in 1989 and most recently served as a member of the International Commission of Laity. Father Redemptus was also a multi-linguist who, for a good many years, served the Carmelite Order as an interpreter at various General Chapters and international meetings. 

Staring Out The Window

Humanae Vitae: Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Paul VI

Paperback: The papal encyclical, Humanae vitae (Of Human Life) written by Pope St Paul VI in 1968, provides beautiful and clear teaching about God's plan for married love and the transmission of life. 

Humanae vitae re-affirmed the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the rejection of artificial contraception. In formulating his teaching, Pope St Paul VI explained why he did not accept the conclusions of the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control established by his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, a commission he himself had expanded.

Mainly because of its restatement of the Church's opposition to artificial contraception, the encyclical was politically controversial. It affirmed traditional Church moral teaching on the sanctity of life and the procreative and unitive nature of conjugal relations.

Humane vitae was the last of Paul's seven encyclicals. It is available both in the Latin and the English.

Some excerpts are taken from Wikipedia.

About the author: Paul VI (1897-1978) became pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 1963. He reigned during a period of great change and ferment in the Church following the Second Vatican Council. 

The second child of Giorgio and Giuditta Alghisi, Giovanni Battista Montini was born in Concesio, Brescia, on 26 September 1897. He was ordained to the priesthood on 19 May 1920. He studied philosophy, civil law and canon law. In 1923, he was appointed attaché at the Apostolic Nunciature in Warsaw and a year later returned and began serving in the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. During his service to the Holy See - under the Pontificates of Pius xi and Pius XII - he also taught the history of papal diplomacy at the Lateran University, until 13 December 1937 when Pius XI appointed him Substitute of the Secretariat of State. 

During World War II, he engaged in aiding refugees and Jews, also overseeing the Vatican Information Office. In November 1952, he was appointed Pro-Secretary of State for General Affairs and two years later, he was appointed Archbishop of Milan. There, he employed new methods of evangelization in order to address the issues of immigration, materialism and Marxist ideology. On 21 June 1963 he was elected pope and took the name of Paul VI. 

Amid numerous challenges, he brought three periods of the Second Vatican Council to a successful conclusion, always encouraging the Church to be open in the modern world while respecting her tradition, always seeking communion among the Council Fathers. Paul VI began the practice of Apostolic Journeys beginning with the Holy Land, where his historic meeting with Athenagoras took place. 

His first encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam (1964), gave rise to the method of “the dialogue of salvation”. His other writings, include Populorum Progressio on the development of peoples. He also provided masterful teaching on the question of peace, also instituting the World Day of Peace. From the very beginning of his ministry, he had particular concern for the young, sharing with them the joy of faith. After a brief illness, he died on 6 August 1978 in Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Francis beatified him on 19 October 2014. He was canonised on 14 October 2018 by Pope Francis.

The above Paul VI's biography is taken from L'Osservatore Romano (24 October 2014).

Sir Derek Alton Walcott (1930-2017), Poet, Playwright and 1992 Nobel Prize Winner in Literature

George Saunders - American Writer of Short Stories, Essays, Novellas, Children's Books and Novels

Related Lives: Confessors And Their Female Penitents, 1450-1750 by Jodi Bilinkoff

Hardback: Preachers often brought along priests to hear confessions or heard confessions themselves, effectively linking sermon and sacrament.

In early modern Catholic Europe and its colonies priests frequently developed close relationships with pious women, serving as their spiritual directors during their lives, and their biographers after their deaths. 

In this richly illustrated book (2005), Jodi Bilinkoff explores the ways in which clerics related to those female penitents whom they determined were spiritually gifted, and how they conveyed the live stories of these women to readers. The resulting popular literatures of hagiography and spiritual autobiography produced hundreds of texts designed to establish models of behaviour for the Catholic faithful in the period between the advent of printing and the beginning of the modern age.

Bilinkoff finds that confessional relations and the texts that document them reveal much about gender and social values. She uses life narratives, primarily from Spain, but also from France, Italy, Portugal, Spanish America, and French Canada, to examine the ways in which clerics presented female penitents as exemplary, and how they constructed their own identities around their interactions with exceptional women. 

These multilayered texts, she suggests, offer compelling accounts of individuals caught up in the pursuit of holiness, and provide a key to understanding the resilience of Catholic culture in an age of religious change and conflict.

About the author: Dr Jodi Bilinkoff is Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Her research interests include religion, gender, life-writing, and the construction of memory in early modern Europe, particularly Spain. After working for many years on women in Catholic culture, more recently she has turned her attention to masculine identity, especially male clerical identity.

In her current research project, she engages all these issues by examining the life, afterlife, and legacy of St John of the Cross (1542-1591). Her book-in-progress, John of the Cross: The History, Mystery, and Memory of a Spanish Saint, will not be a conventional biography, but rather, a critical study of the manifold, at times, conflicting meanings this intriguing figure has held for individuals and communities, both during and after his lifetime. 

The Shepherd of Hermas

Paperback: I believe that as an historical work, it gives us unprecedented insight into the practical faith of the early Christian Church, and that as a prophetic work, it is something more than words on a page. Its living intention seeks to join us with the consistent, clear and abiding call of Christ that transcends all generations: Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near. (Matthew 4:17) - Daniel Robison

The Shepherd of Hermas (2013) - also known as The Pastor of Hermas - was one of the most popular books, if not the most popular book, in the Christian Church during the second, third and fourth centuries. 

Believed by the early Christians to have been the work of the Hermas referred to by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, this book was regarded as inspired Scripture by many and even included in several of the early canons. 

At the very least, the historical and universal acclaim of this work by those who were still burning with the recent fire of Pentecost demands a serious consideration of the message it gives to us; a message that, after nearly two thousand years, still exhales the prophetic fragrance of the ancient, apostolic faith. 

This version has been updated into modern language by Daniel Robison for a new generation to rediscover this captivating work of the early Church.

About the translator: Daniel Robison is a youth minister with a passion for communicating the timeless truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation of the church. In a desire to connect modern Christian readers with lesser known but valuable literary works from the saints of the past, Robison has translated/updated a variety of texts into everyday, common language. The ancient Christian classic, The Shepherd of Hermas, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit by R A Torrey, and Hippolytus on the Trinity, which is a modern edition of Hippolytus' Against the Heresy of Noetus, are among some of his most recently published works. In addition to these, he has recently published an original work, Temptation: What It Is and How We Overcome.

Education Of The Heart

The Life Of The Venerable Anne Of Jesus OCD: A Companion Of St Teresa of Ávila by a Sister of the Carmel of Notre Dame da Namur

Paperback: The name of Venerable Anne of Jesus is probably familiar to all those who are well acquainted with the life, the work of foundation and the correspondence of St Teresa of Ávila; it also occupies a not unimportant place in the life-story of St John of the Cross; she, moreover, took the most prominent part in the establishment of the Teresian nuns in France and afterwards in the Low countries.

It is, therefore, not too much to say that none of these subjects can be properly and fully understood unless one has a more than cursory knowledge of her own life and aims. Above all this, she was endowed with talents not even second (according to the opinion of St John of the Cross who was a good judge) to those of St Teresa, and she reached a wonderful degree of sanctity even for a period which saw some of the greatest Saints of the Catholic church.

It was, then, a happy thought that one who in religion had received the same name should have spent many years in collecting all the facts of the life, and all the surviving writings, of her heavenly patroness. The present writer who was able to watch the inception and gradual growth of the biography can bear testimony to the scrupulous accuracy with which the biographer has fulfilled her task.

This is a story that cannot be found in print elsewhere, of the transplanting of the Teresian reform from Spain to France and the Netherlands, a remarkable feat given that all of those countries were at war and the populations of France and the Netherlands not especially amenable to Spaniards. Nevertheless, the roots of Carmel were well placed, and the order flourished in convents still there to this day.

Anne of Jesus was the foundress of the Discalced Carmelite Reform in France and the Netherlands, and from her foundations there, the Teresian reform spread all over Europe, America and eventually England. In many ways, this is the sequel to St Teresa of Ávila’s life.

One of the things that truly stands out about Anne of Jesus is her intense mysticism and love of our Lord, as well as her faithfulness to the original Teresian Constitutions.

This work, written by an anonymous nun in the 1930s, is based entirely on primary sources, frequently quoting letters to and from Anne of Jesus, not only with St Teresa, but also Fr Gracián, the holy French Cardinal Mgsr Bérulle, and many other figures central to the history of Carmel in the 16th and 17th century. 

The Life of the Venerable Anne of Jesus OCD (1931, 2015) has been carefully reproduced from the original, with the UK spelling and the original pictures retained, a book that cannot be found anymore, at least until now. To aid reading, there are editorial notes concerning obscure terms used in the book that would have been better known 100 years ago.

This beautiful and fascinating book is wonderful both from the standpoint of Carmelite history as well as spirituality. A unique work that can be found nowhere else in English!

Meditations With Titus Brandsma by Jane Lytle-Vieira

Paperback: The meditations on the life and writings of Titus Brandsma, OCarm, Dutch priest, mystic, educator, journalist and martyr, which include questions for reflection, have been prepared by Jane Lytle-Vieira, a member of the Carmelite’s Titus Brandsma Committee. 

Having read and studied Titus in the vernacular, she brings a unique perspective to the task of making him “live” once again for us.

Meditations With Titus Brandsma was first published in 2002 by Carmelite Press, Il. 

This book is also available as part of a four-book set.

About the author: Ms Lytle-Vieira lived in Holland as a high school exchange student, attending mass at the cathedral where Titus was ordained, and later worked for an American bank in Amsterdam.

She has a certificate in Carmelite Studies from the Washington Theological Union in DC, where she taught a class on Titus last summer. She is also working toward her MA in Theology there. She was awarded second place prize from the Catholic Press Association for an article she wrote for the Carmelite journal, Spiritual Life, the theme of which was Job and the union of love and suffering.

Professionally, Jane Lytle-Vieira is a clinical social worker, with a private practice in Severna Park, Maryland.

Friar Against Fascism by Leopold G Glueckert OCarm

Paperback: Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) has proven to be a source of inspiration to people all over the world: educators, men and women in the church, journalists and scholars, peace workers, people in distress, fighters for justice, the sick and the lonely, God-seekers.

Titus' significance, for the present as well as for the future, arises from his infectious zeal for authentic piety and humanity, in the spirit of the prophet Elijah, the great example of Mount Carmel.

On 19 January 1942, Nazi secret police arrested Titus Brandsma, a Dutch Carmelite priest. After extensive interrogation, they labeled him a "most dangerous man." He was sentenced to the infamous concentration camp at Dachau, where he was executed on 26 July 1942. His ashes were buried in Dachau's "Grave of Unknown Thousands."

Today, he is remembered and honoured throughout the world. His death in Dachau made him a symbol of national resistance for the Dutch people. He exemplifies what one individual can accomplish with personal determination and fidelity to the Christian principle. On 3 November 1985, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Titus Brandsma Blessed and Martyr at St Peter's in Rome. 

Friar Against Fascism (1985, 2002) is the story of his resistance against the Nazis and treat the points of opposition between Titus Brandsma and the Nazis, especially insofar as he felt it necessary to block attempts to draw Dutch society into a Fascist way of thinking. 

This book is also available as part of a four-book set.

About the author: Leopold Glueckert OCarm has taught in the History departments at DePaul and Loyola Universities in Chicago, Illinois. He currently serves on the faculty of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. 

Vaccination: A Catholic Perspective by Pamela Acker MS

Paperback: In Vaccination: A Catholic Perspective (2020), biologist Pamela Acker provides a balanced examination of the whole subject of vaccination from a Catholic perspective which will allow Catholic leaders from the Pope and the Bishops down to parents and teachers to make an informed judgment on proposals to mandate vaccinations for the novel coronavirus or for other infectious diseases. The author is ideally qualified to undertake this task.  

A devout Catholic with a master’s degree in Biology from the Catholic University of America, Pamela worked in the field of vaccine development and has the right combination of knowledge and experience to evaluate the scientific basis for vaccination as currently practiced.  

In her book, Miss Acker takes the reader through the history of vaccination while giving a comprehensive introduction to the marvels of the divinely-designed human immune system. 

Drawing upon the latest research in the field, Miss Acker elucidates the many problematic aspects of vaccination as currently practiced and explains how they flow out of a materialistic, mechanistic, evolution-based understanding of the human person which tends to see man as a collection of parts rather than as a divinely-designed body-soul composite.  

With powerful examples she shows how the evolution-based approach to the study of disease has had disastrous consequences for scientific and medical research and has supported the maintenance of inadequate criteria for evaluating the efficacy and the dangers of vaccination as currently practiced.

About the author: Pamela Acker holds a Master of Science degree in Biology from The Catholic University of America. She has taught science in a variety of settings (from middle school to college) since 2008. Prior to working as a teacher, Pamela was involved in biological research as a whole genome library maker at The Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University in Saint Louis. She has also conducted research in vaccine delivery using T4 bacteriophage nanoparticles, and was briefly involved in researching novel gene regulation mechanisms in C. elegans.

The Kingdom by Jo Nesbø

Hardback: When Roy and Carl’s parents die suddenly, sixteen-year-old Roy is left as protector to his impulsive younger brother. But when Carl decides to travel the world in search of his fortune, Roy stays behind in their sleepy village, satisfied with his peaceful life as a mechanic.

Some years later, Carl returns with his charismatic new wife, Shannon – an architect. They are full of exciting plans to build a spa hotel on their family land. Carl wants not only to make the brothers rich but the rest of the village, too.

It’s only a matter of time before what begins as a jubilant homecoming sparks off a series of events that threaten to derail everything Roy holds dear, as long-buried family secrets begin to rise to the surface…

The Kingdom (2020) is a simmering and complex thriller full of unexpected twists, devastating family legacies and an ever growing body count.

The Kingdom is translated from the Norwegian by Robert Ferguson.

About the author: Jo Nesbø is one of the world’s bestselling crime writers, with multiple books, including The Son, Macbeth and Knife, all topping the Sunday Times bestseller charts. He is an international number one bestseller and his books are published in 50 languages, selling over 45 million copies around the world.

Before becoming a crime writer, Nesbø played football for Norway’s premier league team Molde, but his dream of playing professionally for Spurs was dashed when he tore ligaments in his knee at the age of eighteen. After three years military service, he attended business school and formed the band Di derre ('Them There'). They topped the charts in Norway, but Nesbø continued working as a financial analyst, crunching numbers during the day and gigging at night. When commissioned by a publisher to write a memoir about life on the road with his band, he instead came up with the plot for his first Harry Hole crime novel, The Bat.

Sign up to the Jo Nesbø newsletter for all the latest news: jonesbo.com/newsletter

About the translator: Robert Ferguson has lived in Norway since 1983. His translations include Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting, the four books of Torkil Damhaug's Oslo Quartet, and Tales of Love and Loss by Knut Hamsun. He is also the author of several biographies, a Viking history and, most recently, The Cabin in the Mountains: A Norwegian Odyssey. 

Rating: 5/5

The Story Of A Soul: The Autobiography Of The Little Flower by St Thérèse of Lisieux

Paperback: I will spend my Heaven in doing good upon earth. - St Thérèse on 17 July 1897. 

The success of this book is one of the most amazing stories in publishing history; for St Thérèse died at only age 24, after a nine-year hidden life as a cloistered Carmelite nun. The Story of a Soul, better known to the English public as The Autobiography of St Thérèse of Lisieux, was first published in 1899. 

Translated into many languages, The Story of a Soul (2010, TAN Books) quickly had a phenomenal reception and millions of copies were distributed worldwide. Today, it ranks with the greatest of the Church's spiritual classics. The reading of this book has brought innumerable people into the Church or back to the practice of their religion. 

Written under obedience, the book conveys her secrets of great holiness achieved in ordinary life, teaching the "Little Way of Spiritual Childhood" - her "elevator" to Heaven as she called it. She continually shows us in this book how her "Little Way of love and confidence" comes straight from Sacred Scripture. This method has since been approved and promulgated by Pope Pius XI as a way of holiness for all.

No Catholic should be ignorant of the mighty "little" Thérèse or her Little Way. The Story of a Soul is a book that belongs in every Catholic home.

The translation in this edition is made from the French edition of L'Histoire dune Ame published from the Carmel of Lisieux for the fiftieth anniversary of the death of St Thérèse de L'Enfant Jésus. The manuscript is presented in its three original parts while retaining the chapter divisions of the French edition. In the French, her style is extremely simple and spontaneous, having a charm which is hard to capture, especially when she rises to poetic heights. 

It alters slightly in the three parts:

1) the first eight chapters for Pauline are written without reserve.

2) the two chapters for Mother Marie de Gonzague are more doctrinal and show a certain restraint.

3) while the final chapter, for her eldest sister Marie, is simply a childlike outpouring of her heart to Jesus Himself. 

The Story of a Soul is edited by Mother Agnes of Jesus and translated by Michael Day. 

About the author: St Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as "Thérèse of the Child Jesus" and "The Little Flower", was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin, at France in 1873. She was often anxious and depressed in childhood, as she suffered the early death of her mother. After she converted interiorly and began to read Thomas à Kempis' The Imitation of Christ, she joined two of her sisters in a discalced Carmelite convent as a nun at just 15 years old. After her oldest sister was elected prioress, Thérèse became a permanent novice to allay suspicions that her family was dominating the small community. She lived humbly, concealing her intense prayer life and countless sacrifices 

Thérèse is the author of her own popular autobiography entitled The Story of a Soul, which she began writing in 1895, and she instituted a simple path to holiness now widely known as the "Little Way". 

She died of tuberculosis on 30 September 1897, at the age of 24 and was canonized only 28 years later, in 1925, by Pope Pius XI. 

She was later installed as the thirty-third Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

Happiness No 101

Cheat On A Book

The Twelve Degrees Of Silent by Marie-Aimée de Jésus OCD

Paperback: The stresses and strains of contemporary life leave so many of us thirsting for peace and clarity of mind and heart. While we may sense that constant distraction hinders spiritual growth, we may find it hard to cultivate attitudes of peace and stillness. We may long to experience closer communion with God, yet feel overwhelmed by the many demands on our attention.

This book invites us to nurture a spirituality of silence through the words and wisdom of the 19th-century Carmelite and mystic, Sister Marie-Aimée de Jésus. Sister Marie-Aimée de Jésus was drawn listen deeply to the sounds of silence and allow them to direct her on her way to giving all to God. 

Silence directs us away from only doing for God, and towards being with God. Silence pulls us along, slowly and surely, to its ultimate aim: the peace and selfless joy of abiding solely in God. 

Through a combination of her measured insights and exercises for personal application by author and spiritual teacher Lucinda M Vardey, the reader is invited on a twelve-movement journey into a silent and intimate union with God. 

An introduction and biography of Marie-Aimée de Jésus explores her influence on other well-known Carmelites such as the saint and martyr Edith Stein.

The Twelve Degrees of Silence (2012) is an original translation from the French by Françoise Reuter and Lucinda M Vardey, who also edited this book. Additional reflections and introductions by Lucinda M Vardey can be found in this English translation. 

About the author: Sr Marie-Aimée de Jésus (1839-1874) was a Discalced Carmelite in Avenue de Saxe (today "the Carmel of Créteil") in Paris. Her hagiographers report that she has several mystical experiences and the experience of the dark night of the soul. She is the author of various spiritual works which marked her time, and which are always reissued. Some of these publications have been the subject of musical adaptation such as "The Twelve Degrees of Silence" which gave rise to an organ work by Christophe d'Alessandro, and a concert in Paris with Markus Noisternig. 

At the end of her life, she was the victim of several attacks and criticisms (until the day before her death). Contradictory and slanderous rumours, sometimes coming from ecclesiastical circles, spread, going so far as to question her writings. These attacks forced the apostolic nuncio to intervene. She died of pleurisy on 4 May 4 1874 in the odour of holiness, according to the testimony of the nuns present. 

About the translators: Lucinda M Varley has written on Catholicism and contemporary spirituality with special emphasis on the works and writings of holy women. Her books include the compilation of the international bestseller of Mother Teresa's A Simple Path, an anthology of women's prayers entitled The Flowering of the Soul, Travelling with the Saints in Italy: Contemporary pilgrimages on ancient paths, and with her husband, John Dalla Costa, Being Generous: The art of right living. She is familiar with beauty and benefits of silence. Her website is www.dallaluce.com

Françoise Reuter was educated in Dominican and Jesuit schools in Marseille. In 1973, she emigrated to Canada, where she taught at the Toronto French School as well as being a private tutor. She is married to classics scholar and philosopher Mark Reuter and lives a quiet, secluded life of contemplation and study of the sacred. 

The Amazing Secret Of The Souls In Purgatory: An Interview With Maria Simma by Sister Emmanuel of Medjugorje

Paperback: It is not often that a book touches the soul so deeply. The Amazing Secret of the Souls in Purgatory (1997, 2005) is such a book. 

Maria Simma, lived humbly in the mountains of Austria. When she was twenty-five, Maria was graced with a very special charism - the charism of being visited by the many souls in Purgatory - and being able to communicate with them! 

In her words, Maria shares with us some amazing secrets about the souls in Purgatory. She answers questions such as:

What is Purgatory?

How do souls get there?

Who decides if a soul goes to Purgatory?

What are the sins that most lead to Purgatory?

How can we help get a soul released from Purgatory?

Are there religions which are bad for the soul?

Are there children in Purgatory?

How can I avoid Purgatory?

This is a remarkable interview on after-death realities, a true revelation for those who have lost a dear one!

About the author: Sister Emmanuel wrote this book in 1997 as a response to the many questions she received about the souls in purgatory and what she knew of Maria Simma. She continues to be grateful to Maria for allowing her to publish this interview at such a crucial time in Christian History.

An Exorcist Explains How To Heal The Possessed And Help Souls Suffering Spiritual Crises by Fr Paolo Carlin

Paperback: From one of the world’s leading exorcists comes this eye-opening book to help you recognize genuine cases of diabolical possession - and know what to do when your friends or family show behaviours that leave you suspicious.

Leaning heavily on Scripture and the teachings of the Church, as well as on his own extensive experiences as an exorcist, Fr Paolo Carlin here unveils Satan’s plan of attack while giving you the telltale signs that the Evil One is at work in your life or in the life of others.

You will learn the special conditions that facilitate the work of the devil - particularly ones that appeal to the youngest and most defenseless among us.

Armed with knowledge of the antics of Satan, Fr Carlin also enumerates the many spiritual weapons that Our Lord has placed at our disposal. Best of all, you will learn to employ each one  effectively to keep the devil and his army of fallen angels at bay.

Finally, Father will show you how to distinguish between mental illnesses and diabolical attacks, as well as how to determine when you must turn away from amateur efforts and urgently seek  the expert help of an official exorcist.

An Exorcist Explains How to Heal the Possessed (2018) is a much-needed guide for priests, educators, parents, and, indeed, for anyone struggling to keep the door to Satan closed.

An Exorcist Explains How to Heal the Possessed is translated from the Italian edition - De cura obsessis: Riconoscere i casi di possessione diabolica, intervenire e accompagnare le persone con problemi spirituali (2017) - by Charlotte J Fasi. 

About the author: Fr Paolo Carlin, of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, is Doctor of Moral Theology. He was the chaplain of the State Police of the Provinces of Ravenna and Rimini from 2010 to 2014 and was then appointed diocesan exorcist of the diocese of Faenza-Modigliana. Fr Carlin is a member of the International Exorcist Association (IEA, officially recognized on 13 June 2014 by the Holy See), acting as counselor, official spokesman and press officer.

Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days Series) by Michael D O'Brien

Hardback: Michael D O'Brien presents a thrilling apocalyptic novel about the condition of the Roman Catholic Church at the end of time. It explores the state of the modern world, and the strengths and weaknesses of the contemporary religious scene, by taking his central character, Father Elijah Schäfer, a Carmelite priest, on a secret mission for the Vatican which embroils him in a series of crises and subterfuges affecting the ultimate destiny of the Church.

Father Elijah is a convert from Judaism, a survivor of the Holocaust, a man once powerful in Israel. For twenty years, he has been "buried in the dark night of Carmel" on the mountain of the prophet Elijah. The Pope and the Cardinal Secretary of State call him out of obscurity and give him a task of the highest sensitivity: to penetrate into the inner circles of a man whom they believe may be the Antichrist. Their purpose: to call the Man of Sin to repentance, and thus to postpone the great tribulation long enough to preach the Gospel to the whole world.

In this richly textured tale, Father Elijah crosses Europe and the Middle East, moves through the echelons of world power, meets saints and sinners, presidents, judges, mystics, embattled Catholic journalists, faithful priests and a conspiracy of traitors within the very House of God. 

Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (1996) is an apocalypse in the old literary sense, but one that was written in the light of Christian revelation. It is a novel about the crucifixion of the Bride of Christ. It is a speculation, a work of fiction. It does not attempt to predict certain details of the final Apocalypse so much as to ask how human personality would respond under conditions of intolerable tension, in a moral climate that grows steadily chillier, in a spiritual state of constantly shifting horizons. The near future holds for us many possible variations on the apocalyptic theme, some more dire than others. And yet, the central character is plunged into a dilemma that would face him in any apocalypse. He finds himself within the events that are unfolding, and thus he is faced with the problem of perception: outside it and to view it objectively while remaining within it as a participant, as an agent for the good. The reader should be forewarned that this book is a novel of ideas. It does not proceed at the addictive pace of a television micro-drama, nor does it offer simplistic resolutions and false piety. It offers the Cross, but bears witness to the ultimate victory of light. 

Father Elijah is the fourth book in the Children of the Last Days series which comprise of six novels that examine the major moral and spiritual struggles of our times. Each can be read independently of the others. The first three of the series, however, are best read in chronological order, for they form a trilogy within the larger work. 

The books in the Children of the Last Days series, in chronological order, are Strangers and Sojourners, Plague Journal, Eclipse of the Sun (these first three make up a trilogy), Father Elijah, Sophia House, and A Cry of Stone. 

About the author: Michael D O’Brien is the former editor of the Catholic family magazine, Nazareth Journal. He is also the author of several books, including his nine-volume series of novels published by Ignatius Press, notably the best-selling Father Elijah. For more than thirty years he has been a professional artist. Michael and his wife Sheila have six children. He writes and paints full-time at his home near Combermere, Ontario.

Rating: 5/5

Let Us Dream: The Path To A Better Future by Pope Francis in conversation with Austen Ivereigh

Hardback: In this uplifting and practical book, written in collaboration with his biographer, Austen Ivereigh, the preeminent spiritual leader explains why we must - and how we can - make the world safer, fairer, and healthier for all people now.

 

In the COVID crisis, the beloved shepherd of over one billion Catholics saw the cruelty and inequity of our society exposed more vividly than ever before. He also saw, in the resilience, generosity, and creativity of so many people, the means to rescue our society, our economy, and our planet. In direct, powerful prose, Pope Francis urges us not to let the pain be in vain. 

 

He begins Let Us Dream by exploring what this crisis can teach us about how to handle upheaval of any kind in our own lives and the world at large. With unprecedented candour, he reveals how three crises in his own life changed him dramatically for the better. By its very nature, he shows, crisis presents us with a choice: we make a grievous error if we try to return to some pre-crisis state. But if we have the courage to change, we can emerge from the crisis better than before.

 

Francis then offers a brilliant, scathing critique of the systems and ideologies that conspired to produce the current crisis, from a global economy obsessed with profit and heedless of the people and environment it harms, to politicians who foment their people’s fear and use it to increase their own power at their people’s expense. He reminds us that Christians’ first duty is to serve others, especially the poor and the marginalized, just as Jesus did.  

 

Finally, the Pope offers an inspiring and actionable blueprint for building a better world for all humanity by putting the poor and the planet at the heart of new thinking. For this plan, he draws not only on sacred sources, but on the latest findings from renowned scientists, economists, activists, and other thinkers. Yet rather than simply offer prescriptions, he shows how ordinary people acting together despite their differences can discover unforeseen possibilities.

 

Along the way, he offers dozens of wise and surprising observations on the value of unconventional thinking, on why we must dramatically increase women’s leadership in the Church and throughout society, on what he learned while scouring the streets of Buenos Aires with garbage-pickers, and much more.

 

Let Us Dream (2020) is an epiphany, a call to arms, and a pleasure to read. It is Pope Francis at his most personal, profound and passionate. With this book and with open hearts, we can change the world.

 

About the authors: Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 17 1936, the son of Italian immigrants. He was ordained a priest in the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1969, named Provincial in 1973, and rector of the Colegio Máximo in Buenos Aires in 1980. He was consecrated bishop in 1992. He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was appointed cardinal in 2001. In March 2013 he was elected Bishop of Rome, the 266th pope of the Catholic Church.

Dr Austen Ivereigh is a writer, journalist, and commentator best known for two highly regarded biographies of Pope Francis: The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope (2014) and Wounded Shepherd: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church (2019). He is Fellow in Contemporary Church History at Campion Hall, University of Oxford.