All of the essays are eye-opening, well researched and provide an education in Catholic history absent from college and other classrooms as recently as a decade ago.
Readers should brace themselves for painful history of church racism
Analysis of church’s diplomatic efforts should be a must-read for many
“In-the-pew Catholics and other people of goodwill will find it affirming of the positive role that religion can play in the public square.”
Books can help Catholics start much-needed conversations on suicide
Each book is nuanced for its audience. One includes compelling prayers of encounters with God. The other includes tips for mental health ministry, psychological lessons and assurances of redemption.
Authors address pressing question of whether truth matters today
Does it still matter in this third decade of the 21st century whether people speak truthfully and allow truth to shape their lives? Those are pressing questions, according to two new books by Catholic authors.
Author seeks to correct record on Church’s role in key historical period
Steve Weidenkopf’s “The Church and the Middle Ages” presents a mostly chronological look at the Catholic Church’s role in shaping the years between 1000 and 1378, through the lens of the men and women who played key roles.
Using papal guidance, author offers practical, purposeful online habits
This “sea of pings and dings, tweets and posts, ‘likes’ and hashtags,” as author Ann M. Garrido calls it, grips us and won’t let go.
Author says pope has mobilized diplomats to create culture of encounter
The Vatican draws on a school of diplomacy founded by Pope Clement VI in 1701 emphasizing impartiality, dialogue and “showing faith through charity.”
Three books reflect on spiritual journeys from differing perspectives
Patrick Henry’s “Flashes of Grace” is a model of ecumenical sensitivity and reflects his 20 years as executive director of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at St. John’s University in Collegeville.