Art/Music/Culture

The Catholic Church has a long and glorious history of sacred art. From the earliest etchings of Christian symbols on the walls of the catacombs to the exuberant works of the Baroque era, from the shared patrimony of iconography that links East with West to the monastic revival of the nineteenth century that gave us the St. Benedict medal, Catholic art is astonishing in its variety and diversity of styles.

But for too many, Catholic art is viewed as something largely in the past. This collection emphatically says, "Not so!"

This bound volume of eighteen works of sacred art by Catholic artists will convince you that the great artistic tradition of the Church is alive and well. Each work in this collection is printed on an 8" x 10" detachable page, so that the work may be removed and easily framed in your home.

The nine artists represented here are Matthew Alderman, Neilson Carlin, Bernadette Carstensen, Matthew Conner, Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs, James Janknegt, Timothy Jones, Michael D. O'Brien, and Elizabeth Zelasko.

Our Catholic churches are filled with an abundance of signs and symbols, some of which you may have never noticed or understood. The sacred art, architecture, and artifacts of a church building proclaim the Real Presence of Christ, God dwelling among us in the Blessed Sacrament. The saints portrayed within a church are witnesses to Eucharistic living, and we can identify them through various symbols that tell us about their lives, their works, and their witness to the living presence of God.

In Entering Heaven on Earth, Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, shows you how to decode the signs and symbols found in our churches and to identify the saints depicted in them. This richly illustrated book filled with photographs the author has taken in churches from around the world will help you to see the churches you worship in or visit from a fresh perspective and to remember the true purpose of a church building.

A church is a visible expression of heaven come down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. It is always, first of all, a place for the Christian people to assemble for the sacred liturgy and celebrate the Eucharist. The beauty of nature, the creativity and craft of mankind, the good works of the virtuous and the just are all brought together in a church building to remind us of the graced activity of God, who is present to make us holy and draw us into a deeper union with him.

Throughout history, Jesus of Nazareth has unquestionably been the most inspirational subject of great works of art and literature. His life and message have strongly permeated Western art of all periods, influencing giants such as Fra Angelico, Picasso, Tolstoy, and Houellebecq.

In Jesus in Art and Literature, Pierre-Marie Dumont has chosen nearly 100 eclectic iconographic works of art, analyzing and comparing them to passages from the Bible and excerpts from great literary texts. The book offers the reader an extraordinary variety of aesthetic interpretations of the life of Jesus and his teaching, from early Christian to modern art. Through works as diverse as The Hand of God by Auguste Rodin, The Resurrection of Lazarus by Rembrandt, and the "Hidden God" by Blaise Pascal, Dumont highlights th

After a brief introduction to each Holy Place, Doyle provides the Scripture passages appropriate to those locations. In offering these passages, Doyle reminds us of Pius XII's statement that to find the meaning of God's word, we must go back to the original languages, determine the intention of the author, and take into account the literary form. Following Pius XII's suggestion, Doyle provides his own translation of Scripture passages. By presenting these passages he offers new meaning by exploring a new experience, in a new context, in a new culture.

Doyle explains that there are major differences between going to the Holy Land as a pilgrim and going there as a tourist, or even as a student of history or archaeology. People join a pilgrimage from faith and for faith. This is not the same as a deepening of theological insight, or becoming more knowledgeable about the facts and beliefs of Christianity. The basic vision that distinguishes a pilgrim from a tourist is summed up in a passage by Paul: 'Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, sink your roots deep in him, build your faith upon him, and overflow with thanksgiving' (Col. 2:6). In The Pilgrim's New Guide to the Holy Land, Doyle brings together the elements that facilitate that vision.

Chapters are "Jerusalem, Jerusalem," "Holy Places East of Jerusalem," "Holy Places West of Jerusalem," "Holy Places South of Jerusalem" and "Holy Places North of Jerusalem." Also includes appendices and an index.

Stephen C. Doyle, O.F.M., has guided more than one hundred pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to Greece and Asia Minor. He has taught Scripture and biblical preaching at St. John Vianney Seminary, East Aurora, New York; Christ the King Seminary, St. Bonaventure, New York; Pope John XXIII Seminary, Weston Massachusetts; St. Bonaventure University; St. Michael&'s College; and Emmanuel College.

God fashioned the universe as a seamless fabric, a marvelous, unified, orderly creation. But man's sin tore it asunder, disrupting its great cosmic harmonies. Only Christ could make the symphony ring out again. And through a dazzling array of literature, music, sculpture, art, theater, and dance, men and women of faith, too, can work with Christ to mend the tear in the universe.

According to the late Professor Thomas Howard, the poet and the prophet both speak a loud voice against the tide of secularism and eventual destruction. Yet how does this work? How does myth convey truth? How does architecture reflect eternal verities? How does the written word humanize and sanctify us? What treasure and stability does an ancient faith hold for the unsettled modern mind?

Howard spent his life answering these questions. Christians of all walks of life will appreciate his witty, devout, and cutting observations on faith, art, and the incarnation of Christ. In this volume, readers will also encounter beloved teachers, writers, and friends who influenced Howard's theological imagination, including C. S. Lewis and T. S. Eliot.

Home is where we are nurtured, where we live, and where we love. The language of Home is universal. It is where we find the eternal in the everyday.

But the Home has been neglected. To millions of women today, there is nothing worse than being a "homemaker." If only they knew the supreme value (and reward) of giving loved ones a place to call Home.

Written by two wives and mothers, Theology of Home is a simple guide to help reorient all of us toward our true home, allowing us to think purposefully about how to make our own homes on earth better equipped to get all those living in them to the Father's house. Featuring more than 100 beautiful (and inspiring) photographs from homes around the country, profound words from the saints and other literary figures, and in-depth commentary on the theological and spiritual underpinnings of our love for Home, Theology of Home offers readers a tour of both the Home and the human heart.

Whether you live in a sprawling estate or a humble dwelling, whether alone or with a crowd, this is far more than a book of beautiful photos and great décor ideas. You will also learn how to create a deeper sense of the divine through: