Art/Music/Culture

The Vatican, comprising the Apostolic Palace, St. Peter's Basilica, and various other buildings, serves as the headquarters of the Catholic Church. It has done so for nearly two millennium ever since the first Pope, St. Peter, made it his home.

Thousands of Catholics flock to the Vatican and its iconic basilica each year. But what do you really know about this great basilica and the city that houses it?

Here, Father Jeffrey Kirby takes you on a whirlwind tour of this little country (yes, Vatican City is its own country, Fact # 2) and uncovers the secrets and surprising facts about the city, and its famous church.

Discover what language degree you need to work a Vatican ATM, what archi tectural feature of St. Peter's is a map of the universe, and even what the pope's license plate number is. Along the way, you'll find the deep theological meaning woven into the design and architectural features of St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican.

Whether you've already been to Rome or are still planning your first trip, 101 Surprising Facts About the Vatican will transport you to Basilica and City at the heart of the Catholic Church and enable you to appreciate them like never before.

We are meant for beauty, and beauty is meant for us

In Detroit's Historic Places of Worship, authors Marla O. Collum, Barbara E. Krueger, and Dorothy Kostuch profile 37 architecturally and historically significant houses of worship that represent 8 denominations and nearly 150 years of history. The authors focus on Detroit's most prolific era of church building, the 1850s to the 1930s, in chapters that are arranged chronologically. Entries begin with each building's founding congregation and trace developments and changes to the present day. Full-color photos by Dirk Bakker bring the interiors and exteriors of these amazing buildings to life, as the authors provide thorough architectural descriptions, pointing out notable carvings, sculptures, stained glass, and other decorative and structural features.

Nearly twenty years in the making, this volume includes many of Detroit's most well known churches, like Sainte Anne in Corktown, the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Boston-Edison, Saint Florian in Hamtramck, Mariners' Church on the riverfront, Saint Mary's in Greektown, and Central United Methodist Church downtown. But the authors also provide glimpses into stunning buildings that are less easily accessible or whose uses have changed-such as the original Temple Beth-El (now the Bonstelle Theater), First Presbyterian Church (now Ecumenical Theological Seminary), and Saint Albertus (now maintained by the Polish American Historical Site Association)-or whose future is uncertain, like Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church (most recently Abyssinian Interdenominational Center, now closed).

Appendices contain information on hundreds of architects, artisans, and crafts-people involved in the construction of the churches, and a map pinpoints their locations around the city of Detroit. Anyone interested in Detroit's architecture or religious history will be delighted by Detroit's Historic Places of Worship.

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.