Catechesis

What do you really know about Vatican City?

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.

In his eagerly anticipated follow-up to the enormously successful Seven Men, New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas gives us seven captivating portraits of some of history's greatest women, each of whom changed the course of history by following God's call upon their lives--as women.

Each of the world-changing figures who stride across these pages--Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Maria Skobtsova, Corrie ten Boom, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks--is an exemplary model of true womanhood. Teenaged Joan of Arc followed God's call and liberated her country, dying a heroic martyr's death. Susanna Wesley had nineteen children and gave the world its most significant evangelist and its greatest hymn-writer, her sons John and Charles. Corrie ten Boom, arrested for hiding Dutch Jews from the Nazis, survived the horrors of a concentration camp to astonish the world by forgiving her tormentors. And Rosa Parks' deep sense of justice and unshakeable dignity and faith helped launch the twentieth-century's greatest social movement.

Writing in his trademark conversational and engaging style, Eric Metaxas reveals how the other extraordinary women in this book achieved their greatness, inspiring readers to lives shaped by the truth of the gospel.

Pope Francis has fascinated the world with his humility, his compassion, and his radical vision for the Church. He has welcomed the homeless into the Vatican, embraced people with diseases, and shaken a complacent hierarchy. Shepherds, he said, should acquire the smell of the sheep.

In short, as he has urged young people to do, he swims against the tide.

John L. Allen, Jr., who has covered the Vatican for CNN, the National Catholic Reporter, and the Boston Globe, has been in the forefront of covering Pope Francis and understanding his mission. In Against the Tide, Allen reveals a pope who has fixed his sight on reform, on accountability and on the Church's Social Gospel. Allen shows how the pope's actions reach out to those who are disinterested, disenfranchised and lost -- and how his leadership, while beginning a new era, has roots that stretch back 2000 years.

A beautiful, personal, priestly reflection on the importance of Eucharistic adoration in Catholic life. Father Dajczer wants you to discover the joy and profound gift that comes when we truly encounter Jesus in the Eucharist.

"This book is an exceptional commentary on Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. It is in the Eucharist that we experience the affinity, communion, and mutual love that can transform us into This One who has first loved us."

--from the Foreword by Archbishop Joseph Michalik, Metropolitan of Praemislia and Chairman of the Polish Conference of Bishops

Pope Francis' words to those seeking to give a firm profession of faith--which has always been the particular effect Catholic tradition has ascribed to confirmation--ring true for all of us. In Anointed, Jayme Stuart Wolfe has compiled the Holy Father's words about wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord as special gifts for those continuing the commitment of their baptism into confirmation and beyond, as well as appropriate Scripture readings and prayers.

Relying on the ancient documents, as well as latest archeological findings and scientific research, acclaimed author Mike Aquilina takes you on a journey through the Apostolic Age, bringing to life the ancient streets and crowded marketplaces through which Mary and the Apostles journeyed as they built a Church that lasts even to our day.

In Barstool Theology, Trevor Gundlach cracks open an entirely new way to talk about beer and exactly how it can be an effervescent part of a life well lived. He invites you to become a fellow barstool theologian, ready to discuss the theology of life, friendship, art, seasons, celebrations, and, yes, delicious craft beer.

As we all know and as many of our well established textbooks have argued for decades, the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history, Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called "Hitler's Pope," the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment, and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long held beliefs were all wrong?
In this stunning, powerful, and ultimately persuasive book, Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and bestselling author of The Rise of Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are, in fact, fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong, what, in fact, is the truth?
In each chapter, Stark takes on a well-established anti-Catholic myth, gives a fascinating history of how each myth became the conventional wisdom, and presents a startling picture of the real truth. For example,

Instead of the Spanish Inquisition being an anomaly of torture and murder of innocent people persecuted for "imaginary" crimes such as witchcraft and blasphemy, Stark argues that not only did the Spanish Inquisition spill very little blood, but it was a major force in support of moderation and justice.

Instead of Pope Pius XII being apathetic or even helpful to the Nazi movement, such as to merit the title, "Hitler's Pope," Stark shows that the campaign to link Pope Pius XII to Hitler was initiated by the Soviet Union, presumably in hopes of neutralizing the Vatican in post-World War II affairs. Pope Pius XII was widely praised for his vigorous and devoted efforts to saving Jewish lives during the war.

Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church's power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the "Dark Ages" was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of "Enlightenment."

In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give us a false truth.

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have each approached the papacy in strikingly different ways, yet they share the same fundamental vision of the world and man. In these pages, Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, explores the differences and commonalities of these two popes, showing how the challenge for the Church's hierarchy remains the same, and how these two popes are leading the Church to resist worldly infections and to heal the spiritual diseases of our time.

He also provides a succinct and fascinating look into the universal ministry of the Church, showing how the popes, as successors to Peter, are the visible head of the pilgrim Church and are tasked with carrying out the pastoral ministry of Christ.

It's almost undeniable that God is working miracles of healing in evangelization today. For theologians, pastors, and evangelists some questions arise: What is the relationship between physical healing and the message of salvation? Should the church really expect God to do healings in evangelization today? Father Thelen answers these questions by examining the relationship between the preaching of the gospel and physical healing in the New Testament. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not simply a message of fact; it is a message of power that is often expressed through the working of deeds that serve as signs of the reality preached: salvation. As signs of the kingdom, healings that accompany the preaching of the gospel play an indispensable role in bringing people to faith throughout the New Testament. The result of this biblical study is a clarion call for the church to renew its faith in God's desire and power to confirm his word through healing. As healing becomes more accepted and frequent in evangelization, a Catholic biblical and theological approach to healing as it relates to evangelization--an approach that can be different from its Protestant counterpart--is necessary. This modest book fits this need. ""As the church in the West once again faces the prospect of being a 'little flock' surrounded by an increasingly hostile post-Christian culture, it is not surprising that some of the main features of the life of the early church should reappear that until recently didn't seem either relevant or realistic. Texts of the Scripture and main aspects of Jesus' ministry that were consigned to another age are beginning to be seen as extremely relevant once again. Thelen has done the church a great service by establishing the solid scriptural and theological foundations for the place of 'signs and wonders' in the mission of the church today."" --Ralph Martin, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Archdiocese of Detroit ""The New Evangelization will not succeed without a revival of the healing ministry within the Catholic Church. Miraculous healing, as it was for Jesus, is indispensable in proclaiming the Gospel for it bears witness to the Gospel's saving power. Fr. Thelen's small book clearly and lucidly demonstrates the importance of healing in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the Apostolic Church, and in so doing establishes the importance of the healing ministry in our own day. Fr. Thelen's book provides clergy and laity alike the needed theological foundation and the indispensable pastoral inspiration for them to proclaim boldly Jesus' Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father."" --Thomas Weinandy, Capuchin College, Washington DC ""In a world enchanted with self-made religion, how should the church evangelize? As they did in the early church: by signs to confirm the word. After reviewing the abundant New Testament evidence regarding the strong relationship between preaching and healing, Thelen explores the audience to which the Word is addressed today. Since those touched by growing atheism and the cult of self are more open to tangible events like testimonies of healing than mere proclaimed truths, Thelen challenges preachers and evangelists to pray for signs, especially healings, when they proclaim the Word. Such an approach is not only deeply rooted in Scripture, but is also good advice."" --George Montague, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas ""The New Evangelization will not succeed without a revival of the healing ministry within the Catholic Church. Miraculous healing, as it was for Jesus, is indispensable in proclaiming the gospel for it bears witness to the gospel's saving power. Thelen's small book clearly and lucidly demonstrates the importance of healing in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the Apostolic Church, and in so doing establishes the importance of the healing ministry in our own day. Thelen's book provides clergy and laity alike the needed theological f

Based on the revised translation of the Mass which goes into effect Advent, 2011, this book explores the biblical roots of the words and gestures experienced in the Liturgy and explains their profound significance. This intriguing look at the Mass is sure to renew faith and deepen devotion to the Eucharist and may be used as the text for the Adult Faith Formation Program.

A series of reflections on every part of the Mass that describes boredomthe "good" boredom that opens us to the quiet interior space where we can encounter Godas a "sweet gift." It is there that full participation in the Mass becomes possible.