Encyclicals

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.

You know that in an Apostolic Letter in 2002, Pope John Paul II added five Luminous Mysteries. Did you know that in that same Letter he also called for a new way of praying the Rosary?

St. John Paul II's new way of praying the Rosary was based on the teachings of St. Theresa of Avila and has become known as the Contemplative Rosary because it more perfectly unites vocal prayer and meditation, transforming the prayers of the Rosary into a contemplative meeting with God.

Did you know about these changes? Have you tried them?

In our new book, The Contemplative Rosary, we have not only incorporated the five new Luminous Mysteries, we have included as well the many other changes Pope John Paul made to the Rosary.

Here are his additions to the texts and prayers -- additions small and large -- that, as John Paul intended, unite the Rosary more closely to the official liturgical prayers of the Church as well as to Scripture.

Here are also scores of full-color images for your contemplation that anchor your attention in each Mystery and transform your Rosary from a hasty, habitual recitation into a profound speaking to God and a keen listening to Him.

Following the wise advice of St. Theresa of Avila and the new method proposed by St. John Paul, you'll find here for each mystery:

A lovely, full-color classical painting depicting the events in the Mystery, for help in your contemplation.

A unique announcement of the Mystery.

A statement of the expected fruits of the Mystery.

The Scriptural passage you should consider before embarking on your prayers of the Mystery.

A call for a moment of silence in order to recollect yourself before entering the presence of God.

Each Mystery's own unique Hail Mary, including within each a John Paul II recommended statement of faith "to pull wandering minds back to Christ and center them in the mystery."

Seven meditations tailored to each Mystery, to accompany your recitation of the Hail Marys (but only employ one at a time).

A concluding short prayer asking God for the fruits specific to that Mystery.

Plus much more, so that finally you can begin to pray the Rosary as Saint John Paul wants you to pray it!

In his fourth encyclical, Dilexit Nos ("He loved us"), Pope Francis writes, at a time of profound global challenges, on the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ. As Pope Francis observes, "We find ourselves immersed in societies of serial consumers who live from day to day, dominated by the hectic pace and bombarded by technology, lacking in the patience needed to engage in the processes that an interior life by its very nature requires." The Holy Father calls for a change of perspective, urging humanity to rediscover what is most essential: the heart.

In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on aspects of the Lord's love that could illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal and resonate meaningfully with "a world that seems to have lost its heart." This encyclical, which includes reflections from Sacred Scripture and previous magisterial teachings, reintroduces the Church to the spiritually profound devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The encyclical's release coincides with ongoing celebrations commemorating the 350th anniversary of the first appearance of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673, when he revealed to her his Sacred Heart.

This encyclical is a call to each person to respect, protect, love and serve life--every human life. Every human life is sacred because from its very beginning, it is the gift of the creative action of God who has a plan for each individual. In context of salvation history, threats to human life, such as abortion and euthanasia, are explored. Other topics include civil and moral law, proclaiming and celebrating the Gospel of Life, the family as the sanctuary of life, and transforming culture.

"The question of human procreation, like every other question which touches human life, involves more than ... biology, psychology, demography or sociology. It is the whole man and the whole mission to which he is called that must be considered: both its natural, earthly aspects and its supernatural, eternal aspects." - Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae

Pope Paul VI's prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae, issued in 1968, presented the Church's consistent teachings on marriage and contraception to the modern world -- a world that demanded then, as it does now, that the Church adapt her teachings to itself. Standing calmly and firmly against a culture that sees contraception and abortion as individual choices, Humanae Vitae shows us what it means to share in the creative work of God. Paul VI lays out God's plan for human sexuality, a plan that invites married couples to celebrate the incredible gifts of human love and human life.

Humanae Vitae is a loving and honest look at the benefits and the challenges of Church teaching, and a call to the Church to provide guidance and support for couples as they strive to live out God's design for human life and marriage.

The story of the first Pope to resign in over 700 years.

Pope Benedict made history when he became the first Pope in over 700 years to resign from office, stunning the Catholic Church the world over. At last, Last Testament is a stunning and frank autobiography from the shy and private man who has since remained cloistered in a former convent in the Vatican gardens. In interviews with Peter Seewald, the Pope Emeritus breaks his silence on corruption within the Vatican, clerical sex scandals, and the challenge of reforming the Papacy.

In these interviews, Benedict discusses such wide-ranging controversies as:

- The "Vatileaks" case in which his butler leaked some of his personal letters that alleged corruption and scandal in the Vatican
- The presence of a "gay lobby" within the Vatican and how he dismantled it
- His alleged Nazi upbringing
- His attempts at cleaning up the "dirt in the church" (clerical sexual abuse)
- The mysterious private secretary "Gorgeous George"

On a more personal level he writes with great warmth of his successor Pope Francis, who he admits has a popular touch, a star quality which Benedict himself has lacked. Much controversy still surrounds Pope Benedict's Papacy--in this book he addresses these controversies and reveals how at his late age, governing and reforming the Papacy and particularly the Vatican, was beyond him.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Faith because the Blessed Sacrament is Christ himself, the full manifestation of his boundless love.

In this encyclical letter On the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II seeks to rekindle in the faithful the profound sense of amazement and gratitude that surrounds the Eucharist.

"In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into his Body and Blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope," John Paul II writes. "The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift -- however precious -- among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his Person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work."

Pope Leo XIV has expressed concern about how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect the labor economy and the development of young people seeking productive expression of their God-given gifts. How do these concerns relate to those of the pontiff from whom the pope took his name, Leo XIII, in his groundbreaking 1891 encyclical written during the second phase of the Industrial Revolution?

Relevant, accessible, crucial--for such a time as this.

Many of the same challenges that society faced in the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are confronting our communities today, from the disparity between the rich and poor, to the rise of giant corporations, to the advent of technologies that threaten to further dehumanize workers. This special edition of the monumental encyclical is enhanced with incisive notes and discussion questions to help you explore its prophetic teachings individually or in small groups.

In a clear, straightforward style, Pope Leo XIII expounds on key issues such as:

The dangers of socialism for the rights of individuals and families

The rise of propaganda aimed at whipping up class envy

How the right to private property is imperative both in divine law and civil law

Ten obligations of employers to workers and four obligations of workers to employers

Ways the Church and the gospel uphold human dignity and guide us to our final goal

How Christians are called to live frugally and use resources wisely for the sake of their families and the common good

The duty of the government to provide distributive justice

The wisdom of subsidiarity and the need for voluntary associations in which Christians and workers can support each other

Ultimately, all work is meant to prepare us for Heaven, and nothing should deter us from this path. Pope Leo XIII's watershed document provides the standard for how Christians and all people of goodwill are called to work for the dignity of others and for justice in the distribution of resources. A must-read in our age of materialistic individualism, on the one hand, and temptation to collectivism, on the other, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical points the way for Christian societies today to safeguard basic human rights, preserve private property, and, above all, save souls.

In these unforgettable pages, the drama and poignancy of the Church's greatest transition -- the papal interregnum -- comes alive: the death of Pope Francis, the mourning of a people, the conclave in solemn secrecy, and the stunning election of a new successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV.

This extraordinary commemorative volume is rich with powerful photographs and profound reflections on each step of this historic moment. You will behold the grandeur of ritual and the intimacy of prayer as the Church entrusts herself once more to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

From the nine days of mourning for Pope Francis, through the hidden duties of the camerlengo and the college of cardinals, to the white smoke that signals a new dawn for Christ's Church--every page draws you deeper into the mystery of continuity and the miracle of renewal.

Here you will witness:

The reverence of the Church during a sede vacante, when the See of Peter remains empty

The drama and dignity of the conclave, in which cardinals discern beneath the gaze of The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

The joy of the faithful at the installation of Pope Leo XIV

The first words, blessings, and symbols of a shepherd taking up the keys of Peter with courage and humility

The striking coat of arms of the new pope -- an emblem of his mission and heart

This is more than a book of images. It is a pilgrimage of faith -- showing how sorrow is pierced with Easter hope, how a human election is suffused with divine providence, and how the Church moves forward sempre avanti -- always onward.

The Barque of Peter has a new helmsman.

Let these pages stir in you a renewed love for the beauty of Catholic tradition, a deeper faith in Christ's promise, and a hopeful prayer for Pope Leo XIV and the future of the Church he now leads.

A landmark encyclical of Pope St. John Paul II's pontificate, The Splendor of Truth is a brilliant presentation of Catholic moral theology for the contemporary world. Leaning on the bedrock of the Gospel and perennial Catholic teaching, John Paul II evaluates the modern ethical landscape and makes a strong case for biblical and natural law morality against the popular moral theories of relativism and proportionalism. At the heart of this encyclical, now considered to be a standard text for courses in moral theology, lies the principle that the whole of truth centers on Jesus Christ, who shapes our freedom and answers our questions about good and evil.