We must be reminded that there are forces outside the church warring against us. These forces at times can be and are merciless and treacherous. But we are informed through the word of God that we are more that conquerors in Christ Jesus. It is not just the outside forces which attack the church that present obstacles to the church that we want to emphasize and recognize, but primarily the inside forces that corrode and erode the infrastructure of the small church. It is tragic enough to deal with trouble from outside of the church, but it's worse when those who should work for the well-being of the church become part of the problem and not part of the solution. It's not the circumstances of life that people have little or no control over that directly holds the small church hostage, but it's the circumstances in life that people have a reasonable amount of, or a lot of control of, that holds the small church hostage. Through these writings, awareness, and enlightenment will come to this devastating quagmire that plagues many of our churches. We will no longer continue to be in danger of being The Church Held Hostage.
We have always valued Father McBride's contributions to religious education. . . . Through his faith and writings he has touched the souls of thousands of people throughout this country and beyond. His work and recognition bring honor to all of us." —Rev. James Herring, O. Praem. "Fr. McBride's life is a witness to his commitment to insure that the Catholic tradition is faithfully handed on in a systematic and comprehensive fashion. —Thomas P. Walters, Ph.D., Father Alfred McBride, O. Praem has been one of the leading Catholic educators and catechists since the second Vatican Council. Perhaps most well-known for his popular Teen Catechism, Father McBride has authored more than dozen books on the faith, helping Catholics the world over learn more about the Christ and his teachings. Now, learn more about Father McBride in his own words. From his days as an adopted boy on the tough streets of Philadelphia to his time in the seminary to his early days as a Norbertine teacher to his rise to prominent and respected Catholic educator. All I Own I Owe is the engaging autobiography of Father McBride, but it also offers a look at the Catholic Church in America throughout the twentieth century and in the twenty-first: from the Catholic neighborhoods of war time Philadelphia to the implementation of Vatican II to the teaching of Christ’s Word today. Supplemented with more than twenty-full color photographs that follow the fascinating life of Father McBride.
Fr. Alfred Delp,S.J., was a heroic German Jesuit priest who was imprisoned and martyred by the Nazis in a Nazi death camp in 1945. At the time of his arrest, he was the Rector of St. Georg Church in Munich, and had a reputation for being a gripping, dynamic preacher, and one who was an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime. He was an important figure in the Resistance movement against Nazism. Accused of conspiring against the Nazi government, he was arrested in 1944, tortured, imprisoned, and executed on Feb 2, 1945. While in prison, Fr. Delp was able to write a few meditations found in this book, which also includes his powerful reflections from prison during the Advent season about the profound spiritual meaning and lessons of Advent, as well as his sermons he gave on the season of Advent at his parish in Munich. These meditations were smuggled out of Berlin and read by friends and parishioners of St. Georg in Munich. His approach to Advent, the season that prepares us for Christmas, is what Fr. Delp called an "Advent of the heart." More than just preparing us for Christmas, it is a spiritual program, a way of life. He proclaimed that our personal, social and historical circumstances, even suffering, offer us entry into the true Advent, our personal journey toward a meeting and dialogue with God. Indeed, his own life, and great sufferings, illustrated the true Advent he preached and wrote about. From his very prison cell he presented a timeless spiritual message, and in an extreme situation, his deep faith gave him the courage to draw closer to God, and to witness to the truth even at the cost of his own life. These meditations will challenge and inspire all Christians to embark upon that same spiritual journey toward union with God, a journey that will transform our lives. ?As one of the last witnesses who knew Fr. Alfred Delp personally, I am very pleased this book will make him better known in America. The more one reads his writings, the more one clearly recognizes the prophetic message for our times! Like his contemporary, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Delp ranks among the great prophets who endured the horror of Nazism and handed down a powerful message for our times.? Karl Kreuser, S.J., from the Foreword
For somewhat older children who have heard their brothers talk of the difficulties of translating Homer there is "The Odyssey for Boys and Girls", wherein Alfred J. Church has retold in simple language the story of the wanderings of Ulysses on his return from Troy , his encounter with the sirens and cyclops and arrival in Ithaca, and many, many stories more. Mr. Church's similar work in "The Story of the Iliad" and "The Story of the Odyssey" has met with such general approval that he has been encouraged to prepare this new version of the Odyssey especially for young people .
Biographies of several people honored as saints by the Catholic Church, in chronological order. Each essay includes a brief reflection on the person's significance.
Seminaries generally are not very effective in equipping pastors to be ministers of reconciliation, says pastor and experienced mediator Alfred Poirier. The result is pastors trained in biblical exposition, well-ordered worship, and good theology, but with little practical know-how about one of the most important functions they will be expected to perform: conflict resolution. The Peacemaking Pastor provides a survey of the nature and kinds of conflict typical in the pastorate to bring to light the need to recover the ministry of reconciliation. Poirier, chairman of the board of Peacemaker Ministries, shows pastors the importance of a reconciliation ministry, gives them a theological framework for peacemaking, and provides practical tools for facilitating the peacemaking process. Written by a pastor for pastors, this insightful book will encourage and equip seminaries and ministry leaders in their original calling-promoting a culture of peacemaking in the church.
Freedom is a fundamental Christian theological category, as much a challenge to construct a new way of seeing oneself and others as it is an announcement of what Christ has already done for us in his death and resurrection. Liberation theology is, most simply, the effort to spell out what such freedom means for Christians in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This book has as its principle premise the conviction that if we are to construct a North American liberation theology we must begin listening to and understanding Latin American theology not so much as a model to be slavishly followed but as a challenge to our own cultural, political, and even religious assumptions. The focus thus is not so much on the theoretical meaning of Christian freedom but on its practice, and more exactly its praxis, that is to say the dialectic between theory and practice. After focusing on the creation and development of liberating theological methods and sources and, above all, the revitalization and renewal of structures that will contribute to the development of a liberated and liberating church, Fr. Hennelly ends with an analysis of the most recent and the most important vatican document on liberation theology, The Instruction of Christian Freedom and Liberation, which he sees as an acknowledgement by the universal church that the theme of liberation is central to the meaning of Christian theology.
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The Roman poet Virgil is regarded as one of the most significant literary figures of the ancient world. His major contribution was the epic poem of battle the Aeneid. In Stories of the Old World, author Alfred Church John presents many of Virgil's most beloved tales, as well as some from other ancient scribes, in an easy-to-read translation that will engage a wide range of readers.
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