History is a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes or a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events. In this category you will find our history books - general surveys of history and books related to specific periods of history in the Church such as the Patristic Era or the Middle Ages.

"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity." Cicero

Ireland's Loyalty to the Mass by Father Augustine, O.F.M. Cap. “It is the Mass that Matters”. The persecution of Ireland for hundreds of years, reduced to the most important factor, was the prohibition of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by the Protestant rulers in England. The history of this brutal and monstrous suppression is carefully chronicled in this little book. “The …

The war in Ireland has spanned eight centuries, alternately blowing hot and cold, appearing at times to fade away, only to flare up more forcefully later on. According to the "experts" and the media pundits, the conflict is one of religion. But Chesterton reveals in Irish Impressions that at heart the problem is one of freedom. The Irish man wants to be master in his own home, speaking his own …

Dr. Paul Lavin and Robert Lavin Without knowing anything about the man whose life is recounted on these pages, The Iron Man of China may seem a curious title. Except for a year furlough home in the states, Father Lavin served the Chinese people for twenty years (1932-1953), traversing thousands of miles by foot or bicycle, and exposing himself every day to life threatening dangers. In 1953 the …

William H. Carroll Queen Isabel of Spaint was probably the greatest woman ruler in history - not only an outstanding Queen, but a devoted wife and mother as well. She and her husband Fernando were solemnly granted the title "the Catholic sovereigns" by the Pope. The many evidences of her personal holiness led to the introduction and substantial progress of her cause for canonization. Isabel's …

William H. Carroll Almost every historian who has written of Isabel has recognized her extraordinary goodness and devotion to her Catholic faith, along with her greatness as a leader. This is the first full scholarly biography of Queen Isabel in English in more than sixty years—extensively annotated, strictly accurate, and highly readable.

Queen Isabella of Spain, known by her people as "la Catolica," was by any standard one of the greatest women in all of history. Ascending the throne of Castile at age 23-a young woman tall, ath­letic, blond-haired and blue-eyed­ Isabella was possessed of an in­domitable will and refused to recog­nize the word "impossible;' for she was convinced that with God …

Edited by Thomas Knobel This is the first complete English translation of De Ecclesiasticis Officiis (DEO) of St. Isidore of Seville (d. 636), considered the last Latin Father of the Church. The work is an invaluable source of information about liturgical practice and church offices.  

How Christendom defeated the Ottoman Turks Historian Diane Moczar pulls back the curtain on one of the most important acts in the drama of Muslim aggression against the West: the 500-year-long siege of Europe by the Ottoman Turks. Tracing the rise of the Turkish people from wandering Asian tribe to mighty pan-continental empire, Islam at the Gates chronicles the heroes and villains, the …

Jesus A Historical Portrait   Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Was Jesus a feminist? Who really killed Jesus? Did all those miracles actually happen? How do we know who Jesus is? How are we supposed to know what Jesus really said? How does Jesus' Judaism fit in with our salvation as Christians? Questions about the life and times of Jesus Christ, one of the most written-about people of all time, …

"This book is . . . my personal search for 'the face of the Lord." - Pope Benedict XVI.     This is Pope Benedict XVI's first book since his pontificate began. Who is Jesus? According to the wildly popular book and film, The Da Vinci Code, Jesus was merely a human figure whose original message was distorted by his followers. Not so, argues Pope Benedict XVI in this …

Based on Pope Benedict XVI's weekly teaching on the relationship between Christ and the Church, this book tells the drama of Jesus' first disciples — his Apostles and their associates — and how they spread Jesus' message throughout the ancient world. Far from distorting the truth about Jesus of Nazareth, insists Pope Benedict, the early disciples remained faithful to it, even at the cost of …

Very few people know that Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) wrote a major work on Joan of Arc. Still fewer know that he considered it not only his most important but also his best work. He spent twelve years in research and many months in France doing archival work and then made several attempts until he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell. He reached his conclusion about Joan's unique …

F. A. Forbes "Poor Don Bosco." It was a pity that such a good young priest was losing his mind. Why he was dreaming about future churches, vast playgrounds, lots of helpers and thousands of boys! Before things got out of hand, why not have him checked out at the lunatic asylum. Therefore, one morning two priests arrived at the Oratory to invite Fr. John Bosco for a drive. He agreed to go, but …

This book provides a collection of never before published letters from John Carroll, the first Archbishop in America. It also contains a genology, chronology and pictures of Bishop Carroll throughout his life.

Drawing on his early experience as a monk in Bethlehem and Egypt, St. John Cassian (c. 365-c. 435) journeyed to the West to found monasteries in Marseilles and the region of Provence. Conferences is his masterpiece, a study of the Egyptian ideal of the monk.  

John Climacus (c. 579-649) was abbot of the monastery of Catherine on Mount Sinai. His Ladder was the most widely used handbook of the ascetical life in the ancient Greek Church. 

John Paul II: A Life of Grace by Renzo Allegri The facts of Pope John Paul II's life are well known, but the mystery of his unique journey has not always been as clear. The pope himself once said: "In God's plan, nothing happens by chance," and his life bears that out. His narrow escapes from death, starting in boyhood, seem miraculous. The premature deaths of his mother, father and beloved …

John Paul II in the Holy Land: In His Own Words With Christian and Jewish Perspectives by Yehezkel Landau and Michael McGarry edited by Lawrence Boadt, C.S.P.,  and Kevin di Camillo Pope John Paul II was the undisputed leader in fostering Jewish-Christian dialogue for over 25 years. He labored intensely to change the hearts and minds of both sides and was never been afraid to apologize …

John Paul The Great Edited by William Oddie John Paul the Great is a collection of essays by distinguished Catholic writers, each assessing, 25 years after he became Pope, some aspect of Karol Wojtyla's extraordinary achievement. The book establishes clearly that this has been not merely an exceptional pontificate, but one of a handful of epoch-making pontificates in Christian history. …

Peggy Noonan The author brings her sharp observations, acute sensibility, warmth, and wit to the life of the pope and shows the personal effect his journey had upon her and millions of others. Written with heart and depth, this is at once a moving elegy and a brilliant celebration of a man whose life taught others how to live.