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

Charles Warren Stoddard St. Anthony of Padua - lector, orator, contemplative, wonder-worker - is considered to be the most popular Saint in the Catholic Church.  He was of French descent, from Portugal, but worked in Italy as a Franciscan priest.  Renowned for his incredible miracles - including preaching to the fish when people would not listen to him - he is most famous as …

"I have had enough of this new Abbot!"  announced one of the monks at Vicovaro. "Yes, Abbot Benedict thinks we have to be always obeying those rules he set up!" agreed another. "Remember the good old days when we could each do whatever we wanted?" put in a third. "I've had enough of him too," agreed yet another.  And the feeling was spreading. …

"A boy just fell off his horse and broke his neck!" blurted out the messenger as he rushed into the room.  Dominic and the others listened to the dreadful news. The boy was Napoleon Orsini - and he was dead.  "Napoleon . . . my poor Napoleon . . ." moaned the boy's uncle. "Perhaps all is not lost," murmured Dominic, as if to himself. Dominic calmly …

"The city's going to be destroyed by earthquake!" one excited person exclaimed. "No, fire and brimstone are going to fall from Heaven!" said others. "It's the end of the whole world, not just the city of Lima!" declared still others. What on earth had the saintly Father Francis Solano said last night in that sermon he gave in the market-place? Why, it was now …

"The Tartars, Father!  They've come!" A shiver ran through the other friars as they heard these words from a terrified novice.  Then, moments later, came blood-curdling screams not far off in the distance.  The long-dreaded attack had finally come. Father Hyacinth calmly took from the tabernacle the ciborium containing the Consecrated Hosts.  "All will be …

"Well, what do you think of Fr. De Montfort?" asked the Bishop eagerly. "Is he preaching heresy? Is he a tool of the Devil, as some people say? Or a mad-man, as others think?" The city was in an uproar over Fr. Louis De Montfort, and Bishop de Champflour had sent 3 wise priests to investigate. "I'm especially interested in learning about the True Devotion to the …

F. A. Forbes The life of St. Monica is the classic story of a great mother - for how else would the wayward young Augustine ever have become the great St. Augustine without his mother's prayers and example? Monica is also a shining example for Catholic wives.  As a young Catholic girl married to a pagan husband, she steadfastly practiced her Christian Faith; Monica's constant charity …

Saint Paul Called to Conversion: A Seven-day Retreat Ronald D. Witherup "Saint Paul is the most prominent personality of the New Testament, apart from Jesus himself. Thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament bear his name…Around the year AD 35 he had a remarkable experience on the road to Damascus…"—From the Introduction Paul's conversion is as …

Robert Stackpole, Director of the Marians' John Paul II Institute, does a masterful job of explaining the scriptural roots of the papacy in St. Peter, the first Pope. He also delves into the ministry of the Pope in the life of the early Church, and then makes clear why the Pope has universal jurisdiction in the Church as the successor of St. Peter.

      Fr. V. J. Matthews "Rome is to be your Indies." With these words from a saintly monk, St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) was given his vocation-not to the far-off missions, but to the City of Rome. At the beginning of the 16th century, Rome was corrupt and lukewarm, and the people lived in a state of spiritual laxity. But by the end of the century, Rome was a different …

Fr. Joseph Sicardo, O.S.A. For centuries St. Rita of Cascia has been one of the most popular saints in the Catholic Church.  She is known as the "Saint of the Impossible" because of her amazing answers to prayer as well as the remarkable events of her own life. Here are the classic stories from her life:  the bees which attended her birth, her great early desire to be a …

"The Dumb Ox" was a perfect nickname for young Thomas Aquinas-although it was none too kind. Thomas was big, slow to speak-a quiet and solemn youth. Even Father Albert was inclined to think him rather dull. No one knew about Thomas' amazing memory, or that he knew most of the Bible by heart, or that no subject was difficult for him. One day Thomas decided to amuse himself by writing …

F. A. Forbes "I ask of you only one word," said Vincent to the Ladies of Charity. "Will you go on with the work or no?" Ten years before, the Ladies of Charity had begun taking in babies left homeless and helpless in the streets of Paris. They had started out with twelve little ones. A decade later, 4,000 children-mostly still unbaptized-had been christened, adopted and …

Fr. Christopher Rengers , O.F.M. Cap. Nothing connected with the Passion and Death of Christ was purely accidental. And although Our Saviour was unquestionably the central Figure of Calvary, many other persons - by God's Providence - took part in the living drama of the first Good Friday. These persons too provide instruction for our own lives. In this book, Fr. Christopher Rengers draws …

Saints Of North America Vincent J. O'Malley, C.M. Meet more than a hundred saints, blesseds, and official candidates for sainthood who lived and worked in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caibbean. Learn more about these "local" men and women - and children! - whose examples of holiness prove that personal sanctity is possible right here, right now. The …

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger with Peter Seewald Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, well-known Vatican prelate and head of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, gives a full-length interview to a secular journalist on a host of controversial and difficult issues facing Catholicism and Christianity at the end of the millennium. Similar to his best-selling book interview in 1985, The Ratzinger …

Dr. Scott Hahn A remarkable series that shows how the Catholic Church is the culmination of salvation history and the fulfillment of God's covenants with His people in the Old Testament. One Holy Family:  From Adam to Noah One Holy Tribe:  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob One Holy Nation:  Moses, Aaron, Levi One Holy Kingdom:  David and Solomon One Holy Church:  Jesus and the …

This book traces the role of Judaism and the Jewish people in God's plan for the salvation of mankind, from Abraham through the Second Coming, as revealed by the Catholic faith and by a thoughtful examination of history. I will give both Jews and Christians a deeper understanding of Judaism, both as a religion in itself and as a central component of salvation history. The book examines the …

Translated, with an introduction by Sister Benedicta Ward SLG; Foreword by Metropolitan Anthony [Bloom] of Sourzah `Give me a word, Father', visitors to early desert monks asked. The responses of these pioneer ascetics were remembered and in the fourth century written down in Coptic, Syriac, Greek, and later Latin. Their Sayings were collected, in this case in the alphabetical order of the …