Steven J. Schloeder Amid the growing dissatisfaction with Catholic church architecture since the Second Vatican Council, and the general lack of clear and vibrant direction in liturgy, this book responds to the timely question of "How ought we build our churches?" Drawing upon the texts of the Second Vatican Council, recent papal encyclicals, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church , …

Artfully Teaching the Faith Steven Kellmeyer Seventeen masterpieces of medieval and Renaissance art are matched to sixteen crucial doctrines of the Church. A short, clear discussion shows how each masterpiece illuminates its matching doctrine. Discover how each Catholic artist visually embedded Catholic doctrines in the works under study. Quickly gain an appreciation and an appetite for …

Twelve radiant tableaux by acclaimed artist Fiona French reflect the timeless beauty of the Easter story in stained glass. Beginning with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the dramatic events unfold: the last supper, Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, his trial and mockery, the crucifixion, resurrection and his appearance to the disciples, culminating in his ascension into heaven. Fiona French’s …

Mary Mother Of God - Her Life in Icons and Scripture Giovanna Parravicini Rare and precious Oriental icons, some created in mosaics, are arranged to tell the story of Mary. The accompanying text offers comments and explanations of the images and their symbols. A life of Mary as presented in the writings of the great fathers of the Eastern Church and in the liturgical rites of the …

The words of Jesus of Nazareth continue to amaze, confound and inspire listeners as they did two thousand years ago. They resonate down the centuries, poetic in their simplicity, challenging in their meaning, uncompromising in their authority. Whether Jesus was describing the kingdom of Heaven, stripping away worn-out conventions or defining love and forgiveness, he chose direct, down-to-earth …

"Beauty will save the world," said Dostoyevsky.  In this book, John Saward presents a study of two powerful ways in which true beauty shines upon the world--in the lives of the saints and in the works of Christian art, "the beauty of holiness and the holiness of beauty."  This book is a unique and unprecedented meditation on the beauty of Christ and His saints and centers on several …

This book by Bishop Christoph Schonborn, the principal editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is about the human face of God. Artists and theologians have meditated upon the mystery of God's human countenance and tried to express it.  This book seeks to present the great sources of this meditation--sources which today are widely unknown, or have become foreign or obscure.  …

Churches and cathedrals were originally built to be read.  They are alive with images and symbols - all of which are packed with meaning.  But today few people, from regular visitors to tourists, truly understand the wealth of meaning in what they find there. How to Read a Church is must reading for anybody who wants to know more about what they see in a church or …

This extraordinary collection of full-page, full-color icons introduces reader, art appreciators, and historians to the spiritual riches of the Byznatine liturgical tradition.  Father Michael Evdokimov, a Russian Orthodox priest living in Paris, has presented an icon for each of the twelve great feasts of the Orthodox Christian liturgical year, as well as for other special moments of …

Philip Bess "The city comes into existance... for the sake of the good life."  So wrote Aristotle nearly 2,400 years ago, articulating an idea that prevailed throughout most of Western culture and the world until environmental consequences of the Industrial Revolution called into question the goodness of traditional urban life.  Urban history ever since has consisted largely of …

Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. While everyone is delighted by beauty, and the more alive among us are positively fascinated by it, few are explicitly aware that we can recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity. Dubay explores the reasons why all of the most eminent physicists of the twentieth century agree that beauty is the primary standard for scientific truth. Likewise, the best of contemporary …

All royalties go to the fund set up for the restoration of the Basilica. This is a celebration of the life of St. Francis, great lover of God, man, and nature. Extracts from his writings and from biographies of the saint are selected by Sister Nan, a member of the community of St. Francis in London. Illustrated with stunning details and images from the fresco cycle in the Basilica at Assisi, …

The Christmas story is illustrated with miniatures selected from the Books of Hours found in The British Library Some of the greatest European painters of the Middle Ages were employed in the decoration of these manuscripts: Gerard Horenbout, one of the illuminators of The Sforza Hours, illustrates a simple Nativity using rich reds, greens and blues; the Annunciation to the Shepherds, depicted …

The Symbols of the Church Maurice Dilasser, Editor; Mary Cabrini Durkin, O.S.U., Madeleine Beaumont, and Caroline Morson, Translators Science has its own language; the arts have another. Religion uses the language of the arts, for it uses signs and symbols, like bridges from the visible to the invisible. The symbol is not an object of worship but invites us to worship. It leads to an encounter …

Vincent Moleta With over 50 illustrations, From Francis to Giotto "Brings together and reviews some of the most familiar expressions of early Franciscan culture, such as the fresco cycle in the Upper Church of San Francesco and Canto XI of Dante's Paradiso , while it merely touches on related questions such as the debate over poverty and the influence of Joachim of Fiore.  These …

Gregory W. Tucker America's Church is a story of faith, hope, and love. It's the story of a challenge accepted by one generation of American Catholics and then passed down to, and accepted by, the next and the next, and the next. Gregory Tucker shows how the most significant single project ever undertaken by the Church in the United States traces its roots to its modest beginnings as a student …

The Imitation of Christ has enjoyed greater popularity down the centuries than any Christian book apart from the Bible. Even today, the soul-searching words of the fifteenth-century monk, Thomas á Kempis, continue to resonate, unbounded by time or geography. Drawing on the Bible, the Fathers of the early Church and medieval mysticism, his four-part treatise shrugs off the allure of the …

Contains over 250 historic photographs, sketches and documents portraying the life and works of Pope Pius XII.

Theological Book Review “This beautifully illustrated book provides the reader with and excellent guide to understanding icons….For anyone interested in the production and meaning of icons, this book will be essential reading.” New Directions “I guarantee you will not be disappointed by the reproductions in this book of Solrunn Nes’ icons. The colours are vibrant and the faces of the figures …

Josef Pieper The popular and highly regarded Pieper speaks of the necessity for human persons to be able to contemplate and appreciate beauty to develop their full humanity. Pieper expresses succinctly that the foundation of the human person in society is leisure, free time in which one can contemplate, be receptive to being and its beauty. "Joy is more profound than sadness, and our capacity …