It takes a special kind of hero to be a priest on the front lines.  Here are stories from the chaplains who join the troops in foxholes, bunkers, and hospitals, braving all the terrors of war to pray with them and bring them the sacraments. These are action-packed stories of life under fire, told by the people who lived through the events.  From around the world, these stories will …

The Meaning of Vocation: In the Words of John Paul II Over the years, the Holy Father has said much about The Meaning of Vocation and how Catholics should respond to God?s call ? but it has been scattered through dozens of addresses he has given all over the world. Now at last this compact compendium collects the Pope?s choicest remarks on God?s call and how you should strive to hear and obey …

101 Questions And Answers On Deacons William T. Ditewig The Second Vatican Council restored the ministry of deacon as a permanent order within the sacrament of holy orders. Since then, the diaconate has become one of the fastest growing of all church vocations. While many Catholics are aware  of deacons, most have very little idea why the diaconate was renewed by the Council. This book …

The complete collection of Pope John Paul II's Holy Thursday letters to priests will be available just in time for Easter in this single volume collector's edition. About the Book “On this holy day, the liturgy takes us inside the Upper Room.” Thus wrote Pope John Paul II in 1979 in his first Holy Thursday letter, a tradition he continued until his passing in 2005. The Upper Room is what John …

Russell Shaw What's the proper role for a lay Catholic? Being a Eucharistic minister or fighting for better education on the city school board? Teaching a First Communion class or opposing abortion in the hospital where you're a nurse? Serving as a husband-wife lector team or reaching out to hurting couples in the neighborhood? What should the Catholic laity be doing? Ministry or …

Reclaiming Our Priestly Character offers a review of the present crisis surrounding priestly identity through careful theological scholarship and a wise and practical spirituality, providing a clear path toward the renewal of the priestly character. An essential guide for every priest and seminarian. Review by Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. - New York, NY   (Tuesday, January 15, 2008): …

Karen A Harmeyer Maria Thompson MacLaughlin Many women do a lot of soul-searching when their husbands feel called to become deacons.  Forty-eight such women came together over six years ago when the Diocese of Richmond started its first diaconate-formation group.  These women of different education levels, ages, and lifestyles grew into a cohesive unit as their husbands went through …

IS SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT CONSIDERING A RELIGIOUS VOCATION? Here’s the still-unsurpassed guide to discernment—grounded in the theology of Aquinas. On the question of religious vocation, all are agreed: A candidate must be called by God. But how God calls, and how one knows He has called, are questions that receive widely differing answers. Errors are costly: A “false” …

This instruction contains the following: The Meaning and Value of the Enclosure of Nuns The Enclosure of Nuns Perseverance in Fidelity Associations and Federations

The Beloved Archbishop Sheen, whose cause for canonization is open in Rome, presents a profound and deeply spiritual look at the meaning of the priesthood and relationship of the priest with Christ as an "alter Christus." Sheen delves deeply into what he considers the main character of the priesthood, and one not often discussed, that of being, like Christ, a "holy victim."  To be like …

Monsignor Timothy M. Dolan Monsignor Dolan clearly sets forth what it takes to be a Catholic priest in the Third Millennium. Whether he is stressing the necessity of regular Confession and the need to celebrate daily Mass and say the Liturgy of the Hours or discussing priestly celibacy in frank, realistic terms, he emphasizes true priest identity by presenting a life worth living, a life worth …

Fr. Richard Butler OP The question of discerning a vocation is agonized over by many generous young Catholics today. A solid Thomist, who wrote this book in 1961, Father Butler shows that this type of question shows a totally wrong approach to a religious vocation - an approach that began with misguided theology in the 20th century, which then trickled down to the popular level, confusing both …

View From The Altar - Reflections On The Rapidly Changing Catholic Priesthood Howard P. Bleichner View from the Altar opens a window into the lives of dedicated men of the Church who have repeatedly had to relearn their most cherished traditions, rituals, and roles. Fr. Bleichner, a priest, rector, and longtime leader in American priestly formation, has a fresh perspective on the rapid changes …

Rooted in the documents of Vatican II, the Program for Priestly Formation offers the normative direction for all seminaries in the United States to meet the challenge of priestly formation in the third millennium.

Fr. Dominic J. Unger OFM Cap. Few realize that a person can pursue a truly supernatural vocation by consecrating himself or herself to perpetual celibacy while yet living in the world. Here Fr. Unger describes the main guidelines for such a religious vocation, showing the nature of this vocation and the manner of dedicating oneself to it. The author gives the history in the Church of …

Searching for answers to questions about your vocation? This book provides answers . . . Curiosity, insights, hopes, fears, searching: they all surface in these questions from real people - young and old, children and parents. The answers, while to the point, are fresh in their approach and rich in motivation.This book by Legionary priest Father Anthony Bannon is arranged around topics …

This book will inspire vocations and help men and women everywhere grow in their love and respect for the dignity of the Catholic Priesthood. Catholic priests communicate the glory of heaven through the ministry of the word and the sacraments, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the source and summit of our Faith.  By fulfilling this mission, these men truly become an alter …