In 1896, a priest in Southern France suddenly gained immense wealth. This much is historically true - but no one knows where the money came from. At his death, the priest's secret was buried with him. But there was a young woman - his housekeeper and lover, Marie Denarnaud - who may have known the truth. Marie Denarnaud is only a girl when the charismatic priest Berenger 1st captivates her. As a woman, she becomes his housekeeper and struggles with guilt over their illicit relationship. But as their affection deepens, Bergener grows secretive and Marie has to learn why.
The Russian word Poustinia means 'desert¿, a place to meet Christ in silence, solitude and prayer. Catherine Doherty combines her insights into the great spiritual traditions of the Russian Church with her very personal experience of life with Christ.
This murder mystery set in the Parisian cathedral is “a twisted and riveting story . . . Highly original” (Toronto Star). Fifty thousand believers and photo-hungry tourists jam into Notre Dame Cathedral on August 15 to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. The next morning, a stunningly beautiful young woman clothed all in white kneels at prayer in a cathedral side chapel. But when an American tourist accidentally bumps against her, her body collapses. She has been murdered. The autopsy reveals disturbing details. Police investigators and priests search for the killer as they discover other truths about guilt and redemption within the walls of this soaring Paris refuge for the lost, the damned, and the saved. The suspect is a disturbed young man obsessed with the Virgin Mary who spends his days hallucinating in front of a Madonna. But someone else knows the true killer of the white-clad daughter of Algerian immigrants, in this thrilling novel of good and evil that illuminates shadowy corners of the world’s most famous cathedral.
Explores the connection between ancient druidic worship of a virgin at Chartres and the veneration of the Black Madonna • Examines the Virgin Mary’s origins in the pagan worship of the Mother Goddess • Identifies Mary with the dominant solar goddess of matriarchal societies The great cathedral of Chartres is renowned the world over as a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture and for its remarkable stained glass, considered alchemical glass, and its mystical labyrinth. But the sacred foundations of this sanctuary go back to a time long before Christianity when this site was a clearing where druids worshiped a Virgo Paritura: a virgin about to give birth. This ancient meeting place, where all the druids in Gaul gathered once a year, now houses the magnificent Chartres cathedral dedicated both to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and to one of the most venerated Black Madonnas in Europe: Our Lady of the Pillar. Coincidence? Hardly, says Jean Markale, whose exhaustive examination of the site traces Chartres’ roots back to prehistoric times and the appeal of the Black Madonna back to the ancient widespread worship of Mother Goddesses such as Cybele and Isis. Markale contends that the mother and child depicted by the Black Madonna are descended from the image worshipped by the druids of the Virgin forever giving birth. This image is not merely a representation of maternal love--albeit of a spiritual nature. It is a theological notion of great refinement: the Virgin gives birth ceaselessly to a world, a God, and a humanity in perpetual becoming.
It's not just another sex-abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis. It's worse. A lot worse. ...When Adelia Morton discovers evidence of sexual abuse committed by a local priest, she acts quickly, but not quickly enough. ...When Robert Mallory investigates what has happened, he discovers something he didn't expect. ...When Fr. Michael Reilly is accused, he settles on an unorthodox response. It begins with a strange confession one Saturday morning and before it concludes more than just the ten commandments are broken.
"Catherine Doherty's primary message to seminarians is the need for holiness, which will light fires in people. Prayer is requisite; next are approachability and accessibility." -- Catholic Transcript "Urges seminarians to prepare to fill the need for spiritual direction and for teaching the beauty and fullness of God. -- Catholic Messenger
An award-winning journalist transforms his lifelong fascination with the world of the Gypsies into fiction with this exuberant, deeply enchanting debut novel—both whimsical and suspenseful—winner of the European Book Prize, and translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. November 1957: As Communism spreads across Eastern Europe, strange events are beginning to upend daily life in Baia Luna, a tiny village nestled at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. As the Soviets race to reach the moon and Sputnik soars overhead, fifteen-year-old Pavel Botev attends the small village school with the other children. Their sole teacher, the mysterious and once beautiful Angela Barbulescu, was sent by the Ministry of Education, and while it is suspected that she has lived a highly cultured life, much of her past remains hidden. But one day, after asking Pavel to help hang a photo of the new party secretary, she whispers a startling directive in his ear: “Send this man straight to hell! Exterminate him!” By the next morning, she has disappeared. With little more to go on than the gossip and rumors swirling through his grandfather Ilja’s tavern, Pavel finds curiosity overcoming his fear when suddenly the village’s sacred Madonna statue is stolen and the priest Johannes Baptiste is found brutally murdered in the rectory. Aided by the Gypsy girl Buba and her eccentric uncle, Dimitru Gabor, Pavel’s search for answers leads him far from the innocent concerns of childhood and into the frontiers of a new world, changing his life forever.
Born in Victoria, Fr John Wallis (1910-2001), Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Hobart, founded the Australian Religious Order, the Missionary Sisters of Service, in Tasmania, in 1944. The Sisters were to be available to go into the highways and byways; and flexible to meet the pastoral needs of isolated communities throughout Australia. This series of letters to John's parents and family gives us a rare and precious insight into his life as a seminarian and young priest. They also reflect a growing development of his piety and spiritualty, where seeds were sown that would develop into his deep concern for people, especially the poor and the marginalised in rural and outback areas of Australia, and for ways to meet their pastoral and social needs. The letters have been arranged in ten chapters, with a general introduction about that period in John's life. Each letter itself has a commentary that contextualises the letter, providing biographical and other details that make the entire series come to life, tracing his experiences, development, misgivings and plans. They anticipate his enthusiasm for the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council and played such a part in his priestly ministry. The series of letters in each chapter close with insightful reflections from eminent Australians who consider John's character and spiritual growth as well as applying his insights into contemporary Church life in Australia. 'Bernadette Wallis has provided the contemporary reader with a lovingly familiar insight into the development and vision of one of Australia's great pioneer priests...' Fr Frank Brennan SJ
The earth is weeping...How can we heal it? The heavy treads of our modern machinery pound the earth into submission--our society has become expert at efficiently taking from the earth, but what do we give the earth in return? Is this the proper stewardship of the earth that God has entrusted us with? * Concerns are growing about genetically engineered "superfood" and harmful pesticide use. * The current panic over "Mad Cow" and "Foot and Mouth" diseases are a chilling example of the price which we may all pay for our livestock being fed with the cheapest feed instead of what is proper and nutritious. In this remarkably prophetic work, Catherine Doherty helps shed some light on these important issues, with practical, down-to-earth guidance for farmers everywhere--whether you are a backyard gardener or industry professional.
