Books

The 1917 Code of Canon Law is a critical tool for Catholics during the current crisis, as it is the code actually still in force and by which we must live, since John Paul II's heretical 1983 code must be rejected as null and void. (This is our conviction at Biblical Foundations International, not the conviction of the publisher or the translator of this edition.) Available for the first time in a lucid and comprehensive English translation, this thoroughly annotated but easy-to-use edition of the 1917 Code, featuring detailed references to such key canonical works as Canon Law Digest and hundreds of English language doctoral dissertations on canon law produced at the world's great Catholic universities, make this a must-have reference work no Catholic can afford to be without.

714 pp Impr. Compiled under the direction of St. Charles Borromeo and recognized as the most authoritative Catholic catechism. Leo XIII recommended two books-- the Summa and this Catechism--for all seminarians! Universally hailed as the most important Catholic Catechism. Originally designed to supply parish priest with an official book of instruction, it has been used extensively by the laity as a steadying guide in our confused age.

Child’s Bible History, by the Most. Rev. F. J. Knecht, D.D. Start your young child early mastering the main story line of the Bible. Suitable for grades K-6, Bishop Knecht’s 87-page book has 43 illustrations and 28 stories covering the history of the Old Testament 39 covering the history of the New Testament. Reading a chapter a day to your child takes less than 5 minutes – and will probably be a good refresher course for the parent, too! Copyright 1936, Imprimatur. Paperback, $7.00.

From the beginning to 1940. Written for both students and adults. The author intersperses the history with many brief, interesting biographies of famous people, and at the end of each chapter he quotes briefly from a famous writing of the era, blending a medley of elements into a comprehensive historical composition that is at once brilliant and fascinating. A story of the Church unparalleled in its scope, depth, variety and impact, and a book all Catholics should read.

The Church’s Year, by Father Leonard Goffine. This classic work (first published in 1880) carries the recommendations of many 19th-century bishops. Fr. Goffine provides the Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gospel, and other prayers for every Sunday and Holy Day (and many other days as well, such as the all the weekdays of Lent, as well as all the feast days of the saints, together with extensive commentaries on the Scripture readings and catechisms on all the liturgical seasons and all the doctrines touched upon in the readings or in the theme for that day, and much, much more. The final 40 pages of this 791-page book provide a complete explanation of the Mass and all its parts; show in parallel columns how the 37 ceremonial parts of the Mass parallel Our Lord’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, and pouring out on Pentecost the gift of the Holy Spirit; furnish a multi-page “Manner of Following the Mass at Home” (pages of prayers that unite one to whatever true Mass is taking place elsewhere when one cannot get to Mass – invaluable in this day when many, like the Catholic recusants during the English Reformation, have no true and legal Mass they can get to); a “Pilgrimage to the Holy Land” (with map), and more! “Every member of my family has his or her own copy, and our family uses them on Sundays, holy days, and sometimes other days as well for our family worship. If every family did the same, the remnant Church would be mighty in our day! Indispensable and life-changing!” (Gerry Matatics) Hardcover. $38.

College Apologetics: Proof of the Truth of the Catholic Faith, by Fr. Anthony F. Alexander. Classic textbook (Imprimatur, 1954) takes you logically, step by step, through a) the case for theism: the existence of God, the existence of the human soul, the necessity of revealed religion, b) the case for Christianity: the trustworthiness of the Gospels, the deity, miracles, and resurrection of Christ, and c) the case for Catholicism: the four marks of Christ’s one true Church, its infallibility, etc.. 21 chapters, 249 pages, numerous charts and tables. Easy enough for a high school student, yet challenging enough for a graduate student. (Gerry used it when he taught apologetics at a traditional Catholic seminary for three years.) Paperback. $15.

This book includes the true meaning of Inspiration, guidelines to understanding the Bible and the Chuch's role as the Bible's official interpreter. Also gives an introduction to each of the Bible's 72 books, with well-chosen Scriptural passages from most of the books that render a representative example of what they are like and about. First published in 1932, it is nevertheless not dated; the information contained here remains as valid as the traditional Catholic teaching it presents.

By Rev. Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp. Details the contrast between the Church's social teachings and organized naturalism, which is Freemasonry and other groups working to make what is now called "Secular Humanism" the dominant ideology ruling the world. 142 pp. Softcover.

Leo XIII was prophesied by Malachy as "a light in the heavens." 30 of his greatest encyclicals on Freemasonry, Christian Marriage, etc. Reads like chapters of one mighty book! Sheds the light of Faith on virtually all major problems we face today. Belongs in every Catholic home. Impr. 580 pgs, PB

The Liturgical Year, by Dom Prosper Gueranger, OSB. One of the greatest masterpieces of Catholic literature ever produced. A day by day commentary on all the days of the Church’s liturgical year, incorporating a complete education in Sacred Scripture, Catholic theology and morals, Church history and the lives of the saints, liturgical science, ascetical and mystical theology, and much, much more! Because each volume contains the ordinary of the Mass as well as the Propers, it can be used as one’s missal, and many do exactly that. One of Gerry’s ten favorite works of all time, worth its weight in gold. 15 hardback volumes. A steal at only $160. (The other publisher charges $219!)

A reprint of Jone's classic 18th English edition. A handbook for the busy priest that will boggle the mind with its organization, thoroughness and detail. Hand pocket size. Every priest should have Jone at his fingertips. There is no other book like it! Impr. 610 pgs, PB

300 questions and answers on all aspects of the Faith. Excellent basic class text and short summary of Catholic teaching for everyone. Easy to read, won't overwhelm the prospective convert! Great for missionary work or apologetics. Impr. 72 pgs, PB

16 key encyclicals condemning religious liberty, Freemasonry, ecumenism, separation of Church and state, modernism, liberalism, the New World Order,the twin economic errors (both philosophically materialist) of socialism or Communism on the one hand and international finance laissez-faire capitalism on the other, and much more. In 1789, the French Revolution launched a host of religious, political and social errors which the Popes for over 160 years wrote and legislated against. Yet most of these errors have today filtered down to the common man, with the result that most people now take for granted many fundamental assumptions that are positively false -- and these errors are all promoted by Vatican II! But almost from the beginning of these errors, the Popes spoke out as with one voice, inveighing against them. 367 pgs, paperback.

Here are the classic reasons why the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura ("Scripture Alone") is absolutely wrong, is unscriptural, man-made and prevents Protestants from ever having a firm doctrinal foundation. The book shows that Christ gave us, not only Sacred Scripture, but also Tradition and the teaching authority of His Church, and that Scripture itself states that it is insufficient of itself, calling the Church and not the Bible "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim 3:15). 72 pp, paperback.

This is the only English edition (issued in 1957) of Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum et Definitionum, first published under Pope Pius IX and updated periodically. An anthology of authoritative Church pronouncements on doctrine, arranged in chronological order from the first century through the pontificate of Pius XII. It cites creeds, canons and decrees of general councils, papal pronouncements, decrees of the Holy Office and other Roman congregations, etc. Includes general, scriptural, and topical indices. 820 pages, hardbound.

Thirty-one sobering, soul-stirring meditations on the majesty of God, our finitude and creaturely dependence upon Him, the shamefulness of sin, the unavoidable and stark reality of the Four Last Things (Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell), the heart-rending Passion of Our Lord, and much more -- all calculated to convict and convert you to abandon all sin and live a strict Catholic life like nothing you've ever read. Gerry has twice read this enormously edifying book out loud to his family during Lent and Advent, and suggests you could read it through every month (one meditation a day) with life-changing benefit. Bishop Challoner (1691-1781) was the 18th-century reviser of the Douay-Rheims Bible during the penal times in England (when it was a crime to publicly dress and function as a Catholic clergyman). By Bishop Richard Challoner.157 pp, paperback.

This unique synopsis of the Summa Theologica is a complete, chapter-by-chapter restatement of St. Thomas' work, intended to expose readers to the totality of St. Thomas' thought and yet be brief enough to fit into one volume. Author of eleven other books on philosophy, Msgr. Glenn brings to this work--by far his greatest--a lifetime of teaching and writing experience. A masterpiece in its own right.