Category Archives: Catholic Doctrine

Venerable Bede on Purgatory

By | November 15, 2022

The Venerable Bede died in 735. His tomb is at Durham Cathedral in England, currently an Anglican Cathedral. They sell the book of his History of the Church in England at their bookstore. Ironically, it contains a rather vivid description of purgatory, although the term “purgatory” did not yet exist when it was written. Here… Read More »

Books about the Immaculate Conception from the 17th Century (in Latin, of course)

By | September 17, 2021

You might expect I’m going to link to full texts of some of these classics. De Immaculata Beatae Virginis Conceptione ab omni originali peccato immuni Libri Quatuor, dicati sacrae maiestati Philippi 3 Hispaniarum regis by Aegidius a Presentatione. 1617. Translation: On the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Immune from all Original Sin. Horizon Marianus… Read More »

The Holy Ways of the Cross

By | September 17, 2013

Full Title: The Holy Ways of the Cross; or A Short Treatise on the Various Trials and Afflictions, Interior and Exterior, to which the Spiritual Life is Subject, and the Means of Making a Good Use Thereof. Author: Henri-Marie Boudon Year Published: 1875 Link to complete book: Holy Ways of the Cross Link to PDF

Sunday Shopping

By | November 11, 2012

I think this is one of those cases where the teaching never changed but everyone forgot it. I still hold to the “no Sunday shopping except in case of necessities” because it just makes sense. If we shop on Sunday unnecessarily, we encourage stores to be open, etc. It’s actually not that big of a… Read More »

Ven. Fulton J. Sheen and Purgatory

By | September 16, 2012

I recently wrote an article about the thoughts of Ven. Fulton J. Sheen on the subject of Purgatory. Here is a paragraph from his book The Moral Universe: A Preface to Christian Living. Three possible states await a soul after death: a state of perfect Love without suffering which is heaven; a state of suffering… Read More »

Vollert on Mary and the Church

By | August 12, 2012

“But she was redeemed quite otherwise than the rest of men; she was preserved form contracting the sin of nature. She was redeemed apart, and therefore placed apart. Her fullness of grace, which grew in her all her life, was not dependent on the Church, but has its explanation in her divine maternity, its rule… Read More »

Cardinal Lambruschini’s Defense of the Immaculate Conception

By | July 24, 2012

There are many classic Mariological works online, and some of them are even in English! This one is a defense written about 12 years prior to the Dogma, defending the teaching of the Immaculate Conception. This English translation is from 1855, one year after the dogma was declared. A Polemical Treatise on the Immaculate Conception… Read More »

The Interior Life

By | July 15, 2012

Why didn’t somebody tell me? Well, somebody has now, and I have discovered a rather important find in the world of books on the Spiritual Life. In fact, it’s such a classic that the whole thing is out on the Internet: The Three Ages of the Interior Life by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. Now, the title… Read More »

More Books about the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Latin Language

By | August 21, 2011

It’s amazing how many books about the Blessed Virgin Mary are available free online to either read or download. Here are more classic examples of Mariology. Mariale of Bl. Bernadine of Busti, O.F.M. (1511) Psalterium divae Virginis Mariae rhythmice conscriptum by Stephanus (Cantuarensis) (1579) Theotocodia sive parthenodia opus eximium in laudem deiparae Virginis by Tito… Read More »

The Second Ark of the Covenant

By | July 3, 2011

“When the Lord spoke to Moses about the model of the divine sanctuary, He spoke first of all about the Ark of the Covenant; so the first creature predestined to exist was the Most Blessed Virgin, who would become a living Ark containing God.” — St. Lawrence of Brindisi translated by moi with the help… Read More »

William of Ware

By | June 30, 2011

Yes, I’m back at the Marian Library. I’m learning plenty of information about the Blessed Virgin Mary — things that are worth learning. Right now in one of my classes we are going over the history of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. One of the figures in this history is William of Ware. He… Read More »