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Catholic Thought and Catholic Action: Scenes from Australian Catholic Life
James Franklin
The Catholic quarter of the Australian population have been driven by a unique vision of how humans fit in God’s universe and of how objective ethics should inform individual and collective action. Following the command from Jesus to be witnesses “to the ends of the earth”, Australian Catholics have worked hard to reform their own souls and Australian society. This wide-ranging volume shows how core Catholic ideas have played out and motivated action across many fields of endeavour – remote area missions, virtuous rural communities, religious life, multicultural refugee programs, Labor politics, Magdalen laundries, Catholic philosophy. He brings to life the colourful characters behind the action, like F.X. Gsell, the “Bishop with 150 wives”, pugnacious immigration minister Arthur Calwell, fiery anti-Communist speaker Dr P.J. Ryan and ex-nun memoirist Cecilia Inglis. Saints and sinners, they transformed Australian society in directions it would not otherwise have moved.
Booktopia
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Carlo Acutis: The First Millennial Saint
Nicola Gori
Carlo Acutis, born 3 May 1991, fully embraced the gift of life. Known as a computer whiz, he also liked to play soccer, video games, and the saxophone. He enjoyed watching his favourite police dramas and making short films with his star cast of cats and dogs. He had many friends and enjoyed spending time with them. Yet Carlo was a little “different” at school, in the pizzerias, and on the soccer field. What set Carlo apart was his constant pursuit of holiness. In addition to his fun hobbies, he spent time teaching catechism classes and serving in soup kitchens. Carlo loved to attend daily Mass and frequent Eucharistic adoration. The Word of God and the Eucharist were the centre of his life. Carlo’s unwavering devotion to the Eucharist inspired him to tell the story of Eucharistic miracles through a Web site he created just for fun. He wanted to deepen his own knowledge of these phenomena, to strengthen his devotion to Jesus, and to invite others to grow in love for the Eucharist. The Web site subsequently caught the attention of people across the globe, introducing countless people to Eucharistic miracles. Carlo died from a sudden and violent illness in 2006 at the age of fifteen. In less than a decade, his story spread across Italy and around the world. After Pope Francis declared him venerable in 2018, his beatification was celebrated in Assisi on 10 October 2020. The next step will be canonisation, making him the first millennial saint.
Amazon
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How to be Happy: St Thomas’ Secret to a Good Life
Matt Fradd
Scott Hahn wrote the forward to the book and he observed: people don’t often associate medieval philosophy with the topic of happiness. People don’t often associate St Thomas Aquinas with the topic of happiness. But happiness was a pivotal aspect of his philosophy since everything hinged upon the realisation of our ultimate purpose, which is beatitude (or, happiness in God). With simplicity and insight, Matt Fradd sets out what St Thomas Aquinas meant by happiness and how it could be found. Since the search for happiness is a central preoccupation today, Fradd puts to bed some myths about what happiness is before introducing a man whose philosophy was truly wholesome and truly human. Fradd helps us see that Aquinas is relevant to us socially, psychologically, and most of all, relevant to the human heart. Matt Fradd is the creator and host of the Pints With Aquinas podcast.
Amazon
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Fatima Mysteries: Mary’s Message to the Modern Age
Grzegorz Gorny, Janusz Rosikon
The apparitions in 1917 of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, are perhaps the most important private revelations in the history of the Church. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of these important apparitions and messages for the modern world, renowned author-photographer team Grzegorz Górny and Janusz Rosikon traveled throughout Europe to tell the story of Fatima and its impact on the destiny of both individuals and nations. With stunningly beautiful four-colour photographs on every page, and in-depth detail and insights on all aspects of the story and message of Fatima, they probe the mysteries of Fatima and their continued relevance for our modern age.
Amazon
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The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught me to Trade my Dream of Perfect for God’s
Colleen Carrol Campbell
Colleen Carroll Campbell is an award-winning author and former presidential speechwriter and shares stories of struggle and compares them with those of seven saints who were once perfectionists themselves. Throughout, she shows us how to pursue a new kind of perfection: freedom in Christ.
Amazon
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Any Ordinary Day
Leigh Sales
Any Ordinary Day explores ‘what happens after the worst day of your life’. Award-winning Australian journalist and author Leigh Sales interviews people who have faced unimaginable tragedy, like Stuart Diver and Walter Mikac—people whose lives have been changed irrevocably on what was otherwise just an ordinary day.
Angus & Robertson
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Hatch Match & Dispatch: A Catholic Guide to Sacraments
Richard Leonard SJ
Written by best-selling author Richard Leonard SJ, this book expands on the meaning of the sacraments in everyday Catholic lives by questioning why they are so essential. He additionally explores the myriad of possibilities they offer in providing a pathway to developing our Christian lives.
Amazon
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God through Binoculars: A Hitchhiker at a Monastery
Danushka Goska
At a very low point in her life, the author decides to ‘take her problems to God and ask for guidance’ through a week-long silent retreat at a monastery in Virginia. The experience, she finds, doesn’t exactly provide the consolations or answers she is looking for, but rather sparks a series of unexpectedly satisfying meditations on nature, love, friendship and faith.
Amazon
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Food for the Highways and Byways: Commemorating 75 years of the Missionary Sisters of Service
Missionary Sisters of Service
Food for the Highways and Byways is a commemorative cookbook that celebrates 75 years of the Missionary Sisters of Service. It is full of recipes—35 in total for you to try at home and contains an array of photographs showcasing the sisters’ work over 75 years. The cookbook is available below to download now.
Download
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God is Good for You: A Defence of Christianity in Troubled Times
Greg Sheridan
Greg Sheridan’s God is Good for You: A Defence of Christianity in Troubled Times is an intellectually engaging and emotionally moving reflection on Christian faith and its place in Western societies. In this book, Sheridan attempts to present what he regards as the best aspects of Christianity: the reasonable elements of what Christians believe, the benefits and virtues of Christian living, and Christianity’s historical contribution to Western and global culture.
Amazon
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Forty Reasons Why I am a Catholic
Peter Kreeft
A great choice as a gift for someone who is curious about the Faith or just starting to question their atheism, Forty Reasons Why I am a Catholic provides the reader with a glimpse of universality, beauty, mystery and the adventure of Catholicism. It offers a simplified approach to communicating the value of Catholic theological nuances everyday people can not only digest but also see value for their own lives.
Amazon
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Just whatever: How to help the spiritually indifferent find beliefs that really matter
Matt Nelson
Just whatever breaks down the blocks of religious indifference, offering readers a look into the three types of indifference we encounter with those around us, and even within ourselves to understand where they are coming from and what makes this attitude enticing. To counter these, author Matt Nelson offers a gripping vision for where authentic truth and authority have their place.
Amazon
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Humility rules: Saint Benedict’s 12-step guide to genuine self-esteem
J Augustine Wetta OSB
The number of self-help books published each year is staggering. Humility Rules is a kind of antidote, in that it demonstrates the value in seeking the forgotten virtue of humility as a route to true fulfilment in life. Written by Benedictine monk J Augustine Wetta, Br Augustine engages the reader with humour and offers opportunities to be involved in tasks aimed at helping the reader implement his advice.
Amazon
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100 books to read before the four last things: The essential guide to Catholic spiritual classics
Marie I George
Providing fewer excuses to start our own spiritual reading program, Marie George takes the hard work out by surveying one hundred books for her readers ranging from St Augustine’s Confessions to Come be my light by St Teresa of Calcutta; to the work of authors such as St Teresa of Ávila and St John Vianney. Designed for browsing, reading or referencing, 100 books will help you choose books suited to your situation and stage of spiritual development.
Amazon
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Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
Sherry A Waddell
How can we transmit a personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus, and following him as his disciples. We must first be evangelised - Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship is at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter into a relationship with God. Learn how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the great story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and more.
Amazon
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