Padre Pio was born in a rural, farming village. He entered a Franciscan order centered on harsh penance and radical poverty. He lived more than fifty years in a mountain hermitage. And yet, everyone has heard his name. But few know who Padre Pio truly was. In his latest work, Bret Thoman has pierced the life of Padre Pio in a novel way: through a pilgrimage to all eleven Capuchin friaries and sites where the stigmatic saint lived. With Pietrelcina as his base, Thoman sets out each morning to the "Convents of Padre Pio." He accompanies the reader into these special places with captivating ...

My title explains itself. But it's misleading. There are more than 40 reasons. Each of my reasons is an independent point, so I have not organized this book by a succession of chapters or headings. After all, most people only remember a few big ideas or separate points after reading or listening to a book. I've never heard anyone say "Oh, that was a good continuous-process-of-logically-ordered-argumentation" but I've often heard people say, "Oh, that was a good point." And back to my main point: "Why are you a Catholic?" is a good question. A good question deserves a good answer.

For the first time ever, Archbishop Fulton Sheen's complete writings and reflections on Christ's last words have been compiled into this one book. Sheen shows how the seven words are, in fact, a full catechism on the spiritual life. From them, you'll learn the secrets to living the Beatitudes, ways to avoid the deadly vices of anger, envy, lust, and pride, and how to cultivate the heavenly virtues of fortitude, prudence, justice, and charity.

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina is perhaps the single most extraordinary saint in the modern history of the Catholic Church. His heart was pierced. He carried the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet, and side for half a century. He communicated with his spiritual sons and daughters through bilocation and mystical perfume. He read the souls of his penitents. He offered his suffering so that others might be healed. He built one of the most significant hospitals in Southern Italy. Most importantly, Padre Pio wanted others to be redeemed. In Bret Thoman’s latest book, he has created a fresh, new ...

Lucia Fiorentino (1889-1934) lived a hidden but extraordinary life. She was one of the earliest spiritual daughters of Padre Pio. She was also a mystic, victim soul, and recipient of numerous charisms, such as visions and locutions. In 1906, she had a vision of an immense tree planted near the Capuchin friary in her native village of San Giovanni Rotondo. Then she heard a voice: “This is the symbol of a soul who is now far away but will come here. He will be strong and well-rooted like this tree and will cover the entire world with its umbrage.” When Padre Pio arrived in 1916, she ...

Fr. Stanley Rother was true to his word. He did not run. And was martyred at the age of 46. Fr. Stanley arrived in Guatemala in 1968, and immediately identified with his parishioners' simple, farming lifestyle. He learned their languages, prepared them for the Sacraments, and cared for their needs. Fr. Stanley had found his heart's calling. In early 1981, his name was on a death list, so he returned to Oklahoma and was warned not to return. But he could not abandon his people, so he went back, and made the ultimate sacrifice for his faith.

Adolfo Affatato is one of the last living spiritual sons of St. Pio of Pietrelcina. Recently translated into English, “Padre Pio and I” is the culmination of what he witnessed as he sat by the saint’s side for sixteen years. This is not a typical biography by a journalist, friar, or academic; instead, the author presents “the Padre” intimately and personally -- as a father figure who tenderly guided and directed him. This book is filled with riveting new accounts of the mystical side of Padre Pio: from the moment Affatato was called by name by Padre Pio out of a crowd to Padre ...

Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a prominent Catholic, writer, social activist, and cofounder of a movement dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. Her life has been revealed through her own writings as well as the work of historians, theologians, and academics. What has been missing until now is a more personal account from the point of view of someone who knew her well.

"We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing is more profitable." On Loving God is first a touching description of God's love for us as unmistakenly demonstrated in the death of His Son. Second, it is a call for us to joyfully respond to God like the child who runs and embraces her father whose love is sure. As St. Bernard writes, "They love all the more because they know themselves to be loved so exceedingly."

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was a British writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary critic. Chesterton wrote around 80 books, several hundred poems, some 200 short stories, several plays, plus 4,000 essays and newspaper columns. He was a columnist for the Daily News and The Illustrated London News.