On the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

St. Robert Bellarmine was one of the best known of the Counter-Reformation theologians by both friend and foe. His apologetic writings were the most widely read treatises on theological subjects during the 17th century, and they also brought numerous conversions to the Catholic faith. Now for the first time, St. Robert's amazing treatises are available to you in English! In this treatise on the Sacrifice of the Mass, St. Robert divides his work into two topics: That the Mass is a Sacrifice, and secondly, the nature of that Sacrifice, namely that the Mass is propitiatory, beneficial to others, and that the ceremonies of the Mass are ancient and pleasing to God. St. Robert takes the fight to the Protestants on their own ground, defending the Mass from Scripture and how the Church Fathers understood it. Then he argues from the consensus of Greek and Latin Fathers and the whole history of the Church to defend the Mass as a sacrifice instituted by Christ Himself. "St. Robert Bellarmine is a masterful defender of the Catholic faith, a prince of apologists. The controversy over whether the Holy Mass is a true and proper sacrifice was--and is--among the most hotly debated questions dividing Catholics and Protestants. Bellarmine's almost unbelievable erudition is on full display as he thoroughly proves the Catholic doctrine by marshaling arguments from Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and human reason. But the real thrill for lovers and scholars of liturgy comes in his defense of the various prayers and ceremonies of the Roman Rite of Mass. Here is a commentary on the Tridentine Mass by one of the greatest theologians of the Tridentine era." --Dr. John Joy, President of the St. Albert the Great Center for Scholastic Studies "St. Robert Bellarmine, in this section of the De Controversiis, provides the reader with an unparalleled defense of the Catholic theology of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Many of objections raised and refuted by St. Robert are still applicable today amidst the various theological speculations of our times. Steeped in the tradition of the Church, this text addresses many aspects of the theology of the Mass in a depth not seen in writings of modern authors. The timeliness of the book is evident in our current historical context as many priests and faithful are taking a fresh look at the ancient rite of Mass." --Fr. Chad Ripperger, SMD "For five years in Chablais, I preached with no books other than the Bible, and the Great Bellarmine."--St. Francis de Sales

Religion & Spirituality

Bellarmine, St. Robert

Christian Books & Bibles

Mediatrix Press

Every great religious order runs into difficulties, and God provides a saint to redress them. Where would the Benedictines be without St. Maurus, the Franciscans without St. Bonaventure, or the Dominicans without Blessed Jordan? Likewise, where would the Poor Clares be without St. Colette? 
Colette of Corbie was born in one of the most turbulent times in the Church, the 14th century. She moved within the world of the Western Schism, having interacted with many of the great figures of her day, men as diverse as the anti-Pope Pedro de Luna, Pope Martin V, and St. John Capistrano. She was also active during the close of the Hundred Years' War between France and England and was a contemporary of St. Joan of Arc. But her most enduring legacy is her reform of the Second Order of St. Francis, the Poor Clares. 
Mother Mary Francis tells the amazing story of this great saint, whose life was filled with miracles, who defeated the devil with humility, prayer and trust in God. She writes Colette's life with flowing prose that connects her to the great and dramatic events of her time, while at every turn bringing out the work of God in her soul. Saint Colette is a saint to know better, who along with others in laboring in the troubled vineyard of the 15th century, did so much to heal and reform the Church.

Walled in Light: The Life of St. Colette

Arts & Photography

Francis, Mother Mary

History & Criticism

Blessed Elizabeth Canori Mora: Mother & Mystic

Parenting & Relationships

Herbert, Mary Elizabeth

Family Relationships

St. Alphonsus Liguori's Moral Theology has long been praised and held in the highest regard by the Church, covering every moral question of his day. This first ever English translation features book 4 of the Theologia Moralis, on The First through Sixth Commandments. These will cover topics as broad as the sin of divination, worshiping demons, blasphemy, oaths, vows, and when they are binding; when you must go to Mass and abstain from work, as well as considerations on the fourth commandment in regard to obedience, the fifth in terms of murder, just war and abortion, and in the 6th, adultery and the various sins against chastity. The famous theologian Reginald Garrigou Lagrange, O.P. declared: "[The Casuistic method] was inefficacious in urging men to lead good lives, [and] tends to laxism. ... But during this period there appeared a man, sent by God, to remedy the evils of casuistry. This man was St. Alphonsus Liguori, doctor of the Church, founder of the Redemptorists, renowned author of many works, ascetic and moral, highly praised by various popes. He is rather practical than speculative. As founder of aequiprobabilism, he cleansed casuistry from the defects of probabilism and laxism." Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange Beatitude, c. II, p. 13. "One of St. Alphonsus' names is Doctor Moralis, the moral doctor. This name is deserved for three reasons: 1) his work Theologia Moralis, translated into English here for the first time, as well as various other works, treated moral theology with a thoroughness like no other work of a prior saint. 2) St. Alphonsus was a true scholar by mastering virtually all contributors in the field of moral theology up to his own time. Like St. Thomas who was known for his synthesis of theology in general, St. Alphonsus is clearly a master of synthesizing the various moral authors throughout time. ... 3) He addressed moral problems that had not been addressed by St. Thomas himself or other authors. ... St. Alphonsus provides a thoroughness to moral theology which is very much needed today, in which approaches are often not based upon reality, the natural law, or sound reasoning." Fr. Chad Ripperger, PhD Mediatrix Press is pleased to bring you the first English Translation of this excellent work, once widely read but relegated to obscurity on account of the loss of Latin fluency in Western Society. Volume 1 embraces the first three Books of Alphonsus' Moral Theology.

Moral Theology Volume II: Book IVa: On the 1st-6th Commandments (Theologia Moralis)

Liguori C.SS.R, St. Alphonsus

The Franciscan Way of the Cross is a shorter meditation on the Way of Christ to Calvary. The devotion itself largely goes back to St. Francis, while the prayers and meditations contained here were written in the 16th century and have been used by Franciscans when preaching missions. Newly translated to be as close to the Latin as possible, this way of the Cross will help draw you in to the mystery of Christ's passion. 
Being in Latin and English, it gives the devotee options as to how he will pray it. In addition, the Seven Joys of Mary, which make up the Franciscan Crown or Seraphic Rosary have also been added, with the mysteries and prayers likewise in both Latin and English. Since the devotion of the Way of the Cross originated with the Franciscans, it is fitting to offer this work to draw the devotee back to the source of this devotion.

The Franciscan Way of the Cross: Latin - English

Of Assisi, St. Francis

The Life of St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis de Sales said, that while many saints should be imitated, some of the saints are to be admired more than imitated. The life of St. Francis gives us some of both. On the one hand, his extraordinary love of God, his humility, his penance, his charity, his prudence and his detachment from and loathing for the world, are all virtues that every Christian should seek to emulate throughout his life. On the other hand, his discernment of spirits, his miracles, his extraordinary fasting and mortification of his body, his ecstasies and the stigmata are all things God performed in St. Francis for our wonderment, to give glory to Him for what He brought about in his servant. We have provided a spiritual classic, Fr. Candide Challipe's Life of St. Francis, translated by the Oratorians of London into English. The value of Challipe's narrative, having compiled all of the sources available at the time of his writing (1700's) is that he balances the narrative between the two different elements which made Francis one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church. Challipe's work is not only a spiritual tour de force, but is also a great work of theology, as he unfolds the life of St. Francis with respect to the subsequent theology of the Church through St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas, The Council of Trent and St. Robert Bellarmine. He quotes frequently not only from the Franciscan sources, but also from the Holy Scripture, the Fathers, and the great Theologians of the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The important feature of the Mediatrix press edition is that in reprinting Chalippe's text, we have broken the work into chapters to make the work readable for modern audiences, while at the same time leaving it unabridged. It also contains works of art from the life of St. Francis cycle attributed to Giotto in Assisi. Check out this and more titles at www.mediatrixpress.com

Biographies & Memoirs

Chalippe OFM, Candide

Leaders & Notable People

"For three centuries, Canisius was regarded as the master of the Catholics of Germany and in the vernacular 'knowing Canisius' and 'keeping the Christian truth' were synonymous propositions." - Pope Leo XIII Among the Doctors of the Church, one of the leat known in spite of his importance for Catholic life today, is Peter Canisius, one of the first Jesuits.  Canisius lived in an age of upheaval, confusion, wide distrust of the hierarchy, and warfare between christian princes. Through his learning, zeal, holiness, and zeal, he more than anyone else preserved the Catholic faith in German and Switzerland. His voluminous writings, though nearly unknown today, would take up numerous shelves, his catechisms have been praised by Popes for centuries. This is the story, of an ordinary man called upon by God to work among the great men of his age, such as Philip Neri, Ignatius of Loyola, Charles Borromeo, Pius V, Francis de Sales, and countless others. The power of Reany's biography is that it is simple to read while at the same time interesting and enlightening.  About the Mediatrix Press Edition: This is not a facsimile reprint, it has been freshly OCRed from the 1931 original, and dutifully edited and corrected to the original. Mediatrix Press is devoted to bringing works back in print for the modern audience which have fallen by the wayside.

A Champion of the Church: The Life of St. Peter Canisius, S.J.

Reany D.D., Rev. William

When it comes to St. Thomas, one title comes to mind: The Summa Theologia (or rendered in English as Theologica). The Summa has indeed proved to be the most enduring work of the Angelic Doctor, but apart from a few of his treatises his other works are unknown. Thus, we are offering the whole of St. Thomas’ Opera Omnia in Latin. This is newly prepared edition of St. Thomas' commentary on St. Paul's epistles. It is not a facsimile reprint! This volume, embracing Romans, and 1st and 2nd Corinthians, features digraphs, double column texts which preserve the tradition yet are in easy to read font and spaced to preserve paragraph breaks. So if you are looking for St. Thomas in Latin, and you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars bidding on one volume at auction, try this beautiful, newly printed edition from Mediatrix press. About Mediatrix Press Mediatrix Press is devoted to bringing into print old devotional works, biographies of Saints, and works in Latin for lay and scholar alike. For more information, go to www.mediatrixpress.com

Commentaria in Epistolas Sancti Pauli Vol. I [Latin Edition]: Ad Romanos - Prima ad Corinthios - Secunda ad Corinthios (Opera Omnia S. Thomae Tomus XI)

Aquinatis, Thoma

When it comes to St. Thomas, one title comes to mind: The Summa Theologia (or rendered in English as Theologica). The Summa has indeed proved to be the most enduring work of the Angelic Doctor, but apart from a few of his treatises his other works are unknown. Thus, we are offering the whole of St. Thomas’ Opera Omnia in Latin. This is newly prepared edition of St. Thomas' commentary on St. Paul's epistles. It is not a facsimile reprint! This volume, embracing Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon and Hebrews, this text follows the traditional structure of scholastic works with features such as digraphs, double column texts which are in an easy to read font and spaced to preserve paragraph breaks. So if you are looking for St. Thomas in Latin, and you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars bidding on one volume at auction, try this beautiful, newly printed edition from Mediatrix press. This is Tomus XI, vol. 2 of the Mediatris Press Opera Omnia of St. Thomas. About Mediatrix Press Mediatrix Press is devoted to bringing into print old devotional works, biographies of Saints, and works in Latin for lay and scholar alike. For more information, go to www.mediatrixpress.com

Commentaria in Epistolas Sancti Pauli Vol. II [Latin Edition]: Ad Galatas - Ad Ephesios - Ad Philipenses - I et II Ad Thessalonicenses - I et II ad ... Ad Hebraeos (Opera Omnia S. Thomae Tomus XI)

St. Peter Canisius is perhaps the sole reason there is a Catholic Church in Germany, even today. Born in Holland, he was a law student and eventually a Canon of a Cathedral in Germany when he heard the preaching of St. Peter Faber, one of the first companions of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Immediately, Canisius knew his vocation and entered the Society of Jesus. Although he wasn't among the original companions of St. Ignatius, nevertheless, he was one of the first Jesuits, and the most famous.
Apart from laboring for the faith in Germanyand Switzerland, he was the first Jesuit toproduce any major theological works, and wrotethe first Catholic Catechism.
Surprisingly, in the 16 century the the Church had not yet produced a Catechism. She had not yet even produced her own edition of the Latin Bible. The Church was slow to pick up on the new technology of printing, and Protestants since the late 1520s, had already produced bibles, tracts and catechisms. Canisius, remarkably and single handedly, challenged and surpassed a generation of Protestant literary output in Germany, holding that just as truly as St. Francis Xavier converted so many in the East, it was a Catholic's duty to labor likewise for the faith in Europe. As we noted above, he produced the first Catholic Catechism. This was the Summa Doctrinae Christianae, (Summary of Christian Doctrine), which was a magnum opus in multiple volumes meant for clergy and laymen. He produced a second directed to young men, the Catechismus Minor (SmallerCatechism), which is an abridgment of the multivolume Summa Doctrinae Christianae. Later, he produced a third Catechism, the Parvus Catechismus Catholicorum (Small Catechism forCatholics) which makes up the present work. St.Peter Canisius produced this work for youngchildren between 9 and 14 years of age. Thisremains true of this translation, though certainlyadults could benefit from its clear presentationand faithfulness to Apostolic Tradition.
Therefore, the answers to the questions are more simple than in other Catechisms.This work has not been in English forseveral hundred years, and in that time therehave been other Catechisms, notably theBaltimore, which are familiar to Catholics. Intranslating from the Latin, I have taken greatcare to remain true to the exact formulation ofthe questions and answers, so as not to lose anyof the doctrinal content of the original. For common prayers such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, I have preserved the standard formCatholics use when praying these prayers. Thereis an appendix of scripture references whichsupport Catholic doctrine at the end of the workwithout any commentary, which Canisiusarranged for youths to memorize in order todefend the faith when challenged. For thesereferences I have used the Douay-Rheimsversion, in spite of its shortcomings with respectto modern English readability, because it is theclosest version to the vulgate, the basis forCansisius' work and the common point ofreference for both Catholics and Protestants atthat time.
This work may prove easier to understand and can work in tandem with other Catechisms, and additionally, was produced by a saint and doctor of the Church. Canisius' reach was so powerful through the centuries in Germany, that Pope Benedict XVI said “Still in my father’s generation, people called the catechism simply the Canisius: He is really the catechist of the centuries; he formed people’s faith for centuries.”
 This new translation, contains some beautiful artwork from the Netherlands, in honor of Canisius' birth place, and a foreword by Fr. Chad Ripperger, PhD.

A Small Catechism for Catholics

Canisius, St. Peter

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