As in Europe, secular nation building in Latin America challenged the traditional authority of the Roman Catholic Church in the early twentieth century. In response, Catholic social and political movements sought to contest state-led secularisation and provide an answer to the 'social question', the complex set of problems associated with urbanisation, industrialisation, and poverty. As Catholics mobilised against the secular threat, they also struggled with each other to define the proper role of the Church in the public sphere. This study utilizes recently opened files at the Vatican pertaining to Mexico's post-revolutionary Church-state conflict known as the Cristero Rebellion (1926-1929). However, looking beyond Mexico's exceptional case, the work employs a transnational framework, enabling a better understanding of the supranational relationship between Latin American Catholic activists and the Vatican. To capture this world historical context, Andes compares Mexico to Chile's own experience of religious conflict. Unlike past scholarship, which has focused almost exclusively on local conditions, Andes seeks to answer how diverse national visions of Catholicism responded to papal attempts to centralize its authority and universalize Church practices worldwide. The Politics of Transnational Catholicism applies research on the interwar papacy, which is almost exclusively European in outlook, to a Latin American context. The national cases presented illuminate how Catholicism shaped public life in Latin America as the Vatican sought to define Catholic participation in Mexican and Chilean national politics. It reveals that Catholic activism directly influenced the development of new political movements such as Christian Democracy, which remained central to political life in the region for the remainder of the twentieth century.

In Orthodoxy, Gilbert K. Chesterton explains how and why he came to believe in Christianity and more specifically the Catholic Church's brand of orthodoxy. In the book, Chesterton takes the spiritually curious reader on an intellectual quest. While looking for the meaning of life, he finds truth that uniquely fulfills human needs. This is the truth revealed in Christianity. Chesterton likens this discovery to a man setting off from the south coast of England, journeying for many days, only to arrive at Brighton, the point he originally left from. Such a man, he proposes, would see the wondrous place he grew up in with newly appreciative eyes. This is a common theme in Chesterton's works, and one which he gave fictional embodiment to in Manalive. A truly lively and enlightening book!

Now revised to reflect the many changes in our society, around the world, and in the church, this volume provides basic introductory information about the edition of Catholic social teaching, giving a concise overview of what the major documents of the tradition say about political, economic, and social life. Laced throughout with references to the actual documents, the volume puts into accessible language the key ideas that the church has proclaimed in the are of social teaching.

Grouped by topics, the questions represent the most common inquiries the typical Catholic asks about the church's teaching. The answers are brief, accurate responses based on the important official documents of the church. While the book can be read easily in a sitting or two, the format also permits the reader to check on a single topic or idea for quick reference. Ideal for personal education, the book is also suitable for adult formation, discussion, and reflection.

Now in Hardcover Available September 2013

"The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology " is undoubtedly the finest, most comprehensive and best respected one volume treatise on the spiritual life ever written.
Clear, thorough, easy to read, orthodox, authoritative, beautifully organized, logically developed, lively and practical, the book covers the whole field of spirituality.
Based on Sacred Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, especially St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as other great Saints and spiritual writers of all ages. Impr.

The publication of the apostolic letter Ex Corde Ecclesiae on August 15, 1990, began a new chapter in American Catholic higher education. During the decade from 1991 to 2001, the Implementation Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops worked to apply the apostolic letter to the educational circumstances of the United States. The committee of bishops was assisted by the participation of eight presidents of Catholic colleges or universities and several other resource persons. In addition, theologians, canon lawyers, leaders of religious communities, and leaders of Catholic learned societies were asked to respond, year after year, on the issues and on various drafts of the "Application." Alice Gallin, O.S.U., a leader in American Catholic higher education, served as a resource person on the committee and attended nearly all of its meetings. In this book she presents a documentary history of the committee: a set of the principal documents produced by the committee or presented to it as significant material for its deliberations. Gallin's introductory essay provides a measured description of the events in the life of the committee as it moved through the long and complex process. The documents relevant to that process are found in this reference volume.

The Vision of Catholic Social Thought traces the emergence of solidarity and human rights as critical theological and philosophical pillars of the anthropology and ethics foundational to the development of Catholic social teaching. Meghan J. Clark argues that the integration of human rights and the virtue of solidarity at the root of the Catholic social tradition are the unique contributions Catholic thought makes to contemporary debates in ethics, political and philosophical theory. Building upon the historical framework of the development of Catholic social thought, drawing deeply from the papal encyclical tradition and the theological and ethical developments of Vatican II, Clark forwards a constructive vision of virtue and social practice, applying this critical question of human rights on the international stage.

What draws--and binds--thoughtful, educated people to a Church so often criticized by outsiders (and even members) as "authoritarian" or "out of step with the times?" This collection of personal accounts answers that question in diverse, fascinating, and deeply moving ways. Novelist William Kienzle discusses his years in the seminary, explaining why he eventually left the priesthood--but not the Church. Kathleen Howley reveals how God replaced alcohol in her life, and why the traditional Latin Mass holds so much more appeal than the folk Masses of her youth. Former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn compares his feelings for the Church with his lifelong belief in "team loyalty." Jon Hassler vividly recalls two very different childhood friends--and the attractions of both evil and goodness. These writers, and numerous others, offer a remarkable portrait of today?s Catholic Church, creating a new understanding of how its presence has endured for nearly two thousand years, and why it continues to thrive.