FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, Doors to the Sacred has endured as an indispensable account of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Used in hundreds of university and seminary courses and full of critical acclaim, it details their historical and cultural evolution and the rituals and practices associated with them. This Vatican II Golden Anniversary Edition explains the liturgical changes found in The Roman Missal, Third Edition, and provides extensive resources for students and seekers alike, including:

A visual timeline of people, events, and sacramental changes in Church history

A glossary of philosophical and theological terms

An updated annotated bibliography for further reading

An improved design for easier reading and reference

What are the sacraments, really?

For centuries, the religious lives of Catholics and other Christians have revolved around church rituals with generally accepted individual and social effects. What, precisely, are those effects, and how are they produced? Traditional theology used Greek philosophy to understand the sacraments and how they work. But is there no other way to understand them? In fact, there are a number of ways, and this book invites you to look at the sacraments through a variety of lenses: psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, theology, morality, and spirituality.

As the introduction to this volume challenges, If you read this book, and especially if you engage in the interactive study to which it invites you, your understanding of sacraments will be changed forever."

To help personalize your investigation, the author has created a web site with thought-provoking questions that encourage you to interact with the ideas being proposed in this volume. To engage these topics more deeply, see www.TheSacraments.org.

"Joseph Martos is author of "Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church," which for more than a quarter of a century has been the most widely read book on the subject. Recently retired from full-time teaching, he has been a visiting professor in universities and theology schools in Canada and Australia as well as around the United States.""

Richard Rohrs bestselling "From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality" is now available in Spanish. "Men," Richard Rohr writes, "are longing for believable mentors at every stage of the male journey." A masculine spirituality, he writes, would emphasize movement over stillness, action over theory, service to the world over religious discussions, speaking the truth over social niceties, and doing justice instead of self-serving "charity."

Many people believe that the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on marriage is clear and consistent: marriage is a sacrament, the marriage contract is indissoluble, divorce and remarriage are forbidden.
In this book, theologians, historians, and sociologists overhaul the church's teaching and practice on divorce and remarriage, as well as personal testimonies from a number of persons who have gone through the annulment process.
'A real joy...full of wisdom... will be most helpful to Catholic individuals and families who have suffered the trauma of marital breakdown... (they) will find comfort in this book' Sociology of Religion

Patriarchal ideals have long played a major role, even decisive role in the Christian church and in its understanding of its scriptures, community, ministry, and mission. This reality, and women's often creative response to it, for the subject of this collection.

Written by experts in church history, the articles take a close look at women's status in ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary Christianity. Contributors explore such themes as women's role in early Christian communities, their role models in the Roman Empire, Elizabeth I's exploitation of women's cultural disadvantages, the relative autonomy of women in Catholic and Protestant churches, and their evolving roles in marriage and the ministry today.

This fascinating history of women's response to sexism in Christianity is an ideal text for courses in women's studies and church history. Lively, clear, and jargon-free, it will also appeal to anyone with a special interest in this wide-ranging subject.

The New Testament is sometimes called the New Covenant, signifying a new relationship between humanity and God. From the viewpoint of salvation history, the New Testament is the completion and the culmination of the Old Testament. In terms of length, it is only a small portion of the entire Bible, and yet it is that portion which brings it all together. Richard Rohr and Joseph Martos look at the many ways salvation themes are proclaimed by the various authors and literary styles of the New Testament.

Expertly edited by Joseph Martos, this book, adapted from Richard Rohr's original talks, offers newcomers to the Hebrew Scriptures a "feel" for their overall religious themes. But for all readers this book uniquely sounds the call of the Lord and invites response in a way that will touch lives as deeply as the original talks.

You will understand how its magnificent tradition enriches the lives of the Catholics today and propels the ever changing Church into the 21st century and third millenium. It's a popular resource for RCIA, evangeleization and religious education.