Reviewed by Sister Mona Castelazo, CSJ, CNS In "The Lord as Their Portion," Elizabeth Rapley offers insights into the story of religious orders against the background of the Catholic Church's history. Beginning with the desert ascetics of the fourth century, the author describes 17 centuries of monastic and convent life, ending with the missionaries of the 19th century. Rapley's purpose is to inform modern people with either a vague memory of, or no knowledge at … [Read more...]

Reviewed by Agostino Bono, CNS Any book detailing child abuse by religious authorities or in the name of religion is a hard read for people of faith. Believers are faced with a harsh reality: Many of their cherished values and concepts have been manipulated, distorted or misunderstood for perverse or violent ends. "Breaking Their Will" is no different. It narrates stark cases of children who were abused sexually, physically, emotionally and through medical neglect, … [Read more...]

Reviewed by Daniel S. Mulhall, CNS The National Study on Youth and Religion began in 2002 by examining the faith of young people in the United States who were between the ages of 13 and 18. The research team, which has been led from the beginning by Christian Smith, professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, continues to follow and interview these same young people. The first book to come from the initial study was "Soul Searching." Since the initial … [Read more...]

Reviewed by Brother Jeffrey Gros, FSC, CNS Jesuit Father Norman Tanner's "New Short History of the Catholic Church" and Father Robert Barron's "Catholicism" give a fresh view to important perspectives on Catholicism. They are welcome additions for the Catholic reader interested in a brief overview either of the church's story or of the central mysteries of the faith. They are also accessible and brief introductions suitable for the interested non-Catholic reader or … [Read more...]

Reviewed by Brian Welter, CNS Two books published in October reflect on Catholic culture from quite different, unique viewpoints. Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti makes the convincing point that priests are happiest when they follow traditional Catholic teachings. In "Why Priests Are Happy," he mixes basic sociological information about priests and their lives with his own theological and psychological musings to come to this conclusion. The author sometimes links his … [Read more...]

Reviewed by Nancy L. Roberts, CNS Colm may be only 7, but he knows a lot: He's very sick, he may not recover and his mother, Cathleen, loves him fiercely. In just a few pages of "Proof of Heaven," author Mary Curran Hackett creates an absorbing world that challenges us to think about love's possibilities and limits, the concept of an afterlife, and where God is in all of our earthly suffering. Colm is a frail boy whose heart suddenly stops beating without warning, … [Read more...]

Reviewed by Mitch Finley, CNS Catholicism, as a tradition and as an institution, has a history of intellectualism that goes back to its very beginnings. St. Paul was an intellectual of the first order. A thousand years before St. Anselm, Paul acted on Anselm's motto, "faith seeking understanding." Names such as Ignatius of Antioch, Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas lead directly to Catholic intellectuals in our own era. But respect for the role of the intellect … [Read more...]