Church Doctrine

Seventeen of the 33 men and women who have been declared Doctors of the Church lived in the first millennium. John Fink has provided here brief profiles of the life of each Doctor followed by one or more writings characteristic of his work. The excerpts chosen are representative of the particular Doctor’s writings but they were also selected in such a way as to give an overview of Christian doctrine and practice through the centuries. The Doctors included in Volume One are: Saints Athanasius, Ephrem, Hilary of Poitiers, Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augus¬tine, Cyril of Alexandria, Peter Chrysologus, Leo the Great, Gregory the Great, Isidore of Seville, Bede, and John Damascene...

Sixteen of the 33 men and women who have been declared Doctors of the Church lived in the second millennium. As in Volume One of this work, John Fink has provided here brief profiles of the life of each Doctor followed by one or more writings characteristic of his or her work. The excerpts chosen are representative of the particular Doctor’s writings but they were also selected in such a way as to give a fairly thorough overview of Christian doctrine and practice through the centuries. The Doctors included in Volume Two are: Saints Peter Damian, Anselm, Bernard of Clairvaux, Anthony of Padua, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Jesus (Avila), John of the Cross, Peter Canisius, Robert Bellarmine, Lawrence of Brindisi, Francis de Sales, Alphonsus Liguori and Thérèse of Lisieux...

The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) was one of the most significant events in the life of the modern Church. Between October 1962 and December 1965 the largest ever gathering of Catholic bishops answered the call of Pope John XXIII to let some fresh air into the Church. Completing the work of an earlier Vatican Council that had been cut short, and in a tradition of ecumenical councils dating back to the time of the Apostles, Vatican II laid the foundations for a renewal process that still continues. For this reason CTS have decided to republish the four major documents of the Council (known as Constitutions and named after their opening words in Latin), with new Introductions by leading churchmen, to encourage continued study of the Council in parishes and elsewhere. Lumen Gentium, promulgated in 1964, is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. It reflects the Church's own modern self-understanding - in fact it brought that understanding into focus for the first time. We live in a..

Dies Domini - On keeping the Lord's Day Holy Ad Tuendam Fidem - On Protecting the Faith John Paul II ..

Why Crusades, Human Sexuality and Our Creator? What caused the First Crusade? Is the Catholic Church really anti-sex? From the blurb: "Brendan Roberts explores the five major Crusades and gives a no-holds barred depiction of the evil perpetrated by every side in the battles. Then he explores how we reflect the nature of God, through morality and our human sexuality. Think of this book as Pope Francis meets Osama bin Laden. For it is about reconciliation, forgiveness, love and the struggle of goodness vs. evil. It portrays how Pope John Paul II sought forgiveness for members of the Church who perpetrated ghastly evils; the groundbreaking initiatives fostering reconciliation within the Orthodox Church; and as a Catholic layperson Brendan grasps the unique opportunity to ask forgiveness of the Orthodox Church, Muslims and Jews for the evil perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church during the Crusades. Brendan uses a down to earth style to inspire people that our awesome God truly..

The prophetic role of consecrated people in the Church and the world is explored in this letter throught the teachings of Pope Francis. Like watchmen, working constantly at the junction between the Church and the world, consecrated people have a unique role in reading and interpreting the signs of the times. ..

Pope Francis has exhorted all Christians to announce the Gospel with joy, and has asked Consecrated people to ensure that wherever they are present, joy is present also. This letter from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, based on the magisterium of Pope Francis, is an ideal preparatory text for the Year of Consecrated Life 2014-2015. Themes include evangelisaiton and a faithful, joyful and fertile love for those most in need. The text also contains questions for all Consecrated people to ponder for the forthcoming year promted by the teaching of Pope Francis. ..

On the world stage and in the life of the Catholic Church, John Paul II became known as the Great Mercy Pope — devoting his second encyclical to God’s mercy, forgiving his would-be assassin, making Sr. Faustina, the great apostle of Divine Mercy, a saint and establishing Divine Mercy Sunday as a universal feast day in the Church. Now, more than three years into his own papacy, his successor, Benedict XVI, has become known as a Pope of Mercy in his own right. He opened the first ever World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Rome last April and at its conclusion called the participants to “go forth and be witnesses of God’s mercy.” Further, during a pastoral visit to Poland in 2006, this Pope of Mercy called the sick to be “eloquent witnesses God’s mercy” and said he was passing on the “Flame of Mercy” to the youth he met. Discover in Pope Benedict’s Divine Mercy Mandate, how the Holy Father spoke of receiving a gift of Divine Mercy when he was elected Pope in 2005 and how he then stressed D..

Pope Francis inaugurates the Year of Consecrated Life (30th November 2014 to 2nd February 2016) with this letter addressed to all consecrated people. Pope Francis writes not only as successor of Peter but also as a brother “who like yourselves is consecrated to God.”..

SPECIAL EDITION Mercy marks the central theme of Pope Francis’ Papacy as reflected in the Bull of Indiction Misericoridae Vultus.  Truly the face of Christ is the “Face of Mercy”.  In this special edition, Pope Francis shows us how we can avail of God’s mercy through a profound conversion of heart, through the confession of our faith in his boundless forgiveness, through spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and thereby receive blessings and indulgence. He has entrusted to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation the organisation of the jubilee year "so that that they may animate it as a new stage of the journey of the church in its mission to bring to every person the gospel of mercy."  The Jubilee of Mercy’s slogan borrows Jesus' words from the Gospel of Luke: “Be merciful, just as your father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). This very special edition contains: •             The Announcement of the Jubilee Year of Mercy •             The Bull of Indiction "Misercordiae Vultus" •    ..

In a conversation with Vatican expert Andrea Tornielli, Pope Francis discloses the core of his papacy and, in his own words, conveys the great message of the Holy Year of Mercy.  For the first time, Pope Francis addresses each woman and each man on Earth in a deep, simple and intimate dialogue. Through his own experience as a priest and shepherd, the pope talks about Mercy, a subject of central importance in his teaching and testimony. He explains the reasons for this extraordinary Holy Year, and in doing so he speaks to all the souls - inside and outside the Church - who are looking for a meaning in life, for a road to peace and reconciliation, for a healing to their physical and spiritual wounds. It is the summing up of his teachings and papacy. AUTHOR INFORMATION  Born in Buenos Aires in December 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been the Bishop of Rome and 266th Pope of the Catholic Church since the 13th of March 2013. On the 13th of March 2015 he decided to give a decisive..

The Permanent Committee of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has approved the revised books on “The Order of Celebrating Matrimony” and “The Order of Confirmation”. The English translation is according to the Typical Edition, and approved by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship. This revised edition is in keeping with the norms of the decrees of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy...

Pope Francis’ post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) on love in the family has been released. This much-awaited Apostolic Exhortation is the conclusion of a two-year synod process discussing both the beauty and challenges of family life today. The 2015 Synod’s theme was “the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.”..

This encyclical, drawing its name from St. Francis' Canticle of the Creatures, reminds us that earth is our common home and that we must care for it. Pope Francis calls the entire world to take action to embrace what he called ecological conversion. The document is some 40,000 words and 184 pages long, but it comes alive and is more accessible in this unique, in-plain-English reading guide. This guide offers a summary of every article in Pope Francis groundbreaking document and a small group reflection process to help everyone read it and understand it. The article numbers in the original are retained for ease in moving between the guide and the actual encyclical. The six small group sessions outlined here include group reading, discussion, prayer, and action suggestions (for communal or personal use) making it ideal for youth ministry, confirmation programs, parish leaders, small communities, clergy groups, adult formation, the RCIA, or families...

This offering for the Year of Consecrated Life explores the place of the Religious Brother within the Church-Communion. Following the three dimensions within which the Church-Communion presents itself, this latest document from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life develops the identity of the Brother as a mystery of communion for mission. At the centre of this triple perspective lies the heart of the identity of the Religious Brother – namely ‘fraternity’, which is a gift that is received (mystery), a gift that is shared (communion) and a gift that is given away (mission). The text concludes with some guidelines so that in every part of the world and in every community, each Religious Brother may respond to the question: How can we be Brothers today? As well as Religious Brothers, this document is also directed to the laity, religious priests, diocesan priests, bishops and all those who want to know about, appreciate and promote the voc..

In his latest address to consecrated people, Pope Francis expresses his appreciation for "contemplative sisters", emphasising that the church needs them "to bring today's men and women to the good news of the Gospel"..