Every month in 2024 Pope Francis has a monthly prayer intention. Every month we will release a book list that will draw your heart and soul deeper into prayer on these topics.
We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.
Holy Spirit, who motivates the Church so that, in her mission, She may bear witness and always proclaim with renewed enthusiasm, the joy that springs from the encounter with Jesus: We pray to you today for religious sisters, religious men and seminarians. The response to their vocation requires throughout life a process of formation towards Christian maturity, which embraces all the dimensions of the person. May the human aspect of their formation provide them with self-discovery, self-acceptance and self-mastery to reach a sufficient level of psycho-affective maturity, to be an authentic gift of themselves to others. May their pastoral formation open them to be available to service and collaboration with others, cultivating, after the example of Jesus, a special love and closeness to the poor and marginal people. May their spiritual formation through prayer and accompaniment, open them up to God to know him more intimately, to love him more deeply and to follow him more closely, thus developing a deep and personal friendship with Jesus, and discerning God’s will in their lives. And that in their community life – school of holiness – may grow in their relationship with others in deeply listening to the problems, wounds and needs of today men and women. Amen.
Our advice to book clubs & individuals:
- Pick just one of these books to read this month
- Pray this short prayer before or after each time you read, and at the start of your book club meetings.
- During the meetings, make use of the topical discussion guides & videos on the Pope’s website.
- Watch how story transforms your empathy, your prayer life, and your capacity to imagine God with you in any situation.
General Fiction
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman
The Singer Not the Song by Audrey Eskine Lindop
A bishop is interviewing priests for an appointment in Quantana to replace the elderly Father Gomez who hasn’t exactly stuck to his vows and has lost the respect of his parishioners.
Quantana is a small village in the mountains and is very cut off from the rest of society and the whole place has been taken over by Malo, a young bandit, and his sidekicks. Basically Malo – the Bad One – runs a protection racket in that if the villagers don’t pay him ‘tax’, nasty things are going to happen to them. Malo has an affinity with cats and he has the same habit of playing with his victims.
Father Keogh, a young priest from Ireland, is chosen for the difficult position. Just about the first thing he has to do is get Father Gomez out of the village alive as Gomez believes Malo will kill him.
The whole book becomes a fight for the lives and souls of the villagers as Malo is determined to keep his evil hold on them and tries to humiliate the priest. Father Keogh struggles against Malo for the good of the people who are all terrified of the bandit gang.
A Hero For the People' Stories of the Brazilian Badlands by Arthur Powers
“Set in the vast and sometimes violent landscape of contemporary Brazil, this is a gorgeous collection of stories-wise, hopeful, and forgiving, but clear-eyed in its exploration of the toll taken on the human heart by greed, malice, and the lust for land.” -Debra Murphy, Publisher of Idyll’s Press, Founder of CatholicFiction.net
Big in Heaven by Fr. Stephen Siniari
“[These] stories begin to paint a new kind of Icon, that of a truly American Orthodox Christian, of regular people simply trying to be or tragically rejecting being regular human beings, the kind of people perhaps never even imagined by most American readers. . . . The stories break the mold of what a religious or non-religious story ought to be. They are not moralistic, nor are they irreverent in their honest portrayal of the realities of life in the Church. Rather they are just good, honest stories, and in being this they are sacramental, conveying and holding together elements of life that are seemingly disparate.” (from the Foreword)
Sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes convicting, these stories of life in an inner-city immigrant Orthodox parish are guaranteed to shake your assumptions and make you see your life and faith in a new way. They are not for the faint of heart—but they are very much for all who want to embrace the truth more fully. (Fiction for adults.)
Bread from Home by Fr. Stephen Siniari
In this follow-up volume to Big in Heaven and Secret Turning, we see the people of Saint Alexander the Whirling Dervish parish and those around them at their worst and at their best. We see God’s grace shining into even the darkest corners of human life. These stories will make you laugh, cry, examine your own conscience, and look at the people around you with a more compassionate eye.
About the Author: Father Stephen N. Siniari is a priest of the OCA Diocese of the South. During almost forty years in ministry, Fr. Stephen served parishes in New England and the Philadelphia/South Jersey area while working full time for an international agency as a street outreach worker, serving homeless, at-risk, and trafficked teens. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he currently lives on the Florida Gulf Coast with Margot, his wife of more than forty years.
My Son the Father by Jim Moore
My Son, the Father celebrates the tradition of the urban Catholic novel, as it introduces you to Sean Connally, a Roman Catholic priest with a national reputation in the prolife movement, whose priestly vocation has brought him to the beginning of a new chapter. We meet him on the day of his installation as archbishop when, surrounded by memories after a celebration with friends and family, Father Sean reminisces and remembers how close-to-home the life issues have come over the years. Combining laughter, tears, heartache and happiness as life so often does, My Son, the Father looks at how great drama can occur on the simple stage that is the lives of ordinary people.
Nonfiction & Memoir
An Exorcist Tells His Tale by Fr. Gabrielle Amorth
In this powerful book, the renowned exorcist of Rome tells of his many experiences in his ministry as an exorcist doing battle with Satan to relieve the great suffering of people in the grip of evil. The importance of the ministry to expel demons is clearly seen in the Gospels, from the actions of the Apostles, and from Church history. Fr. Amorth allows the reader to witness the activities of the exorcist, to experience what an exorcist sees and does. He also reveals how little modern science, psychology, and medicine can do to help those under Satan’s influence, and that only the power of Christ can release them from this kind of mental, spiritual or physical suffering.
An Exorcist Tells His Story has been a European best-seller that has gone through numerous printings and editions. No other book today so thoroughly and concisely discusses the topic of exorcism.
Champion of the Poor: Fr. Joe Walijewski by Voyage Comics
This action-packed, full-color comic book biography tells the inspiring life story of Father Joe Walijewski, priest of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin and founder of the Casa Hogar orphanage in Peru. From his days as an impressionable young boy in Michigan, where he discovered a unique call to the priesthood, to his daring adventures as a missionary in South America, readers are immersed into the heroic actions of a courageous Champion of the Poor.
Broken and Blessed by Fr. Josh Johnson
Only 2 in 10 Americans under 30 believe attending a church is important or worthwhile. Well over half of young adults raised in the Church have dropped out with many having a strong anti-Church stance, many even believing the Church does more harm than good.Fr. Josh Johnson was one of these people. In Broken and Blessed he tackles the harsh realities facing the Church in the 21st century.
With charity and courage he speaks to his own generation of Catholic “Millennials,” who often feel their needs and concerns are not being addressed by the Church, or who simply do not believe the Catholic Faith has any relevance to their lives. Using his own experiences, both as a former struggling young Catholic and as a priest, Fr. Josh offers an inspiring witness of how he came to know God, rather than just knowing about him—and presents practical ways for us to truly know God as well.
The Tale of Patrick Peyton by Voyage Comics
The Tale of Patrick Peyton vividly brings to life the American Apostle of the Family Rosary, Venerable Patrick Peyton. Born to a humble family in Ireland, the energetic young boy would embark on an adventure beyond his wildest dreams. His journey would take him to the United States where he would find his true calling as a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and promoter of family prayer.
Father Peyton was ambitious in his mission and contacted popular Hollywood actors and actresses, such as Bing Crosby and Loretta Young, to help him convince families everywhere, “The family that prays together stays together.”
Using television, radio and film, Father Peyton was a modern-day missionary who went on to encourage devotion to the Blessed Mother and inspire families to pray together. His inspiring life story is now made accessible for the first time in a comic book format.
Science Fiction
A Truly Clawful Christmas by Corinna Turner
The Branded Ones by Colleen Drippé
As a Star Brother, Father Ruiz has a solemn mission: to spread his Faith to the isolated tribes of the planet Fenn. But he soon realizes that he is in over his head. Not only do ancient rivalries and blood feuds split the two main groups, but he must grapple with the gelens—moon-worshippers with uncanny psychic abilities. The planet is ruled by a ruthless dictatorship, threatened by a brewing rebellion, and entangled in the complex web of political and social machinations that span the stars. And Father Ruiz’s first convert is none other than an infamous war criminal and the most powerful psychic on Fenn: a man who could either save or destroy his people. Can Father Ruiz survive the dangers and dilemmas of Fenn, and fulfill his mission without losing his soul? Find out in this thrilling sci-fi novel by the author of The Star Brothers.
Fans of Dune, The Sparrow, and The Left Hand of Darkness will love this book
Ad Limina by Cy Kellet
The first native bishop of Mars has been called to Rome. As he makes his way across fifty million miles of space, he encounters a society moving into every corner of the solar system and teeming with every kind of decadence. “We are filling the emptiness with our emptiness,” he thinks. A violent fascist opposition is rising, promising to restore humanity to glory. When the bishop gets a mysterious offer to leave the solar system, he is sorely tempted. But if he goes, he may be abandoning Earth to a brutal invasion only he can prevent.
Brothers by Corinna Turner, an I Am Margaret Prequel
DON’T GET CAUGHT.
I blinked rapidly, the intense white of the explosion still hovering, ghost-like, in my vision. It all seemed unreal.
Whoever was in that car was dead. Right before my eyes…
Clearly I had no monopoly on death, this evening.
Joe Whitelow is 13. ‘K’ is 18.
Joe’s small for his age. K’s tall and strong.
Joe’s almost blond. K’s hair is dark.
He’s a Believer. Joe’s a bit vague about what that even means.
But they do have one thing in common.
They both need to get out of the EuroBloc.
Or die.
All the I AM MARGARET novels have been awarded the Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers Guild, guaranteeing their moral, doctrinal and editorial quality.
Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith
A Printers Choice by W.L. Patenaude
In January 2088, life in outer space is rocked with news of its first homicide. The dead man—a young Dominican Priest—had secretly made his way “upside” and lived as a common laborer. His intentions are a mystery and the killer’s identity and motive are questions that the best investigators of the new world cannot answer.With public order threatened, the reputation of the ruling engineers at stake, and criminal elements seizing the opportunity to gain control, authorities seek help from Earth—itself recovering from decades of war and environmental crises. With assistance from the Vatican, they recruit Father John Francis McClellan, a parish priest from Boston and a retired US Marine Corps expert in “high-defs”—the artificially intelligent three-dimensional printers that built the new world. A Printer’s Choice tells a story of faith, the future, and the power of free will. It explores questions about sentience, choice, and the necessity of choosing well. Set in locations on Earth and in the orbits, the story takes place in a future extrapolated from today’s geopolitical and ecological turmoil. In this epic debut novel, author W. L. Patenaude illuminates not just the struggles of our world, but also the promises and implications of building a better one, one choice at a time.
Heaven's Hunter by Marie C. Keiser
Randall Yung, born into one of the galaxy’s elite families, could have had anything he wanted, but he decided to become a detective for the Galactic Fleet. And he’s good at his job–so good at it that he’s getting bored.
Everything suddenly changes when Randall is assigned to track down the perpetrator of a daring attack on a Fleet warship. This case is dangerously personal.
The closer he comes to his target the more he finds himself trapped by old grudges, an outlawed organization, and a war his grandparents fought. Can he escape from his enemies without betraying everything he cares about?
The Bishop of 12th Avenue by Ray Lucit
When you grow up on the violent streets of a dying world, the first thing you learn is to mind your own business. So when eighteen-year-old Jacob Walker stumbles across three federal agents torturing an old man by a church, Jake can’t explain why he bothers to rescue the old guy. As he lay dying, the old man makes a strange sign with his hand, and after mumbling something in an ancient language, he slides a ring on Jake’s finger.
What Jake doesn’t know is that he is now the last hope for a group of believers, or Churchers, living outside the dying city. Forces are already massing to destroy the strangely naïve Churchers, and although Jake knows nothing of bishops, gods or churches, any chance that this remnant can survive will depend on The Bishop of 12th Avenue.
In a post-apocalyptic story of survival, The Bishop of 12th Avenue tells of an epic battle between good and evil, and a young leader who is still learning the difference.
The Rescue Sisters Short Stories by Karina Fabian
As Man ventures into Space, the Church follows. Join the adventures of the sisters of Our Lady of the Rescue, who perform dangerous search and rescue operations in space. Tales of adventure, danger, and deep faith.
Discovery by Karina Fabian
Sisters Ann, Tommie and Rita are part of a classified mission to explore an alien ship that has crash landed on an asteroid three billion miles from earth. Humanity’s first contact with beings from beyond the solar system is bound to unlock the mystery of life in the universe, but the crew have their own secrets; hidden fears, desires, horrible sins – and a mission to kill. Researchers discover something unique about the third arm of the ship: something wonderful, something terrifying. Something holy. This discovery challenges Rita and Ann to confront their own pasts in order to secure the safety of the mission and the very souls of the crew.
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson
A Catholic, sci-fi, dystopian novel written over 100 years ago!
Promoted by both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis!
“Written more than a century ago, [Lord of the World] was to some degree prophetic in its description of a future dominated by technology, where everything is made bland and uniform in the name of progress, and a new ‘humanitarianism’ is proclaimed.” – Pope Francis
Set in the near future, the world is dominated by the militant “Humanitarianism” which seeks to destroy all religion, replacing it with a worship of Humanity. Despite worldwide persecution, the Catholic Church continues to exist, though is much smaller in number. One priest in particular, Father Percy Franklin, seeks to solidify the Church’s existence through a new Order of the Christ Crucified that can spread unnoticed by the powers ruling the world.
However, one man stands in the way of Father Percy, a man whose origin is mysterious and whose popularity is unrivaled. Julian Felsenburgh will do all that it takes to snuff out the Catholic Church once and for all in an effort to establish lasting peace on the earth.
Mystery
Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Ann Margaret Lewis
Follow the great Sherlock Holmes as he investigates three baffling cases at the “express desire of his Holiness, the Pope.” Stories include “The Death of Cardinal Tosca,” “The Vatican Cameos,” and “The Second Coptic Patriarch.”
You’ll encounter baffling crimes, rich, historical settings, and a fateful encounter with Father Brown!
These thrilling tales of murder and intrigue vividly bring to life three of Watson’s “untold tales!”
The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell
The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of the international sensation The Rule of Four combines a lost gospel, a contentious relic, and a dying pope’s final wish into a “deliciously labyrinthine” (Providence Journal) intellectual thriller that “kicks off at ninety mph and doesn’t slow down” (Associated Press).
A mysterious exhibit is under construction at the Vatican Museums. The curator is murdered at a clandestine meeting on the outskirts of Rome a week before it opens. That same night, a violent break-in rocks the home of Greek Catholic priest Father Alex Andreou. When the papal police fail to identify a suspect in either crime, Father Alex decides that to find the killer he must reconstruct the secret of what a little-known, true-to-life fifth gospel known as the Diatessaron reveals about the church’s most controversial holy relic. But just as he begins to understand the truth about his friend’s death and its consequences for the future of the Christian church, Father Alex discovers a ruthless stalker is hunting him—an enemy with a vested stake in the exhibit that he must outwit to survive.
Night Prayer by Brother Bernard Seif
Brother Francis O’Neil has spent much of his twenty-first century life studying the work of his monastic founders, Jane de Chantal and Francis de Sales. By profession, he is a clinical psychologist and doctor of Chinese medicine, on top of his fascination with the two sixteenth-century religious figures. It is during one of his many academic and charitable trips to China, far from his home and life in Pennsylvania, when the unthinkable happens.
Four-hundred-year-old ancient parchments have mysteriously come into his hands. An avid researcher and historian, ONeil knows these parchments are special, but on closer inspection, he realizes they are much more than special: they may be the authentic texts, penned years before by de Chantal and de Sales. With his new acquisition, ONeil also receives a strong feeling of foreboding that transcends time.
Something happened to de Chantal and de Sales. They were involved in an ancient mystery, as yet unsolved. Perhaps, O’Neil, who knows their work so well, will unravel the mystery of his spiritual mother and father. Hes good at solving puzzles, but how good is he at staying alive, as the parchments seem to bring danger to his doorstep? Will the ancient pages end in murder abroad? Or will the danger follow him back home to Pennsylvania?
See No Evil: A Father Gabriel Mystery by Fiorella De Maria
Thriller
Bulletproof Vestments by Jane Lebak
A former gang member has tracked down the man who ratted out his brother 10 years ago. It’s time for some good old-fashioned revenge, except the man in question is disabled. And he’s a priest. And no one’s going to let him go down without a fight.
In this first novelette of the Father Jay series, Jane Lebak introduces the world of a man who’s lived through the worst life has to offer, and yet somehow after losing his heart and losing his body, struggles to offer hope to others.
Three Last Things: Or The Hounding of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin by Corinna Turner
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
“A horror story for all midnights.” — The Boston Globe
Inspired by the shockingly true story of a child’s demonic possession in the 1940s, William Peter Blatty’s iconic novel focuses on Regan, the eleven-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C. When sweet Regan’s behavior turns sinister, a small group of overwhelmed yet determined individuals take it upon themselves to rescue the poor girl from her unspeakable fate. Timeless and terrifying, The Exorcist is a story that has gripped the public zeitgeist for more than half a century.
Children’s & Middle-grade Books
The Fire of Eden by Antony Barone Kolenc
Sister Aloysius Comes to Mercyville (a four book series) by Linda Etchison, Illustrated by Denise Plumlee-Tadlock
Join Sister Aloysius, an energetic, joyful young sister, as she steps off the bus and begins her walk to Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Mercyville on a hot July afternoon. In Sister Aloysius Comes to Mercyville, learn how Sister Aloysius happily makes use of her suffering in the heat of the summer day by uniting her discomfort to the agony of Christ on the cross. Along the way she meets a young boy Pio who will be in her second-grade class. Pio helps her with her bag and the two have a very interesting talk about St. Aloysius and patron saints as well as about St. Peter, the first pope. This 8½ x 11 inch book has full color illustrations throughout to capture the interest of young readers and pre-readers. A parent page at the end provides additional information and Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church references for additional study, making this book a great choice for Catholic parents as well as Catholic educators. This book holds the Catholic Writer’s Guild Seal of Approval.
Available in both hardback and paperback.
The Monk's Daily Bread by Slyvia Dorham
The Monks of Archangel Monastery have a dilemma: their cupboards are bare! But their wise Father Abbot reminds them to trust that Christ will provide their daily bread. So the monks go about their work, study and prayer, while offering up their belly grumble for the love of God. This beautifully-illustrated book will be enjoyed by children and their caregivers for its humorous pictures, for fun rhymes reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, and for the heartfelt message of sincere trust in the Lord’s providence.
The Sisters of the Last Straw & the Case of the Haunted Chapel by Karen Kelly Boyce
The Sisters of the Last Straw and the Case of the Haunted Chapel is the first in a series of children’s books that convey the fun-filled story of a group of misfit nuns. These sisters and their madcap adventures teach the importance of tolerance and forgiveness. Each book focuses on the virtues of Gospel living and the frailties of human nature. While children delight in the humor and fast-paced exploits of this special group of nuns, they learn the need to be forgiving of the faults of others and to look for the good in all people. Children are enchanted and entertained with the humorous escapades of the characters while learning the importance of basic Christian values, growth, and love.
Molly McBride and the Plaid Jumper
Molly McBride is back and she is as stubborn as ever about her purple habit. She will wear nothing else! She’s managed to keep it on for her sister’s Big Day, but now the faith-filled five-year-old has a whole new wardrobe worry: kindergarten! Join the McBride family and the kindergarten class at Holy Trinity School as Molly and her loyal wolf-pet, Francis, discover that what we wear isn’t as important as what God sees inside of us.
Molly McBride and the Plaid Jumper
Molly McBride is back and she is as stubborn as ever about her purple habit. She will wear nothing else! She’s managed to keep it on for her sister’s Big Day, but now the faith-filled five-year-old has a whole new wardrobe worry: kindergarten! Join the McBride family and the kindergarten class at Holy Trinity School as Molly and her loyal wolf-pet, Francis, discover that what we wear isn’t as important as what God sees inside of us.
Fantasy
Nun of My Business by Karina Fabian, A DragonEye P.I. Novel
When a Faerie nun shoves a piece of music under Vern’s nose and insists it’s an evil spell, he has some doubts as to her mental stability. But work is scarce for a dragon detective on the wrong side of the Interdimensional Gap, and if Sister Grace McCarthy wants to pay his bills for a wild goose chase, who is he to argue? Unfortunately, Vern is not the only one with concerns about Grace’s sanity. When a child accuses the nun of hexing her voice, the city is in an uproar, and Vern has to uncover the truth – for Grace, for himself, and for the fate of the Faerie and Mundane universes.
Is the song just annoying? Or is it a summoning spell from the depths of hell? And how does a shell-shocked nun who refuses to sing fit in the equation – and Vern’s life?
Nightside the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
Nightside the Long Sun is the beginning of the science fiction masterpiece from Gene Wolfe, Book of the Long Sun
Life on the Whorl, and the struggles and triumphs of Patera Silk to satisfy the demands of the gods, will captivate readers yearning for something new and different in science fiction, for the magic of the future.
Enormous in breadth and scope, Wolfe’s ambitious new work opens out into a world of wonders, of gods and humans, aliens and machines, and mysterious adventures far out in space and deep inside the human spirit. It is set on a ship-world whose origins are shrouded in legend, ruled by strange gods who appear infrequently to their worshippers on large screens, and peopled by a human race changed by eons of time, yet familiar.
Historical Fiction
The Letters of Magdelen Montague by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
When the amoral and cynical “J” takes up his pen to describe Magdalen Montague, he little realizes the dramatic changes that will soon be wrought in his life. His fascination for this mysterious woman catapults him into a harrowing encounter with Catholicism, conversion, and discipleship. Through the letters, intimate portraits of four souls appear: the loquacious letter-writer “J,” his virulently antireligious recipient, “R,” the weird, silent servant Domokos Juhász, and Magdalen Montague herself. Across the turbulence of the first four decades of the twentieth century, including two world wars, the mysterious correspondents in The Letters of Magdalen Montague present a profound portrait of humanity’s quest for God.
The Light of Tara by John Desjarlais
While the Roman Empire crumbles into chaos, the flickering light of civilization is in the hands of a teenage slave herding swine and sheep at the edge of the world. His name is Patrick. Kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold to a Druid chieftain, he reclaims the faith he once spurned, befriends his master’s son, and falls in love with the feisty daughter. Even so, he escapes, returning home by a treacherous journey, only to hear an insistent call in a dream to ‘come back’ with a message of forgiveness for his cruel captors who are sworn to kill him. Can he save Ireland from darkness, and the woman he loves from slavery?
Treason by Dena Hunt; A Catholic Novel of Elizabethan England
As Stephen Long steps ashore in England one gray dawn in May 1581, he wonders how many more Catholics will have to die to make Queen Elizabeth feel secure. Involuntarily, he trembles at the thought that soon he may be numbered among them.
For in the days ahead, each time Stephen hears confession or celebrates Mass, he commits yet another act of high treason against the British Crown, for which Queen Elizabeth’s swift penalty is gruesome torture and painful death. As Stephen hastens to find shelter away from that open beach, he struggles not only with fear but with doubt, as well: “Is my mission foolish? Am I nothing more than fresh meat for the queen’s butchers?”
In the light of that same gray dawn, just a few miles north, a heartbroken Caroline Wingate lies awake in her unhappy marriage bed, wrestling with thoughts of a different—perhaps crueler—martyrdom.
Although from her earliest years Caroline has known herself to be called to cloistered contemplative life as a nun, some years ago she was forced by her father into a politically “safe” marriage with an upright Protestant, from whom she must hide her Catholicism—and her true vocation—lest she, too, be executed for her faith.
Hanging by the neck is swift martyrdom, but Caroline’s doubts and guilt have pained her daily for years now. An exile in her own soul, in her lonely desolation she confesses, “I don’t love my husband as I should. For safety’s sake, I cannot give myself wholly to him and must deceive him daily. Nor can I give myself to the One I truly love.”
In a few days, circumstances will force Caroline and the young priest together. With death hastening toward both of them, the beautiful fates of these two faithful Catholics confirm what we today too often forget: our faith is the most powerful force in the world—more powerful than politics, wars, or empires. More powerful even than the hard, cold will of Queen Elizabeth.
In this gripping, heartrending tale, Caroline and Stephen show us that it’s not power that writes the true history of the world; it’s faith: faith and the love that faith alone can awaken and sustain.
“Treason is one of the most powerful historical novels I’ve ever read. It brings to vivid and shocking life the age in which Shakespeare lived and in which the English martyrs died.”
Joseph Pearce
Writer-in-Residence, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
Silence by Shusaku Endo
“Silence I regard as a masterpiece, a lucid and elegant drama.”-The New York Review of Books
Seventeenth-century Japan: Two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to a country hostile to their religion, where feudal lords force the faithful to publicly renounce their beliefs. Eventually captured and forced to watch their Japanese Christian brothers lay down their lives for their faith, the priests bear witness to unimaginable cruelties that test their own beliefs. Shusaku Endo is one of the most celebrated and well-known Japanese fiction writers of the twentieth century, and Silence is widely considered to be his great masterpiece.
