The Petrine verses (or Biblical passages referring to St. Peter, his role, and the office of the papacy) are perhaps the most controverted passages in the history of Christianity in the last 1, 000 years. This study of St. Peter’s role in the Bible puts to rest any doubts about the true sources for and meaning behind Jesus’s commission to St. Peter (Matthew 16:18), not to mention numerous other passages out of both the Old and New Testaments. Employing language accessible to an average reader, all historically debated passages about St. Peter and the papacy are unpacked so that their ...

Saint Peter urged Christians to: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3:15-16) Yet, some Christians mistakenly assume that the gospel message — Catholic doctrine — is mysterious, difficult to understand, and impossible to explain. They do not realize that the “good news” of Jesus Christ is easy to understand, reasonable, and winsome. Pope Pius IV wrote, and Richard Challoner (1691-1781) translated, The Grounds of Catholic Doctrine in an easy-to-read, ...

Discover St. Zélie and the important lessons she can teach us! Although she lived a hundred and fifty years ago, St. Zélie Martin (1831-1877) was a modern woman. She was a working mother who cared deeply about both her family and her career. She struggled to balance all her responsibilities. She often worried. But she always put God first and strove for holiness in everything she did. She and her husband, Louis, were canonized together on October 18, 2015. They are best known as the parents of five daughters who entered religious life. Their most famous child is St. Thérèse of the Child...

My title explains itself. But it's misleading. There are more than 40 reasons. Each of my reasons is an independent point, so I have not organized this book by a succession of chapters or headings. After all, most people only remember a few big ideas or separate points after reading or listening to a book. I've never heard anyone say "Oh, that was a good continuous-process-of-logically-ordered-argumentation" but I've often heard people say, "Oh, that was a good point." And back to my main point: "Why are you a Catholic?" is a good question. A good question deserves a good answer.

On July 5, 1902, Maria Goretti was brutally stabbed to death by Alessandro Serenelli. The 11-year-old virgin-martyr not only fought to maintain her purity; she forgave her killer and declared that she wanted him to be with her in Heaven. In what is the most in-depth biography on the life of St. Maria Goretti in the English language, author Bret Thoman brings the saga to life like never before. To create the most extensive and comprehensive English-language biography of Maria Goretti, the author drew from the most updated Italian biographies as sources. Moreover, he personally visited the ...