Philomena is excited to announce the first group of book recommendations for growth in spirituality!

Each grouping is divided into two categories of interest: educational and recreational. Please note that each book highlight is a review and contains comments from reader; each book overview is not original content and is taken directly from the book cover itself. Group 1 covers the foundation and beginning levels of Christian spirituality.

Here are the goals of Group 1 books: 1. growth in knowledge of Sacred Scripture, 2. to gain adequate knowledge of Catholicism, 3. to learn more about virtues and vices, 4. to better understanding the modern world and temptations of society, and 5. to grow in a deeper intimate relationship with God.

*Links to purchase books online are included in each book title for easy access.*

HOLY BIBLE- THE GREAT ADVENTURE CATHOLIC BIBLE 

HIGHLIGHTS

The Ascension Bible series by Jeff Cavins is a popular choice when looking for the right Bible. This Revised Standard Version- Second Catholic Edition Bible comes with added tools to better understand Sacred Scripture! Some of these tools are organization by color coding, special callouts, detailed articles, and more. Ascension's Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, helps guide people through the Bible in 365 days with additional explanations. All of these tools are great resources to help advance in your spiritual life!

 

THE CATECHISM OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

HIGHLIGHTS

The Council of Trent was a council called by Paul III in 1545 to solve religious divisions and to reform the Catholic Church. This Catechism helps to understand the stances and the fundamentals of the Church. Fr. Chad Ripperger and Taylor Marshall have recommended this as the go-to pick.

 

THE CATECHISM EXPLAINED BY FR. SPIRAGO WITH A FOREWORD BY FR. RIPPERGER

HIGHLIGHTS

This is another recommendation from Fr. Ripperger. This book helps to explain and understand The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

 

THREE TO GET MARRIED BY FULTON J. SHEEN

BOOK OVERVIEW

      One of the best- known Catholic apologists delivers an incisive look at the right and wrong notions about sex and love.

      Fulton J. Sheen covers marriage from practically every aspect with a view of imparting its proper role and purpose. From the damage caused by indiscriminate sex education to the three basic tensions in marriage, Sheen shows the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage from the standpoints of philosophy, theology, and morality.

      This work is an excellent moral preparation for marriage. In addition to presenting the causes of and solutions to crises in marriage, the author concludes with touching real-life stories of the transformation of lives through marriage (Scepter Publishers, 2021).

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING: DEATH, JUDGEMENT AND CONVERSION BY GLORIA POLO

BOOK OVERVIEW

On May 5^th, 1995 something extraordinary happened to Dr. Gloria Polo Ortiz, a dentist from Bogota, Colombia.

She was taking shelter from a storm with her nephew, when both of them were struck by lightning. What happened to her afterwards was a miracle which led to her conversion and a life of abandonment to the will of God.

She now tells her story in many different countries around the world, and has the approval of her diocese in Bogota, Colombia and her spiritual director.

Her testimony is an inspiration for all of us, and will increase our faith in Christ Jesus and His Holy Catholic Church (Michael Journal, 2009).

 

THE ANTI-MARY EXPOSED: RESCUING THE CULTURE FROM TOXIC FEMININITY BY CARRIE GRESS

BOOK OVERVIEW

The Demonic Influence on Women Today

In the late ‘60s, a small group of elite American women convinced an overwhelming majority of the country that destroying the most fundamental of relationships- that of mother and child- was necessary for women to have productive and happy lives.

      From the spoiling of this relationship followed the decay of the entire family, and almost overnight, our once pro-life culture became pro-lifestyle, embracing everything that felt good. Sixty million abortions later, women aren’t showing signs of health, happiness, and fulfillment. Increased numbers of divorce, depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted disease, and drug abuse all point to the reality that women aren’t happier, just more medicated.

      Huge cultural shifts led to a rethinking of womanhood, but could there be more behind it than just culture, politics, and rhetoric?

      Building off the scriptural foundations of the anti-Christ, Carrie Gress makes an in-depth investigation into the idea of an anti-Mary _as a sprit, not an individual- that has plagued the West since the ‘60s. Misleading generations of women, this anti-Marian spirit has led to the toxic femininity that has destroyed the lives of countless men, women, and children.

Also in The Anti-Mary Exposed:

• How radical feminism is connected to the errors of Russia, spoken of by Our Lady of Fatima.
• The involvement and influence of the goddess movement and the occult.
• The influence of “female” demons, such as Lilith and Jezebel.
• The repulsive underbelly of radical feminism’s chief architects.
• A look at the matriarchy, a cabal of elite women committed to abortion, who control the thinking of most women through media, politics, Hollywood, fashion, and universities.

The antidote to the anti-Mary is, of course, Mary, the Mother of God, known widely as the most powerful woman in the world and the source of the belief that women ought to be treated with dignity. She is a beacon of all the virtues and qualities- purity, humility, kindness, beauty- that oppose this sinister force that has cast its spell upon so many women. Mary’s influence is unparalleled by any woman in history. She is the perfect model of Christian femininity, who desires to be a spiritual mother to us all, leading us to her Son, and to the fulfillment of our heart’s deepest desires (TAN Books, 2017).

 

SAINT JOHN PAUL THE GREAT: HIS FIVE LOVES BY JASON EVERT

BOOK OVERVIEW

A French novelist once wrote, "Tell me what you love, and I will tell you who you are." Although there are countless ways to study Saint John Paul the Great, the most direct route is by entering the man's heart.

Discover the five greatest loves of Saint John Paul II, through remarkable unpublished stories about him from bishops, priests who organized his papal pilgrimages, his students in Poland, Swiss Guards, and others. Mining through a mountain of papal resources, Jason Evert has uncovered the gems and now presents the Church a treasure chest brimming with the jewels of the saint's life.

Rekindle your own faith by learning what (and who) captivated the heart of this great saint (Totus Tuus Press, 2014).

 

33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE BY MICHAEL E. GAITLEY, MIC

BOOK OVERVIEW

      A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Consecration to Divine Mercy. This work is a sequel to the international best-selling 33 Days to Morning Glory. Through this retreat one journeys with one of the most beloved saints of modern times, St. Therese of Lisieux, and concludes with a consecration to Divine Mercy (Marian Press, 2021).

 

 

 

 

 Citations:

amazon.com, 2022, https://www.amazon.com/Days-Merciful-Love-Do-Yourself/dp/1596143452/ref=asc_df_1596143452/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312025907670&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3740079135032828284&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9024241&hvtargid=pla-436097081265&psc=1

amazon.com, 2022, https://www.amazon.com/Saint-John-Paul-Great-Loves/dp/0991375408/ref=asc_df_0991375408/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312143170987&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7254664659617533508&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9024241&hvtargid=pla-492919428170&psc=1

The Anti-Mary Exposed : Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity (Hardcover). Walmart.com, 1 Mar. 2019, https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Anti-Mary-Exposed-Rescuing-the-Culture-from-Toxic-Femininity-Hardcover-9781505110265/204083972?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0

ascensionpress.com, 2022, https://ascensionpress.com/products/the-great-adventure-catholic-bible

Catechism of the Catholic Church: With modifications from the Editio Typica. Doubleday. (1997).  Amazon. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Council-Trent-Catholic-Church/dp/109275184X/ref=asc_df_109275184X/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343221106047&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12864477569290526913&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9024241&hvtargid=pla-756834713456&psc=1&ref=&adgrpid=69729786195#detailBullets_feature_div

 

Evert, Jason. Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves. Scottsdale, Totus Tuus Press, 1 April 2014.

Gaitley, Michael E. 33 Days to Merciful Love: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Consecration to Divine Mercy. Stockbridge, Marian Press, 15 February, 2016.

Gress, Carrie. The Anti- Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity. Charlotte, TAN Books, 1 March 2019.

Polo, Gloria. Struck by Lightning: Death, Judgement and Conversion. Rougemont, Michael Journal, 1 January 2009.

Sheen, Fulton J. Three To Get Married. New York, Scepter Publishers, 1 May 1996.