Catholic Social Teaching & Economics

Mary Perkins - Papercover - 220 pages

This is, we believe, the first “book of etiquette for Catholics” ever published. At first glance it may seem absurd that we should need one, but have you never been puzzled by such apparently easy questions as how to address a letter to a bishop or how to end it? Or, if you are asked to be a god-parent, do you know what is expected of you, first at the church, and then afterwards throughout your own and your god-child’s life? These and a hundred other matters are clearly and amusingly explained in this book, the subjects ranging from the very simplest way to manage a Missal to what to do (and what not to do) when a Catholic doctrine or practice is attacked in your presence.

This book is especially helpful for converts, but it is also extremely interesting for life-long Catholics who have little or no knowledge of the proper manners expected from a Catholic. It was first published in 1938 so the author explains much about how things were done in the Church before the second Vatican Council.

Don Pietro Leome - PB 246 pages

In our days the war against God and His Church has become deeper and broader than at any time in history. No longer are the powers of darkness content to attack only the institutional Church that God founded. The truth is that the human nature that God the Father created is now the subject of the adversary’s most violent persecution, and through the undermining of the very concept of human nature and the natural law enshrined in it the enemies of God hope to make any consideration of the concept of  ‘super-nature’ and super-natural life disappear from the minds of men.

The Church has always been the true guardian of not only supernatural life, but of the natural law as well. Since the natural law is the law that God put into our nature and it is discernible in the light of reason, the Church, speaking for God, is the champion of sound reasoning. With the natural law as well as supernatural law governing human sexuality and family life under attack, Don Pietro Leone has risen to defend (and to properly distinguish) those areas, so that those who wish to defend the Church and human society in our age may have sound teaching upon which to base their actions.

In the course of this treatment of these topics he makes a detailed critique of certain novel presentations of themes found in the Magisterium from the time of the Second Vatican Council onwards. Amongst these doctrines is one he terms ‘Magisterial Personalism’ and another called the ‘Theology of the Body.’ Drawing upon scholastic philosophy and the perennial teaching of the Church, Don Pietro brings light to a subject recently plunged into obscurity and darkness that is not currently being dispelled sucessfully, even by the guardians of Truth themselves.

Father Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp. PB - 144 pages

I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”   
    — Fr. Denis Fahey

Denis Fahey was born in Golden, County Tipperary, Ireland, on the land and among kinsmen whom he dearly loved. The parish of Knockavilla where he was baptized is part of the Diocese of Cashel. He was, by the grace of God born into a devout Catholic family that was blessed with three sons. Thomas was the oldest. John died very young, and Denis was the youngest son of his parents, Thomas and Brigit (Cleary), who were deeply devoted to the Church. Denis was sent at the age of twelve to Rockwell College, where he was educated by the Holy Ghost Fathers among whom his vocation to the priesthood was nurtured and eventually came to fruition.

Fr. Fahey’s life work was the promotion of the Catholic social doctrine of Christ the King. He firmly believed that “the world must conform to Our Divine Lord, not He to it.” He always defended the Mystical Body of Christ without compromise. He called the social doctrine “Our Lord’s Program for Order.”

Fr. Denis Fahey was the great champion of the Kingship of Christ in the 20th century. This is the best introduction to his work, since it is the most concise and yet comprehensive summary of the great battle of our age. It is a clear outline of the eternal battle between the fallen angels with their worldly allies and Our Lord in his Mystical Body, the Catholic Church.
There are two cities, with two armies, battling for the victory of God’s kingdom on earth. He of course already reigns without opposition in Heaven as it says in the Lord’s Prayer.

The Mystical Body of Christ and the Reorganization of Society is Father Fahey’s magnum opus, and his other books are all worthy of our attention, however, we at Loreto feel that this is the best short introduction to Father’s teachings.

Father Denis Fahey - PB - 128 pages

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    —Rev. Denis Fahey

This book is the first published by Fr. Denis Fahey, the great apostle of the Kingship of Christ in the 20th century. In it he lays down the essential philosophical and theological principles that undergird and enliven the entire published corpus of his life’s work in defense of the Social Rights of God, in direct opposition to the nefarious Declaration of the Rights of Man that was the published declaration of war against Catholic civilization issued by the “enlightened” Freemasons who were responsible for the French Revolution.

The war that Fr. Fahey so clearly delineated and chronicled is still engaged, even though few Catholics understand the nature and the extent of this war against human society and especially against Our Lord in His Mystical Body, the Catholic Church. The two ancient battle cries “We will not have this Man rule over us!” and “Non Serviam!” have been vividly revived in the 20th century by a host of enemies of Christ’s Kingship over human society. Until all human society—especially national governments—publicly recognize that Kingship, civilization will continue on its downward spiral.

We hope that the re-publication of Fr. Fahey’s works will assist the Faithful in their attempts to restore all things in Christ for the future of our children and our children’s children and for the Greater Glory of God!

Gary Potter - PB - 100 pages

Gary Potter has been a Catholic journalist and writer of the first rank for over fifty years. As a convert to the Faith during the 1960s, (that time of revolutionary turmoil in the Church and the world), he developed a unique perspective on the Church in the 20th century that has matured over the years into a deep and penetrating vision of our times and the place of the Church and the Faith in the politics of our age.
As it is in Heaven is all about Christian politics. It contains Mr. Potter’s summation of that common worldview that was held by the men who built that civilization known as Christendom during the ages of Faith in the Christian West. He observes its disappearance and describes the effects of its absence on the life of men in our day. He proposes that it will one day be revived in a fashion suitable to modern times.
This extended essay encourages Catholics to face reality in the murky spiritual darkness of our present century. That means that it is also a message of light and hope. Do not be mistaken, Mr. Potter is no silly optimist or clueless observer. He knows the darkness and the dangers as clearly as any living writer, but he is a Catholic through and through, and his judgments are sound and realistic. Catholic realism! A realistic outlook can only come to a Catholic who believes and who tries to live according to that belief. The strength to face reality and to deal with it courageously is what is most necessary to men who wish to truly live—not just pass through this world—and to fight manfully for truth and goodness and beauty during this short pilgrimage that is life on earth.
On Earth, as it is in Heaven is part of the daily prayer of every Catholic, indeed it is also the daily prayer of many who loosely adhere to certain Christian principles, even though they do not yet belong to God’s Church and are therefore far behind on their road to salvation. The subtitle of the book (Christian Living and Social Order) clarifies the challenge. Let us hope and pray that this challenge to live this life as if God really mattered, is heard not only by weak and confused Catholics, but also by all men, who in any way desire to live a virtuous life, make this world a better place in which to live, and to give glory to God by doing His will ON EARTH, as it is already done in Heaven.

Adapted from the French of Rev. A. Phillippe, C.S.S.R. - by Rev. Denis Fahey C.S.Sp. - 138 pages

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    
—Rev. Denis Fahey

If one were to state succinctly the predominant supposition that underlies all modern thinking and action regarding human societies it would be that God has no absolute rights over the laws and governments of men; that men are sovereign over their own lives both individually and collectively.
This is the antithesis of reality. It is the devil’s doctrine. “You shall not die the death.You shall be as Gods!” This was the first lie and it is still the most destructive. Belief in that lie is almost universal today, both in thought and in practice.
God is the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Savior, and Sanctifier of all men. All men belong to God and we owe him our love and obedience in every aspect of our lives. Jesus Christ the God-Man is our King by every conceivable right and title, both human and divine. He has the RIGHT to be obeyed and honored by all human societies, especially governments. The Rights of Man are all subject to those of Christ the King, and all so-called ‘human rights’ will disappear if God’s rights are not properly honored by society.

Fr. Denis Fahey C.S.Sp. - PB 212 pages

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    
—Rev. Denis Fahey

No man is wise who does not think correctly about the Jews. On this subject it is very easy to be wrong, and there are many different varieties of errors into which to fall.  They are a unique type of collectivity—a matter for history, not for sociology.
Their election in the Old Testament, which we must accept on faith, is at least as mysterious as their rejection in the New Testament. The Jews are willing to take the first part of the bargain, which they did not deserve, but not the second, which they did. Ever since the moment of the Crucifixion, the Jews are engaged in a mystical war against the Church, but they are only effective when the Faith is weak.
A true, firm, and unsentimental understanding of the Jewish problem is absolutely necessary for one who must protect the Faith and the faithful. The higher the responsibility, the greater the necessity.
Fr. Fahey begs us to pray for the Conversion of the Jewish nation, but he teaches us to prudently study and to wisely understand reality in their regard.

Fr. Denis Fahey C.S.Sp. - PB 226 pages

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    
—Rev. Denis Fahey

This is the last book published before Fr. Fahey’s death. It is an enduring testament to his love of the land and his firm belief that the best setting for most Catholic living is the family farm or small business, similar to the life lived by the Holy Family of Nazareth.
The Church is greatly interested in farming because it is the most fundamental of all human occupations. Those who work the land are deeply immersed in, and must work in harmony with, the natural rhythms and processes of God’s creative handiwork. The harmony and balance of rural life are profoundly upset by industrialized living, both on and off the land. Father delves into many spiritual, chemical, technical, and scientific questions pertaining to the future of farming and the life of the Church and all human society, which depends completely on the land for its existence and prosperity.

Fr. Denis Fahey C.S.Sp. - PB 820 pages

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    
—Rev. Denis Fahey

Originally published in 1945, just eight years before his death, this is Fr. Fahey’s magnum opus. All of his written work is centered around the Kingship of Christ and his right to rule over all human societies and governments. Just as we daily pray that God’s will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven, it follows that all human works, especially the government of all of our human societies (the family, the state, the Church in her human aspects) must conform to God’s will and not He to ours.
This book details the Rights of God in human governments. He has the RIGHT to be obeyed, even by the state. This book proposes the RE-organization of society according to God’s will for us on earth and within the context of the Mystical Body of Christ. Human governments will only be as good as they can be in this fallen world insofar as they conform to God’s Divine Plan for Order in establishing and running society. Here is that plan as laid out by God and his Church and explained by Fr. Fahey. Only when man puts God’s Rights first, will there be any hope of Human Rights being respected or upheld.

By Fr. John J.  Hugo - PB - 176 pages

Fr. John Hugo (1911–1985) was a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburg who spent much of his life giving retreats based upon those that he had participated in while still a young priest in the 1930s. Those retreats were given by Fr. Onesimus Lacouture S. J. and Fr. Hugo was one of over 6000 priests to whom the retreat was given over a course of several years. The Retreat, as it was affectionately called by its devoteés was an electrifying and life-changing experience for many of them. It was nothing more nor less than the Spiritual Excercises of Saint Ignatius. But these retreats given by Fr. Lacouture were, as the saying goes “the real deal.” They were given as St. Ignatius intended, for the proper length of time and according to the true Ignatian spirit. They got to the real “roots” of Christian living. They were, in short, radical.

Fr. Hugo became a disciple of Fr. Lacouture in the sense that he experienced the fruits and saw the necessity of the retreat for Catholic Americans. He determined to continue that work as part of his priestly vocation. Fr. Hugo became the spiritual advisor of Dorothy Day (and the Catholic Worker Movement) who took the retreat more than twenty times during her life.
This book, The Gospel of Peace, is one fruit of that work, and it was very controversial at the time of its publication in 1943. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is always controversial because it is “out of step” with the world.

Complete Set of Fr. Denis Fahey's books - 14 Titles

Mental Prayer According to the Teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1927)

Secret Societies and the Kingship of Christ (1928)
The Kingship of Christ According to the Principles of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1931)
The Social Rights of Our Divine Lord Jesus Christ the King Adapted from the French of Rev. A. Phillippe C.SS.R. by Fr. Denis Fahey C.S.Sr. (1932)
The Mystical Body of Christ in the Modern World (1935)
The Rulers of Russia (1938)
The Workingmen’s Guilds of the Middle Ages (1943) (A translation of the work by Dr. Godefroid Kurth C.S.G.)
The Kingship of Christ and Organized Naturalism (1943)
Money Manipulation and the Social Order (1944)
The Mystical Body of Christ and the Reorganization of Society (1945)
The Tragedy of James Connolly (1947)
The Rulers of Russia and the Russian Farmers (1948)
The Kingship of Christ and the Conversion of the Jewish Nation (1953)
The Church and Farming (1953) 

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    
—Rev. Denis Fahey 

Father Denis Fahey - PB - 440 pages

The principal purpose of The Mystical Body of Christ in the Modern World is to deal, from the theological, philosophical and historical standpoint, with the modern revolt against the divine plan for the organisation of human society.
    Dr. Fahey writes at length of the various errors and the nefarious forces which at present menace the divinely-constituted social order. His work is a most important one. Perhaps never before, since the establishment of Christianity, has there been such an organized effort to overthrow it, to dethrone Christ, to destroy His Church, to set aside God and the order which He has established. In some countries, notably Russia, Mexico, and Spain, the veil of secrecy has been withdrawn; in many others the same Masonic and Communistic influences are at work, but their activities are to a large extent underground.
    An essential prerequisite for a proper preparation (to defend the Church) is a knowledge of the nature and extent of the menace, of the organization of the forces behind it, and of the diabolical hatred of Christianity and of everything supernatural with which these forces are imbued. This knowledge is to be found in Dr. Fahey’s work; in fact nowhere else, as far as we know, is there such a logical, co-ordinated treatment of the subject.

Father Denis Fahey - PB - 146 pages

“I repeatedly promised Saint Peter that if I ever got the chance, I would teach the truth about his Master in the way he and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, wanted it done. That is what I have striven to do and am doing.”    
—Rev. Denis Fahey

Secret Societies and the Kingship of Christ is a collection of twelve articles that were written by Fr. Fahey and published in The Catholic Bulletin in 1928, the year after he published his first book Mental Prayer According to the Principles of Saint Thomas. Fr. Fahey’s formative educational years coincided with the pontificate of  that implacable foe of modernism, St. Pius X , the successor of Leo XIII who had spoken out so stridently against the sect of Freemasonry and naturalism. Attentive to the needs of the Church in his time, Fr. Fahey followed the Leonine instructions given in Humanum Genus article 31;  “We wish it to be your rule first of all to tear away the mask from Freemasonry, and to let it be seen as it really is…”
This book is a short, but thoroughly researched and footnoted introduction the the subject of Secret Societies and their impact on the Church, Christian civilization, and modern history.

Jeanne Dvorak - PB - 88 pages

Natural Family Planning and the Christian Moral Code by Jeanne Dvorak, is in its fourth printing. This book reaffirms that NFP was just a novel and sinful introduction to the modern Catholic world. This compact treatise now includes a 1940 letter from the Archbishop of St. Paul, MN, in which NFP is condemned. Natural Family Planning and the Christian Moral Code does more than just examine the negative. It allays fears and bolsters confidence through its many stories and examples of obedient Catholic parents living their family life with faith and trust in God. Children are the first purpose of marriage – better to have them on your lap than on your conscience!

By William Cobbett - 370 pages PB

William Cobbett stunned the Protestant world of 19th century England with his publication in 1824 of his groundbreaking work The History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland.
Not only was the book deeply researched and footnoted, but it presented a historical picture that was profoundly contrary to the “official history” that had been drummed into the minds of countless Englishmen for three hundred years. In addition, the fact that it was so well written, so sympathetic to the Catholic cause, AND written by a fellow Church of England Protestant made this book an overnight bestseller running into many editions and reprints over the next thirty years.
Theological issues are not treated directly, but the illogic of the Protestant positions is clearly seen in the practical results of the break from Rome. For those who wish an objective history of this critical period of English and American history there is no better book available. The power of Cobbett’s prose and his convincing logic and sardonic wit make for a delightful reading experience as well.

This is one of the best books ever written on the EFFECTS in both the Church and in society of the English Reformation.