Devotion and Spirituality

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FIFTY MEDITATIONS ON THE PASSION

by Archbishop Alban Goodier, S.J.

Archbishop Goodier published these 50 Meditations in 1925. In his author’s preface he wrote “These notes were written a long time ago in Lent, 1909. At the time a certain religious, now dead, used often to speak with me about prayer, and about the labor she had experienced in prayer. I used to notice how easily she would fly along a line of contemplation if the tiniest suggestion were made to her, and several times I ventured to make such suggestions in the shape of points for meditation. The points here collected were written for this purpose. They were written for two only; but others who have seen them have found them useful and have asked that they may be printed. If they are a help to any in prayer, I can only be grateful to our Lord.”

The publishers at Loreto hope that the modern reader will find in this little volume as much useful material for initiating meditation as did the original readers.

ISBN 1-930278-81-0

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Pere Liagre C.S. Sp. - PB 96 Pages

This "retreat in a book" presents to the busy reader of today a perfect little tool to assist in translating from inspiration to action, the exquisite lessons gleaned from The Autobiography of a Soul.

One day a novice, coming to Sister Thérèse for advice, said to her, “Oh, when I think of all I have yet to acquire.” “Say, rather, to lose,” was the answer—an answer alight with wisdom. Let us think that we have much more to lose than to acquire if we are to profit in Thérèse’s school, and learn, from her the science of holiness.

Fr. John Hugo - 422 Pages - PB

Fr. Onesimus Lacouture was a Jesuit who had the great gift of being a masterful director of souls. Being a Jesuit formed in the old mold of true Ignatian spirituality and deeply affected by the so-called “French School” of Cardinal Berulle, St. John Eudes, and St. Louis Marie de Montfort, his retreats, given to over 6000 American and Canadian priests, produced extraordinary results. His most well known disciple and good friend, Fr. Hugo, has produced for posterity, the Notes from those Ignatian retreats as given by Fr. Lacouture and subsequently by himself and many other priests.
A Sign of Contradiction is Fr. Hugo’s apologia for the work of Fr. Lacouture and the “spiritual movement” that grew spontaneously from the ardent, enlightened, and effective preaching of the retreats. He describes the movement, its opponents and its supporters as well as the revelatory doctrines so convincingly presented by Fr. Lacouture.
This book is spiritually motivating, historically informative, and powerfully illuminating in regard to the condition of the Church and the faithful in North America during the mid-twentieth century. The Gospel of Peace, and Applied Christianity (the retreat notes of Fr. Lacouture) by Fr. Hugo are also available from Loreto Publications.

Ascetic and pastoral reflections for young priests, that they may become apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Translated from German by Michael J. Miller - PB 188 pages

Based on the 6th French edition (Paris: Téqui) This book was composed shortly after World War I by an Italian priest who wished to remain anonymous.

“Manete in dilectione mea,” Our Blessed Lord tells us all, but especially is this counsel given to his chosen vessels, those men of his royal priesthood, so that their priesthood may be one of power and fruitfulness beyond measure. Abide in his love and all power will be given unto you, O Royal sons of David!

This jewel, this precious book, speaks to the heart of every zealous, but sometimes timid, priest who desires with desire to do the will of God and to glorify him in the infirmity of their humanness. You know who you are my brothers in Christ! You have been called to the most sublime office on earth. You feel unequal to the task. You yearn to do great things for God. You thirst to help souls! Rejoice! Here is the recipe for all you desire. Recommended by Pope Pius XI and penned by an anonymous Italian priest who had just passed through the fire and agony of World War I—the Great War—this book shall be a light unto your path.

Saint John Eudes
One of the most prolific ascetical writers of the seventeenth century, Saint John Eudes was an inexhaustible reservoir of holy wisdom and devotional fervor. Loreto Publications considers it a foremost priority to help make the spiritual doctrine of this great apostle of devotion to the Sacred and Admirable Hearts of Jesus and Mary more widely known. Perhaps no book of his better exemplifies that profoundly incarnational doctrine than The Admirable Heart of Mary. Eudes reveals to his disciples this most pure and maternal of all hearts both in its corporal and spiritual pulsations, while demonstrating with a dozen unforgettable natural and scriptural analogies, how this human heart was so inexhaustibly divinized by the one Divine Heart of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Admirable Heart of Mary was given to us from the Cross by Jesus Christ. Truly this heart was the first-fruit of His Passion, given to all of Mary’s children, that it might be honored, cherished, invoked and, ultimately, with that of her Son, reproduced in them. This is the essence of the spirituality of Saint John Eudes.

Fr. Nicholas Gihr - Small Book - 72 Pages

It is a common and well grounded lament that in teaching the Word of God that the doctrine concerning the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity is to a large extent sadly neglected. Other spiritual writers are of the same opinion. These considerations justify every effort to further the devotion to the Holy Spirit among the clergy and the laity by a thoroughgoing explanation of the exceedingly meritorious Pentecost Sequence.

Father John J. Hugo - PB - 330 pages

This is the second of three books written by Fr. John J. Hugo concerning the great 20th century spiritual retreat master, Fr. Onesimus Lacouture S.J. and his work. The first published by Loreto was The Gospel of Peace, and the third to be re-issued is entitled A Sign of Contradiction.
Fr. Lacouture was a Jesuit who had the great gift of being a masterful director of souls. Being a Jesuit formed in the old mold of true Ignatian spirituality and deeply affected by the so-called “French School” of Berulle, St. John Eudes, and St. Louis Marie de Montfort, his retreats, given to over 6000 American and Canadian priests, produced extraordinary results. His most well known disciple and good friend, Fr. Hugo, has produced for posterity, the Notes from those Ignatian retreats as given by Fr. Lacouture and subsequently by himself and many other priests.
The Notes are entitled Applied Christianity and few spiritual writers of the 20th  century have put in such clear and lucid language a precise (and practical) explanation of the true nature of a Christian life. This work will be compared to the works of such great writers on the spiritual life as St. John Eudes, Abbot Dom Marmion, Dom Chautard, St. Ignatius of Loyola and others.

Part One: Natural and Supernatural

I. The Two Principles of Activity
II. The Two Principles of Activity: Application
III. The Harmony Between the Natural and the Supernatural
IV. The Conflict Between the Natural and the Supernatural
V. The Pagan Mentality
VI. The Law of the Flesh
VII. Jesus Speaks of the Supernatural Life
VIII. The Christian Mentality
IX. Christian Perfection

Part Two: The Supernatural World

I. The Glory of God: Doctrine
II. The Glory of God: Application
III. The Doctrine of the Samples
IV. The Doctrine of the Samples Applied
V. The Supreme Dominion of God: Doctrine
VI. The Supreme Dominion of God: Application
VII. The Folly of the Cross: Doctrine
VIII. The Folly of the Cross: Application
IX. Summary and Objections

Part Three: The Samples

I. The Love of God
II. The Contempt of the World: Doctrine
III. The Contempt of the World: Application
IV. Forbidden Samples
V. Sin
VI. The Remedies for Sin
VII. Hell

Part Four: The Supreme Dominion of God

I. The Supreme Dominion: God’s Intention
II. The Supreme Dominion in Persons: Blind Instruments
III. The Supreme Dominion in Superiors: Obedience
IV. Source of God’s Supreme Dominion: The Divine Will
V. The Supreme Dominion of God in us: The Human Will

Part Five: The Folly of the Cross

I. Almsgiving: The Sowing of External Goods
II. Mortification: The Sowing of Bodily Goods
III. Afflictions: The Sowing of Interior Goods
IV. Death: The Sowing of Everything

Appendix

I. Nature and Grace
II. Are Natural Actions Meritorious?
III. Christian Moderation

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.

She has inspired the greatest artists, poets and composers for two-thousand years. Armies have fought under her banner, while entire cities and nations have placed themselves under her patronage and protection. Every day, she is called upon by countless men, women and children to help them in their necessities: "Hail Mary, Full of Grace." She is the Mother of Jesus Christ . . . The Mother of God.

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is, perhaps, the most instantly recognizable manifestation of the Roman Catholic Faith. Those outside the Church are hard-pressed to explain it, and they too often view Marian devotion as either a "distraction" from the adoration due to Jesus Christ, or as something "acceptable," but only to a severely limited extent. In reality, the Church's Marian heritage is an integral part of the ancient Faith, and there can be no proper understanding of the Person of Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, without a proper appreciation of, and respect for, the Catholic Church's Marian teachings.

FATHER LEONARD FEENEY - 294 PAGES - Hardcover $24.95 - Softcover $14.95

Very few American priests have been as famous or have had as much influence on the Catholic church in the 20th century as Father Leonard Feeney, (S.J.) M.I.C.M. The doctrinal firestorm that arose when he accused Archbishop Cushing of Boston of protecting and defending certain priests and teachers at Boston College who were openly denying the thrice-defined dogma that “there is no salvation outside of the Catholic church” was front page news in 1949 and is still a burning issue today seventy years later. Three years after the Boston Heresy Case burst upon the post World War world, Father’s Bread of Life was first published, and it has remained continuously in print since then.

This is the only edition since the first to appear with anything but the original text. Three articles written by loyal and ardent disciples of Father Feeney are included in order to clarify certain questions that have arisen since the original publication in 1952.

As the modern world continues to find itself largely lost and bewildered 100 years after Our Lady appeared at Fatima and 78 years into the atomic age, the challenge of the everlasting message of the Catholic Faith is more relevant than ever. “Oh beauty ever ancient and ever new” was the cry of Saint Augustine 1600 years ago, and this is still the same joyful utterance made by Saint Benedict Center and the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to an unbelieving world.

Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M..

This is a book of seventy-two concise meditations each on a different subject. Whether it is an event, as the Day; or a virtue, as Gratitude; or a ravaging infidelity, as Islam; or a person, as Our Lady; our author zeroes in on the topic and, with an amazing depth of understanding, simplifies it in relation to time and eternity. The salient theme throughout Brother Maluf’s daily reflections is that every challenge one experiences in this wayfaring state has the capacity to elevate our human frailty to supernatural heights if we engage it with the magnanimous attitude of confident sons of God.

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Msgr. Francis J. Weber - PB 84 pages

Recently retired from over fifty years of service to God and to the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Monsignor Weber has allowed us to publish some of the delightful, insightful, and very succinct homilies he has given on real and literary characters found in the holy gospels.
The four gospels tell us the story of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the Savior of the world.  In the course of those gospels, Jesus Christ tells us many stories that reveal God the Father’s loving plan for our salvation.  Through the homilies collected here Monsignor Francis Weber does what a good preacher always does, that is, he points out the spiritual truth the gospels reveal, and then connects that truth with our own faith and daily experiences as disciples of Jesus Christ.
By “real characters” Monsignor Weber indicates the real life men and women whom Jesus met and engaged during his life and ministry, such as Peter and Paul and Pontius Pilate.  “Literary characters” are the imaginary figures in Christ’s parables, such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan.

Blessed Abbott Dom Marmion OSB - PB- 164 pages

This book is now out of print. We have less than 100 copies left in stock. Get it now before we run out.

This is not a book about spirituality for monks and nuns only. Columba Marmion believes that Christian discipleship means imitating Christ the Monk no matter your form of life. Christ is the sublime ideal of all holiness, the divine model presented by God himself. By faith, we accept this holiness into our lives – but we can also (in fact we must) allow Christ Jesus to become what Marmion calls “the very life of our souls.” This powerful book explores a spirituality that is possible by examining the light of the Gospels and the writings of St. Paul and St. John, offering joy and spiritual understanding to all Christians.

Saint Robert Bellarmine

BACK IN PRINT !

Available in Paperback

After being called to the Cardinalate by Pope Clement VIII, Robert Bellarmine, one of only two Jesuit Doctors of the Church, found need for a reprieve from what were often tiresome temporal duties. Therefore, to exhaust his intellectual and devotional energies in writing, he prepared for posterity his very own commentary on each of the Psalms. Most of the Psalms of David, he said, read like a compendium of the whole of the Old Testament, a summation in poetic capsule. Others (Ps. 2, 21, 44 & 60) speak so clearly of Christ that they seem rather to belong to the Gospels. Yet, it is not the royal prophet, rather, it is the Holy Ghost, the true Author, Who desires to pluck this ten-stringed instrument of beauty called the Psaltery and bring our hearts to tears or jubilation as we sing praise to the Most High. This is a huge book of nearly four hundred pages, a spiritual goldmine.

The Glorious Mysteries.
This is the third volume in this much acclaimed pictorial series on the Mysteries of the Rosary. Traces the Glorious Mysteries from the Resurrection of Christ to the Coronation of His Blessed Mother in 94 outstanding reproductions of sacred art together with the Scriptural texts which inspired them. As in the presentations in the first two volumes, the prophecies of the Old Testament are matched to their fulfillment in the New Testament. These are the mysteries that inspire the virtue of hope in the personal resurrection of each individual soul and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Much needed meditations for our times. Published with Bishop's approbation. 104 pp. PB