A gumbo of French, Spanish, and American influences, the architecture of New Orleans has always reflected the city's strong Catholic roots. Indeed, St. Louis Cathedral across from Jackson Square stands as perhaps the most widely recognized face of New Orleans. The cathedral, though, is just one of many stunning churches that beautifully reflect the city's long and diverse Catholic heritage. Splendors of Faith showcases thirteen of these historic churches of exceptional architectural and artistic beauty, revealing scenic treasures that lie mostly beyond the well-worn tourist paths. The earliest of the thirteen, St. Louis Cathedral, traces its origin to 1727. The most recent, Immaculate Conception, was built in 1930 but modeled after its mid-nineteenth-century predecessor. The eleven other churches are Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Holy Name of Jesus, Mater Dolorosa, Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Joseph, St. Mary's Assumption, St. Patrick, St. Peter Claver, and St. Stephen. In image and word, photographer Frank J. Methe and historian Charles E. Nolan capture the splendor of these places of worship. Methe provides sumptuously detailed color photographs of the churches and their interior décor. Nolan offers enlightening commentary about each edifice, its congregation, and the rich variety of art forms assembled over the years: architecture, stained glass, statuary, mosaics, paintings, and more. New Orleans Catholics and their churches experienced dramatic change after Hurricane Katrina and the levee breaks. The buildings featured here, some of which suffered major damage in 2005, continue to serve as places of worship, bearing witness to a vibrant cultural component in one of the country's most beloved cities. Splendors of Faith takes readers inside these landmark churches and reveals their aesthetic and historical significance as never before.

Considered by many the bright jewel among the many enriching books of Cardinal Henri de Lubac, this work is a hymn to the beauty of the Church, under some of whose leaders for a time he unjustly suffered. The Splendor of the Church is, in a sense, a personal testimony of the great theologian's humility and love of the Church of Christ. It is also a classic work in the theology of the Church. Indeed, de Lubac's profound insights significantly contributed to Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, especially in its treatment on the Church as mystery and as the Sacrament of Christ. Chapters: I. The Church as Mystery II. The Dimensions of the Mystery III. The Two Aspects of the Church IV. The Heart of the Church V. The Church in the World VI. The Sacrament of Christ VII. Ecclesia Mater VIII. Our Temptations concerning the Church IX. The Church and Our Lady

In this book, Marva Dawn insists that churches need to engage in a serious process of community discernment concerning worship in order to employ the best tools and forms, and she offers reflections to further the discussion. Each part of A Royal "Waste" of Time begins with a sample Scripture-based sermon since Dawn emphasizes that the church's worship must follow biblical guidelines and form a biblical people.--From publisher's description.

A beautifully designed volume that celebrates the 20 mysteries of the Rosary with glorious art, meditations, scripture and prayers. Gorgeous reproductions of classic paintings and illuminations throughout the book help the reader to visualize each mystery and aid in contemplation. The lavish art and the beautiful spiritual readings on the mysteries will dispose the reader to receive many graces of faith that pour forth from the Rosary prayer. With commentary on each masterpiece of sacred art, this is a splendid coffee table art book, and a beautiful keepsake to return to for inspiration and prayer throughout the year. A perfect gift book for Christmas! Illustrated.

Be inspired through the life sketches of these 70 godly men and woman.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Already the most discussed and most important religious book of the decade." —David Brooks In this controversial bestseller, Rod Dreher calls on American Christians to prepare for the coming Dark Age by embracing an ancient Christian way of life. From the inside, American churches have been hollowed out by the departure of young people and by an insipid pseudo–Christianity. From the outside, they are beset by challenges to religious liberty in a rapidly secularizing culture. Keeping Hillary Clinton out of the White House may have bought a brief reprieve from the state’s assault, but it will not stop the West’s slide into decadence and dissolution. Rod Dreher argues that the way forward is actu­ally the way back—all the way to St. Benedict of Nur­sia. This sixth-century monk, horrified by the moral chaos following Rome’s fall, retreated to the forest and created a new way of life for Christians. He built enduring communities based on principles of order, hospitality, stability, and prayer. His spiritual centers of hope were strongholds of light throughout the Dark Ages, and saved not just Christianity but Western civilization. Today, a new form of barbarism reigns. Many believers are blind to it, and their churches are too weak to resist. Politics offers little help in this spiritual crisis. What is needed is the Benedict Option, a strategy that draws on the authority of Scripture and the wisdom of the ancient church. The goal: to embrace exile from mainstream culture and construct a resilient counterculture. The Benedict Option is both manifesto and rallying cry for Christians who, if they are not to be conquered, must learn how to fight on culture war battlefields like none the West has seen for fifteen hundred years. It's for all mere Chris­tians—Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox—who can read the signs of the times. Neither false optimism nor fatalistic despair will do. Only faith, hope, and love, embodied in a renewed church, can sustain believers in the dark age that has overtaken us. These are the days for building strong arks for the long journey across a sea of night.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) earned the title, ''The Prince of Preachers'' by his untiring pulpit work which produced many thousands of sermons in his 40+ years of preaching. This fine collection of Spurgeon's sermons on faith has twelve different sermons, variously displaying various kinds of faith. Sermon 1: Little Faith. Some born-again Christians have little, or weak, faith. Spurgeon points out first that it is a burden to have but little faith. Though Little-faith is quite sure of Heaven, Yet he suffers from lack of assurance. Unlike normal faith, it does not grow steadily from faith to faith. He quotes Bunyan as saying that one of little faith has a host of fears. ''It has more lives than a cat, '' if you kill it over and over, it still lives. He is always safe, but he seldom knows it. Sermon 2: Here the reader is instructed in ''Seeing Jesus, '' by faith. Faith is the eye of the soul. It alone will be ''looking unto Jesus.'' Seeing Jesus is a continuous thing with faith. It is not just a now and then thing. It is current, not future. It never completely loses sight of the Savior as long as it is exercised. He is everywhere, therefore we can see Him everywhere we are, or where we go. Sermon 3: The difference between little faith and great faith is not such a great gulf as that between little faith and no faith. At times Jesus called the apostles ''Little faiths'' (Matt. 8:26; 16:8; Luke 12:28). Peter had faith to walk on the water until he looked at the wind instead of Jesus. Faith is never in danger as long as it has its eye on Jesus. Sermon 4: Faith is essential to please God. (Heb. 11:6). No invention of men can please God without faith. If God is pleased to give us everlasting life, it should be the object of our lives to please God. To faith, His commands will be precious, and the faithful will always be obeying. Sermon 5: There is a necessity of growing faith. The apostle was cheered that the Thessalonians had faith that grew exceedingly (2 Thess. 1:4). If we know our faith is growing, it is a subject for devout thanksgiving. Increased faith is of unspeakable value. Let us diligently pursue it. Sermon 6: Faith is a shield (Eph. 6:16). All Christians are born to be warriors, and faith is our shield to use against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The more the faith, the more the attacks, and the shield of faith receives many a blow. Christians should learn to wield the shield, and the lessons are all in the Bible. Christ used Scripture to fight off Satan's attempts to down him. Sermon 7: Increased faith increases peace. Sermon 8: Mature faith was illustrated by Abraham's offering up of Isaac. First there was the trial. He must lose the son of the promise by his own act. Abraham did not hesitate, he was quick to obey. He was careful to take everything necessary to do the deed. Lastly, he proceeded to very instant of putting the knife to the throat of his beloved son. Did this not display mature faith indeed? Sermons 9, 10, 11, 12 are equally precious and rewarding: Faith and Life; Faith's Dawn and Cloud; Faith and Its Privileges; and lastly, the Nobleman's Faith.

A biography series that fulfills the need for positive Christian role models for today's 10-14-year-olds. These biographies are different because they don't just tell about people and their values--they show them--in ways children can grab ahold and will want to imitate. Sidebars with background information for further study.