Knights of Columbus Book Club

The Knights of Columbus have launched a Catholic Book Club in 2007 - A listing of some of the their selections.

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September 2008

Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver is an impassioned and forceful spokesman on many of today’s most challenging issues from abortion to immigration. In Render Unto Caesar he offers compelling arguments for why Catholics should become more engaged in political life than they currently are.

August 2008

Crossing the Threshold of Hope
Pope John Paul II’s papacy was marked by many firsts, and in 1994 he became the first pope to pen a bestselling book, an interview with the Italian journalist Vittorio Messori. Their conversation covers a variety of topics, including man’s dignity; pain, suffering and evil; the meaning of salvation and Christian hope; the role of women and the laity in the Church, and more.

July 2008

Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life: A Practical Guide to Prayer for Active People
Jesuit Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. condends that when there are so many pressing issues of the day to contend with, everyone can and must make time to pray. This book outlines five essential ways for even the busiest person to have a better prayer life: the Eucharist, spontaneous prayer, the Beatitudes, partership with the Holy Spirit and the contemplative life.

June 2008

Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium
On the eve of the Church’s celebration of the Great Jubilee Year 2000, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) gave a full-length interview to journalist Peter Seewald. Their conversation was captured in this book. The future pope takes on tough questions about the Church’s challenges and its future of hope.

May 2008

The Last Secret of Fatima
The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, definitively reveals and explains one of the most misunderstood events in the 20th century: the appearance of Our Lady to three Portuguese children and the “secret” kept quiet by Vatican officials for nearly 90 years. The book includes a Foreword by Pope Benedict XVI, who himself revealed the final secret in 2000 as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Read the Catholic Information Service booklet, The Message of Our Lady of Fatima (PDF)

April 2008

A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson's new book offers a bold blueprint for the Catholic Church in the 21st century. Anderson uses his experiences as a former White House official, lawyer, educator and leader of the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization to show how Church teaching can inform and influence society for the better. Proceeds will go to Knights of Columbus Charities.

March 2008

God Is Love: Deus Caritas Est and Saved in Hope: Spe Salvi
Pope Benedict XVI's two encyclicals, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) and Spe Salvi (On Christian Hope). Learn how these two foundational documents of Benedict's papacy are shaping the Church.

February 2008

10 Things Pope Benedict Wants You to Know
Veteran Vatican observer John L. Allen Jr. draws from the writings and speeches of the pope to share with readers in a concise way what he believes are the touchstones of Pope Benedict's pontificate. Also available in Spanish from Liguori Publications.

January 2008

Benedictus: Day by Day with Pope Benedict XVI
A compilation of writings by Pope Benedict XVI from throughout his career and the first year of his pontificate. Each day of the year has a short meditation penned by the Holy Father printed alongside images of sacred art. Edited by Dominican Father Peter John Cameron, compiling it from the pope's books, talks and homilies.

January 2007

Parish Priest: Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism
Fenster and Brinkley have recreated the daily life of Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, in their moving biography. They have chronicled not only his life but daily life in 19th century America. Father McGivney's passion for his vocation, for the family and young people, and for the Knights of Columbus are captured in Parish Priest.
The Diary of a Country Priest
George Bernanos tells the story of a young priest ministering to his sometimes difficult parishioners. He gives us an insight into the priest's spiritual battles. Despite the many mundane obstacles in life, the country priest ultimately concludes that "grace is everywhere." Any parishioner or priest will recognize the sometimes powerful, sometimes subtle truths conveyed in this book, winner of the Grand Prix for Literature awarded by the Academie Francaise and the Prix Femina.

February 2007

The Right to be Wrong: Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America
Kevin Seamus Hasson is founder and chairman of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C. His book addresses the issue of church-state separation. He is a member of Potomac Council 433 in Washington. The Becket Fund is representing the Order in court in its defense of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
A Man for All Seasons
The classic story (play) about St. Thomas More by Robert Bolt

March 2007

The Way to Christ: Spiritual Exercises by Pope John Paul II
A collection of sermons Pope John Paul II preached to young people during spiritual retreats he led as archbishop of Krakow. The homilies were preached in 1962 and 1972, and cover topics that John Paul continued to expound upon during his papacy.
Mr. Blue
Myles Connolly's Mr. Blue was first published in 1928. In his introduction to the current edition of Mr. Blue, Jesuit Father John B. Breslin says the book "is about a young man...who decides to take Christianity seriously as a layman, not as a chore but as a challenge." Connolly was editor of Columbia magazine.

April 2007

Let God's Light Shine Forth: The Spiritual Vision of Pope Benedict XVI
by Robert Moynihan
Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers
by Dwight Longnecker

May 2007

Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint
This new biography of St. Joan of Arc by Donald Spoto is critically acclaimed.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters
Subtitled: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know. Meg Meeker's book is based, in part, on her experiences the past 20 years practicing pediatric and adolescent medicine and counseling teens and parents. Strong fathers with traditional values, Meeker shows, are the best protection against many of the challenges young women face in today's culture. Read an interview with Dr. Meeker (PDF). She has also written Epidemic: How Teen Sex is Killing Our Kids

June 2007

Jesus of Nazareth - Pope Benedict XVI
Published May 15, Jesus of Nazareth is essential reading for anyone interested in the pope's pastoral vision and the direction of his papacy. The book has its roots in what Pope Benedict has noticed over his life as a "growing...distinction between the 'historical Jesus' and the 'Christ of faith,' a distinction that many Christians now accept as accurate."
Pope Benedict XVI challenges the reader to encounter Jesus face-to-face by discussing episodes from the Gospels to explain how God reveals himself through Jesus. In addition to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus of Nazareth includes chapters on Jesus' baptism, the Lord's Prayer, the parables and more. The book is the first of a two-volume work exploring Jesus' public life. The second volume will reportedly cover Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

July 2007

With Jesus Every Day: How Believing Transforms Living
How can Christians meet the challenge of living a faith-filled, joyful life in today's world? Must I do what is good, or am I allowed to look for happiness? Those are just two of the questions Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn answers in his book, a collection of popular homilies the archbishop of Vienna delivered at St. Stephen's Cathedral. Touching on topics ranging from the inner voice of the conscience to Christian freedom, and holiness to human dignity, Cardinal Schoenborn shows that only by walking with Jesus in our daily lives can we fulfill our call to holiness.

August 2007

By Their Works: Profiles of Men of Faith Who Made a Difference
Stephen Singular chronicles the impact that the Knights of Columbus have had on America through the stories and photographs of its members, with both famous and lesser known profiles.

September 2007

Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light
The depth and intensity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta's spirituality is revealed in this new book, which features previously unpublished writings from her journals. Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, a priest of the Missionaries of Charity, edited the book and also serves as postulator for the cause of canonization of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

October 2007

Five Loaves & Two Fish
In 1975, Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan was arrested by the Communist government of Vietnam and imprisoned for thirteen years, nine of them in solitary confinement, and then finally exiled from Vietnam in 1991.
Always reticent about speaking of himself, Cardinal Van Thuan slowly began to realize that his prison experience of suffering and hope could help others in their journey of faith. The reflections he prepared for the 1997 World Youth Day in Paris became the framework for this personal Magnificat for the wonders God had worked in and through the small offering of his life - like the fish and loaves in the Gospel, which fed thousands.

November 2007

My Life with the Saints
Father James Martin has received positive reviews and numerous awards for this inspirational bestseller, a personal memoir of how he has encountered and "lived with" Mary, Joseph, Francis of Assist and many other saints and Catholics.

December 2007

Our Lady of Guadalupe: History and Meaning of the Apparition
Italian-born author Manuela Testoni, a member of the Sisters of St. Marcellina, explores many aspects of the message of Guadalupe and the figure of St. Juan Diego.

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