Bibliography

The Traditions of the Oratory by Jerome Bertram
Oratory Constitutions of 1612, commented.

How to Make an Oratory by Jerome Bertram
Juridical and other information to help with the foundation of a new Congregation of the Oratory.

The Excellences of the Oratory by Father Francesco Antonio Agnelli
The text of The Excellences, as published in 1881 by Messrs. Burns and Oates, having been long out of print, is here transcribed for the use of the sons of St Philip Neri and the use of aspirants to the Congregation of the Oratory. The Excellences remains still in our own century excellent as a guide to the spirit of the Congregation of the Oratory.

The School of Saint Philip Neri by Giuseppe Crispino
This major work by F Giuseppe Crispino, a Neapolitan secular priest of the 17th century, covering all aspects of Oratorian spirituality and life, was originally translated by Fr Faber in 1850.

Primordia Oratorii – The Beginning of the Oratory by Agostino Manni
The author of this little work, Fr Agostino Manni, was a friend and companion of Saint Philip. He wrote this account of the origin of the Oratory, and of its earliest practices, at the beginning of the 17th century, shortly before the Constitutions of the Congregation of the Oratory were approved. Unedited at the time of his death, it was recently translated from a later manuscript copy in the library of the London Oratory, and provides a valuable insight into the Oratorian ethos and way of life.

Sapientia Majorum by Sean Finnegan
Documents concerning the spirit, history and customs of the Congregation of the Oratory.

Newman the Oratorian: Oratory Papers (1846 – 1878) by John Henry Newman and Placid Murray
The unpublished Oratory Papers of Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman edited with an Introductory Study on the Continuity between his Anglican and his Catholic Ministry. These are Newman’s Chapter Addresses and other writings on the purpose and characteristics of Oratorian life. As Superior, Newman wanted his community to consist of responsible persons bound together by tact and discretion, obeying an unwritten law of love. He exercised endless patience in his desire to preserve this ‘weaponless state’ of the Oratory in spite of tensions, dissensions, opposition and even separation. Each paper has been transcribed from the original manuscripts in the Birmingham Oratory Archives, and has been provided with a succinct introduction and notes. The editor has, moreover, furnished a full-length introductory study on Newman’s spirituality as a priest against the background of the Anglican Ministry (1824-45), since it is true to say that Newman learned to live as a priest while still an Anglican. Four major areas of his Anglican ministry – the Care of Souls, Preaching, the Eucharistic Ministry and Prayer – have been closely examined both in themselves and in their renewed appearance in Newman’s life as a Catholic priest. The editor, Fr Placid Murray, is a Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey, Ireland.

Memorable Sayings and Advices of St Philip Neri, ed. by The Oxford Oratory
104 maxims of St Philip Neri. St Philip Neri founded the Oratory in Rome in the 16th century. The Oratory was brought later to England in the 19th century by the well-known Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman. However, Newman may not have been the first English Oratorian. Three hundred years before Newman, Abraham Woodhead (1609–78) founded a Catholic religious community that lived in “pious obscurity”, engaged in prayer and writing. One of Woodhead’s works was a translation of the constitutions and rules of the Oratory into English, which included this translation of the maxims of St Philip. Because of his interest in the rules of the Oratory, it is thought that the life of the Woodhead community may have been modelled on that of the Roman Oratory, and that they could therefore have been the earliest Oratory in England. This book contains the 104 maxims found in the original Italian document that Woodhead owned. The translation is his own, as is the 17th century spelling.

Devotions to St. Philip Neri by Cento
A collection of Prayers and Devotions to Saint Philip Neri, the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory.

Officium Cordis Sancti Philippi Nerii by Cento
This volume contains the full texts of the draft office for a secondary feast of Saint Philip, composed in the nineteenth century by the Fathers of the English Oratories, who were endeavouring to foster more public devotion to the heart of Saint Philip, which was, as is well known, miraculously inflamed by the Holy Ghost while he was praying in the catacombs on the Vigil of Pentecost. The grant of the feast was not forthcoming, but this document is an important insight into nineteenth century English Oratorian spirituality and thought.

Little Daily Office of the Heart of Saint Philip by Cento
This volume contains a Little Daily Office, intended for private use only, of the Heart of Saint Philip. The texts are derived from the office composed in the nineteenth century by the Fathers of the English Oratories for the secondary feast of Saint Philip proposed by them, that of his heart, which sadly failed to gain papal approbation.

Officium et Missa S.P.N. Philippi Nerii by Ron-Scout Clemente
The Office and Mass of our Holy Father St. Philip Neri and other Saints Proper to the Congregation of the Oratory

Oratorium by Edward van den Bergh
The Directory of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in London. Revised August 2015.

The Life of St. Philip Neri by Antonio Gallonio
This account of Philip’s life, written by his disciple Antonio Gallonio soon after the saint’s death, captures well his holy zeal for God’s work in the face of a corrupt and decadent Rome; his great sense of humor, which he would often use to remind people of hidden spiritual realities; and the many extraordinary miracles and conversions wrought by St. Philip both during his lifetime and after his death.

This is the first English translation of the affectionate biography, published originally in Latin in the Jubilee Year 1600. Unusually for the time, it was written in chronological order; it also bears the original footnotes by Gallonio, in which he refers to eyewitnesses and makes comparisons with the lives of canonized saints, intending thereby to assist in the promotion of Philip’s cause for elevation to the altar. Additional notes and a comprehensive index make this a most interesting and useful book for devotees of St. Philip, as well as a very readable introduction to the saint for those who do not yet know him.

Vita Beati P. Philippi Neri by Antonio Gallonio
In hoc libro legitur historia vitae s. Philippi Nerii, qui, Florentiae natus anno MDXVI, Romae diu vixit, ubi Oratorium condidit. In Paradisum deinde migravit anno MDXCV.

The life of Saint Philip Neri: Apostle of Rome and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory by Pietro Giacomo Bacci
Translated by Fr Faber, 1847.

St. Philip Neri by Rev. V. J. Matthews
“Rome is to be your Indies,” prophesied a saintly monk to St. Philip Neri. So, he moved to Rome, became a priest and proceeded to sanctify that city, and thus the world. He had a tremendous sense of humor, he worked countless miracles and advised everyone from beggars to Popes. Founder of the Oratory, the inspiration of Saints and everyone. For sanctifying Rome, the Church owes him–even to our own time–a debt of unimaginable magnitude.

Philip Neri: The Fire of Joy by Fr Paul Turks
A major biography of Philip Neri for the 400th anniversary celebrations of the life of this saint, translated by Fr Daniel Utrecht of the Toronto Oratory

The Life of B. John Juvenal Ancina: Companion of St. Philip Neri, Bishop of Saluzzo by Charles Henry Bowden

The Life of Cesare Cardinal Baronius: Of the Roman Oratory by Lady Amabel Kerr

Apologia pro Vita Sua (Penguin Classics) by John Newman, ed. Ian Ker
John Henry Newman (1801-90) described writing this account of his religious development as ‘one of the most terrible trials that I have had’. Having inspired and led the Oxford or Tractarian Movement before he abandoned Anglicanism for the Church of Rome, Newman regularly found himself the target of virulent anti-Catholic prejudice in Victorian England. The Apologia was his autobiographical response to a public attack by the novelist Charles Kingsley on his personal integrity. With it he not only convinced a suspicious public of the sincerity of his beliefs, but he also produced a literary masterpiece which has often been compared with St Augustine’s Confessions. The Apologia, which ends with a brilliant defence of Catholicism, was a turning-point in English cultural history, successfully challenging the dominant tradition of ‘no Popery’. For Newman personally the work was a ‘mental child-bearing’ as he recounted the dramatic story of a conversion which rocked the Church of England to its foundations and which was to have profound consequences for the Roman Catholic Church.

Loss and Gain (Ignatius Critical Editions) by John Henry Newman, ed. Trevor Lipscombe
This novel about a young man’s intellectual and spiritual development was the first work John Henry Newman wrote after entering the Roman Catholic Church in 1845. The story describes the perplexing questions and doubts Charles Reding experiences while attending Oxford. Though intending to avoid the religious controversies that are being heatedly debated at the university, Reding ends up leaving the Church of England and becoming a Catholic. A former Anglican clergyman who was later named a Catholic cardinal, Newman wrote this autobiographical novel to illustrate his own reasons for embracing Catholicism.

Callista: A Tale of the Third Century by John Henry Newman
In Callista: A Tale of the Third Century John Henry Newman brings the riches of his intellect and imagination to bear upon the Roman colony of Sicca Veneria in North Africa, circa 250 A.D. Persecution is far from most Christians’ living memory. Priests and bishops have grown lukewarm in matters of faith and preoccupied with matters of business. In celebration of the Roman millennium, Emperor Decius decrees that all citizens must pay homage to Rome by swearing by the genius of the Emperor and worshipping Jove. Against this backdrop Newman’s novel dramatizes Pagan-Christian conflicts of great consequence through the interwoven fates of three main characters: Agellius, a Christian farmer of Roman descent; Caecilius Cyprianus, the persecuted Bishop of Carthage; and Callista, a Greek decorator of sculptures drawn to the Christian way. Together they must reckon with the most pressing problems of tolerance and exclusivity, conversion and martyrdom.

An Essay on Development of Christian Doctrine (Notre Dame Series in the Great Books, No 4) by John Henry Newman
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, reprinted from the 1888 imprint, “is rightly regarded as one of the most seminal theological works ever to be written,” states Ian Ker in his foreword. “It remains,” Ker continues, “the classic text for the theology of the development of doctrine, a branch of theology which has become especially important in the ecumenical era.”

John Henry Cardinal Newman begins the Essay by defining how true developments in doctrine occur. He then delivers a sweeping consideration of the growth and development of doctrine in the Catholic Church, from the time of the Apostles to Newman’s own era. He demonstrates that the basic “rule” under which Christianity proceeded through the centuries is to be found in the principle of development, and emphasizes that throughout the entire life of the Church this law of development has been in effect and safeguards the faith from any real corruption.

Ker concludes that, “we may say that the Essay is not only the starting point for the study of doctrinal development, but so far as Catholic theology is concerned, it is still the last word on the subject, to the extent that no other theologian has yet attempted anything on the same scale or of similar scope. . . . But even if the Essay was not one of the great theological classics, it would still be of enduring interest for two reasons. First it is one of the key intellectual documents of the nineteenth century, comparable to Darwin’s Origin of Species, which it predates by over a decade. Second, if this were the only book of Newman to survive, its rhetorical art and style would surely place him among the masters of English prose.”

An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was a theologian and former Anglican clergyman who became a leading thinker in the Oxford Movement, which sought to return Anglicanism to its Catholic roots. This volume, first published in 1870, is Newman’s seminal examination of the logical processes underlying religious belief.

Fifteen Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford Between A.D. 1826 and 1843 (Notre Dame Series in the Great Books) by John Henry Newman
These remarkable sermons by John Henry Newman were first published at Oxford in 1843, two years before he was received into the Roman Catholic Church. Published here in its entirety is the third edition of 1872 for which Newman added an additional sermon, bracketed notes, and, importantly, a comprehensive, condensed Preface. In her introduction, noted Newman scholar Mary Katherine Tillman considers the volume as an integral whole, showing how all of the sermons systematically relate to the central theme of the faith-reason relationship.

The Idea of a University (Notre Dame Series in the Great Books) by John Henry Newman
“The Idea of a University [is an] eloquent defense of a liberal education which is perhaps the most timeless of all [Newman’s] books and certainly the one most intellectually accessible to readers of every religious faith and of none…[O]nly one who has read The Idea of a University in its entirety, especially the nine discourses, can hope to understand why its reputation is so high: why the first reading of this book has been called an ‘epoch’ in the life of a college man; why Walter Pater thought it ‘the perfect handling of a theory’; why the historian G.M. Young has ranked it with Aristotle’s Ethics among the most valuable of all works on the aim of Education; or why Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch told his students at Cambridge that ‘of all the books written in these hundred years there is perhaps none you can more profitably thumb and ponder.’” —from the Introduction by Martin J. Svaglic

Parochial and Plain Sermons by John Henry Newman
All eight volumes of Newman’s famous sermons are brought together in this new edition that is beautifully printed and bound on Bible paper with a flexible leatherette cover and red ribbon. Newman’s sermons are as powerful, fresh and challenging today as when he first gave them.

The topics that Newman covers are ones central to Christianity and salvation. Newman once again demonstrates his profound understanding of human psychology, and the temptations and trials we encounter as Christians in the world. This deluxe edition is a magnificent work of timeless inspiration and illumination for every generation of Christian readers. 191 sermons in total.

Realizations: Newman’s Selection of His Parochial and Plain Sermons, ed. Vincent Ferrer Blehl
What is the secret of John Henry Newman’s appeal? It perhaps lies in the freshness, persuasiveness, and brilliance of his descriptions of Christianity. Newman often uses the word “realization” rather than “faith” or “belief” to describe the process of becoming a Christian. To him, a realization is a moment when “one opens one’s heart to a truth.” He continues to enthral us because through him we come to recognize Christianity not as a languid assent to a series of propositions, but as a vivid encounter with concrete realities. This collection of his sermons – the ones Newman himself felt were his best – is the ideal introduction to one of the greatest writers in the Christian tradition.

“If there is one comprehensive thing that can be said about Newman’s writings, it is that he has a ‘voice’; it is his own and no-one else’s. To me, at least, it is a voice that never fails to start up, radioactive from the page, however musty the physical book.” -From the foreword by Muriel Spark

Vincent Ferrer Blehl, SJ, (1921-2001) was the Postulator of the cause of Newman’s canonization, and the author of several books and articles about Newman’s life and work.

The novelist Muriel Spark (1918-2006) said that “it was by way of Newman that I turned Roman Catholic.” She later remarked that “it wasn’t until I became a Roman Catholic…that I was able to see human existence as a whole, as a novelist needs to do.”

Selected Sermons (Classics of Western Spirituality) by John Henry Newman, ed. Ian T. Ker
Newman’s thought owes its originality paradoxically to his returning to the past to recover and revitalize those forgotten truths of Christianity which he found preeminently in early Greek Fathers. It is this profoundly Biblical and Patristic theology that lies at the heart of Newman’s spirituality, which is to be found above all in that great classic of Christian spirituality, his Parochial and Plain Sermons, preached from the pulpit of the university church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford, and from which the most of the selections in this volume are taken.

John Henry Newman: Meditations and Devotions edited by Ian Ker
Meditations, devotions, and prayers selected from the collection gathered together and published after Newman’s death. Often surprisingly simple and direct, they combine the traditional language of Catholic devotion with Newman’s own distinct voice.

The Heart of Newman ed. Erich Przywara
This new edition of a classic anthology of the writings and sermons of John Henry Newman gives a new generation access to the timeless wisdom of this great teacher.

Heart to Heart: A Cardinal Newman Prayerbook (Christian Classics) ed. Daniel M. O’Connell, S.J.
Heart to Heart is a comprehensive gathering of the luminous prayers of Saint Cardinal John Henry Newman. The only Newman prayer book, it is ideal for both those who love Newman’s work and for those getting to know Newman for the first time. His prayers are sincere, emotionally charged cries to God, as well as thoughtful, meditative lessons on the great themes of the Christian faith. The book comes with suggested devotions to help readers pray at leisure daily, weekly, and seasonally.

The Genius of John Henry Newman: Selections from his Writings by Ian Ker
Ian Ker presents a major collection of Newman’s writings, celebrating his full achievements as both a universally significant religious thinker, and a major Victorian writer. An unsystematic thinker, Newman’s ideas are scattered throughout his works – most of which were ‘occasional’ in their origin. This anthology provides a rich and varied sampling from his voluminous works, drawing our attention to some of the very finest passages in Newman’s writings whether selected from his well-known publications or from occasional texts that are difficult to find in print. The selection is divided into five sections, which focus on his life as an educator, a philosopher, a preacher, a theologian, and a writer.

Selected Sermons, Prayers, and Devotions by John Henry Newman
Like other volumes in the Vintage Spiritual Classics series, John Henry Newman’s Selected Sermons, Prayers, and Devotions, with a preface by Peter J. Gomes, is an accessible, portable, important introduction to the work of a major religious figure. Newman is one of the few orators of the Victorian era whose sermons still offer themselves to readers as fresh, focused, timely meditations. As Gomes notes in his introduction, “Newman’s prose has good bones.” Although this volume contains many of Newman’s poems and meditations (many of which record the spiritual transformations wrought in him by a trip to Italy in 1832-33), most of the material collected here is sermons.

Newman was preacher to the University Church at Oxford, so his sermons address the “big questions” that eternally vex undergraduates–Who is God? How am I to live? Who was Jesus? Newman’s answers are straightforward yet sophisticated, and very often grounded in ethics. “Outward acts, done on principle, create inward habits. I repeat, the separate acts of obedience to the will of God, good works as they are called, are of service to us, as gradually severing us from this world of sense, and impressing our hearts with a heavenly character,” he writes, in a sermon called “Holiness Necessary for Future Blessedness.” Newman’s preoccupation with ethics intensified after his conversion from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1843, along with his growing conviction that life in this world is best understood as preparation for life in the next one. Gomes observes that, “For Newman the only security in this world of tribulation is the unseen reality of the spiritual world, a world which (sic) is ruled by Christ, and for which Christ gave himself up for our redemption, which act is recapitulated in the sacramental life of the believer.” Newman’s sermons, with their astringent ethical focus, were in part a reaction to the increasing secularism and materialism of the 19th century. (He lived from 1801-1890.) In this regard, our fin de siècle echoes his and makes a contemporary reader’s attention to his sermons all the more urgent and rewarding.

John Henry Newman: Spiritual Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters) ed. John T. Ford
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was one of the preeminent religious figures of the nineteenth century, whose influence today is broad and ongoing. A leading Anglican churchman, he created a stir when he converted to Catholicism and was ordained as a priest. Newman wrote about the development of doctrine and the function of a Catholic university, he championed the rights of conscience, the role of the laity, and the role of intuition in the life of faith. He was named a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. In 2010 he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. This anthology traces his spiritual journey in tandem with the principal events of his life.

John Henry Cardinal Newman: In My Own Words, ed. Br Lewis Berry CO
This timely compilation of John Henry Cardinal Newman’s own words on a wide variety of subjects will inspire readers to live an authentic Christian life. Brother Berry’s careful selections convey the heart of Newman’s teachings, story, and spirit, deepening our familiarity with this saintly and influential man of God. As an Anglican priest, Newman led the Oxford Movement that sought to return the Church of England to its Catholic roots. His conversion to Catholicism in 1845 rocked Victorian England. After becoming an Oratorian priest, he was involved in the establishment of the Birmingham Oratory.

Newman for Everyone: 101 Questions Answered Imaginatively by Newman by Jules M. Brady
This book displays Cardinal Newman’s skill in harmonizing the theoretical with the actual, the abstract with the concrete. These readings will whet the reader’s appetite for more of Newman’s works and may suggest subjects for private meditation.

Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman by Mike Aquilina and Father Juan R. Velez
Each topical entry begins with an excerpt from this saintly man’s writings, followed by these helpful prompts:
—Think About It. Points that serve as a springboard for prayerful consideration of each meditation topic.
—Just Imagine. A Scripture scene that brings the issue at hand to life.
—Remember. A simple memorization passage to help you work through the meditation topic.

The Quotable Newman: The Definitive Guide to His Central Thoughts and Ideas by Dave Armstrong
Dave Armstrong, himself a Protestant convert influenced by the power of Cardinal Newman’s words, has mined over forty of Cardinal Newman’s works to produce substantive passages on more than 100 topics ranging from Angels, Absolution, and the Bible, through Confession, the Eucharist, Infallibility, and the Inquisition, to the Sacraments, the Saints, Transubstantiation, and the Trinity. Armstrong selected these passages for their beauty, but even more for the clarity and persuasiveness with which they present and defend so many key theological positions of the Catholic Church.

Newman Prayer Book, ed. The Birmingham Oratory
The beatification of John Henry Newman has led, perhaps more than ever, to a need for a simple Newman Prayer Book. This selection of brief extracts from Cardinal Newman’sMeditations and Devotions will introduce people to the mind and spirit of Newman, and enable many to prepare and participate in the Church’s joy. The selection of extracts has been arranged so that there is a prayer for each day of the month. Two morning and evening prayers, taken from his unpublished writings, are also included. A Novena, composed from Newman’s writings, allowing people to pray through Newman’s intercession completes the Prayer Book.

VOL. 1 Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England ed. Andrew Nash

VOL. 2 Sermon Notes of John Henry Cardinal Newman, 1849-1878 ed. James Tolhurst
Newman was told that Catholic priests do not read sermons, but this does not mean that he made them up as he went along. He planned his Catholic sermons as meticulously as he did his famous Parochial and Plain, but he committed them to memory and then he made notes afterwards. His sermons, delivered over a period of thirty years, provide some fascinating insights into his active mind and the range of subjects he covered within the framework of the Church’s liturgical year. James Mozley, writing in 1946, said, “A sermon of Mr. Newman’s enters into our feelings, ideas, and modes of viewing things. Persons look into Mr. Newman’s sermons and see their own thoughts in them.” Unpublished for ninety years, Sermon Notes of John Henry Cardinal Newman shows Newman’s brilliant mind at work.

VOL. 3 Rise and Progress of Universities and Benedictine Essays ed. Mary Katherine Tillman
Rise and Progress of Universities and Benedictine Essays contains a selection of publications from the middle (1854-56) and late (1858-59) periods of John Henry Newman’s association with the Catholic University of Ireland. Rise and Progress of Universities consists of twenty articles first published in the Catholic University Gazette from 1854-56. The last two essays of this volume, the Benedictine Essays, originally appeared in The Atlantis.

VOL. 4 The Arians of the Fourth Century ed. Rowan Williams

VOL. 5 The Church of the Fathers ed. Francis McGrath

VOL. 6 Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations ed. James Tolhurst
Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations examines Catholicism from the inside and deals with the popular prejudices which John Henry Newman’s contemporaries entertained of it. Newman uses the same touch he displayed in the pulpit of St. Mary’s to explain the truths of the faith which he had embraced. His humour and irony enable him to reach those “who do not narrow their belief to their experience.” This edition reveals the context of the Discourses and contains a wealth of references.

VOL. 7 Discussions &Arguments on Various Subjects (Works of Cardinal Newman) ed. Gerard Tracey and James Tolhurst
Discussions and Arguments on Various Subjects, volume VII in The Works of Cardinal Newman: Birmingham Oratory Millennium Edition series, is a collection of six articles, which were written between 1835, after the publication of The Arians of the Fourth Century, and 1866, when, as a Roman Catholic, Newman contributed a review to the Jesuit periodical The Month. Two of these articles appeared as Tracts for the Times; two are a series of letters to a newspaper. The letters discuss the nature of scientific knowledge as a quasi-substitute for faith, and the nature of the balance between executive power and democratic constraints. The opening essay, in the imaginary setting of the Roman forum, is a discussion between three friends of the nature of the via media, its shortcomings, and how it can be made to work. This book has been unavailable for many years and contains some of Newman’s best and most amusing writing, scattered throughout with historical and literary references, which have been extensively researched for the modern reader in this edition.

VOL. 8 Two Essays on Biblical and on Ecclesiastical Miracles ed. Geoffrey Rowell
The essays in this volume were written when John Henry Newman was a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. He wrote the first, on biblical miracles “The Miracles of Scripture,” in 1825-26, as a relatively young man; the other, “The Miracles of Early Ecclesiastical History,” was written in 1842-43. A comparison of the two essays displays a shift in Newman’s theological stances.

In the earlier essay, Newman argues in accordance with the theology of evidence of his time, maintaining that the age of miracles was limited to those recorded in the Old Testament scriptures and in the Gospels and Acts. He asserts that biblical miracles served to demonstrate the divine inspiration of biblical revelation and to attest to the divinity of Christ. However, with the end of the apostolic age, the age of miracles came to an end; miracles reported from the early ages of the Church Newman dismissed as suspicious and possibly fraudulent. With this view, Newman entered into an ongoing debate between the skepticism of Hume and Paine and its continuation in the utilitarianism of Bentham, on the one hand, and the views of Christian apologists rebutting Hume’s arguments, on the other.

In “The Miracles of Early Ecclesiastical History,” Newman can be seen as coming closer to accepting the doctrines of the Catholic Church. He rejects the stance he took in “The Miracles of Scripture,” now arguing for a continuity of sacred history between the biblical and ecclesiastical periods. He had clearly abandoned the position of “evidence theologians” that miracles ended after the time of the Apostles. Newman’s movement between the writing of the two essays is essentially a growing into a deeper awareness of the Church as a divine society in whose life miracles and supernatural gifts were to be expected.

VOL. 9 Sermons Preached on Various Occasions ed. James Tolhurst
John Henry Newman points out in the Preface to the original edition, that his series of Sermons Preached on Various Occasions was ‘the result of external circumstances rather than of any set purpose of his own’. The particular external circumstances were the establishment of the Catholic University of Ireland (which accounted for the first eight sermons), the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales (sermons 9 and 10), the Rigorgimento in Italy and its repercussions on the papacy (sermon 15) and the death of two friends, Dr Weedall and James Hope Scott (sermons 13 and 14). Newman added his two-part sermon on St Phillip (sermon 12) to make up the total in the first edition. The sermons on the situation of the Church in England and Wales, and then of the papacy itself in Italy, reflect the tumultuous times of the mid-nineteenth century: a defining of the role of Catholicism in the development of the modern world.

VOL. 10 Tracts for the Times ed. James Tolhurst
For the first time, the majority of John Henry Cardinal Newman’s contributions to the ground-breaking series Tracts for the Times have been collected in one volume, with an introduction and notes supplied by James Tolhurst.

The Tracts for the Times will always be connected with the Oxford Movement. John Henry Newman and other leaders of the movement sought a renewal of “catholic,” or Roman Catholic, thought and practice within the Church of England. They published their ideas on the theological, pastoral, and devotional problems that they perceived within the church in ninety “Tracts for the Times” (1833-1841).

Newman, who edited the series, either wrote or compiled a third of the tracts. Increasingly, the tracts were expanded into treatises—especially after Tract 36—and were often composed of quotations from patristic writers and the English Divines. Tracts 83 and 85 are included in Discussions and Arguments on Various Subjects, volume VII of the Birmingham Oratory Millennium Edition of his works. Tracts 74, 76, and 88 have been omitted here. In Tract 75, the introductory explanation of the breviary has been included.

VOL. 11 Loss and Gain: The Story of a Convert ed. Sheridan Gilley
It may seem surprising to discover that a Catholic cardinal was a novelist, and Newman advanced this as an obstacle to his own canonization: “Saints are not literary men,” he wrote, “they do not love the classics, they do not write Tales.” He was only fit “to black the saints’ shoes―if Saint Philip uses blacking, in heaven.” The background to Loss and Gain was a controversial one. Newman wrote the book in part to provide a title for publication by James Burns, of the later celebrated firm of Burns and Oates, who had lost his stable of Anglican authors by converting in 1847 to Catholicism. An understanding of the novel requires some knowledge of its Oxford background, of the university setting, which was compared in the fierceness of its loyalties by Newman’s friend Richard Church to a Renaissance Italian city, implying an assassin with a stiletto round every corner. In short, there is a sense in which, in spite of its fictional character, Loss and Gain is a work of controversy, full of echoes of old battles over whether the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and the Book of Common Prayer should be interpreted in a “Catholic” or a “Protestant” sense. It is a response, like Newman’s other works, to a challenge, and so its hero, Charles Reding, as a student in Oxford, passes through the hands of the representatives of a number of Anglican parties and schools of theology before resolving his doubts in Rome.

The life of John Henry, Cardinal Newman (v. 1): based on his private journals and correspondence by Wilfrid Ward

The life of John Henry, Cardinal Newman (v. 2): based on his private journals and correspondence by Wilfrid Philip Ward

John Henry Newman: A Biography by Ian Ker
This full-length life of John Henry Newman is the first comprehensive biography of both the man and the thinker and writer. It draws extensively on material from Newman’s letters and papers. Newman’s character is revealed in its complexity and contrasts: the legendary sadness and sensitivity are placed in their proper perspective by being set against his no less striking qualities of exuberance, humour, and toughness.

This book attempts to do justice to the fullness of Newman’s achievement and genius: the Victorian ‘prophet’ or ‘sage’, who ranks among the major English prose writers; the dominating religious figure of the nineteenth century, who can now be recognised as the forerunner of the Second Vatican Council and the modern ecumenical movement; and finally, the universal Christian thinker, whose significance transcends his culture and time.

Newman – His Life and Legacy by Ian Ker
In this new and up-to-date biography, the renowned Newman scholar Fr Ian Ker sets out the amazing life of John Henry Newman from his formative Anglican years, following his path to Rome, his founding of the Oratory, and his busy and often controversial Catholic years. While a very thorough portrait of the man himself, this account also examines Cardinal Newman’s rich legacy and tells the complete story leading to his beatification in 2010. Fr Ian Ker is a parish priest and Senior Research Fellow in Theology at St Benet’s Hall, Oxford. He is generally regarded as the world’s leading authority on Newman, on whom he has published more than twenty books.

John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wall by Joyce Sugg
John Henry Newman was the greatest of all the English churchmen of the last two hundred years. Venerated throughout the world, Newman’s many gifts, and his life of exemplary holiness, continue to fascinate. Famous in his own lifetime as a writer, thinker, preacher and poet, he is seen today as a prophet and a saint. Few have achieved his clarity of vision over the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, or have been able to express these timeless truths so clearly, to share them so lucidly and to continue to inspire succeeding generations. Here is a highly readable account of his life, written with a freshness and immediacy that brings us close to the story of this remarkable man – a very English saint. Joyce Sugg, like Newman, is a convert to the Catholic Church from Anglicanism and has spent most of her life either in Oxford or in Birmingham.

The Achievement of John Henry Newman by Ian Ker
An excellent, very readable summary of Cardinal Newman’s intellectual achievement – Ker’s most original contribution lies in his attempt to credit Newman with an original theory of knowledge and enduring significance as a philosopher.

Newman 101: An Introduction to the Life and Philosophy of John Cardinal Newman by Roderick Strange
The conversion to Catholicism and the rich writings of this prominent nineteenth century theologian are presented with new found accessibility and energy in this second volume in the 101 Series from Christian Classics. Over the last 150 years few Catholic thinkers have captured the mood, imagination, and concerns of the Church as well as John Cardinal Newman. His journey from Anglicanism to Catholicism is one marked with controversy and radical transformation, but what followed was even more critical and fascinating, one of the most celebrated careers in history of a Catholic thinker. In Newman 101, Roderick Strange offers an accessible introduction to the thought and work of the popular and widely studied philosopher, highlighting his Catholic vision for an entire new generation of readers.

Cardinal Newman for Today by Thomas J. Norris
Cardinal Newman for Today presents the tree of John Henry Newman’s life. It locates the roots of that tree in his encounter with the wisdom of antiquity, the discovery of divine revelation and the encounter with the Fathers of the Church. As for the shoots, it identifies them in the living tradition of the Church, the faith-life of believers and the reality of doctrine. The fruits, finally, are visible in the Gospel of joy lived out in obedience to God and conscience.

Newman and His Contemporaries by Edward Short
This is a book on John Henry Newman’s influence on some of the most fascinating characters of the 19th century – and their influence on him. No one in nineteenth-century England had a more varied circle of friends and contacts than John Henry Newman (1801-1890), the priest, theologian, educator, philosopher, poet and writer, who began his career as an Anglican, converted to Catholicism and ended his days a Cardinal. That he was also a leading member of the Oxford Movement, brought the Oratory to England, founded the Catholic University in Dublin and corresponded with men and women from all backgrounds from around the world made him a figure of enormous interest to his contemporaries. In this study of Newman’s personal influence, Edward Short looks closely at some of Newman’s relations with his contemporaries to show how this prophetic thinker drew on his personal relationships to develop his many insights into faith and life. Some of the contemporaries covered include Keble, Pusey, Gladstone, Matthew Arnold, Richard Holt Hutton, Lady Georgiana Fullerton, and Thackeray. Based on a careful reading of Newman’s correspondence, the book offers a fresh look at an extraordinary figure whose work continues to influence our own contemporaries.

John Henry Newman: His Inner Life by Zeno, Capuchin
This book is a culmination of Father Zeno’s life work. With the cooperation of the Oratorian Fathers, he was given full access to all of Newman’s letters, diaries, and complete published and unpublished sermons. From all this he has drawn together the interior struggles Newman faced from childhood until his death. Zeno allows Newman to speak through his work and writings, an exceedingly rich source. This is a landmark work considered one of the best spiritual biographies of John Henry Newman ever written.

This book was first published in Dutch and met with immediate and extensive acclaim. It covers Newman’s young life as an Anglican, the doubts he faced in light of his historical studies, his conversion to Catholicism, the trials he faced as a result of his conversion, and his remarkable growth in holiness and the interior life.

John Henry Newman: The Path to Sainthood by Julien Chilcott-Monk
This portrait of a saint in the making is based on Newman’s great poem, The Dream of Gerontius. Through its seven movements, it traces Newman’s path through life – his lasting influence in the Church of England, his building of the church at Littlemore, his conversion, his vision and his founding of an English Oratory, the writing of the Dream, and the course of his beatification. Throughout, Newman’s own words and advice on sanctity will be featured offering a timeless guide to holy living today.

Passion for Truth: The Life of John Henry Newman by Rev. Juan R. Velez
In Passion for Truth, Fr. Juan R. Velez painstakingly uncovers the life and work of Saint John Henry Newman. In the story of his early years, his family upbringing and university education, and through his vast correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues, Velez acquaints us with Newman, the loyal friend, profound thinker, prolific writer, and holy priest. A true Catholic gentleman, who can be admired and loved by all who love the Truth, Newman was a talented but timid young man, who often doubted his own competence, but was to become one of the most influential teachers and writers of the 19th Century. Starting life as a devout and promising Anglican scholar, he finished the race a Catholic priest and Cardinal, to the disappointment of some of his closest friends and the great joy of many others. His prominent position as an Anglican clergyman and Oxford don made his long anticipated conversion the subject of great interest to many of his contemporaries, and once he crossed over to Rome, many Anglicans followed his lead. A relentless pursuit of wisdom did not allow him to simply store away his knowledge but urged him to conform his life to what was true wherever and whenever he discovered it. This passion for Truth did not always gain him friends, but it ultimately gained him what he valued above all else: a home in the True Church of Christ.

Newman and the Oxford Oratory by Jerome Bertram
The story of how Newman attempted to found an Oratory in Oxford in the 1860s, and of what went wrong.

Shadows and Images: A Novel by Meriol Trevor
This is the story of a Protestant young woman and her journey to the Roman Catholic Church. The fascinating novel is set in nineteenth-century England–a time when Catholicism was regarded with suspicion and prejudice against Catholics was commonplace. Leaving her sheltered life in the countryside, young Clem becomes acquainted with the fascinating ideas and people of Oxford–including a brilliant young clergyman, John Henry Newman. But when her relationship to a Roman Catholic man with a colorful reputation leads to an Italian elopement that is more innocent than it appears, the scandal drives a wedge between Clem and the upright Anglican circle of friends and family she left behind. Woven into the story of Clem and Augustine, their courtship and marriage, and Clem’s conversion, is the vital, influential, and holy Newman, as seen through the eyes of friends.

Meriol Trevor’s engaging plot charts the ongoing friendship between Newman and the couple as it spans many years during which pivotal historical influences, such as the Industrial Revolution and the Oxford Movement, are shaping Victorian England.

Many important events, personages, and ideas in the life of Newman appear in the story–his reasons for becoming a Roman Catholic, his differences with Cardinal Manning, his work in the Birmingham Oratory, and his being made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. The author, a renowned biographer of Newman, used Newman’s actual correspondence as the basis for his parts in the dialogue.

John Henry Newman: Spiritual Director 1845-1890 by Peter C. Wilcox
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was a man who sought to integrate life and holiness. He believed that the spiritual life needed to be lived in an active and dynamic way, touching a person’s fundamental attitudes and actions.

Although Newman rejected the title of spiritual director as such, it is obvious from his correspondence that directing others through various facets of the Christian life was one of his dominant concerns. Surprisingly, comparatively little has been written about Newman’s idea of spiritual direction. This book investigates Newman’s understanding of spiritual direction during his life as a Roman Catholic, 1845-1890. It examines the major areas in which Newman gave spiritual direction through an analysis of the correspondence from his Catholic years. It also explicates those principles of Newman’s own spiritual life that found expression in his direction of others.

Newman had a mammoth “apostolate of correspondence.” His Letters and Diaries have been edited and published in a series of thirty-two volumes, embracing more than twenty thousand letters. The first ten volumes deal with Newman’s Anglican period; the remaining twenty-two volumes cover his Catholic period and are the primary source for this book. These volumes have been studied chronologically in order to determine and extract the major areas in which Newman gave spiritual direction to others, and to investigate the stages of development in his spiritual advice.

Heart Speaks to Heart: The Story of Blessed John Henry Newman by Dermot Mansfield
Dermot Mansfield presents a clear and vivid account of the life of John Henry Newman, a man who was subject to much misunderstanding and suspicion in the Catholic Church. `Heart speaks to heart’, the motto he chose when made a cardinal late in life, shows that his whole life was interwoven with a range of people, high and low, both Anglican and Catholic. This book offers a fresh perspective on Newman’s life, with contemporary Church issues and questions of faith and unbelief never far from mind. 2010 was the year of Newman’s beatification by Pope Benedict XVI, and this timely book tells the story of his long life in a meaningful way.

How Italy and Her People Shaped Cardinal Newman: Italian Influences on an English Mind by Jo Anne Cammarata Sylva
A History of the influence of Italy — the people, their art and architecture, their Catholicism — on John Henry Newman and His decision to convert to the Catholic Faith

The Spirit and Genius of St.Philip Neri by Frederick William Faber

The Maxims and Sayings of St Philip Neri trans. Frederick William Faber
Daily devotions from the wisdom of the great saint, the “apostle of Rome”, Philip Neri, founder of the Oratorians.

The Spirit of Father Faber, Apostle of London by Frederick William Faber, ed. Wilfrid Meynell

The life and letters of Frederick William Faber: D. D., priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri by John Edward Bowden

Frederick William Faber: A Great Servant of God by Melissa Wilkinson
A comprehensive picture of the life and spiritual development of the founder of the London Oratory. The accepted historical image of Frederick William Faber has often been that of a portly, ebullient, over-emotional individual, chiefly remembered as the founder of the London Oratory, for his disagreements with John Henry Newman, and his prolific output of hymns (often triumphalist and occasionally sentimental). There is, however, a more profound side to Faber, which made him, in the opinion of one of his contemporaries, Henry Edward Manning, ‘a great servant of God’.

Melissa Wilkinson shows that Faber inhabited a more fascinating, sophisticated, complex and multi-faceted world than has hitherto been realised.

Growth in Holiness by Rev. Frederick William Faber
Probably Fr. Faber’s greatest book. Includes “The Ruling Passion,” “Human Respect,” “The Right View of Our Faults,” “Abiding Sorrow for Sin,” “Scruples,” “Spiritual Idleness,” “True Signs of Progress in the Spiritual Life,” and more–27 chapters in all. Typical of Fr. Faber’s keen insight into all matters bearing on True Religion. Shows that growth in holiness is the issue of life and deserves at least as much intelligent attention as our physical life.

Spiritual Conferences by Rev. Frederick William Faber
Fr. Faber’s most famous essays: “Kindness”; “Death”; and “Self-Deceit.” Includes also “Heaven”; “Hell”; “Frequent Confession”; “Wounded Feelings”; “Taking Scandal”; “The Monotony of Piety”; “Confidence”; “Spiritual Reading”; “Weariness in Well-Doing” and “All Men Have a Special Vocation.” Fr. Faber knows intimately the weakness of our poor hearts and offers remedies like a wise doctor.

The Precious Blood by Rev. Frederick William Faber
Fr. Faber calls it the price of our salvation, for Our Lord died from loss of blood. He says it is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celibacies, austerities, heroic charities and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity. He says the Sacraments are God’s machinery for keeping His Precious Blood always flowing in the Church and that the evils on earth and the pains of Hell would be much worse without the shedding of Our Lord’s Precious Blood.

Blessed Sacrament by Frederick William Faber
Inspires a reverential awe and love for God’s “greatest work,” “the compendium of all miracles,” and “Queen of the Sacraments.” Affirms that the Blessed Sacrament is “the picture of God,” “the Magnet of souls” and “the very life of the church.” Includes great insights into the Theology of Transubstantiation, and describes Our Lord’s five Eucharistic Sufferings and the reparation we should make. As usual, Fr. Faber ranges over the entire Catholic Faith in this work, enlightening our minds and inflaming our souls with a more deeply Catholic outlook on life.

All for Jesus: The Easy Ways of Divine Love by Frederick William Faber
One of Fr. Faber’s greatest books; and definitely his most encouraging; for it was written precisely to help us save our souls by serving Jesus out of love; for everything comes easy to love. Gives us powerful motives for loving God. Says if we did; it would be with us as it was with Jacob working to earn the hand of Rachel: Years would seem but days; for the greatness of our love. Makes a person feel rich to be a Catholic.

Hymns by Frederick William Faber

The Creator and the Creature: The Wonders of Divine Love by Frederick W. Faber
This book stands as the “source and origin” of all Fr. Faber’s other writings; for it contains the fundamental insight which leads to a proper understanding of our religion. Fr. Faber says men in the modern era accept God’s existence; but deny His sovereignty in practice. Though composed in mid-19th century; this book is absolutely on target today; for man’s tendency to arrogate to himself the prerogatives of God; although strong in Fr. Faber’s time; is epidemic today.

The Foot of the Cross: The Sorrows of Mary by Frederick W. Faber
Describes Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows, relating them to our own spiritual life. Tells why God permitted her sorrows, and describes the immensity of them, including their characteristics. Explains how Our Lady rejoiced in her sorrows, and demonstrates how the Church puts the sorrows before us. Gives a detailed examination of each sorrow culminating in the crucifixion and burial of Our Lord. Helps to build devotion to Our Lord by understanding the sorrows of His Mother — and experience shows that we never advance more rapidly in love of the Son than when we travel by the Mother. Whoever is growing in devotion to the Mother of God is growing in all good things.

Bethlehem by Frederick W. Faber
Explores the hidden meanings of Our Lord’s Incarnation, birth, infancy and early life and expands his theme to a wide-ranging discourse on the entire Catholic Faith from the point of view of the Sacred Infancy. Nothing that Jesus did or allowed Himself to undergo is without meaning, and Fr. Faber explores those hidden meanings with profundity.

True Devotion to Mary (Tan Classics) by St Louis Marie de Montfort, trans. with preface by Fr Faber
Considered by many to be the greatest single book of Marian spirituality ever written, True Devotion to Mary, is St Louis de Montfort’s classic statement on the spiritual way to Jesus Christ though the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In this beautiful and sublimely inspiring book, de Montfort explains the wonderful spiritual effects which true devotion to Mary brings about in a person’s life.

Tracts on the Church and Her Offices by Frederick W. Faber
Fr Faber’s Anglican writings.

St Philip Neri: A Portrait by Louis Bouyer
A classic portrait of St Philip Neri, which portrays the saint with a particular affection and understanding and sets him against the background of Renaissance Italy. The Apostle of Rome, as St Philip was called, has much wisdom to teach us and the author brings out his continuing relevance for a contemporary audience. This edition contains a new introduction and a chronology of the major events in St Philip’s life. Fr Michael Day who translated the work into English was a member of the Birmingham Oratory, established by Cardinal Newman.

Newman: An Intellectual & Spiritual Biography of John Henry Newman by Louis Bouyer
“No voice from beyond the grave speaks to us powerfully as Newman does; because there is no one who speaks more directly to the heart, as there is no one who speaks more directly from the heart.”– Louis Bouyer

John Henry Newman, recently Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI, was a famous Anglican convert to the Catholic Church, an Oratorian priest, a brilliant author of novels, poems and acclaimed spiritual works, and a renowned preacher. Newman had a great impact on the intellectual and spiritual journey of the author, Fr. Louis Bouyer, who became a famous theologian and spiritual writer. His exchange with the thought of Newman over the years is a model of theological dialogue as Bouyer understood it: the passionate engagement with and free assimilation of all that can illuminate Catholic truth.

Bouyer does not see in Newman the eminent Victorian, but a “potential contemporary”; not the subtle philosopher, but a Christian of integrity who sought all his life to follow Christ and did so with an edifying fidelity.

Bouyer studied important unpublished documents by Newman at the Birmingham Oratory and addressed the delicate question of Newman’s sensitive temperament, the key to entering the world of this great theologian. For Bouyer, one of the principle elements of the spiritual universe of Newman is a genuine mysticism of Christ: “Irreplaceable mirror outside of which God’s radiance eludes fallen man and only appears as shadow.”

Bouyer shows that as St. Augustine was the great apostle to the early Church, and St. Thomas Aquinas was to the Middle Ages, so is Newman that for modern times. A work of major significance for anyone who wants to approach the towering figure of John Henry Newman.

Pardon and Peace: A Sinner’s Guide to Confession by Francis Randolph
Fr. Francis Randolph presents a very positive and practical understanding of the immense value of the sacrament of confession for the modern Catholic. Father Randolph helps the reader to see how the sacrament of confession meets the deepest needs of the penitent on the spiritual, emotional and psychological levels.

Step by step we follow the different stages of the rite, looking at the various elements of the sacrament and what they mean for the average sinner in the box. The author draws on his own experiences, on both sides of the grille, to explain what is actually happening in this sacrament, and why it is so helpful for growing in the love of God and neighbor. Because of so much recent confusion over the nature and purpose of the sacrament, the book tackles the common objections and anxieties over confession, and recommends frequent confession for getting rid of stress and anxiety, and growing in confidence before God.

Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass by Francis Randolph
In accessible and lively prose, this book explains the ceremonies of the Catholic Mass and their meaning for lay people, including the young. It is designed to meet the widespread complaint that the Mass is boring, incomprehensible, or alienating. Fr. Randolph goes through the Mass step by step, looking at the origin and purpose of the various elements, and relating them to the reader’s experience of prayer and the Christian life. Suggestions are made for ways to enhance our appreciation of the liturgy, how to prepare for Mass, and how to carry the grace of the Mass out into the world. A supplementary chapter looks at the use of Latin in the Mass, its past and present value, and explains it in the context of contemplative prayer.

Jesus, Teach Us to Pray, by Jerome Bertram
“Teach us to Pray.” The disciples’ cry to Jesus has never been more topical. In a fast-moving, hyperactive, technology oriented world, more and more people are trying to find meaning in their lives and to develop a living relationship with the Lord in prayer. However, they often find themselves at a loss to discover reliable guides point to sure pathways to the art of prayer.

In this book Fr. Jerome Bertram answers the plea of so many of his contemporaries. Drawing on his own experience and his vast knowledge of trusted spiritual authors, he leads his readers into the various ways of prayer. After a few introductory chapters stressing the importance of prayer, Jerome takes us through the Our Father, the very prayer which the Lord himself left with us.

Along the way, he tackles common difficulties such as distraction and detachment, thus providing valuable advice for all who seek to deepen their life of prayer, be they beginners or more advanced in the spiritual life. Building on the insights of Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth, the author provides an account of prayer that is easy to read, accessible, and clearly centered on Jesus Christ and the Church.

Vita Communis: The Common Life of the Secular Clergy by Jerome Bertram
Vita Communis — ‘the common life’ — is the term used for community life among priests and other clerics, as opposed to monks and friars. While monasticism is familiar, few are aware that pastoral (‘secular’) priests have lived in communities for most of the Church’s history. Many people have suggested that they could do so again, and that this might help with some of the problems facing solitary priests in the modern world. By exploring what was done in the past, we can suggest what might work in the future, learning from the successes as well as the failures of previous priestly communities. The story of secular canons in the Western Church, as opposed to those who were canons in religious orders, has often been told in terms of their contribution to architecture, literature, and the apostolate. Here, however, the author, building on his earlier work devoted to the medieval rules governing the secular common life, has provided a narrative of the essential shape of the canonical life from its origins down to the present time, and this for a general readership. He thus demonstrates the persistent desire of many secular clergy to live in community. At a time when priests are fewer and more isolated, this work will provide useful models for developing structures of mutual support for the secular clergy of our time.

The Chrodegang Rules: The Rules for the Common Life of the Secular Clergy from the Eighth and Ninth Centuries. Critical Texts with Translations and Commentary (Church, Faith, and Culture in the Medieval West) by Jerome Bertram
Since its earliest days, the Christian Church sought to draw up rules by which its members could live together in religious communities. Whilst those of Augustine (c. 400 AD) and Benedict (c. 530 AD) provided detailed guidance for monastic life, it took another two centuries for equivalent rules for secular clergy to become accepted on a wide scale. The earliest surviving set of comprehensive rules for canons are those written in the mid-eighth century by St Chrodegang (c. 712-766), Bishop of Metz. Writing initially for secular clergy at Metz Cathedral, this work shows how Chrodegang’s rule borrowed much from the Benedictine tradition, dealing with many of the same concerns such as the housing, feeding and disciplining of members of the community and the daily routine of the divine offices. At a time when there was no consensus on how clergy should live – whether they should marry or were eligible to own property – Chrodegang’s rule provided clear guidance on such issues, and inspired reformers across Europe to consider how clergy lived and interacted with wider society. Although his work was superseded within a generation by the Rule of Aachen, Chrodegang succeeded in setting the agenda for subsequent rules for canons and as such his rule deserves to be given more weight by Church historians than has hitherto been the case. Providing the Latin texts and English translations of the three surviving versions of Chrodegang’s rule, (“Regula Originalis Chrodegangi,” “Institutio Canonicorum,” “Regula Longior Canonicorum”) this volume provides an invaluable resource to scholars of mediaeval Christian communities. Substantial introductions to each text provide historical context and bibliographic details, allowing them to be understood in a much fuller way than has hitherto been possible.

Pastoral and Occasional Sermons by Ronald Knox
The highly esteemed Catholic convert, writer and apologist Ronald Knox, a master of the English language, was well regarded for his gifts both of writing and preaching. This volume combines both skills as it is a collection of his homilies on all the important themes of the spiritual and moral life, and on his favorite saints, men and women of history who were “inflamed with the love of Christ”. In his always descriptive, profound and witty style, Knox covers a very wide variety of pastoral themes for Christian living and growth in spiritual perfection. Themes such as “The Fatherhood of God”, “The Sermon on the Mount”, “The Gifts of God”, “The Triumph of Suffering”, “The Divine Sacrifice”, and dozens more. In his “occasional” sermons on saints and Christian heroes, he shows how these heroes of history struggled with many of the same spiritual battles that modern believers encounter daily, and overcame them with faith, courage, character and virtue. These are the shining witnesses of the truth and charity we all seek to emulate.

This volume contains several sermons of Oratorian interest: “St Philip Neri: I,” “St Philip Neri: II,” and “St Philip Neri: III,” “The London Oratory,” “The Conversions of Newman and Faber,” “The Conversion of Newman: I,” “The Conversion of Newman: II,” “The Conversion of Faber,” “Father Dominic Barberi,” “The Oratorians in London,” and “The Translation of Fr Faber.” Read an excerpt from one of Msgr Knox’s sermons on St Philip Neri:

Captive Flames: On Selected Saints and Christian Heroes by Ronald Knox
The well-known Catholic convert and apologist Ronald Knox was highly esteemed for both his gift for writing and preaching. This volume combines both skills as it is a collection of his homilies on his favorite saints, men and women of history who were “inflamed with the love of Christ.” In his always descriptive, profound and witty style, Knox shows how these heroes of history struggled with many of the same spiritual battles that modern believers encounter daily, and overcame them with faith, courage, character and virtue. These are the shining witnesses of the truth and charity we all seek to grasp and emulate.

In his vivid style, Ronald Knox tells the stories of a variety of these Christian stalwarts including St. Cecilia, St. George, St. Dominic, St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas More, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Anselm, St. Joan of Arc, and many more.