The life of St. John Vianney, also known as the Curé d'Ars (priest of Ars), is marked by boundless humility and obedience to God. When this simple French priest was assigned in 1818 to the parish of Ars, a town containing barely 250 inhabitants, few would have guessed that it would lead to his international recognition. Disturbed by the religious ignorance and indifference brought about by the French Revolution and openly displayed by his congregation, John Vianney began work in his parish that quickly flowered into a radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surrounding inhabitants. By 1827 he was receiving visitors from all over France and beyond, sometimes spending up to sixteen hours a day in the confessional. Despite his success in Ars, Vianney longed for a contemplative life free from his public obligations; but even though he fled from these several times, he always returned to Ars, where he died in 1859. Henri Ghéon's portrayal of this saint is thoroughly engaging while avoiding being overly sentimental; he presents a man of great holiness and inner turmoil, but most of all, of dedication to his parish and community.

""Everyone who thinks Vianney is already well known will find not simply new information, but what has new meaning for each discoverer. That meaning may well differ for each reader. The descriptions of the Cur禳 encounters with Satan and ""his lesser angels"" and of the hours in the confessional were my own personal crucial rediscoveries. The retreat by Pope John Paul II given at Ars is an extraordinary bonus in this extraordinary work.... An important, fascinating work by an important, fascinating author."" John Cardinal O'Connor ""In the Cur矯f Ars, we have an incomparable guide. He remains for all an unequalled model both of the carrying out of the ministry and of the holiness of the minister."" Pope John Paul II ""This is a very unusual, perhaps even a unique biography. Father Rutler does more than give the ""facts"" about the life of the Cur矯f Ars. With bold strokes, like a master Chinese calligrapher, he captures the spirit of the age in which he lived, unveils the sanctity of a humble parish priest, and gets to the heart of what it means to be a priest not just then, but now and for all time. Along the way Father Rutler brilliantly shows that the Cur矯f Ars is a priest for all seasons."" Kenneth Baker, S.J. Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church is a multivolume study by Hughes Oliphant Old that canvasses the history of preaching from the words of Moses at Mount Sinai through modern times. In Volume 1, The Biblical Period, Old begins his survey by discussing the roots of the Christian ministry of the Word in the worship of Israel. He then examines the preaching of Christ and the Apostles. Finally, Old looks at the development and practice of Christian preaching in the second and third centuries, concluding with the ministry of Origen.

For more than two centuries, "Butler's" has been one of the best known, most widely consulted hagiographies. In its brief and authoritative entries, readers can find a wealth of knowledge on the lives and deeds of the saints, as well as their ecclesiastical and historical importance since canonization.

"Gilbert Keith Chesterton" by Maisie Ward. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.