That's the case, in a special way, of the truths that Catholics hold dear. From one age to another, stories have brought them to life. This book gathers up those stories--the ones we grew up with, the ones we learned in school, the ones we've handed down to our children--and offers them to a new generation of Catholics.
Here, for example, is the story of St. Patrick, converting a people with the strength of his faith and the power of his words. Here is St. Francis of Assisi, with an imitation of Christ that is stunning in its simplicity. Here, closer to our own time, are heroes such as Dorothy Day, the martyred women of El Salvador, the beloved Cardinal Bernardin--whose stories remind us of what we are all called to be.
Taken one by one, they recall for us that in every age God sends special people to challenge the Church and inspire the rest of us to holiness. Taken together--all one hundred twenty-five of them, from the earliest days of the Church right up to the new millennium--they form the narrative tradition of the Church.
The stories are arranged to illustrate some basic teachings: about the four cardinal virtues, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the corporal works of mercy, and the spiritual works of mercy. They are presented together to foster an awareness of Catholic heritage, to teach Catholics and their friends about the Church, and to call individual Catholics and their families to a life of faith. The tradition began with four magic words: tell me a story. It continues now with four more: "Once upon a time..."
The Treasury of Catholic Stories, published by Our Sunday Visitor, is the best anthology of inspiring and heartwarming Catholic stories available. Arranged brilliantly in easy-to-read passages, it brings to life over a hundred faith stories of the holiest Catholics who ever lived. Parents and teachers who yearn to pass the Faith along to their children will find it personally enriching. The stories also provide a fountain of material for homilists.
Gerald M. Costello retired in 1991 as editor-in-chief of Catholic New York, the third newspaper of which he has been founding editor. A 1952 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he also holds an honorary doctorate in letters from St. John's University, New York. Costello's earlier books are Mission to Latin America and Without Fear or Favor, winner of a Catholic Press Association Book Award in 1985. He and his wife, Jane, live in New Jersey. They have six children and twelve grandchildren.
“Author Jerry Costello has had a long and distinguished career in Catholic journalism. In my judgment this book is the crowning professional achievement of his life.” - Father John Catoir, author and syndicated columnist
“If the Catechism of the Catholic Church is an encyclopedia of Christian truth, Our Sunday Visitor's Treasury of Catholic Stories, in its own way, is an encyclopedia of Christian virtue. This treasury beautifully paints the color and wealth of two millennia of Catholic living with a breadth and depth unparalleled in publishing to date.
“They are stories, true and credible, and meant to impress young and old with the potential of Christian truth both really lived and very available to modems of every culture. Editor Gerald Costello deserves a strong and enthusiastic "bravo!" for an extraordinary selection of heroes and role models appealingly presented as a contribution to our Church's evangelization for the new millennium.” – Most Reverend Edwin E O'Brien, Archbishop for the Military Services, U.S.A.
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