Carl E. Olson's Blog, page 301
July 21, 2011
Book praised as a tool for evangelization and a needed call to holiness
From Fr. C. John McCloskey's recent review of The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God: The Story of Ruth Pakaluk: Convert, Mother, Pro-life Activist (edited by Michael Pakaluk; also available in e-book format):
The book is a tool for evangelization through the witness of Ruth's life and her death. However, I believe its most important message also lies at the heart of the Second Vatican Council—the universal call to holiness. All of us, after all, are called to holiness, and by the ordinary means the Church has provided since its foundation—prayer, the Scriptures, the sacraments, self-denial, self-gift, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and openness to the general and particular will of God.
But through the centuries, and particularly after the end of the early Christian era, it became a commonplace belief that holiness was largely reserved for those called to religious life and the priesthood, while laypeople could only aspire to a second-rate holiness, hoping to squeak into Purgatory. There have been many outstanding lay saints—St. Thomas More, for example—but even he was raised to the altar centuries after his martyrdom. That great doctor of the Church, St. Francis De Sales, in his Introduction to the Devout Life, opened the door to the aristocracy, but there was something more or less lacking.
In more recent times, the canonization of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, and the beatification of Blessed John Henry Newman, are ushering in the new springtime for the Church that Blessed John Paul II the Great foresaw. Newman has been called the invisible peritus of Vatican II and St. Josemaria the anonymous peritus. It is no accident that Ruth Pakaluk was deeply devoted to these modern examples of holiness, striving to put their teachings into practice in her daily life.
During his pontificate, Blessed John Paul II put out a strong call for worthy Catholic laymen and laywomen, preferably married, to be placed on the fast track in the Congregation of the Saints, raising them to the altar to emphasize the universal call to holiness. We leave the matter of a St. Ruth to the judgment of the Church.
Read the entire review on First Things. You can also read Peter Kreeft's Introduction to The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God on Ignatius Insight:
July 20, 2011
Fr. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., on Knowing and Doing the Will of God
Knowing and Doing the Will of God | Fr. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. | An Excerpt from He Leadeth Me | Ignatius Insight
Editor's note: The following selection is from Chapter 3, "Russia", in which Fr. Ciszek, having journeyed into Russia with Fr. Nestrov under the guise of being common workers, grapples with the frustration of not being able to establish any sort of Catholic connections or support.
And then one day, together, it dawned on us. God granted us the grace to see the solution to our dilemma, the answer to our temptation. It was the grace quite simply to look at our situation from His viewpoint rather 
than from ours. It was the grace not to judge our efforts by human standards, or, by what we ourselves wanted or expected to happen, but rather, according to God's design. It was the grace to understand that our dilemma, our temptation, was of our own making and existed only in our minds; it did not and could not coincide with the real world ordained by God and governed ultimately by His will.
St. Ignatius puts it starkly and forthrightly in his First Principle and Foundation: "Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God Our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created. Hence, man is to make use of them insofar as they help him in the attainment of his end, and he must rid himself of them insofar as they prove a hindrance to him. Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things." Ignatius calls that the principle and foundation of his Spiritual Exercises, but it is also the most fundamental truth of man's existence and God's providence. Those four sentences put it as plainly and simply as it can be put. How often had Nestrov and I heard those words, read those statements, prayed and meditated over them? And yet, under the pressure of circumstances at Teplaya-Gora, we had forgotten them. We had accepted them as abstract principles of the spiritual life, but they had not become part of our daily lives. At least they had not so far been operative in our approach to life and our dilemma at Teplaya-Gora.
If they had been, we would have understood much earlier that our sale purpose at Teplaya-Gora—as indeed in our whole lives—was to do the will of God. Not the will of God as we might wish it, or as we might have envisioned it, or as we thought in our poor human wisdom it ought to be. But rather the will of God as God envisioned it and revealed it to us each day in the created situations with which he presented us. His will for us was the twenty-four hours of each day: the people, the places, the circumstances he set before us in that time. Those were the things God knew were important to him and to us at that moment, and those were the things upon which he wanted us to act, not out of any abstract principle or out of any subjective desire to "do the will of God." No, these things, the twenty-four hours of this day, were his will; we had to learn to recognize his will in the reality of the situation and to act accordingly. We had to learn to look at our daily lives, at everything that crossed our path each day, with the eyes of God; learning to see his estimate of things, places, and above all people, recognizing that he had a goal and a purpose in bringing us into contact with these things and these people, and striving always to do that will—his will—every hour of every day in the situations in which he had placed us. For to what other purpose had we been created? For what other reason had he so arranged it that we should be here, now, this hour, among these people? To what other end had he ordained our being here, if not to see his will in these situations and to strive to do always what he wanted, the way he wanted it, as he would have done it, for his sake, that he might have the fruit and the glory?
The State of the Arts and the Restoration of Beauty: An Interview with David Clayton
David Clayton is Thomas More College's Artist-in-Residence and is an internationally known painter of icons. David trained in natural sciences at Oxford University, and studied drawing and painting at Charles Cecil Studios at Florence, Italy. He was taught iconography by Aidan Hart in England. He has received commissions at churches and monasteries in Europe and the US, including the London Oratory, and has illustrated a variety of Catholic books, most recently one by scripture scholar Scott Hahn. He has recently appeared on EWTN talking about his work and the Way of Beauty programme. David has also worked with Catholic TV in Boston on a 13-part series called The Way of Beauty.
I recently spoke with David about the state of art in the West and some of the means by which he and others are working to restore an authentic vision of beauty, goodness, and truth in art, both in the Church and in the secular realm. Here is our conversation.
Ignatius Insight: What has been the state of the fine arts, in general, in the West since the middle of the twentieth century?
David Clayton: The best way of summing up the whole thing is a quote from Pope Benedict XVI in his book, The Spirit of the Liturgy: "The Enlightenment pushed faith into a kind of intellectual and even social ghetto. Contemporary culture turned away from the faith and trod another path, so that faith took flight in historicism, the copying of the past, or else attempted compromise or lost itself in resignation and cultural abstinence."
From the middle of the 18th century onwards we see a steady separation of the culture of faith and the broader culture. This means that in the context of art, mainstream art reflected the values of the Enlightenment. Initially, the difference was small. Up to the end of the 19th century, the basic training of artists was the same but the connection with Catholic theology, philosophy and liturgical principles was lost. Stylistically, the manifestation of this was very subtle but real. In the 19th century you see a dualism reflected in a divergence of artistic styles from a Christian balance in the center: on the one hand there was cold and over polished sterile "realism", or on the other hand an over-emotional Romanticism. This should be contrasted with17th century baroque art, which is authentically Catholic and has a balance of resemblance to natural appearances and idealization.
With the impressionists (and after them the expressionists) even the adherence to traditional training methods was discarded and the floodgates opened. The principle of individualism dominated, without reference to any Christian worldview, and we see ugliness. The initial reaction of many in the Church was to form a Catholic cultural ghetto and keep the mainstream culture out. Others sought to try to Christianise mainstream culture. This latter process really started to take off in the 1950s and then accelerated in the 60s and 70s, and you get, as the Pope calls it, "compromise". The result—rather than taking a beautiful Catholic culture out to the world—was the reverse: ugly secular styles dominated the art, architecture and music of our churches and contributed to the undermining of the faith.
Just in recent years, perhaps the last ten or maybe even five years, there has been the beginning of a movement where people are saying, "We are in trouble but we need to go to the past, understand it (rather than copy it) and then apply the timeless principles today." This is my approach. We are a generation away, I would say, from seeing this really starting to reap rewards.
Ignatius Insight: What is the proper place of the visual arts within the Church, not only within liturgical settings but in non-liturgical settings?
David Clayton: Visual art is vital to the liturgy. It is not Catholic to ignore the importance of it. Again, the Pope makes this absolutely clear in his book. We need a Catholic culture that is vibrant and understands the connection between art and liturgy. Then it will be the basis of a non-liturgical art as well. If you think of the baroque, for example, it began in the 17th century as a liturgical form in art, architecture, music and a so on. But the forms that were in harmony with the liturgy were those that were used in mundane art as well. So, for example, portraits and landscapes used the same stylistic elements that were developed for sacred art in the church. This way, the art of the broader culture is nourished by and in turn nourishes the liturgy. The liturgy then is the basis of culture and you have a culture of faith and broader culture that are connected to each other.
When we have this again, we can we really start to evangelize the world powerfully, I believe, because we will have a culture that will, as in the past, influence all others through its powerful beauty.
Ignatius Insight: What are some of central challenges facing the restoration and growth of good art in the Church?
David Clayton: At its core it is liturgical renewal and especially the development of a liturgical piety. This means following the rubrics and participating in an active, but orthodox manner. It applies to the Mass of course, but also vital to this, I think, is the idea of the laity praying the liturgy of the hours. This is a means by which we sanctify our work, and again, this will aid, supernaturally, our efforts to permeate the broader culture with a culture of faith. This is at the core.
Beyond that, it is about teaching those who are likely to commission art—priests, people in parish councils, and so forth—an understanding of what our traditions are so that they will commission the right sort of art. It is also about training artists, certainly, but in fact, this might be less important than the first. On the whole, if you are paying the artist to do something, they will do what they are told and pretty quickly people will come forward who will be able to do what is being asked of them.
A simple but important part of this is the engagement of the whole person in prayer, considering posture, voice, art, incense and so on. If you think about it, I don't see an artist is going to be able to paint art that nourishes prayer if he does not habitually pray with images himself. Otherwise, how is he going to understand how the two are connected? So we must do more than put beautiful art in churches, we must learn to use art actively (and appropriately of course) in our prayer.
Ignatius Insight: Why are the visual arts important in the establishment and promotion of a vibrant and healthy culture? What can ordinary Catholics do to support the arts?
David Clayton: The first thing we ask ourselves is this: "Is my participation in the liturgy as it should be?" I know I keep on banging on about this, but this is the basis of what we are after. For most, this will mean taking up the liturgy of the hours in addition to the commandments of the Church. Also, as I said before, praying with visual imagery, so that connection between prayer and the visual sense is stimulated. This will form patrons and artists alike. Second, find out about our traditions. There are options that I know about. I offer three-day courses (contact me through www.thomasmorecollege.edu) and will travel. Also the Maryvale Institute from Birmingham England offers a diploma called Art, Inspiration and Beauty from a Catholic Perspective, which is a distance-learning course. This is offered in the United States through the diocese of Kansas City, Kansas. Third, for those who are of college age, come to Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire, where I work.
Ignatius Insight: What are some of the things being done at Thomas More College to that end? What are some of the main characteristics of the fine arts programs at Thomas More College?
David Clayton: We offer a liberal arts degree. This is a great books program that will form the student in his or her faith. Contained within it is the practical training of everything that I have talked about, but also the justification for this argument in the documents of the Church and the writings of the Fathers and Popes, especially Pope Benedict XVI.
Related IgnatiusInsight.com Articles:
• The Virtue of Art and the Virtue of Religion | John Saward | From The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty: Art, Sanctity and The Truth of Catholicism
• Modern Art: Friend or Foe? | Joseph Pearce
• Evangelizing With Love, Beauty and Reason | An Interview with Joseph Pearce
• The Measure of Literary Giants | An Interview with Joseph Pearce
• Why Are There So Many Ugly Churches? | An interview with Moyra Doorly, author of No Place For God
• A Great Building Disaster | Excerpt from No Place For God | Moyra Doorly
• Designed Beauty and Evolutionary Theory | Thomas Dubay, S.M.
July 19, 2011
The Ignatius Press Summer Super Sale
The Ignatius Press Summer Super Sale!
Offer ends Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 12:00 midnight EST.
These prices are available online only through Ignatius.com
It's that time of year once again, the Ignatius Press Summer Super Sale is here! With books as low as $2, we have tons of great books, films, music and art at incredible prices. And with such a variety of products, we have something for everyone to enjoy!
$3 BOOKS
[image error]Adoremus Hymnal, 1st Edition: Pew Edition
Following the general plan in Musicam Sacram, this hymnal consists of three major sections: the Order of the Mass; musical settings for the Ordinary of the Mass; and a selection of about 160 of the most beautiful hymns ever written - for every season of the liturgical year and other feasts and holidays.
The Mass and the Saints
Thomas Crean, O.P.
The Mass and the Saints is a work both of deep spirituality and profound insight into the glories of the Church's liturgy. It brings together passages from great spiritual writers throughout the ages, from all centuries in which the Mass has been offered.
Who Needs God?
Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn
Who needs God? What does God provide? Can we truly live without faith or the Church? These and many other questions posed to Christoph Cardinal Schönborn in this book are the questions asked today by many people who are searching for God and want to live the experience of faith.
Dayspring
A Novel
Harry Sylvester
Artistically descriptive of the rugged Southwest and the people who dwell there, the novel also movingly portrays the inner landscape of a man coming to grips with his need for redemption. Author Harry Sylvester masterfully illustrates both the objective reality and the subjective experience of guilt and grace.
An Invitation to Faith
Pope Benedict XVI
With strong words, Benedict XVI invites us to place God at the center of our lives. Thus, this book is a selection of key words from the teachings of the Holy Father since he began his Pontificate, presented in alphabetical order.
God's Revolution
Pope Benedict XVI
This book includes all the texts of his talks to the youth over that five day period, as well as to Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant groups in Cologne.
$5 BOOKS
The Templars
Knights of Christ
Regine Pernoud
As an antidote to recent sensationalism, Régine Pernoud draws a new portrait of these Christian warriors. From their origins as defenders of pilgrims to the Holy Land to their dramatic finish as heretics burned at the stake, Pernoud offers a concise but thorough account of the Templars' contribution to Christendom.
The Judge
William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand
Paul Kengor, Patricia Clark Doerner
Reagan's indispensable confidant and adviser, the story of Clark's close work with the president, including undermining Soviet communism, and the deep foundations of his Catholic faith are finally available. Includes 32 pages of photos.
The Red Book of Chinese Martyrs
Gerolamo Fazzini
This powerful book documents four decades of Communist persecution of Christians, relating the memoirs of persons who have experienced in their own flesh how far the violence of a power blinded by ideology can go. Illustrated.
The Gift of Infallibility
Rev. James T. O'Connor
In The Gift of Infallibility, theologian James T. O'Connor clarifies the idea of infallibility. He provides a helpful translation of the "relatio" or official explanation by Bishop Gasser given at Vatican I, the Church council that defined the dogma of papal infallibility. Also included in this important volume is the first draft of chapter 4 of the Dogmatic Constitution Pastor Aeternus, as well as the final, official chapter of the constitution.
Saved in Hope
Spe Salvi
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical, Saved In Hope, ("Spe Salvi" in Latin) takes its title from St. Paul, who wrote, "In hope we have been saved". In this special deluxe hardcover edition of the work, the Holy Father continues a line of thought he began with his first encyclical, God is Love.
Charity in Truth
Caritas in Veritate
Pope Benedict XVI
A deluxe edition of the Pope's third Encyclical, which explains the Catholic approach to the economy.
$7 AND UP BOOKS
The Grace of Ars
Frederick Miller
The distilled wisdom of St. John Vianney for his brother priests. We see what it means to be a priest during difficult times by reflecting on the life of Vianney, who was a priest in the aftermath of the French Revolution; a very difficult time to be a priest. 8 pages color illustration.
Praying to Our Lord Jesus Christ
Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel
Fr. Benedict has made this anthology available, a valuable companion for personal prayer, for times of recollection, and even for those times of critical spiritual need. Illustrated.
God Sent His Son
A Contemporary Christology
Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn
Schönborn's work moves from the solid conviction of faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel, the Son of the Living God, through the development of the Church's understanding of this truth, to the consideration of contemporary issues and the views of various modern theologians. God Sent His Son has the comprehensiveness and scholarly precision of a textbook but the insights and personal relevance of a work of spirituality.
Christians in China
A.D. 600 to 2000
Fr. Jean Charbonnier
Christians in China: A.D. 600 to 2000 chronicles the lives of the Chinese faithful who through the centuries have been both accepted and rejected by their own countrymen. It explores the unique religious and political situations in which Chinese Christians, Catholic and Protestant, have struggled to live their faith and give witness to Christ. 
Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology
Fundamentals of Ecclesiology
Maximilian Heinrich Heim
This important work studies in detail Ratzinger's ecclesiology in the light of Vatican II, against the ongoing debate about what Vatican II really meant to say about the life of the Church, its liturgy, its worship, its doctrine, its pastoral mission, and more. Church, Ecumenism and Politics
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
In this collection of essays, Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, tackles three major issues in the Church today—the nature of the Church, the pursuit of Christian unity, and the relationship of Christianity to the secular/political power.
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Twenty New Fall 2011 books from Ignatius Press!
Here is a list of most of the new Ignatius Press books that will be available 
this fall, with a short description. Click on links for longer description and more information about each book:
• Dogma And Preaching: Applying Christian Doctrine to Daily Life (2nd Ed), by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. This volume is an unabridged edition of Dogma and Preaching, a work that appeared in a much-reduced form in English, in 1985. The new book contains twice as much material as first English edition. Available in October 2011.
• Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion, by Amy Welborn. In this beautifully illustrated book, Amy Welborn, well-known author and blogger, introduces Pope Benedict's profound yet simple answers to various questions put to him by children in Rome who had recently made their First Holy Communion. Available in October 2011.
• A Bitter Trial: Evelyn Waugh and John Cardinal Heenan on the Liturgical Changes, edited by Dom Alcuin Reid. Foreword by Joseph Pearce; Afterword by Clare Asquith, Countess of Oxford. Personal correspondence between the famous novelist and Cardinal Heenan during the 1960s. Available in October 2011.
• The Father's Tale: A Novel, by Michael O'Brien. "A modern retelling of the parables The Good Shepherd and The Prodigal Son." Available in November 2011.
• A Retreat for Lay People: Spiritual Guidance for Christian Living, by Fr. Ronald Knox. A collection of Knox's conferences preached over a period of fifteen years. Available in November 2011.
• Abandonment to Divine Providence: With Letters of Father de Caussade on the Practice of Self-Abandonment, by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J. This special volume of the famous spiritual treatise also includes the many insightful letters of Father de Caussade on the practice of self-abandonment. Available in November 2011.
• The Church of God: Body of Christ and Temple of the Holy Spirit (2nd Edition), by Fr. Louis Bouyer. This book is a highly-readable, thorough synthesis of ecclesiology after the Council, presented by one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century. Available in October 2011.
• Ida Elisabeth: A Novel, by Sigrid Undset. Undset's descriptions of the Norwegian people and countryside coupled with her profound understanding of the human heart won her worldwide literary acclaim. Both are powerfully displayed in this compelling drama about fidelity and forgiveness. Available in November 2011.
• In Defense Of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton, edited by Dale Ahlquist, Joseph Pearce, Aidan Mackey. While some of the essays in this volume may be familiar, many of them are collected here for the first time, making their first appearance in over a century. Available in November 2011.
• Man, The Image of God: The Creation of Man as Good News, by Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn. Drawing on philosophy, theology, science, Scripture and art, Cardinal Schönborn reflects on man as the greatest of God's creatures and on the Christian understanding of his incomparable dignity that flows from this truth. Available in October 2011.
• In Memory of Me: Meditations On The Roman Canon, by Fr. Milton Walsh. Foreword by Archbishop J. Augustine DiNoia, O.P., Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Available in November 2011.
• Methodical Realism: A Handbook for Beginning Realists, by Etienne Gilson. Gilson shows how the common-sense notion of realism, though denied by many thinkers, is indispensible for a correct understanding of things—of what is and how we know what is. Available in October 2011.
• Mother Teresa: A Personal Portrait: 50 Inspiring Stories Never Before Told, by Leo Maasburg. Fr. Maasburg presents fifty amazing stories about her that most people have never heard, wonderful and delightful stories about miracles, small and great, that he was privileged to experience at Mother Teresa's side. Available in November 2011.
• Newman: An Intellectual & Spiritual Biography of John Henry Newman, by Fr. Louis Bouyer. 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. Available in October 2011.
• Saint Clothilde: The First Christian Queen Of France Tells Her Story, by Blandine Male and Helene Fabe-Henriet. In this book for young people, Queen Clothilde tells the exciting story of her life from her point of view. Though it reads like a diary, all of the historical facts have been thoroughly researched and verified by reliable sources. Available in October 2011.
• Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues, by Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer sets out, in a brief, yet highly-readable and lucid style, ten basic principles that must govern the reasonable person's thinking and acting about life issues. Available in October 2011.
• The Desert Fathers: Saint Anthony and the Beginnings of Monasticism, by Peter H. Gorg. This book takes the reader back to the hour when monasticism was born and describes the life of those revolutionary Christians who sought God in the Egyptian desert. Available in October 2011.
• The Song at the Scaffold: A Novel, by Gertrud von le Fort. An intense and compelling drama based on the true story of the Carmelite nuns at Compeigne beheaded during the last few days of the Revolution, but also encompassing the Paris mob, the Reign of Terror, women revolutionists, etc., climaxing in the heroic martyrdom of sixteen Carmelites. Available in November 2011.
• What to Do When Jesus is Hungry: A Practical Guide to the Works of Mercy, by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. "The works of mercy provide us with the opportunity to let every person know he is a child of God and a brother in Christ. From the works of mercy will emerge a community of love and peace centered on Christ." Available in November 2011.
• Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture, by Teresa Tomeo. Packed with not only persuasive statistics but also powerful personal testimonies, Extreme Makeover shows that it is not the slogans of the sexual revolution and the women's liberation movement that free and dignify women, but the beautiful teachings of the Catholic Church. Available in October 2011.
July 18, 2011
Abp. Charles Chaput of Denver has been chosen by Pope Benedict XVI...
... to be the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Details on the Catholic World Report blog. More information to be posted as it comes available.
Dr. Warren H. Carroll, 79, requiescat in pace
Just in from Christendom College:
Christendom College Founder Dr. Warren H. Carroll Dies at 79
Front Royal, Va. – Warren H. Carroll, Founding and First President of Christendom College and Chairman of its History Department for its first twenty-five years, died on Sunday, July 17. Aged 79, he received last rites prior to his death in his home.
A native of Maine, Carroll was a summa cum laude history graduate of Bates College, achieved an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, and attended law school in 1962-64. Between 1955 and 1961 he served two years with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, and worked as an assistant command historian for the Second Air Force, Strategic Air Command. In 1967-70 he was a member of the California State Senate staff, and in 1970-72 worked as a staff member for the U.S. Congress.
A convert to Catholicism, Carroll saw what was wrong in modern education a long time before he saw what was right about Christianity. He maintained that the people teaching in the university did not care whether truth existed or not, and it didn't matter to them. But to him, it mattered a great deal. In 1968, precisely when "everyone" was leaving, Carroll converted to the Catholic Church under the influence of his wife, Anne.
In 1973, he joined the staff of Triumph, a monthly Catholic journal of opinion founded by L. Brent Bozell. When Triumph and its summer program came to an end, Carroll determined to perpetuate its vision by founding a college. In September, 1977, Christendom College opened its doors in Triangle, Virginia, from which it has since moved to its permanent location in Front Royal, Virginia. Carroll founded Christendom as a co-educational liberal arts undergraduate college in response to the Second Vatican Council's call for the formation of lay apostles. He served as the College's president from its opening until 1985 and then as the chairman of its History Department until his retirement in 2002.
Before his retirement, Carroll was one of the few teachers that every student had in common. For most, the memories of hearing Carroll's interpretation and telling of history during History of Western Civilization I and II are unforgettable. There were the heroes: Constantine, Pelayo, Isabel of Spain, Athanasius, Don Juan of Austria, Our Lady of Fatima, Philip II, and Charlemagne; and the villains: Thomas Cranmer, Luther, Cecil, Lenin, Rasputin, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Queen Elizabeth I, Pope Alexander VI, Arius, Theodora, and Justinian.
His explanations of the historic D-Day invasions; the complications of Watergate and the Vietnam War; the Battle of Lepanto; the Crusades; the Inquisition; Henry II kneeling for three days in the snow before Gregory VII; the story of Charles the Fat and Charles the Bald; the missionary work of Matteo Ricci; the great theological battle over "homoousios vs homoiousios;" and the Robber Council of Ephesus could never be surpassed. And then there are the memorable phrases: "History can be summed up in five words: Truth exists. The Incarnation happened," "You can never bribe a pope," and "One man can make a difference."
During his teaching days, Carroll had also taught Classical History, History of Ireland, History of Britain, American History, American History, History of Hispanic Peoples, Causes and Effects of the French Revolution, Causes and Effects of the Communist Revolution, and History and Theology of Pope John Paul II.
His love of teaching history naturally spilled over into writing history: 1917: Red Banners White Mantle, Isabel of Spain, Our Lady of Guadalupe, The Rise and Fall of the Communist Revolution, The Last Crusade, and The Guillotine and the Cross.
Carroll is also known for his major work, the multi-volume History of Christendom. Five volumes have been published to date; together they present a narrative account of European and Catholic history from antiquity through the year 1815. The series is noteworthy for its frank Catholic understanding of crucial historical events, from the Crusades to the French Revolution.
Carroll received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Christendom College in 1999 Additionally, he was awarded the college's "Pro Deo et Patria Medal for Distinguished Service to God and Country," and was the inaugural recipient of Christendom's "Queen Isabel Catholic Vision of History Award," both in 2007.
It is through his teaching enterprise at Christendom College that Carroll was able to reveal and develop his extraordinary skills as a Catholic historian, teacher, and author. He has won a well-deserved reputation as one of the foremost Catholic historians of our time, perhaps the greatest of the 20th Century.
Carroll leaves behind his wife Anne, and his adopted children and grandchildren – the 2640 alumni of Christendom College, which included 300 alumna-to-alumnus marriages (with 1000s of children), 63 priests, and 43 religious sisters and brothers.
Eternal rest grant unto Dr. Warren Carroll, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
More information will posted out as it is received at christendom.edu/news <http://christendom.edu/news> .
UPDATE: Dr. Jeff Mirus of CatholicCulture.org, who worked with and for Dr. Carroll for many years, reflects on the death of his close friend:
I am convinced that his ultimate success was possible only because of his profound humility. I have never met a man with so much ability yet so little concern for his own status, or for how he was treated by others. Warren Carroll was single-minded in his implementation of his vision of a Catholic college which would remain firmly rooted in the Faith long after he was gone, and which would form a cadre of leaders for the Church, in every walk of life, with fruitful extensions in outstanding Catholic marriages and priestly and religious vocations. The results, some 26 years after his retirement from the helm, speak for themselves. Among the graduates from this young and close-knit college, which now houses about 400 students, there are already 300 alumna-to-alumnus marriages (with thousands of children in strong Catholic families), 63 priests, and 43 religious.
Seal of confession imperiled after Irish sex-abuse report
Seal of confession imperiled after Irish sex-abuse report | Michael Kelly | Catholic World Report
Prime Minister: "The law of the land should not be stopped by a collar or a crozier"
A new law proposed by the Irish government in the wake of another damning report into Church mishandling of allegations of sexual abuse looks set to spell disaster for the inviolability of the seal of confession in the country.
Justice Minister Alan Shatter has warned that he will not tolerate an exemption for the confessional in a law to be introduced that will make it a criminal offense for anyone not to report information about alleged abuse to the police. A leading Irish pro-religious freedom campaigner has described the proposed law as "unprecedented," and it is likely to put further strain on the already tense relationship between church and state in Ireland.
The move comes after what Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh described as "another dark day" in the life of the Church in Ireland, when a judicial commission revealed July 13 that the Church's own guidelines were "not fully or consistently implemented" in the Diocese of Cloyne as recently as 2008.
The report, released by Judge Yvonne Murphy, also said Cloyne Bishop John Magee admitted to what has been described as inappropriate behavior with a young man. The report said Bishop Magee embraced the young man, who was at the time an aspirant to the priesthood, kissed him, and told him that he loved him and had dreamt about him. Bishop Magee resigned last year.
The 400-page report also records for the first time stark disagreement among Irish bishops over whether Bishop Magee—a former secretary to three popes—should quit his post as bishop of Cloyne after December 2008, when the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church said he was implementing child-safeguarding policies that were "inadequate and, in some respects, dangerous."
At an emergency meeting of the Irish bishops' conference in January 2009, just weeks after the National Board report critical of Bishop Magee, "there were strong opinions on both sides" as to whether the bishop should quit, according to the Murphy report.
"I thought I knew a lot about Fatima ... but I learned a ton from 'Finding Fatima'."
Sister Helena Burns reviews the DVD, "Finding Fatima", which was produced by the award-winning filmmakers of the film "The 13th Day":
Great new DVD from the makers of The 13th Day, Finding Fatima is shot in the same Bresson-esque and super-stylized way as The 13th Day. While hearkening to and honoring filmmaking's past, the Brothers Higgins are simultaneously bringing the story and message of Fatima to a new generation.
As much as I love watching documentaries, I was just going to give this a quick perusal, but I got hooked and couldn't stop watching.
I thought I knew a lot about Fatima – it's my favorite Marian apparation, and I've been reading books and watching films about Fatima since I was a teenager — but I learned a ton from Finding Fatima. Finding Fatima could be called "Fatima Then and Now," because it brings us up to speed on the Fatima story as it continues to unfold in our present day.
Read the entire review. For more Fatima resources, visit the "Fatima for Today" website. Here is more about "Finding Fatima":
Produced by the award-winning filmmakers of the highly acclaimed feature film The 13th Day, this is a powerful and in-depth documentary that combines archival footage, dramatic reenactments, original interviews with Fatima experts and stunning 
visuals to tell the whole story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. With high production values and a beautiful look, artists and filmmakers Ian and Dominic Higgins present a compelling docu-drama on all the crucial details about the appearances and messages of Our Lady in Fatima in 1917, a message of prayer, penance and conversion that is desperately needed in our modern world. From the initial apparitions of the Angel who prepared the children for Our Lady's coming, to the Miracle of the Sun, including moving film footage from The 13th Day, this illuminating and inspiring film will impact all those who see it to personally take heed of the critical messages of Our Lady of Fatima.
"Great new DVD from the makers of The 13th Day! This film, Finding Fatima, is shot in the same Bresson-esque and super-stylized way as The 13th Day. While hearkening to and honoring filmmaking's past, the Higgins brothers are simultaneously bringing the story and message of Fatima to a new generation.
They use clips from The13th Day for the re-enactments, as we get to know the personalities of the three visionary children in depth. This documentary is chock-full of fascinating, down-to-earth interviews and historical footage, all presented in a spritely way. There's not a dull moment in this life and joy-filled documentary, even with its more sombre sepia-toned visual edges! Innovative without being novel or gimmicky, Finding Fatima has a 21st-century feel to it.
The pacing is perfect, the interview clips are kept short, and the interviewees even sort of "dialogue" with each other! The soundtrack is as mottled as the bordering-on-dreamy palette of colors the film is shot in. Perhaps Ian and Dominic Higgins are onto something new: "transcendent filmmaking." Although all filmmaking should have the quality of the transcendent, what if your film really is about the real Queen of heaven and earth? Finding Fatima is a template of how you might want to proceed."
-Sister Helena Burns, FSP, Film Reviewer, The Catholic New World
Here are some clips from the documentary:
Related on Ignatius Insight:
• The Controversy Over the Third Secret: Objections and Responses | Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. | Appendix D from Fatima For Today: The Urgent Marian Message of Hope
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