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This Lent seek the face of God to bring about a second conversion. 
Get Your Copy of Fr. Haggerty’s book “Conversion” here: https://ignatius.com/conversion-cnvp/?searchid=0&search_query=conversion

In today’s episode, Fr. Haggerty talks with Andrew Petiprin about the importance of continual conversion. They recognize that it is often easy for Christians to get in certain habits and become comfortable where they are at spiritually. Fr. Haggerty encourages us to renew out love for God and provides helpful pastoral guidance to reach a new spiritual depth and integration. He also outlines some of the common attacks made by the evil one and how we can combat them effectively. In particular, he beautifully highlights the necessity of prayer, giving to the poor, and spiritual simplicity. The insights provided by Fr. Haggerty both in this podcast and in his book “Conversion” are sure to help you grow in holiness this Lent. 

Get Fr. Haggerty’s “The Hour of Testing: Spiritual Depth and Insight in a Time of Ecclesial Uncertainty” here: https://ignatius.com/the-hour-of-testing-htp/

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Music from Pexels, Gregor Quendel. https://www.classicals.de/legal

0:00 Introduction
1:13 Essential Conversion
4:15 What is a Catholic “Mystery”?
5:36 The Conversion of St. Matthew
9:46 Don’t Wallow in Brokenness
11:54 Post Conversion Attack and Scrupulosity 
15:45 How to Seek God’s Will
17:51 Conversion Stains Friendships 
20:10 A Heart for the Poor
22:18 A Second Conversion  
29:48 Simplicity
33:24 No Individualistic Spirituality 
35:17 A Heroic Catholicism short from

Fr. Donald Haggerty: Experience an Essential Conversion This Lent

On January 25, 2021, Twitter locked the account of Catholic World Report for a news story about Dr. Rachel Levine, a biological man identifying as a transgender woman. Dr. Levine was nominated by Joe Biden to be the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health. Twitter maintained the tweet about this story involved "hateful conduct."
 


We are going to talk to the editor of Catholic World Report, Carl Olson, about this story and others where Twitter is censoring messages they don't agree with.


<a href='https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/01/28/twitter-freezes-cwrs-account-over-news-story-on-transgendered-dr-rachel-levine/?fbclid=IwAR11vLhdIFuImj8-t3m-UfWqY9uBGbyHVxahIGWXGPmm48vgBUWbKI4L-Bc'>https://www.catholicworldreport.com/.../twitter-freezes.../</a>

Why did Twitter censor Catholic World Report?

<DIV>"God gave me a father and mother more worthy of heaven than of earth." —Saint Thérèse of LisieuxThe recent, and unprecedented, canonization by Pope Francis of a husband and wife, Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of Saint Thérèse, has stirred a great interest in this extraordinary family. This work, by the highly regarded expert on the Martin family, Father Stéphane-Joseph Piat, O.F.M, is the definitive biography of this amazing family of saints.Saint Thérèse, a Doctor of the Church, wrote in her classic spiritual biography, Story of a Soul, how important her family life was in setting the foundation for her spiritual life. She grew up in a close family, where the deep love of parents and children for God, neighbor, and each other was the very heart of their home and family life.This family of saints, who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s, might appear from their quaint photographs to have lived a relatively serene and smooth path to sainthood, untarnished by modern problems. But, as this book shows, the reality is quite the opposite. They suffered from the loss of four children, the failure of a family business, and the death of Zélie, at forty-five, to breast cancer.The secret to their happiness then is the secret to our happiness now-- unfailing love made possible by boundless faith in God. All the challenges the Martins faced, great and small, were met with a profound trust in Divine Providence.Illustrated with 8 pages of photographs</DIV>

A Family of Saints

<DIV>Combining rich philosophical insight with the spiritual discernment of a true contemplative, Adrienne opens the reader to Our Lord's desire for our total surrender to His Love. As a remarkable contemporary woman teacher of the Church, she points out the many ways we flee from the demands of our vocation. </DIV>

They Followed His Call: Vocation and Asceticism

How does a city boy who only lived to the age of fifteen &quot;go viral&quot; more than a decade after he died? Discover the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be beatified by the Catholic Church. Born in 1991, the same year as the launch of the World Wide Web, Carlo has been hailed by the pope as an example of love and holiness in our complex digital age. This tech-savvy Italian teen has shown the world that computer coding and video games are no obstacle to sainthood. From a young age, Carlo&#39;s enthusiasm for Jesus was contagious. His witness brought his own family back to faith and even helped convert his Hindu au pair to Catholicism. Carlo called the Eucharist &quot;my highway to heaven&quot; and was eager to tell everyone about the incredible reality of Christ&#39;s true presence in the world. To this end, he used his computer to help design an exhibition dedicated to eucharistic miracles that has traversed the globe. Vatican journalist Courtney Mares has traveled in the footsteps of Acutis across Italy to tell his story in depth, interviewing many whose lives he helped transform. This book paints a portrait of him as seen through the eyes of his friends, family, teachers, priests, doctors, classmates, and followers. Features an eight-page color photo insert and an account of the miracles attributed to Acutis&#39; intercession, including one certified by the Vatican. Carlo sought no attention for himself while alive, yet in the years after his death, he has become a global &quot;influencer for God&quot;.

Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers

<DIV>Crouan, the author of several studies on liturgical questions including the book The Liturgy Betrayed presents another penetrating work on the state of the Eucharistic Liturgy, the problems and errors that still exist, and how to correct these abuses. The responses Crouan has received to all of his writing and speaking on this topic from Catholics of every stripe show the weariness and confusion of many of the faithful regarding the Sacred Liturgy. Crouan says that the great majority of Catholics need and want, not celebrations that are "pastorally correct", but a Eucharistic liturgy that offers all the guarantees of Catholicity and leads them to an authentic contemplation of the mysteries being celebrated. He expresses the urgency needed to examine what is going on in parish churches, and to clarify matters by acknowledging the liturgical errors in order to establish a greater fidelity to the real teaching of Vatican II and the Roman Missal. </DIV>

The Liturgy After Vatican II: Collapsing or Resurgent

<DIV>The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom is a Catholic library in miniature, a one-volume microcosm of what the Church's great minds have thought and said since the apostolic age. Indeed, in The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom, noted theologian Fr. John A. Hardon has compiled the works of thirty-three of the greatest Catholic thinkers and writers, representing every period of the Church's passage through time, from the beginnings of Christianity to the present day. Here are men and women, bishops and priests, religious and the laity "whose native talents were elevated by the supernatural light that God reserves for those who are most submissive to His will." Included in this extraordinary and fascinating anthology are the works of the early saints, such as Gregory, Basil, Augustine, John Chrysostom, Patrick, Bernard Francis, and Thomas Aquinas. Here, too, are the writings of the great reformers Ignatius, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila; the mystic John of the Cross; the practical wisdom of Francis de Sales, Louis de Montfort, and Peter Julian Eymard; and the modern-day reflections of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Francis Thompson, Therese of Lisieux, G.K. Chesterton, and Fulton J. Sheen. The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom is a comprehensive anthology of the outstanding Catholic literature from the first century to modern times. Mystics and martyrs, philosophers and theologians, poets and prose writers are quoted at length and in depth. They are truly representative of the spirit and substance of Catholicism in its paradox of phenomenal stability and versatility over the centuries. Fr. Hardon has selected those writings which are representative of the thought and philosophy of each contributor, and has carefully chosen excerpts which are not always the most familiar. Thus, his volume provides not only a fresh collection of the best of Catholic wisdom, but also a uniquely comprehensive work which offers enlightenment and faith for generations of readers. John A. Hardon, S.J., holds a master's degree in philosophy from Loyola University and a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He is the author of The Catholic Catechism and many other books. Fr. Hardon is also a founder of the Catholic Home Study Institute, a correspondence school which operates under pontifical approval. </DIV>

The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom

<a href='https://www.ignatius.com/Real-Philosophy-for-Real-People-P3672.aspx'>https://www.ignatius.com/Real-Philosophy-for-Real-People-P3672.aspx </a>
The philosopher Paul Weiss once observed, "Philosophers let theories get in the way of what they and everyone else know." For many, the very word "philosophical" has become all but synonymous with "impractical".
Yet whether we like it or not, almost every corner of our lives—from dissertation writing to channel surfing—brings us face to face with competing philosophies and world views, each claiming to tell us definitively what it means to be human. How can we know which one is right? And what difference does it make?
To Robert McTeigue, S.J., it makes every difference in the world. Consciously or not, we all have a world view, and it decides how we live. In this book, McTeigue gives a funny and invigorating crash course in practical logic, metaphysics, anthropology, and ethics, equipping readers with a tool kit for breaking down and evaluating the thought systems—some good, some toxic—that swirl around us, and even within us.
In McTeigue, classical philosophy finds a contemporary voice, accessible to the layman and engaging to the scholar. Real Philosophy for Real People is an answer to those philosophies that prize theory over truth, to any metaphysics that cannot account for itself, to anthropologies that are unworthy of the human person, and to ethical systems that reduce the great dignity and destiny of the human person. As the author insists, "A key test of any philosophy is: Can it be lived?" With Thomas Aquinas, this book teaches not only how to know the truth, but how to love it and to do it.

Author Interview with Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J.

<a href='https://www.ignatius.com/Saints-P3499.aspx'>https://www.ignatius.com/Saints-P3499.aspx </a>
Let's talk about saints!
Jesus told us to be perfect, and the Second Vatican Council highlighted this command by speaking of the universal call to holiness for all Christians. How do we answer this call? One great way is to learn from and pray with the saints, the ordinary men and women who fought the good fight to be holy until the end of their lives, and won.
The saints have inspired Christians for more than two thousand years because they show us what it looks like to follow Jesus Christ despite countless challenges and obstacles. This unique book contains short biographies of several saints, along with prayers to each one, for every day of the year. It also provides definitions of Church terms and other helpful back - ground information.
The saints in this collection come from every period of Church history and all walks of life. They represent numerous countries, cultures, age groups, and vocations. They show us that holiness truly is a path open to anyone, and by their example and prayers they help us to follow it.

Interview with Dawn Beutner on her book, ”Saints”

<DIV>A major book on the subject of heaven, this expanded edition examines the hunger for heaven that is so strong in all of us. Fascinating and upbeat, Heaven, the Heart's Deepest Longing thoroughly explores the psychological and theological dimensions of this search for total joy and for the ultimate reality that grounds it. </DIV>

Heaven, the Heart's Deepest Longing

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

In the Gospels, we hear Jesus refer to his mother Mary as &ldquo;Woman.&rdquo; This reference should draw our attention to the woman mentioned in Genesis, as well as in the book of Revelation. But who is this &ldquo;Woman,&rdquo; and why is she so central in the history of salvation?
 This powerful film presents the beautiful Catholic teaching about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her important role in the Church and in the lives of Christians today. Combining many gorgeous images from classic sacred art with a lovely soundtrack, the dogmas of the Mother of God: Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, and Assumption are explained, along with other traditional beliefs and devotions to Mary.
 Insightful commentary is provided by Fr. Marcus Holden, Fr. Andrew Pinsent, Sister Mary of the Trinity, Fr. Jeff Steel, and Joanna Bogle, along with a number of young people speaking about their faith and love of Our Blessed Lady.

The Woman

In his latest book <a href='https://ignatius.com/why-does-everything-come-in-threes-wectp/?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=Why+Does+Everything+Come+in+Threes&amp;utm_id=Why+Does+Everything+Come+in+Threes'>“Why Does Everything Come in Threes?”</a> philosopher and author Peter Kreeft ponders the ways in which creation—and the story of humanity in creation—are indelibly stamped with the image of the Creator, that is, with the Trinity.
 
In this episode, Kreeft speaks with host Andrew Petiprin about this three-fold pattern of the universe, and how the mystery of the Trinity echoes throughout human culture, metaphysics, and moral understanding. Find <a href='https://ignatius.com/why-does-everything-come-in-threes-wectp/?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=Why+Does+Everything+Come+in+Threes&amp;utm_id=Why+Does+Everything+Come+in+Threes'>“Why Does Everything Come in Threes?”</a> and many other books by Peter Kreeft at Ignatius.com.

Peter Kreeft explains the universe

C.S. Lewis famously claimed that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or God, and in chapter two of section two of The Everlasting Man, Chesterton makes a similar argument. Father Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce reflect on Chesterton’s reducing to the absurd all opinions that claim that Jesus is other than what he says he is–God Himself.
 

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The Everlasting Man – Episode 7

<DIV>This comprehensive and illustrated volume is both a rich history of the Catholic Church in Alaska, and the autobiography of Fr. Louis Renner, S.J., who was a dedicated missionary in Alaska for 40 years. He tells here a compelling story of a full and fascinating life in service of the people and the Church of Alaska amid the incredible natural beauties, challenging elements and vast regions of the Great Land. Beautifully interweaving the history of the people and Church in Alaska, Fr. Renner tells his story of a dedicated missionary priest who loved the people he served. A scholar, a teacher, and always a Jesuit priest, he taught German and Latin at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, edited the Catholic newsletter The Alaskan Shepherd, and ran missions at two different Indian villages on the Yukon River. This pastoral priest became a friend to people in all sectors of Alaskan society. Tony Knows, the governor of Alaska, even presented him with the "Governor's Award for Friend of the Humanities". The outline of Fr. Renner's life is fleshed-out richly in A Kindly Providence. One reviewer writes that "all is there, a clear picture of his life. Renner is a very good writer- technically competent and very interesting. He kept this reader's interest throughout the 500-plus page book. I really wanted to see how it ended." Another writes: "Once I started to read it, I couldn't put it down. I had to finish it." Rich in detail, this book is a wonderful testimony to a model life of a happy priest in the twentieth century. The book is based, not only on Fr. Renner's remarkable memory, but also on his personal diaries and correspondence, on official documents, and on accounts written by him of his unusual adventures during over forty years in Alaska. Substantial quotes from diaries, letters, and official documents give readers a feeling of being actually present at those events in far-off places. The many photographs illustrating the narrative lend an air of immediacy and give us a vicarious experience of the author's personal life. </DIV>

A Kindly Providence: An Alaskan Missionary's Story

<DIV>One of the most important philosophy titles published in the twentieth century, Josef Pieper's Leisure, the Basis of Culture is more significant, even more crucial, today than it was when it first appeared more than fifty years ago. This edition also includes his work The Philosophical Act.Leisure is an attitude of the mind and a condition of the soul that fosters a capacity to perceive the reality of the world. Pieper shows that the Greeks and medieval Europeans, understood the great value and importance of leisure. He also points out that religion can be born only in leisure - a leisure that allows time for the contemplation of the nature of God. Leisure has been, and always will be, the first foundation of any culture.Pieper maintains that our bourgeois world of total labor has vanquished leisure, and issues a startling warning: Unless we regain the art of silence and insight, the ability for non-activity, unless we substitute true leisure for our hectic amusements, we will destroy our culture - and ourselves.</DIV>

Leisure: The Basis of Culture

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

This film is presented in Spanish.
He was the Pope who closed the Second Vatican Council. He led the Catholic Church in the midst of one of its worst crises in history. He steered the course of the Church through the revolution of 1968 that shook the moral basis of a civilization. He was under fire from Lef&egrave;bvre fundamentalists, pro-guerrilla Liberation Theology priests, sexual revolution advocates, and a press without scruples.
Pope Paul VI was the first Vicar of Christ to visit Africa, America, Oceania, Asia, and the Holy Land. He was the first Pope to speak at the United Nations. He was pious, ecumenical, open to dialogue, a Pope perhaps too modern and prophetic to be understood by the people of his time.
This documentary film rediscovers a Pope whose holiness is now recognized by the Church through his beatification by Pope Francis in October 2014.

Pablo VI: El Papa incomprendido

<DIV>Are Catholics biblical illiterates? ; So goes the frequent ; question, proving that myths die hard. But Catholics ought ; to be able to answer the charge made by many non-Catholics ; in this regard. This book is a response to Fundamentalist ; critics and an explanation of the Catholic biblical ; tradition. The Catholic Church and the ; Bible is a significant scriptural study ; guide, published from a Catholic perspective and ; particularly keyed to the new Catechism of the Catholic ; Church. The well-planned, straight-forward text is ; clearly outlined to make information easy to find and ; understand. Main topics include: <ul><li>The Catholic ; understanding of the Bible </li><li>God's Word and its ; purpose in the Church </li><li>A biblical theology of the ; Mass, the place of the Bible in the Sacred Liturgy ; </li><li>A question-and-answer section that deals with ; pertinent and popular inquiries made by Catholics and ; non-Catholics alike </li></ul>This work should be ; heartily welcomed by both clergy and laity, for Father ; Stravinskas sheds new light on Catholic Bible study by ; writing with candor, clarity and scriptural backing. This ; is ideal for high schools and RCIA programs. "An ; excellent tool for the Catholic apologist. The reader has ; everything in one place: pithy answers plus biblical and ; magisterial citations. Fr. Stravinskas is the best ; priest-apologist in the country." -Karl ; Keating, Author, Catholicism and ; FundamentalismFr. Peter M.J. ; Stravinskas is the well-known editor of the ; The Catholic Answer magazine, a contributing ; editor to National Catholic Register, and has ; written over 500 articles for numerous Catholic ; publications. </DIV>

The Catholic Church and the Bible

<DIV>In response to actual questions many people have asked him about angels and demons, well-known author and philosophy professor Peter Kreeft separates fact from fantasy and myth from reality as he answers 100 common questions about these spiritual beings. Based on a very popular college course he teaches on this subject, this book responds to the incredible amount of interest in angelic beings and attempts to clear up some of the misinformation abounding in the numerous books today on what we know about these mysterious spirits.Drawing on the Bible, traditional Church teaching and St. Thomas Aquinas, Kreeft gives straight, clear answers to the perennial and philosophical questions asked about angels and demons throughout time. In his typical lucid, profound and sometimes humorous style, Kreeft answers such questions as ""What are angels made of?"", ""How do angels communicate with God?"", ""How do angels communicate with us?"", ""Do demons, or devils, or evil spirits really exist?"" and many more. Includes angel art.</DIV>

Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know about Them?

<DIV>Freedom isn't just about conquering sexual addictions; it's about saying yes to real love. Unlike other books that simply present God's design for human sexuality, Freedom guides a young man on his journey to sexual purity and freedom in Jesus Christ.Topics include:<ul><li>The crisis of manhood facing our modern culture</li><li>Why true masculinity is rooted in sexual purity, virtue, and sacrificial love</li><li>How to heal from sexual addiction through a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit</li><li>A step-by-step process for developing the disciplines needed to win the battle against temptation</li></ul>Cast off the shackles of impurity and find freedom by pursuing authentic love. Learn to become a man of virtue and the man God created you to be.</DIV>

Freedom: Battle Strategies for Conquering Temptation

<DIV>A Drama of Reform is the story of the new order founded by Fr. Benedict Groeschel and seven other Capuchin friars, and of the first two decades of a reform in religious life begun in 1987. United in the desire to be authentic disciples of Jesus Christ and following in the footsteps of Saint Francis, they want to encourage the army of Christians of all denominations who are discouraged by the erosion of Gospel values in our culture. This inspirational volume combines more than 100 dramatic photos from the interesting and varied aspects of their daily lives. Along with the wonderful photos, members of the two independent communities of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal provide short essays on their life, which will enable others to experience the earnestness and enthusiasm of this young and fervent group. More than one hundred sisters and friars from a dozen countries have come together with the common desire to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ after the example of Saint Francis and the tradition of the Capuchin reform. Well-known for their work with the poor and homeless in the South Bronx and other deprived areas, these Franciscans communicate a deep sense of the joy and love of those trying to be totally committed to living the Gospel in an increasingly de-Christianized world. </DIV>

The Drama of the Reform

Opening credits

1 Why Me? Why Now?

2 Knowing the Battle

3 Knowing Yourself

4 The Spiritual Audit

5 The Power of the Will

6 The Habits That Bring Life

7 Compassion

8 Prudence

9 Justice

10 Self-Control

11 Courage

12 Humility

13 Obedience

14 Generosity

15 Honor

16 Greatheartedness

17 Gratitude

18 Wonder

19 Cooperation

20 On Your Way to Holiness and Happiness

21 The First Step꞉ Three Questions and Four Truths

22 The Second Step꞉ Virtues and Vices

23 An Action Plan for Every Temperament

24 Persevering in Virtue

Acknowledgments

Closing credits

<div>
Unifying people of good will in living God's will
Christians, as well as all men and women, are called to holiness and happiness, but we all struggle with taking the practical steps necessary to overcome the vices that rob us of our peace and steal our joy. The WillPower Advantage shows that we need to renew our minds with the truth about ourselves&mdash;that we are not to be passive in the face of our challenges, but to use our will and our strength to surrender to God's grace and transform the world, beginning with ourselves.
The WillPower Advantage helps people to build the virtues they need by providing practical wisdom from ancient and contemporary sources. The book includes a Spiritual Audit, which identifies a person's temperament along with its strengths and weaknesses. The virtues each person's temperament needs are then presented systematically with practical tips for strengthening them.
</div>

The WillPower Advantage: Building Habits for Lasting Happiness (Audiobook)

<DIV>The fact of pleasure is obvious to us, but its relation to reason is less understood. We are beings who laugh and run, sing and dance, but we too seldom reflect on why we do these things. Above all, we are beings who think and who want to know whether our lives make sense.In this thought-provoking study of the relationship between our reason and our experience of pleasure, popular professor and author Fr. James Schall shows how reason, religion and pleasure are not in conflict with one another. Religion has to do with how man relates to God. Catholicism is not so much a religion as a revelation. It records and recalls how God relates to man.The popular mood of our time is that neither religion nor revelation has much to do with real life. Yet when we look at things as having meaning and order, they fit together in surprising ways. This coherence should bring us joy, and teach us how reason, religion and pleasure can work together for our benefit. Schall shows us in this book why we have many reasons to think that our lives make sense, that our pleasures can be reasonable, and our reason itself is a pleasure.</DIV>

Reasonable Pleasures: The Strange Coherences of Catholicism

<DIV>The thesis of this book is that God intends that sexual intercourse should be at least implicitly a renewal of the marriage covenant. From this it follows that the marriage covenant provides the criterion to evaluate the morality of every sexual act. Thus the title, Sex and the Marriage Covenant, is an appropriate description of the bookಙs contents. Marriage comes into being by a couple unreservedly entering God's covenant of marriage; contraceptive intercourse contradicts the very essence of the marriage covenant. From these considerations, Kippley developed the covenant theology of sexuality described in this book.</DIV>

Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A Basis for Morality

This is the first major feature-length drama on the life of St. Anthony of Padua, the beloved miracle worker and one of the most popular saints in Christian history. Made in Italy with top-notch acting talent and superb cinematography, this is an outstanding film on the amazing life of St. Anthony. It presents Anthony as a dynamic and appealing person who sacrificed wealth, popularity, and family for the Kingdom of God. Born into a Portuguese noble family in 1195, Anthony defied his father&rsquo;s wishes that he become a knight and, instead, followed the call of God to become a monk, eventually joining the Franciscans as a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. Anthony became renowned for his powerful preaching and his miracles that won countless souls to Christ. The film follows his travels through Italy, his mission to Morocco, and his meeting with St. Francis. It beautifully portrays the power of his preaching, the holiness of his life, his love for the poor and oppressed, and the wonders of his miracles. Actor Daniele Liotti gives a truly memorable and inspiring performance as St. Anthony.

Saint Anthony: The Miracle Worker of Padua

<DIV>In this definitive biography, Cristina Siccardi situates the appealing figure of young Pier Giorgio Frassati in early 20th century Turin, Italy. In the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Italy where the memory of Savoy is still alive there are two contrasting forms of enterprise: one of older stamp, attentive to the values of patriotism and integrity; the other tending toward ever more acquisitive forms of capitalism.In this environment Pier Giorgio, the young heir of Senator Alfredo Frassati, founder of the newspaper La Stampa, makes his own choice for the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, seeking not so much to solve general problems but to make Christ and the Church more present to those in need. That was the motivation for his assisting in many charitable works of the St. Vincent Society, his support for the Popular Party, and his development of a spirituality of engaged and diligent action. His devotion to friendship and to sports was extraordinary, with a special love for mountain hiking, which was for him both enjoyable exercise and the contemplation of creation, as well as a symbol of his striving for perfection in virtue.Other important aspects that will passionately engage readers of this book include the story of the famous Frassati family, and the marked contrasts among its members--especially the bond of division/union between father and son. Alfredo Frassati, a man of notable accomplishments, will discover, when his widely beloved son dies, a completely new dimension of the world. There follows a spiritual deepening, year after year, which leaves its traces in several letters to Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. This book describes an extraordinary itinerary of holiness, but also a key to understanding the history of Italy in the 20th century.Pope John Paul II said about Pier Giorgio on the day of his Beatification (20 May, 1990): "Faith and charity, the true driving forces of his existence, made him active and diligent in the milieu in which he lived, in his family, in the university and society; they transformed him into a joyful apostle of Christ, a passionate follower of his message and charity. The secret of his apostolic zeal and holiness is found in the ascetical and spiritual journey which he traveled; in prayer, in persevering adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, in his thirst for the Word of God; in the peaceful acceptance of life's difficulties; in chastity lived as a cheerful, uncompromising discipline."</DIV>