Lord of the Dance by 
The Agony and the Ecstasy by
Irving Stone's classic biographical novel of Michelangelo--the #1 New York Times bestseller in which both the artist and the man are brought to vivid, captivating life. His time--the turbulent Renaissance, the years of poisoning princes, warring Popes, and the all-powerful de'Medici family... His loves--the frail and lovely daughter of Lorenzo de'Medici, the ardent mistress of Marco Aldovrandi, and his last love, his greatest love--the beautiful, unhappy Vittoria Colonna... His genius--a God-driven fury from which he wrested brilliant work that made a grasp for heaven unmatched in half a millennium... His name--Michelangelo Buonarroti. Creator of the David, painter of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, architect of the dome of St. Peter's, Michelangelo lives once more in the tempestuous, powerful pages of Irving Stone's towering triumph. A masterpiece in its own right, this biographical novel offers a compelling portrait of one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.
The Sparrow by
A novel about a remarkable man, a living saint, a life-long celibate and Jesuit priest, who undergoes an experience so harrowing and profound that it makes him question the existence of God.
Children of God by
Though not having a Latina author, the main character, Emilio Sandoz, from Puerto Rico, is an excellent lead character. Some Trigger warnings
The Name of the Rose by
“A brilliantly conceived adventure into another time” (San Francisco Chronicle) by critically acclaimed author Umberto Eco. nbsp; The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns to the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, and the empirical insights of Roger Bacon to find the killer. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey (“where the most interesting things happen at night”) armed with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious curiosity.
The Shoes of the Fisherman by
The heartwarming and profound story of Kiril Lakota, a cardinal who reluctantly steps out from behind the Iron Curtain to lead the Catholic Church as pope, and finds himself thrown into the machinations of Cold War politics. This international bestselling novel remains one of Morris West's best known works and is the first title in his Vatican Trilogy.
Though Catholicism and Orthodoxy are NOT separate religions from the rest of the Christian Community, there are subtle differences that make it necessary to have a subpage dedicated to these two sects within Christianity.
From Breaking in the Habit YouTube channel posted October 8, 2018
(As a personal aside: If you really want to know A LOT about Roman Catholicism, this is the channel to watch.)
Produced by Dennis Wholey Enterprises from the I BELIEVE-with Dennis Wholey series, copyright 2007
In this program, Dennis Wholey has a conversation about Roman Catholicism with Cardinal William H. Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore. Topics of discussion include who Jesus Christ is, from a Catholic perspective; the concept of the Trinity; the seven sacraments; the purpose and meaning of the Mass; what makes a Catholic a Catholic; and the effect of cultural secularization on the Church. In addition, the history of the restored Baltimore Basilica—America’s first cathedral and the foundation of Roman Catholicism in the U.S.—is outlined by Mark J. Potter, executive director of the Basilica Historic Trust. (27 minutes)
Produced by ClickView Pty Limited in the Places of Worship Series, copyright 2019.
How were churches built? What symbols can be found inside? What happens during Mass? This programme explores these questions and more through a historical and contemporary lens, from the history of church design to the ceremonies carried out in a church. Learners will gain insight into Catholic practices and rituals and the role of the physical structure of a church in facilitating worship.
From the FatherTimothy Lange YouTube Channel posted on April 20, 2015,
A Roman Catholic Teaching Mass: Have you every wondered what Catholics do when they are at Mass? Have you ever wondered what the different signs, symbols, and postures mean and where they come from? Join Father Michael Schmitz from the UMD Newman Center as he slows down the Catholic Mass and explains the signs and symbols, as well as the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist as Jesus describes it in the Gospel of John. Filmed at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, MN.
Posted on The Catholic Talk Show YouTube Channel on April 13, 2020.
From the YouTube video description: "In this episode of The Catholic Talk Show, the guys are joined by Fr. Elias Rafaj to discuss The Eastern Rite Catholic Churches and what are the similarities and differences with the Latin Catholic Rite."
Posted on Bob Kasarda's YouTube channel on August 12, 2011.
The Catholic Church is a communion of churches. It is made up of churches from the Eastern Tradition and Western Tradition. Every catholic has a responsibility for understanding the fullness of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul has said "the church must learn to breathe again with its two lungs, its eastern and western one"
Produced by Harbourfront Entertainment for Building Faith: Sacred Architecture series, copyright 2005.
Straddling two worlds of Christian belief, Slovak churches are places where Byzantine and Roman Catholic religious traditions meet and merge. This video analyzes eastern- and western-style Slovak church design in two ways: first, it points out their underlying similarities by tracing their architectural roots back to their common ancestor, the basilica of ancient Rome; then, to explain their very visible differences, it follows the history of Christianity over the centuries immediately following the religion’s division into its eastern and western branches. By reaching out in both directions, Slovak church architecture partakes of Constantinople and Rome in a way that is uniquely its own.
Posted by the GreekOrthodoxChurch YouTube channel on October 30, 3013.
Featuring Rev. Dr. Thomas Fitzgerald and Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis .
Produced by Open University, part of A History of Christianity Series, copyright 2009
On July 16, 1054, a dramatic event occurred during the worship service in the Church of Hagia Sophia: a papal delegation delivered a document excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Patriarch promptly excommunicated the Pope in return. Known as The Great Schism, the act divided Eastern from Western Catholic Christianity. Going on location to the most venerated sites in the Byzantine world, this program presents a history of Eastern Orthodoxy. The video focuses on the tenacity of the Church as it survived Muslim invasions, the destruction by Crusaders of its holy city, the crumbling of the Byzantine Empire, czarist exploitation, and being shut down by the Soviet regime. It also covers the conversion of the Slavs, the use of icons—banned in a desperate reversal of loyalties as Rome sided with Islam in condemning religious images—and the rise and fall and rise again of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church. Produced by the Open University. Part of the series A History of Christianity.
Produced by Dennis Wholey Enterprises, in I BELIEVE with Dennis Wholey series, 2007.
In this program, Dennis Wholey has a conversation about the Greek Orthodox Church with Father Stephen Callos of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Topics of discussion include primary distinctions between Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism; similarities and differences among the Greek, Russian, and other Orthodox Churches; the Orthodox view of the incarnation of Jesus; and marriage and celibacy within the Church. In addition, the religious iconography at Saints Constantine and Helen is explained by Bible study leader Irene Theodore.
The Rite of Christian Initiation by
McGrail explores the relationship between ritual form, ecclesial self-understanding and constructs of the world that are at play as adults become members of the Church. Analysing the rites by which adults were taken into the Church for three and a half centuries, this book goes on to explore attempts to find a new ritual expression for the journey to Christian Initiation, set against the divergent and even conflicting ecclesiologies which were at play before and during the Council.
Becoming Catholic: Finding Rome in the American Religious Landscape by
Conversion has been an essential element of Christianity, and especially of Roman Catholicism, for centuries--from the Apostle Paul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus to the spiritual transformations of such prominent modern individuals as Cardinal Newman, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Thomas Merton, and G.K. Chesterton. In a 1926 essay, Chesterton expressed reluctance to describe his conversion, on account of "a strong feeling that this method makes the business look much smaller than it really is."As David Yamane shows in Becoming Catholic, the business was not only spiritually but literally very large, and growing ever larger: roughly 150,000 Americans join the Catholic Church each year, and more than one in fifty American adults is a Catholic convert. Altogether, these 5.85 million individuals are the fifth-largest religious group in America. In this first significant study of the phenomenon of Roman Catholic conversion in the contemporary United States, Yamane provides an in-depth look at the process of adult initiation in the twenty-first century Catholic Church, including the new process of spiritual formation--called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)--that was ushered in by Vatican II. The RCIA process, which has become an integral part of Catholic parish life, takes individuals on a journey through four distinct, formative periods, punctuated by elaborate ritual transitions, before they are finally baptized at Easter.Drawing on years of observational fieldwork and candid interviews with more than 200 individuals undergoing the initiation process, Yamane follows would-be Catholics through all four stages of the RCIA and offers an incisive new perspective on what it means to choose Catholicism in America today.
An Introduction to Catholic Ethics since Vatican II by
This introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the development of Catholic ethics in the wake of the Second Vatican Council (1962-5), an event widely considered crucial to the reconciliation of the Catholic Church and the modern world. Andrew Kim investigates Catholic responses to questions of moral theology in all four principal areas: Catholic social teaching, natural law, virtue ethics, and bioethics. In addition to discussing contemporary controversies surrounding abortion, contraception, labor rights, exploitation of the poor, and just war theory, he explores the historical sources of the Catholic worldview. Beginning with the moral vision revealed through the person of Jesus Christ and continuing with elaborations on this vision from figures such as Augustine and Aquinas, this volume elucidates the continuity of the Catholic moral tradition. Its balance of complexity and accessibility makes it an ideal resource for both students of theology and general readers.
The Catholic Tradition by
In his Tradition and Authenticity in the Search for Ecumenic Wisdom, Thomas Langan argued that the close interaction of traditions in today's society calls for methodical critical appropriation of the beliefs fostered by the principal traditions. He also promised to demonstrate by example how such appropriation could be accomplished. In The Catholic Tradition, Langan successfully fulfills that vow by showing how a tradition--the Catholic--has shaped his own outlook. In this comprehensive study, Langan examines the history of the Catholic Church and the origins of its teachings since the Church's conception. Although committed to the Catholic religion, Langan does not obscure the Church's failings as he lays out the fundamentals of the Catholic faith. He provides insight into the great Christological councils, discusses the differences in the spiritualities of East and West, and portrays the crucial roles that the pope and bishops played during the Middle Ages. He incorporates the thought of Augustine, Aquinas, and medieval Catholicism as he traces the rise and decline of Christian Europe, the great issues raised by the reform: priesthood, the Eucharist, spirituality, and Church structure. Satan has no greater triumph, Langan asserts, than when Catholics, who are recipients of the Good News of God's universal love, allow selections from their tradition to be turned into sectarianism and ideology. This balanced history of the Church as human reality faces such perversions squarely. But despite betrayals by its own across the centuries, the Catholic tradition, with its origin at Sinai, remains the oldest and largest extant religious institution. In a last section Langan offers a unique overview of the church's present situation, its strengths and weaknesses, the new movement and the challenge of the "new evangelization."
