What books are in the Essential Catholic Library?

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alwayslooking

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It has been about one year ago that I started really getting into the nuts and bolts of Catholicism. This was helped by a graduate school roommate introducing me to the Extraordinary Form of Mass.

In this past year I have read dozens of books by 20th century authors (an entire four level bookshelf). I’d like to start reading the classics. My best friend of mine is a Lutheran pastor and for years I have noticed his stack of books on a shelf above his desk; these books are as he calls then (I don’t know if this collection has a formal name) the essential books of Lutheranism. They are a Study Bible, prayer book, a service book, Luther’s Confessions, and ect.

With Catholicism being so much older, having had far more great scholars than any protestant denomination,being far more diverse than any single denomination, and being able to claim a founder who left know writings of his own; what would books would our list of essentials contain?

If you, as a Catholic were to compose a list of say 25 books as the essential books of Catholic study, and practice: What would they be?

I’d start with the following:
  • Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church
  • Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
  • An Ordinary Form Missal
  • An Extraordinary Form Missal
  • A Brivary
  • The Imitation of Christ
  • Catena Aurea
  • Summa Theologica
  • The Rule of Saint Benedict
  • A strong prayer book such as “Handbook of Prayers”, “Manual of Prayers”, “Blessed Be God”, “Blessed Sacrament Prayer Book”
 
Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales.

I’m curious. Why the Rule of St Benedict?
 
TrueLight said:
I’m curious. Why the Rule of St Benedict?
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The Rule, although much was borrowed from existing rules, is really the basis for monastic life. Then again maybe I am biased as when I attend the EF, it is at a Benedictine Abby.

No right or wrong answers here. 😉
 
TrueLight said:
I’m curious. Why the Rule of St Benedict?
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The Rule, although much was borrowed from existing rules, is really the basis for monastic life. Then again maybe I am biased as when I attend the EF, it is at a Benedictine Abby.

No right or wrong answers here. 😉
 
alwayslooking said:
If you, as a Catholic were to compose a list of say 25 books as the essential books of Catholic study, and practice: What would they be?
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Really, that would depend on the individual Catholic, would it not? I very much doubt that there is a one-size-fits-all selection of 25 books ideal for all Catholicsm or even some Catholics.

I’ll have to go through my library and determine what 25 books I would take with me to the proverbial desert island.

But the first seven (7) would be the books that make up the IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD series of daily meditations. Written by an Opus Dei Priest, and following the thread of the daily mass readings, it provides a guide to living a spiritual life in the midst of the secular world. :coffeeread:

I’ll get back to you later on more of my opinions
 
 
I am of course biased. But I assume that is the point of this list haha. If everyone said the same list of books, then whats the point 🙂

So here are the books that have made a big impact in my life


  1. *]True Devotion the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
    *]Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyła (written prior to becoming JP II)
    *]Ignatius Study Bible by Scott Hahn
 
Here’s a start:

Roman Catholic Daily Missal 1962 >>> Angelus Press
Catholic RSV Bible >>> Oxford University Press
Catechism of the Council of Trent >>> TAN

Monastic Diurnal >>> St. Michael’s Abbey Press
Monastic Breviary Matins >>> Lancelot Andrews Press
Rule of Saint Benedict in Latin & English >>> Lancelot Andrews Press

Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers [4 volumes] >>> Ignatius Press
Lives of Saints w/Excerpts From Their Writings >>> J.J. Crowley & Co.

The Jesus Movement: A Social History of Its First Century >>> Fortress Press
The Christian Tradition, Jaroslav Pelikan [5 volumes] >>> Univ. of Chicago Press

The Horologion >>> Sophia Press
Publicans Prayer Book >>> Sophia Press
Byzantine Book of Prayer >>> Byzantine Seminary Press
 
Bonaventura: The Minds Road to God

Augustine: The Confessions of Saint Augustine

Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue

Chesterton: Orthodoxy

Irenaeus of Lyons: Against the Heresies
 
Bible
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Liturgy of the Hours, 4 vol set
The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux
Complete Works of St. Theresa of Avila
Fire Within by Dubay
Prayer Primer by Dubay
 
Extraordinary Form Missal, full and hand

Ordinary Form Missal, full and hand

Catechism

Bible

Graduale Romanum
 
His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke gives some very nice insight into the realm of Catholic books in general in the following two videos. Interesting to note are his comments regarding the imprimatur and nihil obstat, as well as his comments regarding the now-suppressed Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

youtube.com/watch?v=Gg7zcL9CavQ&feature=related
youtube.com/watch?v=uEMHSI52UQo&feature=related

I recommend, by the way, that in any book purporting to contain a discourse on Catholic doctrine, it is nearly imperative that you make sure there is a nihil obstat and imprimatur. If there is not both, then I wouldn’t be buying it. In fact, I wouldn’t poke it with a ten foot pole.

A nihil obstat is a guarantee from the Church, usually rendered by a bishop, that a book is free from all doctrinal error. It does not guarantee a particular position on subjective views, but it does guarantee that nothing in the book is outright wrong.

An imprimatur is a declaration from a bishop that something should be printed, and is allowed to be. It means, literally, “Let it be printed.”
 
YoungTradCath said:
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I recommend, by the way, that in any book purporting to contain a discourse on Catholic doctrine, it is nearly imperative that you make sure there is a nihil obstat and imprimatur. If there is not both, then I wouldn’t be buying it. In fact, I wouldn’t poke it with a ten foot pole.
…
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Certainly, the Church has a right to define it’s own doctrine, catechism and code of canon law. Within this contest, the nihil obstat and imprimatur are useful in identifying the genuine article.

Otherwise, their absence should NEVER be a deal breaker. Indeed, the many of works in the Essential Catholic Library are not likely to be labeled with nihil obstat or imprimatur.

Could you imagine the essential and undeniably-Catholic Vatican Library without the writings of Arius, Donatus, Manichaeus, Luther and Calvin? Throughout the history of the Church, doctrine was often defined in response to the heresies of the day.
 
mick321 said:
Certainly, the Church has a right to define it’s own doctrine, catechism and code of canon law. Within this contest, the nihil obstat and imprimatur are useful in identifying the genuine article.

Otherwise, their absence should NEVER be a deal breaker. Indeed, the many of works in the Essential Catholic Library are not likely to be labeled with nihil obstat or imprimatur.

Could you imagine the Essential and undeniably-Catholic Vatican Library without the writings of Arius, Donatus, Manichaeus, Luther and Calvin? Throughout the history of the Church, doctrine was often defined in response to the heresies of the day.
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Right, but I mean to say that if a book purports to contain official Church doctrine, it must enjoy those ecclesiastical allowances for it to be safe for a person to read.

I do not mean to say that every book must contain them. It is very useful, for example, for some people to read, as you said, Luther. But Luther was a heretic. Luther did not attempt to write for the Church. He wrote his own doctrine, clearly that of a new religion.

I mean books that are written by anyone, cleric or non-cleric, purporting to contain official Church doctrine. Luther did not purport to write about official Church doctrine. If a book purports to contain official Church doctrine, it must enjoy the necessary and proper permissions. If it does not purport to contain official Church doctrine, then, well, go for it.
 
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