Fr. Benedict M. Ashley, O.P., is a Dominican Priest of the Province of St. Albert the Great, also known as the Central Province of Dominicans. This book covers his early life, academic experience, conversion to Catholicism, entering the Dominican Order. His career as a teacher, administrator and a consultant on philosophy, theology and ethics are detailed along with his own poetry and commentaries. This rich autobiography will be interesting to anyone who knows of the dozens of books Fr. Ashley has written and how he has made his mark on the philosophical and theological thought of the Roman Catholic Church over his long life as a Dominican Friar.

Barefoot Journeying: An Autobiography of a Begging Friar

Biographies & Memoirs

Ashley O.P., Fr. Benedict M.

Leaders & Notable People

New Priory Press

Giacinto (Hyacinth) D’Urso (1913-2002), Dominican friar of the Province of San Marco and Sardegna (later the Roman Province), is regarded by many Italian commentators as the foremost expert on the mysticism of Catherine of Siena.  After his ordination in 1936 he obtained a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum in Rome.  He served the Order in various capacities as novice master, prior, pastor, preacher and, for a time, professor of theology at the Angelicum.  For many years he was the editor of the acclaimed Dominican spirituality journal Rivista di Ascetica e Mistica and was a lifelong student of the spirituality of Fra Angelico, St. Antoninus, Blessed Angela of Foligno, but in a particular way of the thought of St. Catherine of Siena of whom he was a devoted Caterinato.    The Bibliografia analitica di S. Caterina da Siena 1901-2000 lists 107 scholarly articles written by Father D’Urso between 1940 and 2000.  Some of the more important ones were collected and published by the National Center of Catherinian Studies in Rome under the title Il genio di Santa Caterina (1971).  He and Alvaro Grion, OP, were the major theological contributors to the official positio commissioned by the Vatican in preparation for Catherine being proclaimed Doctor. It was not the last time that Fr. D’Urso’s expertise was to be put at the service of the universal Church as the echo of his voice can be heard in the apostolic letter of Paul VI mentioned above as well as in John Paul II’s apostolic letter Amantissima Providentia (1980) for the sixth centenary of Catherine’s death.    In 1970, the year Catherine was proclaimed Doctor, Fr. D’Urso wrote his magnum opus, a 113-page article, in the form of notes, on the life and teaching of the Sienese saint in the review Temi di Predicazione published by the Dominicans in Naples.  It was only in this article, a translation of which is the book you are now holding, that he ever attempted a comprehensive exposition of her teaching.  D’Urso brought to this work a classical theological training, knowledge of mysticism in general, his Dominican vocation, and an ardent love of Catherine.   He is careful and thorough in his summaries and analyses; his conclusions are balanced and reliable.  His style is literary, succinct, and dense. Most important, his scholarship reveals new depths to Catherine’s thought, making for a new appreciation of her on the 40th anniversary of Paul VI’s proclamation.  Thomas McDermott, OP Author, Catherine of Siena. Spiritual Development in Her Life and Teaching

Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church: Notes on her life and teaching.

D’Urso O.P., Giacinto

Religion & Spirituality

FR. GEORGE REYNOLDS is a Dominican Friarof the Province of St. Albert the Great. Raisedin Oak Park and Maywood, Illinois, Reynoldsearned his B.A. in philosophy from AquinasInstitute of Theology and his M.A. in Englishfrom the University of Dallas. He served as ateacher at Fenwick High School in Oak Park Illinois and Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas; as pastor at St. Albert’s Parish in Minneapolis; and as a campus minister at Emory University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Southeastern LouisianaUniversity in Hammond. With more than fi fty years of ministry under his belt, his pastoral experience is extensive. Reynolds currently ministers at the Aquinas Newman Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is his first book.Fr. Reynolds says one of the main influences on his writing was his father, who was a master storyteller. He kept Reynolds and his siblings enthralled with stories told before bed. Fr. Reynolds’ love of storytelling is evident in his preaching. Now for the first time we are able to share some of his non-homiletic efforts.The illustrations in this volume were doneby Fr. Robert Reynolds, Fr. George’s olderbrother, who before his death was a priestof the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois.

The Cobbler and the Cricket

Literature & Fiction

Reynolds O.P., George

Short Stories & Anthologies

From the Forward: Father Bede Jarrett, OP (1881-1934), true to the religious vocation given to him by God, was above all a preacher. By reason of his natural gifts, combined with an unlimited capacity for concentrated work, he could have become a notable scholar and a prolific writer. The administrative duties, imposed upon him relatively early in his Dominican life and fulfilled by him with exemplary conscientiousness and abundant fruit until the day of his untimely death, prevented him from developing his gift for scholarship and his capacity for writing. But nothing could prevent him from being a great preacher. To this primary and beloved duty he brought all his outstanding natural gifts of understanding and sympathy, of gentleness and friendliness, of affability and unwearied patience, of personal charm and appealing oratory. But it was not this that made him a great preacher. Much that he was and did might have been purely natural; in actual fact it was not, for it was inspired and illuminated throughout by an intense love of God and of all things, especially of all men, that burned in him as an unquench-able fire. As I have written in another place, 'the keynote of his whole life was that of integrity, an integrity that came of a transcendental vision of truth and goodness and beauty which became clearer and more compelling as the years of his life passed from youth to the fullness of his manhood. . . .He saw the truth of God expressed in terms of goodness and he could see only goodness in the works of the Creator. Out of this came a joyousness of soul that adversity could not diminish, a confidence in his fellow-men that experi- ence could not undermine, a sublime trust in Providence that was abundantly fruitful in its reward.' It was this vision of truth that set him afire with charity, that made him a true son of St Dominic and so worthy a member of his Order of Preachers.This outstanding aspect of Father Bede Jarrett's life and work is of particular significance in relation to the present anthology, for it is an anthology of the spoken, rather than of the written, word. Notwithstanding the number of published volumes that bear his name, he actually wrote few spiritual treatises. A number of the books from which extracts have been taken are in fact verbatim reports of courses of sermons taken down as he delivered them. FR HILARY CARPENTER, O.P. Prior Provincial

Bede Jarrett Anthology

Jarrett, Bede

Religious Studies

Most of us think morality is an unpleasant reality marked by authority, confusion and either over- simplification or too many grey areas. Yet the moral life is one of the most creative aspects of our life. It is not just what we do, but who we become as persons. It leads us to find wholeness, peace, and above all, happiness. Morality is the art of human living that draws the best out of us and brings us closer to God and to one another.This volume is intended as an introduction for thinking Catholics. It begins with a general overview of what the Catholic tradition means by “morality.” It continues with chapters on sin, virtue, conscience, sexuality, friendship, liturgy, health care ethics and business ethics. It ends with a chapter on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which in the Catholic tradition are the culmination of a life of virtue.

Whatever Happened to Sin?: Virtue, Friendship and Happiness in the Moral Life

Bouchard, Charle

This splendid example of medieval scriptural interpretation shows us how the “spiritual sense” of scripture enriched the minds of the faithful and warmed their hearts. The literal and historical sense of the passage in Proverbs 31,which is known as the Valiant Woman, is a eulogy for a faithful Jewish wife and mother, who stands out above others for her strength. The spiritual sense, using analogy, meticulous divisions, and proof texts from scripture, finds in this acrostic poem, a catalyst for exploring the deepest mysteries of redemption, the mystical union of the risen Christ, the Husband, with his faithful Church his Bride, seen as the Valiant Woman. By extension, it is also the faithful soul, imitating the Church, experiencing the adventure of seeking the beloved and eternal happiness. St. Albert the Great puts his imagination to service in the understanding of every Christian’s spiritual quest. Every verse, every chapter, opens a new vision of the Valiant Woman. Why the Church should be understood as a woman(ch. 1); how her Husband trusts in her(2); how they repay each other (3); symbols of wool and flax, and the work of her hands (4); she is a ship (5); nights and banquets (6); olives, fields, and vineyards (7); her arm and her strength (8); taste and sight, her lamp (9); wrestling with vices, her fingers (10); stretching out to the poor (11); her house in snow, her servants doubly clothed (12); her tapestry of the passion (13); Christ and the gates of Jerusalem (14); linen garments (15); her strength, fortitude and laughter (16); her “mouth” and “tongue” (17); her house (18); blessed like the sons of Jacob (19); her “riches” (20); how praised (21); fruits of the spirit, in the gates (22). Sometimes amusing, always amazing, and profound in its spiritual wisdom, “The Valiant Woman” is a fruitful experience for the reader and a welcome addition to the translations of medieval scriptural commentaries.

The Valiant Woman: A Medieval Commentary on Proverbs 31:10-31

the Great, St. Albert

Christian Books & Bibles

A Companion to the Summa: Volume Three - The Fullness of Life

Farrell, Walter

These essays are an important resource for American medievalists. They show that St. Albert was not only a scientist and philosopher, but a theologian and a political mediator as well.They range from Cardinal Lehmann’s overview of St. Albert’s conception of theology to a comparison of Albert’s and Thomas’ commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew by Ulrich Horst, to Erhard Schlieter’s discussion of artistic portrayals of St. Albert in art. While St. Albert is the subject of a great deal of scholarly research in his homeland, he is less well known in the United States. Fr. O’Meara’s translations and study guide will help bring the life and thought of this remarkable medieval scholar, who was considered to be an “astonishing wonder” by his contemporaries, to an American audience.This volume is being published by New Priory Press to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great which is based in Chicago.

Albert the Great: Theologian and Scientist

O'Meara, Thomas F.

As a couple you are not just living together to survive, you are being called to thrive. Your marriage is called to greatness! This is The Mission of Love. It is an opportunity to discover the inestimable greatness of your calling as a man and woman joined together in marriage and to empower yourselves with a plan to make it happen. This book will help you, as a couple, identify who you are together, your shared vision for the relationship, and tools to make this vision a reality. You can embrace this challenge for your marriage and strive for success in the greatest endeavor you will ever embark upon or you can try the same thing that’s been done for decades and expect little more than the same results.

The Mission of Love: A Sacramental Journey to Marital Success

Curtis Ph.D., John

McManus O.P., Fr. Dominic

Day. Michael

Saint Thomas Aquinas is a saint for the ages. He is also a saint for all ages now thanks to the work of Mary Ellen Evans, Geoffrey Gneuhs and Margaret Nichols. In this narrative retelling of the life of the great theologian, our saint comes alive for young readers looking to find out about the life of such a gifted mind without having to struggle with the deep philosophy in which he finds the profound truths of God. This is a great introduction to this Dominican saint and is very readable for all ages.

Saint Thomas Aquinas: A Biography for Young Readers

Nichols, Margaret

Evans, Mary Ellen

Gneuhs, Geoffrey

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