Priest Books

The beloved Archbishop Sheen, whose cause for canonization is open in Rome, presents a profound and deeply spiritual look at the meaning of the priesthood and relationship of the priest with Christ as an "alter Christus".

Sheen delves deeply into what he considers the main character of the priesthood, and one not often discussed, that of being, like Christ, a "holy victim". To be like Christ, Sheen emphasizes that the priest must imitate Christ in His example of sacrifice, offering himself as a victim to make His Incarnation continually present in the world.

"Unlike anyone else, Our Lord came on earth, not to live, but to die. Death for our redemption was the goal of His sojourn here, the gold that he was seeking. He was, therefore, not primarily a teacher, but a Savior. Was not Christ the Priest a Victim? He never offered anything except Himself. So we have a mutilated concept of our priesthood, if we envisage it apart from making ourselves victims in the prolongation of His Incarnation."
—Bishop Fulton Sheen

Format: Paperback

Size: 8 H x 5.25 W x 0.75L (in)

Pages: 285

The revised translation of the Order of the Anointing of the Sick and of their Pastoral Care is an opportunity for the church to recommit to pastoral care of the sick. It is also an opportunity to catechize the faithful anew on the heightened importance of Viaticum and the church’s sacramental life when a person is in danger of death. In To Free, Save, and Raise Up, Paul Turner offers a commentary on this ritual book, with pastoral insights for priests and deacons who use it in their ministry, as well as important background on the Second Vatican Council’s changes to the sacraments for the sick, the deliberations that produced the revised rite, and the translation process. This practical guide serves as a helpful resource for priests, deacons, and all who participate in this important ministry.

Paul Turner is pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City––St. Joseph. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. The 2025 Catholic Media Association’s Author of the Year, Turner is also a past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, and a member of Societas Liturgica and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. He is the author of numerous books published by Liturgical Press and a contributor to Give Us This Day. 

Publication Date:4/15/2026

Receiving baptized Christians into the full communion of the Catholic Church calls for ecumenical sensitivity and pastoral wisdom on the part of those who will accompany these candidates as they prepare for reception.

Fifty years after the death of Bernard of Clairvaux, Alan of Lille died in 1202 or 1203 among the CisteOCIAns at Cîteaux. Celebrated in his own time as doctor universalis, Alan made pioneering contributions in a variety of genres. Best known today for his influential epic poems, the Anticlaudianus and the Complaint of Nature, Alan also composed a theological dictionary, a handbook for preachers, a defense of the catholic faith against the Cathars, and one of the first Marian commentaries on the Song of Songs. Translated here in its entirety for the first time, Alan’s Elucidatio in Cantica Canticorum illumines his other writings and provides a measure for the originality of his Mariology.

Ann W. Astell is the John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. The author of seven books and the editor or co-editor of seven volumes, she has recently published essays on Honorius Augustodunensis, Bernard of Clairvaux, Eadmer of Canterbury, and Aelred of Rievaulx.

The baptized are called to serve God and the Church in a variety of ways, utilizing the gifts they have been given by the Holy Spirit. Some are called by God to serve in a special way. They have heard God's voice and have responded to his call by presenting themselves to the Church to be instituted as a lay catechist, a lector, or an acolyte or to be ordained as a bishop, a priest, or a deacon. The ceremonies of institution and ordination set apart these members of the Catholic faithful as servant leaders, and these liturgical rites affirm the special charisms that have been bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.

In Present for God's Call, Fr. Paul Turner provides the historical evolution of the rites of institution and ordination as well as a pastoral overview of the current Latin texts and English translations of these rites. This book is a timely and important liturgical study on the vocational and ministerial roles in the Church, especially for women, who are now permitted to serve as instituted lectors, acolytes, and catechists.

Unique to Fr. Turner's study is the emphasis on the faithful's role in the rites of institution and ordination. The ordination ceremonies expect that the assembly be prepared and that they fully participate in these rites. The entire local Church is called to prepare to take part in these rites, and this book provides one way for this formation to take place.

The preparation of new priests for ministry currently faces closer scrutiny than at any time since the Reformation, and the importance of effective priestly formation has perhaps never been clearer in the entire history of the church. In Models of Priestly Formation, some of the world's leading experts on the topic consider priestly formation since Vatican II, explore current best practices internationally, and imagine what the future of such formation might look like. The book promises to become an essential reference for every person involved in priestly formation and for anyone interested in understanding better how it is carried out and how those who do it think about their task. The eBook edition includes four additional essays.

Edited by Salvador Ryan, Declan Marmion, and Michael Mullaney

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814664124
Details: 216 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 paperback
Publication Date: 08/15/2019

This is the first book in English on priesthood in religious life to be published in twenty years. Its fourteen contributors search for new ways forward in the understanding of the distinct identity and ministry of religious mencommitted to community, the prophetic lifestyle of vows or promises, and the particular charisms of their congregationswho have also answered the call to priesthood. Essays in this collection include reflections from a bishop, from the perspective of a lay theologian, from an expert in the social sciences, and on Pope Francis's teachings on priesthood. Included as well are essays that are rooted in particular cultural traditions, in spirituality, and in canon law.

Subtitle: Searching for New Ways Forward
Author: Edited by Stephen Bevans and Robin Ryan

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814684542
Details: 232 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 11/15/2018

The charismatic renewal is a sign of the continuing relevance of the Holy Spirit for the baptized and gives life and direction to the Church in its mission in the world. Appearing soon after the close of Vatican II, the charismatic renewal has been one of a number of movements of the Spirit in the Church marked by a call to holiness and evangelization.

Call to Holiness gathers the wisdom within the renewal, thirty years after its beginnings, to help guide its continued life. This document evolved out of several years of consultation with leaders, theologians, and bishops associated with the charismatic renewal from various national backgrounds. Theologians not associated with the charismatic renewal have also been consulted.

The document covers the vocation to holiness, the experience of the Spirit, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the charisms, forms of community life, and the call to evangelize. Chapters are "The Spiritual Renewal Coming from the Council," "The Experience of the Holy Spirit and its Fruits," and "Gifted for Mission."

Subtitle: Reflections on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Author: Paul Josef Cordes; Preface by Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814658871
Details: 80 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 10/01/1997

In this challenging but hopeful new book, Church, Faith, Future: What We Face, What We Can Do, Fr. Louis J. Cameli renders a carefully composed portrait of the church in North America today. Drawing on philosophy, history, cultural analysis, and sociology, he offers a sobering picture of where church and faith stand in our society and where they seem to be headed. Identifying several possible ways forward, Fr. Cameli points out the way he sees as the most promising and most faithful to Catholic tradition.

In a fascinating afterword to the book, Cardinal Blase Cupich enters into dialogue with Fr. Cameli's thinking, describing how the Archdiocese of Chicago has begun to address the issues and the directions indicated.

Subtitle: What We Face, What We Can Do
Author: Louis J. Cameli; Afterword by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814645659
Details: 116 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 05/22/2017

Far-reaching changes continue to take place in the American priesthood. Building on insights gained from four previous surveys, Same Call, Different Men uses fresh data from a 2009 survey-jointly implemented by the National Federation of Priest's Councils and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate-in which 900 priests shared attitudes and stories about their lives and ministry. Among topics covered are the challenges of ministry with fewer ordinations and larger parishes, ministering to an increasingly multicultural laity, collaboration with lay leaders, and personal reflections on the sexual abuse issue. It also relates the many satisfactions of being a priest, one who brings Christ to others and who is invited into many profound moments of individual lives.

Subtitle: The Evolution of the Priesthood since Vatican II
Author: Mary L. Gautier, Paul M. Perl, and Rev. Stephen J. Fichter

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814634295
Details: 256 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 05/01/2012

Can Catholic parishes become communities of missionary disciples that bear lasting fruit? If so, what does it take to move them in that direction?

Through his years as pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax, Canada, Fr. James Mallon discovered that the answer to the first question was a resounding yes! Tailored for Catholics, Alpha played a key role in the transformation of the parish he pastored.

Unlocking Your Parish: Making Disciples, Raising Up Leaders with Alphaaims to provide insight into what Alpha can do to help any Catholic parish become a vibrant, mission-focused community. 

Authors: Ron Huntley and Fr. James Mallon

ISBN 978-1-59325-365-3

Binding Softcover

Size 8 x 5.25 Inches 

Drawing on the wisdom gleaned from thriving mega-churches and innovative business leaders while anchoring their vision in the Eucharistic center of Catholic faith, Fr. Michael White and lay associate Tom Corcoran present the compelling and inspiring story to how they brought their parish back to life.

Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter is a story of stopping everything and changing focus. When their parish reached a breaking point, White and Corcoran asked themselves how they could make the Church matter to Catholics, and they realized the answer was at the heart of the Gospel. Their faithful response not only tripled their weekend mass attendance, but also yielded increased giving, flourishing ministries, and a vibrant, solidly Catholic spiritual revival. White and Corcoran invite all Catholic leaders to share the vision, borrow their strategies, and rebuild their own parishes. They offer a wealth of guidance for anyone with the courage to hear them.

Authors: Michael White & Tom Corcoran

Foreword by: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Trim size: 6 x 9 inches

ISBN: 978-1-59471-386-6

On-sale date: February 25, 2013

The remarkable success of the book A Pastor's Toolbox: Management Skills for Parish Leadership has demonstrated that the demands of time and financial challenges continue to impact the work of today's parish leaders. The need has become even greater for practical tools to assist in the many aspects of temporal administration, leadership, and church management.

This follow-up volume provides all new information, insights, and practical tools that pastors need to handle the complexities of parish management in the twenty-first century. Sixteen contributors from across the country deliver key content that focuses on promoting excellence and best practices in the areas of management, finances, communications, and human resources development. A Pastor's Toolbox 2 provides: 

• leadership tools for the pastor and his team;
• help for working with the parish's pastoral and finance councils;
• intercultural competence and complex pastoring situations;
• suggestions for time management and effective meetings;
• human resources, change management, and canon law;
• tools for parish stewardship, communications, and Catholic schools.

The book is an outgrowth of the Toolbox for Pastoral Management, a nationally recognized joint project of Leadership Roundtable and Seton Hall University. Learn more at www.LeadershipRoundtable.org.

Author: Paul A. Holmes, Editor

Details: 186 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 07/03/2017

Today's parish leaders are expected to be holy and prayerful spiritual guides, great preachers and compassionate confessors, but also to make important decisions in key areas like finance, budgeting, hiring and firing, fundraising, risk management, relationship-building, and more-often with virtually no transition or training. And with all the requisite education in philosophy and theology they must provide future pastors, in addition to formation in priestly spirituality and pastoral care, seminaries can do little to prepare priests to deal with the difficult temporal issues pastors face.

A Pastor's Toolbox is designed to help fill that void. It is loaded with valuable information, insights, and practical tools that pastors need in order to begin handling the complexities of parish management in the twenty-first century.

The book is an outgrowth of The Toolbox for Pastoral Management, a nationally recognized joint project of The National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management and Seton Hall University. The Leadership Roundtable is a nonprofit organization of Catholic lay leaders, religious, and clergy working together to promote excellence and best practices in the management, finances, communications, and human resources development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. through the greater incorporation of the expertise of the laity. Learn more at www.TheLeadershipRoundtable.org.

Author: Paul A. Holmes, Editor

Details: 190 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/28/2014