Free ebooks: “The Church of Old England”, in 4 volumes, by Cardinals Vaughan & Manning et al.

See these legally free ebooks:

• The Church of Old England: Being a Collection of Papers Bearing on the Continuity of the Church in England, and on Attempts to Justify the Anglican Position, edited by Rev. W. H. Cologan (London: Catholic Truth Society)
  • Volume I (1890) is available in multiple formats (pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, etc.) at Internet Archive (N.B., This includes the essays “The Popes and the English Church” by Rev. W. Waterworth and “A Voice from the Dead” by the Count de Montalambert)
  • Volume II (1895) is available in multiple formats at Internet Archive (N.B., This includes the essay “Henry VIII and the English Monasteries”, by Cardinal Manning)
  • Volume III (1894) is available in multiple formats at Internet Archive (N.B., This includes the essay “The Conversion of England (England’s Conversion by the Power of Prayer”, by Cardinal Vaughan, and “The Truth about the Reformation”)
  • Volume IV (1894) is available in multiple formats at Internet Archive (N.B., This includes the essay “The Faith of the Ancient English Church concerning the Blessed Virgin” by the Very Rev. Provost Northcote)

On the Solemnity of Our Lady of Walsingham in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter (24 September). In solidarity with our brethren from the Anglican tradition, who even now stand for truth and tradition against error and novelty, we sing the hope so beautifully expressed by Father Frederick William Faber:

Faith of our fathers! Mary’s prayers
Shall win our country back to thee;
And from the truth that comes from God,
England shall then indeed be free.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

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Free ebook: Commentary on St. Matthew, by Saint Thomas Aquinas, with a Preface by John Henry Newman

See this legally free ebook:

• Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected Out of the Works of the Fathers, Vol. I: St. Matthew, by Saint Thomas Aquinas, translated by John Henry Parker, with a Preface by John Henry Newman (Oxford: John Henry Parker; London: J. Rivington, 1841-1842). Originally printed in 3 parts, and available in multiple formats (pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, etc.):
  • Part I (1841) on Chapters I to X, at Internet Archive and Open Library.
  • Part II (1841) on Chapters XI to XXI, at Internet Archive.
  • Part III (1842) on Chapters XXII to XXVIII, at  Internet Archive.
• Copies are also available without Newman’s Preface:
  • The Latin-English text of entire commentary on St. Matthew’s gospel, with the Dedication translated by Joseph Kenny, O.P., may be read online on this page, of the collection St. Thomas Aquinas’ Works in English at the Dominican House of Studies, Priory of the Immaculate Conception.
  • Available in a single PDF volume at Catholic Primer and on this page of Saints’ Books. [N.B., The text states: “The contents the Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas is in the public domain. However, this electronic version is copyrighted. © The Catholic Primer, 2005. All Rights Reserved.”]
  • May also be read online through this page, which has the whole Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas on all 4 gospels, at e-Catholic 2000.

On the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in the Latin church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). From the text:

“For what wonder is it that this should befal Peter, who had never received a revelation concerning these things? For that you may learn that confession which he made concerning Christ was not spoken of himself, observe how in these things which had not been revealed to him, he is at a loss. Estimating the things of Christ by human and earthly principles, he judged it mean and unworthy of Him that He should suffer. Therefore the Lord added, ‘For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that […] be of men.'” (St. John Chrysostom, on Matthew xvi, 22-23)

Online Text: “Apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the Mountain of La Salette” by Mélanie Calvat

See this online text:

• Apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the Mountain of La Salette the 19th of September, 1846, Published by the Shepherdess of La Salette with Imprimatur by Mgr. Bishop of Lecce, by Mélanie Calvat (Lecce, 1897; repr. Lyon, 1904). May be read online at the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
  • [The webpage states: “Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use of the Sourcebook.”]

On the 171st anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at La Salette; and on the day of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “Summa Familiae Cura”. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). 

O Lord, Good shepherd of Humanity, who entrusted to Peter and his successors the mission of strengthening the brothers in the faith and to enlighten them in the hearing of the Word – in this place where the little shepherds of Fatima bore witness to a profound devotion to the Holy Father and to an intense love for the Church –, we ask You that Your Spirit of Wisdom illumine Pope N. in his mission as the Successor of Peter; may Your mercy protect and comfort him; may the testimony of Your faithful hearten him in his mission, and may the tender presence of Mary be for him a sign of Your love; may he be strong in faith, courageous in hope, and zealous in charity. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory.

(From the Shrine of Fatima, with minor grammatical corrections)

Online ebook: “Unleash the Gospel: Post-Synod Pastoral Letter”, by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

See this online ebook:

• Unleash the Gospel: Post-Synod Pastoral Letter, by Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit (June 3, 2017). 45 pages. May be read online or downloaded in English y Espanol, through Unleash the Gospel; and available in PDF format (on this page) at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish. One may also read the summary and news report, “Archbishop Vigneron releases post-synod pastoral letter, ‘Unleash the Gospel’” at Michigan Catholic.

For the observance of Catechetical Sunday in the United States. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). 

“The proclamation of the Word of God has Christian conversion as its aim: a complete and sincere adherence to Christ and his Gospel through faith… Conversion means accepting, by a personal decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and becoming his disciple… The Church calls all people to this conversion, following the example of John the Baptist… as well as the example of Christ himself…

“Nowadays the call to conversion which missionaries address to non-Christians is put into question or passed over in silence. It is seen as an act of “proselytizing”; it is claimed that it is enough to help people to become more human or more faithful to their own religion, that it is enough to build communities capable of working for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity. What is overlooked is that every person has the right to hear the “Good News” of the God who reveals and gives himself in Christ, so that each one can live out in its fullness his or her proper calling…

“Conversion to Christ is joined to Baptism not only because of the Church’s practice, but also by the will of Christ himself, who sent the apostles to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them… In Baptism, in fact, we are born anew to the life of God’s children, united to Jesus Christ and anointed in the Holy Spirit. Baptism is… the sacrament which signifies and effects rebirth from the Spirit, establishes real and unbreakable bonds with the Blessed Trinity, and makes us members of the Body of Christ, which is the Church…

“Certainly, every convert is a gift to the Church and represents a serious responsibility for her, not only because converts have to be prepared for Baptism through the catechumenate and then be guided by religious instruction, but also because—especially in the case of adults—such converts bring with them a kind of new energy, an enthusiasm for the faith, and a desire to see the Gospel lived out in the Church…

“Conversion and Baptism give entry into a Church already in existence or require the establishment of new communities which confess Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is part of God’s plan, for it pleases him ‘to call human beings to share in his own life not merely as individuals, without any unifying bond between them, but rather to make them into a people in which his children, who had been widely scattered, might be gathered together in unity.'”

(Pope St. John Paul the Great, Redemptoris Missio, 46-48)

Online ebook and audiobook: “Introduction to the Sacraments”, by Peter Kreeft

See this online ebook and audiobook:

• Introduction to the Sacraments, by Peter Kreeft (New Haven, Connecticut: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council—Catholic Information Service, 2001). With Imprimatur. 28 pages. Number 12 of the Luke E. Hart Series: Basic Elements of the Catholic Faith (Father John A. Farren, O.P., General Editor). The ebook may be read online and is available in PDF format, and the audiobook may be heard in MP3 format through this page, at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, Catholic Information Service.

On the Feast of Saint Cyprian in the Maronite church, and of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian in the Latin church. For more legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. (From Sancta Missa)

Free ebook: “Mary in Sorrow and Desolation, Help of the Holy Catholic Church”

See this legally free ebook:

• Mary in Sorrow and Desolation, Help of the Holy Catholic Church: with the Ritual of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Dolours (London: Burns, Oates, and Co., 1868). Cum permissu superiorum. Available in various formats (pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, etc.) at Internet Archive.

Posted on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, or the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Roman Rite, and in solidarity with the call of Catholic Monitor to: “Say a Hail Mary to Our Lady of Fatima every day for the general intention of the conversion of Pope Francis and that the courage of St. Paul be given to the dubia Cardinals.” Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, Who made a sinful man the rock of Your Church, we beseech You for the conversion of his successor, Francis. If he has erred, enlighten him; if he has strayed, correct him; if he has fallen, restore him. Confirm him in grace and truth, and confirm us through him, that as one flock under one shepherd we may glorify the Father with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and in eternity. Amen. (From Scriptorium)

Hail Mary, full of grace…

For more legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Free ebook: “Handbook of the Christian Religion, for the Use of Advanced Students and the Educated Laity”, by Rev. W. Wilmers, S.J.

See this legally free ebook:

• Handbook of the Christian Religion, for the Use of Advanced Students and the Educated Laity, 3^rd edition, enlarged by a supplement, from the German, by Rev. W. Wilmers, S.J.; edited by Rev. James Conway, S.J. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1891). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats (pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, etc.) at Internet Archive (whose index page has a complete Table of Contents) with a second copy at Internet Archive. What might be an earlier edition is available at Internet Archive.

On the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary in the Roman Rite; and in remembrance of the Battle and Second Siege of Vienna (14 July-12 September 1683), in which Christian soldiers of many nations defeated the last great attempt of the Muslim world to conquer Christendom. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“‘[N]ot acting reasonably (σὺν λόγω) is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats…’

“[T]he faith of the Church has always insisted that between God and us, between his eternal Creator Spirit and our created reason there exists a real analogy, in which… unlikeness remains infinitely greater than likeness, yet not to the point of abolishing analogy and its language…

“[T]he truly divine God is the God who has revealed himself as logos and, as logos, has acted and continues to act lovingly on our behalf… Consequently, Christian worship is, again to quote Paul – “λογικη λατρεία”, worship in harmony with the eternal Word and with our reason.”

(Pope Benedict XVI, Regensburg Address on “Faith, Reason and the University“, 12 September 2006)

Free ebook: “Purgatory, Dogmatic and Scholastic… Considered and Proved”, by Rev. M. Canty

See this legally free ebook:

• Purgatory, Dogmatic and Scholastic: The Various Questions Connected with it Considered and Proved, by Rev. M. Canty, P.P. (Dublin: M.H. Gill and Son, 1886). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats (pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, text, etc.) at Internet Archive.

On the Feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentino in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“Every man’s work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” (I Corinthians iii, 13-15)

Libro en linea: “La Iglesia ante el Racismo: Para Una Sociedad Más Fraterna”, por la Pontificia Comisión «Iustitia et Pax»

Ver este e-libro en linea:

• La Iglesia ante el Racismo: Para Una Sociedad Más Fraterna, por la Pontificia Comisión «Iustitia et Pax» (3 Noviembre 1988). Disponible en la Santa Sede.

En la Fiesta de San Pedro Claver en rito romano. Para más libros, por favor ingrese a la lista de los libros electrónicos gratis (Ordenados por título) y la lista de los libros gratis (Agrupados por tema).

Oh Dios, refugio y fortaleza nuestra, mira propicio al pueblo que clama a Ti: y, por intercesión de la gloriosa e Inmaculada Virgen María, Madre de Dios, y del Bienaventurado San José, su esposo, y de tus Santos apóstoles Pedro y Pablo, y de todos los santos, escucha misericordioso y benigno las preces que te dirigimos por la conversión de los pecadores y por la libertad y exaltación de nuestra Santa Madre la Iglesia. Por el mismo Jesucristo, nuestro Señor. (de Subsidios Liturgicos)

[And if the grammar is wrong, pray correct me. Gracias!]

Online ebook: “The Protoevangelium of James: The Birth of Mary” (around AD 125)

See this online ebook:

• The Protoevangelium of James: The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and Very Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ (ca. A.D. 125). May be read online at New Advent and Fish Eaters. Its role as historic evidence of early Christian teaching on the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother is discussed on Catholic Answers. [N.B., While it has many other useful materials, certain texts on the Fish Eaters site have an extremely negative view of the Second Vatican Council, which may require correction with the hermeneutic of continuity. Please approach materials at the website with caution.]

On the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Theotokos. For more legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Holy Mary, our hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!