Young Adults Book Club

Members read a different book each month and then meet on a Sunday after Mass to discuss the book. The group chooses books that cover a wide variety of topics, from literary novels to Church history and theology. If you are interested in joining the conversation, please contact Fr. Mark at mpavlik@saintolaf.org or 612-767-6201.

“This Tremendous Lover” by Fr. Eugene Boylan
Sunday, February 21
1:00 pm

In This Tremendous Lover, a Trappist monk speaks clearly and perceptively to the world of priests, religious, or laity still “in the world.” Boylan explains God’s plan for our happiness, and how we are each called to participate in this divine plan as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. This Tremendous Lover has been called a modern version of Introduction to the Devout Life, the timeless sixteenth-century classic by St. Francis de Sales, and it is one of one hundred works on the Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan.

“The Hidden Manna” by Fr. James O’Connor
Sunday, March 14
1:00 pm

The Hidden Manna has become a classic on Eucharistic teaching. This in-depth study lets the breadth and richness of the Church’s Tradition speak for itself. Fr. O’Connor presents and comments on substantial excerpts from the major sources of the Church’s Tradition extending all the way back to apostolic times. Focusing on the doctrine of the Real Presence, he follows the earliest witnesses through the challenge in the Middle Ages of Berengarius through the Protestant Reformation and modern disputes.

“The Myth of Hitler’s Pope: Pope Pius XII and His Secret War Against Nazi Germany”
by David G. Dalin
Sunday, April 11
5:00 pm

Was Pope Pius XII secretly in league with Adolf Hitler? No, says Rabbi David G. Dalin—but there was a cleric in league with Hitler: the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husseini. As Pope Pius XII worked to save Jews from the Nazis, the grand mufti became Hitler’s staunch ally and a promoter of the Holocaust, with a legacy that feeds radical Islam today. In this shocking and thoroughly documented book, Rabbi Dalin explodes the myth of Hitler’s pope and condemns the myth-makers for not only rewriting history, but for denying the testimony of Holocaust survivors, hijacking the Holocaust for unseemly political ends, and ignoring the real threat to the Jewish people. In The Myth of Hitler’s Pope, you’ll learn: • The true history of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust—how the Catholic Church did more than any other religious body to save Jewish lives • The real history of the Church and the Nazis—including the Nazi plan to kidnap the pope • The real agenda of the myth-makers: hijacking the Holocaust to attack the very idea of the papacy—especially the papacy of the late Pope John Paul II—as well as Christianity and traditional religion as a whole • Hitler’s cleric—Hajj Amin al-Husseini, who advised and assisted the Nazis in carrying out Hitler’s Final Solution • How Pope Pius XII rescued Jews—and deserves to be called a “righteous gentile”—while the grand mufti of Jerusalem called for their extermination Full of shocking and irrefutable detail, The Myth of Hitler’s Pope is sure to generate controversy, and more important, to set the record straight. If you want the truth about Pope Pius XII, about the Catholic Church, the Jews, and the Holocaust, and about how the myth of Hitler’s pope plays into the culture wars of our own time—and how the fact of Hitler’s mufti is a vital source of radical Islam today—you must begin here.

“Saint Damien of Molokai: Apostle of the Exiled” by Matthew and Margaret Bunson
Sunday, May 16
1:00 pm

Azure skies, lush vegetation, and sugar-white beaches: Hawaii brings such idyllic scenes to mind. But Hell invaded Paradise when the incurable disease leprosy was discovered there. An 1865 law segregated lepers by forcibly exiling individuals even children to the island of Molokai. It was onto these forlorn shores that Father Damien de Veuster stepped in the spring of 1873. Saint Damien of Molokai is the riveting account of how a humble Congregation of the Sacred Hearts priest found his vocation in caring for these outcasts. The poorly educated son of a hardworking, religious Belgium farm family, Damien was thought to be ill suited for the priesthood. However, the desire to serve God burned so fiercely in him that he took his vows at the age of twenty. As a missionary to Hawaii, Damien soon volunteered to become the permanent chaplain to Molokai. There, victims of horrible disfigurement with the promise of a lingering death, the lepers led a harsh existence. Father Damien became their caregiver, companion, and champion. In so doing, he brought hope to the hopeless, ironically losing his own life to their affliction. In an age in which an increasing number of people suffer their own personal exile on account of illness, handicap, or emotional distress, the shining example of Father Damien shows the true power of one person and how, when anchored in God’s love, one person can impact the world even among the horrors of decay and slow death.

“The Grace of Ars” by Fr. Frederick Miller
Sunday, June 6
1:00 pm

St. John Vianney is the patron saint of all parish priests. Pope Benedict XVI has held him up as the role model to follow in the recently declared Year for Priests (2009-2010).Priests and seminarians who wish to strengthen their commitment to the priesthood as well as men who are discerning the call of Christ in their lives will be inspired and encouraged by reflection on the life and vocation of the great Cure of Ars. Through beautiful reflections that focus on many aspects of the life of Vianney, we learn what it means to be a priest during difficult times. The saint lived out his priesthood in the aftermath of the French Revolution; a very difficult time for Catholic priests in France. This book reveals that specific Grace of Ars. The laity will find in this reflection on St. John Vianney a model parish priest who will inspire all to love the priesthood and pray for the sanctification of all priests. Through his holy example the Cure of Ars will help all understand that the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.

“The Scarlet and the Black” by J. P. Gallagher
(with movie version following)
Sunday, July 11
5:00 pm

It has all the hallmarks of a best-selling fictional thriller: espionage, conspiracy, a struggle against evil powers, undercover work by dark of night… but it’s all true. The Scarlet and the Black tells the astonishing and heroic true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the man dubbed “The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican” during World War II. Born in Killarney, Ireland, Hugh O’Flaherty was an avid athlete-becoming a formidable boxer, handball player, hurler, and golfer. From an early age, however, he knew his calling was to the priesthood. After his ordination, he served first as an Apostolic Delegate in Egypt, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and Czechoslovakia, then in Rome at the Holy Office (now the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). It was here in Rome that his greatest work began. After the surrender of Italy in 1943, Rome came under the command of Nazi Colonel Herbert Kappler of the dreaded SS, who began the deportation of Italian Jews to Auschwitz. Kappler was a notorious hater of the Jews, persecuting them at every turn. As a top man in the Vatican Holy Office, Msgr. O’Flaherty sprang into action, organizing a sophisticated team that included men and women of many nationalities, religions, and political views. There was one goal-to save Jews and POWs from the Nazi machine. Despite Kappler’s numerous attempts to assassinate him, O’Flaherty persisted, and his efforts saved thousands of Jews and POWs. Using private homes and apartments, churches and monasteries, the effort was all orchestrated by Msgr. O’Flaherty. Each day his familiar figure would stand on the steps of St. Peter’s -neutral ground that even the Nazis wouldn t violate – to welcome any fugitives who might be sent his way. All told, of 9,700 Roman Jews, most were saved, with 1,007 shipped to Auschwitz. The rest were hidden, 5,000 of them by the official Church – 3,000 at the Pope s Castel Gandolfo, 200 or 400 (estimates vary) as “members” of the Palatine Guard, and some 1,500 in monasteries, convents and colleges. The remaining 3,700 were hidden in private homes, including Msgr. O’Flaherty’s network of apartments. After the war, O’Flaherty was honored by various Allied countries with awards and decorations for his heroic acts to save Jews and POWs.

“Vile Bodies” by Evelyn Waugh
Sunday, August 8
time to be determined

Satiric novel by Evelyn Waugh, published in 1930. Set in England between the wars, the novel examines the frenetic but empty lives of the Bright Young Things, young people who indulge in constant party-going, heavy drinking, and promiscuous sex. At the novel’s end, the realities of the world intrude, with Adam Fenwick-Symes, the protagonist, serving on a battlefield at the onset of another world war.

“Credo for Today: What Christians Believe”
by Benedict XVI
September (date and time to be determined)

What do Christians believe? What gives meaning to our life? What is the purpose of life? The Christian answer to these questions is found in the Creed, in the profession of faith. But what do the articles of this confession actually mean? And how to they affect our lives? Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, takes a fresh look at these timeless questions. This work is a reflection of the profound, personal insights of Benedict XVI, but also of the great foundations of Christianity: faith, hope, and charity. Ratzinger writes eloquently and persuasively about the importance for followers of Christ to understand well what they believe so one can live as a serious Christian in today’s secular world. He talks in depth about the true meaning of faith, hope, and love-the love of God and the love of neighbor. He also discusses the crucial importance of a lived faith, for the believer himself as well as being a witness for our age, and striving to bring faith in line with the present age that has veered off into rampant secularism and materialism. In our generation the Christian Faith finds itself in a much deeper crisis than at any other time in the past. In this situation it is no solution to shut our eyes in fear in the face of pressing problems, or to simply pass over them. If faith is to survive this age, then it must be lived, and above all, lived in this age. And this is possible only if a manifestation of faith is shown to have value for our present day, by growing to knowledge and fulfillment.

“A Song for Nagasaki: The Story of Takashi Nagai — Scientist, Convert and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb” by Fr. Paul Glynn
October (date and time to be determined)

On August 9, 1945, an American B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing tens of thousands of people in the blink of an eye, while fatally injuring and poisoning thousands more. Among the survivors was Takashi Nagai, a pioneer in radiology research and a convert to the Catholic Faith. Living in the rubble of the ruined city and suffering from leukemia caused by over-exposure to radiation, Nagai lived out the remainder of his remarkable life by bringing physical and spiritual healing to his war-weary people. A Song for Nagasaki tells the moving story of this extraordinary man, beginning with his boyhood and the heroic tales and stoic virtues of his family’s Shinto religion. It reveals the inspiring story of Nagai’s remarkable spiritual journey from Shintoism to atheism to Catholicism. Mixed with interesting details about Japanese history and culture, the biography traces Nagai’s spiritual quest as he studied medicine at Nagasaki University, served as a medic with the Japanese army during its occupation of Manchuria, and returned to Nagasaki to dedicate himself to the science of radiology. The historic Catholic district of the city, where Nagai became a Catholic and began a family, was ground zero for the atomic bomb. After the bomb disaster that killed thousands, including Nagai’s beloved wife, Nagai, then Dean of Radiology at Nagasaki University, threw himself into service to the countless victims of the bomb explosion, even though it meant deadly exposure to the radiation which eventually would cause his own death. While dying, he also wrote powerful books that became best-sellers in Japan. These included The Bells of Nagasaki, which resonated deeply with the Japanese people in their great suffering as it explores the Christian message of love and forgiveness. Nagai became a highly revered man and is considered a saint by many Japanese.

“The Truth of Catholicism: Inside the Essential Teachings and Controversies of the Church Today” by George Weigel
November (date and time to be determined)

The Catholic Church may be the most controversial institution in the world. Whether the question is the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, the relationship of Catholicism to other religious communities, the meaning of freedom, the use and abuse of sex, the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, or the role of women, the Catholic Church has taken challenging positions that some find inexplicable, even cruel. In The Truth of Catholicism, George Weigel, author of Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, explores these perennial questions and more, showing Catholicism and its controversies from “inside” the convictions that make those controversies not only possible but necessary. The truths of Catholicism then come into clearer focus as affirmations and celebrations of human life and human love, even as they challenge us to imagine a daring future for humanity and for ourselves.

“The Cloud of Unknowing” by Anonymous
December (date and time to be determined)

“Lift up your heart to God with a humble impulse of love and have himself as your aim, not any of his goods … Set yourself to rest in this darkness, always crying out after him whom you love. For if you are to experience him or to see him at all, insofar as it is possible here, it must always be in this cloud and in this darkness.” — The Cloud of Unknowing