See What’s New in the Parish Library …….
DVDs
Bakita. From Slave to Saint. (02437). This is the gripping story of a little girl in Sudan who is kidnapped by
slavers, beaten and abused, and eventually sold to a Venetian merchant. Treated as an outcast by the other
servants because of her black skin and as property by her master, Bakita remains kind and generous. After
discovering Christ she becomes a Catholic, eventually fighting for her freedom and the right to enter a
convent. Pope John Paul II canonized Sr. Josaphine Bakita in the year 2000 and proclaimed her as patron saint
of Sudan. The cinematography is beautiful. It was filmed in Italian with English and Spanish subtitles. 190 min.
Common Ground. What Protestants and Catholics Can Learn from Each Other. (02481). See this candid
conversation between Father John Riccardo of St. Anastasia Catholic Church and Pastor Steve Andrews of
Community Christian Church. Fr. Ricardo is heard daily on EWTN/ KWKY radio and has spoken in Des Moines.
In this DVD you can see him engage in a fascinating dialogue respectfully examining Salvation, Holy Eucharist,
the Virgin Mary, Confession, and a variety of other topics. With the emphasis on what all Christians hold in
common, as well as a forthright acknowledgement of differences, these two spiritual leaders provide a great
model of how to dialogue with other Christians. If you have wondered how to approach a friend or family
member, you will find this a fascinating and helpful example.
God’s Not Dead. (02479 & 02480). Straight from a first run in theaters only a few months ago, God’s Not
Dead is called a “break out hit” by Forbes magazine. The story addresses a delima faced too often by college
students today. A philosophy professor (played by Kevin Sorbo) insists that his students declare that, “God id
dead.” One student is troubled by this and takes the professor’s challenge to prove that God is not dead. The
resulting debate includes some twists and turns as well as a surprise ending. Rated PG for a brief scene of
violence. 114 minutes. English with Spanish subtitles.
BOOKS
The Rosary. The Prayer That Saved My Life by Immaculée Ilibagiza. (02478). Many have heard Immaculée’s
presentations at two Christ Our Life conferences or have read the dramatic story, Left to Tell, of her
miraculous escape during the Rwandan genocide. Immaculée attributes her survival to her continual praying
of the rosary while she hid for weeks from murderous mobs. Two decades after that conflagration,
Immaculée shares why she continues to pray the rosary every day and how we can receive the same graces
and blessings.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven…But Never Dreamed of Asking by Peter Kreeft (02453).
Heaven may be one of the most talked about, yet least understood subjects in religion. Can we know what
heaven is like? Do those in heaven feel sorry for those in hell? What will we do in heaven ? (Will it be boring?)
Peter Kreeft’s answers to these and many other questions give an understandable, theologically sound, and
fascinating glimpse of what he calls, “that undiscovered country”. Fr. John Hardon described this as, “a
masterful, readable, and instructive book on human destiny.”
BOOKS (continued)
God Wants You Happy. From Self Help to God’s Help. by Fr. Jonathan Morris. You may have seen Fr. Morris
as a news analyst on cable TV or heard him as the director of Catholic Channel on Sirius Radio. He is also the
Parochial Vicar at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York City. These roles have taken him all over the globe
and introduced him to people of various backgrounds. He was perplexed to find that people were willing to
take the vague and sometimes harmful advice of self-help gurus yet shunned the time-tested help offered by
Jesus Christ. He discovered that part of the problem was that people assumed that the church dealt only in
guilt and sin and were not aware of the healing help of Christianity. Fr. Morris shows how self-help can take
us only so far – what we really need is to learn to open up to God’s loving presence. We need “God-help”.
Thomas More. A Lonely Voice Against the Power of the State. By Peter Berglar (02443). Many people know
Thomas More only from the movie, “A Man for All Seasons.” This book provides an opportunity to know the
conscience and motivation of the Catholic martyr and saint who Protestant author, Johnathan Swift, identified
in Gulliver’s Travels as one of the six greatest defenders of liberty of all time. As the editor described, “More
not only occupied England’s most powerful position as Lord Chancellor, but was a devoted family man, a
Renaissance figure of renown throughout Europe, (a respected lawyer), and the author of works of apologetics
as well as poetry, fiction, and plays. Even while awaiting execution in the Tower of London, his, multi-volume
‘Tower Writings’ poured out evidence of his deep faith and life of prayer.” Though Thomas More lived 500
years ago, his struggles are as contemporary as today’s newspaper, and he still stands as a towering figure in
society and in the church.
The Last Dance But Not the Last Song. My Story. By Renée Bondi. (02475). In less than a minute, a freakish
unexplainable accident left 29 year old Renée’s life changed forever. Her neck was broken; she was unable to
move. Able to speak only in a whisper, her beautiful singing voice and her career as a music teacher appeared
to be gone forever. And what of the marriage plans with her fiancé? Her situation was an unimaginable
nightmare. But that was not to be the end of the tale. Renée Bondi’s life is remarkable and inspiring. Her
story will move you to tears as well as to laughter, and you will find yourself with a greater awareness of how
God can bring good out of the greatest tragedy. This is the perfect book for, “anyone who needs a fresh
infusion of hope” (Kay Warren, wife of pastor Rick Warren). You will discover “inspiration to keep going
through life’s struggles by depending on God’s grace.” (John Michael Talbot)
MUSIC
Gregorian Chant. By Slovenski Madrigalisti; conducted by Janez Bole. (02436). Experience the Mass sung in
Latin Gregorian Chant. This 15 track CD provides 42 minutes of music to accompany your prayer and
meditation. The Parish Library has many other music CDs for a variety of musical tastes, including
instrumentals and contemporary Christian, You can also find the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet on CD.