This is an absolutely superb book, largely because the reproductions of the frescoes are excellent and really capture the colors that you see when you visit the Chapel. I have found many art books disappointing, because they simply fail to capture the works they present. I first saw this book in an American bookstore after visiting the Sistine Chapel, and really thrilled to see if after looking at several other books where colors were much duller and the images simply not as sharp. In addition to its fine colors, the book provides many fine closeups of each individual section. The text is also very good, describing the subjects of the painting, the history behind the paintings, ansd also the recent restorstion. This is a must-have book!

For those that want a closer look at the Vatican Frescoes, this is as good as it gets. This book shows Michelangelo's work in their newly restored splendor. It is scarcely imaginable that one man could have created such beauty. It surely reminds us of what we are all capable of reaching.

The scope of this edition is astounding. With closeups of each individual section and a glorious 4-page foldout of the entire ceiling, all the majesty of Michelangelo's masterpiece is brought breathtakingly to life. If you can't afford to fly to Italy to see the original, buy this book.

If you can't tell by the similarity of last names, I am related to Msgr. Songy. (He is my great-uncle) So, as you could guess, I'm quite partial to this book. It is a great read for Catholics who are confused about the religion, who are looking for spiritual guidance, or want to learn more about the faith. The book consists of several hundred questions submitted to him through his religious column in "The Bayou Catholic," a Louisiana devotional newspaper. Msgr. Songy (Or, Uncle "Bully") answers these questions with both religious authority and heartfelt love. It is a great guide for Catholics! I would especially reccommend it to teenagers who are continuing to grow into the Catholic faith.

Msgr. James Songy is a retired priest in Louisiana, very near to my home in Mississippi. I hope for the privilege of one day meeting the man, because his book is very impressive in its depth and its faithfulness to the changes that occurred in the Roman Catholic Church beginning with the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). In this readable and entertaining volume, the reader finds questions and answers from Father Songy's many years as a columnist in his diocesan newspaper. He is not afraid of difficult questions, and he answers them with pastoral sensitivity, an open and faith-filled attitude and good humor. The volume is dedicated to Pope John XXIII, the pope who convened the Second Vatican Council and who called for an "opening of the windows" of the Church to the modern world.

If you are considering the opportunity to become a Roman Catholic, or if you are a new Catholic, you will find this book informative and balanced. I especially recommend it to those who sponsor inquiry classes or RCIA programs in local parishes. It would also be a fine resource for upper-level secondary religion classes. It is difficult to find enough good things to say about this book's approach and the wisdom it contains. Thank you, Msgr. Songy!

This is a great book for any Catholic. Msgr. Songy obviously appreciates the rich traditions of the Church yet he sees the importance of the Church changing in the modern world and remaining relevant to the people of God. I think he helps to bridge the gap and facilitates a smooth transition between the "old" experience of Church and the "new" experience of Church. I have enjoyed reading this book. It is both interesting and informative. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.

I also would like to acquire an updated version of the Missal when available. Please e:mail with any info as to timing. (autojc999@aol.com)

I have been using this Missal for 10 years and want to buy a new upgraded version as soon as possible but can't find anyone to give me information about the new upgraded version availability. Please pass this on to anyone you think might help or email the information to me at Thank you.

Follow along with the Priest/Deacon each Sunday. If you are ill, do not miss out on the Bible readings. Always feel that you are there and part of the mass, part of the community, part of a family.

ARCHITECTURE IN COMMUNION gave an excellent insight into the challenges and crises that Catholic church art has faced since the Second Vatican Council. Mr. Schloeder really understands the anguish that many traditional church artisans faced following the aftermath of the Council--when confusion seemed to leave traditional Catholic church arts at a crossroads.

"Architecture in Communion" is a detailed, yet highly approachable, weaving of theology, liturgy, architectural history, and iconography. Schloeder's vision for a restoration of beauty and meaning in Catholic church design is both original and solidly rooted in the traditions of the faith.

His central premise is that Catholic church architecture is essentially "sacramental", that is to say, the material building is meant to be an icon or an image of the spiritual reality of the Church. Drawing upon sources from Scripture, the Church Fathers, architectural history, conciliar documents, canon law, and the Catechism, Schloeder shows us the symbolical language that has traditionally underpinned Catholic church design, and examines each part of the church (nave, sanctuary, altar, ambo, baptistery, etc.) with respect to its function, traditional form, symbolic meaning, and canonical status.

The book is very nicely illustrated with over 300 photos and illustrations.

I found this work to be an extremely thorough examination of Pope John Paul II's views, thoughts and teachings that helps shapes contemporary Catholic thinking.

Antoine Nachef has a true vision into the Catholic faith, this book has incredible insight into the philosophy of Pope John Paul II and his ministry, it is an excellent read and only superlatives can adequately describe this magnificant work. As a former student of Nachef I have read all of his works and they are wonderful and Mary's Pope is no exception, an essential read for the faithful Christian.

This book is the unveiling of Michelangelo's unappreciated genius. The glory of the cleaned and restored Sisten Chapel bursts forth in the high quality pictures throughout the book. Because it was written by an artist, there are lovely little bits and pieces one does not normally find (such as a page of faces . . .). I was so smitten with this book that I read it cover to cover in one evening. It is well written, clear, concise, and understandable without being condescending. This collection of picutres of the restored Sistine Chapel is wonderful. It surpassed all my expectations.

This book was illustrated after the Sistine Chapel was cleaned and Michelangelo's vibrant colors were brought back for us to enjoy. The author gives a short history of Michelangelo's life, places him in the context of the rennaisance that he was such a major part of. She shows some of his other works, but this is all unimportant. What is the grabbing point of this book are the photographs of the Sistine Chapel after the cleanning. The colors that glow from the paintings Michelangelo did are so beautiful and unexpected from what we have seen of the Chapel before the cleaning. Michelangelo's genuis shows through at last and this book gives you the chance to enjoy every bit of it. The photography is excellent and for such a small price the whole beauty of the ceiling is yours to enjoy over and over. I highly recommend this jewel of a book.

To enjoy this book rather that use it as a kind of "Ripley's Believe It or Not" reference book for Catholics, read the foreword written by the widow of this recently deceased author. She humanizes this lovely little book in a very touching way. LoBello's personal life motto was "Work hard, Pray hard, Play hard." This book is his play. The author was himself a respected journalist and this is his collection of tidbits that just did not have a proper place in print for him before. And, they are funny and fascinating. Having dallied with cigarette smoking myself once, I just loved knowing that Pope John XXIII succumbed on a regular basis. Who knew there have been Pope abdications and even a layman and a woman Pope??? Read the Book! The last part has longer sections on a few topics that need time. Here is where LoBello's talent as a writer is truly evident. He takes a few provocative topics like Exorcism, Canonization, and the Vatican as Film Maker, and makes for great reading on them. The chapter on Pope Pius XII and his assistant, Sister Pasqualina, is riveting. Between her and Pope Joan, LoBello makes the men on the throne a shade paler. I read this book in one well-spent hour, and it is still a keeper. I will reach for it over and over and over.

Nino Lo Bello has provided a fun and fascinating look into the Vatican and Catholic Church. While I am not a Catholic, I found it easy to read and it explained many aspects of the Church. It dealt honestly with some of the Church's dark history. I also gained an even greater respect and admiration for Pope Paul II. It is a fun and informative read.

"Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean of the College of Cardinals, issued a public apology for having written the forward to [the Italian edition of Nino Lo Bello's] book on Vatican anecdotes, which he said lacked respect for the Vatican 'and especially for the person of the supreme pontiff.' " {NCR, 10/6/00, p. 10}

One wonders why this 1998 trivia collection has caused such a fervor, but an examination of its contents, indicates that the curia-crats are lacking in a sense of humor and chutzpah. Perhaps the extended appendix about "La Poppessa," Sister Pasqualina Lehnert, " the German born housekeeper, confidante, adviser, and closest aide [for 41 years] to . . .Pius XII," and chief source for Pius XII's cause for sainthood is one such impropriety.

Perhaps the short paragraph about Pius IX use of the death penalty as ruler of the Papal states creates a problem. Perhaps the one page devoted to Opus Dei, the source of Dominus Iesus, caused some embarrassment. Unfortunately, the late author's description of the steps to sainthood is hopelessly out of date in the face of John Paul II's assembly line. However, he does list those 40 non-existent saints whom Paul VI removed from veneration in 1969, such as Christopher, Valentine, Anastasia and Barbara. Lo Bello notes that "other saints are optional on the basis of local loyalties. For instance, Saint [Patricus] is fine in Ireland [and the United States], but according to a Vatican official, 'holds little interest for the Cambodians.' "

Yes indeed, this is a humanizing book which tweaks those who would sanctify pontiffs and popes. I have placed it on my shelf next to "Rome Has Spoken" and "Papal Lies," right above "The Bad Popes" and "Sex Lives of the Popes," and below Cardinal Ratzlinger's exegesis on the Catechism. I suspect the publisher may run out of copies shortly.

"The book, which could be read as portraying 'surprising and ridiculous' foibles of modern popes, 'truly is not good, nor true nor opportune,' [Cardinal] Gantin wrote in a letter published by the Italian magazine 30 Giomi."

"I ask the pardon of all those who may have been surprised, scandalized or not edified by my naive involvement in this affair," the Dean of the College of Cardinals wrote.

Definitely, a must buy and must read. AMDG

This the action packed sequel to Gold Fever. The good doctor returns with the world in crisis. It's an interesting, though not hysterical, speculation of what could happen if terrorists put together a string of successful operations.

As in Gold Fever, it's the description of the relationships that form the living underpinnings of the book. Often hair-raising, I found this book entertaining and satisfying and occasionally touching.

Tom SternÕs second novel, Vatican Gold is as exciting as his first. Drawing on the characters established in Gold Fever, Stern weaves an intriguing tale of terrorism and corruption steeply based in the ancient traditions of the Catholic church.

The story, tapered with human emotions and based on excruciating research, begins after the World Trade Center bombings and unfolds in a continuous crescendo, building to its exciting climax. The book, though fiction, rings true to life and presents several plausible scenarios for what a war against terrorism may really be like in the end.

The writerÕs succinct style and elaborate detail makes this exciting reading and a must read for anyone who wants to look into the future of a world at war with terrorists

Thi is the second Tom Stern book I have read. My enjoyment of the first encouraged me to read Vatican Gold. While Gold Fever was excellent, Vatican Gold far exceeds it in depth, character development and plot. The mystery and adventure is well presented and intriguing in realms of possibilities the average person would never conceive of. This alone makes this book a MUST READ. Even better is the presentation of background detail and history unknown to even the most erudite scholar. The remarkable, intriguing history of the hidden details of the Catholic Church are almost as fascinating as the plot of the book itself. I highly recommend VATICAN GOLD to anyone who enjoys a captivating adventure story superbly presented.

John Begley

Epicurus lived in the Athens of Plato. He attracted a host of followers to his preferred teaching place, a garden. There he taught them the ultimately anti-Platonic truths: this life is the only one, it is good, and the best way to live it is by maximizing stable pleasures.

Few philosophers have been more maligned and underappreciated. The Platonists and their ilk (the later Christians) found Epicurus' teachings too much focused on this world and not enough on the other. They thought he taught unalloyed hedonism and accused the Epicureans of wild orgies. Today, an Epicurean is thought of as an effete, wine-sipping decadent. All of these conceptions are completely wrong.

Starting with the truth that everything is made from the material of atoms (a la Democritus), Epicurus determined that our consciousness must necessarily die with the death of our bodies. Since this is the only life it should be the sole focus of our efforts. In this mortal life we must maximize our pleasure and minimize our pain. Pleasure is defined as the avoidance of pain and the stabilization of comfort. The most reliable comforts are certainly not sex, drugs, rock and roll-all such things are unstable pleasures that lead to greater appetites. The best pleasures are those that can be controlled without much effort such as good friendship, good cheer, and an appreciation for the simple things. By avoiding epicurean dishes (our misreading) and satisfying our appetites with the most basic, most easily attainable foods, we sate our hunger. The full belly wants neither caviar nor black bread. Taking this principle to all other pleasures, Epicurus finds them easily satisfied.

Much of our turmoil is due to immaterial concerns, the attainment of more power, money, love, and the evasion of death. Epicurus shows, point-by-point, how these concerns can be wrestled into submission. Once the basic pleasures are met and one's anxieties are minimized life becomes simple and good. Before Christianity put non-Chrisitians under the sword, Epicureanism had become immensely popular and was constantly growing. It is time it resumed its natural course.

O'Connor's translations personify the philosopher himself-they are clear and elegant. This is an insightful, exciting, and pleasant read.

The first to bring grain to uneasy mortals
in times past was the famous city of Athens
which made life anew and instituted laws:
And first brought delicious consolation to life
when she gave birth to the man of genius so extraordinary
that everything came from a mouth devoted to truth
so that, even though now he is dead, his divine discoveries
spread abroad, carrying his glory to the sky.

For when he saw that whatever men's needs demanded,
so far as may be, to keep their lives in safety,
was there at hand already for their use,
that men had all they could want in the way of wealth
and honor and praise, and pride in successful children;
Yet, at home each was perpetually disquieted
and the mind was enslaved by all its bitter complaints;
He understood that the trouble was in the container
and because of some flaw in it, everything would go bad
whatever excellent things were put into it:
Partly because there were holes and things flowed through them
and there was no possibility of filling it up;
And partly because what did get in was spoiled,
so to speak, by the nauseous taste there was inside.

The truth was what he used to purify hearts with
and he set a limit to fear as to desire;
He explained what it is that all of us really want
and showed us the way along a little path
which makes it possible for us to go straight there;
He showed what evils there are in human affairs
and how they were brought about by the force of nature,
popping up by change or because nature worked that way;
And he showed how best to face each of these difficulties
and proved that the human race was generally vain
in the way it ruminated in its gloomy thoughts.
For just as children are afraid of the dark
their elders are as often as not afraid in the light
of things which there is as little cause to fear
as those which children imagine to frighten themselves.
These grown-up terrors are also no more than shadows
and yet they are nothing that the sunlight can dissipate:
What is needed is the rational study of nature.

Who is skillful enough to produce an adequate poem
about the magnificent world and these discoveries about it?
Does anyone so use language that he can praise appropriately
the man who made these discoveries and left them for us?

Compare what he did with what the other gods did.

I follow you, nothing better has come out of Greece,
and now, where the print of your foot fell, I place my own,
not in jealous competition but out of love
which constrains me to imitate you. For does the swallow
set herself against swans? Or the wobbling kid
think that she should go as fast as a racehorse?
You discovered nature, father: you gave us instruction
and left the whole matter set out in your writings
where, just as bees help themselves in the meadows,
we can replenish ourselves with your golden sayings;
Golden, in that they are of permanent value.

As soon as your theory, the product of an intellect
something more than human, began to make some noise,
the fears that haunt minds disappeared, the walls of the world
gave way, and I saw through all space how everything happens...

By Lucretius
Written 50 B.C.E

This book does not rely on a god or a saviour to lead a smart and fulfilling life. It relies soley on reason and what an effective use of it by epicurus! Most of epicurus works are either lost or destroyed, but this book contains his essential teachings. Epicurus did not deny the existance of the gods. This would make sense. If the universe is infinite as he says, then all possible things already exist in one way or another. According to epicurus one should live out his natural life, this would be prudent. This life is the only one you get. He writes that by being prudent ie; looking at both sides of an issue to find truth and getting only what you need, you can live a smart and happy life. After life is over one goes to eternal oblivion, free of all suffering forever. The ironic thing about epicurus is that he admits there are gods. If one reads what he writes carefully, one finds that one doesnt need to go to heaven or even to exist. Since it is not needed, one loses nothing. The same thing can be said for the wild goose chase, most people are engaged in for happiness. They want bigger houses, more expensive cars, more cash, etc. and instead of gaining happiness gain more misery. Why? Because the truth is you gain happiness by getting only what you need. Epicurus writes that those who are not satisfied with a little, will never be satisfied even with a lot or even infinity. The more you have above need, the more worry, headache and problems. This in no way is conducive to happiness. These writings are some of the most brilliant in the entire realm of philosophy. This book gets two thumbs up!

Any student of modern Catholicism should have this book. What Vatican II did in its influence of present day Catholic perspectives and outlook is well-known. What is often forgotten is the documents outlining the future understanding of what the Roman Catholic Church is.

Catholics high school level and up should be introduced to this, particular those students concerned with understanding the official apologetic on tough issues. Protestants of all denominations will see how their own history has been intertwined with Roman Catholicism, and, from this volume, appreciate the similarities and differences. In fact, I bought my copy in a conservative Protestant bookstore, as the nearby Catholic store only sold gift books.

In this first volume, "The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents," you'll quickly see is not a teaching book like the new Catechism is intended. Instead, it is a collection of key papers, decrees and statements explaining Rome's view on issues as varied as the

* liturgy
* worship music
* requirements to receive communion
* ecumenism
* bishops
* training of priests
* nonChristian religions and the Catholic Church's relationship to them
* defining and explaining divine revelation
* lay people
* religious liberty
* missionaries

In many ways, this is far more substantive than the Catechism, in that it provides a more thorough Scriptural base in its reasoning. It is more of an anthology of legal decrees, and yet it accessible. It isn't in legalese, but it may refer to Articles and other documents unknown to some readers.

The introduction realizes the reader may not be a Vatican scholar, and a quick, but useful overview of biblical and extrabiblical abbreviations. Each section thereafter has an introduction to provide context behind the need for developing the given decree.

The appendix is strong, and will lead serious researchers to the precise document in question.

The book appears to be set in a 10 pt. Times, with just a quarter to half inch margin, and the volume itself is delivered with an awkward dimension. The book is thicker than it should be, and the solution would've been bigger pages, and thus, a thinner book instead of the current 1062 pages. There is a study edition which is said to accommodate these concerns.

I fully recommend "Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (Vatican Collection, Volume 1)." It is just part of the beginning to understand the vastness of modern Catholic theology, but it is a highly readable book, and is officially recognized by Rome for its reliability.

Anthony Trendl

From some of the comments I have heard people make about what the Church teaches since Vatican II, I think quite a few people should get these documents and read them. From what I have heard, this is a good translation. Read it and see what the Church really teaches.

I told my spritual advisor that I felt uncomfortable with Second Vatican Council changes. He advised that I get and read the actual documents. The version he recommended was only 800 pages long. Thank God it was not available. Instead I got both 'Volume 1-Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents' and 'Volume 2-More Post Conciliar Documents' of Flannery's 'Vatican Council II' set. They opened my eyes to the Council. I loved and appreciated the changes made. And the documents are very, very easy to read and understand.

I bought my friend a set as a gift. He thanks me to this day. Every Catholic (and priest) should have these books on there shelves next to their Bible and New Catechism and read them as a regular daily regimen.

Reading these books cleared up many of the misrepresentations slipped in by those wanting change the church on their own. I had felt alienated. But these documents are what was really passed by the Council. What the Vatican Council really decreed. They should be labeled 'The Truth About Vatican Council II'.

Thank you Fr. Austin Flannery!!