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Textbooks used at

Saint Francis of Assisi Theological Seminary

 

Saint Francis of Assisi Theological Seminary is dedicated to producing a well trained and theologically sound core of priests and clergy for service in the North American Old Roman Catholic Church and other select Old Roman Catholic jurisdictions.

 

Understanding that most, if not all of our seminarians are men holding secular employment and who are often supporting and raising families as well as themselves, thereby making time for studies more difficult; and while remaining committed to supporting and nurturing the primary Christian responsibilities that these dedicated men have to their families and at the same time attempting to permit them the opportunity to pursue their priestly vocations, we have designed our courses to be as comprehensive and as consistent regarding quality and scope of theological education as was true of any Catholic seminary in years past, while striving not to over-burden or overwhelm our students and thereby possibly causing them to curtail their studies early and resulting in the loss or extinguishing of the zeal of their vocations in the process.

 

To this end we have attempted to tailor our textbooks to those with a reading level geared to seniors in high school and to incoming college students. The texts chosen are from a period of time when Catholic doctrine was clearly delineated in those texts but was stated in easily understood language, thus making it possible for students who cannot dedicate a full six to eight hours per day to their studies under the ever-present watchful eye of a professor in a classroom, to continue and to advance in their seminary program of studies at home under the direction of an assigned mentor from the seminary staff with whom they are in regular contact, as well as with the various professors and instructors of the seminary itself. Thus our students can study and progress at their own pace according to the availability of time and resources for each one individually.

 

The books marked with an asterisk are mandatory texts that will be used at some point in the four or more years of theological eduction at St Francis Seminary. The remaining books are strongly suggested additions to our seminarian's and priest's libraries as they will prove themselves useful for spiritual development and also later in their parochial ministry.

 

Please keep checking back to find the newset listing of seminary textbooks and additional resource and theological education materials. Some of these books can also be found  as PDF files on our Reference Library page which can be found under the Resources tab above.

FROM TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS

www.tanbooks.com

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*Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture                                      by Bp Frederick Knecht

*Douay Rheims Bible                                                                             ----------------------------------

*Textual Concordance on Holy Scripture                                        by Fr Thomas D Williams

*33 Doctors of the Church                                                                   by Fr Christopher Rengers, OFM Cap

*Right and Reason                                                                                 by Fr Austin Fagothey, SJ

*The Spiritual Life                                                                                  by Fr Adolphe Tanqueray, SSDD

*Chief Truths of the Faith - Book 1                                                    by Fr John Laux

*Mass and the Sacraments - Book 2                                                 by Fr John Laux

*Catholic Morality- Book 3                                                                  by Fr John Laux

*Catholic Apologetics- Book 4                                                            by Fr John Laux

*Introduction to the Bible                                                                   by Fr John Laux

*Church History                                                                                      by Fr John Laux

*This Is The Faith                                                                                    by Canon Francis J Ripley

  A Year With the Saints: A Virtue for Every Day                            by Anonymous

*Lives of the Saints For Every Day in the Year                               by Fr Alban Butler

*The Imitation of Christ                                                                        by Thomas a Kempis

*Spiritual Exercises                                                                                by St Ignatius Loyola

*The Incredible Catholic Mass                                                            by Fr Martin von Cochem, OSFC

*The Hidden Treasure: Holy Mass                                                     by St Leonard of Port Maurice

*Bible History: A Textbook                                                                  by Fr George Johnson

*Liturgical Time Bombs in Vatican II                                                by Michael Davies

*The Book of Destiny                                                                            by Fr Herman B Kramer

*Liturgical Shipwreck (pamphlet)                                                      by Michael Davies

  Retreat Companion for Priests                                                        by Fr Francis P Havey, SSDD

*-The Four Last Things                                                                         by Fr Martin von Cochem, OSFC

*Where We Got the Bible                                                                    by Fr Henry G Graham

*Scripture Alone? (pamphlet)                                                             by Joel Peters

*Apologetics                                                                                           by Msgr Paul Glenn

*Faith of Our Fathers                                                                           by James Cardinal Gibbons

*A Short History of the Roman Rite (pamphlet)                            by Michael Davies

*Abortion: Yes or No? (pamphlet)                                                      by John Grady, MD

  Catechism of Mental Prayer                                                            by Fr Joseph Simpler

  Confession: Its Fruitful Practice (pamphlet)                                 by Benedictine Sisters

  Seven Capital Sins (pamphlet)                                                          by Benedictine Sisters

*How to Serve Simple, Solemn, and Pontifical Functions         by Dom Matthew Britt, OSB

*Introduction to the Devout Life                                                     by St Francis de Sales

*Baltimore Catechism                                                                         by Third Plenary Council of Baltimore

  Dark Night of the Soul                                                                       by St John of the Cross

*Christ Denied                                                                                       by Fr Paul Wickens

*Evidence of Satan in the Modern World                                      by Fr Leon Cristiani

*Tour of the Summa of St Thomas Aquinas                                 by Msgr Paul Glenn

  Catechism of Modernism                                                                 by Fr J B Lemius

*Latin Grammar                                                                                   by Cora and Charles Scanlon

  Catholic Catechism                                                                            by Fr W Faeber

  A Child’s Bible History                                                                       by Bp Frederick J Knecht

*The Church Teaches                                                                          by John F Clarkson

 

 

 

 

FROM ANGELUS PRESS

www.angeluspress.org

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*College Apologetics                                                                        by Fr Anthony Alexander

  Catechism of the Crisis                                                                  by Fr Matthew Gaudron

*Against the Heresies                                                                      by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre

*The Fallacy Detective                                                                     by Nathan & Hans Bluedorn

*Catechism of the Council of Trent                                             by St Robert Bellarmine’s Commission

*My Catholic Faith                                                                            by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow

  The Intellectual Life                                                                       by A D Sertillanges, OP

*Catechism of the Summa of St Thomas Aquinas                   by Fr R P Pegues

*Sources of Catholic Dogma                                                          by Heinrich Denzinger

*Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma                                             by Ludwig Ott

  Ordinary Magisterium: Pope or Church                                   by Dom Paul Nau, Canon Rene Berthold

*Christ Acts Through the Sacraments                                        by A M Roguet

  Fabiola                                                                                               by Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman

*The Mass: A Study of the Roman Rite                                       by Adrian Fortescue

*Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described                              by Adrian Fortescue, J B O’Connell

 

 

 

 

FROM SCM-CANTERBURY PRESS, LTD

www.scm-canterburypress.co.uk

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*The English Missal

*The English Ritual

 

 

 

 

FROM ANGLICAN PARISH ASSOCIATION

www.anglicanbooks.com

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*A Manual For Priests                                                                       by The Society of St John the Evangelist

 

 

 

 

FROM CHURCH PUBLISHING (formerly Church Hymnal Corporation)

www.churchpublishing.org

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*The Hymnal 1940

 

 

 

 

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

www.ignatius.com

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*The Adoremus Hymnal

*The Ignatius Bible

 

 

 

 

FROM LORETO PUBLICATIONS

www.loretopubs.org

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  Divine Parables Explained                                                               by Fr Joseph Prachensky, SJ

*Iota Unum                                                                                            by Professor Romano Amerio

*Gregorian Chant: A Guide to History and Liturgy                     by Dom Daniel Saulnier, OSB

  Manual of Dogmatic Theology (6 books)                                      by Msgr Joseph Pohle, Arthur Preuss

* History of the Catholic Church (3 vols)                                        by Msgr Phillip Hughes

*An Overview of Gregorian Chant                                                  by Dom Eugenie Cardine

*Calvary and the Mass                                                                       by Archbishop Fulton J Sheen

*Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin                                                  by Leo Stelton

*The Great Sacrilege                                                                           by Fr James Wathen

*Aquinas’ Shorter Summa                                                                by St Thomas Aquinas

*Dictionary of Scholastic Philosophy                                            by Bernard Wuellner, SJ

*Philosophia Perennis (Vol 1 & 3)                                                    by Bro Francis Maluf, MICM

 

 

 

 

FROM CHRISTIAN BOOK DISTRIBUTORS

www.christianbook.com

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*Early Church History Library (3 vols)                                               by CF Cruse, Wm Whiston, CD Yonge

*Christian Counseling revised and updated                                   by Gary R Collins

  Psychology, Theology & Spirituality in Christian Counseling   by Mark R McMinn

*Christian Counseling Ethics                                                               by Randolph K Sanders

*Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling                                    by John J Kruis

*Early Christian Doctrines                                                                   by JND Kelly

*Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV)                                         by James Strong

*Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary                                         by WE Vine

*Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps & Charts                       by Thomas Nelson

*An Introduction to Philosophy                                                        by Norman Geisler

*Canon of Scripture                                                                              by FF Bruce

*Apostolic Fathers in English                                                             by Michael W Holmes

*Faith of the Early Fathers (3 vols)                                                    by William A Jurgens

*Butler’s Lives of the Saints: New Concise Edition                      by Paul Burns

 

 

 

 

FROM AMAZON

www.amazon.com

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*Not By Faith Alone                                                                               by Robert A Sungenis

*Not By Scripture Alone                                                                       by Robert A Sungenis

*Not by Bread Alone                                                                             by Robert A Sungenis

*Bible Studies for Catholics                                                                by Robert A Sungenis

*Old Catholic: History, Ministry, Faith & Mission                         by Archbishop Andre Queen

*Oremus: Prayerbook for the Old Catholic Priest                        by Archbishop Andre Queen

*Credo: Catechism of the Old Catholic Church                             by Archbishop Andre Queen

*The Shape of the Liturgy                                                                   by Dom Gregory Dix

 

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