Books published by St. Augustine Academy Press

Set in 1930s Chicago, Nice Going, Red is the tale of "Red" Devlin, an 8th grade boy who has his heart in the right place, but a little embarrassment is all it takes to overcome his resolve. Will Red finally manage to find his way...or will misplaced pride lead him astray?

Did you know that the Virgin Mary died and was buried before she was Assumed into Heaven? Or that she was raised in the Temple Precinct, along with other Jewish maidens--called Almas--until she reached marriageable age? Learn more about the life of the Mother of Jesus in this book written especially for children. Mary the Queen is the first of a series of 8 books on Christian Doctrine written in the early 20th century by a religious of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, which we have named The Seat of Wisdom Series, in honor of Our Lady. These books seek to teach the child not merely the catechetical truths of our Faith, but also the crucial importance of Apostolic Tradition, and how it informs the practice of our Catholic faith in ways we might not expect.

How do you help a boy who is bent on self-destruction?

Speed Austin never meant to get in trouble, but it seems to follow him wherever he goes. Yet, even though he's part of the playground gang of toughs, the boys from St. Leo's are desperate for a shortstop to take the place of Bud Philips-and Speed is the best candidate they can find. Speed jumps at the chance to get away from the fast life, but the gang wants him back, and they're out to show him what happens to members that try to "quit." Will Jack and the other Catholic school boys manage to help save him, or is it too late? Written in 1930 by a Chicago Priest who served as chaplain at the County Jail and knew the difficulties faced by boys growing up in the big city, this thrilling story is newly illustrated by Erin Bartholomew.

Now for the first time in nearly a century, this classic set of meditations on the Liturgical Year are back in print! Written while Mother Loyola was bedridden with a hip fracture, these devotions bring us the urgency of living our life With the Church, for we "know not the day nor the hour." The Irish Monthly back in 1924 had this to say about With the Church: "Father Thurston tells us that forty years ago Mother Loyola, when bringing out anonymously her first book on Holy Communion, and being anxious to get ecclesiastical recommendation for it, asked him to write a short preface. The favourable reception accorded by the Catholic public to the numerous books which she has brought out since that time has amply justified Fr. Thurston's judgment in recommending the authoress's work. This latest book of hers consists of a series of reflections on the feasts of the year from Advent to the Ascension. Her thoughts are always well-grounded and ingenious, and their expression is clear and graceful, with a strong personal charm. They are musings jotted down just as they occur to her devotional spirit and not simply as dictated by a resolution to follow a certain line."

The Sheriff of the Beech Fork continues the adventures of 15-year-old Owen Howard and Martin Cooper in the early 19th century Kentucky wilderness, as begun in The Cave by the Beech Fork. Having befriended the deputy sheriff, Richard Lane (better known as Coon-Hollow Jim), they are invited to accompany him on a hand-hewn raft of poplar beams to New Orleans. Here, in a portion of the United States only recently purchased from the French and defended from the invading British, they hoped to deliver the produce of the Bardstown farmers to market. Along the way they encounter many adventures that test not only their courage but also their wisdom and their trust in God.

From the discovery of a secret cave to the winning of a David-and-Goliath shooting match, there is no lack of action in The Cave by the Beech Fork, as we follow Owen Howard and Martin Cooper through their exploits in early 19th century Kentucky. But there is so much more to this story than history and adventure. A true depth of Catholic character animates these boys and their families, as well as that inspiring patriotism that galvanized the hearts of the early Pioneers.

This 1961 classic contains all the valuable information that a young man needs in order to learn how to serve the traditional Latin Mass-yet it is so much more than just "nuts and bolts." After reading this book, boys will come away not only with an understanding of the parts of the Mass and the role they must fulfill; they will also have a true sense of the privilege with which they will be entrusted, and the ways in which they must advance in order to be worthy of that honor. Each of these 25 illustrated lessons therefore begins with a discussion of the character and responsibilities of those who assist at the altar. This done, a portion of the Latin responses are taught in phonetic form, and after this rubrics are introduced. Each chapter then ends with review questions. Useful in a classroom setting or for independent study, Learning to Serve is an indispensable resource for all prospective altar servers and those who are charged with their instruction.

In writing this allegory to help explain the religious life to the boy oblates in his charge, Dom Bede drew upon the struggles he experienced during his conversion, as well as an experience from his Oxford years, when shipwrecked off the coast of Spain. Left clinging to the wreckage along with his fellow passengers for 17 hours, upon being rescued, he decided to consecrate his life to the service of God in thanksgiving. The Voyage of the PAX, then, is a thrilling seafaring allegory portraying the journey of life, with its many threats to our souls, as a voyage of several young men, crossing the high seas to reach their home in the Golden City. They must work hard and make difficult decisions in order to pass the straits of Mors and enter into the haven of Æternitas. This story is a perfect follow-up for those who loved Mother Mary Loyola's The King of the Golden City.

From a review of Welcome! in The Month, September 1904: "Welcome is the title of Mother Mary Loyola's new book, and that is also the term with which the many readers of her former works will greet its appearance. It is, as the secondary title declares, an aid towards the art of using well the times before and after Communion, and the title of Welcome is in itself an illustration of the writer's felicitous power-to which Father Thurston calls attention in a short editorial preface-of giving expression to thoughts one has been long feeling but has not been able exactly to define. For what this one word "Welcome" does is to single out and set strikingly before us the underlying disposition which, whether in other respects we be joyous under consolation or dry and distracted under desolation, makes the one essential difference between a fervent and a lukewarm Communion. Working on these lines Mother Mary Loyola arranges her chapters to accord with the different aspects under which the soul may need and desire to welcome its Lord in Holy Communion. Thus we have the Welcome of Mary as the grand example for us to follow, the Welcome of Faith, of a Creature, of a Child, of a Sinner, of a Friend, of a Patient, of Trust, of a Toiler, of Love, of a Cross-bearer, these and others of a similar kind-and finally the Last Welcome. Under each heading we have half a dozen pages of appropriate thoughts for the times before and after Communion, consisting partly of self-communing, partly of prayers; which last, however, are by no means cast in the rigid moulds so familiar to us in our prayer-books-of Acts of Contrition, of Desire, of Love, of Self-oblation-but range freely and naturally among the various affections of the soul."

"It is our lot to journey to heaven backwards, so to speak, with our face to the enemy. It is not an easy journey. There is not a little danger that, while we drive off successfully many violent attacks, we may be brought to earth by obstacles that crop up in our path unseen....Heavenwards brings out for us many of these dangers, diagnoses them, and shows us a way out of the difficulty; it puts into words many a source of disquiet that we feel but cannot quite express....There is about it a certain air of cheerfulness and encouragement that is very helpful. We feel driven to strive after holiness, and to trust what is past to God's Providence." -from a review of Heavenwards in The Tablet, October 1910 "Never was there a period when young Catholics in their journey heavenward could count less upon public opinion and the force of good example to keep them in the right path," says Father Herbert Thurston in his preface to this book. "Thus while Mother Loyola teaches us how to find 'ladders' to scale Heaven, she lets us see that the most arduous part of the task lies in the simple resolution to fix our eyes steadily upon the welcome that awaits us." These 52 meditations--one for each week of the year--are intended to do just that.

More than just another book about Mary, this volume is a handy compendium of Catholic Doctrine. This timeless classic, originally published by Benziger Brothers in 1909, is the sort of book every Catholic should have on the family bookshelf.Contents include:¿ The importance, as well as the benefits, in seeking the intercession of the saints;¿ Novenas for the feasts of the Blessed Virgin, along with notes about their proper observance (including the importance of thanksgiving afterwards);¿ An introduction to the devotion to the Fourteen Holy Helpers, together with legends and novenas for each;¿ Prayers and litanies every Catholic should know, including the Stations of the Cross;¿ A collection of the wisdom of the Saints for every day of the year;¿ And finally, a thorough discussion of the major practices of the Catholic Church, with a focus on the strength of reason and tradition in each. Taken together, this practical manual is sure to be a valuable addition to the bookshelf of every Catholic Family.