Word & Spirit
Summer Update 2014
Volume 9, Issue 2
The Newsletter of the
Archbishop O’Brien Library
Summer Update
Seeds of Summer Reading
In This Issue
Seeds of Summer
Reading/e-books
1-2
Catholic Cinema
Classics
1-2
Catholic Media Picks
2
Plan a Pilgrimage!
3
The Universal Teacher— 3
St. Thomas Aquinas
Donor Family Quilt
exhibit
4
“While the earth
remains, seedtime
and harvest, and cold
and heat, and
summer and winter,
and day and night,
shall not cease.”
Genesis 8:22 (NAB)
Summer is here, in its
seasonal symmetry, as God
created it. The lure of the
billowy ocean, walks at dusk,
parish and family picnics, day
and evening outdoor concerts
and so much more, become a
reality for many. In Spring,
we blossomed. Now we are in
the unmistakable heartbeat of
the season. The seeds are
sown in anticipation of the
coming harvest.
It’s a perfect time to make the
decision to read that book that
you’ve been thinking about,
and that you haven’t gotten
to because you’ve been too
busy all year. Make the time!
Whether it’s a traditional
book or an e-book it’s well
worth the effort!!
Ideas for summer reading
available at the library include:
Fiction:
Illuminations: a novel of
Hildegard von Bingen.
Mary Sharratt. A moving
portrait of a woman willing to risk everything for
what she believed.
Catholic Cinema Classics
In August, the Library will
sponsor Catholic Cinema
Classics, a summer film
series. Screenings will be
held on Tuesdays, Aug. 5, 12
and 19th from 10 a.m.– noon.
On Aug. 5, The original film
classic, Song of Bernadette,
based on the novel by Franz
Werfel, will be shown. This
is the extraordinary story of
a young peasant girl, who
sees a vision of a “beautiful
lady” and must suffer from
the prejudices around her.
This 20th -century Fox film
won Oscars in 1943 for best
actress, cinematography,
music, and art direction.
The Keys to the Kingdom,
a 20th- century Fox Academy
Award nominee, produced
in 1944, will be shown on
Aug. 12. It is a chronicle of
a priest who is assigned a
mission in China. This epic
story spans six decades and
two continents and was
highly acclaimed.
The final film in the series,
A Man for All Seasons, will
be shown on Aug. 19. The
The Madonnas of
Leningrad. Debra Dean.
A portrait of war and
remembrance, and the
power of love, memory
and art to offer beauty,
grace and hope in the face
of overwhelming despair.
Wait till next year: a
memoir. Doris Kearns
Goodwin. The story of a
young girl growing up in
the suburbs of New York in
the 1950’s.
Continued on pg. 2
film is based on a play, by
Robert Bolt, who also
adapted the screenplay.
Sir Thomas More, England’s
Roman Catholic Chancellor,
is forced into a difficult
position when corrupt King
Henry VIII demands his
approval to divorce his wife
and marry his mistress. He
must choose between his
conscience and duty to the
crown. This Columbia
Pictures film, produced in
1966, was winner of 6
academy awards.
Continued on pg. 2
Volume 9, Issue 2
Word & Spirit Summer Update 2014
Seeds of Summer Reading
People of the Book.
Geraldine Brooks. Takes
its readers on an adventure from Spain to the
ruins of Sarajevo, from the
Silver Age of Venice to the
sunburned rock faces of
northern Australia. Winner
of the Pulitzer Prize.
Non-fiction
The Science of the Cross.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross (Edith Stein)
The Collected Works v. VI.
Edith Stein contributed a
valuable study for the 4th
centenary
of St.
John of
The Ultimate Life. Jim
Stovall. A man has to learn the Cross
(1542).
12 lessons to ‘maybe’ get
an unnamed inheritance
from his billionaire grandfather. Also available: The
The Seven Story Mountain
Ultimate Gift and the
an autobiography of faith.
Ultimate Journey by Jim
Thomas Merton. A unique
Stovall.
spiritual biography
Catholic Media Picks
Books on CD–
Unabridged
Abandonment to Divine
Providence. Jean Pierre
de Caussage. A look for
all those who, in the
words of St. Benedict,
“truly seek God.”
The Interior Castle. St.
Teresa of Avila. St.
Teresa pictured the soul
as a beautiful mansion in
which God resides in the
centermost place.
The Letters of St.
Thérèse. The letters she
left...gave an even more
intimate perspective into
the life and unity that she
had with God. (Contains
41 recorded letters.)
Dark Night of the Soul.
St. John of the Cross.
This spiritual canticle
illustrates a mystical
theological truth and grace
personified in the principles of sound reason and
the sublimest manifestations of Divine grace.
Orthodoxy. G.K. Chesterton. C.S. Lewis and many
other emerging thinkers
have found this book a
pivotal step in their adoption of a credible Christian
faith.
DVD’s
Merton: a film biography. (57 min.) Offers an
engaging profile of a man
whose presence in the
of a man who struggled
to withdraw from the
world only after he had
fully immersed himself in
it. It has been acclaimed
as one of the influential
religious works of our
time.
Jesus: a pilgrimage.
James Martin. Invites
believers and seekers
alike to experience Jesus
through Scripture, prayer and travel. Profound
insights into the historical Jesus and spiritual
sights about the Christ
of faith, Father Martin
recreates the world of
first-century Galilee and
Judea to usher you into
Page 2
Jesus's life and times and
show readers how Jesus
speaks to us today.
Free e-Books:
Project Gutenberg (over
33,000 titles to read online
and download)
http://www.gutenberg.org/
University of Adelaide free
online library (offers classic
literature, philosophy and
more.)
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/
Open Library (The world’s
classic literature, with over
1 million free titles available)
https://openlibrary.org
Online Books Page (over
1 million titles on the web)
http://onlinebooks.library.
upenn.edu/
world touched millions
of people and whose
words and thoughts
continue to have profound impact and
relevance today.
Archbishop Fulton J.
Sheen: Servant of All.
(60 min.) A documentary
film that tells the story of
a holy and remarkable
life.
Pioneers of the Spirit:
Ignatius Loyola.
(ca 24 min.) The life of
St. Ignatius of Loyola,
the founder of the
Society of Jesus.
A Migrant’s Masterpiece: the life and legacy
of Patrick Flores. (60
min.) The extraordinary
life of America’s first
Mexican American
Catholic Bishop.
Film Series...Cont. from pg. 1
Registration is preferred.
To sign up visit or contact
the library at 860-242-5573,
ext. 2608/2609, or email
[email protected].
For those interested, Mass
will be held at 12:10 p.m.
Lunch in the dining room,
is available for a fee until
1 p.m.
The program is free
and open to the public.
Refreshments will
be served.
Volume 9, Issue 2
Word & Spirit Summer Update 2014
Plan a pilgrimage!
A Pilgrim’s guide to
The Spiritual Traveler:
Rome and the Holy Land Boston and New Engfor the third millennium land, a guide to sacred
Aurelie Hagstom with Irena site and peaceful
Vaisvilaite.
places. Jana Riess.
Shrines of the Holy Land: In the steps of St. Paul.
a pilgrim’s travel guide.
H.V. Morton
Norman Wareham and Jill
Marian Shrines of the
Gill.
United States: a
Catholic Shrines of West- pilgrim’s travel guide.
ern Europe. Kevin Wright. Theresa Czaenopys and
Traveling with the saints Thomas Santa.
in Italy: contemporary
Marian Shrines of Italy.
pilgrimages on ancient
Franciscan Friars of the
paths. Lucinda Vardey.
Immaculate.
The Novalis Guide to
Canadian Shrines.
Leonard St. John.
The Universal Teacher ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274), born near
Aquino, Italy, was considered to be one of the most
influential thinkers of
Scholasticism and the
father of the Thomistic
school of theology.
St. Thomas Aquinas was
sent to the Abbey of
Monte Cassino to be
taught among the Benedictine monks at 5 years of
age. He continued to learn
in the monastic orders
where he avidly explored
philosophy and became
more drawn to spiritual
service.
After his education had
been completed, he
devoted himself to traveling, writing, teaching, and
public speaking in which
he was frequently sought
after.
Rody Bazzano, Assistant
Librarian, in his review
of the works of St.
Thomas Aquinas for his
studies of theology at
Holy Apostles College
and Seminary, describes
his approach and concludes that “St. Thomas
tackles the most obvious
questions with uncanny
common sense. He
presents the point and
counterpoint to arrive
at his conclusion.
Further, he proposes
such common place
questions with eloquence
without trivializing the
issue.”
What’s more is the appropriateness of his subject
matter that confronts the
problem with a certain
conclusiveness, in order to
satisfy intellectually.”
“Ranging from the
famous five proofs of
God’s existence, to the
little considered prayer
life of Jesus, the scope of
his work is penetrating.
Summa Theologica, first
complete American edition
in 3 volumes. Literally
translated by Fathers of
the English Dominican
Province. Benziger Bros.,
1947.
Page 3
Companion to the
Summa. Walter Farrell,
4 vols. Sheed & Ward,
1955.
Summa Theologiae: a
concise translation, edited
by Timothy McDermott.
Ave Maria Press, 1991.
Summa Contra Gentiles,
translated by Anton Pegis,
3 vols. Univ. of Notre
Dame, 2009, reprint ed.
Basic Writings of St.
Thomas Aquinas, edited
and annotated by Anton
Pegis, 2 vols. NY:
Random House, 1945.
Of God and His Creatures, an annotated
translation of the Summa
Contra Gentiles of Saint
Thomas Aquinas. Joseph
Rickaby. The Carroll
Press, 1950.
“His love of virtue is
evident, and it appears
that the grasp of this
virtue and all the other
virtues is of primary
importance.”
For those who want to
explore the writings and
critical interpretations of
these apologetic works
they are available to
check out at the library
and include:
Thomas Aquinas:
Spiritual Master. Robert
Barron. Crossroad Books,
2000
Aquinas: God and
Action. David Burrell.
Univ. of Notre Dame,
1979.
Archbishop O'Brien Library
Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary
467 Bloomfield Ave.
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Museum passes for free admission for
up to four people to the
Wadsworth Atheneum
http:/www.thewadsworth.org/
and the New Britain Museum
of American Art
http://www.nbmaa.org/
and are available
to check out.
Summer Hrs.: Monday-Friday —
9:30 a.m.—5 p.m.;
Phone: 860-242-5573, ext. 2608/2609
Fax: 860-242-4886
Here, you’ll find many
recreational and educational
opportunities, both personally,
or with your family,
during the summer.
www.stseminary.org/library-main.html
Karen Lesiak, MLS, Library Director
Rody Bazzano, BA, Assistant Librarian
Rebecca Empoliti, MLS, Archival Librarian
Library to Exhibit Donor Family Quilt in September
The Archbishop
O’Brien Library will
participate in a community-based project with
Life Choice Donor
Services, a non-profit
organ procurement
organization, serving
six communities in
Connecticut and three
in Massachusetts, to
raise awareness for
organ and tissue
donation.
Currently over 106,000
people are waiting on
the national transplant
list and an average of
18 patients will die
daily due to the critical
shortage of organs.
These quilts were born
from the tender and
heartfelt devotion of
families of local organ
and tissue donors.
During the month of
September, a beautiful
hand stitched quilt will
be on display in the
library along with
informative brochures
about organ and tissue
donation, information
about the donor Registry
and photographs of local
organ and tissue donors.
Please stop into the
library to view the
exhibit during September.
All are welcome.