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Catholic Culture Audiobooks

Catholic Culture Audiobooks

CatholicCulture.org

Voice actor James T. Majewski brings to life classic Catholic works, with a special focus on St. John Henry Newman and the Fathers of the Church. Over 100 recordings, including sermons, encyclicals, letters, poems, and full books like St. Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana, and St. Athanasius's Life of St. Anthony. A production of CatholicCulture.org.
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Top 10 Catholic Culture Audiobooks Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Catholic Culture Audiobooks episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Catholic Culture Audiobooks for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Catholic Culture Audiobooks episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Catholic Culture Audiobooks - St. John Henry Newman - A Thanksgiving

St. John Henry Newman - A Thanksgiving

Catholic Culture Audiobooks

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11/28/19 • 3 min

Happy Thanksgiving!

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/verse15.html

SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - St. John Henry Newman - Christian Reverence
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11/26/19 • 25 min

"In heaven, love will absorb fear; but in this world, fear and love must go together."

Vivat Christus Rex!

Links

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume1/sermon23.html

SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - J.R.R. Tolkien - From a Letter to His Son, Michael
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01/12/22 • 16 min

"The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion."

J.R.R. Tolkien—the English writer, poet, philologist and academic best known for being the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings—was Catholic. After the untimely deaths of his father and mother, Tolkien was raised under the guardianship of a priest. Later in life, Tolkien’s friendship with C.S. Lewis would be instrumental in Lewis’ conversion from atheism to Christianity.

The collection of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien was originally published in 1981 by his son, Christopher, and biographer, Humphrey Carpenter. It contains 354 letters written between 1914 and 1973, the year of J.R.R. Tolkien's death. This episode features part of a letter written by Tolkien to his second son, Michael, in 1963, when Tolkien was 71 years old.

It is a remarkable letter of fatherly encouragement, touching upon the challenge of scandal in the Church.

Links

SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - St. Augustine—De Doctrina Christiana | Full
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09/06/21 • 379 min

“Whoever, then, appears in his own opinion to have comprehended the Sacred Scriptures, or even some part of them, yet does not build up with that knowledge the two-fold love of God and his neighbor, has not yet known as he ought to know.”

De Doctrina Christiana, or "On Christian Instruction", is listed among Augustine’s contributions to the Great Books of the Western World, alongside the Confessions and City of God. It is considered to be the most important early Latin treatise on scriptural interpretation and a foundational work for the field of Biblical hermeneutics. It ranks among the most important works of classical rhetoric, along with works by Cicero and Quintillian. Its fourth and final book was one of the very first works to be printed, only about one decade after the Gutenberg Bible.

De Doctrina Christiana is composed of four books. According to St. Augustine, the first three books “help to an understanding of the Scriptures, while the fourth instructs us how to present the facts which we have comprehended.”

00:39 Part 1 (Book 1 with Prologue)

1:15:19 Part 2 (Book 2, Ch.1-18)

2:02:56 Part 3 (Book 2, Ch.19-42)

2:56:03 Part 4 (Book 3, Ch.1-23)

3:41:37 Part 5 (Book 3, Ch.24-37)

4:21:01 Part 6 (Book 4, Ch.1-16)

5:19:34 Part 7 (Book 4. Ch.17-31)

Links

Christian Instruction: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

De Doctrina Christiana Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - Gerard Manley Hopkins - The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
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07/27/22 • 6 min

How to keep–is there ány any, is there none such, nowhere

known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, láce, latch

or catch or key to keep

Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, . . . from vanishing

away?

Gerard Manley Hopkins was an English poet and Jesuit priest born on July 28, 1844 (tomorrow would have been his 178th birthday!). A convert from Anglicanism, Hopkins was received into the Church in 1866 by none other than St. John Henry Newman. Because of his commitment to his religious and priestly vocation, Hopkins resolved never to publish his poems during his life. After his death, however, friends and acquaintances published his surviving work, and Hopkins was quickly recognized as one of the most innovative poets of his century.

"The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo"—originally intended as part of a larger, never finished poem about the martyrdom of St. Winifred—was completed in 1882, seven years before Hopkins' untimely death of typhoid fever in 1889, at the age of 44. Hopkins considered it to be the most musical of his poems, and among the most dramatic.

The mythic Philosopher's Stone was believed to be capable of turning lead into gold. In "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo", a similar transmutation occurs—the kind of transformation which God's grace alone is capable of accomplishing. Indeed, though he struggled with depression throughout his life, Hopkins' last words at his death were, "I am so happy, I am so happy. I loved my life."

Links

"The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo" full text: https://hopkinspoetry.com/poem/the-leaden-echo-and-the-golden-echo/

Notable readings of the poem by Sir Alec Guinness and by Richard Burton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyPnd5zyzI0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhQwFf6Qb9U

Short film and reading of the poem by Margaret Tait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L080KSBxemg

Donate at http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio to support this podcast!

Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - Pope Leo XIII - Rerum Novarum, Pt. 1

Pope Leo XIII - Rerum Novarum, Pt. 1

Catholic Culture Audiobooks

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05/16/20 • 48 min

“Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism — community of goods — must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal.”

Rerum Novarum—literally meaning “Of New Things,” but more accurately translated, “Of Revolutionary Change,”was Pope Leo XIII's response to the political upheaval of the 19th century. Issued on May 15, 1891, Rerum Novaum set forth a definitive word on these “new things”, and laid the groundwork for much of the development of the Church’s social thought through the 20th century. Today, Rerum Novarum is considered a foundational text of Catholic social teaching.

Covering everything from property rights to trade unions, to questions of wages and the relationship of man to the State; it’s a sweeping document that is at once comprehensive and accessible. There’s no need to be a political philosopher or economist here. Leo XIII develops his arguments in a methodical and straightforward way, and states plainly that human society can be healed in no other way than in a return to Christian life and Christian institutions.

In this first half, Pope Leo XIII lays out the problems, rejects socialism’s call for the abolition of private property, and identifies those rights and duties of the person and family that are prior to and independent of the State. He outlines the respective rights and duties of the worker and of the employer, affirming their mutual need for one another and calling them not only to cooperation, but to love.

Today, when so many of the same social ills have reared their ugly head, Rerum Novarum is required reading for anyone looking to address the political and economic questions of today.

Full Text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4904

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - St. Polycarp - Letter to the Philippians

St. Polycarp - Letter to the Philippians

Catholic Culture Audiobooks

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11/08/19 • 14 min

"The letter of Ignatius sent to us by himself and all the others we have here we send you... and from them you will greatly profit."

St. Polycarp was the 2nd-century Bishop of Smyrna. Though he is known to have composed numerous letters, his Letter to the Philippians is the only one that has survived.

In this letter, Polycarp insists on the value of closely studying the letters of St. Paul and of St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose letters Polycarp had sent to the Philippians along with this letter.

Mike Aquilina on St. Polycarp: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-5-st-polycarp-and-social-network/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1626

Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.catholiculture.org/getaudio

Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity

The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity

Catholic Culture Audiobooks

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03/12/21 • 37 min

“Possibly such a woman could not have been slain unless she herself had willed it, because she was feared by the impure spirit.”

This is the first-hand account of the events leading up to and including the martyrdom of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, documented by Perpetua herself while in prison. Alongside her testimony is another text written by one of her companions, Saturus, as well as an eyewitness account of the executions themselves.

Originally written in Latin, the document is considered to have been at least edited by Tertullian, though whether he composed the narrator portions himself or not remains unknown.

Additional narration provided by Karina Majewski.

Links

Full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1678&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2097575#

Way of the Fathers Ep. 15—Perpetua: A Rare Female Voice from Antiquity https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/perpetua-rare-female-voice-from-antiquity/

Catholic Culture Audiobooks: The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/martyrdom-st-polycarp/

SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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Catholic Culture Audiobooks - John Dryden - Two Poems in Honor of St. Cecilia's Day
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11/22/22 • 12 min

But bright Cecilia rais'd the wonder high'r; When to her organ, vocal breath was giv'n, An angel heard, and straight appear'd Mistaking earth for Heav'n.

"A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" full text: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44185/a-song-for-st-cecilias-day-1687

"Alexander's Feast; or, the Power of Music" full text: https://poets.org/poem/alexanders-feast-or-power-music

Happy feast of St. Cecilia!

More links:

SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Catholic Culture Audiobooks have?

Catholic Culture Audiobooks currently has 189 episodes available.

What topics does Catholic Culture Audiobooks cover?

The podcast is about Catholic, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Saints, Podcasts, Books, Education, Audiobooks and Christian.

What is the most popular episode on Catholic Culture Audiobooks?

The episode title 'St. Augustine - De Doctrina Christiana, Book Two (Ch. 19-42)' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Catholic Culture Audiobooks?

The average episode length on Catholic Culture Audiobooks is 40 minutes.

How often are episodes of Catholic Culture Audiobooks released?

Episodes of Catholic Culture Audiobooks are typically released every 8 days, 3 hours.

When was the first episode of Catholic Culture Audiobooks?

The first episode of Catholic Culture Audiobooks was released on Oct 2, 2019.

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