By REY FLORES
Catholic Traditions and Treasures: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, written by Dr. Helen Hoffner, and illustrated by Deirdre Folley; hardcover; 144 pages. Published by Sophia Institute Press is available for purchase at www.SophiaInstitute.com and other online and brick and mortar retailers.
There are books and movies which I sometimes review, then there are books and movies I love to review. This book is one of the latter.
Catholic Traditions and Treasures: An Illustrated Encyclopedia is just that. An encyclopedia which is chockfull of Catholic history and traditions which many of us still participate in, but sadly many of these devotions and practices have been forgotten, neglected, or both. A tradition cannot be passed on to a child if the parent was also denied these traditions.
Never fear, this book is here to help remind us older folks and to teach younger generations all about many of the beautiful traditions which exist to edify us spiritually and bring us closer to God and all of His angels and His saints.
This book covers it all, but in a much more glorious way than some of the nuts and bolts books about everything Catholic. Catholic Traditions and Treasures takes it to the next level as it fully embraces not only the facts, but the majesty of the Church and the faith.
If there are any questions you may have about the Church hierarchy, the Holy See, and religious orders, this book has it covered. If you want to know more about the sacraments beyond the Catechism, this book does it in a less business-like manner than other books do, and with engaging illustrations by Deirdre Folley.
Of course, I cannot share everything this book has to offer in this one review. If I did, that would obviously defeat the purpose of the book; right?
Anyway, I will share some more of my own insights as to why I think this book is a must-have in every Catholic’s home library, but first, let me share this “litany” of what you will further learn about from this book: First Fridays, Holy Hours to Holy Days, novenas, penance, votive candles, scapulars, and religious medals.
And it doesn’t stop there. We are also treated to lessons about why so many people have St. Francis statues in our gardens and backyards. Then there’s the explanation of the importance of house blessings, prayer corners in our homes, crucifixes in different rooms, and how they provide a holy “security system” in our homes against the forces of evil.
I’m not sure how many of you have a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the front of your house, or how many of you have holy water fonts by your doors, but if you don’t, you should. And this book will explain why these seemingly most-mundane customs and habits are really part of our preparation for our eternal lives.
Author Dr. Helen Hoffner is a professor at Holy Family University in Philadelphia. Her research on the history of the rosary led her to coauthor her previous book The Rosary Collector’s Guide, which provides historical information for rosary collectors, antique dealers, and historians.
I think this book would make a terrific and affordable Christmas gift for your loved ones, especially children, lapsed Catholics, or perhaps even new possible converts. There’s nothing like educating folks about the richness of our faith and this book is one great way to do it.
When reviewing this book, I was being bombarded with negative headlines about the Pope, clergy scandals and other problems plaguing our Church, most of it perpetrated by the anti-Catholic news media. This book is a timely blessing and a welcome antidote to those negative headlines.
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(Rey Flores writes opinion and book and movie reviews for The Wanderer. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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