

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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 18, 2020 • 6min
St. Robert Southwell - The Burning Babe, A Child My Choice, I Die Alive
St. Robert Southwell was an English Jesuit martyr who served as a clandestine missionary in post-Reformation England. There he ministered in secret for six years before he was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. After three years of imprisonment and torture, he was convicted of high treason and executed by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. During his time in England, Southwell witnessed the executions of many other Catholics, including those of people he knew personally. It’s in this light, and in light of his own eventual martyrdom, that his poetry carries with it a special gravity. At once horrified and inspired by the martyrdoms he witnessed, Southwell wrote this paradox into his poetry, as reflected in these three poems. "The Burning Babe", "A Child My Choice", and "I Die Alive" by St. Robert Southwell, as found in Lyra Martyrum: The Poetry of the English Martyrs https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/ 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.

Feb 11, 2020 • 30min
St. Justin Martyr - Dialogue with Trypho (excerpt)
“I will prove to you, here and now, that we do not believe in groundless myths nor in teachings not based on reason, but in doctrines that are inspired by the Divine Spirit, abundant with power, and teeming with grace.” St. Justin Martyr, born sometime between the years 100 and 110 AD, is considered by many to be the most important of the Greek apologists. His Dialogue with Trypho is the oldest extant Christian apology against Judaism -- though Justin is perhaps better known for his Apologies directed toward Roman Emperors and Senators. Many of the details we know about his life are drawn from these beginning chapters to Dialogue with Trypho, wherein Justin Martyr recounts the circumstances of his conversion. Justin describes how, as a young man, he flitted from one school of philosophy to another, finally landing among the Platonists... until one day, a strange encounter with a mysterious old man revealed to him Platonism’s insufficiency. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/46607/the-first-apology-the-second-apology-dialogue-with-trypho-exhortation-to-the-greeks-discourse-to-the-greeks-the-monarchy-of-the-rule-of-god Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1612 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.

Feb 5, 2020 • 32min
St. Athanasius - Life of St. Anthony, pt. 3
“It is possible, with the help of God, easily to distinguish the presence of the good and the bad: a vision of the holy ones is not agitated.” We’re continuing where we left off at the end of our last episode, with Anthony addressing the monks who have come to the desert to imitate his way of life and seek his guidance. We’ll hear Anthony complete the discourse he began in our previous episode, and go deeper into the methods of spiritual combat. Of particular interest, Anthony provides some provisional rules for the discernment of spirits. Those familiar with St. Ignatius of Loyola's rules for discernment as outlined in his Spiritual Exercises will no doubt recognize many similarities here. Also worth noting is Anthony’s reliance upon the the Word of God and on the Sign of the Cross in his confrontations with the devil. Committing to memory some of the same Scripture passages Anthony employs may help us in our own times of struggle, and Anthony’s insistence on the power of the Sign of the Cross serves as a reminder that the Sign of the Cross is itself a prayer (and sacramental, too!). Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080 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.

Jan 31, 2020 • 26min
St. Athanasius - Life of St. Anthony, pt. 2
“Do not be fearful when you hear of perfection, nor be surprised at the word, for it is not far from us… the Lord has already told us: the kingdom of God is within you.” We last left St. Anthony as he began his life in the desert, taking up residence in an abandoned fort - an appropriate setting, given the spiritual combat Anthony had gone out into the desert to wage. At the beginning of this second installment, Athanasius fast-forwards us 20 years. Others inspired by Anthony have since also come to the desert to imitate his way of life. Anthony addresses the crowd of monks gathered to hear from him, and this discourse given by Anthony - a long sermon on the ascetical life - could be considered the very first monastic rule. Whereas last episode we heard tale of Anthony’s struggles, in today’s episode we’ll hear from Anthony himself, strengthened by his struggles. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080 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.

Jan 28, 2020 • 10min
St. Thomas Aquinas - Heaven and Earth Will Pass
“Dearest brethren, how great the delight, how great the pleasure, how great the sweetness that is in the heavenly words of wisdom!” Known as the “Angelic Doctor”, St. Thomas Aquinas is arguably the most influential theologian and philosopher that the Church has ever seen. His sermons exhibit everything one would expect from Aquinas: references throughout to Aristotle, careful enumeration and categorization, and nearly every point substantiated with a direct scriptural quotation. In this sermon, Aquinas demonstrates just how much can be unpacked from five simple words: "Heaven and earth will pass." Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-academic-sermons-aquinas-hoogland/ 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.

Jan 24, 2020 • 15min
The Power of Prayer - 3 Poems by St. John Henry Newman
These three poems, composed within a few days of one another by St. John Henry Newman in 1833, all reflect on the efficacy of prayer. In this special episode originally published in January 2020, Catholic Culture Audiobooks host James T. Majewski recites and provides brief commentary on each of the poems. Links Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/index.html The Daily Poem podcast: https://shows.acast.com/the-daily-poem 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. 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.

Jan 17, 2020 • 33min
St. Athanasius - Life of St. Anthony, pt. 1
“Do not hesitate to believe what you have heard from those who have brought you accounts of him; believe, rather, that they have told but little... for it is probable that, when each one has told what he knows, the account will not do Anthony justice.” Happy Feast of St. Anthony, Abbot! You may know him from the countless recurrences, across art and literature, of “The Temptation of St. Anthony.” Well, The Life of St. Anthony - of which the temptations are only part - is, perhaps, one of the most influential works in the history of Christian literature. Setting aside the unique authority and influence of the biographer (the great Church father, St. Athanasius of Alexandria), the work itself describes the life of a singularly holy man. In fact, it is the earliest biographical account of a saint who had become such without having had to suffer martyrdom. Though St. Anthony was not the first Christian hermit, he was the most popular: this account of his life did much to spread his ascetic and monastic ideals throughout the East and West. Anthony has been called not only the father of Christian monasticism, but even the founder of the religious life. Needless to say, we are very excited to be bringing you, over the course of several episodes, The Life of St. Anthony in its entirety. If you’ve not done so, now is the time to register with us at http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to ensure that you don’t miss a minute of this exhilarating Christian classic. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080 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.

Jan 14, 2020 • 16min
St. Augustine - Letter to Januarius
“... if any of these customs is common to the whole Church throughout the world, it is the most unheard of madness to doubt that such custom is to be followed.” Also known as "Letter 54", Augustine’s Letter to Januarius was written in response to a question posed by Januarius in a previous letter: at what time of day should the Holy Sacrifice on Holy Thursday be celebrated? The letter contains a clear affirmation of the twofold authority of Scripture and Tradition, careful articulation of the distinction between that which is essential to the faith and that which is not, and a hint at some of the early Church’s procedural disputes... a humbling reminder that disagreements regarding accidental aspects to liturgy are as old as the Church itself! Links Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120434/saint-augustine-letters-vol-1 Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3202 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.

Jan 9, 2020 • 21min
St. John Henry Newman - The Lapse of Time
“We are now entering on a fresh stage of our life's journey; we know well how it will end, and we see where we shall stop in the evening, though we do not see the road.” Ring in the New Year with this New Year’s Day sermon by St. John Henry Newman. Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume7/sermon1.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.

Dec 26, 2019 • 4min
St. John Henry Newman - The Special Charm of Christmas
Merry Christmas! This episode features sermon notes jotted down by St. John Henry Newman in 1851. Before his conversion, Newman had always read his sermons from a prepared manuscript, according to Anglican custom at the time. As a Catholic priest, he instead preached his homilies in a manner to which Catholics were more accustomed, with a more extemporaneous feel. Interestingly, his sermon notes were for the most part written down after the sermon, not before - an indication that Newman continued to develop his thoughts even as he preached. Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/sermonnotes/file3.html#sermon15 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.