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.

  1. 1D AGO

    St. John Henry Newman - The Oxford Sermons | 5. Personal Influence, the Means of Propagating the Truth

    "... we shall find it difficult to estimate the moral power which a single individual, trained to practice what he teaches, may acquire in his own circle, in the course of years. While the Scriptures are thrown upon the world, as if the common property of any who choose to appropriate them, he is, in fact, the legitimate interpreter of them, and none other; the Inspired Word being but a dead letter (ordinarily considered), except as transmitted from one mind to another." St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism. In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman's own conversion to Catholicism years later. These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. In this fifth sermon, Newman contends that Christian truth spreads and endures in the world primarily through the personal character of holy individuals, rather than through the influence of institutions or intellectual arguments alone. Links Personal Influence, the Means of Propagating the Truth full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon5.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.

    43 min
  2. FEB 23

    Soul of the Apostolate | Ep. 5 - Interior Life Secures Deep and Lasting Results

    "No work takes deep root, or has real stability, or will perpetuate itself, unless the apostle has begotten the interior life in other souls. Naturally, he cannot do this unless he himself is strong in the inner life." This episode concludes Part Four of the classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935). Among other things, there is featured an illuminating description of the progressive stages of conversion, which Dom Chautard includes as an aid for spiritual directors. Episode 4: Part Four (sections e - g) 00:00 - Intro 00:39 - e. Because the Interior Life Begets Interior Life, Its Results Upon Souls Are Deep and Lasting 20:09 - f. Importance of the Formation of "Shock Troops" and of Spiritual Direction 46:12 - (Stages of Conversion - Categories for Spiritual Directors) 57:48 - g. The Entire Success of the Apostolate Depends on One Thing: An Interior Life Centered on the Blessed Eucharist This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf 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.

    1h 14m
  3. JAN 17

    Soul of the Apostolate | Ep. 4 - Action Made Fruitful by the Interior Life

    "Am I really one of those who depend upon their mental prayer, their visits to the Blessed Sacrament, above all upon their Mass or their Communion, to put real moving power into their preaching? If I am not, I may perhaps be a loudly 'tinkling cymbal,' or even give forth the more pompous din of 'sounding brass,' but I am not communicating to others any love, that love which makes the eloquence of the friends of God impossible to resist." Part Four of the classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), describes the many ways in which the interior life ensures the fruitfulness of active apostolic works. Episode 4: Part Four (sections a - d) 00:00 - Intro 00:39 - The Interior Life is the Condition on which the Fruitfulness of Active Works Depends 07:36 - a. The Interior Life Draws Down the Blessings of God 15:18 - b. It Makes the Apostle Capable of Sanctifying Others by His Example 23:51 - c. It Makes the Apostle Radiate the Supernatural: the Efficacy of This Radiation 01:13:42 - d. It Makes the Gospel Worker Truly Eloquent This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf 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.

    1h 25m
  4. 10/31/2025

    St. John Henry Newman - The Oxford Sermons | 4. The Usurpations of Reason

    "Human philosophy was beaten from its usurped province, but not by any counter-philosophy; and unlearned Faith, establishing itself by its own inherent strength, ruled the Reason as far as its own interests were concerned, and from that time has employed it in the Church, first as a captive, then as a servant; not as an equal, and in nowise (far from it) as a patron." St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism. In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman's own conversion to Catholicism years later. These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. In this fourth sermon, Newman demonstrates how Reason oversteps its bounds when it sets itself up as the legitimate judge of religious truth, over and against childlike spiritual discernment. Links The Usurpations of Reason full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon4.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.

    34 min
  5. 09/12/2025

    Christian Raab, OSB - In Search of the Masculine Genius

    "When attention to the theological meaning of femininity is not accompanied by reflection on masculinity, men are left without a sense of the existential and sacramental significance of their own sex." A reading of a fascinating essay originally published in the journal Logos, about the work of Walter Ong, SJ. In the wake of an emphasis on the "feminine genius" as delineated by Pope St. John Paul II and others, this article attempts to develop a profile of the masculine genius. It supplements the teaching of Pope Francis on this subject in order to balance the more complete articulation of the feminine genius already provided by the Magisterium. Drawing primarily from the work of Walter J. Ong, whose presentation is corroborated and buttressed here with other studies, this article demonstrates that the masculine genius includes a set of gifts that complement those of women, both in the natural order and in the order of redemption. In Search of the Masculine Genius: The Contribution of Walter J. Ong full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/librarypdf/Raab-Masculine-Genius.pdf Text originally published by Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, Volume 21, Number 1, Winter 2018. 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.

    1h 6m
  6. 08/29/2025

    Soul of the Apostolate | Ep. 3 - Without Interior Life, Active Life Full of Danger

    "These falls can be MOST CERTAINLY avoided when one knows how to use the precious balancing pole of the interior life. It is only the abandonment of this INFALLIBLE instrument that brings dizziness and the fatal false step into space." Part Three of this classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), warns of the spiritual perils of an active life divorced from a deep interior life, while offering the assurance of grace and progress in virtue for those who root their work in prayer and union with God. Episode 3: Part Three 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - 1. Active Works, a Means of Sanctification for Interior Souls, Become, for Others, a Menace to their Salvation 14:07 - 2. The Active Worker Who Has No Interior Life 43:45 - 3. The Interior Life: Basis of the Holiness of the Apostolic Worker This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf 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.

    1h 20m
  7. 08/12/2025

    St. John Henry Newman - The Oxford Sermons | 3. Evangelical Sanctity the Completion of Natural Virtue

    "The true light of the world offends more men than it attracts; and its divine origin is shown, not in its marked effects on the mass of mankind, but in its surprising power of elevating the moral character where it is received in spirit and in truth." St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism. In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman's own conversion to Catholicism years later. These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. In this third sermon, Newman distinguishes the transcendent calling of the Christian from the achievement of ordinary virtue contemplated by "natural" religion or mere ethics. Links The Influence of Natural and Revealed Religion Respectively full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon3.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.

    30 min
4.9
out of 5
111 Ratings

About

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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