What to Read

Holy Entrepreneurs
Constance Brittain Bouchard
Cornell University Press, 260 pages

Heading to Burgundy with Legatus in April? If looking for a deeper dive into the region’s history, here’s a book to consider.  Constance Brittain Bouchard, professor of medieval history at the University of Akron, describes how the Cistercian monasteries of 12th-century Burgundy accomplished not only a revival of Catholic spiritual life but also a rapid development of the region’s economy, including through its prolific vineyards and rich soils. It’s a crash course in how the Cistercians’ entrepreneurial acumen helped Burgundy produce superior wines and create a robust market with cooperation from knights and other area interests, and it’s a medieval lesson in making business and the Catholic faith work together.

God’s Plan for Your Marriage
Fr. Robert Altier
Sophia Institute Press, 208 pages

Legal marriage is just a contract between two people to share their lives, but the Sacrament of Marriage is something infinitely more profound: it is a sign of the Trinity and of Christ’s love for His Church, a means by which a man and woman help each other become saints and attain eternal life, and it is a foretaste of heaven itself. It is a state of life rich in graces and virtues one may call upon in order to love and serve one another more fully, thereby fulfilling one’s vocation.
 
Fr. Robert Altier provides an excellent catechesis on marriage and an inspiring touchstone for renewing and re-energizing one’s own marital union.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Edition
Ascension Press
932 pages

If you’re tuning in to Father Mike Schmitz’s podcast of The Catechism in a Year, you can use any copy of the latest edition of The Catechism of the Catholic Church — but this one is specially designed and color-coded to go along with the podcast. Value-added tools in this Ascension Press edition include a “Catechism at a Glance” chart, highlighted keywords and visual references, callout boxes to draw attention to Scripture books and Church documents, and a useful appendix. It may just be an edition that’s easier on the eyes for any reader who finds other editions a bit intimidating. Whatever it takes, every Catholic ought to read and study the Catechism.