Category: Catholic Adult Audiobooks

Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914) was a prolific author of fiction, apologetics, and devotional works, best remembered for the apocalyptic novel Lord of the World. He was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife Mary. In 1903 he became a prominent convert to the Roman Catholic Church from Anglicanism, and in 1904 he was ordained a Catholic priest, over time rising to the title of monsignor and appointed a supernumerary private chamberlain to Pope Pius X. Confessions of a Convert is the Monsignor’s personal story of his journey to the Catholic faith, containing comparisons between Catholicism and the Anglican religion, and ranks among his best works. It’s no exaggeration to call it a minor classic. The book concludes with a stretch of melodic prose recording the author’s jubilant response to the incarnational Catholicism he encountered in the Holy City. “A sojourn in Rome means an expansion of view that is beyond words,” he writes.

3 Hours and 49 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

The timeless classic that has captivated readers for more than fifteen hundred years, Confessions of St. Augustine, tells the story of his long struggle with faith, and ultimate conversion. Starting with his early life, education, and youthful indiscretions, and following his ascent to influence as a teacher of rhetoric in Hippo, Rome, and Milan, Augustine is deeply honest about his proud and ambitious youth. In time, the dazzle of his early loves grow cold and the luster of worldly success fades, leaving him feeling the depths of inner emptiness. It was at this time that a leading to Christ and the Faith takes hold, eventually leading to conversion and the abundant flourishing of a new life. St. Augustine’s insights into human nature are incisive and relevant for the contemporary reader, a timeless classic that will persist as long as humanity continues to long for meaning in life and peace of soul.

13 hours and 38 minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

In Consoling Thoughts of St. Francis de Sales, the beloved Doctor of the Church and master of spiritual direction, gives us a great treasure trove of insights. “How can the soul persevere in piety in the midst of affliction? How should we conduct ourselves when suffering interior trials? How can we profit from our own faults?” St. Francis answers these and many more questions in this extensive volume. Pere Huguet has gathered together some of the more poignant insights and suggestions contained in the voluminous writings of Saint Francis de Sales and organized them under more than eighty chapters. They are sure to bring comfort to the weary, and lend most helpful advice to all of us, who can all profit from such wise counsels to guide us along the way to Heaven.

10 Hours and 31 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

The First American Sister of Charity: Elizabeth Bayley Seton is a picturesque and moving account of the life and work of Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (1774-1821), the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized a saint. She was born into high society during some of the most stirring times our country has ever known, the time of the Revolutionary War. Raised staunch Episcopalian, she was devout and true to her faith. Marrying young, she and her husband, William Magee Seton, refined, cultured, a true gentleman, set out joyfully to raise a family. Sadly, tragedy struck, financial losses caused his health to suffer and William was struck by the dreaded tuberculosis. The couple traveled to Italy seeking to restore his health by a sea voyage. Unfortunately, he died in Italy, unable to recover his health. However, while there the greatest gift was given Elizabeth, she gained the Catholic Faith, which became as balm to the soul of the grieved young widow. Returning to the U.S., Elizabeth answered the calling within her heart to further give her life to God, sacrificing all and working tirelessly to establish schools in New York and Maryland, and was the first to found a congregation of Religious Sisters in the United States, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. She spent the rest of her days leading and developing the new congregation. This book gives beautiful detail to life of this American Saint, an excellent read!

1 Hour and 32 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

Writings set forth from the pen of St. Francis of Assisi, perhaps the most diverse and well-known of all Saints today, his popularity breaching the walls of both creed and culture. Flowers from the Garden of Saint Francis for Every Day of the Year contains 365 admonitions and inspirations from this great Saint and other notable Franciscans. Often written for the aid of the monks and nuns under his authority and care, they still, however, hold much wisdom easily applicable and directed towards priests, religious, and the lay person of this day. As the compiler of this work so aptly states, St. Francis “was inspired by God, six hundred years ago, to rekindle in His Church the spirit of humility, simplicity, poverty, detachment from the world, and ardent love of our crucified Redeemer.” This is the great work of our beloved Saint, and it shines through in his writings!

2 Hours and 4 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

Fraternal Charity is an excellent read with valuable insights into the virtue of charity, the virtue that, if well-practiced, will bring us closest to the perfection of Christ. Whether Our Lord was speaking to His ignorant and often rude Apostles, the sick and poor, or with His enemies and sinners, He was always benign, merciful, affable, patient; in a word, His charity appeared in all its most amiable forms. The author wrote this book for members of religious orders, to enrich their practice of charity to each other. However, as the translator notes “Though specially written for religious, it cannot fail to prove beneficial to seculars in every sphere of life; as love, the sunshine of existence, is wanted everywhere.” Would make a great title to listen to as a family, for study, discussion, and growth in the virtue of charity! Who amongst us could not stand to grow in this virtue?

1 Hour and 35 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

In The Friendship of Christ the great Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson shows us how to achieve a deeper relationship with God the Son. We all have an innate need for friendship; in this timeless work, this need is raised to the supernatural, illustrating the greatest friendship one could ever possess and how to nurture it. The book shows how Christ works in the soul of those who seek Him, in His public life, and in the historical examples given in the Gospels. “There is one supreme friendship to which all human friendship points,” writes Benson, “one ideal Friend in whom we find, perfect and complete, that for which we look in the faces of our human lovers.” In the Part I, the author shows how one enters into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the purgative and illuminative ways. In Part II, he discusses several modes in which Christ offers us His friendship here and now, such as in the Eucharist, in the Church, in the priest, in the saint, in the sinner, in the average person, and in the sufferer. In Part III, Benson recalls how Jesus Christ proved the depth of His friendship with us by willingly accepting death on the cross for our sake, and how He raises His friends to everlasting life with Him.

5 Hours and 29 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

Some of the most beautiful writings on Mary and explanations of devotions to her, assembled by the beloved Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, from the many writings of the saints, holy authors, and Sacred Scripture, as well as his own. The greatest compendium of nearly eighteen centuries of teaching on Our Lady, this book seeks to lead souls to a greater love of Jesus through a more intimate knowledge of Mary and her sublime role in the salvation of mankind.

Topics include: the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen), and how God gave Mary to mankind as the “Gate of Heaven”; the principal Marian feasts including the Immaculate Conception, Nativity, Purification, Annunciation, and Assumption, with fresh and enlightening truths surrounding these important feasts in the Church Year; the Seven Sorrows of Mary and how her “prolonged martyrdom” was greater than that of all other martyrs; ten different virtues of Our Lady; a collection of Marian prayers, meditations and devotions; and lastly, a defense of the role of Mary as “Mediatrix of All Graces”. The Glories of Mary is a compelling work and truly well worth the read for anyone who wants to grow in their love for and understanding of Our Blessed Mother!

19 Hours

You must be logged in to view this content.

A delightful book by the skillful writer, Fr. Francis J. Finn, known for his stories that engage both young and old alike. His First and Last Appearance is the story of the Lachance children, newly orphaned, lovingly trying to carry out the wishes of their mother on her deathbed. There is: the faithful oldest sister Isobel, who would like to become a nun, but accepts the calling to care for her siblings; happily helpful and dear Marie; Phillip, young, sweet, happy-go-lucky, possessing the voice of an angel; and the youngest, Charlie, who lends to his family the joy and sense of humor little ones bring. The author has combined pathetic incidents with religious consolations, woven in moments of suspense, and gives zest to the whole by diffusing his genial humor throughout.

4 hours and 32 minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.

The Imitation of Christ is widely considered one of the greatest manuals of devotion in Christianity, an enduring favorite for centuries, found in almost every Catholic household for generations. The life of Christ is presented as the highest study possible to a mortal, as Jesus’ teachings far excel all the teachings of the saints. The book gives counsel to read the scriptures, statements about the uses of adversity, advice for submission to authority, warnings against temptation and how to resist it, reflections about death and the judgment, meditations upon the oblation of Christ, and admonitions to flee the vanities of the world.

8 Hours and 39 Minutes.

You must be logged in to view this content.