Too Small a World: The Life of Mother Frances Cabrini (1945, 2024)
Theodore Maynard
This newly republished biography of the first U.S. Catholic saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, captures her extraordinary journey as a pioneering missionary. Cabrini founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, dedicated to serving poor immigrant communities in the U.S. and South America. The book, based on exhaustive records, private letters, and interviews, provides an engaging blend of historical facts and spiritual insights that allow readers to closely connect with Cabrini.
The title, Too Small a World, reflects Cabrini’s belief that the world was too small for her ambitions – she sought to embrace the entire globe. The story begins with her arrival in New York with six fellow nuns, carrying only letters from Rome, and against her original dream of serving in China. Directed by the Pope to work among Italian immigrants, Cabrini faced immense challenges, including hostility from powerful figures.
The biography traces her early life in Italy, where as a child, she dreamed of becoming a missionary, and recounts her eventual work of establishing schools, hospitals, and orphanages in the slums of New York and beyond. Despite opposition, Cabrini’s 28 years of service reflected her unshakable faith and determination to bring Christ’s love to the marginalized. By 1909, she had gained American citizenship and was admired by Presidents and governors alike.
The epilogue includes eyewitness accounts of miracles attributed to her and highlights the reverence shown to her by Popes Leo XIII, Benedict XV, and Pius X. Cabrini’s deep prayer life is emphasized as the source of her extraordinary accomplishments.
To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age (2019)
Robert Barron and John L. Allen Jr.
To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age by Bishop Robert Barron and John L. Allen Jr. explores how to spread the Catholic faith in today’s secular world. Bishop Barron, a well-known Catholic apologist and evangelist, addresses pressing religious and cultural issues in three lengthy conversations with Allen. He critiques modern debates on religion and morality, which often devolve into polemics, noting the rising interest in religion on social media platforms.
John Allen introduces Barron as a fundamentally missionary figure, focused on the ‘beating heart’ of Catholicism rather than its secondary aspects. As Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, Barron is seen as a modern successor to Venerable Fulton Sheen, engaging thoughtfully with a secular world often hostile to religion. This book reflects Barron’s media work, showcasing the intellectual relevance, beauty, and cultural significance of the Catholic faith through personal anecdotes and logical arguments.
The first chapter recounts Barron’s life, from his 1959 birth in Chicago to his passion for baseball and the spiritual and intellectual influences that shaped him. His media work, particularly the Catholicism series and Word on Fire, has millions of followers worldwide. His mission centres on proclaiming a loving God to lapsed Catholics, the indifferent, and secular critics.
The book’s chapters – covering topics like ‘Beauty,’ ‘Goodness,’ ‘Truth,’ ‘Evangelization,’ ‘Prayer and the Supernatural,’ ‘The Bible,’ and ‘Obstacles to the Faith’ – offer a roadmap for rekindling faith. Barron’s core message is that faith is not “infrarational” (below reason) but supernatural, transcending reason while embracing it. He invites readers to set their lives ablaze with the “Word on Fire.”
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