Meditations on My Life as a Brooklyn Existentialist, Philosophical Paladin, and Samurai Thomist

by Dr. Peter Anthony Achilles Redpath

An autobiography written as a pedagogical aid to help listeners and readers intellectually grasp how Peter Anthony Achilles Redpath came to arrive at his unusual way of viewing philosophy and science and their relationship to each other.

Paperback: $14.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“I’ve been sharing a few of Peter Redpath’s Meditations with several of my undergraduate students. They are delighted to hear of a mobster discovering a new moral insight about his imprudence in having had an adulterous affair with his wife’s best girlfriend. Even gangsters and professional politicians want to be happy. Redpath communicates serious philosophical thought with a light anecdotal tone. Witty, engaging, and delivered in three- or four-page installments, these forty meditations each last one attention-span. Redpath introduces us to some very interesting people—Thomas Aquinas and Carlo Gambino, for example. Even the chapter headings catch our attention: “How ‘Augustinian-Sicilian, Political Prudence’ is an Essential First Principle of the Colorful and Unconventional Behavior of ‘Brooklyn Existentialist’ Friends from My Youth.” This unacademic and funny collection of essays turns out to be philosophically informative and free from stodginess.” – E. M. Macierowski, Benedictine College

“What has Brooklyn to do with Athens? A good deal, it turns out. In this intimate account, Professor Redpath teaches us what philosophy is really all about—and how even the “Wise Guys” he grew up with demonstrated more common sense than Descartes, Rousseau, Kant, or Hegel.” – Eduardo Bernot, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Aquinas School of Leadership

“In weaving together his personal biography with his intellectual development, Peter Redpath offers a colorful blend of inimitable characters and philosophical meditations, which led him to define himself as a Brooklyn Existentialist, a Philosophical Paladin and a Samurai Thomist. Growing up in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, Redpath interacted with a ‘rogues gallery’ of Cosa Nostra figures, some lovable and others deadly. It was there that he first learned the uncommon common sense of Brooklyn Existentialism, which matured into his practice of philosophy as a Paladin – one who battles for an honorable cause – and as a Samurai Thomist, a member of a professional class of noble fighters after the fashion of St. Thomas Aquinas. Redpath’s Thomism is unconventionally scholastic as it focuses on organizational psychology and leadership, aiming to elucidate what is genuinely good leadership, so rare in today’s politicized, declining culture. This autobiography confirms that Redpath’s career is truly that of a noble, patriotic, and hopeful ‘knight without armor in a savage land.’” – Tom Michaud, Retired Dean of School of Professional Studies, West Liberty University, Wheeling, West Virginia, and author of After Justice: Catholic Challenges to Progressive Culture, Politics, Economics and Education

“Cleverly presented for widespread readership as a short series of wise and witty musings about the nature of philosophy by a street-smart cultural critic like Eric Hoffer, Peter Redpath’s Autobiography is much more than this. Calling upon his early childhood Brooklyn upbringing surrounded by organized crime bosses and their children (who were personal friends of his and his family) from whom he acquired many philosophical truths in the form of practical and productive common sense, Redpath extends his reflections to subsequent, philosophical truths he learned from lifelong experience working with students and colleagues ranging from sociopaths to saints. Doing this causes him completely to reinterpret the nature and history of philosophy and every species of higher learning whenever and wherever it exists. By nature, wherever and whenever they live, Redpath argues all somewhat psychologically healthy human beings are convinced that: (1) their lives are providentially guided by a prudent, commonsense, natural inclination to live a life of perfect virtue—a life of uncommon common sense; (2) all species of higher learning and cultural and civilizational development essentially grow out of this natural desire; (3) if this natural desire disappears from an individual, culture, or civilization that individual, culture, or civilization becomes sociopathic, and commits suicide. Peter Redpath’s Meditations are written in the form of a literary thriller that could easily become a best seller and produce an Oscar-winning movie. The truths they contain constitute a primer about how to survive and thrive in a contemporary world that is increasingly losing its common sense and going mad. For this reason alone, it is well worth reading.” – Dennis Bonnette, Retired Chairman, Philosophy Department, Niagara University, New York, and author of Rational Responses to Skepticism: A Catholic Philosopher Defends Intellectual Foundations for Traditional Belief

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter A. Redpath (retired Full Professor of Philosophy at St. John’s University, New York) is author, editor, co-editor of 22 books and many dozens of articles and book reviews. An internationally recognized scholar, since 1980 he has given over 200 invited guest lectures nationally and internationally. Among his many accomplishments, he is CEO of the Aquinas School of Leadership, LLC; former Founder and Chair of the Thomistic Studies Graduate Concentration in Christian Wisdom for Holy Apostles College and Seminary (USA); an Affiliate Scholar with the University Abat Oliba Graduate program (Barcelona, Spain). Peter is also co-founder of the Gilson Society (USA) and the International Etienne Gilson Society, the Adler-Aquinas Institute, and the Angelicum Academy and Great Books Academy homeschool programs (both founded with the help of Mortimer J. Adler); former executive editor of the Value Inquiry Book Series (VIBS) for the Dutch publisher Editions Rodopi, B.V., and special series editor for Rodopi and Brill/Rodopi. Presently, he is a member of the editorial board of Brill Publishing’s Philosophy and Religion (PAR) series, a member of the Advisory Board of the Lyceum Institute, and Officer in Charge of Medieval Christian Philosophy and Academic Liaison to the Holy See for Global Scholarly Publications. For a list of articles published on the Catholic World Report, see http://www.catholicworldreport.com/author/redpath-peter/

OTHER BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS

Gifts of Providence: From Wyoming Pioneers to Vatican Diplomacy

by John Klink

TESTIMONIALS

​ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Klink recounts some of the intriguing stories of his unique life of faith-based humanitarian service, diplomacy, finance, and politics which he attributes to gifts of Divine Providence that he would like to pass as a baton to future generations. 

The grandson of 19th-century emigrant pioneers from the Kingdom of Württemberg and Ireland, he was born on October 8, 1949, on one of Wyoming’s oldest ranches. His paternal German grandfather’s Flag Ranch near Laramie hosted three U.S. Presidents and served as the departure point for Teddy Roosevelt’s famous 60 mi. compulsory horseback ride to Cheyenne with his Cabinet, while his maternal Irish family’s scion served as the first foreign-born U.S. Senator from Wyoming, and a pallbearer for his close friend Buffalo Bill.  Following his father’s sales of the family ranches that ran from southern Wyoming to northern Colorado in 1952, his father made a precipitous move to a Bernard Maybeck home in Montecito near Santa Barbara which greatly influenced his love for architecture, art and music.

This move at a young age saw him growing up as a neighbor and friend to many luminaries of Hollywood, industry, and royalty where he says he felt strong similarities with the Beverly Hillbillies, but his family was steadied by his mother’s deep faith-life. During, and following a Jesuit education at Santa Clara University, Georgetown, and Loyola University in Rome, which sparked a lifelong devotion for the poor and refugees, he joined CRS, the Catholic equivalent of the Peace Corps, and served in North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean.  This led to postings in some of the poorest countries of the world, collaborating with St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, and being Director of a refuge Program in Thailand charged with the care of 400,000 traumatized Khmer during the Cambodian Crisis.

He was then recruited by the Vatican, and subsequently the White House, to serve as a diplomat/negotiator for scores of United Nations World Summits and Conferences during the critical period of the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of the European Union,  became an advisor to Popes and Presidents, was elected President of the International Catholic Migration Commission, and with his wife Patricia began a sovereign securities firm on Wall Street.  

John is quick to note that his fascinating, and at times highly challenging, experiences had little to do with his personal talents, but to his willingness to make himself available to Divine Providence without which he would have been a dusty but happy sheepherder on the Wyoming prairie to this day and sadly would probably not have met his beautiful wife with whom he recently celebrated their 37th anniversary in their home in Umbria.

Honors: Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Knight of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, Knight of Columbus (3rd Degree), and a Knight of Sts. Maurice and Lazarus. Royal Thai Armed Forces Award for Humanitarian Assistance to Displaced Persons in Thailand; 41st CRS Anniversary Award for Humanitarian Assistance; Legatus Ambassador Award.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Floating to the Shore of Eternity: Last Journals of Ronda Chervin (2022-2024)

By Ronda Chervin

One of the most wonderful images I thought I received from Jesus in the 8^th decade of my life was this: “Stop dog-paddling in the waves of life and let Me float you to the shore of eternity.” Gradually I have slowed down on speaking at conferences or for parish groups. This year, my 86^th, I stopped writing big books and wrote, instead, lots of small booklets, as well as a compendium of my best thoughts under the title of 77 Soundbytes of Love. Now I sensed, in prayer, that the Holy Spirit wanted me to make my last small book the journals still unpublished of 2022-2024. Unless I “get” a huge gust of insight after this, Floating to the Shore of Eternity will be the last time I write anything except responses to e-mails! I am a little scared since I have so long defined myself as a writer. Addicted to labeling and to acting like a “drama queen” it seems daunting to imagine myself under the label of “Old Penitent” or “Pseudo-Contemplative.” Let go, let God! And so begins these most recent thoughts of mine. 

Paperback: $12.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“The years pass quickly. It’s the days that are long! Ronda looks back in these day-to-day journal entries of the past couple of years with both wit and wisdom.” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronda Chervin, PhD, is a professor of philosophy, widow, grandmother, and great grandmother. She has taught at Loyola Marymount University, St. John’s Seminary of Los Angeles, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, and Holy Apostles Seminary and College. She is the author of numerous books about Catholic living and presents on EWTN and Catholic Radio. Most well-known of her books are The Way of Love, Treasury of Women Saints, Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering: How our Heroes in Faith Found Peace amid Sorrow, and, most recently, with co-author Albert Hughes: Escaping Anxiety on the Road to Spiritual Joy. 

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Finding Serenity: The Camino Distillate

By Joseph J Hurley

Joe Hurley walked thirty-three straight days. After crossing the Pyrenees into Spain, he trekked eight hundred more kilometers to Santiago de Compostela. For three days, he hiked alongside his son Mike. Then, for thirty days he wandered solo. Rarely was he alone, though. Everything needed, besides food, could be found in his pack. With each dawn’s arrival, he never knew where he would lodge that evening, except for two nights. While physically challenging, his journey was likewise joyous and extraordinarily uplifting. It gave him the precious gift of serenity. He would do it again in a heartbeat, if so blessed. After reading this book, you will want to join him!

Paperback: $19.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Distillates are those substances that are concentrated or extracted. Dr. Hurley has concentrated the spiritual meaning and substance of the Camino in his book Finding Serenity. It is a journey of the external road imitating or extracting the internal life of the Spirit. Taking the time to walk (even if only by his words and images), allows one to go deeper via the simple pleasures and serenity of the path, experiencing more fully being alive and aware. Many thanks to Dr. Hurley for helping us deepen our appreciation for roads outwardly and more frequently traveled as well as those very human roads inside of us too often less traveled.” – Charlie Durban, author of Adventures with the Holy Spirit: A Journey with Ruach

“It was on a Sunday morning on my own Camino de Santiago journey. From a mile away soft musical notes emanated across the open field I was crossing. Those magical mysterious notes increased in volume as it drew me closer, finally bringing me to the entrance of a Catholic Church where a Mass was about to begin. The words and expressions in Joseph Hurley’s Finding Serenity are like word notes inviting the reader to a destination. That destination will be the door to your heart, mind, and soul. Open that door to experience what a life changing walk can do to the walker as well as the reader.” – Paul Stutzman, author of Hiking Through: One Man’s Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail, and Pilgrims: On the Camino de Santiago.

“The Camino provides is a saying many of us have experienced and usually when we least expect it. Joseph’s delving into the history and spirituality of this journey is truly enlightening. I love to encourage people to undertake a journey of self-discovery by walking the Camino — and then life will never be the same.” – Nola Vulling, a Camino pilgrim who has made six pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela including one of over 1000 miles from Amsterdam

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Hurley is a retired physician residing in St Louis with his wife Ellen. A frequent urban and backwoods hiker he has shared numerous outdoor trips with his nine children. As a practicing Catholic he was drawn to experience the ancient practice of pilgrimage upon his retirement in 2014. This book is a long look back on his solo journey in the Summer of that year.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Rev. Fr. Austin M. Woodbury, SM, PhD, STD and the Aquinas Academy (1945 – 1975)

by Dr. Donald G. Boland

OTHER TITLES BY DONALD G. BOLAND

1. Logic, Science, and St. Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
2. Natural Philosophy, Modern Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
3. Science, Psychology and Saint Thomas Aquinas by Donald G. Boland | En Route Books and Media
4. Ethics Today and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
5. Natural Law – Australian Style | En Route Books and Media
6. Political Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
7. Economic Science and St. Thomas Aquinas: On Justice in the Distribution and Exchange of Wealth | En Route Books and Media
8. The Social Encyclicals and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
9. Metaphysics, Truth and St. Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
10. Metaphysics/Ontology and St. Thomas Aquinas (Twenty Readings in Wisdom Forsaken) | En Route Books and Media
11. Thomas of the Creator | En Route Books and Media
12. The Thomist Tradition: Avoiding Scylla and Charybdis | En Route Books and Media

TESTIMONIALS

​ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donald G Boland Ll. B. (Sydney), Ph. D. (Angelicum) is a founding member of the Centre for Catholic Studies Inc. in Sydney Australia and is one of its former Presidents. He practiced for a number of years as a lawyer having a degree in law from the University of Sydney. Over much the same time, having obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas in Rome, he has taught philosophy and law in both Catholic and secular educational institutions, such as the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Newcastle, the Aquinas Academy, the Centre for Thomistic Studies Inc., now operating under the name of the Centre for Catholic Studies Inc., and various Catholic seminaries, such as those of the Marists and the Vincentians. His doctoral thesis was on the concepts of utility and value in economics as found in the works of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

In Whom I Am Well Pleased

by Edward T. Byrne

REVIEWS

Offner, Daniel. “This Local Author Penned a Powerful Memoir” (October 25, 2024), The Long Island Herald. Click here to read the review. 

TESTIMONIALS

“With every bittersweet word both honest and heartbreaking, Edward Byrne reminds us to cherish each moment in his wrenching memoir no parent would ever want to write.”  – Carol Hoenig, author of the forthcoming novel Before She was a Finley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edward T. Byrne is a lawyer, practicing in the field of construction law for forty-five years. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Columbia Law School. Love’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over, a Vietnam era family drama, was his first novel, published in 2017 after a very long gestation period.”

Visit Edward online at Edward T. Byrne (edwardtbyrne.com).

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS