TESTIMONIALS
I was so excited when I received a copy of this book, St. Robert Bellarmine by Shaun McAfee. He wrote this book in cooperation with current pastor, Fr. Steven Stillmunks, as a fundraiser for the 50th anniversary of the parish in 2016. McAfee begins the book with his own story of conversion and how the members of the Church, along with the then pastor Fr. Donald Shane, drew him into understanding of the Catholic faith and membership into the Church. He was welcomed into full unity with the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday 2012, with his wife following soon after. Next in the book is the 50-year history of St. Robert’s Parish. McAfee covers a brief history of the pastors and what each accomplished, and includes a detailed timeline of important dates in the parish over the last 50 years. The next chapter, and the bulk of the book, covers who St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) was and what made him a saint and Doctor of the Church. He was one of the Church’s greatest apologists during a period when the Church was in dire need of defense from Protestants and Calvinists. McAfee includes a summary of St. Robert’s most famous writing, The Art of Dying Well, which was written in 1619, when Bellarmine was close to death. This is a beautiful exhortation on how we are to live so that when we do die, we can die in holiness so that we can ultimately be with Christ. McAfee summarizes nine precepts that Bellarmine outlines, and explains the purpose of each of the sacraments and how they relate to living a holy life, and dying a “happy death”. While all of St. Robert’s Parish, past, present, and future, will enjoy this book immensely, everyone who would like to learn more about Robert Bellarmine, the saint, will also be pleased reading this book. It is a wonderful celebration of the life of St. Robert and has inspired me to read the writings of St. Robert Bellarmine. Be sure to pick up your copy of St. Robert Bellarmine! – Laura Hensley, parishioner of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Omaha, NE