Politics, Law & Religion in Times of COVID

Editors, Jane F. Adolphe, Fulvio Di Blasi, and Robert L. Fastiggi

TESTIMONIALS

“This conference was superbly conceived and really useful. Involving scholars and practitioners from many countries […] What was learned […] was not only what happened around the world between 2020 and 2022 but what should not be allowed to happen again.” – Iain Benson, professor of law, University of Notre Dame, School of Law, Sydney, Australia

“The closure of churches by governments during the COVID pandemic has taught us that we can no longer take for granted the precious freedom to practice our faith.” – Charles LiMandri, Esq., LiMandri & Jonna, LLP

“Many churches in the West failed their spiritual covid-test. They carried a high viral load of fear – fear of disease, fear of man, fear of death – and showed low levels of spiritual antibodies. The gospel of freedom from fear was rarely preached in a way that challenges secular powers or popular sentiment.” – Douglas Farrow, professor of theology and ethics, School of Religious Studies, McGill University, Montreal

“The essence of totalitarianism is when a government assumes complete control not only over the outward behavior of citizens but also over their inner lives, the way they think and evaluate the world.” – Rev. Piotr Mazurkiewicz, Professor of Political Science, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw, Poland

JANE F. ADOLPHE, EDITOR

​JANE F. ADOLPHE is a canon lawyer and a civil attorney (New York, Alberta); a professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law (AMSL), in Naples, Florida; and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Notre Dame, School of Law, in Sydney, Australia. She has served as an external and internal legal advisor to the Papal Secretariat of State, Section for Relations with States.

FULVIO DI BLASI, EDITOR

​FULVIO DI BLASI is an attorney (Italy), a legal mediator, and a Thomistic philosopher. He directs the Thomas International Center for Philosophical Studies (United States) and has taught at the University of Notre Dame (United States), the LUMSA Law School (Italy), the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome) and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland).

ROBERT L. FASTIGGI, EDITOR

ROBERT L. FASTIGGI is a professor of dogmatic theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, where he has taught since 1999. He previously taught at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas (1985-1999). He is a coeditor of the English translation of the 43^rd edition of Denzinger-Hünerman (2012) and a member of the Pontifical Marian Academy International.

IAIN T. BENSON

​IAIN T. BENSON is an attorney (Ontario, British Columbia), professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, and extraordinary professor of law at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontain, South Africa. He has also served as a visiting professor in law at the University of Western Ontario, Canada (2014) and as a fellow of Massey College, University of Toronto (2015).

JOHN CARPAY

JOHN CARPAY is an attorney (Alberta) and president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, (https://www.jccf.ca/), which he founded in 2010 with the mission of defending the rights and freedoms of Canadians through litigation and education. He formerly served the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as Alberta Director from (2001-2005).

DOUGLAS FARROW

DOUGLAS FARROW is a professor of theology and ethics at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. He previously taught in the United Kingdom at King’s College London, after completing his doctorate there under Colin Gunton.

CHRISTOPHER A. FERRARA

​CHRISTOPHER A. FERRARA is an attorney (United States) and civil rights litigator in cases involving the civil and constitutional rights of Catholics and other Christians. He successfully obtained an injunction against the COVID-related church closures imposed by California Governor Gavin Newsom and the “vaccine mandate” imposed by the ex-Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. He has authored many books and articles on subjects ranging from Catholic issues to quantum mechanics.

REV. PIOTR MAZURKIEWICZ

REV. PIOTR MAZURKIEWICZ is a Catholic priest (Archdiocese of Warsaw, Poland), and professor at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (Warsaw), where he directs the Institute of Political Science and holds the Chair of Social and Political Ethics in the Department of Historical and Social Studies. He serves the Polish Bishops’ Conference as an advisor and has served a three-year term (2008-2012) as the General Secretary of Bishop’s Conferences of the European Union (COMECE).

JANET E. SMITH

JANET E. SMITH is an author, speaker, and lecturer (find her online at https://janetsmith.org/), who retired from the Father McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. She has authored many books and articles on Humanae Vitae and has distributed more than two million copies of her talk, Contraception: Why Not, (now in its 3^rd edition). She served three terms as a consultant to the Pontifical Council on the Family, and eight years on the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission III.

GRÉGOR PUPPINCK

GRÉGOR PUPPINCK is the director of the European Centre for Law and Justice. He has served as an expert representing the Holy See in committees of the Council of Europe, since 1999. He lectures on human rights, international law, and constitutional law at the law schools of the Universities of Mulhouse and Strasbourg (2003-2012). In 2016, he was an appointed member of the Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion and Belief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

MICHAEL ARTHUR VACCA

MICHAEL ARTHUR VACCA is an attorney (Michigan), and the director of ministry, bioethics, and membership experience for Christ Medicus Foundation (CMF) CURO. From 2010-2012, he served as a legal advisor for the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family in Rome, Italy, where he advocated for the defense of human life, religious freedom, and the natural family on the international, regional, and national levels.

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

The Gender Revolution: A Global Agenda (A Tool for Discernment)

by Marguerite A. Peeters, Ph.D., with a Foreword by Robert Cardinal Sarah

Wherever one lives in the world and whatever one’s age and occupation, it has today become difficult to escape the influence of the global political and cultural norm of “gender equality”. Each continent, each government, each people can observe sociological developments in its midst that are linked to the gender perspective, to gender. These developments cannot be “neutral” nor without consequences for their cultures, their identity, their future. This book seeks to expose the global agenda of the gender revolution and share with those caught up in it the fullness of divine life.

Paperback: $14.95 | Audible: $14.99 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Marguerite Peeters meets and extends the convictions and exhortations of John Henry Newman, who said that only men and women of faith who ‘profit by what every day and hour teaches us, as it flies’ can discern and apprehend the overwhelming presence of God in the world. … We recommend this book and very much hope that it will be widely read throughout Africa and that it will elicit honest dialogue worthy of the greatness and dignity of man, created in the image and likeness of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” —from the foreword, by Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Archbishop emeritus of Conakry (Guinea)

“As a revised understanding of one’s sexual identity increasingly becomes integrated into the fabric and social structure of society, this author does something quite remarkable. She brings stunning clarity to the confusing dissonance of the culture of gender ideology. The author demonstrates how the confusion regarding one’s sexual identity has resulted from an inversion of the objective and subjective understanding of the nature of a person’s sexuality, where the objective biological reality has become the servant to the subjective understanding of the masculine and feminine. Undaunted, the author identifies the true nature of problem, namely, gender ideology’s distorted understanding and biased misrepresentation of what it means to truly love, placing the love of self and right to choose over the primordial fullness of the relationship of mutual love between a man and woman.” —Joseph P. Michael, Th.D., author of Apologia Pro Sancta Maria: Mother of the Church, Mater Ecclesiae

“Marguerite Peeters accurately assesses our socio-political landscape concerning the assault upon both our philosophical and theological anthropologies. She provides the historical context and a future hope as rich as that of Tolkien’s Middle Earth where he describes Frodo’s experience with the Ring at the start of his quest–‘…with determination etched upon his face, Frodo stepped forward into the wasteland. . . . Desolation surrounded him, but within his heart burned a flame that would not be extinguished—a light to defy the encroaching shadows.’ We, too, are living under the shadow of Sauron, yet, like Frodo, move forward with the kind of hope that we know will prevail. Peeters offers within the pages of this book, in true Petrine style, a reason for that hope.” —Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, co-author with Ronda Chervin of Catholic Realism: A Framework for the Refutation of Atheism and the Evangelization of Atheists

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marguerite A. Peeters directs Dialogue Dynamics, a Brussels-based institute specializing in the analysis of political and cultural developments at the level of global governance. She has authored several books on the globalization of the Western cultural revolution, the gender revolution and postmodernity.

 

See the EWTN interview with Jesús Colina entitled “In the Wake of Cultural Revolution” (June 18, 2008).

ABOUT THE FOREWORD

Robert Cardinal Sarah is a Guinean prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 20 November 2010, he was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 November 2014 to 20 February 2021. Sarah previously served as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples under Pope John Paul II and president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum under Pope Benedict XVI.Sarah has been a vocal advocate for the defense of traditional Catholic teaching on questions of sexual morality and the right to life, and in denouncing Islamic radicalism. He has called gender ideology and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) the “two radicalizations” that threaten the family: the former through divorce, same-sex marriage, and abortion; the latter with child marriage, polygamy, and the subjugation of women. [from Wikipedia]

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Consuming Love: Discovering Christ the Bridegroom in Holy Communion

by Fr. Gregory Cleveland, OMV

The Eucharist is the “sacrament of love.” Jesus Christ is the true Bridegroom of our hearts, and it is he whom we receive in holy Communion. Even if you have received our Lord thousands of times in the Eucharist, Consuming Love invites you to experience afresh the intensity of the intimacy Christ offers us. This book opens new horizons in our understanding of the Eucharist and offers a language of love to express our relationship with Jesus as a divine romance. Through his Incarnation, death, and Resurrection, Jesus Christ wedded human nature to himself, making a marvelous marriage of God and man. Jesus continues to make a marriage with his Church through the gift of himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament. We respond with consent to this union of Christ with our hearts as we receive him in holy Communion, giving ourselves completely to him in return.

Paperback: $14.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“As an author myself, I love a good title and subtitle for a book. Consuming Love: these two words together have a double meaning, both equally profound, which Father Cleveland unfolds with brilliant insight throughout: the love revealed in the Eucharist is not only “all consuming,” but in receiving the Eucharist, we have the privilege of literally consuming this all-consuming love. Oh, the intimacy to which we are invited at every Mass! The revelation of the Eucharist as “the sacrament of the Bridegroom and of the Bride” (St. John Paul II) is transformative – not only of one’s experience of the Mass, but of one’s entire life. Be not afraid of the journey of Discovering Christ the Bridegroom in Holy Communion on which this treasure of a book will lead you!” – Christopher West, Th.D., President, Theology of the Body Institute, author of Eating the Sunrise: Meditations of the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty

“Feast on the words of this deeply Eucharist book. Rooted deeply in Scripture and the Liturgy, these beautiful reflections remind us that we are Christ’s beloved bride. As individuals and as the Church, we participate in the wedding banquet at each Mass. In adoration, we gaze in love at our bridegroom Jesus and He gazes back at us. Fr. Gregory Cleveland’s book invites us to enter more fully into relationship with the Lord and surrender to His love in the Eucharist and the other Sacraments.  Fr. Cleveland teaches us how to participate more intensely in Mass, from the kiss at the altar to going forth as living tabernacles to joyfully sharing God’s love with others. Questions and prayer exercises at the end of each chapter make the book a wonderful companion for both personal meditation and group discussion.” – Lynda Rozell, author of Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Heresia Disfarçada de Tradição

por Pedro Gabriel

Livro de bolso: €22.99 | Kindle: €9.19

TESTEMUNHOS

​”Pedro Gabriel exibe as mesmas qualidades admiráveis encontradas nos seus outros escritos, ou seja, pesquisa cuidadosa, argumentação clara e refutações caridosas mas convincentes das falsas alegações feitas pelos críticos papais. Embora o Dr. Gabriel seja muito versado em teologia, ele é um médico … por formação e profissão. Em Heresia Disfarçada de Tradição, a sua formação médica é evidente. Ele é capaz de diagnosticar o cancro da falsa teologia disfarçada de tradição e expor as suas qualidades patológicas.” – Dr. Robert Fastiggi, Professor de Teologia Sistemática, Seminário Maior do Sagrado Coração, Detroit, Michigan

“Pedro Gabriel tem o dom de dar respostas transparentes e honestas a questões complexas. Agora, neste livro, ele explica o que é a Tradição Católica. Uma das pragas da atual discussão sobre o pontificado do Papa Francisco são os tradicionalistas que não conhecem a tradição da Igreja. Para propor a mesma verdade num contexto diferente, diante de uma cultura diferente e de desafios diferentes, não basta repetir as mesmas palavras. As palavras são sempre interpretadas num contexto. Parece que há apenas a escolha entre separarmo-nos da cultura em que vivemos para nos tornarmos homens da cultura em que a Tradição (que engloba a Escritura) foi originalmente formulada (mas então perdemos a capacidade de iluminar com as palavras da Escritura os dilemas do mundo de hoje) ou ler a Escritura à luz do Espírito do Nosso Tempo (mas então perdemos a capacidade de afirmar aquelas verdades que o nosso tempo não está disposto a aceitar e em vez de nos transformarmos segundo o Espírito de Jesus, transformamos Jesus segundo a nossa Mente). A resposta católica é que Deus instituiu, através do sacramento da Ordem e do Primado de Pedro, o contexto apropriado para a interpretação da sua Mensagem. Este contexto está ao mesmo tempo no tempo e fora do tempo. Sem a ajuda do Espírito Santo não pode haver Tradição, ou pelo menos não pode haver Tradição católica. É por isso que não é possível opor a Tradição católica ao Primado de Pedro. Simul stabunt, simul cadent (“juntos se erguem ou juntos caem”). O leitor encontrará respostas claras numa linguagem fácil de compreender e na qual transparece um amor fervoroso à Tradição e ao corpo de Cristo encarnado”. – Rocco Buttiglione, Membro da Pontifícia Academia das Ciências Sociais e da Pontifícia Academia de Santo Tomás.

“Pedro Gabriel conseguiu articular uma apaixonada defesa católica da verdadeira Tradição contra as suas deformações pseudo-tradicionalistas. Nada poderia ser mais oportuno para compreender – de uma vez por todas – que o Espírito Santo não foi de férias e assiste constantemente todos os sucessores de Pedro na condução e no governo da Igreja.” – Rodrigo Guerra Lopez, Secretário da Pontifícia Comissão para a América Latina.

“Pedro Gabriel oferece uma defesa bem escrita e profundamente pesquisada da doutrina católica em resposta aos erros do tradicionalismo católico contemporâneo. O Dr. Gabriel envolve-se diretamente com os argumentos dos tradicionalistas radicais e oferece uma resposta completa, não deixando pedra sobre pedra. O livro enfatiza as doutrinas da Igreja relativas ao papado, especialmente o papel crucial do papa na manutenção da unidade da Igreja e como garante da ortodoxia. Recomendo vivamente este livro a qualquer pessoa interessada em eclesiologia católica que queira compreender os debates em curso sobre autoridade e tradição na Igreja”. – Mike Lewis, cofundador e editor do website Where Peter Is.

“Este livro é uma lufada de ar fresco. O Dr. Gabriel escreveu um livro que falou diretamente a mim. Quando ele apresenta os seus argumentos, eu penso, sai da minha cabeça. Finalmente alguém reuniu um livro coeso que refuta a ideologia por detrás do tradicionalismo radical. Ele expõe na perfeição como esta ideologia coincide com a dos hereges do passado. Excelente trabalho, Dr. Gabriel! O seu trabalho é muito apreciado!” – Josh Anderson, revisor da Amazon, 5 estrelas!

SOBRE O AUTOR

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique

by James Likoudis with essays selected and edited by Andrew Likoudis

Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique, penned by esteemed scholar Dr. James Likoudis, meticulously scrutinizes the doctrines of Palamism, a theological construct found in Eastern Orthodoxy, but seemingly less than essential to it. This Palamite system, controversially claimed to be foundational to Eastern Orthodoxy, primarily involves the essence-energies distinction made famous by Hesychast monk Gregory Palamas. Dr. Likoudis examines the tenets of this system, discussing their place in Eastern Orthodox theology and ecumenism. He assesses the scriptural and traditional foundations of Palamism, as well as providing a Catholic lens through which to understand it, in the hopes of resolving longstanding difficulties in the way of full unity between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Paperback: $14.95 | Audible: $14.99 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“James Likoudis deserves much praise for this present volume, which provides a sound Catholic critique of the essence/energies distinction promoted by the Byzantine monk, archbishop, and theologian, Gregory Palamas (1296–1359). Since the 1930s, there has been a revival of interest in Palamism on the part of Eastern Orthodox Christians. Some Orthodox theologians and bishops even consider the essence/energy distinction of Palamas to be a dogma of the faith. Likoudis carefully examines the history of Palamism and the metaphysical and theological problems that some—including Orthodox—have noted in his system. This volume is enriched by an excellent foreword by Fr. Thomas Weinandy, OFM Cap. and a number of valuable appendices, especially one by Yves Congar, OP. Gregory Palamas might have been a holy monk, but the problems with his mystical theology should not be minimized or ignored.” — Robert Fastiggi, Ph.D., Bishop Kevin M. Britt Chair of Dogmatic Theology and Christology, Sacred Heart Major Seminary

“James Likoudis’s Unpacking Palamism: A Catholic Critique is a most welcome and timely publication. While debate will continue over the compatibility of Palamas’s theology and metaphysics with Catholicism, there can be no disputing Likoudis’s pivotal role in bringing Palamas into the theological awareness of many Western Christians. Likoudis’s trenchant engagement with Palamas over several decades helped set the tone for Orthodox-Catholic apologetics and has had a non-negligible impact in sparking a good deal of more recent scholarly research. This alone more than justifies this publication of Likoudis’s collected writings on Palamas. However, it is Likoudis’s clear presentation of Palamas’s beautiful teaching on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of all Christians, that sets this book apart. Mary is the key to resolving remaining theological differences between Catholic and Orthodox, and Likoudis provides his readers with a guide to knowing Mary according to the mind of this ‘Pillar of Orthodoxy.’” – — Dr. Jared Goff, Adjunct Professor of Dogmatic Theology, Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius; Co-author, “Palamas Among the Scholastics,” in Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies

“Likoudis’s concise retelling of the Palamite controversy and problematic readings of Palamism, both among Catholic and Orthodox scholars, as well as his concise summary of Palamas’s Mariology, provide an accurate representation of academic positions thereon by the pars maior of Catholic theologians and can be used with great profit for becoming acquainted with the historically controversial assertions of Palamas and Palamists in both Late Byzantium and by Modern systematic theologians.” — Rev. Christiaan Kappes, PhD, SLD, Academic Dean, Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius; Co-author, “Palamas Among the Scholastics,” in Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies

“This work represents the capstone of Dr. Likoudis’s life-long effort toward reconciling his Eastern Orthodox brethren with the Catholic Church. His concise and informative treatment of Gregory Palamas, the famous and controversial 14^th century monk of Mount Athos and Archbishop of Thessalonica, is both highly appreciative and gently critical. On the one hand, Likoudis praises Palamas’s ascetical-mystical spirituality and theology of theosis, calling his rich Mariology “sublime” and suggesting that Catholics have much to learn from him. On the other hand, he devotes two chapters to Palamas’s controversial notion of God’s “uncreated energies,” which, though distinct from God’s transcendent essence, allegedly do not compromise divine simplicity and yet can be experienced by men as the “Light of Mount Tabor.” Likoudis carefully reviews both the writings of Catholics sympathetic with Palamas as well as those who are critical. He devotes two chapters to problematic aspects of Palamism that serve as obstacles to reunion with Rome, noting how some Eastern Orthodox theologians champion Palamas as a rival to St. Thomas Aquinas, yet also noting how others such as Fr. Alexander Schmemann concede the logical necessity of a universal church’s need for a universal head in the bishop of Rome. Highly recommended.” — Philip Blosser, Professor of Philosophy, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit

“The Churches of the Christian East and West have wrestled for many centuries with the question of the relationship between the uncreated and created realms. Orthodox Archbishop Gregory Palamas of Thessalonica weighed in on this matter in a period of heightened controversy related to the spiritual experiences and contemplative methods of the Athonite Hesychasts (Gk. hesychia “stillness”), forging out of the crucible of both prayer and polemics what he believed to be a theological solution found in the essence-energies distinction in God. The positive reception of this distinction as defined by the Orthodox saint has been by no means univocal in either East or West, and the emergence of a divisive and hyper-polemical neo-Palamite school in modern Eastern Orthodoxy has shed far more heat than light on the subject. In this work, James Likoudis presents a worthy synthesis of his own thinking along with several others on the matter, with varying degrees of sympathy and antipathy towards the Palamite distinction and its possible effect on the prospects of Orthodox-Catholic unity.” — Fr Daniel Dozier, Executive Director of God With Us Eastern Catholic Formation, and author of 20 Answers: Eastern Catholicism from Catholic Answers

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Andrew Likoudis is a Catholic scholar working in ecclesiology, ecumenism, and liturgy. He serves as Digital Editor of Where Peter Is and holds an M.A. in Catholic Studies from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of To His Face: Indefectibility and the Problem of Dissent (En Route, 2026), with a foreword by Robert Fastiggi and an afterword by Emmett O’Regan, and he organized and edited Faith in Crisis (En Route, 2025), a 40-chapter volume drawing some thirty contributors—among them Robert Cardinal Sarah, Jimmy Akin, and Mike Aquilina—with a foreword by Rocco Buttiglione, praised in Word on Fire’s Evangelization & Culture journal as “an impressive labor of love.” His most recent editorial work includes the fiftieth-anniversary edition of Yves Congar’s Challenge to the Church: The Case of Archbishop Lefebvre (En Route, 2026), which he edited and introduced, with a foreword by Larry Chapp, and the third edition of James Likoudis’s Ending the Byzantine Greek Schism (Emmaus Road, 2026), with a foreword by Scott Hahn—the opening volume of a trilogy on Catholic-Orthodox reunion. In all he has authored, edited, or compiled thirteen volumes on Catholic ecclesiology and the papacy, and published 60+ articles in outlets including the National Catholic Register, Philosophy Now, Fellowship & Fairydust Magazine, Catholic Review, and Where Peter Is.

He is the grandson of Catholic apologist James Likoudis, President Emeritus of Catholics United for the Faith, and the nephew and godson of Paul Likoudis, longtime editor of The Wanderer, the oldest national Catholic weekly in the US. As founder and president of the Likoudis Legacy Foundation, which co-sponsored the 30th Orientale Lumen Conference attended by bishops of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, he directs the foundation’s ecumenical journal The Kydones Review, which carries a foreword from Archbishop Flavio Pace, the Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Likoudis provides consulting, research, organizational strategy, and communications services to Catholic publishers, nonprofits, and institutions. He writes frequently at his Substack, Tradition & Renewal, and is a parishioner at the Baltimore Basilica—America’s First Cathedral. He enjoys kayaking, bachata, tennis, and chess. More at andrewlikoudis.com

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS

The Lord of the Rings and Catholicism: Exploring the Christian Roots of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

by Madeleine Dobrowski

TESTIMONIALS

“Madeleine Dobrowski offers a compelling case for the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Catholic faith on his development of Middle Earth in which his epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings is set. She demonstrates over the course of her analysis how Tolkien “infuses the presence of Christ into the values and roles of a multitude of characters throughout the story” while using no formal allegory indicating that it was written against a Catholic landscape. In short, Tolkien’s Catholic faith is the source of the hope his characters find in their fellowship with one another in response to the despair imposed upon them by Sauron and his minions. A must read for any serious student of Tolkien’s work!” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy

“Madeline Dobrowski has written a gem. Her book paves a delightful path for Catholics interested in discovering the riches of the trilogy. This book will enkindle a hunger to feast on Tolkien’s broader corpus as well. For Tolkien aficionados, Dobrowski’s book convincingly shows just how deeply Tolkien’s imagination was suffused by his faith. In particular, I was impressed at Dobrowski‘s rich analysis of the themes of eucatastrophe, Eucharist, and Our Lady. Rest assured, she does not simply point out the well-worn, obvious connections you’ve heard in other Tolkien scholars. In finishing the book, one can feel a sense of gratitude and awe not merely for Middle Earth but for the world in which you sit.” – 5 star review from Tyler on Goodreads

“Nowhere in JRR Tolkien’s LOTR does he mention Christianity, but every page is infused with the themes of the Catholic faith. The book isn’t just about LOTR. It’s also a study of how a creator’s worldview finds a way to shine through his work. We don’t need to stand on soapboxes cajoling passersby to repent. That works for some, but, in my experience, it’s the people who often don’t need to say a word about Jesus who proclaim the Christian way of life the loudest through their humility, friendship, and mercy. These themes are pondered in Maddie’s book. As a novelist, I was inspired and encouraged because I’m interested in telling stories about life-saving mercy and hard journeys but hate how heavy-handed “Christian” fiction can feel. Reading this book made me realize how without really having to try, your faith (if you are being true to it) seeps into your work. That’s at once comforting and freeing.” – 5 star review from Adrienne Morris on Amazon

Madeleine Dobrowski

Madeleine Dobrowski is originally from the great Midwest but currently resides in Spokane, WA, where she spends her time studying philosophy, reading, writing, teaching literature, and enjoying the Pacific Northwest with her husband. She obtained her BA in Philosophy from Boise State University and is currently pursuing her MA in Philosophy – Christian Wisdom at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.

OTHER CATHOLIC ACADEMIC BOOKS