Msg Base:  AREA 5  - ASK FATHER            CIN ECHO   AMDG
  Msg No: 127.  Mon  8-26-91  6:45
    From: Father Mateo
      To: Jeremiah Mcauliffe
 Subject: Mystics

³ Why does it seem as if the Church does not teach people about the
³ Saints--I mean specifically the unitive path? Isn't this what it is all
³ about? It is so easy to kvetch about laws, rules and regulations, dos and
³ don'ts, but rarely do we become familiar with people such as John of the
³ Cross, Catherine of Sienna, etc. Please Comment.
 
Dear Jeremiah,
 
The Church does plenty to teach people about the Saints and the
spiritual life.
 
The annual liturgy celebrates the feastdays of a large number of
important Saints.  Catholic bookstores have collections of
biographies of these liturgical Saints and others also.  Booklong
biographies of many Saints are easy to come by.  If you enjoy
homilies about the Saint of the day, I'm sure your parish priests
will be glad to know of your interest and will respond to it.
 
Retreat houses and Catholic universities often provide workshops,
seminars, lectures and whole courses on the spiritual life.  Again,
Catholic bookstores stock many books on the great Catholic mystics
and devotions.  If your own parish does not have a lending library,
why don't you and other interested laypeople start one?
 
Please do not undervalue "laws, rules and regulations, dos and
don'ts."  They are all part of God's plan for us.  The Church is
visible as well as spiritual.  We can no more do without our
structures than the human body can operate without a skeleton.
 
Here are some addresses to which you may write to get catalogs of
books and tapes on the spiritual life and other aspects of
Catholicism:
 
1) Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 424, Rockford, IL 61105
2) Servant Publications, Customer Service Dept., Box 8617, Ann Arbor
   MI 48107
3) Liguori Publications, One Liguori Dr., Liguori, MO 63057-9999
4) Liturgical Press, St. John's Abbey, P.O. Box 7500, Collegeville,
   MN 56321-7500
5) Trinity Communications, P.O. Box 3610, Manassus, VA  22110
6) Franciscan University Press, Franciscan University of
   Steubenville, Steubenville, OH 43952
7) Ignatius Press, 15 Oakland Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528
8) Catholic Answers, P.O. Box 17181, San Diego, CA  92117
9) St. Joseph Communications, P.O. Box 720, West Covina, CA 91793
 
                                Sincerely in Christ,
                                Father Mateo