I know I have talked about it before, and highlighted the fact that the library has not one but two copies, but today’s blog is going to be a personal review of “Catholicism,” the documentary done by Fr. Robert Barron, acclaimed author, speaker and theologian, and Word On Fire Catholic Ministries, founded by Fr. Barron. I have finally been able to watch it myself, and it was as good as advertised.

Probably the nicest thing about this documentary is that each episode can stand alone.  You do not have to watch them in order, or see part one to understand part two, or even part six. Fr. Barron breaks up the Catholic faith in such a way to look at a separate aspect in each part, and focus on that alone. This makes it a series that you can watch over time, if you need to, and not worry about forgetting something you learned from an earlier episode.

It is Fr. Barron narrating throughout, and if you have never listened to him, I recommend doing it, either through his YouTube sermons or his many other videos. He has a clear way of speaking and explaining things, many times very thought-provoking ways of looking at something I might take for granted. One of the places he does this best is in part three, in which he tries to explain, or rather, explain how we cannot explain, about God. If that sentence is complicated, you get the idea. However, I came away with a deeper understanding of it all than I think I ever had in the past.?

In the first part, Fr. Barron focuses on Jesus as the Messiah, and many of the scenes are filmed on location in Israel and the surrounding area. He does this with other places as well throughout the series. They are not the first ones to do this, of course, but this always makes it feel more real to me; Fr. Barron is not talking about something that might have happened; these are things that did happen, here at this place.  ?

Basically, the hype is real, “Catholicism” is incredible, and as someone that bought it for his parents for Christmas, I could not be happier; My mom, who has only watched about half of it so far, absolutely loves it.?

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. Anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

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Mark your calendars…events are happening with the library in March!

Last year we ran a two-part “Soup and Substance Lenten Lecture Series,” and we are bringing it back again. These are presentations, with a soup and salad luncheon provided beforehand, given here at the seminary (put on by the library). The presentations feature different topics on back-to-back Thursdays in Lent. 
The first presentation is Thursday, March 15th, “Dr. Arthur Falls and the Heresy of the Mythical Body of Christ,” with presenter Lincoln Rice, a Ph.D. candidate in moral theology at Marquette University. He spoke last year at this same series on Dorothy Day, and has agreed to come back and talk about Dr. Arthur Falls, the main topic for his dissertation.

The second presentation, “You Mean We Can Eat Meat on Friday?: The 1966 Change in the Friday Abstinence Discipline,” will be March 22nd, presented by Fr. Steve Avella, history professor at Marquette University and an alumnae of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. Fr. Avella has written several books on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, including “In the Richness of the Earth: a History of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, 1843-1958.”

We would love to see everybody at these events. If you are planning to attend one or both of the presentations, we would ask that you let us know so that we have an accurate count for the food portion of the evening. For more information or to RSVP, please contact us at the library by email, through Facebook or by calling (414) 747-6479.

Now, if your Thursdays are free and you want another thing to do…the Thursday following these presentations, March 29th, there will be the bimonthly book discussion here at Salzmann Library. The book is “Diary of a Country Priest” by George Bernanos.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. Anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

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Back in May of 2011, when the weather was much nicer, I applied for the ISSR Library grant for Salzmann Library from the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR). Last month we were extremely excited to be informed that we had received it! It was a grant given to only 150 institutions worldwide.

“The ISSR Library consists of 224 volumes spanning all areas of the interface between science and spirituality.”
We have been waiting to put this in the Herald until the books had all been added to the collection. They will be able to be found on the new bookshelf (near the entrance) for several months, and then will be integrated into our stacks.

However, when using our catalog online at topcat.switchinc.org, one can search for this collection of books anytime by using the keyword “ISSR” or “International Society of Science and Religion.”

Come in and check out these items, or if you have any other faith questions please feel free to visit us at the Salzmann Library where the audiovisual selection is also expanding. 

The public is welcome!

Here is some basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

Comment (0)

Finally, snow (and winter) has come to Wisconsin. We all knew it was coming, so I do not think complaining is in order, rather let us be thankful the snow decided to wait a month before really arriving. What is better to do on a snowy day than curl up with a good book? Salzmann has those good books! Although, the possibility arises to curl up and watch a good movie. We have those too!

We recently added a bunch more movies to the collection…both educational and inspirational. We added a second copy of “Catholicism,” which is amazing. I have only watched several episodes so far, but Fr. Barron’s commentary on Jesus and our faith is incredible, backed up by images and video from people around the world.

“There be Dragons,” the film based on Josemaria Escriva is an intense look at his life.  “Soul Surfer” is an true story of the surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack and returned to surf again. “Fireproof” is Kirk Cameron’s (of Growing Pains fame) movie of a man transforming his life to try to save his failing marriage.

We have several new movies about the saints, including short, animated films on saints for the kids. They are by CCC of America, and I enjoyed them on VHS myself as a child. We now have these shows on DVD.

Then we have several new educational movies, including movies on Jesus, several on Mary including “What Every Catholic Needs to Know about Mary,” and confession.

These are all available to be checked out, so come in and grab a book or two, a movie or two, and get ready for the snow days of another Wisconsin winter.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

Comment (0)

First off, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our Salzmann fans and readers. I hope that your holidays were filled with family and cheer. As we look forward to this new year of 2012, I want to make a small mention of, and look ahead at, what’s happening at the library.

We are about halfway through our re-shelving project, in which I think I will have handled every book in the collection. This project, started last year, separates the upstairs into three distinct areas: our Historical Room, Humanities Room, and Science and Literature Room. This is in addition to the Special Collections and Reading Rooms that were already up there. Downstairs we are moving the books to continue to make room on the shelves as we continue to add great books to our collection.

In mentioning those books, I have to mention a grant we received, shortly before Christmas, of 250 books from the International Society of Science and Religion. When these books get catalogued, I will be mentioning more about them, but we are very happy to have these books to add (about 200 are new to the collection).

Kathy and I want to thank all of you for your support of the library, and the PR you bring to us every time you mention coming here to somebody. Word of mouth is the key.  There are still too many people that do not know we are available to them, and we need that to continue to change. This past year, people at the Catholic Herald, the newspaper article and this blog have definitely helped, and we plan to do more in 2012. We want to get some radio spots as another medium to talk to people about the library, as well as to visit local churches and talk directly to the populace.

Finally, I am happy to say that I have moved up to 32 hours now, and am looking forward to putting those extra hours to good use. Hopefully, the number of people using the library will increase in 2012 as it did in 2011.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

Comment (0)

I know this is a little late for many of you Christmas shoppers, but for those who are still thinking of the perfect gift, here are some ideas. Kathy, the director here, compiled this list of books. All are available through Amazon.com if not your local bookstore, and they will be able to get it to you before Christmas.

Celebrating local authors:

• Fr. Michael Crosby: “Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey” – Fr. Mike, a local priest and the author of several books, wrote about Solanus Casey who attended St. Francis Seminary and is now being considered for sainthood.

• Fr. Bryan Massingale: “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church” – Fr. Bryan, a Milwaukee Archdiocesan priest and moral theologian who taught at St. Francis Seminary and now teaches at Marquette University, describes his experiences in the church in a manner that will touch all Catholics.

• Jacqueline Hansen Maggiore: “Vessel of Clay: The Inspirational Journey of Sister Carla” – This local author writes about her childhood friend from Wisconsin, Sr. Carla, who becomes a missionary and a saintly role model for all.

• Sr. Josephe Marie Flynn: “Rescuing Regina: The Battle to Save a Friend from Deportation and Death” – Sr. Josephe’s story of confronting the immigration issue and saving a member of her parish recently made local news.

Books to read to or with young people:

• J. R. R. Tolkein: “Lord of the Rings” – The three books of this classic trilogy by a Catholic author are a long read aloud but well worth the time invested for the joy of a good story.

• Harper Lee: “To Kill a Mockingbird” – Set after World War II in the South, this book provides ethical issues on almost every page for children and adults to consider.

Fiction for pleasure of reading:

• Sigrid Undset: “Kristin Lavransdatter” – The author won a Nobel Prize in 1928 for this novel about Catholic life set in medieval Norway.

• Graham Greene, “The Power and the Glory” - A priest finds redemption in Mexico when God is outlawed.

• Rumer Godden: “In This House of Brede” – This book presents a classic example of living in religious community.

• Marilynne Robinson: “Gilead” – The author won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award for this story of an elderly minister.

Some additional ideas from me:

• “Catholicism,” the DVD documentary by Fr. Robert Barron and Word on Fire. I bought this for my parents for Christmas, and I have heard nothing but good responses to the series.

• “1493” and “1491” by Charles Mann. “1491” was written in 2005 and takes an in-depth look at America before Columbus, and “1493” is his newer book looking at the exchange of flora and fauna since the discovery of the New World.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

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First off, administrative information: With the Christmas holiday approaching, we will be closed starting Sunday, Dec. 18 through Monday, Jan. 2. You can still drop off books in the drop box, and Kathy or I will be here during certain points throughout those weeks (if you really need to use the library or talk to us, give us a call and we will work with you to set up an appointment when we will be here.)

In the last blog, I wrote about an upcoming book club happening here, with the author attending. It, actually, is not rare for authors, and some well-known figures (in the church community, anyway), to make a visit to Salzmann. Bishop Sklba is one of our biggest supporters, and he has a carrel set aside for his use. He has donated generously in the past with time, money and books; and we greatly thank him for all he has done for the library.  Bishop Hying makes a visit every once in a while, and we always appreciate seeing him as well. Fr. Mike Crosby, who has written many books and given many lectures, stops in to work at Salzmann when he is in the area, as does Fr. Witczak, when he is back in town. One never knows who will be at Salzmann when you stop in…

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

Comment (0)

I don’t know if many of you are aware of this, but we do a bimonthly book club here at the Salzmann Library, directed by Kathy. I forgot to put the last one in the blogs, and it is a shame, because we had the author of the book here to discuss. However, the next one coming up is on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. here at Salzmann Library. The book that they are going to be discussing is "Rescuing Regina: The Battle to Save a Friend from Deportation and Death" by Josephe Flynn. 

(Book description taken from the Amazon website.)  “Regina Bakala found herself in just this situation ten years after escaping the Congo and settling in the United States. Upon arrival, Regina had worked with an immigration lawyer, then joyfully reunited with her husband, also a Congolese torture survivor, and had two children. Life was challenging but full of hope until the night there was a knock at the door and immigration agents burst in. They forced Regina from her home as her family watched, then locked her in prison to await deportation to certain death.

In 'Rescuing Regina,' author Josephe Marie Flynn tells Regina’s powerful story – and how her husband, a pit-bull lawyer, a group of volunteers, and a feisty nun set aside political differences to galvanize a movement to save her. Revealing what she uncovered about U.S. immigration policies and the dangers faced by those escaping war crimes, Flynn exposes an America most never see: a vast underbelly of injustice, a harsh detention and deportation system, and a frighteningly arbitrary asylum process. In their battle for justice, Regina and Josephe not only confronted dangerous obstacles but also reawakened emotions and traumas from the past. A compelling story of a quest for justice, 'Rescuing Regina' is also a tale of friendship, faith, hope, and the transformative journey of two friends.”

Josephe will be attending this book discussion, and has said that she will have books to purchase, as well as sign, for anybody interested. It is a good time to sit and discuss amongst friends, and anybody is welcome to attend. Cookies and coffee/water are also available throughout the evening.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

Comment (0)

So, this blog is going to have several administrative items (I guess blogs are supposed to do this sporadically as well). Several of you have contacted me saying that you were not able to leave comments on my blogs. Tracy at the Catholic Herald took a look at this and gave me this advice to pass on. “If someone wants to leave comments on a particular blog you wrote, they must click on that blog title. Once they click on a specific blog entry's title, they will be taken to a page with just that entry, and a comment submission form at the bottom.” Hopefully this information helps, but if you continue to have problems, please let me know and we will continue to work on correcting the problem.

Finally, I apologize for any inconvenience for people that stopped in on Tuesday and found us closed. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee closes for the holy days of obligation, and the Salzmann Library follows these procedures. Therefore, we were closed in observance of All Saints Day, and we will be closed on Dec. 8 as well. 
One final note, we will also be closed Thanksgiving weekend, from Thursday, Nov. 21 to Saturday, Nov. 23, so please plan accordingly. 

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

Comment (0)

As I have mentioned previously on this blog, we do have some books that are not strictly religious. Many of these deal with Wisconsin and our Wisconsin collection (mentioned in a previous blog).  We also have a decent amount of historical books, many dealing with the Holy Land and Europe, especially a goodly amount of books about medieval Europe. I want to talk about one of those books today; one that seems like it would be a boring topic and instead opens up the Time of Discovery for the reader, "The Fourth Part of the World: An Astonishing Epic of Global Discovery, Imperial Ambition, and the Birth of America," by Toby Lester. 

"Old maps lead you to strange and unexpected places, and none does so more ineluctably than the subject of this book: the giant, beguiling Waldseemüller world map of 1507." So begins this remarkable story of the map that gave America its name. (Taken from the book description on Amazon). 

"The Fourth Part of the World" is the story behind that map, a thrilling saga of geographical and intellectual exploration, full of outside thinkers and voyages. Taking a kaleidoscopic approach, Toby Lester traces the origins of our modern worldview. His narrative sweeps across continents and centuries, zeroing in on different portions of the map to reveal strands of ancient legend, Biblical prophecy, classical learning, medieval exploration, imperial ambitions, and more. In Lester’s telling the map comes alive: Marco Polo and the early Christian missionaries trek across Central Asia and China; Europe’s early humanists travel to monastic libraries to recover ancient texts; Portuguese merchants round up the first West African slaves; Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci make their epic voyages of discovery; and finally, vitally, Nicholas Copernicus makes an appearance, deducing from the new geography shown on the Waldseemüller map that the earth could not lie at the center of the cosmos. The map, literally, altered humanity’s worldview. (Taken from the book description on Amazon).

This book is a magnificent work that takes a single starting point, the Waldseemüller map, and expands to bring us into a worldview transitioning to one we are more likely to recognize today. I highly recommend it; it is one of the few books that I have given a five-star rating, too.

As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. These are always appreciated, and anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some of the basic information about the library:

• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
• "Like" us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
• The library catalog is available online.

So, come in and check us out - everybody is welcome.

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