Book Suggestions

December 25^th is soon upon us, and there may be a number of readers caught up in the race to get presents which they hope will not end just in a tie. This last year has seen much good reading matter in English appearing in book form, either for the first time or as volumes of reprints, which should help Catholics to save their souls who wish to resist the mushing of their minds. Below are listed the four separate books, or series of books, and below again are the various postal or electronic addresses from where they can be purchased ( None of them are available from personal addresses of Bishop Williamson). Firstly, the books, in alphabetical order:—

“AS WE ARE?,” by Sean Johnson, who has for years been following closely developments in the Society of St Pius X. The so-called “Resistance” movement accuses the Society of diverging from the conversion-before-contact policy towards Conciliar Rome which the Society inherited from Archbishop Lefebvre (1905–1991), whereas the Society denies any such significant divergence from the Archbishop. In his book “As we are?” Johnson provides an abundance of evidence, including many electronic links, that the Society has for a long time been pursuing a different course from the Archbishop, because his successors have never seen as clearly as he did the full harm of the Council and of Conciliar Romans. Necessary reading for any Catholic seriously wanting to discern whether the Society has diverged or not.

“ELEISON COMMENTS,” by Bishop Williamson, in three volumes, numbers 1–200, 201–400 and 401–600. Here is the full set of his weekly Saturday “|Comments,” from their beginning on the Internet in Argentina in 2007 to their second issue from January of this year in Broadstairs, England. They cover a variety of subjects – philosophy, history, politics, art, music, theology – but are perhaps most useful for their tying all these subjects together in the perspective of the Catholic Faith. They are not infallible, but they do argue, and anyone who follows the arguments is not likely to suffer from a mushed mind.

“RECTOR’S LETTERS,” also by Bishop Williamson, in four volumes, are the letters which he wrote each month as Rector of the Society’s Seminary in the USA between 1983 and 2003, when he was still a member of the Society of St Pius X. They are the predecessors of the “Eleison Comments,” but are each of them twice as long, being monthly instead of weekly. They document the history of the Society over many of its best years, and steadily analyse the madness of our times in the consistent light of God and of His one true Church. In these “Letters” and “Comments” a certain number of souls have by the grace of God found their way to Him, despite all the confusion of our darkened age. Thanks be to God.

“VOICE of the TRUMPET,” last but not least, by Dr David White, retired English professor from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is a one-volume biography of his long-standing friend, Bishop Williamson, from 1940 until a few years ago. Only the first of the book’s four parts is strictly biographical. The other three parts tell the story of the Bishop’s on-going battle with modern Church and world in a highly original but popular style, unique to the good Doctor, who is specially able by his strong faith and deep knowledge of world music and literature to relate Our Lord’s Church and the modern world to one another. Again, highly recommended for any Catholic wishing to fume – or to think.

And secondly, four sources of availability for these books, in alphabetical order:—

Amazon.com for “As we are?,” “Letters” and “Trumpet.”

Cathoilc Action Resource Center for “As we are?,” “Eleison Comments” and “Trumpet”

ChantCD for “As we are?”

Stmarcelinitiative.com for “Letters” and “Trumpet.”

Kyrie eleison.