Alicia Van Hecke

This is one of those nifty little resources that has actually worked for all of my kids that I've tried it with (I bought our copy when our now ten-year-old was three or four).

This is a truly amazing and beautiful "sketch" of St. Francis of Assisi - not so much a story (though a number of stories are included) as an appreciation and elucidation of who Saint Francis was and, quite simply, the impact he had on the world.

The Man Who Was Thursday is a great classic, beloved by many, and not easy to do justice to in a review (even after reading it twice, leading a teen discussion on the book and attending a Chesterton conference which particularly highlighted this book!), but I'll give it my best shot.

This is a DVD apologetics series produced in 13 half-hour segments. Dr. Ray Guarendi and Rev. Kevin Fete discuss major issues of Catholic belief which are often misunderstood by Protestants and others - with an emphasis on support for Catholic belief from Scripture and from the Early Church Fathers. It's a lively discussion (Dr. Ray often breaks into "devil's advocate" mode!) with substantial but very accessible content. Basic topics covered are the following: Jesus, the Bible, Scripture and Tradition, Eucharist (2 episodes), Baptism, Morality, Confession, Mary (2 episodes), St.

Alex Jones is a former Pentecostal preacher who converted to the Catholic faith, along with his family and his congregation, in 2001. This presentation is a talk he gave a few months before he was formally received into the Church, in which he first publicly told the story of his conversion. It was his study of the Early Church Fathers, in particular, that brought him into the Church. It is followed by a dinner table conversation, including questions from guests - both Catholic and Protestant. Hosted by Steve Ray.

Many people are familiar with Dr. Ray Guarendi - psychologist, father of 10 and expert on family discipline. You may not know that he has a number of apologetics materials available as well.

Danielle is a French teenager who fled her small village with her grandmother and younger brother as the Nazis were approaching. After three long years of wandering, the war ends and they return to their village to see how things have fared. They still have no news of Danielle's parents or her betrothed, who were caught up in the horror and confusion of war.

This is a friendly little introduction for children to the small ways that they can show love to God. It's a combination of a book of manners (since there are explanations of how to behave at Church - and why) with a simple devotional theme that is accessible to young children. What a great idea!

NOTE: A more recent edition of this syllabus was published in 2007 - this review is based on the 2003 edition.

This syllabus outlines a complete year of study in British Literature intended for 12th graders.

Books used in this course:

Required:
The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist
Beowulf
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Primary Works of Literature:

This is essentially The Ignatius Bible (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition) which presents a helpful and reasonable middle ground between the older translations which feature "archaic" language (which is less accessible to many readers) and more modern translations which usually feature "inclusive" language (which distorts both the meaning and the beauty of the language).