LibGuides CMS: Theology & Catholic Studies: Books

Anna Maria College Library Catalog

To find a specific book or to find a book on a specific topic, your best bet is to start first with Mondor-Eagen Library resources, then work your way out electronically and geographically. Here are the steps and links to follow. At each level, you can log in with your library card and make an electronic request.

Search the Mondor-Eagen Library catalog. Click here for a video tutorial on how to use the catalog.
If we don't have what you need, expand your search to include all of the C/W MARS libraries in Central Massachusetts.

If you still cannot find the material, try searching for it on WorldCat Discovery OR submit an interlibrary loan request to us.

Common Books Used in Classes

Theology books can be found in the sections of the library with the call numbers BV-BX. Don't forget to check out the New Book area for recent titles! Search the library catalog or ask a librarian if you'd like help finding information on your topic.

The Meal That Reconnects by Mary E. McGann
Call Number: BR115.N87 M378 2020

"In The Meal That Reconnects, Dr. Mary McGann, RSCJ, invites readers to a more profound appreciation of the sacredness of eating, the planetary interdependence that food and the sharing of food entails, and the destructiveness of the industrial food system that is supplying food to tables globally."
Migrations of the Holy by William T. Cavanaugh
Call Number: BV 630.3 .C39 2011

"In these chapters Cavanaugh cautions readers to be wary of a rigid separation of religion and politics that boxes in the church and sends citizens instead to the state for hope, comfort, and salvation as they navigate the risks and pains of mortal life. When nationality becomes the primary source of identity and belonging, he warns, the state becomes the god and idol of its own religion, the language of nationalism becomes a liturgy, and devotees willingly sacrifice their lives to serve and defend their country."
The Ethics of Encounter by Marcus Mescher
Call Number: BV 4597.52 .M47 2020

"Presented here is an ethical framework for the "culture of encounter" that Pope Francis calls us to build. The book serves as a creative and constructive proposal for what it would take to build such a culture in an American context marked by rising individualism, racial tensions, class segregation, hyperpartisanship, and online echo chambers."
The Catholic Church in the 21st Century by Daniel J. Harrington; Michael J. Himes
Call Number: BX945.3 .C38 2004

In May 2003, more than five hundred people gathered in Kansas City, Missouri, to hear six outstanding contemporary theologians explore the history of the Church and the challenges and hope which that history has for the Church today and tomorrow. This remarkable collection enables everyone to see, hear, or read these extraordinary theologians as they explore what The Church in the Twenty-First Century can learn from the Church of the past.
Saints and Social Justice by Brandon Vogt
Call Number: BX1795 .S82 V64 2014

With the help of fourteen saints, it's time we reclaim Catholic social teaching and rediscover it through the lives of those who best lived it out. Follow in the saints' footsteps, learn from their example, and become the spark of authentic social justice that sets the world on fire.
The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Call Number: PS3565 .C57 A17 1972

Thirty-one stories in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime, this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction. These stories reveal a lively, penetrating talent that has given us some of the most powerful and disturbing fiction of the twentieth century.
St. Augustine's Confessions by Saint Augustine; Henry Chadwick
Call Number: BR65 .A62 C48 1992

In this new translation the brilliant and impassioned descriptions of Augustine's colourful early life are conveyed to the English reader with accuracy and art. Augustine tells of his wrestlings to master his sexual drive, his rare ascent from a humble Algerian farm to the edge of the corridors of high power at the imperial court of Milan, and his renunciation of secular ambition and marriage as he recovered the faith that his mother had taught him. It was in a Milan garden that Augustine finally achieved the act of will to Christian conversion, which he compared to a lazy man in bed finally deciding it is time to get up and face the day.

New Theology/Catholic Studies Books at AMC

The Church and Indigenous Peoples in the Americas by Michel Andraos (Editor); William T. Cavanaugh (Foreword by)
Call Number: BV2180 .C56 2016

Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices, scholars and pastoral leaders, come together in this volume to discuss both the wounds of colonial history and the opportunities for decolonization, reconciliation, and hope in the relationship between the church and Indigenous peoples across the Americas.
Pope Francis and the Transformation of Health Care Ethics by Todd A. Salzman; Michael G. Lawler
Call Number: RA975.C37 S25 2021

Inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis, Salzman and Lawler provide the first extended critical commentary on the 2018 Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERD), proposing new ways forward for US Catholic health care ethics that prioritize human dignity as their guiding principle.
The Vision of Catholic Social Thought by Meghan J. Clark
Call Number: BX1751.2 .C53 2014

The Vision of Catholic Social Thought traces the emergence of solidarity and human rights as critical theological and philosophical pillars of the anthropology and ethics foundational to the development of Catholic social teaching. Meghan J. Clark argues that the integration of human rights and the virtue of solidarity at the root of the Catholic social tradition are the unique contributions Catholic thought makes to contemporary debates in ethics, political, and philosophical theory.
Black Catholic Studies Reader
Call Number: BX1407.B63 B53 2021

Contributions delve into the interlocking fields of history, spirituality, liturgy, and biography. Through their contributions, Black Catholic Studies scholars engage theologies of liberation and the reality of racism, the Black struggle for recognition within the Church, and the distinctiveness of African-inspired spirituality, prayer, and worship.
Creating Spaces for Women in the Catholic Church
Call Number: BX2347.8.W6 K64 2023

Creating Spaces for Women in the Catholic Church presents the struggle of theologically educated lay women with the Catholic Church. The author, a Catholic sister, shares the same struggle but enjoys an incredible network of communal, ministerial, financial, and spiritual support that helps her negotiate the painful experiences in the Church.
Building a Bridge by James Martin
Call Number: BX1795.H66 M37 2018

In this book, James Martin, SJ, turns our attention to the relationship between LGBT Catholics and the Church in this loving, inclusive, and revolutionary book. A powerful call for tolerance, acceptance, and support--and a reminder of Jesus' message for us to love one another. In this moving and inspiring book, the author offers a powerful, loving, and much-needed voice in a time marked by anger, prejudice, and divisiveness. Martin uses the image of a two-way bridge for LGBT Catholics and the Church to come together in a call to end the "us" versus "them" mentality. Turning to the Catechism, he draws on the three criteria at the heart of the Christian ministry--"respect, compassion, and sensitivity"--as a model for how the Catholic Church should relate to the LGBT community.
The Word by John Barton
Call Number: BS450 .B26 2023

In The Word, acclaimed Bible scholar John Barton explores how saints and scholars have negotiated the profound challenges of translating the Bible while remaining faithful to the original. In addition to considering questions of literal versus free translation, literary style, inclusive language, and more, Barton draws out scriptural translation's role at critical junctures in religious history. Far from a mere academic exercise, biblical translation has shaped how we answer faith's most enduring questions about the nature of God, the existence of the soul, and the possibility of salvation.

Bible Commentaries

Bible commentaries help explain the Bible in a more modern way. These commentaries are useful for making sure you understand the readings and messages in the Bible, especially if you're writing a paper about them. If you're not sure how to use these commentaries effectively, check out these suggestions.

The library has a variety of different Bible commentaries, and most can be found in the Reference section near the call number BS 491. Ask a librarian if you need help finding them!

Oxford Bible Commentary by John Barton (Editor); John Muddiman (Editor)
Call Number: REF BS491.3.O94 2001

E-book version of this book also available here.
A New Catholic Commentary on Scripture by Reginald C. Fuller; Leonard Johnston; Conleth Kearns
Call Number: REF BS491.2.N48 1969
Harper's Bible Commentary by James L. Mays (Editor)
Call Number: REF BS491.2.H37 1988