This volume presents a clear and faithful Catholic account of the great changes that swept through the Church and the world during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Beginning with the early causes of the Protestant revolt, it traces the rise of Lutheranism, the spread of heresy in Germany, France, and the Netherlands, and the long wars that followed across the Christian world.
The chapters follow the Church’s firm and supernatural response: the Council of Trent, the reform of religious life, the founding of seminaries, and the tireless efforts of faithful clergy to restore order, catechize the people, and guard the deposit of faith. Special attention is given to the rise of missionary work across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and to the heroic fidelity of Catholics in England, Ireland, and Scotland, who remained loyal to the Church through persecution, exile, and civil war.
The lives and labors of saints are woven throughout—St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Francis Xavier among them—whose courage and holiness gave new strength to the Church in a time of confusion. Told from a fully Catholic point of view, this is a history of fidelity, endurance, and true reform. It serves as a valuable resource for Catholic families, students, and all who wish to understand how the Church faced one of the most difficult and decisive eras in her history.
