The Story of the Church: Her Founding, Mission and Progress: A Textbook in Church History

To know and to understand the Church is a sacred duty for every Catholic. The Church is not just an organization to which we belong; it is an organization of which we are a part. Loyalty to the Church is not merely one among many loyalties. It is the one great loyalty of our lives in which all other loyalties are rooted and from which all derive their life and strength. For the Church is Christ and in the Church we are united with Him and with one another as members of one Body. Hence, a burning love for the Church must always be an outstanding characteristic of a good Catholic, This book has been written for boys and girls with the hope that, as they learn from the story that it tells, their love of Christ in His Church will increase and that a lifelong interest in Church History will be enkindled. As much as possible we have tried to weave our story around the great men and women who in every age have labored heroically for the spread of the Kingdom of Christ and who have won for themselves the most glorious title that can be given to a human being, the title of Saint. Christ lived in them and through them revealed to the world the power and the beauty of His Gospel. (From the Author’s Preface.)