Author Archive: Robert Curtis
Robert Curtis, a life-professed Lay Dominican, is the author of 17 books, holds a master’s degree in creative writing, teaches composition at the University of Phoenix and creative writing at Rio Salado College.
BOOKS: ‘When Jesus Was Twelve’: Cultural context, clearer vision
We’ve all read and heard the story of 12-year-old Jesus accompanying Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem for the annual Passover feast (Luke 2:41-52). Like any party with a whole gaggle of friends and relatives, even the best of parents lose track of their kids.
‘Tweet Inspiration’: Bible Geek brings Scripture to Twitter
Many years ago, in Quezon City, the governing General Chapter of the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, established four priorities with which the order would pursue preaching in the postmodern world.
BOOKS: Twelve Lessons on the Catholic Faith’: Priest makes Church teaching accessible
If we haven’t heard by now, we should take the time to learn: all things are connected. For example, in the American Church, studies from Catholic University paint a dismal picture — approximately 35 percent of professed Catholics surveyed don’t believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
BOOKS: ‘The Secret of the Lost Mountain’
Literary critics, the world over, write critiques and reviews of novels every day. Catholic novels are something different or we wouldn’t label them “Catholic.” We can suppose that such novels contain our particular set of beliefs and practices and we know that all Catholic novels teach some kind of lesson.
BOOKS: The inspiring story of Fr. Augustine Tolton
A book by Sr. Caroline Hemesath, SSF, “From Slave to Priest,” tells the true story of a man born in bondage who escaped the South as a child, gained freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation, battled prejudice, and whose irrepressible faith led him to an unspeakable triumph — the priesthood.
BOOKS: ‘A Martyr’s Crown’: A wake up call to threats on religious liberty
Persecution of those who follow Christ is older than the Roman Catholic Church itself. History is replete with the great trials and tribulations of the faithful but, fortunately or not, those trials are all far removed from us here in twenty-first century America. Joyce Coronel’s first novel, “A Martyr’s Crown,” reminds us, however, that true [...]
BOOKS: ‘Moving Forward’ helps all Catholics keep the faith
College is that place where Catholic students first meet with the world’s great diversity, where students first take care of themselves, where they must first make the majority of their own decisions, and where their faith is first really tested.
BOOKS: Catholic novel set in Haiti sure to sneak up on readers
One thing that all readers need to be aware of is that sometimes books will sneak up on them. Marie-José Roumain’s new novel, “Indelible Fixation” is one of those. For a creative writing instructor like me, however, any novel titled with words of more than two syllables is immediately suspect. This might seem trivial until [...]
Books: Benedictine oblate takes readers ‘Deep in the Wave’
We live in a desert, in what many see as a vast wasteland; but geologists tell us that this place was once a part of a great ocean. Our draw to the sea is not beyond understanding. San Diego is like a second home to many of us, and our very bodies, including our blood, [...]
Books: ‘Wing Tip’: Sure to be a Catholic classic
It’s a good bet that people always want to know the future to bolster their sense of certainty, especially in an uncertain world. Fortune-tellers, seers, and prophets — in the non-Biblical sense — have always been among our favorites. As Catholics, however, we do know the ultimate future because eternal life awaits those of us [...]
