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The Catholic Controversy: St. Francis de Sales' Defense of the Faith

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In addition to what is common in all other positive reviews of this compilation of writings by St. Francis, there yet remains at least one other strength of this book that is to be praised. That strength is his cohesion to the traditional Catholic Faith. There are other books that give overviews of the Catholic Faith, but often times their consistency with Scripture and Tradition should be questioned. That is something that one need not worry about with this work. Not only does St. Francis give sound arguments for the Catholic Faith, but he does so with plenty of Scripture, Church Father quotes, and reference to Church Councils. He also shows an understanding and love for Catholicism that is sopping wet with intellectual genius and passion for Christ! He will make a knowledgeable Reformed churchman (that was his intended audience, after all) take a few steps back and rethink his doctrine of the "visible/invisible church distinction" and how God has commanded the Gospel to be preached and succession of church leaders to continue. Not only does he understand Catholic doctrine, but he also understands his opponents, and often quotes from Calvin, Bucer, and other Reformers. Also, his treatment of the Papacy is probably one of the most concise anywhere. So I challenge you to read it, but I warn you, you may find yourself defending Catholic doctrine afterwards, even if you're Protestant when you first read this book!

Up until the time of St. Francis de Sales, the printing press had been used as a battering ram for reformers of all stripes to destroy christendom.

However, with the start of St. Francis de Sales' mission to the French Calvinists that changed dramatically. When people refused to listen to him because of contempt or fear of reprisal, he printed tracts and slipped them under doors or put them up on public squares to bring the Calvinists back to the Faith.

The result: nearly 72,000 French whose parents abandoneded the Faith a generation ago were brought back to the Catholic Church.

If you read this book (a collection of the tracts St. Francis wrote), you'll see exactly how it happened. The arguments are cogent, simple, easy-to-follow and strike at the heart of whatever matter they address. The arguments against Protestantism in general and Calvinism in particular are relevant and still thorns in the side of the Reformed apologetic several hundred years later. If you're Catholic or Protestant you owe it to yourself to read this collection of tracts!

Doctor and Bishop of the Catholic Church, St. Francis de Sales presents one of the most powerful defenses of the Catholic Faith ever to come from the hand of a mortal man. This book was instrumental in my conversion to the Catholic Faith and the reason I chose St. Francis de Sales as my patron saint.

In his writings, he is as gentle as a dove and as wise a serpent, in accordance with our Lord's command. Here the truth is presented in a straight-forward and compelling manner, so much so that he converted with these pamphlets (here collected into book form) an entire region which had fallen away from the Catholic Faith into the errors of Calvinism. And when I say he converted the region, I mean virtually all of it, completely reversing the sad situation of a region that had fallen a few decades before into the errors of the protestant revolt.

From Purgatory to the Papacy, these pamphlets reminded the people of the forceful clarity and Truth of the holy Catholic Apostolic Faith. May it equally remind us of that today, when it is needed again, as is another "counter reformation" against the revolts we see all around us in the Church!

If you ever had any doubts about the truth of the Roman Catholic Faith, read this book. Saint Francis will set you straight!

By the way, don't confuse this great work with a similarly-titled book, "The Roman Catholic Controversy" by James R. White. The two are definitely not the same! However, I encourage anyone who has read Dr. White's book to read St. Francis De Salles as well --- then decide which is more accurate.

This book is a collection of pamphlets written by St. Francis de Sales as a young priest (27-29) struggling to reach people who would not listen to to him-the 72,000 Calvinists of the French Chablais region, who had lost the Faith 60 years previous. The task looked hopeless, yet in four years almost all 72,000 had returned to the Catholic Faith. These little tracts show their author's great familiarity with scripture and the Fathers and Doctors of the Church; yet they come right to the point, addressing issues that are still of burning interest today--especially the question of how we can recognize the Christian church and the true Christian doctrine. Here are some of the cogent arguements against Protestantism ever penned, presenting a defense of the Catholic Faith that in some respects has never been equalled. Great!

The book is easy to read. It provides a detailed insight into most of the contentious issues that separate the Protestant churches from the Catholic Church. It is an excellent reference for anyone who wants a better understanding of the Christian faith. For the Catholic, the book is also an excellent resource for defense of the Faith.

This book is a collection of pamphlets written by St. Francis de Sales as a young priest (27-29) struggling to reach people who would not listen to to him-the 72,000 Calvinists of the French Chablais region, who had lost the Faith 60 years previous. The task looked hopeless, yet in four years almost all 72,000 had returned to the Catholic Faith. These little tracts show their author's great familiarity with scripture and the Fathers and Doctors of the Church; yet they come right to the point, addressing issues that are still of burning interest today--especially the question of how we can recognize the Christian church and the true Christian doctrine. Here are some of the cogent arguements against Protestantism ever penned, presenting a defense of the Catholic Faith that in some respects has never been equalled. Great!

If you ever had any doubts about the truth of the Roman Catholic Faith, read this book. Saint Francis will set you straight!

By the way, don't confuse this great work with a similarly-titled book, "The Roman Catholic Controversy" by James R. White. The two are definitely not the same! However, I encourage anyone who has read Dr. White's book to read St. Francis De Salles as well --- then decide which is more accurate.

Any work by St Francis De Sales is a good book to have. He singlehandly converted his diocese back to Catholicism by printing his sermons and inviting people back to the Catholic faith. This book is a copy of those sermons or apologetic material.

This book is a must for any Catholic family who really wants to defend their faith. This book originally were tracts written by St. Francis de Sales and brought over 70,000 people to the Catholic faith.