This book touched me and changed my whole view of the term 'martyr'. I have since become a great fan of Wurmbrand, his books never fail to stun one into a deep, reverential silence.

No matter your (ir)religious beliefs, you will be astounded by this account of life, endurance, perseverance, faith, and love in the worst possible conditions and suffering. An astounding witness to the strength and love the living Christ imparts, and an indictment of the horror and hollowness of atheism. Not for the faint of heart or closed of mind, and brimming over with insight and depth of thought; especially fascinating are his theological and philosophical conversations with a myriad of colorful characters, from (formerly) powerful politocos and military figures, to "lowly" farmers and thieves.

Mystic. Philosopher. Loving husband. Worried father. Proud member of the Jewish race. Creature with nerve ending that ache when you hit them and who hungers when you starve him. Social being who hallucinates apart from human voices, and hungers for sex and companionship as well as food. Martyr who stands up to tyrants and warns them to repent. Lutheran pastor with a weakness for jokes. Richard Wurmbrand may have been a "voice of the martyrs," but after reading this sensitive, deeply honest autobiography, what impresses me the most is the degree to which his voice is also the voice of humankind. I found it challenging to see how, as a well-read Christian in tough times who faces all the temptations I do, he integrated the various facets of his humanity with his faith.

In a literal sense, faith made Wurmbrand a free-thinker. Embracing a religion that fits the full complexity of life, miracles as well as madness, and sharing a broad and often painful experience with a knowledge of several spiritual traditions, he was free to think on many questions and come to unexpected conclusions both whimsical and sober. There are many modern names that could be added to the list of heroes of the faith of Hebrews 11. Wurmbrand tells us some of their stories, including his own.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man

When I was 14, I met Sabina Wurmbrand when she and her husband came to my church. There were flocks of people around but she looked through them and came to me and smiled her wonderful sweet smile and said "You will be a wonderful woman of God." Her book is just like that. It breaks through the crowd and clamor of life and brings you to a place where God is personal and real. The story is vivid in its detail of what she and the other women experienced and how they dealt with them. It is the story of a miraculous life and worth reading!

This book is a disappointment to the serious scholar of the ceremonial traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. While the sections on current etiquette and papal knighthoods are rather handy (at least if you're planning to have dinner with an Archbishop anytime soon), the large section on clerical dress is inaccurate beyond belief, particularly when it is realized that the author had been a seminarian who studied in Rome. Besides a lack of knowledge of pre-Vatican II usages, there is a certain tone of disdain or impatience taken toward them that this reviewer, an experienced Master of Ceremonies at two churches that offer the traditional Latin Mass with full approval from Rome, does not consider to be a very "catholic" attitude in any sense. Much more useful, fully accurate information on Catholic clerical dress, insignia, and ceremonial will be found in the classic and easily-found (though out-of-print) manuals of Nainfa and McCloud, and the rare (but well worth it) "Ius Pontificalium" of Mgr Nabuco. To sum up, this item will be an expensive, pretentious, mostly misinformative waste of money for the average reader who wants to know more about the externals of Catholic worship and protocol.

Fascinating work detailing the sometimes bewildering and archaic sights, sounds and ceremonies of the upper echelons of the Roman Church. A "must-read" for Vatican watchers and liturgists. This book describes the proper forms and protocols of upper-Church functions and rites and relates the history and proper usage of the emblems and insignia. This book is decidedly traditional... if you're looking for expressions of post Vatican II liturgical experimentalism, you will not find it here.

"The Church Visible" is not about Catholic theology or doctrine, but it does concern an area of no less fascination and interest: the ceremonial life, protocol, and ritual of the Roman Catholic Church. Although late 20th century Catholics might tend to think of the Church as a purely spiritual entity, for nearly 1500 years it was also a political powerhouse and the source of almost all of the culture and customs of Western Europe. "The Church Visible" examines the present-day incarnation of the Church in her external life: ceremonies, traditions, vestments, insignia, protocol, and temporal and spiritual governance.

The book is divided into five sections: the Vatican itself, papal honors including orders of knighthood, Church protocol, vestments and insignia, and a brief history of the papacy. A glossary, a name and subject index, and a variety of appendixes including several Church documents are included. Several impressive Catholic figures also have brief forewords including John Cardinal Krol, John Cardinal O'Connor, and Archbishop John P. Foley.

Noonan has done a wonderful job of answering those niggling questions that never seem to be answered in the standard Catholic Q and A books, such as the reason why cardinals have their title placed in the middle of their name and how exactly a papal election is performed. For the latter, the author leads the reader step by step through the protocol that follows the death of a pope, citing examples from recent history, and then to the elections process and then enthronement of a new pope. He even includes sample liturgies and ceremony programs that have been used in the past. The chapter on the College of Cardinals is especially a gem.

Moving on, he examines the different papal honors, who may receive them, how they should be worn, and their relative precedence to other honors. He then studies the two major equestrian orders, the Knights of Malta and the nights of the Holy Sepulcher. For any readers entranced by the idea of knighthood and chivalry as this reviewer was starting when he was a child, these chapters are a joy to read as they reveal that true knighthood, that which begins with Christ, still exists in the world today, and that chivalry does have a place in the 20th century.

The section on protocol is very interesting and especially helpful for Americans who are not used to matters of rank, protocol, and etiquette. Here Noonan even provides sample dinner menus and invitations from past functions. The chapter on forms of address is also a practical guide for anyone who may have an opportunity to write to any clergyman. Overall, this section is will be mainly interesting for those who are curious about orders of precedence and etiquette, even if most will never have the chance to be part of formal pomp and circumstance.

The final section that will be of general interest is the coverage of vesture and insignia. Do you know what a zuchetto is? Do you know when it is worn? Know you will know. A nice addition to this section, and the whole book, are a series of color plate pages on heavy stock that illustrate the various vestments, insignia, awards, historical occasions, and other illustrations that bring to life the written descriptions.

Bottom Line: "The Church Visible" is a fun, interesting, and educational experience that any Catholic interested in the temporal life of the Church should pick up and peruse. It is a fascinating introduction to what might otherwise be an intricate web of inscrutable customs, but are now clearly illuminated as the logical product of the Church's long history as the centerpiece of Western civilization.

This is one of the more thorough examinations of the life of one of World War II Germany's most colourful characters. Otto Skorzeny is practically unknown outside the realm of Military History, and has never really been bought to the public eye. Though this book was written in the 1950's, before some of Skorzeny's prolific post-war activities, Foley manages to conduct one of the most thorough and justified examinations to date of Skorzeny. he gets inside the subject's head, consulting him, his colleagues and his enemies, giving a well researched and detailed account of Skorzeny's early career and famous exploits. A certain degree of bias must be accepted, due to Skorzeny's influence in writing the book, but it is still a classic. A must for anyone interested in the subject of WWII commando operations, and the one which all other authors on Skorzeny quote.

This book by Charles Foley ranks with Into Thin Air as one of the greatest non fictional adventure stories of all time. Foley does an excellent job of conveying, in detail, the unbelievable military tenure of Otto Skorzeny (the commander of Germany's special operations group during WWII). Whether it is rescuing Mussolini from a garrison stronghold on a mountain peak, infiltrating US forces, blowing up critical bridges, or kidnapping the traitorous Admiral Horthy from a Hungarian castle, the reader is right along side Skorzeny on his incredible nerve shattering missions. The book also, at times, is extremely humorous. For example, the meeting of Skorzeny with Hitler for the first time or the hair brained schemes of Himmler, concocted to try and save the Reich, left me laughing out loud. Skorzeny's trial at Nuremberg is another fascinating tale. Both British and American officers were prepared to (and did) defend him against numerous charges. I could not put this book down and read until the early morning. Absolutely fantastic!

Lots of family names are listed, but unfortunately only for one County, namely Prince Georges County. Also, the front cover states this book is "Volume II". Where are the other Volumes and what do they contain?. This book was not properly described snd had it been, I would not have ordered it. It will serve some well, but I'm sending it back.