Heart of the Redeemer: Second Edition - Paperback

by Timothy O'Donnell (Author)

In this revised, updated edition of Heart of the Redeemer, Timothy O'Donnell synthesizes years of research to provide a thorough presentation of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He examines the doctrinal roots of the devotion in Scripture and in documents from the Apostolic and Patristic Ages; charts its growth and development through the Middle Ages; explains the enormous contribution of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque; and presents magisterial teaching on the subject, including statements from Vatican Council II, recent popes, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The book also includes images illustrating the development of the devotion.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a response to the tremendous love of Christ as symbolized by his human heart pierced on Calvary. At the core of Catholic spiritual life, the devotion is a key to effective renewal of the Church and the world. Those who have not yet embraced this devotion--or who want to understand it more deeply and practice it more fully--will discover its profound richness and beauty in Heart of the Redeemer.

Author Biography

Dr. Timothy T. O'Donnell is the President of Christendom College, a four-year, Roman Catholic, liberal arts college with a graduate program in theological studies. Christendom's 200 acre campus is located on the beautiful and historic Shenandoah River in Front Royal, Virginia. Dr. O'Donnell describes the education offered by Christendom as one which leads the student to the consecration of the intellect and will to Christ.

Dr. O'Donnell received his early education at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated with B.A. degrees in Philosophy and History. He continued there, achieving the M.A. in Church History. He completed his academic pursuits at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (Angelicum), where he was the first layman to receive a doctorate in Ascetical and Mystical Theology.

In 2002, Dr. O'Donnell was appointed a consulter to the Pontifical Council for the Family by Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI renewed this appointment in 2009. He is a Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and is a member of many other organizations, including the Catholic Academy of Sciences and The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. He is also on the Board of Advisors for the Institute on Religious Life, the Cardinal Newman Society, and the Institute of Catholic Culture. He received the Cardinal Newman Society Award for Excellence in Catholic Higher Education, in addition to the 2012 Bowie Kuhn Special Award for Evangelization from Legatus.

Dr. O'Donnell is the author of Heart of the Redeemer, a theological investigation and spiritual guide to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; and Swords Around the Cross, a historical investigation of a crucial period in the history of Catholic Ireland. He is a frequent lecturer for EWTN, producing numerous programs of theological and historical interest.

Dr. O'Donnell and his wife, Catherine, have nine children and 12 grandchildren. They reside on their farm Tir Connaill in Stephens City, Virginia.