In Purgatory: The Two Catholic Views of Purgatory Based on Catholic Teaching and Revelations of Saintly Souls, Fr. Frederick William Faber explains Catholic doctrine in a clear and engaging manner–rare in modern times.

Considering the different views Catholics have had about Purgatory over the ages, Fr. Faber asks: What is it like? Is it almost like Hell? Or is it a place of relative peace and even joy? Emphasizing that Catholicism has no definitive answer for such mysteries, Fr. Faber explores the traditions about this place of God’s Mercy that nevertheless involves pain. He bases his discussion on teachings and revelations from saintly souls, including St. Catherine of Genoa’s well-known Treatise on Purgatory.

We do know that Purgatory is a temporary state. It is for those who have died in God’s grace but still need to be cleansed of venial sins or temporal punishment due to past sins.  Catholic teaching holds that prayers, Masses, and acts of penance offered by the living can assist the souls therein. Although Purgatory is a place of mercy, its pains are real, and they are severe. This book does more than defend and explain Purgatory. It provides a solid plan, drawn from the Church’s perennial wisdom, for conquering our sins by God’s grace while still on earth.

As always, Fr. Faber’s prowess as a writer and teacher of the Catholic Faith shines admirably. His work is thorough, concise, and, as ever, deeply moving on account of the holiness of his own soul and the beauty of the words that spring from it.