Man of God: The Catholic Priest and the Cornerstones of His Life

In this timely work dedicated to invigorating the heart of every priest, Bishop Athanasius Schneider draws upon the wisdom of Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and other great spiritual writers to bear witness to the gift of the priesthood. Man of God: The Catholic Priest and the Cornerstones of His Life provides rich reflections on the great loves of the priest: God, the Catholic faith, the priesthood of Christ, the salvation of souls, humility, chastity, the Cross, the Holy Mass, the tabernacle, the confessional, the holy angels, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prayerful consideration of Man of God will undoubtedly foster a deeper love for the spiritual treasures of the priesthood and rekindle in all priests the embers of desire that first drew them toward their holy vocation.

ATHANASIUS SCHNEIDER was born in Kyrgyzstan in 1961 to a German family and baptized with the name Antonius. In 1973 the family emigrated to Germany. He joined the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross in Austria in 1982 and received the religious name Athanasius; he was ordained a priest in Brazil on March 25, 1990. Having earned a doctorate in Patrology at the Augustinianum in Rome, he has taught since 1999 at the seminary in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. In 2006 he was ordained bishop in the Basilica of St Peter in Rome and appointed titular bishop of Celerina and auxiliary bishop of Karaganda. From 2011 to the present he has been auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mary Most Holy in Astana and chairman of the Liturgical Commission of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Kazakhstan. Bishop Schneider is the author of two books on the Holy Eucharist: Dominus Est: It Is the Lord! and Corpus Christi: Holy Communion and the Renewal of the Church, as well as the book interview Christus Vincit: Christ’s Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age and Credo: A Compendium of the Catholic Faith.

“Bishop Athanasius Schneider has given Catholic priests, and all those who love the priesthood, a wonderfully rich compilation of spiritual reflections on the priesthood. Drawing upon a wide range of writings by saints and spiritual authors, Schneider sets forth the loves that should mark the life of the priest of God. Suitable for a private retreat or spiritual reading, this book instructs, inspires, and encourages all readers to love the priesthood of Jesus Christ.”

—Fr. Gerald E. Murray, Pastor, Church of the Holy Family, New York, NY, and Member of EWTN’s “The Papal Posse”