Conor Gallagher
Conor Gallagher is CEO of TAN Books. He is author of various books and is a proud husband and father of fifteen children. His subjects of interest include family life, philosophy, the spiritual life and spiritual direction. His graduate degrees are from the Catholic University of America.
Fighting for Your Child’s Eternal Salvation
A Joyous Conclusion This was a wearisome book. Fighting for your child’s eternal salvation is a wearisome task. But there is no greater joy and responsibility in this life than raising your child in the arms of Holy Mother Church. Thus, we have yet another paradox in our holy faith. This should come as no…
Penance and Mortification
Penance and Mortification The modern world has made a mockery of penance and mortification. One of the direct results of the Protestant Reformation was the implicit rejection of an incarnational faith, with notions of “faith alone,” and the explicit rejection of indulgences. The skeptic, or the overly spiritualized Protestant, cannot fathom earthly actions, in the…
The School of Calvary & the Necessity of the Cross
Stop. Be still. Calm the mind for a moment; allow the striking, jarring, chilling words of the God-man to sink deeply into your soul: “And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me” (Mt 10:38). “And calling the multitude together with his disciplines, he said to them: If…
The Choirs of Angels & Guardian Angels
The Nine Choirs of Angels Tradition holds that there are three hierarchies of angels, each divided into three choirs. The beautiful division is worthy of a short description of each. Just as you teach your child how to use the right tool for a certain job, you should teach your child how to invoke the…
Awareness of Angels
Can’t you see them? You, Dear Parent, can’t you see the angelic and demonic all around? And why not? You see germs on a public water fountain. You see danger lying ahead in an empty street. You see sickness coming on the face of your little one even before an army of doctors could. You…
Reliance on Our Lady and the Saints
Giving your child a sense of belonging is of irreplaceable value. So many little ones grow up lost, even in a family. Perhaps they are neglected. Perhaps they are abused. Perhaps dad and mom are just tired. And so, in addition to the natural means of making a child feel wanted and loved, such as…
Purgatory and the Church Suffering
Only in the Holy Catholic Faith can you fix your mind upon something so horrific yet marvelous, gruesome yet beautiful, that which you desperately want to avoid yet is that which you will one day willingly throw yourself into. That, Dear Parent, is the awesome reality of purgatory, the residence of the Church Suffering. This…
The Spiritual Reality of the Church Militant
Militant is a word that modern parents do not appreciate. They believe Christianity to be all clouds and rainbows, void of anything harsh, and certainly without any notion of fighting or violence. Do not fall into this devilish trap, Dear Parent! Your child is, indeed, part of a military: the greatest military of the Divine…
Spiritual Contagions: the Dangers of Modernism
What if you were to learn that your little one had cancer—a parent’s worst nightmare—and it was due to long term exposure to a local power plant’s radiation? How enraged you would be at the authorities for allowing this travesty! How frustrated you may feel with yourself for living so close to a potential risk.…
The Virtue of Humility: Part II
Towards God Your very first duty as a parent is to teach your child to render himself entirely obedient to God. Period. There is no next best thing. There is no consolation prize for the parent who neglected this one divinely given duty. If your child is elected president of the United States or appointed…
The Virtue of Humility: Part I
“In Paradise there are many Saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them. There are many Saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting or wearing hair shirts: their bodily infirmities excused them. There are many Saints too who were not virgins: their vocation was otherwise. But in Paradise there is no…
The Sacredness of the Priesthood and Religious Life
The sacredness of the priesthood should be a penetrating reality for your child. Such unworthy men, stepping into the In Persona Christi, consecrating the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the sacramentally conferred power to forgive sins on behalf of Christ; it is beyond what the mind can fathom. And…
Holy Matrimony: Praying for a Future Spouse
You pray for your child. You help him pray his innocent little prayers at bedtime. You wish for him to grow into a healthy, happy adult—fulfilled, dignified, respected, accomplished. And all this is beautiful. But how often we forget the other half of your child. What could I possibly mean? I mean your son’s future…
The Greatest Subject in All the World: the Blessed Eucharist
The Holy Eucharist Let us now turn to the greatest subject in all the world, in all the cosmos; let us turn to the subject that causes every angel to bend his knee and bow his head, while causing every demon to vomit in disgust, to snarl in fury, to shriek in agony: that is…
Baptism, Confession and the Adult Child’s Return to the Sacraments
Baptism How silly we humans can be. Have you gone to great lengths to celebrate your child’s birthday? Have you put time and energy into buying and wrapping the perfect gift? Have you bought the ingredients and baked an elaborate cake? Have you inflated the balloons and hung the streamers, invited family and friends, and…
Introducing Children to the Liturgical Seasons
The worldly parent focuses only on the natural seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer. However, you, Dear Parent, child of Holy Mother Church, must not dwell solely in the natural but, more importantly, in the supernatural—that is, the Church’s liturgical life. Through the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary time, and her many…
Restoring Prayer in the Home
When your child was young, you taught your little one how to go to sleep, brush his teeth, pray, and so on. But have you trained your child to arise from slumber? Have you taught your son or daughter a Morning Offering to be said directly upon waking? Is this any harder than teaching your…
Teaching Your Children the Devotional Life
It is an understandable though grave mistake to merely think in terms of your child practicing devotion. No! Your child’s life must not merely consist of this and that devotion. Rather, your child must live the devout life. A devotion is a prayer, but St. Paul instructs you to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes [P1] 5:17)…
Piety is the Virtue of the Warrior
Visualization is a powerful tool. Whether an athlete envisions the shot he is about to take or the entrepreneur pictures his business in a future state, visualization of a desired outcome hones the mind in a way that no external stimulus can. Therefore, Loving Parent, visualize your child as a young man or woman before…
The Dogma of Hell is the Most Terrible Truth
The TAN book entitled The Dogma of Hell: Illustrated by Facts Taken From Profane and Sacred History, by Fr. F. X. Schouppe, SJ, begins crisply as any author could make it: “THE DOGMA OF HELL is the most terrible truth of our faith. There is a Hell. We are as sure of it as of…
