Michelle Samartino | The Michigan Catholic

LAKE ORION — A strong selection of books written by Pope Benedict XVI is always an option for those who want to know him even better after his retirement.

“People are profoundly affected by his writings,” said Breege Regan-Kelly, owner of Celtic Cove Catholic Bookstore in Lake Orion. “They are so readable and so profound. People find grace in his truth and wisdom in his writings.”

She said one book in particular written by Pope Benedict stands out in her bookstore, “The Spirit of the Liturgy,” published in 2000.

“It’s a wonderful explanation of how Vatican II proposed the liturgy to be, and the beauty of the liturgy and what was meant by the Church — laity participation,” Regan-Kelly said.

Patrons to her store during the week of the pope’s announcement of his resignation expressed shock at his decision, she said. “There has been sadness, but there have been words of excitement. The Holy Spirit will guide the Church,” Regan-Kelly said.

Among the first shelves a patron would notice when walking into the Catholic Bookstore on Ford Road in Dearborn are books written by Pope Benedict. “We maintain a section of the store at all times,” said Dennis Klotz, the store’s manager.

The amount of books written by Pope Benedict is tremendous, he said, with a wide selection of them having been written during his years as a priest, as well as during his pontificate.

Consider that “you take a man of his age and to know he puts these books together, you wouldn’t believe it,” he said.

When the pope made his announcement, it was without a doubt that many would come into the store expressing their thoughts. “There has been a lot of that and questions about it at the bookstore this week, too,” Klotz said.

He said the reaction was mixed, with many of those who were saddened, but all agreed “that we need to pray for him and remember him,” he said. “I’m sure it was not easy for him to do that.”

He said one of Pope Benedict’s more popular books as of late has been “Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives,” which came out around Christmas and completed the set (with the other two books including “Jesus of Nazareth: From the Entrance to Jerusalem to the Resurrection,” and “Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.”)

Alongside the popularity of that book was Pope Benedict’s “Holy Days, Meditations on the Feasts, Fasts and Other Solemnities of the Church.”

“It’s a unique book because we really don’t hear a lot on the feasts and fasts,” Klotz explained. “It came out last fall and, of course, it did very well for us.”

With topics ranging from “Introduction to Christianity” to “Mary: The Church at the Source” to “Doctors of the Church,” Klotz said, “he has so much to offer. He has written so much on such a variety of things that he’s touched on in the Church.”

Klotz, whose store “travels” to eight different parishes a weekend, found it interesting that when he called those parishes for a final arrangement, they all said to be sure to bring items written by and about Pope Benedict.

“We knew that though — it was going to be automatic,” he said and laughed. “The big question was to bring anything and everything about the Holy Father … holy cards, key chains, statues, books … without us asking. Even a simple holy card.

“But his stuff has always sold on its own,” he added. “We didn’t have to push to sell.”

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Michelle Samartino is a freelance writer from Rochester.