Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

 

Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., Ph.D. was a brilliant Christian Arab philosopher, poet, political thinker, and lifelong student of the sacred sciences.

With all four Gospels committed to memory (three in Latin and one in Greek), Brother Francis had a prodigious command of the Scriptures, which he long meditated on and assiduously studied through the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, ever faithful to the infallible Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiff.

Testimonials / More about Brother Francis / Other available lectures / Brother Francis' published volumes

 

Philosophy

Brother Francis divides his course in perennial philosophy (philosophia perennis) into eight parts, all of which are preceded by an introduction. Philosophia perennis is also called Aristoteleo-Thomistic philosophy, after the two luminaries, one pagan, one Christian, who best formulated it.

I. Logic. Logic is the art and science of correct reasoning. The student will learn here, not how to think — anyone can do that — but how to think correctly. (60 page booklet included.)

II. Cosmology. This course studies matter in motion, substantial change, and therefore, the whole material universe as it manifests the purpose and wisdom of the Creator. (25 page booklet included.)

III. Psychology. In the scholastic sense, psychology is the study of all life, but especially of man and his psyche, or soul.

IV. Ethics. The philosophic study of the first principles of moral conduct, which are meant to order man’s life and actions toward happiness and, at last, to everlasting life. (Notes included.)

V. Greek Philosophy. A study of the truths and errors found in the philosophic teachings of the ancient Greeks and other early pagan philosophers.

VI. Polemics. This is a study of most of the modern philosophic errors, including the most basic and pervasive error of subjectivism. Brother Francis exposes and ably refutes these modern errors.

VII. Epistemology. The study of knowledge itself. How does man know, and what is it that is known? Most modern errors are initially epistemological.

VIII. Ontology. Also called metaphysics or the science of the immaterial, this is the highest branch of philosophy. It is the study of existence, or “being as being.” In this course, Brother also explains Aristotle's ten categories of substance and accidents, and the very fundamental concepts of nature and essence.

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You may listen to a free preview of the first lecture on either of these product pages!

 

 

Testimonials


"I had the opportunity... to sit in on a few of Brother Francis’ conferences and was amazed at his clarity, simplicity, patience and gentle firmness in teaching the fullness of the Catholic Faith. He greatly loved his Faith and was a good, faithful and humble servant of the Lord and His Mother. I am proud to have known him and to have learned from him." —Father Carlos Casavantes, F.S.S.P. (St. Damien Catholic Church, Edmond OK)

"Brother Francis’ teaching is very much in the tradition of Saint Thomas, Saint Augustine, and, most importantly, of Our Lord Himself. His wisdom is very much of the quality necessary for our own benighted age. And I would encourage everyone interested in Catholic wisdom, natural and revealed, to take advantage of his eight courses of philosophy and his commentaries on holy scripture." —Father Lawrence Smith (Silver Cliff, Wisconsin)

"What is so attractive about this work [Philosophia Perennis] is that Brother Francis teaches the truth and the splendor of Wisdom in the manner of a wise man, without sacrificing the requisite precision and depth of knowledge. In this sapiential approach, the whole illumines each part, rendering them capable to form in the reader that same vision of God’s created order with which to judge the true from the false, to love the good from what is only apparently so, and to persuade others to be disciples of Holy Wisdom." —Father Christopher Manuele (St. Joseph Melkite Church, Scranton, PA)

"Brother Francis was an unusually fine and gifted teacher and scholar. I appreciated his tapes. They were an excellent learning experience and an invaluable aid to understanding difficult philosophical concepts." —Father Stanley McIsaac, O.S., S.T.D.

"After listening to all his philosophy tapes, each one studiously, I always felt better informed. More importantly, I always felt closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary." —Hon. Joseph Nolan† (Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Professor, Suffolk University Law School)

"What my beloved German mentor, Josef Pieper, once said . . . about another man . . . applies so well to Brother Francis Maluf himself. [K] ein falscher Ton. Not a false tone! Brother Francis Maluf will help us in our combative and strategically discerning resistance to such grave desolations of despair, and to their principles of disorder. [His] clarifications and truthful affirmations, like his personal example, are fortifying and enlivening . . . an indispensable aid to our further lives in the Faith, that we may live . . . under grace, in a festive communion of deep gratitude." —Robert Hickson, Ph.D. (Former Professor and Chairman of the Literature and Latin Department at Christendom College, Former Professor in the William Simon Chair of Strategy and Culture at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Former Army Special Forces Officer)

"A political ideologue of the highest caliber. . . . He was methodical in everything he did, a labor of perfectionism and devotion. . . . Fakhri Maluf [Brother Francis] was a natural leader who stepped up to the plate in our country’s [Lebanon's] hour of need. His moral consistency and religious faith were evident to all." —Adel Beshara, Ph.D. (Fellow and teacher in the Department of History at the University of Melbourne, Austrailia; Editor-in-Chief of al-Mashriq, a Quarterly Journal of Middle East Studies; Author of Syrian Nationalism: An Inquiry into the Political Philosophy of Antun Sa'adeh)

"Thank goodness these lectures of Brother Francis are recorded. It means that beyond the many privileged to learn from him in his lifetime, a far greater number in generations to come will have the opportunity to be edified and enriched through an encounter with one of the twentieth centuries great teachers." —Gary Potter (Washington D.C., Professional Journalist, a founding editor of Triumph Magazine, author of In Reaction)

"At a time when so much of Catholic thought was infected with modernism, Brother Francis offered his students a safe harbor of Catholic sanity and orthodoxy, while never failing to confront them with the full challenge of the Faith. The teachings and writings of Brother Francis were always characterized by a profound erudition, rigorous logic, and lucid powers of expression, all animated by the theological virtues, and complemented by the humble piety of the teacher. I believe future generations will count as privileged those who received their spiritual and intellectual formation from Brother Francis." —C. Joseph Doyle (Executive Director, Catholic Action League of Massachusetts)

 

More about Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., Ph.D.


Brother Francis was born, in the town of Mashrah, Lebanon, about thirty miles from Beirut, in 1913. His given name was Fakhri Boutros Maluf. The Maluf family is descended from the ancient Ghassanids, Christian and Catholic Arabs who courageously kept the Faith in the face of Moslem aggression.

Though poor, Fakhri’s family saw to his education, which was provided at home, in a small school that his father operated. In 1934, Fakhri graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics. From 1934 to 1939, he taught physics at that same University.

In 1939, he moved to the United States to attend the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he received first an M.A. and, in 1942, a Ph.D. in philosophy. On the Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) in 1940, he became a Catholic. After receiving his Ph.D., he continued post-graduate studies at Harvard University and Saint Bonaventure University.

From 1942 to 1945, Dr. Maluf taught mathematics and science at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. From 1945 to 1949, he taught philosophy, theology, and mathematics at Boston College.

Since that time, Brother Francis continued to teach Sacred Scripture, philosophy, theology, science and mathematics at various levels.

On July 19, 2009, Brother Francis marked his 96th birthday. On September 5 of that year — a first Saturday — Brother went to his reward.

 

Partial List of Available Lectures


The Four Gospel Set

Sunday Talk Series

Saint Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews

Commentary on Machabees

St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans

First Epistle of St. Peter

Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (the same as downloadable MP3 files)

Commentary on Genesis

 

Brother Francis’ Published Books


 

Divine Alchemy

CODE: DA - 01

$12.95
By Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. One can detect a definite influence from the priest poet, Father Feeney, in the rhyme and rhythm of the philosopher... More

Philosophia Perennis: Vol I - Introduction to Philosophy

CODE: PP - 05

$9.95
By Brother Francis, M.I.C.M. The author applies his fifty plus years of teaching philosophy to give the student an appreciation for sound thinking... More

Philosophia Perennis: Vol III - Cosmology

CODE: PP - 03

$17.95
By Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. This is the third course, Volume III, in Brother Francis' eight course study of perennial philosophy. An Introduction... More

The Challenge of Faith

CODE: CF - 02

$14.95
By Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. This is a book of seventy-two concise meditations, each one pondering a different subject. Whether it is an event, as... More