FOUNDED ON A ROCK

It is fitting that this, the last book Louis deWohl wrote before he died last month, is a popular history of the Catholic Church. His many fictionized biographies of saints, the most recent, Lay Siege To Heaven, glorified the deeds of sons and daughters of the Church in a form which supplied inspiration to many moderns who otherwise might not have appreciated their achievements. In Founded On A Rock, Louis deWohl synthesizes the story of the millions over the centuries who took up their Cross and followed the Christ, the Son of the living God, as members of the Catholic Church. The author's ability to condense the history of this divine institution into a short book is remarkable. The novelist's tendency to glamorize incidents, even though unimportant, is noticeable throughout, and the author also takes advantage of opportunities to inject his own pet views on different subjects. But in all, Founded On a Rock succeeds in giving a quick view of a fascinating history which should be of interest to almost anyone who has the slightest interest in the facts about the Catholic Church and its people -- saints and sinners -- who are and were its members and leaders.