Book Reviews and More: Holy Chills Supernatural Stories To Tell In The Dark Based On Catholic Lore

Holy Chills Supernatural Stories To Tell In The Dark

Based On Catholic Lore

Matthew Alvarado

Mind and Body of Christ

ISBN 9798271285615

ASIN B0FYDMPHTR

ASIN B0FYCVG4VP

Holy Chills Supernatural Stories To Tell In The Dark Based On Catholic Lore - Matthew Alvarado

This volume was shared on social media. I do not even recall who shared it, which group or which site. But the cover grabbed my attention. And I will be honest based on the cover I assumed it was a much older volume. Either in reprint or just an old book. I was wrong. This released in 2025, and there appears to be a companion volume for Advent and Candlemas.

The description of this volume states:

“Holy Chills: Supernatural Stories to Tell in the Dark (Based on Catholic Lore)

What if the saints walked through moonlit chapels and whispered prayers that still echo today? Holy Chills is a hauntingly beautiful collection of supernatural tales drawn from Catholic legends, miracles, and mysteries of faith.

Written for readers young and old, these stories blend the eerie wonder of classic ghost tales with the light of Christian hope. Step inside midnight monasteries, weeping paintings, and bell towers where faith meets fear—and grace always wins.

Each story stands alone, yet together they remind us that courage, mercy, and prayer shine brightest in the dark. Perfect for families, teachers, and readers who love stories like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark—but want them redeemed.

Enter a world where every chill carries a blessing… and every shadow hides a miracle.”

The chapters in this volume are:

The Bells That Broke The Night

The Prayer Of St. Michael

The Devil's Chalice

The Bells Of St. Benedict

The Serpent LIn The Well

The Whisper In The Library

The Soldier And The Stars

The Bread That Never Spoiled

The Radio That Prayed

The Hands That Bled

The Lantern At Midnight

The Shadow Under The Crucifix

The Staircase That Shouldn't Exist

The Painting That Wept

The Ghost Of The Confessional

The Chapel Of Bones

The Relic Thief

The Corpse That Sang The Ave

The Monastery That Vanished

The Lady Of Lourdes

The White Lady Of Fatima Hill

The Light In The Catacombs

The Girl who Saw The Guardian Angels

The Saint Who Wouldn't Burn

The Nun Who Walked On Water

The Bells Of St. Mary's

The Pilgrim In The Fog

The Candle That Never Died

The Monks' Midnight Loaf

The Lady In White And Gold

The True History Of Halloween

The Three Days Of Allhallowtide

The Real Trick-Or Treating “Souling”

Not Samhain -A Christian Feast, Not a Pagan One

When Modernism Made It "Evil"

The Thin Veil - Communion, Not Magic

Bells For The Departed

Candles And Lanterns - Light For The Souls

Visiting Graves And Holy Ground

Masses For The Faithful Departed

Holy Water And The Blessing Of Homes

The Night Heaven Listens Closest

Sacred Symbols And Their Meanings

Reclaiming The Night

The Meaning B1rnrnothe Masks

Summary

Afterword

Letter From The Author

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume. Some of them are:

“Every Halloween, the old church on the hill rang its bells at midnight. No one pulled the ropes anymore—not since Father Callahan died fifty years ago.”

“Danny liked staying behind after Mass. When the church grew quiet and the sunlight faded through the stained glass, he felt like he could almost hear the angels breathing. He liked that stillness—the kind where even his sneakers didn’t dare squeak on the tile.”

“From then on, every night before bed, he prayed the St. Michael prayer - not because he was afraid, but because he liked the feeling of being watched over.”

“Ben was the youngest altar boy at St. Raphael’s, and the clumsiest. He tried his best, but every Sunday something went wrong—a candle snuffed out mid-Mass, the incense spilled, a hymn started too early.”

“Brother Paul never told the story again, but from that night on, he never hurried through a prayer. He said each word slowly, as if someone might be listening from the other side. And when the bells tolled for the next soul, he volunteered to keep vigil again—because he had learned that when we pray for the dead, sometimes they pray with us.”

“And she knew that even if her eyes couldn’t see them anymore, they were still there—because no one, no matter how lost, ever truly walks alone.”

I really enjoyed working through this volume on a cold fall afternoon over a mug of coffee then a large tea. There are some excellent offerings in this collection. And each story is accompanied by an illustration. The illustrations look to be drawings or pen and ink sketches.

It is a volume that not only entertains but also inspires. I admit I stopped a few times and prayed. Prayer to be better myself, prayer for my kids, for friends, and even for the departed. The afterward states:

“When the Lights Go Out

When you reach the end of these stories, the candles are nearly gone.

The room is dim, the world outside is dark, and that’s exactly when faith shines best.

You’ve met saints, sailors, nuns, and children who walked through fear and found light.

You’ve heard bells that rang by themselves, angels who stood unseen, and prayers that reached beyond death.

None of it was meant to make you afraid.

It was meant to remind you that even in the strangest, quietest hours,

God is still here.

Every Catholic story of the mysterious - whether it’s about ghosts, relics, or miracles - is really a story about love that refuses to die.

It’s about heaven leaning close.

It’s about the truth that the holy can live in cracked bells, worn hands, and small, brave hearts.

When the wind howls outside and you feel the dark pressing in, say a short prayer.

Light a candle if you can.

Remember that every saint was once someone small who got scared too - but who chose to trust anyway.

And if you listen carefully in the silence after “Amen,” you might just hear something:

a bell in the distance,

a whisper of wings,

or maybe just your own heartbeat —

reminding you that you are never, ever alone.”

In the author’s note Matthew states:

“As my kids grow older, I want them to enjoy Halloween, but also to recognize its true purpose: to pray for those who have gone before us, to contemplate the Four Last Things—death, judgment, heaven, and hell—and to order our lives to the will of Christ, serving God in this world and the next. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, but also to have joy. There is no harm in candy or costumes, yet there is no reason to turn a holy day into one that celebrates evil.

My hope is that these stories will entertain and inspire their imagination the way Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark inspired mine. But unlike those tales that left you wondering, “Is that real?” I wanted to collect stories that point to the truth that

Christ is real—and that, though underreported, miracles still happen around us all the time.”

and it ends with:

“Christ is King, and He loves you and every person on this planet. I hope you enjoyed these tales—and remember, what is natural is natural, but what is supernatural is not impossible with Christ.”

I will admit the formatting of the eBook formatting was terrible, and did not even have a Table of Contents. I have a dual form of dyslexia and prefer eBooks because I can change the font, and colour of the font and page usually to make reading easier. This eBook was just an uploaded PDF and did not allow that. But I was so intrigued by the stories I made do. (Note: This has been fixed by the publisher.)

This was a great collection and I can easily recommend this volume, for the young for those who read to them or just the young at heart. I was blessed for having read it and have already recommended it to my son and youngest daughter. I cannot give it higher praise than that!