Resources for Learning about the Catholic Faith

Purchase from Tribute Books

Why God Matters is a book about the working of the Catholic faith in my father's and my life--its legacies, its hopes, its influences. I know a lot of my readers are not Catholic. I'm not here to convert you--only God can do that--but if any of you are curious to learn more about the Catholic faith, I wanted to share some resources with you. These came from our appendix in Why God Matters, and are good for Catholics as well. Thanks to Tribute for letting us reprint it here.

For Further Reading

There are so many wonderful books and websites we could recommend, but here are just a few that we or people we trust recommend for learning more about our wonderful Faith.

Websites

Catholic Answers. http://www.catholic.com/. Answers common questions about the
faith and provides help in defending the faith. Active message board.

Catholic Community Forum. www.catholic-forum.com. A large website with over 4800 members, containing discussion forums, Catholic news, frequently asked questions on the faith, and more. Paying membership also allows you to chat and blog on their site.

Catholic Exchange. http://catholicexchange.com/. Has lots of information, timely articles relating to current issues, and many 'channels' for readers: arts and entertainment, faith and morals, media, etc. All are rock-solid, informative and up-to-date.

Defender of the Catholic Faith. http://www.catholic-convert.com/. Offers help on faith questions but also has a very helpful message board for anyone with questions.

Eternal World Television Network, Global Catholic Network. http://www.ewtn.com/. The must-go website for Catholic news and entertainment. Also a nice library of prayers and devotions and other information about our faith.

The Integrated Catholic Life. http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/. An e-magazine about integrating faith, family and work.


Books

Amy Welborn. Prove It! Church. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2001. ISBN: 0879739819. Although written for teens, this wonderful work of Catholic apologetics explains some of the most fundamental traditions and practices of our faith.

Father Robert Spitzer. Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. ISBN: 9781586172015. A practical, yet rich guide for helping busy people develop a regular and deeper prayer life.

Gerard P. Weber, James J. Killgallon, Mary Michael O'Shaughnessy. Becoming Catholic even if you happen to be one. Skokie, IL: ACTA Foundation, 1997. ISBN: 0914070134. This book is for those who are “looking into” the Church, to life-long Catholics who want to go deeper into their faith, to “retired” Catholics, and to those who have become inactive or opted out and now may be willing to take another, more adult look at the Church.

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce. The Mass is Never Ended. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2007. ISBN: 1594710694. This book helps us to rediscover our mission to transform the world in bringing about an understanding of the relationship[p of the Mass and the mission of Christians in the world.

Hans Urs von Balthasar. Love Alone is Credible. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2005. ISBN: 0898708818. Von Balthasar delves deeper into this exploration of what love means, what makes the divine love of God, and how we must become lovers of God in the footsteps of saints like Francis de Sales, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux.

Joseph Martos. Doors to the Sacred. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN: 9780764807183. A historical and cultural evolution of the Sacraments and rituals and the practices associated with them, this book is written in easy to understand language to increase the knowledge of the reader concerned with religious topics.

Karl Keating. What Catholics Really Believe. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1995. ISBN: 0898705533. Addresses the 53 most common misconceptions of the faith held by Catholics and Protestants. Spells out the teachings and explains the rationale behind Catholic practices.

Thomas, Williams. Greater Than You think. Nashville, Tennessee: FaithWords, 2008. ISBN: 97804465149340. Written in response to atheists, this book answers inconsistencies and logical fallacies and shows that God is not only remarkably plausible, He is greater than you think!

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Washington, D.C: Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006. ISBN: 1574554506. Written and published by the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops, this book does not change the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is an adaptation of it in easy to read language which goes beyond the question and answer format.