Adult Catholic Knows Nothing!

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yellowdaisy

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Hi–

This is my first new topic that I’ve ever started, and something like my third post ever, but I read here a lot!

I was raised Catholic by a Methodist and a Catholic who didnt bleieve in/accept half the doctrine of the church.

I am now 26 years old, married, and have a 2 year old daughter who is just learning to communicate. My husband also had a somehwat lacking religious upbringing, although we are both confirmed Catholics.

We know nothing about our faith! NOTHING! We know there are holy days, but we cant name them. We attend mass regularly, but know nothing about how or why anything is said or done. I dont know what a novena is. I just learned how to pray the rosary during lent of this year, and I still have to bring a book with me when I do it that shows me what all the mysteries are and whatnot.

My daughter will be starting pre-school next year, and our hope is to send her to a Catholic school so that she wont have to flounder as we are floundering right now. I really feel like God is jumpstarting me to learn what I should have known already! I spoke to a priest about it in our last parish (we moved this year), and he pretty much said theres not much available to me by way of ministries, except maybe to audit RCIA. Does anybody have any ideas about how I can learn more about my own religion?

I just bought “Catholocism for Dummies”, which I figured was a good start 😉 DH and I are reading it together in the evenings, and we keep finding interesting surprises about the history of the church. I hated college, but I’d love to take a course in Catholocism!

I believe the basic principles about salvation, as taught by the church. I know I’m not a Protestant,b ecuase we once tried Protestant churches and it never felt like home to me-- we’re definately Catholic-- we’re just trying to figure out what that entails 🙂
 
I would look for other book other than “Catholics for dummies” or “everything you wanted to know about Catholicism” because in my opinion they have a liberal slant.
I also have a book at home that was printed right before the VII council(red cover) that explains everything about the Catholic church. When I get home I will post the title. You many be able to find it on Amazon or Ebay.

You might want to start by buying a Baltimore catechism and one suited for young children. I think there are other resources as well you can get if you look. Is there a catholic book store or shoppe near you? Maybe they can recommend something too.
My daughter is the same age and I plan on sending her to the 3 to 5 yo “Sunday school” that they have at my parish to get her started. My wife is protestant but attends mass with us so I am left to do it by myself.

good luck to you!
🙂
yellowdaisy said:
Hi–

This is my first new topic that I’ve ever started, and something like my third post ever, but I read here a lot!

I was raised Catholic by a Methodist and a Catholic who didnt bleieve in/accept half the doctrine of the church.

I am now 26 years old, married, and have a 2 year old daughter who is just learning to communicate. My husband also had a somehwat lacking religious upbringing, although we are both confirmed Catholics.

We know nothing about our faith! NOTHING! We know there are holy days, but we cant name them. We attend mass regularly, but know nothing about how or why anything is said or done. I dont know what a novena is. I just learned how to pray the rosary during lent of this year, and I still have to bring a book with me when I do it that shows me what all the mysteries are and whatnot.

My daughter will be starting pre-school next year, and our hope is to send her to a Catholic school so that she wont have to flounder as we are floundering right now. I really feel like God is jumpstarting me to learn what I should have known already! I spoke to a priest about it in our last parish (we moved this year), and he pretty much said theres not much available to me by way of ministries, except maybe to audit RCIA. Does anybody have any ideas about how I can learn more about my own religion?

I just bought “Catholocism for Dummies”, which I figured was a good start 😉 DH and I are reading it together in the evenings, and we keep finding interesting surprises about the history of the church. I hated college, but I’d love to take a course in Catholocism!

I believe the basic principles about salvation, as taught by the church. I know I’m not a Protestant,b ecuase we once tried Protestant churches and it never felt like home to me-- we’re definately Catholic-- we’re just trying to figure out what that entails 🙂
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Hello there!

I would encourage you to go to the RICA classes. This gives you an opportunity to ask quwstions to someone who has the answers. Also look for groups at yopur parish that have study groups on various topics. We have several at our church. They range from studying St Paul’s relationship with women to the book of the month club (religious). You can make friends this way with people to discuss whatever questions you have. See if you pastor has time to meet with your family on a regular basis for any special needs you have.

Best Wishes and God Bless!
 
Don’t listen to the PP (previous poster) about Catholicism for Dummies. It is an excellent starting point for you and you dh. It is far from liberal and very orthodox. As a matter of fact it was written by two Priests who regularly are on EWTN, Frs. Trujilio and Brigante.

Mass Appeal: The ABCs of Worship is a good beginners book about the Mass written by James Akin. It is going for under $3.00 at Amazon.com.

If I think of any other good sources until you find some adult classes at your Parish I will try and remember to pop into your thread here.

Brenda V.
 
Hi,

If you really want to:
  1. Know everything you should about the Catholic Faith
  2. Be in a position to be your children’s primary educator (as typically stated in parent guides at Catholic schools)
Get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and patiently read it from cover to cover. If you do a little a day you can learn the whole thing in a few short months.

You have done a great service to your family and community by praying the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary: that prayer encapsulates the entire Gospel, and it is very powerful. Pray the Rosary as often as you can and put all your intentions in it as you do.

Sincerely,

James
 
Thanks everybody who responded!

We did purchase The Dummies book because it was written by those two priests, and a friend of mine who is eastern orthodox recommended it as a good starting point.

Will also be looking for a child’s catechism and cheking out the book you recommended Brenda!

Honestly, it feels silly to not know, having been raised Catholic (sort of) for my whole life. My mother is 54 years old and just asked me to go with her to the weekly Rosary at her church becuase she’s never been and doesnt know what to do and is afraid to look foolish.

I seriously wonder how many other Catholics have such limited knowledge of the faith! If you dont go to Catholic school, where will you learn anything? My confirmation process was actually something of a joke-- I was 14 years old, went to ‘class’ for eight months, never cracked a Bible the entire time, and learned nothing doctrinally except for the seven sacraments. A big focus was put on developing a personal relationship with Christ and also a sense of community within my peer group, but I feel as tho there was no foundation built.

My poor husband was confirmed at age eight! he had Baptism, first communion and Confirmation all at once, becuase his father suddenly had a whim that it happen, and he was really given NO knowledge about the faith.

I really dont want to raise my daughter this way-- we really want to immerse her from a young age, but I am in no fit state to teach her much of anything, which is why we’re in kind ofa hury to build a library, so that some day when she DOES ask questions, if I dont know the answer, I can find out easily.
 
yellowdaisy said:
Thanks everybody who responded!

We did purchase The Dummies book because it was written by those two priests, and a friend of mine who is eastern orthodox recommended it as a good starting point.

Will also be looking for a child’s catechism and cheking out the book you recommended Brenda!

Honestly, it feels silly to not know, having been raised Catholic (sort of) for my whole life. My mother is 54 years old and just asked me to go with her to the weekly Rosary at her church becuase she’s never been and doesnt know what to do and is afraid to look foolish.

I seriously wonder how many other Catholics have such limited knowledge of the faith! If you dont go to Catholic school, where will you learn anything? My confirmation process was actually something of a joke-- I was 14 years old, went to ‘class’ for eight months, never cracked a Bible the entire time, and learned nothing doctrinally except for the seven sacraments. A big focus was put on developing a personal relationship with Christ and also a sense of community within my peer group, but I feel as tho there was no foundation built.

My poor husband was confirmed at age eight! he had Baptism, first communion and Confirmation all at once, becuase his father suddenly had a whim that it happen, and he was really given NO knowledge about the faith.

I really dont want to raise my daughter this way-- we really want to immerse her from a young age, but I am in no fit state to teach her much of anything, which is why we’re in kind ofa hury to build a library, so that some day when she DOES ask questions, if I dont know the answer, I can find out easily.
Click to expand...
We raised 2 daughters K-12 in Catholic school, and discovered that in many ways they did not learn essential elements of the faith. If I could do it over again I would have spent time taking responsibility to ensure they did learn everything. For example, my 23-yr-old thinks abortion is okay and that she should be able to take communion despite having such a view. Clearly she has much to learn, and it is MUCH harder to teach her now…
 
Well maybe it wasnt that book but one of those book was written by a num whom did not seem very orthodox.
Brenda_V said:
Don’t listen to the PP (previous poster) about Catholicism for Dummies. It is an excellent starting point for you and you dh. It is far from liberal and very orthodox. As a matter of fact it was written by two Priests who regularly are on EWTN, Frs. Trujilio and Brigante.

Mass Appeal: The ABCs of Worship is a good beginners book about the Mass written by James Akin. It is going for under $3.00 at Amazon.com.

If I think of any other good sources until you find some adult classes at your Parish I will try and remember to pop into your thread here.

Brenda V.
Click to expand...
 
Glad to hear that you want to learn more about your faith…

I’m an 18 year old, so I’d like to offer an opinion. You mentioned sending your daughter to Catholic school. I applaud that decision, especially if that will give your daughter the type of education you are looking for. (Note that sometimes Catholic schools are no better than public schools!)
What I will suggest, is that you don’t feel as though your duties for teaching her stop there. PLEASE keep an open dialogue with your children throughout their life, and never stop! My parents discussed faith with me when I was younger, but they sort of stopped at a certain point.

My family always goes to church together, but that’s the extent of our shared religious practices… I wish that we were closer in that sense 🤷
just my :twocents:
 
Before jumping into the Catechism, you might try Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft:

amazon.com/Catholic-Christianity-Complete-Catechism-Beliefs/dp/0898707986

It provided a great foundation for me when I converted to the faith! Also, learning at the same time as your daughter might be a lot of fun. The information will be fresh in your mind when she asks questions, and you two will have a lot to discuss! It definitely sounds like an opportunity to be more verbally active with your faith. Plus, if you’re like me, you might learn better while teaching.

–
 
A lot of good books have been posted here and I would recommend anything by Scott Hahn as a way to focus your learning on a topic at a time.

Something else to consider is the great FREE resource you are already at. At the top of the page is a “Faith” tab that takes you to the “Faith” homepage which has a search field. Put in a topic and hit enter. There are a lot of good resources available on this site to answer a lot of your questions. I would also recommend using the “Library > Faith Tracts” menu on the “Faith” homepage. While it is not guided like a book, pretty much every question you have has been answered by a professional somewhere on this website.

I would also recommend donating to this site if you can because they can use a lot of help bringing Catholics together and teaching the Truth of the Church.
 
Hey Yellow Daisy
Code: 
 I know what your going through and am doing it myself. Can't offer you any wisdom but do offer you support. I've been to Catholic school, apparently I didn't retain much but gave me the foundation to return to the Church after a long quasi absence. I found that getting use to your community's Church format is the most important and the rest begrudgingly follows, build a comfort level with your faith, it will pull you through. Even after I thought I had it all under control I attended services in Afghanistan in a multi-national enviornment and became lost again, same faith but so many different tolerances.
 Don't be discouraged about what you don't know, take comfort in the fact that you are striving to find out more.
Good luck, see you in Church:thumbsup:
 
Eric_Olsen said:
Well maybe it wasnt that book but one of those book was written by a num whom did not seem very orthodox.
Click to expand...
You’re thinking of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Catholicism” - which, IMO, was written by complete idiots. :rolleyes: It’s trash.

“Catholicism for Dummies” is EXCELLENT.

My recommendation - listen to Catholic Answers Live! If you can’t listen live, you can download the episodes. And call in if you need to. I have learned SO MUCH about the faith from CAL.
 
Congratulations for wanting to know more about your Faith, I think that’s awesome!! 👍

A good daily dose of Catholic information that changes daily (but is always archived on the site) is RealCatholicTV - just click the link in my signature.

Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see there, I’ll be happy to help where I can! 🙂

~Liza
 
As many people have suggested, the Cathechism list the beliefs of the faith very well. However, you should compliment your learn with ever more devout prayer, say a family rosary daily to implore the Blessed Mother to help you in your desire for knowledge. Also, as you said, its a great idea to send your daughter to Catholic Schools. I’m in a Catholic High School at the moment and have learned so much about my faith. However, when your daughter attends make sure she pays attention. Many people end up sliding on bye because of laziness.

Also, once you build up a basic knowledge about the faith try reading some writings of the saints, like Introduction to the Devout Life, or Confessions.

Hope that helps,
-Trent
 
I know what helped me brush up on my faith where the Michael Voris podcasts from Saint Michael’s Media. (catholictelevision.org/main.php?nav=03&content=20)

Also The Catholicism for Dummies book is Co-Written by Fr.John Trigilio who could be called many things, but Unorthodox is definitely not one of them (I believe he says the EF from time to time when he isn’t busy on retreats) he also runs an excellent blog titled “The Black Biretta”.

I would be very…discerning about your RCIA Program. The one i was put through was rather…un-orthodox (Such as a denial of the existence of hell.)

Good Luck on your Journey! Im trying to convince my parents to learn more about the Faith as well:thumbsup:
 
=yellowdaisy;5280701]Hi–
Click to expand...
This is my first new topic that I’ve ever started, and something like my third post ever, but I read here a lot!
Click to expand...
**And a darn good one too **😃
I was raised Catholic by a Methodist and a Catholic who didnt bleieve in/accept half the doctrine of the church.
Click to expand...
I am now 26 years old, married, and have a 2 year old daughter who is just learning to communicate. My husband also had a somehwat lacking religious upbringing, although we are both confirmed Catholics.
Click to expand...
We know nothing about our faith! NOTHING! We know there are holy days, but we cant name them. We attend mass regularly, but know nothing about how or why anything is said or done. I dont know what a novena is. I just learned how to pray the rosary during lent of this year, and I still have to bring a book with me when I do it that shows me what all the mysteries are and whatnot.
Click to expand...
Actually you knew one of the MOST important things, and that is to seek help in correcting the situation.

Being active on this site is a GREAT way to began.

I have been involved in Catholic Education for nearly fifteen years. Grades 4 through HS, and RCIA.

The first thing I suggest, may sound a bit weird, but its a GREAT idea, if you’re pastor approves. Seek permission to join the RCIA class. ***Rites of Iniation of Chrsitian Adults
*** It is a wonderful introduction to what we believe and practice and why, although the quality of the information can vary signifiantly defending on course material and the Teachers.

Additionally ask all you want on this Forum. We have some very good and informed Catholics here.

You should start to read the bible daily, just a few pages at a time. Began with the New testament. It would also be a good idea, a bit down the road, to buy and read the Catholic Catechesim Compendium.It’s less than 200 pages and easy to understand and use.
My daughter will be starting pre-school next year, and our hope is to send her to a Catholic school so that she wont have to flounder as we are floundering right now. I really feel like God is jumpstarting me to learn what I should have known already! I spoke to a priest about it in our last parish (we moved this year), and he pretty much said theres not much available to me by way of ministries, except maybe to audit RCIA. Does anybody have any ideas about how I can learn more about my own religion?
Click to expand...
A cautionary note here. Before you do this meet with the Principal, and speciffically “question intently on the religious education” aspects. If it’s nor done bu nins, brothers or priest, go out of you’re way to speek to other parents who have kids in school and see how they feel about the effectiveness of the religious education.

Don’t be shocked if it turns out not to be a great idea.

Some parish CCD programs do a better job teaching religion than “Catholic Schools.”

Again, please make use of this Forum to answer any and all the question you and you’re husband have.

God will Bless you and you’re family for what you are trying to do!
I just bought “Catholocism for Dummies”, which I figured was a good start 😉 DH and I are reading it together in the evenings, and we keep finding interesting surprises about the history of the church. I hated college, but I’d love to take a course in Catholocism!
Click to expand...
Contact you’re Knights of Columbus head, they offer at least two different courses, that I have taken, and as an alternative www.mariancatechistapostolate.comhas a series of study at home courses that are excellent. I have been a member of the Certified Marian Catecheist Apostolate for many years.

You can also GOOGLE “Catholic Home Study courses”.

I believe the basic principles about salvation, as taught by the church. I know I’m not a Protestant,b ecuase we once tried Protestant churches and it never felt like home to me-- we’re definately Catholic-- we’re just trying to figure out what that entails 🙂

Ask specific questions about what you think, what you’ve heard, why this, and why that?

To save yourself alot of hasel always on this Forum lead off with identifying yourself’s as
“Comming Home” Catholics seeking advice. Folks will use a great deal more charity if you do this.

Love and prayers,

Pat
 
yellowdaisy said:
Hi–

This is my first new topic that I’ve ever started, and something like my third post ever, but I read here a lot!

I was raised Catholic by a Methodist and a Catholic who didnt bleieve in/accept half the doctrine of the church.

I am now 26 years old, married, and have a 2 year old daughter who is just learning to communicate. My husband also had a somehwat lacking religious upbringing, although we are both confirmed Catholics.

We know nothing about our faith! NOTHING! We know there are holy days, but we cant name them. We attend mass regularly, but know nothing about how or why anything is said or done. I dont know what a novena is. I just learned how to pray the rosary during lent of this year, and I still have to bring a book with me when I do it that shows me what all the mysteries are and whatnot.

My daughter will be starting pre-school next year, and our hope is to send her to a Catholic school so that she wont have to flounder as we are floundering right now. I really feel like God is jumpstarting me to learn what I should have known already! I spoke to a priest about it in our last parish (we moved this year), and he pretty much said theres not much available to me by way of ministries, except maybe to audit RCIA. Does anybody have any ideas about how I can learn more about my own religion?

I just bought “Catholocism for Dummies”, which I figured was a good start 😉 DH and I are reading it together in the evenings, and we keep finding interesting surprises about the history of the church. I hated college, but I’d love to take a course in Catholocism!

I believe the basic principles about salvation, as taught by the church. I know I’m not a Protestant,b ecuase we once tried Protestant churches and it never felt like home to me-- we’re definately Catholic-- we’re just trying to figure out what that entails 🙂
Click to expand...
You are well on your way! Studying Catholisicm (sp?) is a tortuous path. It is fillied with frustration, doubt, and extraordinary jubilation. If you stick to it for you and your family, I promise you, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest imagination. In fact, do not use your imagination and stick totally to your conceptual talent. If you can get past the superficial you will enter into an extraordinary experience that will last a lifetime for both you and your family. This journey will not be easy and there will be many worldly divergences but if you truly open your hearts, minds, and souls you will experience both the worldly joys of God’s gifts as well as the spiritual gifts of God. Good luck and don’t give up.
 
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