Book Recommendation for a Friend Who is Falling Away

[kellyham77]

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone out there could recommend a good book for my friend who is considering leaving the Church. She doesn’t feel here spiritual or social needs are being met by her Catholic faith. I would like to recommend some sort of book to her, and I think she would be open to reading something that deals with spirituality for a Catholic perspective. I need to be very delicate in how I approach this with her, so I am looking for something subtle.
Thank you!

 

[Windmill]

Tough one. If she were searching for doctrinal questions I’d recommend Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating. That having been said, no book is going to give her solace in her social and emotional needs. She needs friends who will spend time with her. Maybe you know of some…

 

[maendem]

kellyham77:

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone out there could recommend a good book for my friend who is considering leaving the Church. She doesn’t feel here spiritual or social needs are being met by her Catholic faith. I would like to recommend some sort of book to her, and I think she would be open to reading something that deals with spirituality for a Catholic perspective. I need to be very delicate in how I approach this with her, so I am looking for something subtle.
Thank you!

Are you sure that her needs are going to be met by yet another book? It might help far more if you could find out specific, practical examples of where and how she feels the Church is dissapointing her.

Many disgruntled Catholics who do not want to leave the Church actually yearn for a frank dialogue with committed Catholics who do not condemn them for their doubts but are willing to sit on the same bench with them and seek for answers together. Many WANT to rekindle their love for the Church, but they don’t want to be the object of an artillery fire of apologetics.

Being a passionate witness yourself, and perhaps inviting her to meet/hang out with other committed Catholics who can themselves testify to what they have discovered in the Church might be of much greater assistance than just a book.

Books are great, and I’m not knocking that route, but they have to be supplemented by practical, real-life means. You might give her a wonderful book on the Eucharist, but if its women’s ordination or the lack of Catholic fellowshipping at her parish that she has a beef with, it won’t help much. Just a thought; good luck!

 

[Didi]

Sometimes when one is comtemplating leaving the Church, it helps to talk with those who are coming into the Church.

Does your parish have RCIA? Maybe she could attend some classes just to learn more about the faith and share in the excitement of those who long to be a part of the Catholic family?

If not, there are great books that share people’s conversion stories. Scott Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home is great. There is also a book of several conversion stories called Surprised By Truth, – in fact I think there are two or three volumes of this series.

There are also many groups and apostolates throughout the Church that she might be able to join to fulfill her social and emotional needs. Look into Couples for Christ, which also has Singles for Christ as well as groups for men and women who are divorced or widowed.

 

[kamz]

“There we stood, Here we stand” this is true stories about protestant ministers and people who came to know the Catholic church was the one true church" My mom gave me this book four years ago (I had left the Catholic faith for a few years) I read this book and it confirmed so much for me I was not able to deny the truth any longer and I came HOME to the Catholic church