Books on Catholicism

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Neofight said:
Depends on where you are in your journey of faith…many of the books you cite are apologetics.

Some of the others are personal conversion stories.

If you need validation for leaving your faith tradition and joining the Catholic Church, they are fine.

If you don’t feel the need to explain to others your decision, or someone to persuade you in making the move, you may be better served by catechesis…a good catholic edition of the bible, the catechism, and access to writings of the church fathers, church documents (ecumenical councils), encyclicals (especially of more recent Popes)…If you have internet access, you probably won’t need to buy any of these.

Peace and all good!
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I think I need both. 🙂
 
autumn10 said:
Hi! I know you asked for books, but I also wanted to recommend the Journey Home show on EWTN and it’s website, the Coming Home Network. There is one talk by Steve Ray called Peter, the Rock, the Keys, and the Chair that really helped me. I used to be Episcopal too :).
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Can I ask what convinced/moved you to convert to Catholicism?
 
Used2beSherryG said:
Google up the Didache my friend. Its a historical document written approx. 47 AD about the Mass and the Eucharist. Strictly from a historical standpoint this is fascinating especially with regard to the Church that Jesus founded that still continues today. God bless you on your journey. Also, read about the early Church Fathers so you can increase your knowledge of the historicity of the Catholic Church. All Christians are brothers and sisters, however the fullness of the faith He left us can be found in the Catholic Church. My parish just welcomed new candidates and catechumens into the church at Easter vigil. We had a party for them last night after 4 p.m. Vigil Mass. They each expressed their joy at being part of the body of Christ and everyone cheered for them.🙂 I will pray for your on your faith journey. I encourage you to sign up for RCIA and learn even more, having a wonderful opportunity to ask questions and study the faith in detail. Signing up for RCIA is available to everyone. You are under no obligation to join the Catholic Church and will not be required to declare your intentions to join until just before Easter of 2016. You can say no if you are still not convinced that God is calling you home to the Catholic Church, You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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Is it required that my marriage be blessed by the Church before I would join? Husband is RC and we were married in my church.
 
Graceful_Lamb said:
Can I ask what convinced/moved you to convert to Catholicism?
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Sure! I am going to try to be brief though…

First, this is not something I would have thought of on my own. My husband (who was also a non-Catholic Christian) started to read his way into the Catholic Church. Honestly, it started to drive me a little crazy, and I started to encourage him to go to Mass. I thought if there was any truth to Catholicism, he would be able to tell by simply going Mass.

However, when he said he wanted to pursue this further, with or without me, I decided to do my own research. It was right after Easter last year, and we had many months until RCIA started in the fall. I spent my time reading tracts here at Catholic Answers and I read some of the books on your list. I was just trying to figure out exactly what Catholics believed.

I wasn’t going to convert, though, unless I really felt like this is what God wanted for me, and that the Catholic Church was true. My husband’s main reason for converting was Jesus’ prayer for unity in his Church (John 17:20-23). For me, I was unsure about many issues, but once I understood the Pope and his role, I felt I could trust the Church. This is why I recommended that talk by Steve Ray. I had always worried about what would happen if there was a bad Pope (and there were bad Popes)! What I had missed as a Protestant was Matthew 23:1-4. As a Catholic, you have to trust that Jesus left Peter (and his successors) in charge, and that the Holy Spirit was also left to guide and protect the church. Submitting yourself to the authority Jesus left in is following Jesus. In Matthew 23, Jesus tells his followers to obey to the Pharisees, even if they are hypocrites. After I accepted this, all of the other Catholic teachings fell into place.
 
autumn10 said:
Sure! I am going to try to be brief though…

First, this is not something I would have thought of on my own. My husband (who was also a non-Catholic Christian) started to read his way into the Catholic Church. Honestly, it started to drive me a little crazy, and I started to encourage him to go to Mass. I thought if there was any truth to Catholicism, he would be able to tell by simply going Mass.

However, when he said he wanted to pursue this further, with or without me, I decided to do my own research. It was right after Easter last year, and we had many months until RCIA started in the fall. I spent my time reading tracts here at Catholic Answers and I read some of the books on your list. I was just trying to figure out exactly what Catholics believed.

I wasn’t going to convert, though, unless I really felt like this is what God wanted for me, and that the Catholic Church was true. My husband’s main reason for converting was Jesus’ prayer for unity in his Church (John 17:20-23). For me, I was unsure about many issues, but once I understood the Pope and his role, I felt I could trust the Church. This is why I recommended that talk by Steve Ray. I had always worried about what would happen if there was a bad Pope (and there were bad Popes)! What I had missed as a Protestant was Matthew 23:1-4. As a Catholic, you have to trust that Jesus left Peter (and his successors) in charge, and that the Holy Spirit was also left to guide and protect the church. Submitting yourself to the authority Jesus left in is following Jesus. In Matthew 23, Jesus tells his followers to obey to the Pharisees, even if they are hypocrites. After I accepted this, all of the other Catholic teachings fell into place.
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Thank you for sharing your story, Autumn10! I will read Matthew 23:1-4. 🙂
 
Graceful_Lamb said:
I have the following books on my list for consideration to read:

Rome Sweet Home
The Protestant’s Dilemma
Crossing the Tiber
Behold Your Mother
There We Stood, There We Stand
A Minute In Church
The Salvation Controversy
Spirit of Catholicism
Seeking Spirital Direction

Are there any other books that someone who isv researching Catholicism, and possibly looking to convert should consider reading?
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Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words by Rod Bennett

Surprised by Truth series by Patrick Madrid
 
Graceful_Lamb said:
Is it required that my marriage be blessed by the Church before I would join? Husband is RC and we were married in my church.
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If this was a first and only marriage and you are both validly baptized, the Church recognizes this as a valid and permanent marriage. There are a few variables, but safe to say, your parish priest could easily determine on the facts of you particular case. 🙂
 
Used2beSherryG said:
If this was a first and only marriage and you are both validly baptized, the Church recognizes this as a valid and permanent marriage. There are a few variables, but safe to say, your parish priest could easily determine on the facts of you particular case. 🙂
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If a Catholic marries outside the Church without a dispensation from the Bishop, it is NOT a valid marriage. God Bless. Memaw
 
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