Books / readings to help in catechizing an amenable college sophomore

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My grandson is a college sophomore who has not been exposed to Christianity or Catholic Christianity in particular. His parents are divorced and are non-practicing, non-believing Catholics. His father is not against his searching. I don’t know about his mother.

I have spoken with him about his need to know and he is amenable.

I called the Newman Center on his campus and they were going to put him in contact with a FOCUS missionary who is a recent college graduate. No contact yet.

My question: what reading material is there that I can get for him which might stimulate his interest and help him to get started on his journey to faith?

Thank you and God bless
 
elementary said:
My grandson is a college sophomore who has not been exposed to Christianity or Catholic Christianity in particular. His parents are divorced and are non-practicing, non-believing Catholics. His father is not against his searching. I don’t know about his mother.

I have spoken with him about his need to know and he is amenable.

I called the Newman Center on his campus and they were going to put him in contact with a FOCUS missionary who is a recent college graduate. No contact yet.

My question: what reading material is there that I can get for him which might stimulate his interest and help him to get started on his journey to faith?

Thank you and God bless
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There were three books that I read that helped me in my faith journey to becoming a Catholic Christian:

‘Catholic and Christian’ by Alan Schreck
Four Witness, The Early Church in Her Own Words’ by Rod Bennett
‘A Case for Christ’ by Lee Strobel.

and another frequently recommended book on this forum is ‘Catholicism for Dummies.’
 
YouCat is good as a previous poster suggested. You can download a free copy online.
Also I would recommend Forming a Catholic Conscience by Michael Pennock (Ave Maria Press) And maybe some books on by Jason Evert directed to teens such as Pure Faith, and also those reading materials he has written toward the young male audience?
 
My recommendations, as a 20-something man, assuming that this person has no teaching in the faith at all:

Bible Study/Theology
  • The New Testament, then the Old Testament with solid Catholic biblical interpretation in mind (to be found in Dei Verbum or in the Catechism starting at article 101).
    -Some kind of easier Catechism, like the YouCat, the Compendium of the Catechism, or “This Is The Faith” by Canon Francis Ripley (I like the last one most, despite the anti-evolution editorial comments that the original author didn’t put in)
  • “The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass As Heaven on Earth” by Scott Hahn (this will help him get a lot more out of mass)
  • “You Can Understand The Bible: A Practical and Illuminating Guide to Each Book in the Bible” by Peter Kreeft
    -“Theology and Sanity” by Frank Sheed
    -“A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God’s Covenant Love in Scripture” by Scott Hahn (if you’re in the USA you can get this for the price of shipping here: cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-A-Father-Who-Keeps-His-Promises-p/1father.htm )
  • “Hail, Holy Queen” by Scott Hahn
  • “Life of Chist” by Fulton J. Sheen
Apologetics
  • “Because God is Real: Sixteen questions, One Answer” by Peter Kreeft.
  • “Reasons To Believe: How to Understand, Explain, And Defend The Catholic Faith”, by Scott Hahn
Church History:
-“Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church” by H.W. Crocker III
-“How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization” by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
-“Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies” by David Bentley Hart

Philosophy:
  • “The Journey: A Spiritual Roadmap for Modern Pilgrims” by Peter Kreeft
  • “The One-Minute Aquinas: The Doctor’s Quick Answers to Fundamental Questions” by Kevin Vost
  • “The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism” by Edward Feser
I’m not saying get all of these obviously, just trying to give you a bunch of ideas. If I had to recommend just one (that isn’t the bible and a catechism, because I think those are necessary for everybody), I’d say get “Because God is Real” by Peter Kreeft.
 
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis might be a good fit for where he’s at.
 
The book that turned things around for me in college was Yes or No?: Straight Answers to Tough Questions about Christianity by Peter Kreeft.

Whatever book you get, I would recommend reading it beforehand yourself to make sure it is a good fit. It will also enable you to discuss it with him afterwards.

Hopefully the FOCUS missionary will contact him once the semester gets up and running. That personal connection is probably going to be more beneficial than any book.
 
When I was his age, things like G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy or the Confessions of St. Augustine would have interested me more than anything aimed specifically at young people or faith-for-beginners type books, but everyone is different.
 
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