New to Catholic Faith

  • Thread starter Thread starter baileym
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

baileym

Guest
So I’m pretty new to Catholicism and I feel like I don’t know anything. I go to RCIA once a week but I feel like that isn’t enough and I feel like I’ll never know as much as my friends about the faith or as I would like to. Any suggestions on books I could read to help me or is it just something learned over time?
 
I’m a priest. I’m 30 years old, have been seriously practicing my faith for a little over half my life, and have a bachelor’s and Master’s degree in theology, totaling a decade’s worth of school. I’m still learning. We can never learn it all. Far from being intimidating, this is immensely thrilling. Always something more to explore.

Welcome home!
-Fr ACEGC
 
Last edited:
You will likely never “learn it all”, but the more you learn, the happier you’ll be:)
Congratulations!
 
Catholicism is like the ocean – so deep that you’ll never reach the end. Be patient with yourself. I’ve been Catholic all my life and I still learn new things.

Is there a particular area you want to know more about? There are classes you can take online for a more structured format, or you could just ask questions here about topics of interest.
 
I have learned a lot from books by Scott Hahn. Catholic Answers has an online store https://shop.catholic.com Books are sorted by topic - I would suggest reading whatever topic interests you.
 
I would suggest focussing on the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the core, the centre of our faith really.

There is so much that you can learn about the Catholic faith and yet our faith is not an exercise of the intellect. Don’t worry about thinking you know less than others.

As suggested above, get yourself a catechism where you can look up the key themes.
 
Last edited:
The Catholic Church has a 2000 year history. It is impossible to learn everything. The search button on catholic.com is good. Use that one or post your questions here and we’ll help as much as we can.

During RCIA you will learn the basics and then you have the rest of your life to learn “the rest”. 😁
 
Welcome to Catholicism and CAF, @baileym!

I am fairly new to Catholicism as well - 4 years only. I wish I could assist you with good introduction books, but I cannot. There is so much out there! Currently, I am reading Aquinas’s Shorter Summa. It’s by no means an introductory text. It’s also pretty dense. It is not unreadable, though. It’s just dense.

I’d stick with the readings they are giving you in RCIA for the moment and, if you’ve not obtained a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as @Francis recommends, I’d get one. It has the foundations of Catholicism nicely articulated. It’s not the most entertaining read, but it is quite informative.

If you’re in the U.S., you’ve probably received a copy of the CCA, Catholic Catechism for Adults. That’s a great introductory text. If not, it’s a great starting point.

Good luck with your faith journey!
 
Last edited:
When I was younger and not allowed to go to church, an older cousin who had been in the same situation, gave me a Bible. It’s been over 40 years and I still have it. I learned mostly from King David, who wrote the Psalms, which attest to his unflinching love for God. I learned about Jesus in the gospels from St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John (the fab four, the four evangelists). St. Paul taught me some strong lessons. Also read about the lives of the saints and what the Fathers and Doctors of the Church have written. Lots of stuff, lifetime of learning.
 
Welcome!

You will never know everything. You will learn, and then later in your journey, more will be revealed to you. I have been Catholic my entire life and I am still learning new things. It will never end, there is always more to be learned, and that is a very good thing.
 
Check out Ascension Presents on YouTube, they are great with multiple regular speakers from Brother Mark, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Matt Fradd, and Jackie and Bobby Francois. Specially check out Fr. Mike Schmitz who has over 200+ videos on pretty much any question you might have and he posts new videos every Wednesday!

 
The Church has been around for 2,000 years, then take into account Salvation History from the beginning of time, there is no way any of us can “know it all”.

One step at a time.

Think of a baby and how much you know now that you did not know at age 1.
 
As a convert of 13 years I can totally empathize with you. I felt that way at times myself. Personally, over time that feeling left me. And as others have stated … none of us can know it all. We all are still learning!

Welcome Home!!
 
Look on YouTube for videos of Father Larry Richards sermons especially the one where he explains the Mass.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top