Starting an Apologetics class at my parish

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irishmac

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Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
 
Hi Irish,

I can’t say I am familiar with apologetics classes, but apologetics is for those having a solid knowlege of the faith. Either you set some admission requirements or you combine doctrine AND apologetics.

Verbum
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
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I would say that the first place to start is looking through the catholic.com store. Karl Keating has many, many book suggestions for apologetics.
 
I have run a few apologetics courses at various churches in my area. E-mail me if you’d like more info!🙂
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
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We are using C.R. Publications, the Hayes and Hayes books for CCD (9th-11th grade
crpublications.com/books.html ).

The tenth grade class which I teach is a basic apolegetic.
The title “Catholicism and Reason” secondary title “The Creed and Apolegetics” It starts with with basic apolegetics to exsistance of God, followed by Apolegetics for Jesus Christ and then basic apolegetics for certain teachings of the church, such as the authority of the church, Mary mother of church, purgatory, intercession of the Saints etc. I do supplement adding additional info for most every chapter.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • How Do We Know God Exists?
  • Is One Religion as Good as Another?
  • The Historical Reliability of the Gospels
  • The Humanity of Christ
  • The Divinity of Christ
  • The Passion of Christ
  • The Resurrection of Christ
  • The Church Founded on Peter
  • Christ’s Church: One and Holy
  • Christ’s Church: Catholic and Apostolic
  • Church Authority and Infallibillity
  • The Church and the Bible
  • The Church and Ecumenism
  • The Blessed Trinity
  • Creation and Original Sin
  • The World’s Greatest Evil
  • Grace and the Virtues
  • Mystical Body/Communion of Saints
  • Heaven, Hell and Purgatory
  • Mary, Mother of the Church
 
Who, in my parish, would I need to contact to schedule and facilitate such a program?
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
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this is what we used, we are in our 3rd year, we offer if for post-confirmation teens, young adults, college students. It is open to the whole parish, but so far only the younger ones have responded. by request we started book 8 in the series, Last Things and End times. The teacher is a college prof and really excellent, joining this forum is a requirement of the course.
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
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irishmac said:
Who, in my parish, would I need to contact to schedule and facilitate such a program?
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Definitely use the SJCS series, but I’d start with book One. (which has a study guide available). The object is to remember that this is meant to be a beginning course. The basics.This not supposed to turn us all into Thomas Aquinas. It’s there to help us answer the most often asked questions and attacks that we face as Catholics, and in this it excels beautifully.

If you decide to do another booklet behind this one, I’d make it the one on the Bible and after that maybe the newest one on the last days since there is so much push on that. You can give people a break by spicing it with the CDs from John Martignoni’s Bible Christian Society on any related topics. The Bible study notes for them are on his website under “Booklets” and can be printed up to help make a killer study out of them. At a buck a piece s&h, you just can’t beat that, and they are worth their weight in gold.

Who to go to? Director of Religious Education or head of the Faith Formation department should be fine, but talking it over with your pastor isn’t a bad idea either, and he can point you in the right direction. One thing to consider is who foots the bill? Each person pays for their own? (Less than $10.00 a piece.) Or do you want the parish to supply it all? Just a consideration. It’s also cool if everyone gets to keep the booklets. Mine are like treasures.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,
 
CANman said:
I have run a few apologetics courses at various churches in my area. E-mail me if you’d like more info!🙂
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Same here; I’d be glad to help. I used the Beginning Apologetics 1 booklet.
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
Click to expand...
The Beginning Apologetics series is sold on Catholic.com. I have heard good things about it.

PF
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
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I haven’t run an apologetics class, but I highly recommend the series you have just cited. It has an enormous amount of useful information, information I rely on when dealing with protestants, atheists and new agers.
 
Thank you to all the posters. I am really excited about beginning this class. I am going to try and pair it with the youth after confirmation. I remember when I was confirmed. I didn’t have the basis for the onslaught of anti-Catholicism. Thanks again

Dominus vobsicum
 
irishmac said:
Has anyone begun, or is anyone currently participating in a successful Apologetics class at your parish? Several of my parish family and I are interested in starting a class/ discussion group to study our Faith. What is the best way to begin? Is the Beginning Apologetics workbooks, by San Juan Catholic Seminars, a good starting point? Any tips?

Mods: I apologize if this is not the place for this thread. Really didn’t know where to put it.

Dominus vobsicum!
Click to expand...
I have heard of San Juan Catholic seminars but I’m not sure how good it is.
You can start with the seven sacraments. The Eucharist is always a popular one in Catholic parishes. Then go on to the other six. Then you can go to sola scriptura, sola fide, purgatory, Marian dogmas, Papal infallibility, Apostolic sucession, Catholic priesthood, contraception vs natural family planning, Saturday or Sunday worship. If by chance you run out of ideas in a year, there are a plethora of other subjects you can explore i.e., Mormonism, Jehovahs Wittnesses, Islam. I’ve taught apologetics classes and am in one. You can start with Jim Burnham’s apologetics series: Click here: Beginning Apologetics 9-Book Series I haven’t read it but it’s recomended by Catholic Answers 🙂
 
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