Starting RCIA soon, book recommendations?

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eltoro89

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Hi,

I am beginning RCIA next week. I come from a protestant background. What are some good books I can get to begin reading now and throughout the RCIA process? I of course have a copy of the Catechism, but I was wondering what other books you would recommend to an aspiring Catholic?
 
eltoro89 said:
Hi,

I am beginning RCIA next week. I come from a protestant background. What are some good books I can get to begin reading now and throughout the RCIA process? I of course have a copy of the Catechism, but I was wondering what other books you would recommend to an aspiring Catholic?
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I’ve seen Catholicism for Dummies being mentioned quite a lot, I have it but I’ve not read it yet. Maybe start there and then if that doesn’t answer your questions, ask your RCIA group or your priest for further reading?
 
eltoro89 said:
Hi,

I am beginning RCIA next week. I come from a protestant background. What are some good books I can get to begin reading now and throughout the RCIA process? I of course have a copy of the Catechism, but I was wondering what other books you would recommend to an aspiring Catholic?
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Here are a few…

Catholicism For Dummies by Rev. John Trigilio Jr., PhD, ThD and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti, PhD

catholiccompany.com/catholicism-dummies-p1001687/

The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin

shop.catholic.com/the-fathers-know-best-your-essential-guide-to-the-teachings-of-the-early-church.html

Surprised By Truth

shop.catholic.com/surprised-by-truth.html

God Bless you on your journey to the One True Church!
 
A good hard copy of a Catholic Edition bible, highlighters , a journal , catechism of the Catholic Church, and compendium to the catechism…and a good, devoted RCIA team, and that’s all you need.

Please don’t get over exuberant and go off as a new apologetic for the faith until you well grounded in that faith…that will come in due course.

Welcome home!
 
Along with what has been recommended above, I really liked “The Heart of Faith-a Field Guide for Catechumens & Candidates” by Nick Wagner. It is so important to remember that even though you are learning a lot about the Catholic Church and doctrine…the end result: conversion of heart, is the main purpose of RCIA. Welcome friend!
 
My own tendency is to do too much reading, getting a good intellectual understanding while neglecting other areas. Just in case this is an issue for you too, I suggest you consider putting more effort into establishing good prayer and devotional habits than into reading.
 
eltoro89 said:
Hi,

I am beginning RCIA next week. I come from a protestant background. What are some good books I can get to begin reading now and throughout the RCIA process? I of course have a copy of the Catechism, but I was wondering what other books you would recommend to an aspiring Catholic?
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Um Try Any of Scott Hahns books, especially The Lambs Supper and Rome Sweet Home. Matthew Kelly is pretty good too maybe try Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic:coffeeread:
 
Ditto Matthew Kelly & Scott Hahn. First thought was Kelly’s Rediscovering Catholicism
 
I was in RCIA last year. They gave us a study book, that we read chapters and prepared for discussion each week. They also gave us a Catholic Bible. Don’t buy too much until you start. Of course the extras are good. Scott Hahn’s books are great as well as Catholicism for dummies is also a great place to start.
Best Wishes…It’s the beginning…and the learning never ends, and gets better and better!
 
The Catholic Sourcebook is a pretty good book. It has just about everything you can think of with explanations on why we do what we do. It’s a good reference book when everything is said and done.
 
Hi El Toro,

I am in a similar situation and have aread a good deal of the book s mentioned, those that I found particularly helpful were Rome Sweet Home by Scott & Kimberley Hahn, The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible of course:D

The book I am reading right now that I am finding to be of great help spiritually is “The Imitation of Christ.”

All that being said, it really depends on where your faith journey has led you so far and what kind of writing speaks to you.

Praying for you on your journey, a Compeccator.
 
I would also say that, in addition to these works, to also buy the Queen of Apostles Prayer Book. It is a wonderful resource for your newfound Catholic prayer life, plus it includes all of the important devotions and the basic teachings of the Church. May God bless you and yours as you become a true member of His family!
  • Ryan
 
My recommendation would be to first and foremost go to Mass every Sunday (Saturday night counts as Sunday, too). Listen to the readings, especially the Gospel, and pay attention to the homily. Remember, you do not need to understand everything about the Catholic faith to be a faithful Catholic - though some saints were scholars (such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Albertus Magnus) there are many saints who were uneducated. St. Therese of Liseux was not named a doctor of the church due to her intense knowledge of the faith, but due to writing down her “little way” of following Jesus in everything she did, sick and frail as she was. Most Catholics in the history of the Church were illiterate, and even a large percentage of today’s Catholics in 2nd and 3rd world countries are illiterate. It is more important to live one’s faith through actions done out of love than to intellectually know your faith.
 
floresco said:
My own tendency is to do too much reading, getting a good intellectual understanding while neglecting other areas. Just in case this is an issue for you too, I suggest you consider putting more effort into establishing good prayer and devotional habits than into reading.
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Do you have any recommendations for getting into a good prayer and devotional habit? I’m going through RCIA but we haven’t covered when to pray, what to pray for, or how to pray yet and it’s something I’ve been desperately wanting to learn. Any advice/tips/guidance would be gratefully received.

Thank you kindly,
Louise
 
eltoro89 said:
Hi,

I am beginning RCIA next week. I come from a protestant background. What are some good books I can get to begin reading now and throughout the RCIA process? I of course have a copy of the Catechism, but I was wondering what other books you would recommend to an aspiring Catholic?
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To help you through the Catechism, consider getting Peter Kreeft’s Catholic Christianity. It’s structured in a way that mirrors the Catechism and sort of extracts and explains its most essential points. The Catechism is written in a very poetic manner and so it is sometimes not easy to figure out what is actually being said.

For an introduction to the philosophical background underpinning, e.g., the Church’s moral teachings, consider Edward Feser’s Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide. Also in terms of general apologetics, you really can’t beat that same book. For her teachings on sexual morality, read some of JPII’s reflections on human sexuality (avoid Christopher West’s treatment of it). Dietrich von Hidebrand is good here too, especially his In Defense of Purity.

If you want to get a better sense of the Church’s visible, institutional life, consider The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Catholic Church by James-Charles Noonan, Jr. Even after the radical simplification of Vatican II it can be easy to get lost in all the “stuff” that the Church brings to the table – bishops and archbishops, dioceses and deaneries, chasubles and stoles, etc.

Consider getting a good hagiography; Butler’s The Lives of the Saints is pretty standard. One advantage to that is that it’s written in very short little daily chunks corresponding each day to one or two saints; the disadvantage is that it was written when a different liturgical calendar was in effect, so your hagiography of the day may not match up with the Mass for the day.

Finally, to start living an authentically Catholic life, I’d recommend you get St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life. You can find a free electronic copy (along with most of the major saints’ writings) here.
 
Re: Prayer

There’s a lovely little prayerbook, the Catholic Pocket Prayer Book, that I have found very useful. It has prayers by many of the Saints, and for different times of the day/year.

I’m also in RCIA (our first meeting was last night) and I started with the Rosary. The simplest thing to begin with might be the Morning Offeratory and the Angelus, plus Grace before meals.

My stumbling block at the moment is trying to remember to begin with the Sign of the Cross!
 
LouiseHine said:
Do you have any recommendations for getting into a good prayer and devotional habit? I’m going through RCIA but we haven’t covered when to pray, what to pray for, or how to pray yet and it’s something I’ve been desperately wanting to learn. Any advice/tips/guidance would be gratefully received.
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Try to set up your daily routine with consistent prayer times. They do not lead to be long or complicated, just consistent. For example, first thing in the morning pray a Morning Offering. Here is a sample:
O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.
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Amen.
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Perhaps you could make a prayer time at noon or some time during the day and say the Angelus: ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/Angelus.htm

Another good time to incorporate a prayer time is as part of your bedtime routine. Briefly think about your day, thank God for how He blessed you during it, and say an Act of Contrition for the sins you committed. Here is a sample:
O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.
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I’ve quoted these prayers from the EWTN site and you might like to look through what they have there. You may very well find something that speaks to you: ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/

As you grow in your faith, you will come across prayers that you want to make part of your life. Some people like praying in their own words and that can work too. The habit you need to build now is making time for prayer. Something that many people find helpful (I do) is having a prayer place. I keep a few religious objects- Crucifix, statues, pictures, etc. - there that help put me in the right frame of mind for prayer.
 
Hello eltoro89

Tonight was my first rcia meeting.

A few weeks ago I purchased saint faustinas Diary. It’s a good book.

You want come to love jesus christ. This book helps a lot.

Divine mercy in my soul is the title by saint maria faustina kowalska
 
floresco said:
Try to set up your daily routine with consistent prayer times. They do not lead to be long or complicated, just consistent. For example, first thing in the morning pray a Morning Offering. Here is a sample:

Perhaps you could make a prayer time at noon or some time during the day and say the Angelus: ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/Angelus.htm

Another good time to incorporate a prayer time is as part of your bedtime routine. Briefly think about your day, thank God for how He blessed you during it, and say an Act of Contrition for the sins you committed. Here is a sample:

I’ve quoted these prayers from the EWTN site and you might like to look through what they have there. You may very well find something that speaks to you: ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/

As you grow in your faith, you will come across prayers that you want to make part of your life. Some people like praying in their own words and that can work too. The habit you need to build now is making time for prayer. Something that many people find helpful (I do) is having a prayer place. I keep a few religious objects- Crucifix, statues, pictures, etc. - there that help put me in the right frame of mind for prayer.
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Thank you; this will really help. I just hope I can fit in mid-day prayers at work.
 
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