Starting RCIA soon, book recommendations?

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My husband and I joined the church this past Easter. So far i have read: Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn, Lord Have Mercy also Scott Hahn, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri and Rediscovering Catholicism. Ive also listened to several of Scott Hahn’s cd’s. All of these have really taught me a lot! Also check out the topics section on this site. Theres tons of great info there 🙂
May the Lord reveal His truth to you during this wonderful journey 🙂
 
The one book I use almost as much as my Bible & Catechism is a Catholic Dictionary. Learning the Catholic faith can be like learning a new language. 😃

I went a little over board during RCIA buying books. I still have a shelf of books on my “to read” list so I slowed way down on buying books. One thing I’ve learned in my attempt to read everything I could is for some books I didn’t know enough about the Catholic faith to really understand what the author was saying. Those books are going to the bottom, not because I want to put off reading them, but because I want to know a lot more so I get more out of it.

Having a faithful prayer life is probably the biggest factor in internalizing the Catholic faith. I bought The Christian Prayer and use it for prayer everyday. We can read every book out there but to truly build & nurture our faith we have to live it, go to Mass, pray everyday, be involved in church activities, study, share, and give.

For those of you in RCIA - Welcome Home!
 
Horton said:
The one book I use almost as much as my Bible & Catechism is a Catholic Dictionary. Learning the Catholic faith can be like learning a new language. 😃

I went a little over board during RCIA buying books. I still have a shelf of books on my “to read” list so I slowed way down on buying books. One thing I’ve learned in my attempt to read everything I could is for some books I didn’t know enough about the Catholic faith to really understand what the author was saying. Those books are going to the bottom, not because I want to put off reading them, but because I want to know a lot more so I get more out of it.

Having a faithful prayer life is probably the biggest factor in internalizing the Catholic faith. I bought The Christian Prayer and use it for prayer everyday. We can read every book out there but to truly build & nurture our faith we have to live it, go to Mass, pray everyday, be involved in church activities, study, share, and give.

For those of you in RCIA - Welcome Home!
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Do you have a link for the Catholic Dictionary please?
 
The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel
Where Is That In the Bible? by Patrick Madrid
Catholicism for Dummies by Rev. John Trigilio and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti (of course)

These books are helpful during my RCIA study. You should also read this website’s recommendations for other-Christians. “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth” was very helpful for me.

Also start reading the CCC, and an approved Catholic Bible. Daily.
 
I am so glad for you that you are starting RCIA. The Catholic religion has been going for two thousand years thus there is much written. It is a religion of reason and intellect as well as faith as it completes the whole person.I recommend the books you are offered as part of the course; but I also recommend you look to the prayer life of the church especially the rosary.
If you have time, I recommend the screwtape letters by C S Lewis and his Apologia pro vitae sua; Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and Bishop Sheen’s works. God guide you. AMDG
 
This Is the Faith: A Complete Explanation of the Catholic Faith by Canon Francis Ripley

for used one, I often find good price on
abebooks.com/
 
Your question is one Faithful Catholics just love to answer because we all want to share the books which either brought us back/into the Faith or helped to enrich our Catholic Faith.

As someone who drifted away from the Church for about 30 years I have some tips, in no particular order,1. Be careful buying books online because of an online description or positive reviews. I have bought about six books which, when I skimmed them, weren’t Faithful. If you come across a book you might like Google it and see if any orthodox websites recommend it. Check out publishers you can trust e.g. Our Sunday Visitor, Ignatius, Tan. Come to the Catholic Answers forums and run a book by them.

2. Patrick Madrid was asked in his *Right Here, Right Now *programme how to interest someone in the Catholic Faith and he gave a simple answer that, when he said it, made me think, “Of course, that’s how to go about it.” He said, from what I remember: “Start with Jesus, learn about Jesus, love Jesus and everything else follows on from that – the Church, the capital T and small t traditions, the doctrines and dogmas etc.

3. After I had read a book or two I also wanted to deepen my spiritual life and I came across a book in church which turned my life around. It was “In Conversation With God” by Fr Francis Fernandez. This book is one of seven small volumes which I have been reading for about 12 years now; one chapter a day according to the time of the year e.g. today I read Wednesday, Week 24 in Ordinary Time. The spirituality promoted in this series of books is the Opus Dei spirituality which suits me. You might like Dominican Spirituality, Carmelite or Franciscan Spirituality to deepen your prayer and spiritual life. Al long as the source is Faithful to the Magisterium whatever appeals to you go for. Take some time and investigate the different spiritualities.

4. A wonderful website for orthodox i.e. not New Age spiritual direction is Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/

5. Some books which I like: Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of St Josemaria Excriva by Eric Sammons Our Sunday Visitor Publication

**On Being Catholic **by Thomas Howard. Thomas Howard is a convert who writes in beautiful prose to describe his love for the Church.

6. Prayer
The nine levels of prayer by Eric Sammons
ericsammons.com/blog/2010/03/01/the-nine-levels-of-prayer-part-i/

Once you get your head around these levels you could, if you wish, go on to the books on prayer by the late Fr Thomas Dubay:
In order: **Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within,Deep Conversation/ Deep Prayer **and **Fire Within **: St Terest of Avila, St John of the Cross and the Gospel on Prayer

I get to know and love Jesus more by going to Mass and receiving Him in Holy Communion and by reading the scripture readings for the day’s Mass which brings the In Conversation … meditations to life.

Hope this helps
Yin
 
The Luke E. Hart series from Catholic Information Service was AWESOME primer, it explained the kind of stuff that I needed to know…helped me alot. There are 30 booklets available free in PDF or mp3, and you can take a test after each one…that also helped…working toward a goal of completing the “course”.
kofc.org/un/en/cis/index.html

Right now I’m reading “We Pray, Living in God’s Presence of God” by Oscar Lukefahr, not into it far enough to know how helpful it will be but we’ll see.
amazon.com/We-Pray-Living-Gods-Presence/dp/076481561X

Also, Catholicism for Dummies was very helpful too.
amazon.com/Catholicism-Dummies-Rev-John-Trigilio/dp/1118077784

And a missal helped me alot as well, it was crucial to me understanding what was going on in mass.
ocp.org/missals

Hope these help, welcome to the journey!
 
Honour said:
The Luke E. Hart series from Catholic Information Service was AWESOME primer, it explained the kind of stuff that I needed to know…helped me alot. There are 30 booklets available free in PDF or mp3, and you can take a test after each one…that also helped…working toward a goal of completing the “course”.
kofc.org/un/en/cis/index.html

Right now I’m reading “We Pray, Living in God’s Presence of God” by Oscar Lukefahr, not into it far enough to know how helpful it will be but we’ll see.
amazon.com/We-Pray-Living-Gods-Presence/dp/076481561X

Also, Catholicism for Dummies was very helpful too.
amazon.com/Catholicism-Dummies-Rev-John-Trigilio/dp/1118077784

And a missal helped me alot as well, it was crucial to me understanding what was going on in mass.
ocp.org/missals

Hope these help, welcome to the journey!
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I will definitely try the first one! I was wondering whether I should order a Sunday missal but then I saw that they do mid-week/daily missals too so didn’t know if I needed one/both and so didn’t buy either (they’re really expensive). Any ideas on which is best?
 
I have both a SundayMissal and a daily Missal they aren’t cheap but when you realise that you will have them until/if the words of the Mass are modified you will get at least 50 years use from them.

My daily scripture reading is from the Mass of the day and I look up commentaries and read meditations based on the readings. This forms a large part of my spiritual reading each day.

My Sunday Missal is used on Sunday of course. It contains the readings for that particular Sunday and I find it useful to read over the Gospel etc before Sunday Mass and when I come home to read a couple of commentaries on the readings and read a reflection and meditate on it.

Neither of these books is absolutely necessary but I just love reading the Scriptures along with the Church.
 
One of the subjects converts struggle greatly with is the Virgin Mary! Here are two excellent books that gives outstanding information of what the Early Church Fathers wrote about Mary; Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought by Fr. Luigi Gambero, and the follow-up; Mary in the Middle Ages: The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Thought of Medieval Latin Theologians by Fr. Luigi Gambero. Both are available on Amazon. Here’s a brief description;
Father Luigi Gambero, internationally-known expert on early Christianity, presents a comprehensive survey of the development of Marian doctrine and devotion during the first eight centuries. Focusing on the lives and works of over thirty of the most famous Church Fathers and early Christian writers, Fr. Gambero has produced a clear and readable summary of the richness of the patristic age’s theological and devotional approach to the Mother of God.
The book contains numerous citations from the works of those men who developed the defining Christological and Mariological positions that have constituted the foundational doctrinal teaching of the Church. Each chapter concludes with an extended reading from the works of the patristic authors. A number of these texts have never before been published in English.
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The thought of the Fathers and early Christian writers continues to fascinate readers today. Their theological acuity and spiritual depth led them faithfully into the mysteries of Sacred Scripture. Their vast experience made them reliable and trustworthy witnesses to the faith of the people of God.
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Welcome to the Catholic Faith!
Peace, Mark
 
yinekka said:
I have both a SundayMissal and a daily Missal they aren’t cheap but when you realise that you will have them until/if the words of the Mass are modified you will get at least 50 years use from them.
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That’s a very good point!

As soon as I can afford to, I think I’ll take the plunge and get both.

Thank you.
 
LouiseHine said:
I will definitely try the first one! I was wondering whether I should order a Sunday missal but then I saw that they do mid-week/daily missals too so didn’t know if I needed one/both and so didn’t buy either (they’re really expensive). Any ideas on which is best?
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Certainly you do not need them. I actually got a subscription “missal” that had all the readings in it. If you aren’t going to daily mass, then a sunday version might be fine, since you can get the readings online, or via apps on smartphones or tablets if you want to follow the readings when you can’t get to mass.

Also, our deacon offered us extra copies of the missalettes that are ordered for the pews, that was helpful. If your church has them in the pews they might have extra.
 
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.

Thank you kindly,
Louise
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For private prayers, start with the prayers of the bible: The Our Father (Matt 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4), and the Hail Mary. (Luke, Chapter 1, and James 5:16), and the psalms, especially Psalm 51.

Psalm 51 is the penitent’s prayer, the model of how we are to seek God. I’ve quoted it below. It’s so important that it’s part of the Byzantine Rite liturgy of the Hours (aka the Divine Office). Psalm 51 is worth daily repetition.

The other important one is the prayer before meals: “Bless us, O Lord, and these they gifts, which we are about to receive from they bounty. Amen.” Pray before EVERY meal. If eating at a restaurant, pray when it arrives.

I’ll also recommend “Catholicism for Dummies”… it’s well written, and my dad always recommends it to his RCIA students (Dad’s a Deacon). As do most of the other Deacons around here. (It even mentions the Eastern Churches in Union with Rome - which few other beginning instructional texts do.)

As for how to build good prayer practices: (1) just start doing so, (2) find someone else to share that prayer time with, and (3)reward yourself afterwards.

So, if you’re the type who has a candy bar every day, wait until after your prayer time to have it.

If there’s a Dominican 3rd Order, Carmelite Oblates, or Franciscan 3rd order nearby, find out when and where they say morning prayer, and learn it with them. (You can’t actually JOIN the group until you’ve been received, but you can pray with them.) Locally, there’s a 3rd Order Franciscan chapter that meets across 3 parishes, and says matins (morning prayer) and vespers (evening prayer) every day with any and all who show up.

If you’re lucky enough to have a morning mass you can get to daily, go. There is no higher prayer than the Eucharistic Liturgy. And while it will be a while before you can receive, there is still grace on offer simply for being present, and for joining in the public prayers.

Psalm 51
  1. *]Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
    according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
    *] Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
    *] For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
    *] Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
    so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
    *] Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
    *] Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
    *]Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
    *]Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
    *]Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.
    *] Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
    *] Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
    *] Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
    *] Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
    *]Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
    *]Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
    ]You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
    ]My sacrifice, O God, is     a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.
    *]May it please you to prosper Zion,
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
    *]Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
    in burnt offerings offered whole;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.
    **
 
I bought and recommend Midwest Theological Forum’s Daily Roman Missal

It has all Sunday AND weekday readings in one volume, the Mass prayers, and some very helpful sections on basic Catholic doctrines, how to live a good Catholic life, devotional prayers, etc.

I would also recommend their Introduction to Catholicism for Adults

It offers a very thorough treatment of the Faith, with many scripture references and a good deal of paragraphs of the Catechism quoted, which you can use as a launching pad for further study. Lots of good explanations, I like it much better than Catholicism for Dummies (though that is a good text, too).
 
pilgrimjake said:
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:
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I would in here…Scott Hahn’s Lord Have Mercy…on Confession…when you tackle the subject of the sacrament of confession.
 
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