Religion

This is a DVD apologetics series produced in 13 half-hour segments. Dr. Ray Guarendi and Rev. Kevin Fete discuss major issues of Catholic belief which are often misunderstood by Protestants and others - with an emphasis on support for Catholic belief from Scripture and from the Early Church Fathers. It's a lively discussion (Dr. Ray often breaks into "devil's advocate" mode!) with substantial but very accessible content. Basic topics covered are the following: Jesus, the Bible, Scripture and Tradition, Eucharist (2 episodes), Baptism, Morality, Confession, Mary (2 episodes), St. Peter, Papacy and Purgatory.

This is a quality production with numerous quotes from the discussion shown on the screen (makes it a lot easier to follow!).

My older children have really enjoyed watching the series. We just watched and discussed two episodes with the teen catechism discussion group that I lead. They found it informative and engaging - definitely the sort of thing that makes you want to dig deeper and learn even more. It's quite a good starting point for studying and discussing different topics relating to apologetics for both teens and adults. It could also be used as a "spine" to tie together a substantial religion course that included readings from Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A detailed study guide is available for free online.

Click here to watch a segment of this series online.

In what is being widely hailed as the definitive biography of Pope John Paul II, faithful Roman Catholic theologian and journalist George Weigel presents a thorough look at Pope John Paul II from the inside. With a rich complement of Polish history and in-depth coverage of the Holy Father's cultural, philsophical and spiritual background, he portrays a vivid and accurate picture of who the Pope really is and what he's trying to accomplish (and has already accomplished) as the Vicar of Christ. A long and moderately difficult read (the base text is about 850 pages followed by approximately 150 pages of footnotes, appendices and a thorough index) it's the sort of book that would not be required reading for every high school student, but would make excellent reading for those brave enough to attempt it and required reading for adults trying to understand where the Holy Father comes from. The book touches upon many major issues and events of the 20th century (including World War II and the fall of Communist Russia) as well as an in-depth look at the history and culture of Poland going back many centuries. Includes 32 pages of photographs (the more recent ones in full color).

Click here for a review of this book written by Cardinal Avery Dulles (from First Things)

Widely available used and in bookstores and discount stores everywhere as well as the sources listed below. The audio book is excellent as well.

The Woven Cross Kit provides materials for three beautiful woven crosses. Each kit comes with thin strips of vellum paper 3 ½” x 3” (The primary kit colors are green, purple, and black with gold accents), gold rhinestuds, red metal hearts, and step-by-step illustrated instructions. The quality and beauty of the materials are impressive. The project also comes in in a Pastel kit.

If you want to go to sleep, don't read Young Faces of Holiness by Ann Ball. The stories are absolutely fascinating. The thirty-five stories include young people from all walks of life and countries of the world who are either Blessed, Venerable, or candidates for canonization.

In a world that feeds the imagination of children to think only of themselves, this book is a refreshing anecdote to the me-ism of our modern culture. Ann Ball does a marvelous job of showing the spiritual development of these young saints. They too struggled with their faults. At the same time, they are a source of hope, because they chose to suffer or even die for Christ. We need to be reminded over and over again to strive to achieve the Divine Smile in the midst of crosses and suffering. Many of them did nothing extraordinary in terms of the world. They wanted to love God to the best of their ability. For example, although Annie Zelikova lay dying in terrible pain from tuberculosis, she was known for her constant smile. She said, "I must smile to my last breath." Another young candidate for sanctity, Gerard Raymond, wrote, "Help me, O Jesus, to love You more and more."

After reading just one or two stories, we are forced to make an examination of conscience and ask ourselves, "If they can conquer their faults, then surely I can conquer mine and strive to achieve the same attitude as these children." Although no reading level is suggested, the average 4th grader could probably read it. Since most children's comprehension level is far beyond their reading level, this book would also make an ideal read aloud to younger children. For many young children seeing pictures of these children will be an eye-opening experience. Other young people their own age tried to be holy.

Because a few of the children experienced violent deaths, you may wish to skip those stories for young children. Both Maria Goretti and Blessed Antonia Mesina were brutally murdered and died defending their purity because of their love of Christ.

Note from the Webmaster: I would like to suggest that this book is ideally suited to pre-teens and teenagers (approximately 6th grade and up) who will be able to reflect on the heroism of these children under difficult circumstances (and sometimes extreme suffering) and be inspired to apply some measure of that heroism to their own lives.