Recommendations for Catholics

The following are just a small fraction of the resources that are available on Catholic.com.

They have been specially selected to deal with some of the topics Catholics most often wonder about.

Click on the links to read, listen, or watch—then branch out and explore the rest of the site.

How to learn about the Catholic faith

Everyone can learn their faith better. Here are some resources to help you find out more about your faith as a Catholic. Be sure to check out the text of our booklet, Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. It is a mini-catechism that has been read by millions of people and translated into multiple languages.

• Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth (text)
• Scripture and Tradition (text)
• The Untapped Power of the Catechism (audio)

Growing closer to God and his Church

Knowing about your faith isn’t enough. We also need to live it and grow closer to God. Here are some resources to help you do just that.

• Common Catholic Prayers (text)
• The Rosary (text)
• Who Can Receive Communion? (text)
• How to Go to Confession (audio)
• How to Go to Mass (audio)

Defending your faith

Sometimes people question or even attack the Catholic faith. Here are some resources to help you learn how to explain and defend your faith.

• How to Make Sound Arguments for the Faith (text)
• Apologist’s Bookshelf (text)
• Starting Out as an Apologist (text)
• How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith (audio)
• How to Confront Anti-Catholicism (video)
• Avoiding Arrogance While Evangelizing. (video)
• A Short History of Catholic Apologetics (video)

Dissent (left and right)

Sometimes even Catholics don’t accept the Church’s teachings and practices. Whether they dissent from the Church by going in a “left” (modernist) or “right” (traditionalist) direction, they’re still straying from the Church. Here are some resources that deal with both kinds of dissent.

• What it Means to Follow Your Conscience (text)
• Women and the Priesthood (text)
• Why a Celibate Priesthood? (text)
• The Words of Consecration: Vatican Corrects Controversial Translation (text)
• Why Only Men Can Be Priests (audio)
• Why Do Some People Oppose the New Translation of the Mass? (video)

Voting as a Catholic

Catholics are called to participate in the life of their nation, and American Catholics are no different. Here are some resources to help you discern how to use your vote wisely.

• Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics (text)
• The (Not-So-Mindless) American Catholic Voter (text)
• How to Vote Like a Catholic (audio)
• Voting for the “Lesser of Two Evils” (video)
• How Can We Spread the Truth About These Non-Negotiable Issues? (video)
• Why Is Abortion Non-Negotiable? (video)
• Politicians and Judicial Appointments (video)
• How Redefining Marriage Affects Your Religious Liberty (video)

Moral issues

Every generation has to deal with the problem of sin, but today even basic moral principles are under attack. Here are some resources that deal with some of the most controversial.

• Abortion (text)
• Homosexuality (text)
• Gay “Marriage” (text)
• Birth Control (text)
• Leaving the Abortion Industry (audio)
• Same-Sex “Marriage” (video)

Scandals in history and today

Like every group of people, the Catholic Church is made up of fallen human beings who struggle with sin. At times this gives rise to scandal. At other times, false accusations are made against Catholics. Whichever is the case, Catholics need to be unafraid of following and proclaiming the truth. Here are some pieces offering perspective on both real and perceived scandals from the past and from our own day.

• An Inquisition Primer (text)
• How Pius XII Protected Jews (text)
• The Sexual Abuse Scandal: A Crisis of Saints (text)
• Three Great Lessons of the Abuse Scandal (text)
• Scandals: Nothing New Under the Sun (text)
• Don’t Let Problems in the Church Steal Your Peace (text)
• How to Explain the Crusades (audio)
• Responding to the Sexual Abuse Crisis (audio)
• What About the Bad Popes? (video)

Where to get your questions answered

Catholic Answers offers many additional resources to help answer your questions. Just use the search feature here on Catholic.com, and you will find answers to many of them.

We also have ways that you can get your questions answered personally. These include:

1. Catholic Answers Live: We produce a live, national call-in program that is heard on over 200 radio stations around the country. If there isn’t a radio station in your area, you can also listen through Sirius satellite radio or click here to listen over the Internet and by podcast.

   Some programs are devoted to particular topics, but others are Q & A open forums, and you can call-in to ask your question on any subject.

   The program airs live Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific (6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern). To ask your question, simply call 888-318-7884 during those times.

   Click here to listen to a sample program.

2. Catholic Answers Forums: We also run the largest online Catholic discussion forums, with more than 300,000 registered members and hundreds of thousands of other visitors.

   The Catholic Answers Forums contain discussions on countless topics, and you can start your own conversations to ask other forum members for help with your questions.

   Click here to join the Catholic Answers Forums.

3. Ask an Apologist: Sometimes you need to talk to an expert to find the answer to your question. That’s why Catholic Answers maintains a staff of apologists (experts in defending the faith) to help people with their questions.

   You can call our apologist line at 619-387-7200 (9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Pacific; 12 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Eastern), and an apologist will call you back to help with your question.

   You can also use the popular Ask An Apologist forum online.

   The Catholic Answers apologists have already answered thousands of questions, so be sure to check out the Quick Questions section of Catholic.com to see if your question is among them!

4. The Catholic Answers Store: Finally, Catholic Answers maintains an online store with hundreds of faith-building books, booklets, CDs, and DVDs. Be sure to visit the online store to see what resources can help you!

   Visit the Catholic Answers Store.