Book Review: Beyond the Catechist’s Toolbox
A few weeks ago Joe Paprocki asked if I would be interested in reviewing his new book, Beyond the Catechist’s Toolbox: Catechesis That Not Only Informs but Also Transforms. Of course I said yes; I’ve been a fan of Joe’s work ever since I became involved in catechesis. Beyond the Catechist’s Toolbox builds on and expands Joe’s book The Catechist’s Toolbox. In fact, this new book is a intended to help catechists “take it to the next level” by offering a model for religious education that moves beyond the typical “classroom model.”...
Read MoreBook Review: Not Less Than Everything
Whenever I agree to review a book on my blog I try my best to keep an open mind about it. This seems to be only fair, both to the author and to those who might read the review. Going in with preconceived notions about the author or the topic can keep one from gleaning valuable insights and enjoyment based on interior disposition rather than the merit of the work. Admittedly this can be difficult, as was the case with Not Less Than Everything: Catholic Writers on Heroes of Conscience, from Joan of Arc to Oscar Romero. On page two editor Catherine Wolff had already turned me off with her list...
Read MoreMy “Five Books” List for 2013
Every year in January I post a list of some of my favorite reads from the past twelve months. So without further ado: Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus by Sherry Weddell (2012) – I don’t need to belabor this one. Suffice to say that it was the most important book I read last year and anyone involved in catechesis and evangelization needs to read it. If you want more info you can read my full review of the book. Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of Josemaria Escriva by Eric Sammons (2012) – This books was a great...
Read MoreBook Review: Holy Days
In Holy Days: Meditations on the Feasts, Fasts, and Other Solemnities of the Church, editor Jean-Michel Coulet has compiled a useful selection of excerpts from the homilies of Pope Benedict XVI related to various holy days throughout the Church’s liturgical year. The book is divided by liturgical season, beginning with Advent and progressing through the entire Church year. Each selection is related to a holy day that falls in that season. Readers should be aware that depending on the dates of certain feasts the holy days may appear out of order. For instance, the book places the Feast...
Read MoreBoard Game Review: Mystery of the Abbey
Since my experiences at the GenCon Trade Day I’ve been thinking about how to use board games in Catholic education and faith formation. There aren’t a lot of board games with explicitly religious themes (outside the tired “Bible Trivia”-style games), so I’ve focused on using existing, high-quality games in a catechetical way. Fortuitously, Days of Wonder has just reissued one of its classic games with a religious atmosphere: Mystery of the Abbey by Bruno Faidutti and Serge Laget. Loosely based on the novel The Name of the Rose (more in flavor than in plot),...
Read MoreBook Review: The Good Pope
With the 50th anniversary of Vatican Council II just around the corner, now seems an appropriate time to re-examine the council and the figures who led it. (Indeed, with the Year of Faith, the Holy Father has invited us to do just that.) So it was with great interest that I read The Good Pope: The Making of a Saint and the Remaking of the Church — The Story of John XXIII and Vatican II by Greg Tobin. Unfortunately, anyone looking for a thorough treatment of either Bl. John XXIII or Vatican Council II will be disappointed in The Good Pope. Mr. Tobin has an almost myopic...
Read MoreBook Review: Forming Intentional Disciples
Here’s the short version of this review: If you have any interest in the challenges facing catechists and evangelists in the Church today, stop reading this review and get a copy of Forming Intentional Disciples. You will not be disappointed. For those of you that still need convincing, read on… Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus by Sherry Weddell is the most important book I’ve read this year. That is not exaggeration or hyperbole, but a testament to the research, experience, and insight Weddell brings to the question of evangelization...
Read MoreReview: New Online Catechism of the Catholic Church
In case you missed it last week, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released a new online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). This is something that has been a desperate need — while there have been work-arounds for making a robust online catechism available, having an official version from the bishops is a very positive step forward in the USCCB’s social media and technology initiatives. Is this version everything we could have hoped? No, but it’s pretty good. Here’s some specifics. Layout The online Catechism has a simple...
Read MoreBook Review: The Catholics Next Door: Adventures in Imperfect Living
There’s a certain genre of Catholic writing that’s never particularly appealed to me. I’m not sure what to call it, but it encompasses parenting books and marriage advice, Catholic living and holiness “how-to”s. The defining characteristic of these books tends to be a hoity-toity know-it-all attitude that exalts one way of parenting or spirituality as “the way” above all others, without regard to the rich diversity of the Church’s history and practice. The Catholics Next Door is not that type of book. In fact Greg and Jennifer Willits go out of...
Read MoreBook Review: Wish You Were Here
Amy Welborn‘s new memoir, Wish You Were Here: Travels Through Loss and Hope, details the aftermath of her husband Michael‘s sudden death in February of 2009 — specifically, the trip she took with her daughter and two young sons to Sicily a few months after. Part travel diary, part spiritual memoir, part reflection on grief, Wish You Were Here resonated deeply with me and my own experiences following the death of my father shortly before my senior year of college. Welborn writes with honesty about her grief. She details her anger, her fear, and her sadness. But these...
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