Rcia Book Recommendation

[CatholicCid]

I have a friend in a small RCIA class that is not very informative. I was looking into getting her a few supplemental books she could read. Any suggestions?

 

Young woman, college-educated, interested in computers.

[Anastasia13]

She has a catechism?

[Anastasia13]

Catholicism for Dummies was cool. I think it's been mentioned in a couple threads here too. It has a western bias in coverage, but RCIA is Roman rite.

 

Some people like Scott Hahn's stuff.

 

http://www.jgray.org/ - Selected Reference Documents related to the Code of Canon Law prepared by Monsignor Jason Gray of the Diocese of Peoria

Edited November 12, 2013 by Light and Truth

[TheresaThoma]

A Catechism will be invaluable. I have the "little white one" which is nice because of its size and a YouCat. I particularly like the YouCat for its format, besides the Catechism in a question and answer format it provides quotes from the Saints and references to other resources.

Scott Hahn's stuff is very solid and not at all dry in any way. "The supper of the Lamb", "A Father Who keeps His Promises" and "Hail Holy Queen" are three good ones to start with from him,

 Another book I used in an RCIA class was "Why do Catholics Do that?" http://www.amazon.com/Why-Do-Catholics-That/dp/0345397266

 

Here is a link with a list of good books. http://www.ourladyofloreto.org/rcia-books.html

[NotreDame]

RCIA not very informative?  Surely you jest...

 

For catechism type material, the Baltimore Catechisms (2 & 3) are always the best antidote to a poor catechism class.  Maybe a little easier to navigate and more succinct than the new CCC (though that's great too.)

 

T&L's suggestion of Scott Hahn might be good too,  especially if she is a protestant convert (as he was, I believe.)

 

 

 

 

[NotreDame]

Here is a link with a list of good books. http://www.ourladyofloreto.org/rcia-books.html

 

Great link!

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

compendium catechism. It is an official mini catechism i think way better than the old penny catechism and a great read and plain and simple without being dry. And any life of the saints biography or is that bibliography the one that's written by an outsider and it must have at least the nihil obstat.

[TheresaThoma]

Another thing is to just be open to her asking you questions. I spent a full year exploring the Catholic Church and Catholic Faith before I started RCIA, having people I could turn to when I had questions during that year (and even in RCIA) was so helpful and I learned so much that way.

[NotreDame]

I'm a cradle catholic, so my advice is handicapped a bit in the sense that I'll never be in the same shoes as a convert, but I did have one experience with an RCIA 'graduate' that left an impression on me.   He was a friend of mine from grad school (a baptized catholic, but it stopped there) and towards the end of grad school he was looking at RCIA.  I gave him my copy of Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain.  He said he read it and liked it. 

 

Then I go to visit a couple of years later and he says he'll go to mass with me.  Well, he goes to communion - but I got the impression he hadn't been going to mass for months.  I asked him about it and no, he hadn't gone to mass.  I know he hadn't been, um, celibate either.  I mentioned if he understood catholic teaching on the state of grace necessary for receiving communion, going to confession, etc.  He said no, that it was never brought up during RCIA. He's not a dumb guy.  I got the impression he wasn't forgetting and neither was he in denial.  He just wasn't catechised well at all during RCIA.   And I don't know how relevant this is, but shortly thereafter he told me he doesn't need to go to confession, because he confesses his sins everday to his sponsor (he's now in AA) and AA is essentially his religion now.  Yet this guy just a couple years before went, completely on his own, to a catholic church, signed up for classes, and got confirmed.  Now his religion is AA. 

 

Bringing up the nuts and bolts of a Catholic's responsibilities isn't always easy, but the eucharist, reconcilation, grace, these are essential elements to our salvation - sort of the daily/weekly blocking and tackling basics of a spiritual life.  I'm not the best person to know how to address these with an RCIA candidate, but I don't think leaving them out does them any favors.  It's sad to me that so many RCIA candidates are left on their own, and might think they understand the faith, yet lack the most basic instruction.  Frankly, as bad as instruction is nowadays, as bad as most masses are in terms of reverence, I view every convert as a genuine miracle.  They are certainly moved by and drawn to the supernatural.

 

Sorry, just venting and not helpful to the OP at all.