Pope Francis has compared the Church to a field hospital. What can the Church offer to heal the wounded? The author lays out what he argues are the most important components of the Gospel message.

Catechumens and candidates will quickly learn that Jesus Christ will be their focus throughout their journey through the catechumenate. They will learn what they need to do to become Catholic too, of course, as they discern, pray, worship, break open the Word, and try to live their daily lives as followers of Christ. Nick Wagner guides catechumens and candidates through the entire process of preparing for baptism, the Rite of Election, the Scrutinies, keeping Lent, celebrating the Triduum, baptism (or acceptance) at the Easter Vigil, and life after baptism. This is a warm and wonderful companion for parish catechumens and candidates, one they will value and treasure long after they become Catholics.

We all know that a one-size-fits-all approach to RCIA catechumenate formation doesn’t work. But until now, many of us were stumped trying to find a viable alternative. Seek the Living God: Five RCIA Inquiry Questions for Making Disciples is the answer to your prayers. After just a few meetings with your seekers, you will be able to easily create a customized faith formation plan that is tailored to the unique needs of each person. The best part is that the seekers do most of the work in developing their own plan. Your role shifts from being the Catholic “expert” to being a mentor and coach. Once you understand how the five-question process works, you can easily train others to use it. New team members don’t have to worry about “knowing enough” to be on the team. Start using these questions with your very next RCIA seeker. You will be amazed at the powerful conversion that will happen with your inquirers—and with you.

Trust a librarian to help you find books you’ll want to read Library Lin’s Curated Collection of Superlative Nonfiction is a librarian’s A-list of nonfiction books organized by subject area—just like a library. Linda Maxie (Library Lin) combed through 65 best books lists going back a century. She reviewed tens of thousands of books, sorted them according to the Dewey Decimal Classification system, and selected an entire library’s worth for you to browse without leaving home. Here you’ll find • Summaries of outstanding titles in every subject • Suggestions for locating reading material specific to your needs and interests In this broad survey of all the nonfiction categories, you will find titles on everything from the A-bomb to Zen Buddhism. You might find yourself immersed in whole subject areas that you never thought you’d be interested in.

In Liturgical Catechesis in the 21st Century: A School of Discipleship, Dr. James Pauley explores the sacred action most essential to forming genuine disciples: the transformative encounter with God in the liturgy.

Drawing upon important twentieth-century intellectual influences as well as the experience of several of today’s foremost catechetical leaders, this book will inspire readers with a promising new vision for sacramental preparation and mystagogical catechesis, one that places maximum emphasis on apprenticing people into an active and fruitful sacramental life in Christ. Dr. James Pauley stresses the importance of discipleship and apprenticeship, leading from the visible to the invisible realities of the divine encounter with God in the sacraments. The relationship of liturgy and catechesis is vitally important to full, conscious and active liturgical participation, and to the life of holiness and missionary responsiveness which depends upon liturgy as its source. This revised edition has been updated to reflect the 2020 Directory for Catechesis.

2021 Catholic Media Association Award first place award in faith formation 2021 Catholic Media Association Award second place award in pastoral ministry - catechetical The catechumenate is animated by trust. Seekers have to trust in new, barely-rooted faith. Seekers also need to have trust in parish ministers, who will to guide them on the way. Parish ministers need to have trust in their Spirit-given gifts. Most importantly, all involved in the RCIA process needs to have trust in the church’s normative formation practice—scripture and tradition mediated through the gradual encounter with Christ in the celebration of the liturgical year. Eliot Kapitan makes it easier for each to trust. With gentle wisdom, he presents an ordered method for preparing the Period of the Catechumenate Sunday-by-Sunday, season-by-season, liturgical year-by-liturgical year. If you have ever lacked confidence in your ability to lead the seekers on the way of faith, this book will help you trust that you already have all the skills and resources you need.

The ministry of catechesis is critical to the mission of the Church, and the most critical factor in an effective parish catechetical program is the catechetical leader. But for these leaders to succeed in their role, they must develop specific leadership skills and competencies. This second volume of The Effective Catechetical Leader series closely examines what catechetical leadership should look like, how it should work, and whom it should serve. A few of the key topics covered in this book include how to be a servant leader while still exercising legitimate authority; how to properly and pastorally handle difficult situations and conflict to build community; how to avoid burnout by delegating responsibility and engaging in collaborative ministry; and so much more. The Effective Catechetical Leader series, developed in conjunction with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership and written by some of the top catechetical leaders in the country, is the only series to encompass all the various aspects of catechetical leadership. This series provides the practical skills, strategies, and approaches that ensure successful parish faith formation in an evangelizing manner, which leads directly to a vibrant Church. From best practices to new approaches for proclaiming God’s word in a rapidly changing world, this groundbreaking series will empower catechetical leaders to excel at everything from administrative duties to effectively catechizing people of all ages within our diverse Church.