Miscellaneous Religion Materials

A Map of Life

A Simple Study of the Catholic Faith
Book cover: A Map of Life
Author(s): 
Frank Sheed
Number of pages: 
144 pages
Copyright: 
1933
ISBN: 
9780898704747
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

This is a really beautiful little book about morality and the Catholic Faith. It would make a great supplement for high school age or excellent reading for an adult. It's not too difficult to understand, but also interesting and really makes you think. The author has this to say about the purpose of this book:

A traveler through life gets vivid – sometimes extremely vivid impressions of things near at hand: confused impressions of things seen at a distance or only heard of: but of the whole plan of life, no idea at all. In his mind will be a jumble of facts, tossed about in any order – God, sin, church-going, disease, sacraments, suffering, the treason of friends, hostilities, death and the fear of death, money and the loss of it, God-made-man – and so on without end. But which of these things are big things and which of them are little, he will not know with certainty: the things that have come nearest to himself will seem big things: the remoter things will seem small. And of the relations of these things one to another – how one thing agrees with, or conflicts with, another – of all this, merely by dint of living, he will have only the most confused and uncertain impression. In fact it may easily happen that a man who merely lives, and neither reflects nor is taught, does not even suspect relationships, but thinks of all things as accidents with no reason in themselves save that they happened, and no connection with each other save that one cam earlier and one came later. Because of this confusion, I propose to try to make what may roughly be called a map of life.
This is a great book to use for a teen group discussion. When I was being homeschooled for high school, a friend of the family guided us in discussions of one chapter every month. We found it very engaging and helpful.
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Catholic Book of Quotations

Book cover: Catholic Book of Quotations
Author(s): 
Leo Knowles
Number of pages: 
400 pages
Copyright: 
2004
ISBN: 
9781592760060
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Review: 

This inexpensive paperback offers a wide variety of memorable Catholic quotations from both ancient and modern sources. The book is organized according to subject. Here are just a few: Abortion, Art, Baptism, Blessed Sacrament, Conscience, Devil, Divine Mercy, Dying Words, Family, Fasting, Free Will, Generosity, Grace, Guardian Angel, Incarnation, Justice, Marriage, Our Lady, Prayer, Priesthood, Rosary, Sin, Suffering, Transubstantiation, Virtue and Vocation. Authors quoted in this work include: St. Augustine, Pope John Paul II, Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson, St. Josemaria Escriva, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John of the Cross, G. K. Chesterton, Charles Péguy, St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Padre Pio. There are a few authors that might raise a few eyebrows, but I didn't find anything off-base. I've really enjoyed having this around the house to find some inspiration, highlight an idea when writing to someone or complete a special project (I just made a plaque for my daughter's room with a quote from St. Francis that I found in this book).

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
2-21-05

Common Ground

What Catholics and Protestants Can Learn from Each Other
Copyright: 
2006
Publisher: 
Kensington Community Church
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
DVD
Review: 
This DVD presents an engaging dialogue (Question and Answer format) between a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister. Produced by a Protestant Church, it primarily consists of common Protestant Questions/Objections about the Catholic Faith that are answered by the priest. The priest's responses are succinct, respectful and quite insightful. Not only are they theologically solid, but they present creative and helpful ways of explaining authentic doctrine to others. The atmosphere of the dialogue is strikingly honest and open - including personal stories and anecdotes that helpfully connect ideas to reality. I found that it took me a long time to get through this DVD not because it was boring, but because (given that I don't have enough time to watch it in one sitting), I kept finding myself starting a little earlier in the DVD than where I had previously finished, so that I could hear the explanations one more time. This is great stuff - a beautiful illustration of ecumenical dialogue AND a rather succint explanation of Catholic doctrine - particularly for anyone wanting to learn more about their faith. Topics include: Salvation, the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother, the Saints, Confession, Religious Images, prayer and the importance of charitable dialogue.
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
3-3-2008

Little Acts of Grace

Author(s): 
Rosemarie Gortler
Donna Piscitelli
Illustrator(s): 
Mimi Sternhagen
Number of pages: 
48 pages
Copyright: 
2002
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Grades K-2
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

This is a friendly little introduction for children to the small ways that they can show love to God. It's a combination of a book of manners (since there are explanations of how to behave at Church - and why) with a simple devotional theme that is accessible to young children. What a great idea!

Children are gently encouraged to bow their head when Jesus' name is said, show a sign of affection when they pass by a Catholic Church because Jesus is present in the tabernacle, and say a prayer when they see an ambulance go by. Regarding Holy Mass, the book encourages and explains why we dress appropriately for Mass, bless ourselves with holy water, genuflect, and try to pay attention even when it's hard. There are also parts of Mass that are illustrated and explained (both how we act and what is happening): the "Lord Have Mercy" prayer, The Prayer Before the Gospel (and the special signs we make at that time), The Consecration and Communion. The book concludes with the theme of prayer, including why and how we pray to Mary, to the Saints and to the Angels and prayers for mealtime and bedtime.

Each subject is covered with a colorful illustration on one side of the page and a page of text (including a Bible quote). It's perfect for children preparing for their First Communion, but could certainly be enjoyed by younger children too.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-20-07

Our Sunday Visitor's 2008 Catholic Almanac

Author(s): 
Matthew Bunson, general editor
Number of pages: 
640 pages
Copyright: 
2008
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
High School
Review: 
This is a fantastic reference book for a wide variety of reasons - especially for those who don't have Internet access or who don't want their children to do searches on the Internet. Our Sunday Visitor has been publishing an annual Catholic Almanac for over one hundred years. Teachers, educators, parents and many others will find a great deal of useful and well-organized information at their finger-tips. The text is divided into four main sections with numerous sub categories beneath each one. Here's a quick overview:
Part One: News and Events: The Year in Review and News in Depth(includes segments on Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Documents and Announcements, Special Reports on International News, Special Reports on National News, Life Issues and Meetings of U.S. Bishops) Part Two: The Teachings of the Catholic Church Doctrine of the Catholic Church, Glossary, The Church Calendar, Liturgical Life of the Church, The Sacraments of the Church and The Communion of Saints. Part Three: The Church Universal Dates and Events in Catholic History, The Papacy and the Holy See, The Roman Curia, Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, The Universal Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, The Catholic Church in the U.S., United States Hierarchy, Biographies of American Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Minority Catholics in the U.S., Statistics of the Church in the U.S., The Catholic Church in Canada, The Catholic Church in Mexico. Part Four: The Life of the Church in the World Consecrated Life, Apostolates and Ministries, Catholic Social Services, Education, Catholic Communications, Ecumenism and Interreligous Dialogue, Separated Eastern Churches, Reformation Churches, Interreligious Dialogue.
Although this is a complete list of main categories and general topics, it doesn't give a sense of the detail and usefulness of the overall content. I'll try to give a few examples that might be particular useful to Catholic homeschool families, to give a sense of the content: In the section on "The Papacy and the Holy See" from Part Three, you'll find (among other things) a complete lists of popes as well as a more detailed overview of the Popes of the 20th Century. Here's a one of the segments (entitled "Peace Efforts") of the mini-biography of Pope Pius XII, who was Pope during World War II. I think this gives a good sense of the important facts which have been carefully chose and supported in the text:
Before the start of World War II, he tried unsuccessfully to get the contending nations - Germany and Poland, France and Italy- to settle their differences peaceably. During the war, he offered his services to mediate the widened conflict, spoke out against the horrors of war and the suffering it caused, mobilized relief work for its victims, proposed a five-point program for peace in Christmas messages from 1939 to 1942, and secured a generally open status for the city of Rome. He has been criticized in some quarters for not doing enough to oppose the Holocaust. This is a matter of historical debate, but it is a fact that through his direct intercession many thousands of Jews in Rome and Italy were saved from certain death, and he resisted wherever possible the threat of Nazism to human rights. Such were his contributions to assisting Jews that the rabbi of Rome, Dr. Abraham Zolli, was converted to Catholicism, and upon his death, Pius was praised by Golda Meir for his efforts. After the war, he endorsed the principles and intent of the U.N. and continued efforts for peace.
Also, in the same overall section is a 36 page country-by-country overview of Catholic statistics (number of religious, Catholic population, percent of the total population that is Catholic and things like that) and a paragraph briefly explaining the history of the faith in each country. It's a wonderful supplement to geographical studies and a place to find interesting information on current missionary efforts of the Church. I could readily imagine homeschool families choosing countries with small minorities of Catholics (such as Turkmenistan, which has only two priests to serve a population of approximately 1000 Catholics). Here is a list of some of the other resources contained in this Almanac that may be of interest (there are many, many more besides these):
  • Books of the Bible (including information on books that are rejected by Protestant denominations and overviews of each book)
  • A mini Old Testament Bible timeline
  • A list of Apostolic Fathers, Fathers of the Church and Doctors of the Church with a brief biography of each
  • A 32 page Catholic Glossary
  • A detailed liturgical calendar
  • An overview of major Holy Days and other Observances
  • Extensive listing of saints, including a list of traditional Patrons and Intercessors and recent Canonizations
  • A ten page timeline of Catholic History
  • A listing of all Papal Encyclicals from 1740 to the present day (The most recent encyclical included here is Deus Caritas Est)
  • A Chronology of U.S. Catholic History
  • A list of missionaries (with very brief biographies) to the Americas
  • Lists of Cathedrals, Basilicas and Shrines in the United States
  • An extensive listing of Catholic Colleges and Universities, including website and phone number, and current enrollment.
Because of the nature of this resource, I have not done a thorough read-through, but everything I've seen (and I've spent a number of hours poring through this) has been very solid. The book does contain some material that may not be suitable for young children, including a mention on the front cover of "An Update on the Sexual Abuse Scandal".
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-19-2008

Rosary Rummy

Publisher: 
jody's Hands-On Learning
Binding: 
Other
Subject(s): 
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Puzzles and Games
Review: 
This is a lovely and inexpensive Rummy game that also teaches the mysteries of the rosary. It includes two colorful cards, illustrated with Old Masters paintings, for each 0f the twenty mysteries of the rosary. The Rummy game requires both matching and ordering the mysteries. Instructions are included. So far, we've been using it as a memory game - and even my five year old (who admittedly is a memory enthusiast) loves it. It actually has some weaknesses as a memory game (too busy on the backs of the cards, images are rather small) that don't detract at all from its intended purpose. Available from jody's Hands-on Learning
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1-14-2009

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