Recommended Catechetical Books

This list is a compilation of recommended books for adults wishing to further their devotion and knowledge.  After you have completed our Adult Faith Formation Course, please consider adding these books to your library to further your own spiritual development.  You may suggest additional items for this list by contacting us through our support system.

Books

Catechism:

• Catechism of the Council of Trent (very complex but it teaches the Faith)
• My Catholic Faith by Angelus Press (193 chapters covering everything you need to know about the Catholic Church)
• Baltimore Catechism (simple to understand; highly recommended)
• The Catechetical Instructions of Saint Thomas Aquinas (complex)
• This is the Faith by Canon Francis Ripley (Also highly recommended)
• The Catechism in Pictures: 66 Chapters

Authority of the Church:

• A Biblical Defense of Catholicism by Dave Armstrong
• By What Authority? by Mark Shea
• Unabridged Christianity: Biblical Answers to Common Questions About the Roman Catholic Faith by Fr. Mario P. Romero
• Worthy is the Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass by Thomas J. Nash
• Radio Replies Volumes 1 & Volume 2 by Fathers Rumble and Carty

Miscellaneous:

• The Sinner's Guide by Venerable Louis of Granada., OP
• Liberalism is a Sin by Fr. Felix Sarda y Fr. Salvany

Mass and Liturgy and Liturgical Year:

• 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal by Angelus Press or Baronius Press
• Know Your Mass by Fr. Demetrius Manousos; O.F.M.; Cap
• The Church's Year by Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine
• An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Cardinal Newman
• Calvary and the Mass by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
• The Seven Sacraments: Entering the Mysteries of God by Stratford Caldecott
• How Christ Said the First Mass by James Luke Meagher
• The Mass of All Time by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
• Explanation of the Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Gueranger, OSB
• How to Understand the Mass by Dom Gasper Lefebvre, OSB

Marian Devotion:

• True Devotion by St. Louis de Montfort

Life of our Lord:

• Life of Christ by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Early Church:

• The Faith of the Early Church Fathers by William Jurgens

History:

• How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
• Seven Lies About Catholic History by Diane Moczar
• The Popes Against Modern Errors: 16 Famous Papal Documents by Tan Books
• Rhine Flows Into the Tiber by Ralph W. Wiltgen
• Gregorian Chant: A Guide to the History and Liturgy by Dr. Daniel Saulnier
• Black Robes in Paraguay by William F. Jaenike
• The Crusaders: The Struggle for the Holy Land by Regine Pernoud
• A Heart for Europe by Joanna & James Bogle
• Christians Courageous by Aloysius Roche
• Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know by Dr. Diane Moczar
• The Church at the Turning Points of History by Godfrey Kurth
• Isabel of Spain: The Catholic Queen by Warren H. Carroll
• The King with a Pope in His Belly by Bella Wyborn d'Abrera
• Swords Around the Cross: Ireland's Defense of Faith and the Fatherlandby Timothy T. O'Donnell
• A Shepherd in Combat Boots by William L. Maher
• The Guillotine and the Cross by Dr. Warren H. Carroll
• 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle by Warren H. Carroll
• The Last Crusade: Spain 1936 by Warren H Carroll

Bibles

Absolutely every Catholic should own a Bible. Translations like the King James Version and New World Translation are not Catholic and, therefore, should never be used because they do not even have all of the book of Sacred Scripture. The best Catholic Bible is arguably the Douay-Rheims Bible, which was translated from the original Latin Vulgate of St. Jerome. Although approved, avoid the New American Bible [NAB] and Jerusalem Bible; the footnotes in the NAB and Jerusalem Bible can be misleading for those new to the Faith.  Here are some recommended Bibles as well as Scripture Commentaries:

• The Haydock Bible (a larger print Bible)
• The Holy Bible (Douay-Rheims Version)
• Douay-Rheims Bible (with Soft Leather Cover
• The Great Scripture Commentary by Fr. Cornelius a Lapide, S.J.
• Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Gospels by St. Thomas Aquinas (edited by Blessed John Henry Newman)

Bob and Penny Lord:

As a final recommendation, consider checking out the items at Bob and Penny Lord's Books. There are some great books and ebooks on a variety of Catholic topics there.