Why Be Catholic

Contents

Introduction
1. What’s Great About Being Catholic?
2. What Is The Shadow Side Of Catholicism?
3. How Can You Be Catholic In America Today?
4. Who Are Our Heroes And Heroines?

Additional Info
Today many Catholics wonder about their role in the Church. What does it mean to be Catholic in a world of numerous competing and contradictory beliefs? What qualities does Catholic Christianity share with other religious traditions? What qualities and beliefs are unique to the Catholic tradition?

“Why be Catholic?” write the authors, “is a question Catholics never asked a generation ago. If you were born Catholic, you simply accepted the faith, its traditions and beliefs. Today the Catholic Church is much different from the way it was a generation ago. It is not so easy to say what makes Roman Catholicism different from other forms of Christianity.”

The authors answer the question fairly and squarely, showing a deep appreciation about what is good in Catholicism and a penetrating honesty about the Church’s shortcomings. Rohr and Martos also examine what it means to be Catholic in the United States today. Finally, to answer the title question in a more personal way, the present portraits of some outstanding Catholics, especially those we call saints, who have found personal fulfillment by living their faith to the utmost.

After reading this book, you will appreciate more fully the unique heritage of the Catholic Church. You will understand how its magnificent tradition enriches the lives of Catholics today and propels the ever-changing Church into the 21st century and third millennium. The authors’ crisp and simple style will make WHY BE CATHOLIC? A popular resource for RCIA, evangelization and religious education.