Mr. Moorhead - Room 303 Religion
(In-)Formation
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What Is The Purpose of This Page?
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This page is meant to provide some of the best resources for learning the faith and staying sharp on current events in the Church. My aim is to give ample information, though by no means exhaustive, so if some personal favorites of yours are missing... I mean no offense! There are indeed many good resources available that are not listed here. These are simply the ones I recommend because of their specific content and fidelity to authentic Catholic teaching. That said, these resources come with my personal endorsement and are not to be understood as officially endorsed by St. Paul Parish or School.
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TV - EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network)
The only global Catholic TV network in the world, and founded by Canton's own Mother Angelica, EWTN is a tremendous gift to anyone interested in learning the faith from some of the most respected teachers in the Church.
Radio - WILB (Living Bread Radio) AM 1060
Canton's Catholic Radio Station, which airs during daylight hours, is a rich source and convenient dose of spiritual insight on the way to wherever you happen to be going.
Radio - The FISH 95.5 FM
Being a joyful Christian is just as important as being informed, and the FISH plays much of today's best Christian music!
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Zenit News Agency gives accurate and up to date news on events in the Church and around the world from a Catholic perspective. Simply click on the image to the left.
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The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides news on events in our country from a Catholic perspective.
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Online Faith Formation Resources
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A simple plan to read the entire Bible and Catechism in 1 year. Reading manageable amounts each day makes it possible!
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The St. Paul Center, based in Steubenville, OH, has a wealth of rich bible studies to choose from, and it's free!
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If there ever was a tool that was perfectly designed to teach the Catholic Faith through modern technology, this might be the best I've ever seen. This Q&A Catechism produced by the Catholic Family Land Apostolate is suited to every taste... you can either read the questions and answers by topic, or you can click on the image of Cardinal Arinze, who actually answers the questions on video!
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Not a reader? Try this link and LISTEN to MP3 files of the Catechism. Download them and learn the Faith from your Ipod! Notice that the page has a link to all the documents of the Second Vatican Council in MP3 format as well!
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If it is formal education you are interested in, then please consider the Catholic Distance University. I am currently working on a second Master's Degree, this time through CDU, and it is a challenging, spiritually enriching, and solidly Catholic formation in Christ. Fully accredited and faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, CDU's theology program compares with the best Catholic Universities in the United States. On top of that, it is very practical and affordable.
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Apologetics
Why We Believe What We Believe...
And Explaining It to Others
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Free MP3 downloads of all of John Martignoni's talks from his website at the Bible Christian Society!
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Free MP3 downloads of all of Dr. Peter Kreeft's talks from his website! Dr. Kreeft is a professor at Boston College.
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Free MP3 downloads on many different faith topics from Pro Ecclesia, which seeks to promote faithful study of Christianity.
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Catholic Answers is one of the leading apologetics organizations in the Church today. If you have been challenged about the Catholic faith on just about any topic, this is a site you need.
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Catholics United For the Faith is a well-respected organization based in Steubenville, which aims to assist the teaching Church by providing solid faith formation grounded in the Tradition of the Catholic Church.
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The EWTN website holds an amazing amount of information. You can find anything from TV and radio to audio archives and a document library with a fabulous search engine. As with every other link on my page, it is all free!
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The Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office, is the "official prayer of the Church." Traditionally, it has been said by priests and religious, but the Second Vatican Council reminds us that it is the prayer of all Christians and encourages the lay faithful to participate in this form of prayer. A recommended form for most people is to simply pray the morning and evening prayers.
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The Rosary is another time honored prayer of the Church, and this site provides some interesting information on the devotion as well as helpful instructions on how to pray it.
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Lectio Divina is another ancient form of prayer which seeks to use Scripture as the basis of prayer. This is a link to a very simple description of lectio divina and how to practice it.
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For those interested in learning more about lectio divina, as well as a deeper explanation of how to pray this way, this is a fantastic link. For those who enjoy a more free-flowing form of prayer, Lectio Divina is simply divine!
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A new Mass translation? Beginning with Advent of 2011, English-speaking Catholics will be using a new, more beautiful, and more accurate translation of the prayers used in the Mass. Here is the link provided by the U.S. Bishops to help make the transition smoothly. Constantly being updated, this is a rich source of information geared toward helping all of us participate with that full, conscious, and active participation called for by Vatican II.
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The Adoremus Bulletin is a great resource for understanding the Liturgy from the heart of the Church. A monthly bulletin, many of the articles are offered each month online for free. Our participation in the Mass includes more than just our postures and responses. It includes an understanding of what occurs in the Holy Sacrifice and interior prayer to go along with our exterior action.
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The Mass of Vatican II... according to Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., a personal friend and former student of Pope Benedict. He now serves in a key role at Ave Maria University in Florida. He bases his thought entirely upon the actual document on liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, from Vatican II. Read what Vatican II teaches regarding Catholic worship.
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Liturgy would be empty without music. What does the Church teach about Sacred Music? Here is a nice little synopsis of offical Church teaching on the topic, in a nice little "Q & A" format.
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Pornography is the scourge of this generation. Addiction is not too stark a term to describe its hold on men AND women today... and its effect on the youth is frightening. This pastoral letter, "Blessed Are the Pure in Heart," by Bishop Finn of Kansas City is staggering, yet presents a ray of hope for those of us who are willing to battle for purity.
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Politics can be a divisive topic, even among Catholics. This letter, by Archbishop (now Cardinal) Burke, formerly of St. Louis, and recently appointed by the Pope to the position of Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura (ie. the "Chief Justice" of interpreting the Church's Laws), is more than a commentary on politics. A non-partisan document, it is titled "On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good," and it comprehensively outlines the way Catholics are called to participate in public life. Most importantly for this generation, it explains why we have certain responsibilities as Catholic voters. Looking beyond the mere political context, it is a shining example of the fact that we are called to be Catholic, not just on Sundays, but in everything we do.
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Ecumenism/Inter-Religious Dialogue
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The Second Vatican Council was called, in part, to "open the windows of the Church to the world." Unfortunately, some have understood this to mean allowing the world to influence the Church, while others have understood it to mean allowing the Church to better influence the world. While I believe the latter is what was meant to be emphasized, the Truth lies somewhere in the middle. Only through dialogue with other religions and cultures can we find ways of understanding one another, with the ultimate goal of showing how the Truth of Christ is meant for everyone without discrimination. This link will open your eyes to just how active the Church has been in engaging in such dialogue with other groups.
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The Catholic Youth Network has wonderful resources for teens who are looking to grow spiritually. Information on young saints, prayers, scripture meditations, and more are available here... all geared to the youth!
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"Disciples Now" is an interactive site for young Catholics. It has links to music, etc. Very dynamic!
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For kids and parents, Decent Films is a site that reviews tons of movies! Get a solid guage on what movies are out there and what they're all about.
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The U.S. Bishops website has so many great resources, including this set of quizzes on basic Catholic teachings. We can all benefit from testing our knowledge of our faith!
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Build Your Own Catholic Library!
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If I were to start a collection of faith-forming books from scratch, this is most likely what my list would look like. There are many other fine books out there, but these are most basic to understanding our faith, and are a notch above just about anything else with which I could imagine starting a Catholic library.
In General... If You're Really Serious...
1. A Catholic Bible (All 73 Books) *The Navarre Bible Set
2. The Catechism of the Church *Plus the Compendium
3. The Vatican II Documents *The Post-Vat.II Documents
4. The Pocket Catholic Dictionary *The Full Version
5. Triumph - The History of the CC *The Didache Series
6. Where We Got the Bible
7. Mere Christianity *More Christianity
8. 3Volume Faith of Early Fathers
9. Prove-It God
10. Prove-It Jesus
11. Prove-It Church
12. Why Do Catholics Do That?
13. Jesus of Nazareth
14. The Spirit of the Liturgy
15.Our Family Prayer Book - Rosary Edition
Note: Mere Christianity was written by C.S. Lewis, a protestant. It remains one of the finest defenses of Christianity in modern times. I proudly display it on my own shelf at home. Despite significant and important differences, we share much in common with our separated brothers and sisters in Christ, and this book gets at the heart of what we share. More Christianity would be a great follow-up, as it is written by a Roman Catholic priest who converted from protestantism, and felt that Mere Christianity, good as it is, only presents part of the picture of the fullness of beautiful Truth found only in Catholicism.
Note: The Navarre Bible set and the Didache Series (not to be confused with the ancient writing - The Didache) come with my highest recommendation. One could well purchase those and go without everything else on this list and still have an unbelievable set of resources!
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