Catholicism Engaging Other Faiths

This book assesses how Vatican II opened up the Catholic Church to encounter, dialogue, and engagement with other world religions. Opening with a contribution from the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, it next explores the impact, relevance, and promise of the Declaration Nostra Aetate before turning to consider how Vatican II in general has influenced interfaith dialogue and the intellectual and comparative study of world religions in the postconciliar decades, as well as the contribution of particular past and present thinkers to the formation of current interreligious and comparative theological methods. Additionally, chapters consider interreligious dialogue vis-à-vis theological anthropology in conciliar documents; openness to the spiritual practices of other faith traditions as a way of encouraging positive interreligious encounter; the role of lay and new ecclesial movements in interreligious dialogue; and the development of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Finally, it includes a range of perspectives on the fruits and future of Vatican’s II’s opening to particular faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

“An excellent study of churches on the fringe that incubate new ideas and shed new light on mainstream religion.”—Times Higher Education Independent Catholics are not formally connected to the pope in Rome. They practice apostolic succession, seven sacraments, and devotion to the saints. But without a pope, they can change quickly and experiment freely—with some affirming communion for the divorced, women’s ordination, clerical marriage, and same-sex marriage. From their early modern origins in the Netherlands to their contemporary proliferation in the United States, these “other Catholics” represent an unusually liberal, mobile, and creative version of America’s largest religion. In The Other Catholics, Julie Byrne shares the remarkable history and current activity of independent Catholics, who number at least two hundred communities and a million members across the United States. She focuses in particular on the Church of Antioch, one of the first Catholic groups to ordain women in modern times. Through archival documents and interviews, Byrne tells the story of the unforgettable leaders and surprising influence of these understudied churches, which, when included in Catholic history, change the narrative arc and total shape of modern Catholicism. As Pope Francis fights to soften Roman doctrines with a pastoral touch and his fellow Roman bishops push back with equal passion, independent Catholics continue to leap ahead of Roman reform, keeping key Catholic traditions but adding a progressive difference. “Byrne’s enlightening research and analysis will undoubtedly raise awareness of these little-known Catholic denominations.”

Father McCoy imaginatively and intelligently addresses the key questions that non-Catholics - and even Catholics- have about Roman Catholicism. Are faith and reason enemies or allies? Do we need proof of God? Can God and evil both exist? Do we need the Papacy? Is annulment divorce by another name? Why are women not ordained as priests in the Catholic Church? What's all the fuss about sex and Catholicism? What is the relationship between Christianity, the other world religions and truth? The Ten Commandments and the 'seven deadly sins' are explored and explained in the context of everyday morality. In this illuminating and engaging book Father McCoy shows how Roman Catholicism is fully engaged with the realities of life and of the spirit.

This volume explores how Catholicism began and continues to open its doors to the wider world and to other confessions in embracing ecumenism, thanks to the vision and legacy of the Second Vatican Council. It explores such themes as the twentieth century context preceding the council; parallels between Vatican II and previous councils; its distinctively pastoral character; the legacy of the council in relation to issues such as church-world dynamics, as well as to ethics, social justice, economic activity. Several chapters discuss the role of women in the church before, during, and since the council. Others discern inculturation in relation to Vatican II. The book also contains a wide and original range of ecumenical considerations of the council, including by and in relation to Free Church, Reformed, Orthodox, and Anglican perspectives. Finally, it considers the Council’s ongoing promise and remaining challenges with regard to ecumenical issues, including a groundbreaking essay on the future of ecumenical dialogue by Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Winner of a first-place award in the future church category from the Catholic Media Association. We can’t just talk about Christ’s presence in the Eucharist; we have to believe it, celebrate it, and live it both individually and as a community of the faithful. And we must cultivate a culture in our parishes that treats Real Presence not only as an important Catholic doctrine, but also as the most important part of parish identity. In Becoming Eucharistic People, theologian Timothy P. O’Malley, author of Real Presence, outlines four essential dimensions of a Eucharistic culture in a parish—one that fosters reverence and unity among the faithful, includes every dimension of human life in the mystery of Christ’s Body and Blood, and invites people back to parish life or to become Catholic for the first time. O’Malley—director of education at the McGrath Institute of Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, and a member of the executive planning team for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Eucharistic Revival—shows what it means to foster a parish culture where the Eucharist infuses the worldview, priorities, and practices of its members. O’Malley leads you through discovery and discernment about how to create a parish culture where each person is called to holiness and receives the spiritual, theological, and pastoral help they need to meet Christ fully present in the Eucharist and to become a witness to him in the world. O’Malley will help you reflect on four essential facets of a Eucharistic parish culture: liturgies of joyful reverence that celebrate the gifts of diversity; formation that engages the mind, imagination, understanding, and will; a rich life of popular piety and the vibrancy of the domestic Church; and a commitment to solidarity with your neighbor. O’Malley says that when we reflect Christ’s Real Presence to others, our parishes will become sacred spaces in which every person is led to deeper communion with God and with their neighbors. Online resources, including ideas for parish retreats, teaching resources, and videos based on this book and the US bishops Eucharistic Revival are available from the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Books in the Engaging Catholicism series from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame help readers discover the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith through a concise exploration of the Church’s most important but often difficult-to-grasp doctrines as well as crucial pastoral and spiritual practices. Perfect for seekers and new Catholics, clergy and catechetical leaders, and everyone in between, the series expands the McGrath Institute’s mission to connect the Catholic intellectual life at Notre Dame to the pastoral life of the Church and the spiritual needs of her people.

As human beings we are constantly engaging and disengaging in everything we do. We engage and disengage at work, in marriage, as parents, in our quest for health and well-being, in personal finances, environmentally, politically, and, of course, we engage or disengage spiritually. If you walk into any Catholic church next Sunday and look around, you will discover that some people are highly engaged, others are massively disengaged, and the majority are somewhere in between. Why? What is the difference between highly engaged Catholics and disengaged Catholics? Answering this question is essential to the future of the Catholic Church. If we truly want to engage Catholics and reinvigorate parish life, we must first discover what drives engagement among Catholics. Matthew Kelly explores this question in his groundbreaking new book, and the simplicity of what he discovers will amaze you. Four things make the difference between highly engaged Catholics and disengaged Catholics: the four signs of a Dynamic Catholic. Whether you are ready to let God take your spiritual life to the next level or want to help reinvigorate your parish, The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic promises to take you on a journey that will help you live out the genius of Catholicism in your everyday life.

Winner of a third-place award for popular presentation of the faith by the Catholic Media Association. Have you ever been put on the spot and asked to explain or defend Catholic teaching on sensitive topics such as abortion, same-sex marriage, or the Eucharist? In this straightforward and practical resource, Brandon Vogt, bestselling and award-winning author of Why I Am Catholic(and You Should Be Too) offers essential tools for articulating even the most contentious aspects of your Catholic faith with clarity and confidence. What to Say and How to Say It is based on the content of Brandon Vogt’s ClaritasU—an online community which helps Catholics to understand the Church’s teachings on critical topics, to anticipate the common objections to those issues, and to know how to respond in a calm, clear, and persuasive way. Vogt gives readers the tools to calmly and intelligently discuss these topics, which dip into the Church’s moral, theological, and philosophical teachings. What to Say and How to Say It provides straightforward, memorable talking points for explaining Catholic teaching in the areas of atheism same-sex marriage transgenderism abortion the Eucharist the problem of suffering the veracity of the gospels Each chapter offers you an overview of the topic and a clear explanation of what the Church teaches. Then you’ll learn about the most common contemporary arguments against the Church’s teachings followed by step-by-step instructions for responding intelligently and confidently.

In this practical guide to marriage, learn the “secrets” of building a sound, spiritual relationship with your fiancé or spouse—from toothpaste in the sink to natural family planning. In the Foreword, Father Kenneth Baker praises the book as both practical and faithful: "This handbook is outstanding both for its practicality and for its fidelity to the Catholic faith. It is practical because it offers good suggestions on most aspects of married life, such as the wedding, the honeymoon, the relationship between husband and wife, in-laws, finances, raising children, sexual relations, practicing the faith, and developing a spiritual life of personal relations with God. The handbook is also thoroughly Catholic. It offers excellent advice on how to live the Catholic faith as a married man or woman. There is no waffling here, no dissent, no ambiguity. The author spells out clearly what the Catholic Church expects of married people in the areas of married life, sexuality, and family life."