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This remarkable study sheds new light on American Indian mission, reservation, and boarding school experiences by examining the implementation of English-language instruction and its effects on Native students. A federally mandated system of English-only instruction played a significant role in dislocating Native people fromøtheir traditional ways of life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The effect of this policy, however, was more than another instance of cultural loss-English was transformed by and even empowered many Native students. Drawing on archival documents, autobiography, fiction, and English as a Second Language theory and practice, America's Second Tongue traces the shifting ownership of English as the language was transferred from one population to another and its uses were transformed by Native students, teachers, and writers. How was the English language taught to Native students, and how did they variably reproduce, resist, and manipulate this new way of speaking, writing, and thinking? The perspectives and voices of government officials, missionaries, European American and Native teachers, and the students themselves reveal the rationale for the policy, how it was implemented in curricula, and how students from dozens of different Native cultures reacted differently to being forced to communicate orally and in writing through a uniform foreign language.

Christian initiation is a gradual process "suited to the spiritual journey of adults that varies according to the many forms of God's grace, the free cooperation of the individuals, the action of the Church and the circumstances of time and place". How does that fit into a program modeled after the school year? It doesn't, argues Mary Birmingham. The Rite of Christian initiation of adults describes an initiation process that exists at the heart of the church's life and on the same schedule as the church: every day, all year long. This book will help you imagine, envision, understand and implement a year-round catechumenate in your parish. --Book cover

Many catholics today--even those who attend Mass regularly--are confused about the Church's teaching on moral issues like abortion, premartial sex, and homosexuality. In an age where even some Catholic thelogians fail to uphold Church teaching in areas like premarial sex and the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, " The Catechism issue of the Catholic Church" is a beacon on stormy seas. The critical issues is this: How can Catholics in the pew understand and apply this massive new catechism that is meant to guide them into the twenty--first century? Pope Jhon Paul II clearly intends it to be used by all the members of the Church and not simply as a resource for theologians and catechists. But how can lay Catholics begin the task of absorbing the message of this important work? In the faith, Father Hardon offers a popular guide, written in question--and--answer format, that provides a road map for those who want to fully embrace the teachings of the catholic Church. In concise and clear language Father John Hardon explains the"what," the "why" and the "how" of the Cathecism for the popular reader: what it's about, why it's important and how to use it. Interested lay Catholics, pastors, parents and catechists will find that Father Hardon's The Faith is a sure guide to help them understand and apply their faith--today and into the next century.

"How can you believe all this stuff? This is the number-one question Catholics get asked and, sometimes, we ask ourselves. Why do we believe that God exists, that he became a man and came to save us, that what looks like a wafer of bread is actually his body? Why do we believe that he inspired a holy book and founded an infallible Church to teach us the one true way to live? Ever since he became Catholic, Trent Horn has spent a lot of time answering these questions, trying to explain to friends, family, and total strangers the reasons for his Catholic faith. Some didn't believe in God, or even in the existence of truth. Others said they were spiritual but didn't think you needed religion to be happy. Some were Christians who thought Catholic doctrines over-complicated the pure gospel. And some were fellow Catholics who had a hard time understanding everything they professed to believe on Sunday. Why We're Catholic assembles the clearest, friendliest, most helpful answers that Trent learned to give to all these people and more. Beginning with how we can know reality and ending with our hope of eternal life, it s the perfect way to help skeptics and seekers (or Catholics who want to firm up their faith) understand the evidence that bolsters our belief and brings us joy" --