Posted May 21, 2007 An Excellent book for RCIA [The Rite of Christian Initiation] and also adult education classes Book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Catholicism Authors: Bob O’Gorman and Mary Faulkner Penguin Group. New York. 2006. Pp. 393 An Excerpt from the Jacket: You’re no idiot, of course. You know that Catholicism is one of the largest denominations of Christianity, and that the pope represents the leadership of the Church. But there is much more to being a Catholic than saying your prayers and going to Sunday Mass. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Catholicism, Third Edition, will show you exactly what it means to be a Catholic — from its ancient origins to its role in modern times. This revised and updated Complete Idiot’s Guide explains: The modern-day Catholic Church — following the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. How “Vatican II’s” revolution changed the face of Catholicism The present state and effectiveness of Catholic schools, education, identity, and social teaching. The seven Catholic sacraments and the “Catholic Bible.” The various stances within American Catholicism An Excerpt from the Book: Jesuits: The Pope’s Foot Soldiers Jesuit is the popular name for the Society of Jesus (S.J.), a religious order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. Among other religious orders, Jesuits were a fundamental part of the Catholic Reformation. There motto is “For the glory of God.” Ignatius, a military man, imbued the order with his fighting spirit. The Jesuits marched to Rome and put themselves at the disposal of the pope, declaring that they would not be “chanting the Office,” like the other religious orders. Instead of chanting, which represented to them a passive type of spirituality, they declared that their work would be action for the advancement of Catholic doctrine and life. They vowed to go anywhere in the world the pope chose to send them. In addition to poverty, chastity, and obedience, Jesuits have a special fourth vow of obedience to the pope. Like the Dominicans and Franciscans, the Jesuits have a social ministry and have established many orphanages and other agencies for social assistance. Table of Contents: Part I: What’s a Catholic? 1. Can you judge a Catholic by the cover? 2. The people: many faces, many flags 3. Catholicism: it’s a big tent 4. The Vatican: the church that’s a country 5. The 60's: seeds of revolution Part 2: Putting the “ism” in Catholicism: becoming Catholic, becoming different 6. “It’s elementary, my dear Watson” 7. The bible 8. Jesus: Spirit of a new religion Part 3: The sensuous side of Catholicism: how Catholics experience God 9. Catholic imagination: the sacred space of ritual 10. Jesus: the original sacrament 11. Seven sensual sacraments 12. Who is Mary? Part 4: Imagination and prayer 13. Feeding the imagination 14. Catholic prayers and music: tangible poetry 15. The Mass: the Catholics’ big dinner party Part 5: Catholic identity: how are Catholics wired? 16. It’s a tribe 17. The teaching church: more than just a slap with the ruler 18. The Catholic Church’s best-kept secret: social justice 19. The teachings of the church: moving beyond sin 20. The church: moving from steeple to people Part 6: The Church’s history 21. The Roman establishment 22. Division, debauchery, and reform: the Church’s second millennium 23. The birth of the church in the new land 24. Catholics earn their citizenship Part 7: A look to the future 25. Catholic sexuality: the Church’s dirty little secret? 26. Face-to-face in the third millennium: the Church looks to the future