Customer Reviews

Catholic Customs: A Fresh Look at Traditional Practices

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
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As a lifelong Catholic, there are many areas of our faith that I accepted without fully knowing how and why they came to be. Reading this book has given me a new insight into the richness of our traditions and their basis. I have a deeper appreciation of the sacraments, the seasons of the church and the practices that surround them. I especially liked the review of the liturgical year, and I can see myself using this book to follow the Church calendar as an aid in spiritual growth. In short, a great book for Catholics who want to know why we do what we do.

I thoroughly enjoyed Regis's book. I have both this book and his "How To" book on Catholic Devotions in my office. It is a life saver when co-workers ask me questions about my faith and I can provide a clear and accurate answer to thier questions. Also, my two daughters have found simple explanations to questions they have, especially with regard to the seasons of the liturgical year and the sacraments of our faith. God Bless you Regis, keep up the good work.

Many Catholics go through their lives knowing the customs of the Catholic Church without ever knowing just exactly where those customs come from. Most Catholics I believe go through their entire lives not having any idea just how ancient most of these customs are. Adult converts to the Church are given instruction in most of these customs but that instruction usually stops with the why and seldom reaches into the beautiful history of these customs. Even when the RCIA instruction does cover all of the bases and even when the cradle Catholic has been thoroughly schooled in the history and tradition of the Church much of that instruction and education gets lost along the way. There is just so much information that the human brain can absorb and learning all that there is to know about the majesty, history and glory of the Roman Catholic Church is simply beyond the average person's capacity.

That is why wonderful little books like this one are so important. This author gives the reader a concise but thorough explanation of some of the most important customs and traditions of the Catholic Church. Each subject is covered in only a few short pages or sometimes only paragraphs but all of the basics are there. The physical action required for the customs is explained very clearly so that for example someone who had never seen anyone genuflect could easily picture the action in their mind's eye. The author then tackles both the scriptural and traditional reasons for the custom and when the custom is practiced somewhat differently from one region to another he explains the differences and the reasons for them.

Personally speaking I picked up a lot of information about the history of some of our most cherished customs and how they had first come to be practiced. For example many, if not most of our modern practices can easily be traced as far back as the early Church because of images found in the Roman catacombs. I also learned a great deal about some other customs on which I was a little fuzzy like indulgences and scapulars. The very simplicity with which this author explains these things is what makes this such a fine little book. Simply put, you don't have to be a theologian to actually understand what the author is talking about and areas that have never been quite clear will begin to come into brilliant focus.

I did find one little typo on page 135 which is not the author's fault but the publisher might want to correct it in future editions, of which there ought to be many. I also found the author's description of a set of Rosary beads to be a little confusing and there are very few people more familiar with Rosary Beads than I. On the other hand I found in the Rosary section that the old English word bead meant, "to pray" which was a bit of completely new and fascinating information, at least it was for me.

Don't expect heavy theology or in depth analysis from this book but as a primer on why we Catholics do some of the things that we do this book can't be beat.

As a 5th grade religous educator, I found this book extremely helpful. My class concentrates on the sacraments and Catholic Customs is a great resource. It is also a great source for all about the life of the Church. It will answers those questions of why certain Catholic tranditions exist. It definately gives all a fresh look at our Catholic faith.

This book is just an amazing read for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. CATHOLIC CUSTOMS covers all the issues that aren't discussed in 12 years of Catholic schooling or from the pulpit. I consider this book a valuable resource in understanding the most intricate, as well as, the most basic customs of the Catholic church. The customs and beliefs of the church are vast and can be confusing. Regis Flaherty in his book helps explain these intricacies in a logical and readable manner.

Thanks to CATHOLIC CUSTOMS, I am now well-armed to defend my deep Catholic beliefs and the customs that are ingrained in my faith. I now have a grasp as to what the significance of the priests' vestments are, what it takes for one to achieve sainthood, and what the church's calendar means.

As a reference source, Catholic Customs does an excellent job. I have a tendency to judge all works on devotions, customs, and practices by whether the full tenebrae is included and explained - and this book comes pretty darn close! There is an excellent breadth of information which is a fine supplement to the catechism, and other more targeted books such as Dubruiel's How-To Book of the Mass. When contrasted against Dues' Catholic Customs & Traditions, Flaherty's work is more down-to-earth, informative on present practice, and in-line with the magesterium (but not quite as developed compared to the excellent historical perspective that Dues provides).

That being said, the book lacks somewhat in readability. While the author does a nice job making individual sections entertaining with anecdotes & analogies, the structure of the book just doesn't lend itself to being a through-read. Frankly, this may be my fault for trying to devour it linearly.

Overall, a nice addition to any Catholic's library, and certain to pique some ideas and get people out of ingrained modes of worship to try some time-honored practices.

On the back cover of Flaherty's new book, Bishop Thomas Tobin writes "This book is completely Catholic," and to that I say "Amen." Everything you ever wondered about as a Catholic ... why do we genuflect, what exactly is a feast day and why do we celebrate it, why do we light all of those candles ... Flaherty covers in this book. His engaging, comprehensible style makes this book suitable for most any reader. If your non-Catholic friends repeatedly ask you, "Why do Catholics do ..." get this book for them.

This was a modestly sized reference book. It is nothing like an encyclopedia of Catholic practices or anything like that. But it is a basic overview of terms which the Church uses. It might be an interesting book to get a "seeker" started. It will bore the seasoned apologist though. It was one of my first Catholic books I read. It was sufficient to explain some of my questions.



-Laurence