The authors wrote in the Introduction to this 2003 first edition, "this book's goal is to give you a taste of Catholicism. It's not a catechism or religion textbook but a casual, down-to-earth introduction for non-Catholics and a reintroduction for Catholics. It gives common-sense explanations about what Catholics believe and do in plain English, with just enough why and how thrown in for it to make solid sense... We don't cover everything about Catholicism, but we do discuss the basic stuff so that the next time you're invited to a Catholic wedding, Baptism, funeral, Confirmation, or First Communion, you won't be totally confused." (Pg. 1)
They point out, "The practice of attending what's called the 'Vigil Mass,' the Saturday evening Mass, wasn't universally allowed until 1983. The rationale for this relatively new practice is that in the Jewish tradition AFTER SUNDOWN means the next calendar day, so Mass celebrated after sundown on Saturday evening can count for a Sunday obligation." (Pg. 11)
They explain, "In the eyes of the Catholic Church, any Baptism that uses water and the invocation of the Holy Trinity as well as the intention to do what the Church does, that is, 'I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,' is a valid sacrament. So Catholicism regards Episcopalian, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, United Church of Christ, Assembly of God, Church of the Nazarene, Church of the Brethren, Amish, Church of God, Disciples of Christ, Adventist, and Evangelical Baptisms to be valid. And if a follower of one of these Christian churches wants to become Catholic, he doesn't have to be re-baptized. That said, Catholicism doubts the baptisms in the following faith communities to be a valid sacrament: Christian Scientists, Quakers, Salvation Army, Jehovah Witnesses, Unitarians, and Mormons... The reason merely has to do with what Catholicism considers to be a valid sacrament." (Pg. 94)
They observe, "A leader can retire from the active ministry or be forced to leave if he misbehaves, but no deacon, priest, or bishop can ever have his holy Orders taken away from him. A defrocked or laicized cleric can't wear clerical garb, and he can't licitly practice his ordained ministry. Being defrocked is involuntary and is imposed as a punishment for committing crime or scandal. Laicization, however, is at the request of the cleric who has not done anything immoral but wishes to be relieved of his obligations of celibacy and no longer wants to celebrate his sacred ministry." (Pg. 122-123)
They admit, "By the way, no one knows the exact day of Jesus' birth... No one has found any Roman record of his exact day of birth, despite the census of Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1-5). So how did the Church come up with December 25 as the birthday of Jesus? Some have claimed it was an attempt to coincide a Christian feast with an established pagan festival, the day of the conquering sun." (Pg. 156-157)
They state, "Although tithing, giving 10 percent of your income to the parish, is mentioned in the Bible... it isn't mandatory in the Catholic Church. Most Catholics are encouraged to donate at least 5 percent of their income to the parish and 5 percent to their favorite charities. Statistically, though, Catholics are notoriously the lowest givers of all Christians, dedicating 1 percent of their incomes to the Church Mainline Protestants give 2 percent, and Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians give 5 to 10 percent." (Pg. 182)
This book is literally packed with information, and is perhaps most helpful for those unfamiliar with the Catholic Church and its culture (e.g., non-Catholics, but also recent converts).
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Wyrd One
An excellent resource for all
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2018R. Haines
Broad coverage for a wide range of questions
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... need to know about Catholicism - my family members like it too
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2016harrymurray
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