Catholicism for Dummies by Rev. John Trigilio and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti

Title: Catholicism for Dummies

Author: Rev. John Trigilio and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti

First Published: 2003

No. of Pages: 394

Synopsis (from B&N): "Whether you’re a Catholic or not, you may be totally clueless or just unaware of some aspects of Catholic traditions, history, doctrine, worship, devotion, or culture. No sweat. Regardless of whether you’re engaged, married, related to a Catholic, or just curious about what Catholics really do believe, this book is for you.

Catholicism For Dummies is not a catechism or religious textbook, but a casual, down-to-earth introduction for non-Catholics and reintroduction for Catholics. It gives commonsense explanations so that the next time you’re invited to a Catholic wedding, Baptism, funeral, Confirmation, or First Communion, you won’t be totally confused. You’ll also discover other important topics that can help you better understand the Catholic culture—from morality and devotions to worship and liturgy. This book will familiarize you with Catholicism by showing you:

What it means to be a Catholic: traditions, prayers, beliefs, and holidays
Who is who in the Catholic hierarchy
How Catholics worship
What the Seven Sacraments and Ten Commandments are
The book regarded as the holiest to Catholics: The Bible
The Church’s stand on some sticky issues

Catholicism For Dummies presents a rich tapestry andhistory of the Catholic faith—from devotions to doctrines. This intelligent and faithful look at Catholicism will open your eyes to this religion and answer many of the questions you may have about it."

Fiction or Nonfiction: Nonfiction

Comments and Critique: A great introductory look at the Catholic Church. It provides a succinct overview of the Church's beliefs and practices with the standard "for Dummies" touches, including useful icons to point out technical info, tips, items to remember, etc., and the lighthearted humor found in other "Dummies" books. My only negative comment is that for every topic presented, I thought of at least a dozen questions that I wondered about in more detail. But this book is not meant to provide in-depth discussions of topics, so the fact that it didn't provide all the answers is not a defect in any way.

Also, in case you wonder, this book received an imprimatur, which is an official declaration that a publication is free of doctrinal or moral error. While the lack of an imprimatur does not automatically mean that a publication contains errors, anyone interested in learning what the Church truly teaches (especially if you're a non-Catholic) should look it for in a book to avoid the possibility of receiving inaccurate and possibly biased information. I'm going to be reading a number of books about Catholicism this year and I will indicate in my comments for each whether it received this designation.

Challenges: 999 ("Catholicism")