Knowledge and intellectual learning is a powerful tool on our spiritual journey. Below are listings of various resources for your review, enjoy! Feel free to share other ideas in the comments section.
Official Church Teaching
Bible – U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Catechism of the Catholic Church – Vatican (The USCCB hosts it here as well).
Papal Teachings – Vatican – The Encyclicals are especially good reads – they are documents written by the Popes and very relevant for “current events” issues as well as timeless in their guidance on our spiritual journey!
Diocesan web sites and Diocesan Newspapers are also good sources of content. Most Dioceses and Bishops also post in an official capacity on Facebook and Twitter.
National Catholic Bioethics Center – Great resource for health and medical ethics information. They have an “Ask a Question” option as well.
Evaluating Resources for Validity
Just like its important that we validate fake news generally, we also need to be savvy about resources and authors who claim to be “Catholic”. A person who calls themselves a Catholic is a Catholic; it’s not my job to define, judge or discern hearts. However, it is my responsibility to determine the credibility of content before blindly following it.
Here are examples of potential sources of incorrect “Catholic” content I’ve encountered in my former professional career in the Church that are still alive and thriving even today:
- Organizations with “Catholic” in their name that pronounce teaching that is not in line with the Catholic Bishops. For example, organizations that provide voter’s guides with specific candidate recommendations by name.
- Bishops, priests, deacons, nuns, seminarians, parish or diocesan staff, or other religious or laity who express sentiments contrary to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Each situation of errant information can and should be evaluated uniquely. Clergy ought to be able to express themselves and their thoughts about the faith in appropriate environments – they are human too and deserve some down time off the record!
Sometimes someone has been miseducated on the teaching of the Church and is accidentally misinforming others.
It is much more egregious, however, if the miseducation is intentional and willful. It calls to mind Jesus’ words: “Whoever causes one of these little ones* who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6).
Resources By Topic
OK with that being said, here are resources that may or may not be affiliated with the Church in an official capacity explicitly, but have nonetheless been valuable on my journey
Knowledge/Learning
Word on Fire Ministries – The most cutting-edge and vibrant content on the Catholic Church today in my opinion 🙂 Led by Bishop Robert Barron. Content includes articles, videos, and podcasts.
St. Paul Center – Great resources on diving deep into Scripture.
Scott Hahn – A scripture scholar legend who is also a convert to the Catholic Church. His books helped guide my husband to the Catholic faith.
Beloved and Blessed – Kimberly Hahn (married to Scott above) also has literature and a podcast. I find her reflections deep, relevant, and great models for how I can learn and improve, especially coming from someone who has walked my vocational path and has great wisdom to share.
Spirituality
Ron Rolheiser – Incredible writer – his work helped inspired and encourage me to actively pursue the spiritual journey.
Fr. James Martin, SJ – Conservative/Traditional Catholics, hear me out! Fr. James is another incredible writer. He also has an awesome sense of humor that you can encounter on his Facebook and Twitter pages. He is well known particularly for his work to promote the dignity of LBGTQ people and ministries and in fact, Pope Francis met with him specifically to discuss the topic (read more in this National Catholic Reporter article). I’ll probably post on this at some point, but the short of it is that I used to have an uninformed heart about LBGTQ ministry. I associated myself with pro-life conservative Catholics who dismissed this ministry. On my own personal spiritual journey, I have come to believe there is a place for all people in the Church (should they desire it) and that it is possible without altering the Church’s teaching. I am extremely grateful that God has softened my heart to reach this understanding, which allows me to grow in loving others as He loves them.