Practice Makes Catholic: Moving from a Learned Faith to a Lived Faith

by Joe Paprocki, Doug Hall (Illustrator)

Third Place, Resources for Ministry category
ACP Excellence in Publishing Awards, 2012
Third Place, Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith category
Catholic Press Association book awards, 2012
“Paprocki’s book is…rich with information, wit, and wisdom and short on preachiness.”
It is said that practice makes perfect, but what else does practice make? If you ask Joe Paprocki, he’ll say that practice makes Catholic—that is, there are certain distinct practices that make us essentially Catholic. The problem is that many Catholics don’t understand—or at least misunderstand—why we engage in the many practices we do. In Practice Makes Catholic, Paprocki addresses the all-important “why” of many Catholic practices by articulating five key characteristics that form our Catholic identity: a sense of sacramentality, a commitment to community, a respect for the dignity of human life and commitment to justice, a reverence for Tradition, and a disposition to faith and hope rather than despair. Under each of these categories, he explores and explains multiple Catholic practices, then describes how following each one can make a profound difference in our faith and in our lives. Informative and inviting, Practice Makes Catholic is the perfect resource for RCIA candidates and their sponsors, for Catholics returning to the faith, and for all Catholics who want to get to the heart of what their faith is really about.

Genres: Catholic, Faith, Religion, Education

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

Reviews

[Andi]

Don't Bother if you are above age 10

I was really looking forward to this book- I was really disappointed in it. Simplistic language, inaccurate information (C. S. Lewis was NOT Catholic!) links that don't exist and more made for a read that could have been so much more informative. Condescending is a good word for this one.

[NK]

I received this book as part of an RCIA team at my church. It is an excellent resource, full of explanations. You can never stop learning. I would recommend this to all adult Catholics, not just RCIA candidates. It is easily understood and informative.

[John]

Lots of resources on being Catholic. A little bit too “hip” with the jokes & anecdotes in the sidebars. A few errors mentioned in other reviews, but overall a good, simple & introductory instructional overview on how to grow in the faith.

[Jeanette]

Good, easy to read basics for Catholics. Would be great for anyone entering the Church or even for Catholics that want to learn more about their faith

[Kim]

Every Lent I set aside my fiction books and pick up a non-fiction book that I've been meaning to read. Every Lent I learn that I really don't enjoy reading non-fiction, even if the subject matter is something I am passionate about. This is painfully obvious being we are a month after Easter and I just finished this relatively short 200 page book.

This book is good...not great, but good. It is full of wonderful information and tips. It wasn't a compelling read, but it was broken down into digestible chapters and themes.

Though I am sure they are useful, I actually found the constant use of website urls annoying and distracting. They interrupted the reading flow. I get there is more information out there, but just list your suggestions at the end of the chapter or in an appendix or something.

[Emily]

In General, there's a lot of good "beginner" things here. His books are good for people who are real, true faith beginners. I thought the emphasis on "social justice" towards the end, as opposed to things like, say, being pro-life was a bit over the top and caused eye rolling, but then I remembered this book is published by Loyola Press, so this is par for the course. Overall it's not bad, but if you're beyond the beginning stage, you'll want something like "Be Holy", or "Prayer Primer", or "deep conversion/deep prayer."

[Ann]

I have enjoyed other books by this author and I do believe he explains difficult issues about Catholicism very well. But, this book caused me to feel the pangs of guilt that was well know to me as a child of the 50's practicing the Catholic faith in an Irish parish with a pastor from the "old country." I remember every year the tally book of donations given by each parish member was published; no one paid attention to mass that Sunday!

[Ann]

This was a really easy to read book. It gave me background on things in my faith that I didn't know, reminded me of why I do things I do automatically without thinking, and gave me some clear ways to explain my practices.

[Angela9600]

I liked the format- very readable.

[April]

This is a great book for those trying to learn the basics or a refresher of the Catholic faith.

[Gina]

Wow, I didn't know what I didn't know about my Catholic faith. Inspiring me to "practice" my Catholicism every day. It helps to change habits and be more Christlike in all interactions.