Why I Love Being Catholic: Dynamic Catholic Ambassadors Share Their Hopes and Dreams for the Future

by Dynamic Catholic, Matthew Kelly (Foreword)

As Matthew Kelly reflected on his twenty-five years of speaking and writing, he realized that his biggest inspiration continues to come from the many faithful individuals who support the mission of Dynamic Catholic. He decided to send an email to all of these Ambassadors, asking for their answers to three Why do you love being Catholic? What is your favorite memory as a Catholic? As a Catholic, what are your hopes for the future? The response was overwhelming. Why I Love Being Catholic is the result of that rallying call. Compiled from thousands of answers, this collection of insights, stories, hopes, and dreams is both inspirational and motivational. The authors are people just like you they've laughed, cried, suffered, and celebrated their way through all the ups and downs of life. Some have been Catholic all their lives; others have taken a longer route home. All, however, can speak to the amazing gift that the Catholic faith has been in their lives. These days, it's challenging to be a Catholic. The collection of entries in Why I Love Being Catholic celebrates the best of the Catholic faith, highlights the everyday miracles taking place all around us, and reminds us that there are thousands of everyday heroes out there who dare to have big dreams for the Church. Even amidst the challenges of our times, holiness is possible, grace abounds, and there is every reason to live our lives with hope!

Genres: Catholic, Faith, Christian, Religion, Inspirational, Christianity, Nonfiction

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2018

Reviews

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful read on why people love being catholic!

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of an ever-growing genre of books about why people are catholic. I have read a few books along this line over the last year. Titles such as:

Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too) by Brandon Vogt
Why We're Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love by Trent Horn
Forty Reasons I Am a Catholic by Peter Kreeft

And a slew of other books I have not considered reading yet. And yet this book is something very different from those three and the others in the genre at large. For this book is a collection from numerous contributors. There is no index, so I am not sure f some of the contributors offered answers in more than one section. But overall this book is an interesting read. There are moments that will make you smile, a few that might pull tears, and a lot that are inspiring. The book is broken into three sections:

Foreword
One Why Do You Love Being Catholic?
Two What Is Your Favorite Memory as a Catholic?
Three As a Catholic, What Are Your Hopes for the Future?

The answers rand from a single sentence, to several paragraphs. And the answers as a diverse as you would expect from asking a hundred people such open-ended questions. It was a great book to read through, at times I felt inspired, at times encouraged and at times just empathy for the story being shared.

I could see this book being used in the recruitment of Dynamic Catholic Ambassadors. I could also see it as a bathroom reader, just pick it up every time you are there and randomly read a story or two. Or keep it by your bed site table or prayer corner for when you need a little inspiration or motivation. This is a book I could not see myself reading through from beginning to end again but could see my self flipping through and reading a story from time to time. Overall a good read but definitely a niche market.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by or edited by Matthew Kelly.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of answers to the questions “Why do you love being Catholic?”, “What’s your favorite Catholic memory?” or “What are your hopes for the future?” from members of Dynamic Catholic Ambassador’s club. I personally really enjoyed this book! I have always loved hearing other Catholics stories of why their faith is important to them. It really inspires me and reminds me that the Church is the Church because of the people who are in it, the people who are spreading the love of God. Many stories in this book made me cry happy tears because conversion stories and stories of coming back home to Jesus are just amazing! I’m reminded by other people like me to keep becoming the best-version-of-myself.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of “Matthew Kelly” here. As the cover explains, he wrote the foreword. The rest (most) of the book consists of short, often inspiring responses by Catholics to three questions.

[Ellen Matheson]

I enjoyed this book much more than anticipated. I’ve never encountered such a dense (and current) collection of positive reflections on what it means to be Catholic — and not from teachers, priests or theologians, but from “ordinary” Catholics themselves. Catholicism gets a bad rap in this day and age (and should, at times, for the sex abuse scandal, in particular) but ultimately the Church is a beautiful institution filled with brave, truth-seeking people. It’s neat to consider that this book could have been compiled just as easily 2,000 years ago. Catholicism is here to stay.

[Amanda Lauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love being Catholic and so I really enjoyed reading why other people love being Catholic as well. Now I'm inspired to journal all the reasons I love being Catholic, lots of inspiration from this book!

[Mick M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a compilation of Dynamic Catholic Ambassadors answering why they are Catholic, their favorite Catholic memory, and their hopes/dreams for the future.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

i cried

[Jerry Rehkemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful stories from individuals on Why they love being Catholic!

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes the reader feel like he or she is sitting with church family listening to each member, in turn, sharing their thoughts, memories, and hopes regarding the church.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really isn’t a Matthew Kelly book since most of the book is composed of other peoples thoughts and words, not Matthew Kelly’s. I was a little disappointed that it didn’t seem to be about actually being CATHOLIC, but more about having faith or believing and could have applied to any religion, not particularly Catholicism. Many of the shared stories could have been from someone from any number of Protestant churches. Many of the comments were not exclusive to the Catholic faith. Maybe it should have been titled “Why I Love Being a Christian” or “Why I Love My Faith”.
It was enjoyable to read, but didn’t impress me as being about the Catholic faith. The short snippets shared were interesting and some were very touching and some very inspiring. But there wasn’t a lot of meat to the book and I didn’t feel like I learned anything new about Catholicism from reading it.

[Doris Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had three chapters in it. All were writings from the Dynamic Catholic Ambassadors. The first chapter was about the title, the second was favorite memories of the Catholic Church, and the third was future wishes for the Catholic Church. There was also a forward by Matthew Kelly, founder of Dynamic Catholic Institute. Hearing other people express their love of the Catholic Church was really inspiring. But I really enjoyed the favorite memories since I have a lot of them. It is a book well worth reading.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of why people love their faith. In these trying times, it was nice to open up and read about positive experiences with Catholicism. It felt like a great antidote to all the negativity caused by some individuals who clearly don't live according to their faith despite appearances. Highly recommend for any Catholic who needs a boost. This book would be a great companion to any daily devotionals that you may already enjoy.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, this book exists and I’ve read it. I think there are better books on the three topics represented here: why people are Catholic, Catholic memories, and hopes for the future of the Church. The one sentence to two pages per entry format has pros and cons. For me it was not especially helpful. Some people will probably find it interesting and inspiring. I was invested enough to keep reading, but that’s a low bar. So here it is.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book is basically a bunch of quotes categorized accordingly from people sharing why they love the Catholic faith. It’s good. It’s moving. It’s interesting that you can tell who (they may not mean to) comes off as judgmental or condescending. But the majority of the quotes were hopeful and promising and welcoming. I found myself praying throughout the book. It is definitely encouraging - to expand how one prays, spends time, and learns more. All in all, it was very inspiring.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a few pages of this book a day in order to be reminded of the treasures of the Catholic faith. Some of the entries concerned things I also love about being Catholic, others concerned things I had not thought about but was glad to hear about. This is a book that probably only appeals to Catholics. It contains only short responses to three questions. 1. Why do you love being Catholic? 2. What is your favorite memory as a Catholic? 3. As a Catholic, what are your hopes for the future?

[Kristin Herget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book to read. It is a short collection of people answering three questions. Why do you love being Catholic, what is your favorite memory, and what are your hopes for the future, as a Catholic? I found myself thinking of my reasons and memories and how many I shared with all these other people.

[Tracy L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great way to help others understand how other Catholics are thinking about the faith. The three questions that were asked in this book, every Catholic should be answering. Many times we feel like we are the only ones feeling a certain way about our faith, and it’s refreshing to read about others on their faith journey.

[Janell · Rating 5 out of 5]

After studying the gospel of John for the past year, I am reminded how Jesus started the beautiful religion of Catholicism. When reading any of Mathew Kelly's books, I find myself constantly nodding along in agreement. I LOVE being Catholic!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was nothing wrong with the book, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
This book is a collection of short statements from several people sharing their dmfavorite thing about being Catholic, their favorite memory as a Catholic, and their hope for the future.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Why I Love Being Catholic" was a nice daily book for Catholics. You have an opportunity to read what other Catholics are thinking. It is pretty encouraging to read that many feel the same way, have the same struggles, and hope for the same things.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why do you love being Catholic?"
"What is your favorite memory as a Catholic?"
"What are your hopes for the future?"
This book provides a well curated collection of answers to the above questions by those touched by Matthew Kelly's work. A nice reminder that there is beauty in our face all around.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exciting to read because it’s not just by 1 author. It’s by so many different people, from all over, from old to young, from cradle Catholic to converts. I gained inspiration through this in my own faith walk & for raising our children in the faith.

[Kathleen Reum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! Sometimes moving, sometimes educational, sometimes funny. A very different type of book; just answers from people to three different questions. I chose to read it during Lent and am very grateful I did.

[Melanie Falconer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of responses to the following questions; Why do you love being Catholic? What is your favorite memory as a Catholic? As Catholics, what are your hopes for the future? The book is short and powerful as you read the responses of Catholics. Heart warming!

[Salina Silkwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very comforting as a catholic that just came into the faith. I loved reading about other peoples stories and their love for the catholic faith. I wish there were more stories than short statements but overall great book and highly recommend!!!

[Ted Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Testimonies from a cross section of Catholic revealing their devotion and loyalty to the Catholic faith combined with their hopes and dreams for the future. Some inspiring content included in Matthew Kelly's compilation.

[Ida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

[Riley Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great compilation of stories on why the faithful love being Catholic. I recommend this book to people that want to have their faith re-ignited. It gives wonderful insight.

[Victoria Slotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

An assortment of testimonies about meaningful faith journeys which offer encouragement and joy.