I'm Catholic. Now What?

by Shaun McAfee

Now that you're Catholic, you are might be wondering, "Now what?" Shaun McAfee understands. As a convert, he wanted to take part in the sacraments, really prepare for Mass, learn how to defend and share his faith, and understand certain Catholic devotions. Yet he wasn't sure how to do any of this, or where to look for answers once RCIA was finished. If you feel the same way, I'm Catholic. Now What? Is the perfect resource for you!

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2019

Reviews

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

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely loved Reform Yourself! by Shaun. And have very much enjoyed the other books he has written or contributed to. But this one just did not really do it for me. I am not a convert, but I am a revert. I also went to a Catholic Primary and Secondary schools, and have a university degree in Religious Studies with a focus on Roman Catholic Thought. And to be honest the books is ok, but it took effort and discipline to finish it. Parts of it are very repetitive. And from my background there was nothing new, or drastically inspiring. I found it intriguing that at the time of writing this review on Amazon there are 10 reviews each 5 star and on Good reads only 2 reviews both 3 star.

I agree with some of the other reviewers, everything in this volume should have been covered in a Catholic education, or in even just an OK RCIA (Right Christian Initiation of Adults) program. To be honest if you come out of RCIA and need to read this book, you should go back to your parish and demand better. The information in the books is not bad, and Shaun does have a great deal of passion and zeal. It is evident in the writing.

The sections in the volume are:

Read This First
GETTING STARTED
1. License to learn
2. Get a Bible and read it
3. Know your way around the Catechism
4. Know (and practice) the precepts of the Church
5. Don’t be afraid to genuflect
6. Heaven is the goal
7. Knowledge isn’t holiness
8. Remember that the Church is perfect, but her members aren’t — yet

THE SACRAMENTS
9. Live the sacraments
10. Know how to make a good confession
11. Go to confession regularly
12. Get to Mass on time and stay till the end
13. Where should you sit for Mass?
14. Receive holy Communion worthily
15. Reserve Sundays for their true purpose
16. Try the Latin Mass
17. Go to Eucharistic adoration
18. Celebrate the day of your baptism
19. Get your marriage normalized
20. Pursue the graces of your marriage
21. Live out your confirmation
22. Don’t forget the anointing of the sick
23. Attend an ordination

MARY, THE CHURCH, AND THE SAINTS
24. Cultivate a devotion to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
25. Know the approved Marian apparitions
26. Pray to the saints
27. Get to know some saints
28. Go on a pilgrimage
29. Consider joining a Third Order
30. Adorn your home with religious articles
31. Start a holy card collection

PRAYER
32. Make the Sign of the Cross
33. Pray daily
34. Pray with your family
35. Prepare a prayer corner
36. Learn to pray the Rosary
37. Practice mortification
38. Learn more about discernment and your vocation
39. Holy water — keep it close and use it often
40. Have your house blessed
41. Grow in appreciation for sacred art
42. Get a spiritual director
43. Go on a retreat
44. Stay at a monastery or rectory
45. Seek the grace to pray
46. Indulge yourself, categorically speaking
47. Attend funerals and pray for the deceased

CATHOLIC LIFE
48. Realize you’re going to sin again and again
49. Invite your priest over for dinner
50. Become a part-time vegetarian
51. Have a beer
52. Don’t be superstitious
53. Discover other ways to live your faith
54. Read the documents of the Second Vatican Council
55. Find your people

CUSTOMS, RULES, AND BASIC ETIQUETTE
56. Bishops, priests, and deacons
57. The role of the bishop
58. Papal elections and how they work
59. Get comfortable with nuns and monks
60. When to genuflect and when to bow
61. Names of objects used in Mass
62. Use your missal (not missile)
63. What’s the priest wearing?
64. Learn some Latin

BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC
65. Catholic in the modern world
66. Never forget: Evil is real
67. Combat relativism
68. Don’t believe everything you hear
69. Read Humanae Vitae
70. The truth about contraception
71. Save sex for marriage
72. What the Church teaches about homosexuality
73. Break free from masturbation and pornography
74. Teach your kids about healthy sexuality
75. Know how to respond to abuse scandals
76. Speak out against abortion
77. What the Church teaches about euthanasia
78. The Church’s stance on immigration
79. Stop gossiping
80. Give, and give out of love
81. Reject consumerism

KNOWING AND DEFENDING YOUR FAITH
82. Become an apologist
83. Read the Church Fathers
84. Can we prove that God exists?
85. What the Church teaches about evolution
86. Defend against sola scriptura with confidence
87. Know your heresies
88. Veneration vs. worship: An important distinction
89. What is the Immaculate Conception?
90. Why can’t women be priests?
91. Papal infallibility and other common misconceptions
92. Discover Church history

EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE
93. Share the Good News with other Catholics
94. What is the New Evangelization?
95. Watch or read a good conversion story
96. Evangelize using these simple actions
97. Become a philosopher
98. Seek reform, not revolution
99. Let your silence speak
100. Evangelize your kids

Conclusion
Where to Go from Here
Appendix: Helpful Resources
Notes

The book begins with Shaun stating:

“Before diving in, I want to give you a huge welcome to the Catholic Church. Or maybe you’re coming back to the Church — welcome! No matter your background, upbringing, or demographic, I am personally invested in making sure you get off the ground right, and that you always know that this is your family. And if you’re a lifelong Catholic reader, thank you for your fidelity to the Faith.”

I feel that this might be a good read for Catholic high school students. Especially those at Catholic high school with less devout parents. Or it might be good reading during RCIA. But as a follow up I feel it misses the mark. I wish I could rave about this book the way I do, Reform Yourself!, but I just can’t. Another thing that is frustrating is that Our Sunday Visitor eBooks are almost never available in Canada. Just another layer of disappointment.

A good effort from an author I greatly respect and trust. But one I really struggled with giving a rating and finally settled on 4/5 stars.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Shaun McAfee.

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

[Jeremy Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a convert and having gone through the RCIA process, I know that it can be "lacking" in content. RCIA focuses on the "what you need to know right now" and many questions canidates or catechumens have are answered hastely or they get the response "we can talk about that later". That later however never comes. Shaun writes about many of those questions in this book that either are never answered or are never asked. I wish this would have been out a few years ago when I converted to the Catholic faith, as it would have saved me countless hours searching the internet for answers.

[Judith Babarsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable reference for all things Catholic

Whether for the new covert or the lifelong Catholic, there is something in this book for everyone. I don’t know that I’d recommend it for a straight read through, but used as a reference it’s filled with everything imaginable that’s Catholic. The chapters are short and to the point and serve well as a starting point for further research. To this end, there’s an Appendix that provides many resources for those wanting to dive deeper into the faith. I debated over 4 or 5 stars for this book - wish there was an option for half stars. It’s a solid 4.5, with a few ticks off for, at times, a bit of wordiness and perhaps trying to achieve too much for a basic reference (e.g., sections on politics, abuses by the clergy, etc.). Definitely a book that is deserving of any Catholic’s bookshelf.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been attending mass on a weekly basis for 12+ years and although I’m pretty knowledgeable in introductory Catholic information, this book was a great refresher. I loved how the topics were categorized and the amount of information in each chapter was perfect! It wasn’t overwhelming and it got to point.

[Peter E Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as part of our archdiocesan deacon formation program for a course I was teaching on RCIA, Baptism, and Confirmation. As I researched statistic and found that about 2/3 of RCIA participants leave the Church after 1 year, I realized we weren't doing it right. Helping my students understand the struggles of someone who is new to the church is essential and this book can serve to open our eyes to why mystegogia is not optional. Shaun gave us a great point from which to start our journey as the class discussed the appropriate content for the RCIA as an "apprenticeship in the faith." It is a basic manual for day to day struggles, navigating the insider language we use in the Church, and understanding a lot of the things we often neglect as we prepare people for the sacraments. Best of all, it gives this to us from the perspective of someone who has been there. This book is full of the things people are hungry for as they begin a new spiritual journey. It would be great for a high school class, people returning to the faith, or for new Catholics but also for the average Catholic who just wants to mature their faith or read a brief refresher. As a deacon myself, I found it was a good reminder of a lot of the things we often take for granted. It allowed me to remember a simpler time in my faith and reading it was just good for the soul. I will agree with other readers, this is not a straight read. It's a better reference book, a book read in pieces, etc... it contains a lot of suggestions for self-mastery and even one of these topics can take a person a long time to work out. With that stated, it still does what it sets out to do, which is to fill in those gaps in so many RCIA programs around the world.

[Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this will be a great resource for new Catholics! I only had a problem with the author equating yoga to the Quiji Board since the Catholic Church has not condemned yoga but has condemned the use of Quiji boards, it’s still a debate. And I would argue with the list of reputable news sources because, since the election of President Trump, it is more and more difficult to find any reliable sources on news. But God can work those couple of things out for anyone. I really appreciate the handling of the issue of homosexuality and immigration although I would have been tougher on the command to respect the dignity of both gay people and immigrants. We don’t do enough as a Church to condemn the use of language that is insulting to gay people or the way people ignore the human dignity of immigrants. But the author still did a pretty good job considering the crap that is written by Catholics on the subject in the midst of the culture wars. Again, God Can always do the heavy lifting with a person who wants more information and answers. And I think your book is fantastic at getting those questions rolling and is a great resource to explain things enough to make someone want to dig deeper.