Because of Our Fathers: Twenty-Three Catholics Tell How Their Fathers Led Them to Christ

by Tyler Rowley

A father has a crucial role and responsibility as the spiritual leader of his family. Many problems in the Church and culture today can be traced back to fathers neglecting this responsibility, and failing to realize that their children's relationship with God depends predominantly on their example. The man as the spiritual head of the household is not an outdated Biblical cliché, but rather a spiritual, biological, and sociological truth that modern man has forgotten. The results have been cataclysmic for our modern culture and Church. Because of Our Fathers makes the compelling case for a father's essential and primary role in the spiritual lives of his children in three 1) Presenting clear Church teaching on parenting and fatherhood 2) Presenting strong evidence from studies on the crucial role of the father 3) Testimonies of twenty Catholic men and women whose fathers inspired them to love Christ and his Church. These powerful testimonies will inspire men to consider more carefully the amazing privilege and gift that God has given them to be living examples of the love and faithfulness of our Father in Heaven. Among those telling stories about their fathers are well-known Catholic leaders such as Patrick Madrid , Abby Johnson , Bishop Joseph Strickland , Fr. Paul Scalia , Jesse Romero , Fr. Rocky , Anthony Esolen , Christopher Check , and Fr. Gerald Murray . The other contributors give additional powerful testimonies of their fathers' influence that led them to the Catholic Church. Our families, culture and Church will continue to suffer, says Tyler Rowley, until an authentic Catholic fatherhood is restored among the faithful. Speaking directly to Catholic men today, Rowley uses the moving stories of these twenty fathers to inspire them to educate their children in the faith, and not allow our modern culture to replace their Christian identity.

210 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2020

Reviews

[Jim Sano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading Tyler Rowley's "Because of Our Fathers" and thoroughly enjoyed the stories from each of the twenty-three contributing authors who gave moving and insightful accounts of their fathers, the impact and influence they had on them and their Catholic faith. I especially enjoyed Patrick Madrid's story about his dad, but they were all great to read, including the great introduction by Tyler Rowley who was able to pull together all these authors. Thank you for offering this inspirational book, something you can read a few at a time. Fiver stars from me.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 4.5 stars. This is a compilation of short stories about fathers and how they have influenced their children’s lives. The children are a group of outstanding citizens, some well-known, who are doing their best to further the grace and love of God here on earth. There are many examples of wonderful fathers and what affected their children the most. This would be a good book to give to new fathers or fathers of small children. The two stories that made the most impact on me are the last two by Fr. John Riccardo and the Vander Woude boys. Both of their fathers were very successful but still were able to be humble and self sacrificing. I was very fortunate to have a wonderful father that I myself could write volumes about but his number one trait was his faith in God which guided everything he did including loving me and my mother unconditionally even though we often did not deserve it.

[Rafael Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinario libro para ayudarnos a entender el rol fundamental que juegan los padres en transmitir la fe a sus hijos, probablemente la tarea más importante que tenemos. Ojalá que las historias que se comparten en este libro nos animen, en primer lugar a vivir con mayor profundidad nuestra propia fe, sabiendo que de nuestro ejemplo y enseñanzas dependerá, en gran medida, no solo la felicidad de nuestros hijos en esta vida sino en la eternidad. No importa en qué etapa de nuestra vida de padres nos encontremos y cuántos errores y omisiones podamos haber cometido en el pasado, el momento de empezar a ser los mejores padres posibles y tomarnos en serio nuestra lucha por la santidad es ahora.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and it had a really big influence on me. To see multiple devote fathers and how their lives impacted others in total was wonderful. Also to see how they took their faith to the next level changed how I live and practice my faith. I read it multiple times and still keep it with me. My favorite individuals were the Notre Dame law professor and the lawyer trained at Fordham with a son who became a priest. I like the love of knowledge and books shown by the Check family and the father who died saving his disabled son stuck with me. It made my all time favorite list!

[Patricia Faloon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catholics Need to be Reminded

What a wonderful book about witnesses to a beautiful and rich faith. I love being Catholic; ours sacred rituals keep Christ real and alive in us. Thank you to my Dad and Mom for the Eucharist.

[A. Dewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Loved all the stories and remembrances of the authors' fathers and how they raised their families in the Faith. So inspiring.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multiple authors tell about how their fathers influenced their faith lives in positive ways.