Father Smith Instructs Jackson: Centennial Edition

by John Francis Noll

Father Smith Instructs Jackson: Centennial Edition!Over 3 million copies of this timeless classic have been sold, and it has influenced thousands of conversions. Witness the engaging and accessible interplay between a priest and a non-Catholic inquiring about the Faith. Their conversation is a masterpiece in catechesis -- as Chris Jackson asks the questions generation after generation wants to ask, and Father Smith responds with wisdom, wit, Scripture references, and solid Catholic teaching. It is one-on-one catechesis at its finest, delivered in a relevant and practical context -- much like Jesus himself taught.

With fresh references and updated language supplied by noted Church scholar Paul Thigpen, this is a book that Catholics and non-Catholics alike can turn to for greater personal understanding of the intricacies and nuances of the Faith.

Genres: Religion, Catholic

272 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1975

About the author

John Francis Noll was a Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne from 1925 until his death in 1956. He was active in national church organizations. In 1912 he founded the weekly newspaper Our Sunday Visitor.

The Bishop Noll Institute is named in his honor.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an excellent overview of the Catholic Church and her teachings.
The style in which it is presented - a dialogue - makes it very easy to read and comprehend.

In the book, "Father Smith" is giving instruction to "Jackson" who is interested in being baptized into the Catholic Church. Before entering the Church, he must receive instruction to ensure he understands what the Church teaches and why.

Because the book is several decades old, there were a couple of statistics that Fr. Smith references that are no longer accurate. The only other discrepancies I found we regarding the amount of marriage prep required (maybe this differs from region to region) and the discussion on the rosary naturally did not include the Luminous Mysteries which were added in the 2000s.

Overall, this is an excellent book.

[Siobhain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a series of conversations between Fr. Smith and the non-Catholic "Jackson" who enjoys challenging father on different aspects of the Catholic faith. I have used this book for a home school religion course in apologetics. It is a little dated but very engaging and is a very nice change from a religion textbook. This book is made up of 52 short chapters organized in four parts: God's Church and Her Teaching, The Commandments of God Precepts of the Church, The Means of Grace, and Approved Devotions and Religious Associations. Though I have not read this in a while, it is a book that I am happy to have on my shelf and one that I recommend.

[sch]

Jan 2023. Recommended by a colleague.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very eye opening for me and I couldn’t put it down. Archbishop Francis Noll is a very compelling writer and I look forward to reading more of his works.