Catholicism All-in-One For Dummies

by John Trigilio Jr., Kenneth Brighenti, James Cafone

Let there be light ― illuminating info about today’s Catholic church Catholicism All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition offers a path toward understanding the beliefs of the Catholic church and how the church operates. Fully updated with information on newly canonized saints, updated teachings from Pope Francis, and how Catholic beliefs intersect with the modern world, this edition gets you up to date with the last 2,000-or-so years of Catholic history. With five minibooks in one, this friendly Dummies guide will answer your pressing questions, such What do Catholics believe? What happens in Mass? Who are the saints? What is the role of the Pope? ― and other cool stuff you’ve been wanting to know about this Christian denomination with over 1 billion members worldwide. With Catholicism All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition , you This is an excellent resource for anyone who needs a clear guide to the practices and rules of the Catholic faith and wants a fascinating look into a prominent world religion.

688 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2023

About the author

Father John Trigilio, Jr. is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Gannon University in 1983 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts (concentration in Theology and Philosophy). After studying for the Diocese of Erie and then for the Diocese of Arlington, Father Trigilio joined the Diocese of Harrisburg where he was ordained in 1988 by William Cardinal Keeler. He completed his seminary training at Holy Apostles Seminary, Cromwell, CT and at Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, PA. Fr. Trigilio is also a cooperator in the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei.

Reviews

[Fred Kohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can there be only 6 ratings and 1 review of this book on Goodreads? Is Catholicism that uninteresting? I was raised a Protestant (Episcopalian) but I am attracted to Catholicism because they are much more attached to tradition than the Protestants. Back when I used to drive, EWTN (the Catholic radio station) was the station I most often listened to. I would occasionally listen to the Protestant channels but the Catholics are much more interesting. I especially enjoyed Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders. To be honest, I think Dr. Anders is more knowledgeable about things Catholic than Father Trigilio. Trigilio makes a number of mistakes about the scriptures. Among the most egregious is the idea that in the book of Esther, Mordecai explains to Haman that he, Mordecai, as a Jew is not allowed to bow to anything but God. In fact, no explanation is given in Esther as to why Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman and it remains a matter of conjecture as to why he refuses.

I bought this book mainly to use as a reference to check out things I heard about on EWTN. I made use of that before writing this review because I didn’t remember what the book said about Catholic belief about the end of the world. As I have made the book of Revelation a special area of interest I am always interested in the various beliefs people have about eschatology. Do the Catholics believe in a future Antichrist? (Yes.) Millennium? (No.) Pretrib rapture? (No.) A new heavens and earth? (No. The existing order will be destroyed.)

I’m not sure how trustworthy the info in this book is. For example the book said that Easter Candles are typically between 6 and 9 feet tall and are lowered so that the congregants could light their own candles from it. Since this seemed awkward I had to check out this info on the internet. It seems that Easter Candles are typically shorter. That’s how I remember them from my days in the Episcopal church.

I’m an unbeliever so the odds of my joining a new religion are slim to none. If I did join a new religion it would be because of the history and tradition of that religion rather than any religious conviction. After reading about first class relics, I could never be a Catholic. Each Catholic altar has a first class relic, most often a body part of a dead saint. I don’t understand the Catholic fascination with this. All I could think of when Pope Francis died was their chopping up his dead body for use in Catholic altars (shudder!).

I must end this review by giving a shout out to my daughter Anya, who gave me the gift card for Father’s Day that enabled me to buy this book.

[Crystal M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, super fascinating and informative! I learned so much. The language is accessible and theology simply explained. Comprehensive and a strong intro to the faith.