Review: The Catholic Catalogue

The Catholic Catalogue: A Field Guide to the Daily Acts That Make Up a Catholic Life  by  Melissa Musick, Anna Keating, February 23, 2016. 432 pages. Published by Image. Source: Publisher.

The popular mother-daughter team behind the hit website TheCatholicCatalogue.com helps readers to discover, rediscover, and embrace some of the smells and tastes, sounds and sensations, holidays and seasons of the Catholic life. This collection of prayers, crafts, devotionals and recipes will help readers make room in their busy lives for mystery and meaning, awe and joy.

This beautifully designed book will help readers celebrate Catholicism throughout the years, across daily practice and milestones. Like the most useful field guides, it is divided into user-friendly sections and covers such topics as the veneration of relics, blessing your house, discovering a vocation, raising teenagers, getting a Catholic tattoo, planting a Mary garden, finding a spiritual director, and exploring your own way in the tradition.

With more than 75 inspiring chapters, this book promises to be a resource that individuals and families will turn to again and again.

I had every intention of reviewing this book last year...like early last year. Unfortunately, I never got around to it as I could never find the right words to convey my thoughts on it.

• This was such a wonderful resource! While there were many things I was familiar with, hello Catholic here, yet there were also things that were entirely new to me. Which is what made this a fascinating read; and one that would be beneficial to those new to the faith or to young families hoping to create traditions centered around our faith.

• It may not sound like it, but this was a really fun read. One that I enjoyed reading *gasp* out of order. There were just so many sections that piqued my interest, that I would find myself browsing the list of content and randomly reading everything from "Getting a Catholic Tattoo" all the way to topics about "celebrating saint feast days". I liked that it covered things for the various walks of life, single and family, that the book spoke to. It had something for everyone no matter where they are in their spiritual journey.

•  It was well laid out. If you read it in order, it takes you through the whole, well highlights, the liturgical year. The chapters are relatively short, and the author's do not waste any time in talking about things that are obviously near and dear to them; and answering some of the bigger, or should I say odd, questions that are bound to pop up.

Final Verdict: The Catholic Catalogue-  A thoughtfully and well put together book on the Catholic faith and how to live it. Definitely a resource I would recommend for those wanting to live their faith more fully (and not keeping it closed off to just your Sunday obligation). 

The Catholic Catalogue earns

A copy of this book was received in consideration for review. All thoughts are my own.