Our Faith

Apologetics

Apologetics is the science that aims to explain and justify religious doctrine. It shows the reasonableness of such doctrine in the face of the objections offered by those who refuse to accept any religion, especially Christianity and more particularly Roman Catholicism. Also called fundamental theology as the science that establishes the credibility of Christian revelation on the evidence of miraculous phenomena and the testimony of unbiased history.

Here at St. Monica Parish we include apologetics as part of our ongoing Adult Education classes, and we also have an Apologetics Page here on our website. It is important to us to learn how to defend our faith in a culture that is so set against it.

Bible Studies

These Bible Studies are based on the Liturgical Calendar.

According to the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, "Within the cycle of a year. . . (the Church) unfolds the whole mystery of Christ, not only from his incarnation and birth until his ascension, but also as reflected in the day of Pentacost, and the expectation of a blessed, hoped-for return of the Lord."

The Church has a three year cycle for Sunday readings, called "A", "B" and "C". We began Cycle C with the first Sunday of Advent.

These on-line Bible Studies are provided by Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, Mississippi.

Bible Studies for Cycle A

Bible Studies for Cycle B

Bible Studies for Cycle C

Prayers
"Prayer" is defined as the voluntary response to the awareness of God's presence. This response may be an acknowledgment of God's greatness and of a person's total dependence on Him (adoration), or gratitude for His benefits to oneselft and others (thanksgiving), or sorrow for sins committed and begging for mercy (expiation), or asking for graces needed (petition), or affection for God, who is all good (love). Click here for an extensive list of prayers used by Catholics the world over.

Confession
The Sacrament of Penance is one of the two sacraments of healing in the Catholic Church. "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed angainst him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion" (CCC #1422). Click here for a quick reference guide to making a thorough confession. If you'd like to read in more detail what the church teaches about the Sacrament of Penance, turn to Part Two, Chapter 2, Article 4 in the Catechism (starting with #1420).

Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross, or Way of the Cross, is a form of devotion commemorating the Passion and death of Christ, consisting of a series of 14 meditations, or stations. All meditations, prayers & poetry within this Virtual Stations of the Cross were taken from a Douay-Rheims Bible. Click here to begin The Way. We also have Stations in our Grotto. Click here for more details!

Links

There is a wealth of information about our Catholic faith on the internet. Below are just a few links that will get your started on your search.

Faith References
New Advent
Catholic Information Center
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The National Catholic Register
The Catholic Liturgical Library
Virtual Rosary

Apologetics
Totus Tuus
Catholic Answers
On-line booklet "I'm Glad you asked"
On-line booklet "To Tell You the Whole Truth About the Church and the Holy Bible"
Apparitions of Jesus and Mary
Bible - NAB
Bible - RSV
Biblical Evidence for Catholicism
Human Life International
Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici (5th Marian Dogma)

Bookstores
The Catholic Bible.com
Tan Books
Ignatius Press
Kaufer's Book Store

News Sources
Catholic Community Forum
Catholic Community Television Network
Catholic Community World-Wide Catholic Search Engine
Catholic Information Network
Catholic Pages
Catholic World News
CatholicPrWire.com
The Coming Home Network International
Code of Canon Law (in 4 languages)
Couple to Couple League for Natural Family Planning
Daily Catholic
Domestic-Church.com
Envoy Magazine
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Peter's Net
Saint Joseph Communications