Catholic and Loving It: Traditions for a New Generation

By Andrew Salzmann and Sabitha Narendran

You re Catholic and loving it but when it comes to really celebrating your faith, things get a little vague. A home altar? Not likely. Sacramentals? Clueless. A blessing for beer? Never heard of it.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867168072
• ISBN13: 9780867168075
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Servant Books
• Length: 178 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Handy Reference

Catholic and Loving It is an interesting reference work for young and middle aged Catholics. I believe anyone growing up post Vatican II (anyone born 1960 and later) has most likely missed out on the whole-life Catholicism of the generation prior. Those popular devotions/practices/lifestyle choices our grandparents may have kept, but our parents threw out with the VII changes are now coming back into vogue. If you have never heard of St. John's bonfire, St. Elizabeth cookies or the Feast of Sts. Adam and Eve, then you will find much to interest you in this informative, yet still entertaining book (although the authors' lawyers will be unable to confirm or deny that there is humor in this book). If you are young, Catholic, and curious, buy this book.

Evangelizing All of Life

The authors of Catholic and Loving It regularly shared faith with roughly 25 fellow students at the University of Notre Dame in the early 2000s. They worshipped and prayed together, organized processions, and sang hymns in the dining hall. They celebrated Christ "with the traditions of an ancient, global church," a practice that provided them "a beautiful life in which God became ever more completely `the joy of our youth.'" Their inspiration grew, in part, from the Church's recent teachings on popular devotions. Speaking of "our little book," the authors explain their desire to make accessible the customs praised by the Second Vatican Council. By extending the faith beyond the official liturgical context, they write, "all of life can be evangelized." They proceed to offer detailed recommendations for enriching daily life, from creating an in-home altar to practicing an ancient Roman ritual of blessing herbs on the Feast of the Assumption. The Christmas Eve segment examines the history of Christmas tree ornaments and explains Bavarian customs involving acorns, candy canes, and eagles. The Feasts of Our Lady section includes subheadings of "waffles" and "evening Angelus" for the Annunciation and a sidebar on analyzing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are also recipes, as one for mulled wine for Saint John's Day and kuchen and punch in celebration of Saint Sylvester (Dec. 31.) In short, this book overflows with ideas for individuals, families, and faith sharing groups in search of the same sort of "beautiful life" found by Salesmann, Narendran, and their friends at Notre Dame.

Catholic Popular Piety!

While there probably are a good number of handbooks that cover a wide range of material concerning Catholic doctrine, liturgy and devotional practices, I cannot recall one that focuses on traditional Catholic devotions quite in the same way "Catholic and Loving It" does. This modest sized work is a wonderful compellation of Catholic popular piety, which many of us may or may not have been familiar with growing up. Sabitha and Andrew do a fine job surveying this critical aspect of the Church's life and offer many examples and suggestions of how ordained, religious and lay faithful might more thoroughly and personally inculcate the Gospel into their daily lives, from St. Benedict medals, to blessings for the household and more. I especially appreciate the inclusion of recipes for either dishes traditionally associated with certain feasts of the liturgical year, or recommendations for more novel dishes to celebrate the occasion. In summary, a helpful book for Catholics desiring to better fill their lives, especially domestic lives, with venerable (as well as reverently creative) forms of Catholic devotion. This could make a fine supplementary wedding gift to a Catholic couple eager to foster a household of prayer and devotion.

Great introduction to traditions of the Catholic faith!

Consisting of an overview of the liturgical year and the pious practices that come with the different feasts and seasons, "Catholic and Loving It" is a great basic introduction to the the how's and why's of said practices. While its very down-to-earth language makes it a very accessible, that accessible reading comes together with a very practical quality in the copious inclusion of prayers and blessings for different occasions. You can find everything from a blessing for an advent wreath and bread, to the not-so-common sounding things like blessings for beer. While it may sound a little out of place or over-the-top for some, making an effort to revive and live out said practices makes me think of three things. First, it makes us aware of how truly efficacious the practice of prayer is. Is it superstitious to have bread or beer blessed? No, if anything, it is a sign of faith that we are heard when asking for a health of soul and body even in the smaller things. Second, that the practices, occasions of joy and feasting that the books point out, are ultimately directed to Our Lord. Why is it significant to get together with friends to celebrate a feast day? Because in the people we love we are, through the grace of God, trying to see Christ in others and be Christ for others. In other words this joy is a joy that is based on Christ. Finally, that said practices are ultimately only an exterior sign of the interior life, of love lived out in a relationship to our Lord. Would dedicating a garden to Our Lady be fanatical? It's not meant to be, if anything it can be a sign of honor, veneration, and devotion, just as we would honor our own mothers. All of the above not to mention the book cites solid sources for their practices--the official book of prayers of the Church, the Catechism, discourses of the Holy Fathers, the lives of the Saints, and finally (yet very appropriately), their own personal experiences growing up Catholic--giving the reader good background to look into. Thus, I think the book is an invitation for the average joe Catholic to look deeper into the practices of the centuries, an reminder to the more experienced one of what we have in our treasury, and to all a call to, as one of the authors often quotes St. Gianna saying, "be living witnesses of the greatness and beauty of Christianity."