Resources for Exploring our Faith
The following are recommendations for resources that anyone can use to explore, understand and strengthen their faith. The list includes books, websites, social media channels, apps and more, so we hope there is something for everyone and that you find it useful. We have a separate list of resources suitable for families, children and young people here.
At the back of the church you will find a book trolley (at the foot of the choir loft stairs) with a range of Catholic and Christian books. You are welcome to borrow a book and return it to the library when you have finished with it.
You will also find a range of seasonal booklets available to buy in the Church Repository. If you would like a Catholic bible please speak to the team at the Repository who may have some in stock or may be able to order one for you.
Prayer
Pray As You Go is a free 10 to 13 min daily prayer session designed to go with you wherever you go, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst travelling to and from work. It is available as an app in the App Store and Play Store. Pray As You Go also offers prayer series, retreats and extra resources, to help you grow with God.
Lectio 365 is a free daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible every day by offering Morning Prayers and Night Prayers and will help you develop a daily relationship with Jesus.
24-7 Prayer, an international, interdenominational prayer movement who developed Lectio 365 also have a series of online guides to help you learn to pray better.
Magnificat is a daily subscription service available in paper or digital format to encourage both liturgical and personal prayer. It can be used to follow daily Mass and can also be read at home or wherever you find yourself for personal or family prayer.
Hallow is a catholic prayer and meditation app.
Amen is an app similar to Hallow, but is free.
Book: Prayer for Beginners, Peter Kreeft (ISBN 0898707757).
Exploring Faith
Divine Renovation exists to inspire, connect, and equip priests and their parishes to go from maintenance to mission – for every Catholic parish to be a place where people can come and have their lives transformed by entering into relationship with Jesus.
Word on Fire is a Catholic media organization founded by Bishop Robert Barron that harnesses beauty, goodness and truth to draw people into or back to the Catholic Church. You can also follow Bishop Robert Barron on Facebook for daily reflections, prayers and insight.
Ascension Press offers online Bible study, sacramental preparation and faith formation courses for adults, children and teens. Courses available include the ‘The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation’. Most courses incur a fee.
They also offer a free podcast, Every Knee Shall Bow, hosted by Michael Gormley and Dave van Vickle, which offers practical guidance on evangelisation.
Formed is an immense Catholic app that offers access to videos, tv series and audiobooks, that help you delve deeper into the Catholic Faith. There is a monthly subscription charge to use it.
Pause for Faith is a video series available on YouTube by Father Stephen Wang that covers Catholic history, the lives of the saints, Christian belief, spiritual traditions, practical tips for everyday life, and some Q&A.
‘The Soul of the Apostolate’ is an important book for anyone who wants to engage in the New Evangelisation, even though it was originally written more than 100 years ago. (ISBN 9780895550316)
The following books are all by Scott Hahn:
The Lamb’s Supper (ISBN 0232525005)
Hail Holy Queen (ISBN 0232524327)
A Father Who Keeps His Promises (ISBN 0892838299)
The Fourth Cup (ISBN 1524758795)
Reasons to Believe (ISBN 023252713X)
Swear to God (ISBN 0232525595)
The Creed (ISBN 0232533431)
Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West (ISBN 1635820073) provides a short and popular summary of the Pope John Paul II’s revolutionary teaching The Theology of the Body.
Bible and Scripture
‘Catholic Daily Mass Readings’ is a free app that enables you to listen to and/or read the Mass readings. The app also provides a daily reflection. (Please note that this is a US app and very occasionally, the Mass readings differ from those used in the UK.) To access this app, search for ‘Catholic Daily Mass Readings’ from your usual app store and look for the green logo.
You can also get daily Mass readings on the Universalis website for free, or in the Universalis app, for a fee.
The Bible – Catholic Study app from Ignatius Press gives you the whole Catholic bible in an app for free.
In The Bible in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz walks you through the entire Bible in 365 episodes, providing commentary, reflection, and prayer along the way.
Malcolm Guite is a poet, Anglican priest and academic. Malcolm’s poetry, homilies and Biblical talks are highly inspiring. To regularly receive Malcolm’s poems (which celebrate the stages of the liturgical year) by email, click on the ‘sign me up’ button on the right-hand side of Malcom’s website. Some of Malcolm’s talks and homilies can be found by searching for him on your usual podcast app.
The Chosen is a TV series by Angel Studios depicting the life of Christ. You can watch for free on their website or by downloading the app from the App Store or Play Store.
The book ‘Walking with God’ by Jeff Cavins (ISBN 1945179430) is a beautiful introduction to the overall story of Sacred Scripture.
Lent
New Beginnings – A Journey from Lent to Easter – A Lent reflection leaflet produced by Anne O’Connor with brief daily reflections.
Lent and Easter Resources from Redemptorist Publications – Including ‘A Lenten Camino’ by Janet Fearns, ‘Lent Extra’ and ‘The Lenten Journey’ with Fr Denis McBride
CAFOD Lent Resources
