This is the time of year when we usually hear a lot about “summer reading lists.” Many of us have been brushing up on our reading lately anyway, in light of Covid-19 restrictions and the extra at-home time we have all had. But, on the off chance you’ve blown through your nightstand book stacks and have exhausted your library’s e-book collection, or maybe you would just like to broaden your horizons and learn more about your faith, a summer Catholic booklist, for all ages, might be in order.
During a recent livestream Mass from St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto, Cardinal Thomas Collins offered his top reading recommendations for Catholics. The list, which can be found on the Archdiocese of Toronto’s website is mainly aimed at what the average Catholic should know about their faith and resources that will help them evangelize. Along with the two Catholic gold standards of the Bible and The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Collins recommends all the works of G.K. Chesterton, but especially Orthodoxy and Everlasting Man. On a more modern note, he highlighted “anything” by theologians Peter Kreeft and Scott Hahn and, specifically, What to Say and How to Say It by Brandon Vogt and Just Whatever by Matt Nelson.
Cardinal Collins really pulled at my heartstrings with his recommendation of St. John Henry Newman’s Apologia Pro Vita Sua. It’s hard to believe, but more than 20 years ago I completed my senior thesis on Cardinal Newman and his conversion to Catholicism. Canonized a saint just last fall, Cardinal Newman is a true scholar, but also a down-to-earth pastor who has a way with words and a beautiful story to tell about his journey from Anglicanism to Catholicism. I think this is the summer I’ll revisit some his works, which include non-fiction and fiction.
Speaking of fiction, if you’re like me, you might be more likely to reach for a novel than a theological treatise, but I do love a book that can be both, or at least combine some elements of faith, humanity, and excitement. British Catholic authors Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh have some great titles that delve into the depth of the human condition, including Greene’s The Power and the Glory, The End of the Affair and Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and A Handful of Dust.
If you want to keep your kids reading and engaged in their faith this summer, there are several options. Raymond Arroyo (of EWTN fame), has a fantasy series centred on the supernatural adventures of teenage character Will Wilder. My older kids have really enjoyed the first three books and are looking forward to the publication of the fourth. If your kids are a bit younger and maybe just starting out with chapter books, you may want to check out the Gospel Time Trekker series published by the Daughters of St. Paul and written by one of their own, Sister Maria Grace Dateno. I have it on good authority (the author is the sister of a good friend) that if your kids like time-travelling adventure books, they will love this series. My own younger ones are about discover these books for themselves, as their own set is on the way.
Some other great fiction authors are Meriol Trevor, who wrote for children and adults and who, incidentally, was considered an authority on Cardinal Newman and has based some of her novels on his life, including Lights in a Dark Town and Shadows and Images. Her choices for children include the Letzenstein Chronicles, World Dionysius Novels, and numerous stand-alone books, including The Rose Round, The Midsummer Maze, and William’s Wild Day Out. My 15-year-old son received Michael O’Brien’s Father Elijah for his birthday and is now eager to read the rest of the faith-based apocalyptic thriller series. The works of O’Brien, a Canadian Catholic author and artist, are just as appealing for adults.
The Fairy Tale Novels series by Regina Doman is another option for adventurous teens, with sweeping tales based on the modern retelling of classic fairy tales. Her books are especially popular with mid-teen girls and deal with some serious real-life issues facing teens today, but mixed with plenty of adventure, mystery, and Catholic morality.
You can also never go wrong with saint stories. Cardinal Collins shared in a homily that he starts his early mornings with a story from Butler’s Lives of the Saints. Reading a saint story is a great way to expand your knowledge of Church history and get you thinking about your own response to God’s movement in your life. Are we all answering the call to sainthood to the best of our ability?
Another option would be to pick one saint and tackle a longer biography this summer. Perhaps Sigrid Undset’s Catherine of Siena, or Mother Teresa of Calcutta: A Personal Portrait by Leo Maasburg, both of which are on the list of many audio titles offered through a subscription to Formed.org. So, even if you’re not a big reader, you can just put in those earbuds while you mow the lawn, go for a walk, or lounge by the pool and learn something about your faith at the same time. Road trips are a great opportunity for audio books, and I even have a friend whose farmer husband listens to them while he’s in the tractor plowing the fields.
Still on the topic of saints, I have a suggestion for all the moms out there. On the recommendation of a fellow mom, I recently read My Sisters the Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell. I highly encourage all moms to read this book, which tells the story of Campbell’s conversion from Catholic in name to Catholic in heart, with a special focus on the help of several female saints. Campbell’s more recent book, The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s, is on my must-read list this summer.
Obviously, the list of good Catholic reads is endless, and the above suggestions are not meant to be comprehensive. There are several “best Catholic books of all-time” lists to be found on the internet, including at brandonvogt.com, ascensionpress.com or goodbooksforcatholickids.com, which also has a list for adults.
Faith-based books have the ability to bring us closer to Jesus. The story of Catholicism, whether told through the imaginative eyes of fiction or the stark beauty of non-fiction is fascinating. More importantly, every Catholic has a duty to know their story, and Catholic authors have the God-given talent to help tell that story. So go ahead and pour that glass of lemonade, pick your favourite lawn chair, and get reading!
Lazzuri writes from Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six kids, and her mom. She can be reached at clarelazzuri@gmail.com.
