The HOLY BIBLE.
No replacement for Divine Inspiration. Several good commentaries available.
– The basics of the faith in an accessible format. The first general catechism in nearly 400 years. I recommend the Pauline edition. The YouCat is a decent stand-in, with a more readable format.
• Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)
• Lumen Gentium
(Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)
• Dei Verbum
(Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
• Gaudium et Spes
(Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)
*While I recommend that everyone eventually read all 16 documents of Vatican II, start with these 4.
■ The following Documents are those MANY Catholics should read:
of Pope St. Paul VI.
The encyclical that rocked the Church
– Pope St. John Paul II.
(Many people will not be able to get through it, so a popular version should suffice for most Catholics).
by Karol Wojtyla
(Pope St. John Paul II)
Even more applicable, in many ways, than Theology of the Body.
– There is a ton of stuff out there.
So, I recommend both this one-volume book or, even better, this three-volume set of books on the Church Fathers.
– This is a huge category. I would start with the more popular writings (e.g. Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales, etc.) and the Doctors of the Church.
I recommend the Warren Carroll four-volume version. If you want a much shorter and less scholarly one-volume history, try Triumph by Crocker.
•Christifidelis Laici
(Christ’s Faithful Laity)
•Veritatis Splendor,
(The Splendor of the Truth)
•Redemptor Hominis,
(The Redeemer of Man)
•Evangelium Vitae,
(The Gospel of Life) and
•Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason)
*All of these can be found on the Vatican’s website.
• Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)
• Spe Salvi (In hope we were saved)
• Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth)
to be more current.
• Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith)
• Laudato Si, (Praised Be You) and
• Fratelli Tutti (All Brothers)
■ The following Documents are those SOME Catholics should read:
I don’t necessarily recommend a cover-to-cover reading, but at least a good introduction to it.
This is a decent intro.
– Pope Paul VI. On evangelization.
– Pope Pius XII
other encyclicals.