Top ten Catholic heroes and heroines -- Introduction -- 1. What is Catholicism? -- A community, a way of life, a religion -- What it means to be Catholic -- Catholicism and other Christian religions -- The grace of God -- The four tenets of the church -- Sacramentality, mediation, and communion -- 2. The birth of the church -- The story begins with Jesus -- Preaching the word of God -- The twelve apostles -- Recognizing the Messiah -- The passion of Christ -- The spiritual birthday of the church -- Earliest church practices -- 3. The church grows and develops -- Spreading the word -- Tests of faith : the martyrs -- Leaders of the early church -- Rome embraces Christianity -- The rise and papacy in Rome -- The rise of monasteries -- 4. During the Middle Ages -- Rome and Byzantium part ways -- The struggles between church and state -- The Crusades -- The rise of Mendicant orders -- The Inquisition -- The papacy in trouble -- 5. Modernizing the Catholic Church -- From protests to Protestantism -- The counter-reformation movement -- Catholic missionaries in the new world -- Rejection of new ideas : Vatican I -- Entering the modern age -- The new era : Vatican II -- The church today -- 6. One God, three persons -- The Holy Trinity -- The one God of the scriptures -- Man and his creator -- God the Father -- God the Son -- The Holy Spirit -- 7. Mary, the mother of God -- Mary and the gospels -- The development of Marian Dogmas -- Marian devotions in the modern church -- Marian apparitions -- Prayers to Mary --- The rosary and other devotions -- 8. The seven sacraments -- God's presence it the world -- Baptism : a spiritual rebirth -- Confirmation : completion of baptism -- Eucharist : a union with Christ -- Penance : a sacrament of healing -- The anointing of the sick -- Matrimony : a partnership in Christ -- Holy orders : in the apostolic tradition -- 9. Essential beliefs -- The Catholic Canon of creeds -- Bound by church law -- The Nicene creed -- Catechism of the Catholic Church -- Beliefs that infuse daily Catholic life -- The power of prayer -- Practices left by the wayside -- 10. Devotional practices -- Outward signs of devotion -- The power of blessings -- Ceremonies and practices -- Sacramentals inside the church -- Physical acts of devotion -- Religious objects and artifacts --
The development of the liturgy
Structure of the Catholic mass
Solemnities, feasts, and memorials
12. The Catholic approach to scriptures
How the Bible was created
Divinely inspired infallibility
How Catholics interpret the scriptures
Approaches to understanding the scriptures
13. Heaven and hell : the afterlife
The soul's journey through life and death
Catholic understanding of death
Particular and final judgment
An obstacle to overcome : purgatory
14. The Catholic ministry
At the top of the hierarchy
Bishops, community leaders
Priests, mediators between man and God
Deacons, ordained ministers of the church
Poverty, chastity, and obedience
Challengers to the ministry
The call to each individual
The call to holiness : the priesthood
The call to community : religious orders
Reverend Cardinal Avery Dulles
16. Salvation in community
Devotional habits of the Catholic family
A community support network
The social vision of Catholicism
Salvation through faith and good works
17. Milestones of a Catholic life
Entering the church through baptism
18. Conversion to Catholicism
Requirements of conversion
Rites of acceptance and election
Preparing for the sacraments
Converting from another church
19. Catholics in the greater society
Catholics and the environment
Catholics and secular politics
20. Looking into the future
Toward democratization and diversity
A quest for peace and justice
What's next for the Catholic church?
Will women ever be ordained?
Relations with other religions
Appendix A. Liturgical calendar
Appendix B. A timeline of notable events
Appendix C. Q&A : the Eucharist.
