Irish Dominion Photog via Flickr
One of the things that was certainly lacking in my “Catholic” high school curriculum back in the 70s was apologetics. In fact, I didn’t even know what apologetics was until my mid-30s! Unsure and ignorant of my Catholic faith I spent a lot of years sort of drifting in the wind blown by the infamous “Spirit of Vatican II” with no substance, no form, no conviction, and no clue!
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As I started to train my own children in their Catholic Faith I looked for sources that would not only tell them what the Catholic Church teaches but also go into a rich explanation of the “why.”
A Philadelphia Catholic in King James’s Court
Michael O’Shea is a high school senior, beginning to think about his plans for college when his fireman father is tragically killed in a house fire saving a drug dealer. His mother Tammi, is so shaken by her husband’s death that she agrees to take her children out of school early and live on her brother Les’s farm for the summer so that she can have time to sort through her husband’s papers and have some quiet time to grieve.
Les lives deep in the bible belt. Catholics in that area are in the minority. Although Les had great admiration for his late brother-in-law, he thinks that Tammi made a mistake converting to Catholicism, and he has made it his mission to use the time he has with his sister’s family to reconvert them back to Protestantism, starting with his oldest nephew Michael.
In many ways, Michael is like a lot of post-Vatican II Catholics. He doesn’t really understand what the church teaches or why, but he did have the example of his parent’s deep faith. As uncle talks to him about questions he has on Catholicism, Michael starts reading the books his father had and learning to understand Sacred Scripture and how the Bible is essential to explaining and understanding what the Catholic church teaches.
Young Michael is confronted many times in the books on different issues, like devotion to Mary and the papacy. The climax at the end of the book is when Michael must face a well-known Protestant apologist in front of an entirely Protestant congregation.
Michael does not become a top-notch apologist overnight. He has a lot of stumbles and insecurity, but perseverance and study become his allies.
One of the parts of the book that really meant a lot to me was that Tammy O’Shea is never by her son’s side during these confrontations, but she is always at home praying her rosary for his safety and guidance. The power of a mother’s prayer.
A Discussion Study Guide
I first read this book myself years ago and learned a lot from it. I gleaned, even more, the second time around a few years later. This would definitely be a good book for any Catholic adult of my vintage who wants something enjoyable and not too technical or dry for re-learning some of the basics of the Catholic Faith.
This is the one book I read with my kids before they are confirmed so we will be re-reading it this year with Rosie.