Part I: What Do Catholics Believe? 7

Chapter 1: What It Means to Be Catholic 9

Chapter 2: Having Faith in God’s Revealed Word 21

Chapter 3: In the Beginning: Catholic Teachings on Creation and Original Sin 37

Chapter 4: Believing in Jesus 47

Chapter 5: Defi ning "The Church" and What Membership Means 65

Chapter 6: Who's Who in the Catholic Church 73

Part II: Celebrating the Mysteries of Faith 95

Chapter 7: Body and Soul: Worshipping Catholic Style 97

Chapter 8: Entering the Church: Baptism, Communion, and Confi rmation 107

Chapter 9: The Sacraments of Service and Healing 125

Chapter 10: Celebrating the Catholic Mass 145

Part III: Living a Saintly Life 173

Chapter 11: Obeying the Rules: Catholic Law 175

Chapter 12: Loving and Honoring: The Ten Commandments 187

Chapter 13: Being Good When Sinning Is So Easy 203

Chapter 14: Standing Firm: The Church's Stance on Some Sticky Issues 219

Part IV: Praying and Using Devotions 245

Chapter 15: Growing in the Faith 247

Chapter 16: Showing Your Love for God 261

Chapter 17: Expressing Affection for Mary 275

Chapter 18: Honoring the Catholic Saints 291

Chapter 19: Practicing Catholic Traditions 311

Part V: The Part of Tens 329

Chapter 20: Ten Famous Catholics 331

Chapter 21: Ten (Plus One) Popular Catholic Saints 341

Chapter 22: Ten Popular Catholic Places 351

Part VI: Appendixes 361

Appendix A: A Brief History of Catholicism 363

Appendix B: Popular Catholic Prayers 391

Index 399