Catechism for All Ages
From the very beginning, at St. Augustine Academy Press, we have tirelessly promoted the work of Mother Mary Loyola. And for good reason--because her writing is timeless, engaging, and, by golly, I've learned more from reading her books than I ever did in 8 years of parish CCD or even 4 years at a "Catholic" University.
Many of the books you find on this page may seem suited only for children, but with the exception perhaps of "First Confession" I will have to beg to disagree. One of these days I will just have to repackage the book "First Communion" under another title like "Introduction to the Catholic Faith," and no one will object any more to using this book for the best Catechism Class ever.
I personally think one of the most fun introductions to Mother Mary Loyola is of course The King of the Golden City. Maybe that’s because most people in recent years have started there, but it’s also because it’s relatively short and unbelievably sweet and it’s a great introduction to a lot of concepts she’s going to delve into later, like self.
This book is an allegory that presents the spiritual life in a way that children can understand, while never being so saccharine or childish that an adult cannot read it and gain immense treasures from it. Travel through life with Dilecta as she learns how to properly cherish the visits of the King to her lowly hut, and the trials she must endure in order to earn her place as a princess in His kingdom someday.
The Child of God is intended for the youngest children as a way of helping them understand that they have a soul, and they have to take good care of it. It’s an introduction to the Baltimore Catechism in story form as only Mother Loyola could write it. The only problem with it is that it can be hard to put down…but that’s a problem with a lot of her books.
This is an excellent read-aloud for families and can be added to any Catechism program.
From there, First Confession is also geared for younger ones and is a wonderful introduction to the need for penance and absolution. It really makes the child WANT to go to Confession—which is so much different from the way I learned!
My children used this book to prepare for this sacrament, and would actually beg to be allowed to go to confession! They have retained this habit as they have grown (well, not the begging part, but I certainly don’t have to beg them, and for this I am very thankful). Thanks to Mother Loyola, I myself have learned to love Confession from my children.
The natural follow up to this is of course First Communion, and here you may hear some moans and groans when your children see how big this book is, or complaints from the older ones that they’ve already received their First Communion and don’t need to read that book.
But they’re wrong.
First of all, this book is broken up into 40 chapters, each of which (with only one or two exceptions) can easily be read in one sitting.
Second of all, everything she tells you, she’s going to illustrate by means of a story or anecdote, so that nothing at all is going to be dry or boring. That’s why the book is so big. It’s chock full of stories.
But lastly, there are very few things in this book that pertain only to the First Communicant. This book is all about living the Christian life, and the things it suggests by way of preparation for receiving Christ for the first time are equally applicable if you are receiving Him for the hundredth, or the thousandth, or the millionth time. Read it—you won’t regret it!
Questions on First Communion is intended as a study guide and companion for First Communion, but it is not absolutely necessary. One thing it does have, aside from discussion questions, are short stories that are meant to help reinforce some of the concepts learned.
Likewise, The Children’s Charter is intended as a guide for the adults who are tasked with preparing children for the Sacraments.
Jesus of Nazareth is another book that was written especially for children but can easily be read by all ages. In fact, after it was first issued as "The Story of His Life Written for Children," Mother Loyola was persuaded to publish the same content also under the subtitle "The Story of His Life Simply Told," because it was good for all ages (but what adult wants to be caught reading a children's book?)
This book could be read after Child of God (before First Confession) or can be read as a follow-up to First Communion. This is Mother Loyola’s retelling of the Gospels, but as with everything else she writes, it is very vividly told, so that you feel as though you were there watching all these events, rather than merely hearing them told once more.
Moreover, this book doesn’t start with the Annunciation or the Nativity; it starts with Adam and Eve and explains why we needed to be saved, and all the prophecies and types that foreshadowed His coming...sort of a mini-history of salvation.
I read this to my daughter when she was 5 and I did find that I needed to modify the wording in places so that she could understand it. But she loved it so much that when she was older, she would remind me whenever she saw it sitting on the shelf: “Mommy, remember when you read this to me?”
Forgive us our Trespasses was published at the same time as First Confession, and contains similar material, but whereas the latter was geared more for the very young, to introduce them to the sacrament and prepare them for it, Forgive us our Trespasses is more a guide to help you from your first confession to your Last.
You can choose to read this book together with your family as a refresher, or you can simply provide your children with copies to be brought with them to church when they’re waiting in line for confession.
The Little Children’s Prayer Book is good for this purpose too, as it includes Mother Loyola’s excellent Examination of Conscience for children, along with other prayers for Mass and Benediction.
The last in squence of Mother Loyola's catechetical books is The Soldier of Christ, which is meant to prepare young people for Confirmation. One thing to note here is that this book was written in 1901, back when Confirmation was conferred before First Communion, at about age 12 or 13. So it is not written in terribly difficult language, and where some concepts are difficult to grasp (or especially when she mentions people and battles no longer familiar to us) we have added footnotes to help.
Soldier of Christ is simply a delightful book, and it is absolutely one of my favorites by Mother Loyola.
Her premise here is that Confirmation is analogous to Knighthood, and therefore he who would be a soldier for Christ should know what it takes to be a good soldier, period. So she delves into the history of warfare, including the Crusades, the Napoleonic Wars, and various British Colonial Wars. She talks about what qualities make a good soldier, and how these qualities relate to the Spiritual Life.
I personally think it would be hard to read this book and not want to become a better Christian. Let’s just say that Mother Mary Loyola knew how to reach both young and old, and she was very persuasive.
This brings us to my other favorite by Mother Loyola: Home for Good. This is not techically a catechetical book, but it is so rich with advice, and geared especially for young people, that it deserves mention here.
I had the unfortunate habit of reading this as my spiritual reading before bed, and that was a mistake! When I would read this book, I had a hard time putting it down, and an even harder time sleeping. It really made me think about how I needed to be watching at all times for ways to be serving Christ and my fellow man.
Mother Loyola wrote this book for the girls who were graduating from the Bar Convent School—rich girls who were going off to a life of endless tennis parties and cotillions. She admonishes them: God did not create you to do nothing but entertain yourself! You were put on this earth to complete a task only you could complete. That means that if you do not complete it, no one will. You must discover this purpose and fulfill it. Only then will you find happiness and fulfillment in this life and in the next. This book is so motivating, and especially relevant to today’s entertainment culture.
These are the major catechetical works written by Mother Loyola, but there are many more books, in particular very unique prayer books and devotionals, which are helpful for young and old. You can read more about them in our blog post entitled "How to Read Mother Mary Loyola," from which much of the information on this page was taken.