The Faith of Our Fathers – A Plain Exposition and Vindication of the Church Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Faith of Our Fathers is and always has been an incredibly popular and successful book explaining the basic tenets of the Catholic Faith and why we hold them. It delves into the historical background of virtually everything people find hard to understand about our religion, such as priestly celibacy, sacred images, the Church and the Bible, the primacy of Peter, Communion under one kind, invocation of the Saints, etc. First published in 1876, when there was much anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States, the book sold 1.4 million copies in forty years and has been reprinted many times since. It is being reprinted once again by popular request. This book will confirm one’s faith in the truth of the Catholic Church like none other and will arm the reader to answer the questions so often posed by skeptics and unbelievers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation
Unity of the Church
Holiness of the Church
Catholicity
Apostolicity
Perpetuity of the Church
Infallible Authority of the Church
The Church and the Bible
The Primacy of Peter
The Supremacy of the Popes
Infallibility of the Popes
Temporal Power of the Popes—How they acquired Temporal Power—Validity and
Justice of their Title—What the Popes have done for Rome
Invocation of Saints
Is it Lawful to Honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as a Saint, to Invoke her as an Intercessor, and to Imitate her as a Model?
Sacred Images
Purgatory, and Prayers for the Dead
Civil and Religious Liberty
Charges of Religious Persecution
Grace—The Sacraments—Original Sin—Baptism—Its Necessity—Its Effects—Manner of Baptizing
The Sacrament of Confirmation
The Holy Eucharist
Communion under One Kind
The Sacrifice of the Mass
The Use of Religious Ceremonies Dictated by
Right Reason—Approved by Almighty
God in the Old Law—Sanctioned by Jesus Christ in the New
Ceremonies of the Mass—The Missal—Latin Language—Lights—Flowers—Incense–Vestments
The Sacrament of Penance
Indulgences
Extreme Unction
The Priesthood
Celibacy of the Clergy
Matrimony
Index
