Links

I don't want to drown you in links, but listed below are a handfull of really great Catholic sites covering the daily news and big questions in the Catholic faith, apologetics, evangelization and offering learning materials, discussion and information.

Busted Halo - Run by the Paulist Fathers, this site strives to make the Catholic faith available to America's youth. One of the most recognizable priests involved in this ministry is Father Dave Dwyer who hosts a weekday radio show on The Catholic Channel on Sirius satellite radio. They also host a series of videos which explain many elements of the Catholic faith. Father Dave is regularly interviewed by the national media on aspects of Catholic faith and history.

Catholic Answers - One of the nation’s largest lay-run apostolates of Catholic apologetics and evangelization. They host a weekday two hour radio show called Catholic Answers Live on numerous stations across the country, and offer their show as a podcast as well. They have a wealth of information compiled from their shows on their site along with the best Catholic forums you'll find anywhere.

Catholic Apptitude - A site dedicated to keeping track of Catholic applications (sorted by category), and some digital media.

The Catholic Channel - Sirius satellite radio offers a dozen different shows ranging from weekday mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, to the Busted Halo call in show, to the point of view from laypersons sharing their faith.

The Catholic Directory - Allows you to search the United States to locate a Catholic parish near you. You may want to verify the listed mass times with those on the parish's website.

Catholic IQ Test - Are you Catholic? Do you know your faith? Did the nuns teach you in school? Did your parents teach you at home? Do you read the Bible? Did you study the Catechism? Do you learn things from your priest? Do you really know your faith? Take the Catholic IQ test and find out.

Catholic Pulse - Catholic Pulse is a site run by the Knights of Columbus. It's dedicated to bringing readers the top, daily headlines that Catholics need to know. It also has its own blog and columnists to bring you Catholic perspectives on mainstream news and issues facing the Church today.

Catholic Spiritual Direction - Learn about spiritual direction and locate a director to help improve your relationship with God.

Catholics Come Home - Reaches out to those who aren't religious, from other faiths, fallen away Catholics, and active practicing Catholics to provide information about the Church.

Defenders of the Faith - This is Stephen Ray's blog. He's a Catholic convert and an author (Crossing the Tiber), and the creator of the Footprints of God series.

Evangelical Catholic Apologetics - Offers discussions, debates, and articles on Catholic apologetics, philosophy, spirituality and conversion stories.

Eternal World Television Network - Started in 1981, EWTN has become the largest religious media network in the world transmitting 24 hours a day. They air family and religious programming from a Catholic point of view. Providing more than 80% original programming, EWTN offers inspiring talk shows, entertaining children's animation, exclusive teaching series, live coverage of Church events, and thought-provoking documentaries.

The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study - Locate a Catholic bible study group near you or start one! This program provides an overview of the bible, focusing on 14 narrative books that tell the story of scripture from the beginning to the end. They are supported by an advisory board of Catholic leaders, and every Great Adventure Bible study has been granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, indicating that they are free from doctrinal or moral error.

Ignatius Press - Is a Catholic publishing company based in San Francisco. They were founded to print English translations of contemporary European theologians. They have a large selection of classic and new literature, DVDs, music, art, software and eBooks.

Immaculate Heart Radio - Is a non-profit lay apostolate that operates a large network of Catholic radio stations in the Southwest. They add many shows daily to their archives for download and they offer podcasts as well. You can even listen to their station live through their site.

Institute of Catholic Culture - Is an adult catechetical organization, faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and dedicated to the Church’s call for a new evangelization. The Institute seeks to fulfill its mission by offering education programs structured upon the classical liberal arts and by offering opportunities in which authentic Catholic culture is experienced and lived. It offers live and on-demand video streaming of its programs, CD production of past seminars, and boasts over 300 hours of catechetic programs in its free, on-line audio library.

Jimmy Akin - Is a well-known speaker and apologist for Catholic Answers. He almost became a Protestant pastor or seminary professor. The more he studied the bible to prepare, the more he found it supported the Catholic faith. It was then when he had his conversion. When he isn't hosting radio shows for Catholic Answers Live, he hosts his own podcasts where he answers questions on the faith. He is also a well-known author including such books The Fathers Know Best, Mass Revision, and The Salvation Controversy.

National Catholic Bioethics Center - Conducts research, consultation, publishing and education to promote human dignity in health care and the life sciences, and derives its message directly from the teachings of the Catholic Church. Are you or your family facing a difficult medical issue and want to know the answer to a medical-moral question? Try their Ask an Ethicist consultation. It's free!

National Catholic Register - Is both an online news site and a bi-weekly news paper. It features edifying articles on such topics as the Culture of Life, Catholic education, books, arts & entertainment, Catholic travel, and its award-winning In Person interview series.

New Advent - It's an online version of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia. They also have an online version of the Knox translation of the bible (which Arch Bishop Fulton Sheen preferred) along with companion versions in Greek and Latin so you can compare verses.

New Age Deception - Informing people of the hidden dangers in new age spirituality and new thought teachings. Sharon Giganti is a regular guest on the Catholic Answers Live show.

The Original Catholic Encyclopedia - Spearheaded by Catholic Answers, this is an online version of The Catholic Encyclopedia printed between 1907 and 1914. This version holds the complete 16 volume set with the original text of all the articles faithfully preserved.

Radio Replies - Questions and answers on Catholicism and Protestantism given from the Catholic Broadcasting Station 2SM in Sydney, Australia by Father Charles M. Carty and Father Leslie Rumble. There are almost 7,000 questions and answers posted (all of the volumes of the book Radio Replies). Keep in mind the material covers a time span from 1938 to 1968, so this won't completely account for changes in Church teachings and the Second Vatican Council as there is outdated and abolished material presented.

Scott Hahn - Is a well-known Catholic speaker and apologist who converted from the Presbyterian church (where he was ordained). He is currently a Professor of Theology and Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He's a prolific author and his story of conversion is a must hear for people of any faith.

St. Anne's Trivia Game - a wonderful Catholic trivia game and a fun way to learn about the Catholic faith! Most of the questions and answers are from the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Nicene Creed, the Catholic Encyclopedia, and other Magisterium approved sources.

Strange Notions - From their site: Is the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. It's built around three things: Reason. Faith. Dialogue. Each day you'll find articles, videos, and rich comment box discussion concerning life's big questions.

Tim Staples - Personal blog of the Director of Apologetics and Evangelization at Catholic Answers. Read his latest articles on the most important issues in our faith.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Is an assembly of the Church hierarchy of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands who exercise pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site including the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the New American Bible Revised Edition, both of which you can read online in their entirety for free.

The Vatican - Home of the Holy See in Rome. Read current and past writings of Popes through the ages. You can also view videos and listen to Church history along with the Pope's latest addresses. The Vatican also has an app to keep up with the Pope on his travels.

Vocation Boom - Every Christian has a vocation, a calling from God to live his or her life in a certain manner. Some are called to the vocation of marriage, some to consecrated life, and others to the priesthood and/or religious life. This website will aid you in discovering your calling to religious life.

Why I'm Catholic - A site about conversion stories of those who came to the Catholic church.

Word on Fire - This ministry is run by Father Robert Barron who is gifted communicator. He talks about the faith and makes it very relatable to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. He posts a weekly sermon on the Sunday readings. He created a DVD series called Catholicism which will introduce you to the Catholic faith through his journeys around the world to landmark Catholic sites. Like Father Dave Dwyer, he is also sought out by the national media to speak about the Catholic faith when important events happen in the Church.