The Clergy Speaks – Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades

Welcome to what I call “The Clergy Speaks”, a new recurring feature here at The Catholic Book Blogger. “The Clergy Speaks” is a column focusing on one question I have asked various members of the clergy. That question is: What five books would you recommend as must-reads  for Catholics today? I left the responses open to current or classic books with the only restriction being that the Bible and the Catechism could not be used as they are a given.

The first installment is from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades. He was ordained a bishop on December 9, 2004, by Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia. On that date, he began his ministry as Bishop of Harrisburg, a diocese which encompasses 15 counties of south-central Pennsylvania and which includes more than 250,000 Catholics.

Bishop Rhoades was appointed the Ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend on November 14, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI, and installed on January 13, 2010, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne.

Here are Bishop Rhoades’ five must read books and his reasons why.

1. The Joy of the Gospel, Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis. This document contains the core vision of our Holy Father for the Church today: the call to be missionary disciples who evangelize with Gospel joy.

2. Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell. This book is transforming parishes by focusing on the fundamental need of helping people to encounter Christ in the midst of His Church.

3. The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic by Matthew Kelly. This book teaches how to live what the author calls “the genius of Catholicism” by focusing on the four essentials: prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization.

4. Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert. Presenting the five greatest loves of Saint John Paul II, the author not only helps us to appreciate the greatness of our new saint, but also to be inspired anew in our lives of faith by the heroic sanctity of Pope John Paul the Great.

5. Evangelizing Catholics by Scott Hahn. Following the lead of Pope Francis, the author helps us to understand, live, and participate in the new evangelization.

A grateful thank you to Bishop Kevin Rhoades for taking time out of his busy schedule to share these picks with us here at The Catholic Book Blogger.