Post - confirmation
Ages 13/14 - 16
Update 2024 I am currently trialling a different apologetics book with my daughter (15) who found the Fr Laux books so uninspiring. We are using: 'Truth be Told by' Mark Hart and Joe Cady. This is an American 'Life Teen' book. I was sceptical about Life Teen after buying their '100 Things every Catholic teen should know' which was (as the authors intended) very 'teenagey'/comic style and not our cup of tea. But the book by Hart is much more sober and 'young adult' in its approach. I like the fact that each answer is given on two levels - brief, and in depth. There are also good further reading suggestions at the end of each chapter to help you build your family Catholic library.
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In the senior years, you might want to move onto standard textbooks such as Fr Laux's 'Chief Truths of the Faith' and 'Mass and the Sacraments'. These books are a little dated, having been written in the 1920's, and can be a little dry for an un-enthusiastic child, but they are very solid and the truths of the faith have not changed. My third son worked through both of these aged 14-15 and learned a great deal (though I did not use most of the questions in the text which are quite long-winded - I chose only those which seemed most useful: you can find my own 'reduced' schedule for 'Chief Truths' and for the Mass and the Sacraments on the main RE schedule. I wrote my own questions for the Eucharist section as I didn't find those in the book very suitable for that age group.
Apologetics
I substitute a more modern book for Fr Laux's 'Catholic Apologetics', and his 'Catholic Morality' (both also available from Cenacle), because there are areas where we do need our children to be able to deal with more modern questions, though of course these books do provide a very solid grounding - it depends how much time you have. At the moment we are using 'Following Christ in the World' by Ann Carrol (I've given the link for Seton Homeschool so you can view the book, but I bought mine very cheaply online second hand). This book starts off with a basic grounding in philosophy and then moves onto theology and morality/ethics. It's quite substantial and the priest who recommended it to me takes two years to cover it with a class of teenagers, c15-17. There are no questions with the book, so I'm writing my own - see main RE schedule.
Another option is the series by Father Chacon 'Beginning Apologetics'. Book 1 covers the basics; you could then be selective with the rest of the series (e.g. some of the books are devoted to refuting the errors of Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses which you may not feel necessary at this stage).
You might also study various papal encyclicals on moral issues, such as Casti Connubii and Humani Generis - well, there are plenty to choose from!
Ages 13/14 - 16
Update 2024 I am currently trialling a different apologetics book with my daughter (15) who found the Fr Laux books so uninspiring. We are using: 'Truth be Told by' Mark Hart and Joe Cady. This is an American 'Life Teen' book. I was sceptical about Life Teen after buying their '100 Things every Catholic teen should know' which was (as the authors intended) very 'teenagey'/comic style and not our cup of tea. But the book by Hart is much more sober and 'young adult' in its approach. I like the fact that each answer is given on two levels - brief, and in depth. There are also good further reading suggestions at the end of each chapter to help you build your family Catholic library.
***********
In the senior years, you might want to move onto standard textbooks such as Fr Laux's 'Chief Truths of the Faith' and 'Mass and the Sacraments'. These books are a little dated, having been written in the 1920's, and can be a little dry for an un-enthusiastic child, but they are very solid and the truths of the faith have not changed. My third son worked through both of these aged 14-15 and learned a great deal (though I did not use most of the questions in the text which are quite long-winded - I chose only those which seemed most useful: you can find my own 'reduced' schedule for 'Chief Truths' and for the Mass and the Sacraments on the main RE schedule. I wrote my own questions for the Eucharist section as I didn't find those in the book very suitable for that age group.
Apologetics
I substitute a more modern book for Fr Laux's 'Catholic Apologetics', and his 'Catholic Morality' (both also available from Cenacle), because there are areas where we do need our children to be able to deal with more modern questions, though of course these books do provide a very solid grounding - it depends how much time you have. At the moment we are using 'Following Christ in the World' by Ann Carrol (I've given the link for Seton Homeschool so you can view the book, but I bought mine very cheaply online second hand). This book starts off with a basic grounding in philosophy and then moves onto theology and morality/ethics. It's quite substantial and the priest who recommended it to me takes two years to cover it with a class of teenagers, c15-17. There are no questions with the book, so I'm writing my own - see main RE schedule.
Another option is the series by Father Chacon 'Beginning Apologetics'. Book 1 covers the basics; you could then be selective with the rest of the series (e.g. some of the books are devoted to refuting the errors of Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses which you may not feel necessary at this stage).
You might also study various papal encyclicals on moral issues, such as Casti Connubii and Humani Generis - well, there are plenty to choose from!