Letters to a Young Catholic

In this modern classic, a pre-eminent Catholic intellectual illuminates the faith’s core beliefs and practices

“An engaging, lucid, and informative introduction to the teachings and traditions of Catholicism.” ―Wall Street Journal

In this remarkable exploration of the Catholic world, prominent Catholic author and papal biographer George Weigel offers a luminous collection of letters to young Catholics, not-so-young Catholics, and curious souls who wonder what it means to be Catholic today. Weigel takes readers on an epistolary tour of Catholic landmarks―from Chartres Cathedral to St. Mary’s Church in Greenville, South Carolina; from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to G. K. Chesterton’s favorite pub in London; and from the grave of a modern martyr in Warsaw to the Sistine Chapel. Weaving together insights from history, literature, theology, and music, Weigel illuminates the beliefs that gave Catholicism its distinctive texture and explores the theological importance of grace, prayer, vocation, sin, forgiveness, suffering, and―most importantly―love.

Letters to a Young Catholic will inspire not only the young generation of Catholics, whose World Youth Day celebrations have embodied an era of renewal for the Church, but also the faithful, the doubtful, and the searchers of every age.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington’s Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is the author of thirty books, including To Sanctify the World, The Vital Legacy of Vatican II, and Pomp, Circumstance and Unsolicited Advice.  The first volume of his biography of Pope John Paul II, Witness to Hope, was a New York Times bestseller. His writing appears regularly in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal. He lives in North Bethesda, Maryland.