Always a Catholic

A bestselling spiritual author reveals the principles and practices of successful Catholic families in Always a Catholic, a new book from Catholic Answers Press that promises to help parents keep their kids in the Faith—or lead them back to it.

Norbertine Father Sebastian Walshe (Secrets from Heaven) saw a need to address the growing problem of raising faithful children in a faithless age. “There is no greater pain than the thought that your child may leave the Church and risk losing eternal salvation,” he says, “and the evils of today’s world make that risk greater than ever before.” 

Ultimately, a child’s faith—like his salvation—is God’s work. After all, God loves our children infinitely more than we ever could. But, Fr. Walshe notes, we can cooperate with God in this work, and so he draws upon his pastoral experience with Catholic families, distilling their wisdom into guidance that parents can use to help God’s work bear fruit.

That wisdom includes advice related to education, family prayer, dating and sex, dealing with teenage crises, and other common issues parents encounter. However, it’s not merely a topical book of do’s and don’ts.

“There are a lot of how-to manuals for Catholic families,” says Todd Aglialoro, director of publishing for Catholic Answers. “But Always a Catholic does more than offer ‘tips and tricks’— it teaches parents to live their own faith with greater joy and fidelity, demonstrating to their kids by example that the Church is their home for life.”

Most Catholic Parents Agree:

Our number-one goal in life is to pass on the Faith to our children.

But here’s the bad news: today’s world has a million ways to steal your kids’ souls. From sects to sex, from atheism to consumerism, rivals to Catholic doctrine and morals want to snatch your children away from their baptismal heritage and eternal destiny. 

Don't Be Afraid:

Because there’s good news that’s more powerful than the world’s temptations: God loves your children even more than you do, and he desires their salvation more than anything. 

In Always a Catholic, Fr. Walshe shows you how to cooperate with God to bring about the fulfilment of his will for your kids.

There are lots of Catholic parenting books promising results with this or that system or trick. But although it contains solid practical counsel, Always a Catholic reminds us that keeping our kids in the Faith (or helping them get back to it) is more than a matter of technique. Above all, it’s about the way we live out Catholicism—in our own lives and as a family—from day to day.

Always a Catholic Gives You:

• the principles—drawn from Catholic teaching,
• truths of human nature,
• and the best habits of successful Catholic families—that you need to transmit the joy and confidence that will keep your kids in the Faith for life. 

The World and the Devil Don't Stand a Chance!

About the Author

Originally from Pasadena, Fr. Sebastian Walshe is a Norbertine Canon of the Abbey of St. Michael in the Diocese of Orange, California.  After earning a degree in electrical engineering, Fr. Sebastian worked in an intellectual property firm before pursuing further education at Thomas Aquinas College, graduating in the class of 1994.  He continued studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., receiving a license in philosophy.  Later, after entering the seminary, he attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas at Rome (the Angelicum) where he received a master’s in sacred theology and a doctorate in philosophy.  Since 2006, Fr. Sebastian has been a professor of philosophy in the seminary program at St. Michael's Abbey, where he is currently the dean of studies.