What It Means to Be Catholic

As more people discover—or rediscover—Catholicism, What It Means to Be Catholic offers a welcoming introduction to the beliefs, traditions, and history that shape Catholic life. Popular podcast host and content creator Ana Munley (700K+ followers) helps curious readers and returning Catholics alike understand what Catholics believe, how they worship, and what it means to live the faith today.

Catholicism has shaped art, language, holidays, family traditions, and global culture for centuries, yet to many readers it still feels mysterious from the outside and fragmented from the inside. This is a friendly, accessible guide that demystifies the faith’s essentials, explaining not just what Catholics believe, but how those beliefs show up in prayer, ritual, symbolism, and everyday life.

Rather than assuming prior knowledge or taking an overtly academic or apologetics-heavy approach, this book meets readers where they are. It is designed for the curious beginner, the lapsed Catholic thinking about returning, the OCIA/RCIA participant trying to get oriented, and the gift buyer looking for a smart, attractive, genuinely useful book. Readers will come away understanding the meaning behind Catholic practices that can otherwise feel opaque: why Mass matters, what the sacraments do, why Mary and the saints are so central, how confession works, what the liturgical year is, and how Catholic identity is expressed at home as well as in church.

Entries and sidebars also include explainers on the seven sacraments; the structure of the Mass; Advent, Lent, Easter, and feast days; Mary, the rosary, and the communion of saints; common prayers; symbols such as holy water, incense, candles, medals, scapulars, and the crucifix; and guides to what happens at Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, weddings, and funerals. The result is a go-to Catholicism primer that is practical, readable, giftable, and evergreen.