My Books
Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church
Foreword by Bishop Robert Barron
Word on Fire, 2021
The statistics are troubling: 6.5 people leave the Catholic Church for every one that joins, and 50% of young people who were raised Catholic are no longer Catholic today. The Catholic Church is hemorrhaging young people.
Behind these statistics are countless stories of wounded families. Millions of mothers and fathers are longing for their prodigal children to come home to the Church, crying: “Where did we go wrong?”
The passive wait-and-see approach is no longer an option. We need a different strategy. We need to understand the real reasons why our young people drift away, and we need a game plan to bring them home. We need Return.
Bishop Robert Barron
If your son or daughter has left the faith, I encourage you not to give up hope and to learn from the advice in this book. Return will serve as an essential resource for the Church’s evangelization efforts and a true game-changer for desperate parents everywhere.
Matthew Kelly
Everywhere I go I meet parents who are troubled because their children no longer practice the faith. Finally, here is a practical guide to doing something about that.
Leah Darrow
“Return” offers practical and realistic ways to bring lost souls home. And I should know: I was one of those kids who left the Church for over 10 years, regardless of my good upbringing and Church-going parents. Brandon clearly identifies my own journey away from and back to Jesus. “Return” is a true treasure for our times.
What to Say and How to Say It, Vol II: More Ways to Discuss Your Catholic Faith with Clarity and Confidence
Ave Maria Press, 2021
Are you hesitant to discuss issues such as faith and science, homosexuality, or the Resurrection with your family, friends, and coworkers because you’re afraid you’ll say the wrong thing or forget what to say altogether?
Bestselling and award-winning author Brandon Vogt, senior content director of Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, is back with more straightforward, practical guidance for any Catholic who wants to engage confidently with today’s culture. In this second volume of What to Say and How to Say It, Vogt tackles seven more of today’s most pressing (and controversial) issues, giving you all the tools you need to be clear and convincing as you share your convictions with those around you.
You will find essential resources for speaking with clarity and confidence about the critical issues of faith you face in the world today. This book is an indispensable resource covering seven hot-button issues and pressing questions in the area of
- faith and science;
- the Resurrection;
- heaven, hell, and purgatory;
- relativism;
- Islam;
- homosexuality; and
- Mary.
Each chapter offers an overview of the topic and a clear explanation of what the Church teaches. Then you’ll learn about the most common contemporary arguments against the Church’s teachings followed by step-by-step instructions for responding intelligently and confidently.
Jennifer Fulwiler
Few people can explain Catholicism as well as Brandon Vogt. He fearlessly tackles even the most difficult issues, and does it with grace and kindness.
Fr. Blake Britton
This book is the perfect tool for anyone seeking to understand the Church’s teaching on key contemporary issues. With his usual clarity, Brandon Vogt offers a concise and formative series of reflections that strike all the right notes.
Rachel Bulman
Brandon Vogt has given us practical, rational, and compassionate responses to the most challenging arguments against Catholic teachings. Everyone should be ready with these responses. Everyone should read this book.
What to Say and How to Say It: Discuss Your Catholic Faith with Clarity and Confidence
Ave Maria Press, 2020
Brandon Vogt, bestselling author of Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too), offers Catholics an indispensable resource for understanding and articulating the Church’s teaching on seven of the most critical issues Catholics face today as we dialogue with the secular culture and people of other religious backgrounds.
Based on the content of Vogt’s online community, ClaritasU, What to Say and How to Say It equips readers with the tools to intelligently discuss topics such as the Eucharist, same-sex marriage, and abortion, providing straightforward talking points to explain Catholic teaching.
Cardinal Thomas Collins
In an insightful, practical, and very readable way, “What to Say And How to Say It” presents reasons for belief in God, and for several teachings rooted in reason and faith that our secular society rejects. I highly recommend it. This book fully delivers on what its title promises.
Curtis Martin
With truth in charity, Vogt does a masterful job of handling many of today’s hot-button issues. From atheism to the Eucharist, transgenderism to the problem of evil and suffering, the reader will be equipped with a clarity of thinking to help them know “What to Say and How to Say It.” I highly recommend this book!
Haley Stewart
If you long to have charitable conversations about hot button issues with friends and loved ones, this book is for you. If you want to be equipped to defend Church teaching with logical reasoning and avoid a heated argument, “What to Say and How to Say It” can be your guide. Brandon Vogt takes you step-by-step through some of the most emotionally-charged topics of today so you can find common ground with those who disagree and communicate truth with clarity and kindness.
Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too)
Ave Maria Press, 2017
With atheism on the rise and millions tossing off religion, why would anyone consider the Catholic Church? Brandon Vogt, a bestselling author and the content director for Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, shares his passionate search for truth, a journey that culminated in the realization that Catholicism was right about a lot of things, maybe even everything. His persuasive case for the faith reveals a vision of Catholicism that has answers our world desperately needs and reminds those already in the Church what they love about it.
Why I Am Catholic serves as a compelling reproposal of the Church for former Catholics, a persuasive argument for truth and beauty to those who have become jaded and disenchanted with religion, and at the same time offers practicing Catholics a much-needed dose of confidence and clarity to affirm their faith against an increasingly skeptical culture.
Bishop Robert Barron
In a time of crisis, when so many young people have abandoned the Church, Brandon Vogt stands out among his generation as one who boldly affirms the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Catholic Faith. As this book demonstrates, he is bright, articulate, kind, and passionate. He’s one of the radiant lights of the New Evangelization.
Dr. Peter Kreeft
Brandon Vogt’s “Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too)” lives up to its cheeky title. It is clear, direct, simple yet not simplistic, and is ideal for “nones“ who wonder why any intelligent adult would choose the most counter-cultural religion in the world. Here is a friendly explanation from a live fish who is swimming happily upstream to the many fish who are passing him in the other direction.
Dr. Brant Pitre
For years, I’ve longed for a book that I could recommend to parents whose children have left the Church or to people who have lost their faith. This is that book. Brandon Vogt makes the case for Catholicism with remarkable clarity and charity. Along the way, he handles common objections to Catholicism, with answers that touch both mind and heart. If you know someone struggling with belief—or if you yourself have questions or doubts—then do yourself a favor: buy this book, read it, and then share it with others.
Read More Books Now: How to Double Your Reading and Remember What You Read
Numinous Books, 2015
Wish you had more time to read? Want to finish more books? Last year, the average American read only nine books. Imagine finishing 10, 30, or even 100 books next year and confidently discussing them with friends!
Read More Books Now will teach you simple strategies to double your reading and remember what you read. You’ll discover the simple, practical hacks used by top readers around the world. You’ll also find out how to carve more reading time into your busy day. No fluff—only what really works!
If you want to read more books, in less time, without speed-reading, then this is the resource you need.
Dr. Peter Kreeft
I’ve taught college philosophy for over 40 years. This excellent book, if taken to heart, will do more for your education than 99% of the courses in school that you ever took.
The Saints’ Favorite Books: Read What They Read, Become Who They Are
Numinous Books, 2014
“Reading has made many saints.” – St. Josemaria Escriva
Books change lives. They spark movements and birth hope, they lead to innovation and inspire us to greatness. We’ve seen this in history and we know it ourselves.
Books can also lead people to God. As the saints in this book show, the right book at the right time can inflame our spiritual lives, ushering us down the road of holiness.
Inside this book, you’ll find fourteen saints and their favorite books. All of them would, of course, claim Scripture as their favorite reading material. But this book reveals the non-biblical books that profoundly impacted their lives.
You’ll also find a special BONUS Appendix on “The Popes’ Favorite Books.”
Dr. Scott Hahn
As a bibliophile, I'm always looking for my next good book. But why not turn to the saints? Thanks to Brandon, we can read what they read and learn from their favorite books.
Dr. Bert Ghezzi
In this great book Brandon Vogt honors many favorite saints. I enjoyed learning about the books that influenced their lives and opened the doors to holiness. Reading these books should help us become like them. Let’s get started!
Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World
Foreword by Archbishop Peter Sartain
Our Sunday Visitor, 2014
Catholic social teaching has explosive power for changing not just individuals, but whole societies. And it’s the saints who light the fuse.
The value of human life. The call to family and community. Serving the poor. The rights of workers. Care for creation.
The church has always taught certain undeniable truths that can and should affect our society. But over the years, these teachings have been distorted, misunderstood, and forgotten.
With the help of fourteen saints, it’s time we reclaim Catholic social teaching and rediscover it through the lives of those who best lived it out. Follow in the saints’ footsteps, learn from their example, and become the spark of authentic social justice that sets the world on fire.
Bishop Robert Barron
A triumph! One of the best presentations of the Church’s social teaching. Brandon Vogt adeptly and correctly positions social justice in relation to the lives of the saints, and in doing so he rescues it from the ideological constraints that have for far too long made this essential teaching of the Church inaccessible to most of the faithful.
Dr. Carolyn Woo
Incredibly accessible: Brandon Vogt brings Catholic social teaching to life through the actions and examples of the saints. As we cannot commit to what we do not understand, this book opens minds and hearts to connect faith with personal action. An indispensable teaching resource!
Elizabeth Scalia
This is an accessible book, and a brave one, too. It trusts that we want to leave a better and more peaceable world to our children than the stale-mated, divided one we currently inhabit.
CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization Study Guide
Word on Fire, 2013
This six-part study guide for Bishop Robert Barron’s documentary, CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization, explains what the New Evangelization is and how to carry it out.
You’ll take a fascinating tour of new ardor, new expressions, and new methods in action around the world.
You’ll also develop your own New Evangelization action plan, either as an individual or as part of a parish.
The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet
Foreword by Cardinal Sean O'Malley
Afterword by Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Our Sunday Visitor, 2011
Catholic social teaching has explosive power for changing not just individuals, but whole societies. And it’s the saints who light the fuse.
The value of human life. The call to family and community. Serving the poor. The rights of workers. Care for creation.
The church has always taught certain undeniable truths that can and should affect our society. But over the years, these teachings have been distorted, misunderstood, and forgotten.
With the help of fourteen saints, it’s time we reclaim Catholic social teaching and rediscover it through the lives of those who best lived it out. Follow in the saints’ footsteps, learn from their example, and become the spark of authentic social justice that sets the world on fire.
Cardinal Sean O'Malley
This book demonstrates how New Media is already impacting the Church and outlines many practical steps for dioceses, parishes, and individual Catholics to embrace it more broadly…. Everyone involved in communications and evangelization ministries for the Church should read it.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
My expectation is that this book will give the Church courage and wisdom to embrace New Media as one of the premier gifts of God to evangelists of our day.
Archbishop Charles Chaput
“The Church and New Media” is the best kind of reading: timely, vivid and rich in valuable information. For anyone seeking to understand and use today's new technologies in advancing the Catholic faith, this book is an unsurpassed resource