First Things First

By Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin
HERALD Columnist
(From the Issue of 8/16/01)

Our Catholic faith is rooted in the Scriptures and tradition. The Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God. This word along with the teaching tradition of the Church has long nourished the faith life of the faithful. Over the years, other writers have explained in their unique ways the mysteries of our Catholic faith. "Catholic First Information Center" (www.catholicfirst.com) seems to have captured the essentials of our heritage. Not only are the basics there, but the Web site designers have made it easy to navigate.

What’s the news? Well, this Web site serves as a portal to various Catholic news agencies: Vatican Information Service, Zenit and Catholic World News to mention just a few. Keeping up to date on Catholic news is a way of nourishing our faith. Reading about the faith experiences in other parts of the world expands our horizons and makes us more aware of the Church’s universal nature. Spending a few minutes in this section will help us understand that the issues of the Church are much greater than those of our own little parish.

A section entitled "Classics" is just that — a storehouse of the works of well-known Catholic authors. This is not necessarily a doctrinal section as much as an area in which the works of beloved spiritual leaders like Sts. Augustine, Ignatius Loyola, Thérèse of Lisieux and John of the Cross. It was interesting to note that the webmasters have included Fyodor Dostoevsky among "Other Classics." I was surprised to find the full works included and not merely selections, a boon for those wishing to do scholarly research.

The "Prayer" section is filled with classic prayers of the Catholic Church. It is very handy to be able to find them in one place and share them with others. Have you ever thought about "cutting and pasting" a prayer into an email to a good friend. Such a prayer could be beneficial both to you and to your friend.

The webmasters have also conveniently placed copies of the Bible in various translations, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and a handy compendium of the major dogmas of the Church.

In addition to these documents there is a more than adequate section dedicated to the Fathers of the Church, those early writers, so close to the apostles, who provided the first explanations of the faith and responded to the fundamental objections to the Christian faith. This section, divided into fourteen historical chapters, is not yet completed, but when done will offer readers the full texts of so many authors. The works of the Church Fathers are available in many other web sites. However, the layout here seems more user-friendly.

People often ask me how I find Catholic Web sites to write about. I have to be honest. While reviewing sites I find more links and leads to other locations. Catholic First has a very impressive list of other Catholic links. I had to force myself to stop clicking on the wide assortment that I found here.

Many Catholic Web sites will offer the same holdings as Catholic First. However, these other sites do not make them as accessible nor do they always provide such an attractive layout. Whether you are new to the Internet or an experienced user, a trip to Catholic First is worthwhile. There you will find food for the mind and food for the soul.

Msgr. Aucoin is a priest of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y., and rector of Wadhams Hall Seminary – College in Ogdensburg.

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