Apologetics is known as “a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apologetics

More than defending, we must be able to confidently and generously share our faith with others—we must KNOW our faith. The most reliable resource, and the most prudent place to start, is with the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): Free, easily accessible, user friendly, online Catechism of the Catholic Church. http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm

An Upright Heart: An Upright Heart, a collection of free, web-based Catholic videos, and podcasts on topics such as, Reasons to Believe, Why Be Catholic?, The Real Presence and more. This website, created by John Robbins of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, makes apologetics easy and accessible. www.AnUprightHeart.com

Catholic Answers: To Explain and Defend the Faith: Catholic Answers, founded by Karl Keating, “is an apostolate dedicated to serving Christ by bringing the fullness of Catholic truth to the world. We help good Catholics become better Catholics, bring former Catholics ‘home,’ and lead non-Catholics into the fullness of the faith.” http://www.catholic.com/

Defenders of the Catholic Faith: Hosted by Stephen Ray: A convert to Catholicism, and author of “Crossing the Tiber,” Stephen Ray has hundreds of blog posts about the Catholic faith. http://www.catholic-convert.com/

First Things: “First Things is published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and educational 501(c)(3) organization. The Institute was founded in 1990 by Richard John Neuhaus and his colleagues to confront the ideology of secularism, which insists that the public square must be “naked,” and that faith has no place in shaping the public conversation or in shaping public policy.” http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts

New Advent: This site includes a Catholic encyclopedia, the Summa by Thomas Aquinas, documents from the Fathers, a library of Church documents, and articles on the faith. http://www.newadvent.org/

Peter Kreeft: “Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King’s College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He was Baptized in the Spirit in 1972; is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 75 books including Handbook of Christian Apologetics.” Website features articles highlighting the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith. http://www.peterkreeft.com/home.htm

Strange Notions: “StrangeNotions.com is the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. It’s built around three things: reason, faith, and dialogue. Each day you’ll find articles, videos, and rich comment box discussion concerning life’s Big Questions. The site was created by Brandon Vogt ([email_external]brandon@brandonvogt.com[/email_external]) and operates under the aegis of Word on Fire.” http://www.strangenotions.com/

The Integrated Catholic Life: Helping You to Integrate Faith, Family, and Work: This website presents an “apologetics corner” as well as articles and resources for men, women, family, young adult, etc. http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/

Word on Fire: “Father Robert Barron is an author, speaker and theologian. He is also the founder of the global media ministry Word on Fire, which reaches millions of people by utilizing the tools of new media to draw people into or back to the Catholic Faith.” Fr. Barron includes articles, videos, homilies, books, and blogs to further the New Evangelization. http://wordonfire.org/Home.aspx