MOMS AND DADS AS SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS: Internet Resources Every Catholic Must Know.

I know it is a bit ambitious to think that all Catholics will use these resources. Still, I offer them in light of the increase in AI-generated and Avatar versions of the Holy Father and Bishop Barron online, even though they were never produced. This is calumny and detraction, sins that rob another of the truth. The wages of sin are death, even if you think these sins of truth are trifling. Aristotle wrote in his book of Politics, “Trifles are not trifling.” Words we should all take to heart and process with the greatest caution.

What I try to do is use safe primary or actual sources from the Catholic Church. In the same way, the Magisterium of the Church tries to safeguard its members from falsehoods by offering pointed statements of what is true, from what is heresy, or ideas that lead us down the wrong garden path.

I use these Catholic resources to combat the sin of lying, which is a raging disease on the Internet, purposely putting out false ideas to deceive the listener. Locutio contra mentem, as I learned it, or, saying what is in your mouth, what is not in your heart or mind.) The mom and dad of this century, as guardians of their children’s values and heritage from Christ, need to address the fluency of hatred and misinformation about what Church teachers and leaders say, even when they see them speaking it (the dark side of AI). Wake up, Catholics, passive Faith falls right into the trap set by Satan called factioning of truth. All of us are in a struggle, we might not even recognize, and it could cause Faith to be corrupted for lack of digging for spiritual gold. This could be information, but more importantly, it’s about how the individual learns the defenses against the Devil’s dark arts. Moms and Dads, not the Church, are responsible for doing all in their power to protect the seeds planted in the Garden of Eden (Christ), and for taking the time to spray for weeds (false gods) and insects (Seven Deadly Sins, as they infect each Catholic). When the time comes for that great reckoning, when we die, and Christ says, “Let’s look at what you have done with the seeds of your children, planted in my soil (The Catholic Church). How did that go?” Standing there in front of God with your jaw dropping open and muttering, “Why didn’t the Church do something to tell me?” won’t cut it. Here are some resources for you to pass on to your children, and for your own spiritual matriculation, that are the shovels and pick-axes to dig for heavenly gold. You must dig. Not the Church, not the Pope, not whatever image you have of the Church of your childhood. Now.

1. THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: www.usccb.org is a must-know and use website to know the truth because it will make you free. The Catholic Church’s mission is to teach its faithful the way, the truth, and the life, as the direct descendant of Jesus through the Apostles. With acceptance as sons and daughters of the Father at Baptism, there is a charism that Moms and Dads receive from God, practiced daily by being present to Jesus in any way it presents itself. They are the best of teachers, according to the Rite of Baptism for Infants, precisely because they are older and wiser (theoretically, that is), and are the ones Jesus entrusted to SHOW their children the skills needed to survive the many pitfalls that await them as they begin to discover what way is true, and what true way leads to a life that leads to Heaven.
2. WWW.ECATHOLIC.ORG: Great resources about all things Catholic with knowledge you can trust. I use this site frequently to explore my theoretical Catholicism, a term I use to describe my plunge into all things Sacred, so that I can know more and love Christ more, and, hopefully, my neighbor as myself. I encourage moms and dads to learn how to surf all these informational sites. After all, you can’t teach your children what you, yourself, don’t believe or know. Being a spiritual director is knowing the direction your children can take to know WHERE to look for truth, not tainted by the detraction and calumny of the human persona.
3. WWW.NEWADVENT.ORG: If you are a Catholic who wants to grow deeper in the Faith and explore your heritage, here is the site that will keep you endlessly absorbed with resources you won’t find anywhere else. Catholics who do not dig deeper for heavenly gold might be characterized as just being a settler, as popularized by the late Joel Barker’s idea that we are either a settler or a pioneer (one who forages for the correct trials that lead to human fulfillment). Settlers are, as the name implies, those who have profited from the backbreaking work of the pioneers and become complacent, settling into an automatic posture of taking everything for granted, forgetting the excruciating discomfort that comes from carving out what is right and what is wrong in life. When was the last time you picked up the Catholic Encyclopedia and looked up a reference? When was the last time you stopped and tried to dig deeper into the energy of the Eucharist and what it means for your daily life? Catholics who have lost the urgency to dig for a deeper Catholicism should not be surprised if they find the Church too structural and without any semblance of growth. It is. And the reason it is is the Seven Deadly Sins (particularly that of Sloth), who sap the divine energy you receive and squander Faith because they think religion is like infused knowledge. It is the cross that is the mark of the Son of Man, and if a Catholic has that mark, they are obliged their whole life to grow deeper into the Christ Principle (conversatio morae) and become more than they were before. These resources are what I use to proactively dig into my Faith, not waiting for the Church to spoon-feed me, not dependent upon someone else, and, most certainly, not held hostage to a static view of Catholicism which I learned in Baltimore Catholicism in Eighth Grade.
4. BISHOP ROBERT BARRON’S WEBSITE: This is one I use all the time. The website is at: www.wordonfire.org. I recommend that each Catholic family sign up for the subscription, which I, to my shame, have had to let go of because of health issues. Bishop Barron’s YouTube sessions are free; type his name into YouTube. For moms and dads looking to fill up their larders so they can share with their children, it is a must.
5. SCOTT HAHN’S WEBSITE: Dr. Scott Hahn’s website is a must-have for Catholic moms and dads. www.scotthahn.com. Dr. Hahn, along with Bishop Barron, is one of the sites every Catholic mom and dad should have in their virtual library. Not because it is good to have a library, but to read them weekly to grow in Christ Jesus. YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR THESE TWO WEBSITES. YOU MUST.

These are the five resources every Catholic family should use to become pioneers and not settle into faith complacency, to think that is all there is to be a Catholic.

I added one additional site, one I created myself. I am not remotely worthy to be counted among these core resources. I designed this to share with the anawim (poor ones) of humanity, the contemplative practices of HOW to be silent in that upper room of your inner self, and wait for what Christ tells you. I have bequeathed my writings to you as my gift, always free, always awaiting you to knock to open. Those who do meet Jesus as I have.

As a Professed Lay Cistercian of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery (Trappist), www.trappist.net, I share with you what I have received by sitting in the presence of Christ, The Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and St. Michael, and waiting to DO WHAT HE TELLS YOU. This website is God’s gift to me, and now it is my gift to you. I do not speak FOR the Holy Spirit. I do speak to the Holy Spirit and try to write down the help and struggles in overcoming the settler mentality of Catholicism and moving toward pioneering. It takes work. It is not about doing what is easy, but what is correct, according to Christ’s admonition in Matthew 22:38 (https://thecenterforcontemplativepractice.org). Christ invites all humans to Come and Rest.

Copyright, 2026, Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D., The Center for Contemplative Practice. All Rights Reserved.