Be Yourself: A Journal for Catholic Girls

My students have enjoyed these Bibles, especially how interactive they are! Some other favorite aspects are the summaries before each of the books and the notes on how passages relate to their own lives today!

We are finishing our first year with the Catholic Youth Bible. The best review I can give is from a comment one or our Sixth-Grade students said at the end of class with the Bible. She said "It's not time to stop is it?" That is a testament to the beauty of the Bible.

The 4th Edition of The Catholic Youth Bible® has a contemporary look that is sure to entice young people to explore God's Word in a whole new way. The new Challenge and Scripture Highlights features will encourage readers to put faith into action by incorporating core Bible themes into daily life. This edition of The Catholic Youth Bible is the best yet!

I love the four-color design! It immediately captures my attention. The artwork at the beginning of each book is beautiful. It cultivates curiosity about the book, captures the essence of the book, and could be used as a prayer reflection as in Visio Divina. A big difference I notice in the 4th edition of The Catholic Youth Bible is the extensive footnotes. As a high school religion teacher, helping students understand the depth of scripture can be challenging. The footnotes create opportunities to take students deeper and help them see connections to other sections of the bible and other passages. The Catholic Connections feature stands out as a useful tool for class beyond scripture. They anchor specific Catholic teachings in sacred scripture. For example, “Stop the Cycle” (p.28) would be an excellent resource for a Morality or Social Justice class. Finally, feature “How Is This Relevant to My Life Today?” in the summary section will speak directly to the youth. This is precisely the question they ask of scripture. Making the connection quickly will engage young readers. I am excited to engage young people in my classroom through The Catholic Youth Bible.

I am a big fan of the CYB. We use it as one of the texts for Confirmation preparation and also for the RCIA – gifting one to each seeker as they enter the process. Many conversations have been started by what they have read in the extra features; these articles have introduced Catholic culture and are a great guide for navigating daily life as a new Christian. I like the water color palette of the new 4th edition – it's subtle, and somehow it feels more ”sacred” than bolder primary colors. The art work is appealing and invites the reader to take that extra moment to reflect on the image. The doodle art option is appealing too – a great start to contemplative prayer. The navigation tool is truly helpful, giving practical assistance without making the reader feel like they are doing 'Scripture Reference for Dummies.' I cannot wait to put this into someone’s hands!!

The 4th Edition of The Catholic Youth Bible is excellent. The first noticeable difference is the use of four colors throughout the Bible in the illustrations and to draw attention to the side articles and activities. The colors are eye catching and draw one’s interest to the supplemental text and resources included in the Bible. The side articles, Scripture explanations, and challenges are very well done. They are short enough to keep today’s teens attention but give information to enhance one’s understanding of the Scripture and reflect on how it applies to life today. A wonderfully engaging Bible not just for youth but for everyone!

The Catholic Youth Bible, 4th Edition is very impressive and as an adult I would love to have this Bible… Loved the art work and the fact that they get to color (good for our doodlers!) and mark the Bible and are encouraged to make it their ow. The Challenges are great in helping us to be more creative and in tune with our world: “Stand up for the poor and vulnerable,” “Be Courageous,” “Serve Humbly.” The color coding of books makes navigating the Bible easy. There is good representation of people from other nationalities and various ethnic backgrounds. Would be great for RCIA also.

I’m using The Catholic Youth Bible for our RCIA seekers and candidates. It’s really the best Bible out there for RCIA because it includes other helpful information!