The Church Fathers and Mothers are essential reading. Because I spend a lot of time in the car, I have been listening to Pope Benedict’s Wednesday audience addresses on the various Church Fathers. It is rewarding reading. I recommend this form of learning.
In the meantime, Matthew Bunson from Our Sunday Visitor has this article for you to chew on. I came across this essay the other day and offer it to you. It will open a new door or two for you.
Saint John Paul II said of the Patristics, “Fathers of the Church is the name rightly given to those saints who by the power of their faith, the depth and riches of their teachings, gave her new life and great increase in the course of the first centuries.”
Here are a few resources:
Scripture and the Church Fathers (a series by Inter-varsity Press)
The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today (John Michael Talbot and Mike Aquilina)
Roots of the Faith (Mike Aquilina)
The Fathers of the Church (Mike Aquilina)
Mothers of the Church (Mike Aquilina and Christopher Bailey)
The Witness of Early Christian Women: Mothers of the Church (Mike Aquilina)
The Fathers Know Best (Jimmy Akin)
The Church Fathers (Pope Benedict XVI)
“Newman and Study of the Church Fathers“ (Thomas McGovern)