Book 2: The Catechism of the Catholic Church
In Part One of the Catholic Teacher’s Bookshelf we looked at the Bible. This article examines the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which Pope John Paul II called a “systematic presentation of the faith and of Catholic doctrine.” If you’re a Catholic school teacher, you probably already have a copy of the Catechism. It’s an absolutely essential reference book for answering student questions and learning about our faith.
Background
A catechism is book which attempts to make the fundamental truths of the faith accessible to the reader. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) is what is known as a universal catechism, which means it is intended to be used to create national or local catechisms. An example of a national catechism would be the United States Catechism for Adults. written and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. According the USCCB page on the Catechism. the CCC was written by a committee of cardinals and bishops between 1986 and 1992, and is intended to “assist those who have the duty to catechize.”
Structure and Use
The CCC is structured on four “pillars”:
- The Creed: What the Church believes
- The Sacraments: What the Church celebrates
- The Commandments: What the Church lives
- Prayer: What the Church prays
All religion textbooks in Catholic schools strive to be in conformity with the CCC, but that doesn’t mean a teacher can ignore the universal catechism and rely merely on the background materials in the teacher’s edition. It is well worth the effort, both professionally and personally, to spend time meditating on and attempting to understand the truths expressed in the Catechism.
If your copy of the Catechism has been gathering dust on a bookshelf, maybe now would be a good time to brush up on an aspect of the faith that you’re not familiar with. If you don’t yet have a copy of the Catechism, perhaps it’s time pick one up and begin to study it. In any case, don’t ignore this valuable catechetical resource when planning your religion lessons.
Catechism Resources
- What Catholics Believe – a 30-part audio/pdf series written by Dr. Peter Kreeft
- Quizzes on the Catechism from the USCCB
- How to Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church in One Year – a pdf file from the Church of the Good Shephard in Camp Hill, PA
I totally agree! My wife and I teach 5th Grade CCD and love the “In Brief” sections of the Catechism for our students. I created a neat little DVD game last week for our kids and gave Scripture references, references from the Catechism, and they were also allowed to use their notebooks (assuming they take notes, which most of them surprisingly do).
Here are my posts about the Catechism: The Four Pillars of the Catholic Catechism and 7 Books for New Catholics (You might find a couple more resources for your Catholic Teacher’s Essential Bookshelf) I’m looking forward to the next post in this series. God Bless.