CATECHISM OF THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Donuts & Doctrine

As Part of the “Year of the Catechism”

January 23 & February 6, 2011

SMALL GROUP EXERCISE

• Form small groups of

three people each.

• Discuss the following

question.

– How have you or do

you use the

Catechism of the

Catholic Church?

LARGE GROUP EXERCISE

• Share the answers

and insights

generated in the

small groups with

the larger group.

FEATURES OF A

CATECHISM

• Two common

purposes:

• To provide a

concise

compendium of the

faith.

• To serve as an

official summary of

those teachings - a

catechetical

resource.

WHAT IS A CATECHISM?

• A synopsis of universal Roman

Catholic beliefs.

• An aid to achieve the overall goal of

catechesis by:

– Integrating believers into the Church.

– Fostering their life-giving relationship

with God and all creation.

WHAT A CATECHISM IS NOT

• The last word - it requires mediation

i.e., local catechisms.

• The only means of catechesis.

• Complete - it needs appropriate

application, i.e., local textbooks,

teacher manuals, materials and so

forth.

• Undifferentiated - it does not

express the peculiar characteristics

of different cultures, age groups or

social groups.

EARLIEST HISTORY

• St. Augustine – dealt with what we are

to believe, to hope, to express in

charity.

• St. Thomas Aquinas – Summa

Theologia was a masterpiece of Q&A.

• St. Peter Canisius – single greatest

instrument of the Counter Reformation.

• Council of Trent – relates to our modern

Catechism of the Catholic Church.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

• In the Sixteenth Century

the continental reformers

were at work.

• Martin Luther insisted on

the internal faith of the

believer, the power of

God’s grace to save the

individual despite the

depraved nature of humans

and the sins that express

that depravity.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

• God’s grace could be

received through faith

alone.

• Luther insisted that

Scripture alone held

the revelation of God,

tradition was

secondary.

• Luther used a new

medium to convey

faith - “a catechism.”

CATHOLIC RESPONSE

• The Council of Trent produced, in 1566, the Catechism of the Council of Trent, which upheld tradition. It is sometimes referred to as the Roman Catechism.

• In 1884 the Third Plenary Council of Bishops in Baltimore determined a small catechism would be written.

VARIATIONS IN

CATECHISMS

Arrangement of

Content:

• Hierarchical ordering

of truths.

• Historical ordering.

• Logical or

psychological.

• Thematic ordering that

seeks to integrate

content with the life of

faith.

VARIATIONS IN

CATECHISMS

AUDIENCE:

– Large Catechism for

learned people and

leaders in the faith.

– Small Catechism,

which is a series of

questions and

answers addressed

to learners (children

ages 12+).

VARIATIONS IN

CATECHISMS

FOCUS:

• Minor

– Concise presentation of

central teaching.

• Universal

– Origin in the context of

conflict.

– Confessional

documents.

– Unity through uniformity.

– Do not intend to model

or direct methodology.

VARIATIONS IN

CATECHISMS

Format:

– Question and

answer form.

– Discursive, narrative

form.

– The Gospels can be

considered the

catechisms of the

apostolic church

because they used a

narrative style.

MAJOR & MINOR

CATECHISMS

AUDIENCE FOCUS FORMAT EXAMPLE

MINOR Learners,

generally age

12 +, children

Concise

presentation

of central

teaching

Q & A,

suitable for

memorization

Baltimore C,

C of St.

Augustine,

Summa

Theologia,

Sentences

MAJOR Clergy, those

responsible

for

catechesis

Resource,

direction for

catechesis,

teaching and

preaching

Discursive

style,

extended,

theological

discussion

Roman

Catechism of

Trent,

Catechism of

the Catholic

Church

20th

ANNIVERSARY

• Written as a result of the

recommendation of the Bishops who

attended the extraordinary assembly

of the Synod of Bishops marking the

20th anniversary of the Second

Vatican Council (January 25, 1985).

• Pope John Paul II describes the

process of Episcopal collaboration

as an expression of the “symphony

of the faith”.

PREPARATION

• Prepared over

the next six

years

• Draft prepared

by editorial

commission

– Seven Bishops

– Twelve Cardinals

NINTH DRAFT

• In 1989 the

ninth draft was

sent to bishops

worldwide.

• About 24,000

comments were

received in

response.

• The revision

process began.

EDITIO TYPICA

PROMULGATED

• In 1994 the English text for trade

editions is published in United

States.

• In 1995 mass market editions were

published in United States.

• On September 8, 1997 Pope John

Paul II promulgates the Latin

language edition.

• The Editio Typica - English edition

was ready for distribution in 2000 in

the United States.

STRUCTURE

• Roman Catechism

and Catechism of

the Catholic

Church both

contain the four

pillars of

catechesis and

faith.

• Creed

• Sacraments

• Commandments

• Our Father

CONTENT

• There is a 400 year difference.

• CCC contains the teachings of

Vatican II.

• CCC is the first to contain social

justice teachings.

• CCC has an Eastern Church

perspective especially in prayer and

sacraments.

• CCC is influenced by the theology of

Pope John Paul II.

CATECHISM OF THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH

• PRINCIPLES

– Be attentive “to the

content and unity of

the whole.”

– Read it within “the

living tradition of

the whole church.”

– Be attentive to “the

analogy of faith.”

• IMAGES

– SACRAMENTS: What

we celebrate.

– CREED: What we

believe.

– COMMANDMENTS:

How we live.

– OUR FATHER: How

we pray.

UNITY

• Refers to other

related Church

documents.

• Refers to Scriptural

passages.

• Thoroughly cross-

referenced to other

areas affecting

each topic within

the Catechism.

CATECHISM OF THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH

• PRINCIPLES

– Be attentive “to the

content and unity of

the whole.”

– Read it within “the

living tradition of

the whole church.”

– Be attentive to “the

analogy of faith.”

• IMAGES

– SACRAMENTS: What

we celebrate.

– CREED: What we

believe.

– COMMANDMENTS:

How we live.

– OUR FATHER: How

we pray.

THE LIVING TRADITION

OF THE WHOLE

CHURCH

• Catechism is not

the last word.

• Used with the

ongoing theological

dialogue.

• Confirms our belief

in and is confirmed

by Sacred

Scripture.

CATECHISM OF THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH

• PRINCIPLES

– Be attentive “to the

content and unity of

the whole.”

– Read it within “the

living tradition of

the whole church.”

– Be attentive to “the

analogy of faith.”

• IMAGES

– SACRAMENTS: What

we celebrate.

– CREED: What we

believe.

– COMMANDMENTS:

How we live.

– OUR FATHER: How

we pray.

ANALOGY OF FAITH

• Coherence of

truths of the

faith and their

relationship to

one another

within the whole

plan of

revelation.

FOUR PILLARS OF FAITH

• Creed

– What we believe.

• Sacraments

– What we celebrate.

• Commandments

– How we live.

• Our Father

– How we pray.

UNPACKING THE GIFT

• Apostolic Letter

• Apostolic

Constitution

• Prologue

• Four parts /

pillars

• Indices