This is part of a special blog series through Reconciled to You exploring the rich Traditions and Teaching of the Catholic Church.
We are so blessed to have the wisdom, traditions and teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church! There isn’t much that the Magisterium of the Church hasn’t worked out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church* originated from a recommendation made at the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 and it was created under the recommendation and direction of Pope John Paul II and officially approved and published in 1992.
The Catechism is organized along a special framework.
Part One: The Profession of the Christian Faith outlines the teachings related to the Creed that we recite at Mass each week!
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery explains Liturgy and the Seven Sacraments of the Church, describing the Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist), Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick) and the Sacraments at the Service of Communion directed towards the Salvation of Others (Holy Orders and Matrimony)
Part Three: Life in Christ discusses Man’s Vocation following Christ’s example through the Beatitudes, Virtues, Precepts of the Church and the Ten Commandments
Part Four: Christian Prayer outlines the revelation of prayer in the Old Testament and in the New Testament through Jesus’ Teaching and the Age of the Church as well as Traditions, Guides and Expressions of Prayer, further explained through the example of The Lord’s Prayer.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a beautifully articulated resource that is well indexed for easy reference. There is a huge amount of information in there!
While the text is a little flowery, it’s relatively accessible to the laity, with short cross-referenced paragraphs and ‘In Brief’ summaries for additional clarification. I’ve studied a number of Catechisms and I like the fact that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a Universal Catechism, authoritative for the whole Church and the source upon which other minor Catechisms are based. It’s easy to look up specifics, it’s easy to reference (CCC) and it tackles almost every issue or fact I’ve needed to look up, primarily flowing through the outline of the Creed, the Sacraments, the Commandments and Prayer! See USCCB for the answers on 48 popular questions about the Catechism!
The Baltimore Catechism* has been criticized for the way it was formatted and the way it was taught. Most Catholics of my parent’s generation were pummeled with questions for which they would recite the memorized answers. While perhaps the kids didn’t really delve too deeply into the teaching, it gave them a basis of understanding that they would hopefully grow into, maturing into a deeper understanding of those basic principles. Growing up in the seventies, I only really remember one thing from my years of religion class: Jesus is my friend. While I happen to think building a real relationship with Jesus through heartfelt prayer and listening is as important as it gets, I marvel at the breadth of teaching we have access to in our Church and I’ve been eager to learn and understand more, ever since my University days.
I’ve always found quick summaries helpful to actually retain the information, after I’ve read the more in-depth info. I’m also drawn to categories of information, lists and succinct definitions, from my years as a student and I continue to recommend summaries and study notes for my five kids across grade school to University.
Can you name off the
7 Virtues
10 Commandments
7 Sacraments
8 Beatitudes
9 Charisms
12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit
How about the
20 Mysteries of the Rosary
9 Choirs of Angels
3 States of the Church
7 Corporal and 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
14 Stations of the Cross
We’ve got QUIZZING CARDS FOR ALL THAT and MORE!
Memorize the Faith!
There’s actually a book for that as well! Memorize the Faith and Most Anything Else* is a really neat book about secret methods for memorizing and it happens to use Catholic Catechism to showcase memorization techniques!
Catechism Craft Kits
Over the years, I have created quite a few Catechism-based craft kits presenting as much information as possible in the form of lists or categories and quick definitions because I find them so helpful in retaining information. I like to find activities kids already like to do and infuse them with Catechism so that they’re learning basic facts about their Faith as they’re having fun.
Tower Tumble (using Jenga®)
Catholic Lingo Bingo English and Catechism Lingo Bingo Spanish
All of these Cathletics Craft Kits are available as PDFs in the Arma Dei Shoppe and they come with permission to copy for use in your home or classroom! Laminate* the templates and they last forever!
*Amazon Affiliate Links: the small commission I receive does not inflate the price you pay. Thanks for your support!
It’s not too late to dig deeper into the Catechism! Maybe you have a child receiving their First Holy Communion or a friend beginning RCIA, why not learn along with them? Delve into what the Catholic Church teaches and find out how Church teaching can help YOU to mature in your own Catholic Faith!
Leave a comment about your favorite fact or area of Catechism…for your chance to win one of these Catechism Craft Kit PDFs!
I really enjoyed the article Thank you for sharing
This article great information. Thank you for sharing.
Great Blog! Lots of great information. I love all of the resources. I am going to check out the quiz.