We realized that snorkeling on the surface is a lazy, apathetic and unfulfilling way to live our faith. At numerous talks given by our pastor and deacons from our parish and a neighboring parish, we have heard that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (the big green book) is a rich deposit of treasures and a synthesis of the fundamental content of Catholic doctrine. We have tried unsuccessfully to read it from cover to cover and conceded that, left to our own devices, we would likely use it only as a reference handbook. But we realized that a thorough study of the Catechism is necessary for us to be the evangelists God calls us to be. We now know that we must dive to greater depths and explore the many treasures that God has in store for us in our Catholic faith. It is at these greater depths that we can know, love and serve God more completely and confidently and be a better witness to others.
Studying the Catechism is easier said than done. We knew we were going to need help so we looked online for existing courses of study to follow. There are so many and they each have advantages and disadvantages. The options include everything from degree and certificate programs at various Catholic universities to self study with books, videos and audios. In another post we will share some of the options we considered. We were excited when we came across the Study Guide for the U.S. Adult Catholic Catechism by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. We looked into this further and discovered there is a RED book! The red book is the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. This version of the catechism is an adaptation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. As Saint Pope John Paul II wrote in The Deposit of Faith IV:
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church is meant to encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms, which must take into account various situations and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith and fidelity to Catholic doctrine."Jem Sullivan explains in the study guide the following as to why a national catechism for adults is so important.
"While the catechetical formation of children and youth provides a necessary foundation for growth in faith in later years, the catechesis of adults is of vital significance. In recent years, various catechetical documents highlight the primary place of adult catechisms in the renewal of catechisms in our time."If we aren't properly catechized, how can we expect to properly catechize our children and other youth in our parish, be effective confirmation and RCIA sponsors and evangelize our Catholic faith confidently in the secular world we live in. We believe parishioners will be more likely to step forward as catechists and sponsors if they have a firm understanding of the Catholic catechism. While a loving heart is a key component to catechizing, it simply is not enough. We can actually do more harm than good if we aren't prepared to catechize.
We decided to take the self-study approach and use the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults and the study guide by Jem Sullivan as the basis for our study. After we complete our study, we hope to be able to use this experience and catechize other adults in our parish using a small group format. We have personally experienced the effectiveness of small group study and fellowship at our parish. And, we believe that the small group format will be an effective means for others to explore and deepen their knowledge of the Catholc catechism. In another post we will share our first hand experience with small groups in which we have and currently particpate.
Subsequent posts will also journal the progress of our study. This will allow us to reflect on the progress of our study and for others to learn from our experience. We look forward to hearing from you about your own successes and struggles with studying the catechism.
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