Compendium now online; CCC resources

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is now online on the Vatican website (hat tip: Pontifications). It is an excellent resource. For the past six years (with the exception of one year spent somewhere in the Midwest), I've taught a weekly evening Bible study at my parish, while my pastor, Fr. Richard, teaches a weekly morning Bible study. After the Compendium came out, I floated the idea of going through Part One during the summer months—a sort of "Catholic Doctrine 101" class. The response has been wonderful.

The Compendium is far less intimidating for many readers because, of course, it is much shorter than the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The question and answer format is perfect for teaching and leading groups. And it is a very attractive volume, with reproductions of sacred art, commentary on the theological meaning of those pieces of art, and reproductions of numerous prayers (in both English and Latin).

In addition to the Compendium, there are a number of helpful works for those wishing to study the Catechism and appreciate its contents more deeply:

• Introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, by Cardinal Ratzinger and Bishop Schonborn: Provides helpful insights on how to read and study the Catechism. Includes a prehistory of the Catechism, an overview of its structure and contents, the major themes and methods in it, a special introduction to the four parts of the Catechism, and specific advice on how to use the Catechism.

• The Companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. A 975-page reference work that contains the hundreds of Scripture passages and sections from conciliar texts, papal documents, writings of the Fathers and of the Saints referred to in the footnotes to the Catechism. The Companion includes all the texts referred to arranged, along with the Scripture passages, according to the paragraphs of the Catechism in which they are referred.

• Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church (The Creed), vol 1
• Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church (The Sacraments), vol 2
• Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Life in Christ) vol 3
• Living the Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Prayer) vol 4

Written by Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna, Austria, and co-editor of the Catechism, these are accessible and excellent commentaries on the four sections of the Catechism.

• Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, by Peter Kreeft. A compendium of the Catechism before the Compendium, this is a thorough, complete and popular catechetical summary of Catholic belief, based on the universal Catechism.

• Hundred Activities Book for Catechism by Ellen Rossinni. A handbook containing worksheets, memory games, Bible studies, and more based on the Catechism and designed to supplement any catechetical text or program for children in grades 1 through 8.

Comments

[Jackson]

Great recommendations. I've read both the new Compendium and the Intro to it by Cardinals Ratzinger and S, and I can second these recommendations. I'm happy to say that after some trouble finding the whole set, I finally got Fulton Sheen's Radio Catechism on CDs. So far, it's wonderful.

[Margaret]

Carl, I hope you can pull off the "Doctrine 101" idea. People are starving for solid doctrine. I've spent the last year informally going through Part I of the Catechism with a few friends (and will be relying more heavily on the Compendium now that it's out.) The impact has been amazing-- these friends have good hearts, but less-than-stellar formation. It's so cool to watch other people discover how much sense the Catholic Faith makes-- how coherent it is.

[Patrick Kinsale]

The compendium online has the prayers of both the UK and US versions. We can all now see the superiority of the UK translations, especially with regards to the Te Deum, avoiding the grammatical errors of the US version.

[Cristina A. Montes]

I second Margaret's suggestion.

[Cristina A. Montes]

I second Margaret's suggestion.