Last weekend we celebrated Catechetical Sunday here at St. Paul the Apostle Parish and we began a new year of Parish School Religion (PSR). And this week is our Diocese of Youngstown’s Celebration of Catechetical Sunday, so I thought a definition of what is the Catholic catechism would be good.

Question: “What is the Catholic catechism?

Answer: A catechism is a summary of instruction
through a series of questions and answers, prepared in
book form, containing instructions on religious doctrine.
The intents of these instructions are that they are used in a
class environment or other means of formal instruction.
The Westminster Confession, every part of which contains Scriptural backing, is one such set of instructions.
The Catholic catechism is another famous catechism.

The catechism of the Catholic Church is different in that
it is not written in a question-and-answer format. Instead, the Catholic catechism is a summary of the official
teachings of Roman Catholic beliefs including creeds,
sacraments, commandments, and prayers. The Catholic
catechism is divided into four parts:
*Profession of Faith (Apostles Creed)
*Celebration of the Christian Mystery (the Sacred Liturgy, especially sacraments)
*Life in Christ (including the Ten Commandments in
Roman Catholic theology)
*Christian Prayer (including The Lord’s Prayer)

Also, the Catholic catechism is replete with footnotes
referencing not only Scripture but also the Church fathers, the ecumenical councils, and other authoritative
statements, especially those delivered by the Popes.
And therein lies the greatest difference between Catholicism and Protestantism. Whereas Protestant churches
cite the Bible as their sole source of authority for church
doctrine, the Roman Catholic Church equates Catholic
traditions with equal sentiments of devotion and
reverence.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, ~~FR. STEVE.