United States Catholic Catechism for Adult

This catechism has it all, stories of the saints, discussion questions, prayers. Written in a very readable format it would be a wonderful book to use for study, RCIA, or just personal information. This book should be read by every Catholic.

The long-awaited national catechism by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is now available as an unabridged audio book. This audio version of the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults brings to life an exciting combination of the seven basic elements that make up the print version: * Stories of Catholics, most from the United States relating the Church's teaching to the culture of the United States; * Clear presentations of Catholic Creed, Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer; * Sidebars within the doctrinal sections in each chapter to help the listener explore the teaching as stated in the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church; * Reflections on the relationship of each particular Catholic Teaching to the diverse U.S. society and culture; * Questions for Discussion; * A Review of points of doctrine contained in each chapter; * A Concluding Meditation and Prayer for each chapter. Musical accents subtly underscore the beginning of each chapter and the meditation and prayer elements, and six different readers, both men and women, including Archbishop Donald Wuerl, bring the text to life in this special presentation. This audio CD version of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults is an excellent resource for parish faith formation libraries and audio resource centers. This presentation would be extremely useful for commuters, those who are visually impaired, or those who prefer to listen rather than read. The lessons, stories, doctrinal summaries, sidebars and prayers are all presented in self-contained tracks as short as a minute and usually no longer than four or five minutes, which will also prove useful for RCIA groups, study groups, and other gatherings of believers.

Approved and authorized for publication by the full body of The United States Conference of Bishops, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults is an in-depth reference text written especially to aid in the instruction of Catholic doctrine in general, and the preparation of catechisms in particular. From a straightforward profession of the faith's core tenets, to the sacraments that celebrate the faith, to the Christian morality principles that embody the practice of the faith lived and prayer as taught by Jesus Christ, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults thoroughly describes and explains the Catholic creed in terms accessible to readers of all backgrounds, including and lay followers and students. A solidly written, straightforward, and definitive reference.

A few weeks before this catechism was released, one of our parish priests said, "We read The DaVinci Code, but we don't have time to study the catechism. There's something wrong with that." He also said every family should own a copy of the catechism. For adults, this new offering from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops would more than fill the bill. While the underlying doctrine of the catechism remains unchanged, this version, like others published since 1992, goes beyond a stripped down question and answer format. As an adaptation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this adult edition is arranged in four sections: creed, sacraments, moral life, and prayer. Each chapter contains seven elements that bring depth to the material and also allow for flexibility of study by individuals and groups: Story or lesson of faith, foundation and application, sidebars, relationship to culture, discussion questions, doctrinal statements, and meditation and prayer. For example, in the chapter on the second commandment, Reverence for God's Name, the story is about Job's unshakable faith. Foundation and application reviews what the second commandment calls us to do and not do. The sidebar lists three questions and answers on the second commandment from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The relationship of the second commandment to culture reviews scripture passages on the importance of God's name in our faith life; we are reminded to model and encourage proper use of God's name and to discourage others from improper use. The discussion questions relate to practices in the family and workplace. Doctrinal statements encompass blasphemy, baptismal names, and using God's name to witness a perjury or false oath. The chapter closes with a meditation based on scripture and the Divine Praises prayer. The book also contains a glossary, traditional Catholic prayers, reading list, scriptural index, and general index. It is a superior resource for clergy, pastoral leaders, catechists, faith sharing groups, and individuals who would like to know more about the Catholic faith.

I just received my copy of the United States Catholic Cathechism for Adults and am looking forward to studying my way through it in greater detail during the coming months. The book's layout and design are very "user friendly" and promote an immediate interest. The biographical vignettes at the beginning of each segment of the book offer unique and realistic role models for American Catholics. The primary parts of the book are 1) the Creed; 2) the Sacraments; 3) Christian Morality; and 4) Prayer. Additonal and very helpful components of this book as a resource are the scriptural index and the very detailed alphabetical index, which make finding information on specific topics very simple. The book also includes all of the traditional Catholic prayers and a complete glossary. Each chapter also includes discussion questions, doctrinal statements, an inspiring meditation and a closing prayer. The book description notes that this would be an excellent resource for RCIA candidates and those exploring the faith, but I also feel it is a great tool for those, like myself, looking to learn and grow in our own commitment to our Church.