Following the Second Vatican Council a number of bishops called for a new compilation of Catholic teachings that would gather in one place the perennial teaching of the Church and the particular insights that the Council and other recent documents had brought to that teaching. The result was the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a comprehensive volume with over 600 pages of text and another 200 pages of indices, glossary and other study aids. The Catechism was first issued by the Vatican with the approval of Pope John Paul II in 1992. It was released in its official English translation in 1994.
More recently the Church has provided two other resources to complement the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church was issued by Pope Benedict XVI in June of 2005. It is a 200 page summary of the main Catechism, using a question and answer format and illustrated by a number of full color reproductions of great works of Christian art. As it turns out, prior to his election to the papacy, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was President of the special commission designated by Pope John Paul II to develop the Compendium. So the Compendium represents the desire of two popes but is particularly the work of Benedict XVI. Although the Compendium lacks the richness of references to scripture and the writings of the first five centuries of the Church, as well as the extensive indexes and glossary of the main Catechism, it is considerably more concise than the 688 page text of the latter.
In June, 2006, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. With 500 pages of text plus an extensive index and glossary, this work resembles the Catechism of the Catholic Church on which it is, of course, based. It is organized into 36 chapters of about 15-20 pages each, which makes it a less intimidating work than the universal Catechism. In addition, each chapter is introduced by a brief biographical sketch. Some of these tell of canonized saints. Others focus on less well known members of the communion of saints whose lives are illustrative of our faith tradition. Many of those profiled are Americans. Each chapter is also augmented with sidebars, some discussion questions and brief passages suggested for prayer and meditation.
Since the Catechism was first published, the Archdiocese of Newark has offered a series of courses to present the essentials of the Catechism to those who are not theologians. These courses are made available in a series called SPOTLIGHT ON THE CATECHISM. The series is conducted by the Catechetical Office of the Archdiocese in cooperation with several local parishes.
The Catechism is divided into four parts, each concerned with a major area of faith. Part one examines the Profession of Faith or Creed, the statement of core Christian beliefs about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Church that Catholics recite at Mass each Sunday, and that has guided the Church for sixteen centuries. Part two explores the Mass and the seven sacraments. Part three focuses on moral life including an extended treatment of the ten commandments. Part four discusses prayer, different forms of prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer as a central prayer of Christians.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE CATECHISM offers a series of four courses, one on each of the four parts of the Catechism, that rotate through a number of parish centers. Courses are offered in two series, usually spring and fall, but this year some courses are being offered early in a winter/spring program. Participants at a single location can take courses on all four parts of the Catechism over a two year period. These courses are of general interest to all who might want to learn more about the central teachings of the Catholic faith. They may be of particular interest to parents or those active in parish activities. Catechists can also fulfill the requirements for doctrinal certification by completing all four courses in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE CATECHISM series. Doctrinal certification is appropriate for catechists who work with adults in RCIA, Bible study, small faith sharing communities and other forms of adult faith formation, those who work with children in parish religious education programs and teachers in Catholic schools
SPOTLIGHT ON THE CATECHISM courses are offered in each of the four counties of the Archdiocese of Newark, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union. All sessions meet in the evening for two hours and include a break with light refreshments.
Registration for each course is $25 per person. Courses are open to the general public. A certificate is issued for participants after completing each course. Brochures for the fall series should be available in mid-September. For more information call Dr. Eugene Tozzi at the Catechetical Office of the Archdiocese of Newark, 973-497-4288 or e-mail tozzieug@rcan.org
Below are the four topic areas in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE CATECHISM series and the counties in which they should be offered during the coming academic year:
| |
Fall 2007 |
Spring 2008 |
| Spotlight on Faith |
Essex |
Bergen |
| Spotlight on Sacraments |
Union |
Hudson |
| Spotlight on Morality |
Bergen |
Essex |
| Spotlight on Prayer |
Hudson |
Union |
Courses for the fall series should start in early October. The spring series usually starts in early March.
