In the 1990s, shortly after the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the United States bishops formed the Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism. Ever since, this body (and its successor, the bishops' Subcommittee on the Catechism) has helped to ensure that all catechetical materials are in “conformity” with the Catechism. The criteria are not particularly exacting, but the overall effect of this review process has been positive.

The head of the Ad Hoc committee for many years was Archbishop Daniel Buechlein of Indianapolis. As the committee started to review the many inadequate catechetical materials that were being used to teach our children, Archbishop Buechlein famously noted ten recurring errors in contemporary catechesis. For this “top ten” list, and for tips on identifying these errors, see CUF’s Faith Fact entitled “Where Do We Go Wrong? Top Ten Errors in Catechesis.”

Archbishop Buechlein has pointed out again and again that human action, human initiative, and human experience are commonly overemphasized in some catechetical materials, while the power and divinity of God seem to be understated. More...

Fifteen years ago, while editing Lay Witness magazine, we were creating an ad for the (then) new Catechism of the Catholic Church, opposing it to a fictitious "Catechism 'Lite.'" You know what I'm talking about: only half the commandments of the regular Catechism, and one-third the doctrines.

Over the past couple decades we've seen countless variations of this humorous (and, to our sorrow, often accurate) description of an approach to Catholic faith and life that is watered down, minimalistic, and largely uninspiring. In fact, we might say "Catechism lite" or "Catholicism lite" and not have to complete the thought. More...

A few days ago, I wrote this post about the merits of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, explaining how it wonderfully summarizes the Catechism for us in a very helpful format. Yet, that begs the question of the value and purpose of the Catechism itself, this 900-page beast on my desk. Why do we keep this space-eater on our desks or in our bookcases? More...