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INTRODUCTION
[The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
] is meant to
encourage and assist in the writing of new local cate
chisms, which must take into account various situations
and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith
and fidelity to Catholic doctrine.
—Pope John Paul II,
The Deposit of Faith
(
Fidei Depositum
), IV, no. 4
On October 11, 1992, Pope John Paul II published his apostolic consti-
tution
The Deposit of Faith
, promulgating the
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
(CCC). He chose the publication date to mark the thirtieth anni-
versary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.
Pope John Paul II envisioned the
Catechism
as a sure and authentic
reference text for teaching Catholic doctrine and particularly for pre-
paring local catechisms. The bishops of the United States subsequently
discussed in depth what they might do to follow the pope’s call to pre-
pare a local catechism. It would need to take into account the local situ-
ation and culture, while at the same time preserving the unity of faith
and fidelity to Catholic teaching found in the
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
. In June 2000, the bishops determined that a national adult cate
chism would be an effective way to achieve this goal.
Before describing the content and approach of this adult catechism,
several preliminary matters need to be presented. First, it should be noted
that historically the term
catechism
has acquired a variety of meanings.
It comes from a Greek word that means “to echo.” Before the inven-
tion of the printing press in 1450, in the Church and elsewhere learning
was mainly an oral experience. A Church teaching would be recited, and
the listener would be instructed to “echo” it, or repeat it, until it was
learned. This way of learning has been around since before the Church.
Jewish teachers from both before and after the time of Jesus taught the
Scriptures by again and again asking the learner to repeat verses.