The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Reclaiming Old Catechisms for the New Evangelization

Authored by Aaron Seng in Issue #7.3 of Catechetical Review

Even in these days of unprecedented access to information, some are surprised to find that there are more than a few catechisms in Church history. In fact, Catholics are heirs to such a wealth of these texts that they defy precise enumeration, having been penned and promulgated throughout the last millennium by bishops and councils all around the world. Amid the renewal of catechetical methods called for in the 2020 Directory for Catechesis, scores of these priceless guidebooks of faith from the past are being remastered and republished for a contemporary audience, offering students, catechists, and religious seekers alike a unique glimpse into the abiding continuity of Catholic doctrine throughout time and space.

The rest of this online article is available for current subscribers.

Start your subscription today!


This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
By Fr. Francesco Scalzotto
Free The year 2025 will mark the occasion of an ordinary Jubilee. Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year on May 9, 2024 with the Apostolic Letter Spes non Confundit ( SC ), "Hope Does Not Disappoint", and it officially began on December 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter ’ s Basilica in the Vatican. But, what is the Jubilee?... Read more
Mary, Mother of the Messiah, and her Mothers in Faith
By Gayle Somers
Free From the earliest years of Christian history, the Church referred to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the New Eve. For example, in about 180 A.D., St. Irenaeus wrote that “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.” [1] Many of the Early Church Fathers who came after him continued this tradition of beginning in the Old Testament... Read more
The Centrality of the Spiritual Life in the Work of Catechesis
By Sr. Madeleine Marie Van Dillen, SsEW
I took my first steps as a catechist at 17, when I met the Missionaries of Charity on a service camp trip sponsored by my youth group. The sisters needed help with their summer camp for inner-city children, and I needed service hours for graduation. That summer changed my life. I discovered the joy of catechesis and ended up serving and teaching... Read more

Pages