The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Key to Religious Education

The draft "Doctrinal Overview" for primary religious education in Melbourne attracted much interest when it was made available for consultation in 1999. It provoked a wide spectrum of reactions. Generally the total vision of core content was welcomed. Criticisms. proposals and suggestions from teachers and parents were incorporated as the Overview was revised and enriched in time for the publication of the texts series TO KNOW, WORSHIP AND LOVE in 2000 and 2001.

A doctrinal overview is only a skeleton, a framework. It needs to be fleshed out with Scripture, stories, activities, using a modern text as the key resource. However, it assists parents and teachers to get a clearer picture of what will be included in the Melbourne texts. What is behind the Overview? What is its source?

The letters "CCC" appeared next to statements of doctrine in the Overview. They refer to the great resource for religious education, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is the source of the doctrinal overview for the primary curriculum. It also determines the content of the secondary courses.

Published in English in 1994, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is an authoritative and comprehensive statement of the Catholic Faith from the Pope and Bishops. Pope John Paul II said:

"I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion. May it serve the renewal to which the Holy Spirit ceaselessly calls the Church of God, the Body of Christ, on her pilgrimage to the undiminished light of the Kingdom!"

Using the Catechism

Contrary to one weird theory (that it was written only for bishops!), this Catechism is available to everyone. It should be in every Catholic home and in the hands of every Catholic teacher and catechist, in hardback or the handy smaller plastic-covered edition. It is not designed for use in the classroom, at least in primary and junior secondary grades, because it is written in adult language. But it is a rich source for those who teach children and young people.

A good introduction and guide to the Catechism has been published by the Melbourne Catholic Education Office, entitled, Handing on the Tradition. This book takes us through the major themes of the four sections of the Catechism: 1. the creed, 2. sacraments and liturgy, 3. morals and 4. prayer.
A well-instructed Catholic may prefer to read the Catechism starting with the fourth section on prayer and then going to more complex theological themes in parts 1, 2 and 3. The spiritual perspective helps us reflect on revealed truths.

A Template

A U.S. Bishops' committee took the Catechism and prepared a list of propositions as a "protocol" for determining what is essential in religious education. Catholic publishers in the U.S. now use this as a template for revising or preparing catechetical texts.

In Melbourne, we took up this useful instrument early in 1999 and applied it to our own project. By using a template, the writers and consultants for primary and secondary texts were able to ensure that the themes of the Catechism are included in the scope of the new resources. By the end of Year 10, we would hope to have covered all the content of the Catechism - carefully adapted in language appropriate to the developmental stages of children and young people.

In all the TEACHING COMPANIONS (manuals for teachers and catechists), paragraphs of the CCC appears, with commentary when this is useful or necessary. Some sections of the Catechism are clearer or simpler than others, and certain sections presuppose prior knowledge.

Content and Life

In an era when there is an obvious swing to systematic content throughout education (literacy and mathematics), it seems inevitable that religious education should rely more on content. But we need to be balanced. Religious education is not the same as reading or mathematics.

Knowing doctrine is important. Faith involves our intellect and our will. Yet this knowledge leads us into a relationship with God. It should always be seen in a deeper spiritual context - knowing as a call to personal faith in Jesus Christ

This is a call to a lived faith, to be Christians in the community of believers, the Church. We are called to know, worship and love God here and now in our families and circles of friends.

In Melbourne we thus maintain the vision of religious education as catechesis, or education in faith. The texts of TO KNOW, WORSHIP AND LOVE are not merely courses in religious studies or information about "religious phenomena". They are not written as a guide to Martians who may be interested in religiously inclined human beings. They are written in faith and for faith. By cultivating lived faith and sacramental practice, the texts show continuity with the Melbourne Guidelines, especially through the teacher's manuals.

While texts make life easier for overworked teachers, they cannot include everything There is still scope for creativity and especially for using electronic media. A living faith is nourished among children and young people by the work and witness of dedicated teachers and catechists, conscious that they assist parents, the first educators in faith.

Catechetical Emphasis

The other great resource used in developing Melbourne's texts is the General Directory for Catechesis, published in 1997 by the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy. This serves as a modern guide to how the content of the Catechism can best be imparted, proposing a variety of methods. The Directory also helps isolate areas that need to be emphasized in religious education today.

The Directory frankly states that a weakness in catechetics has been a lack of content in three areas:

sin
grace
life beyond death (cf. General Directory, n. 30).

These themes should be handled with skill, to avoid misleading impressions. Again we turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church for a good approach to the problem of our sins. Here we find the remedy - God's offer of grace in Jesus Christ, his challenging call to the hope of eternal life. To leave out these closely-related Christian essentials would be providing an impoverished catechesis.

In all catechesis, at all age levels, and in adult education, we can always rely on the great resource of the Church, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is the sure guide to teaching the Faith in the Third Millennium.