A couple of months ago I looked at the Baltimore Catechism again. You know, there's not a darn thing wrong with it. Especially for the public school kids I am dealing with. They are just wildly guessing at what their faith is supposed to be. 95% of them seem to have nothing at home.
Well, at least I did get the chance to correct our parish DRE on what the "source and summit" of the Catholic Faith is. Golly, if you're going to cite Vatican II as authoritative, it helps to actually read the documents to see what they have to say."
I would be inclined to think that anyone who undertakes to shed light on "Why Catholics Do That" would be considered a catechist. It merely means one who teaches the Faith. You don't need credentials to be a catechist, thank God.
As many of you who are reading this thread will know from my past posts, RAMPANT ignorance among the laity in the post-Vatican II American Church is a particular thorn in my side.
But I always say the same thing: If your parish doesn't have an ADULT Catechism class, start one. A few phone calls and a place to meet is all you need. Bring your copies of the CCC, and start reading.
Adult Catholics of the last generation are as ignorant of Church teaching as their children. Informed Catholics will be able to KNOW when something isn't right in their parish (which explains why so many pastors and bishops hesitate to encourage Catechism study for adults these days...).
I would have been a little more confident if someone had asked a few questions of me to find out if I knew which end was up.
I'm a Scripture and Catechism kind of guy so I know I can "faithfully reflect" the Church's teachings because I know where to find them.
These poor kids are in terrible shape. Their parents aren't doing them any favors by keeping them ignorant.