Posted on 04/15/2007 2:10:07 PM PDT by Salvation
Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com)
"To know, love and serve him," Cardinal Keeler said, paraphrasing the often-repeated answer he memorized as a child from the famous Baltimore Catechism.
The familiar passage from the catechism is just one of many standardized responses the thick primer offered on questions related to doctrine, morality and all things Catholic.
The Baltimore Catechism was mandated by the American bishops who met at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore during the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884. It was used by schools and parishes to help Catholics of all ages learn their faith until the book's strict question-and-answer format fell out of favor in the mid-1960s.
In a nod to the historic significance of the text, Cardinal Keeler joined Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, and Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington in signing two large reproductions of the covers of early editions of the catechism April 11.
The event was held at a Baltimore hotel during a breakfast marking the 175th anniversary of William H. Sadlier Inc., one of the publishers of the Baltimore Catechism. The celebration was part of the National Catholic Educational Association convention.
The Vatican in 1994 released the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which now serves as an important source for religious education in the United States and around the world.
"We used the (Baltimore) Catechism right from the beginning all the way through high school," said Cardinal Keeler, noting that nuns exposed him to the book.
"It was also used throughout the English-speaking world – in Africa, in Asia," the 76-year-old prelate told The Catholic Review, Baltimore's archdiocesan newspaper. "It meant something for those people too."
Like Cardinal Keeler, Cardinal McCarrick said he studied the Baltimore Catechism. The book's users depended on rote memory to learn the answers, he said.
"The strength of it is that it stayed with you," said Cardinal McCarrick, who at 77 can still recite passages from the catechism.
"The weakness of it was that sometimes you didn't always understand what you memorized," he told The Catholic Review.
In a swing away from the doctrinal focus of the Baltimore Catechism, many religion textbooks of the 1970s and '80s often focused more on God's love.
"It has to come together," Cardinal McCarrick said. "You can't have one without the other; otherwise you have a skewed vision of life because life is love put into practice. Love has to spring from truth."
Cardinal McCarrick said the challenge of Catholic education is to help people internalize the faith, but also understand it – a point echoed by Cardinal Keeler. Recent religion books have moved in that direction, Cardinal McCarrick said.
William S. Dinger, president of Sadlier, said the question-and-answer format of the Baltimore Catechism was right for the times it was used. Modern textbooks now attempt to teach children about the faith and encourage them to apply the faith to their lives in age-appropriate ways, he said.
"I think memorization is important, but understanding is important too," he said. "If you understand the faith you will be able to defend it."
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I find the Baltimore Catechism very useful. I memorized the basic First Communion questions along with my oldest daughter when she was five, and I’ll be going through it again with the 7- and 5-year-olds this summer.
Was that it?
I grew up with the old Baltimore Catechism. I still remember what the cover looked like. Loved that book.
Really? I taught CCD for a couple of years during that time. The two chapters seared, seared in my memory are one on mysticism that did not include one Catholic mystic and one on why it's better to do things as a group. (One year I just opened the book on my desk and taught my own lessone; another year I was so disgusted, I bought more traditional books with my own money!)
The weakest part of the Catholic Church in my opinion is the poor quality of the catechesis. These kids really need the structure and discipline of documents like the Baltimore Catechism.
**
You are so right — as usual — FRiend. And the Church will not grow if these young people are not reached.
If that was his problem (and it apparently still is!), IMO he just wasn't paying attention!
One thing I liked about ours (and still heartily approve of) is the glossary included in every chapter -- they didn't talk down to us; they made us learn the proper words.
I admit the "milk bottle" illstration of grace was, well, on the bizarre side! ;-) Any one else remember it? I don't know how much different editions might have varied.
I have copies of all the reprints. The CCD class at my old parish used these. Yay! No better way to learn the faith. And I’ll never forget the images of the cream bottles with the stains...
Reprints of all editions are still available from TAN, I believe. I think that’s where mine came from. The No. 3, if I remember correctly, is the edition with the great illustrations. Good luck finding these gems.
I still have the Baltimore II I used in 8th grade.
But if you don't know it, you'll never be able understand it. Most Catholics nowadays couldn't tell you a thing about their faith. (You know, that faith they supposedly "understand" since they no longer have to do that boring memorization part.)
In my classes the statement that we were made to "know,love and serve God here and to live forever with Him in heaven" was immediately followed by the gifts He gave us to accomplish that. We were told that He gave us a mind to know Him ,a heart to love Him and a body to serve Him and starting from that point,on catechism was going to help us use those gifts to accomplish His plan. And building from that firm foundation we were formed.
It even set the priorities;as someone said,you can't love what you don't know,nor can you serve what you don't love.
I noticed in the article that the present president of the publishing company that originally produced the Baltimore catechism said that:
"the question-and-answer format of the Baltimore Catechism was right for the time it was used. Modern textbooks now attempt to teach children about the faith and encourage them to apply the faith to their lives in age-appropriate ways.
Well,I guess there's not much money in publishing the same old books over and over. And beside that,we must all look at the world today and see what great shape it's in (s);no wonder Jesus wept.Mr. Dinger or Dingle needs to get a little less worldly and p.c. and go back to the basics.
I recognize that there were weaknesses in the members of the Church before the change in catechesis,there always was and will always be. And those weakness were in addition to our imperfections as men as well as the ones inflicted by persons infiltrating and seeking to destroy the Church from within;nonetheless,and even if they were well intentioned, many of the changes,if not most of them did not serve God or humanity well. I do think things are getting back on track but it took a while to get to where we got and it's taking a while to get back. But I think the Church will end up smaller and stronger;poorer and purer. This will be good!!
I hope that wasn’t a personal attack? LOL!
Why didn’t you capitalize the word, God?
(And I’m not joking!)
So did you get a copy of the Baltimore Catechism and teach them some of these defiencies?
** (One year I just opened the book on my desk and taught my own lessone; another year I was so disgusted, I bought more traditional books with my own money!)**
Good for you. I am sure you will reap your rewards in heaven.
I didn’t make my first communion until almost my junior year in high school in.... 1978. It was my choice alone. The priest that gave me instruction gave me the Balitmore Catechism to study.
A few years ago I told the DRE that we needed to use Baltimore. She said something stupid like “Why? Because it’s question and answer?”. She’s my age. The books we have to teach from are touchy-feely-hold-hands-and-sing-kumbayah. Recently I purchased the Didache series books from the Midwest Theological Forum.
because I’m an atheist, that’s why.
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