Catechism of the Catholic Church: Second Edition

High quality book overviewing most Catholic teachings. Very visually appealing too.

Excellent way to learn the good word with easy to follow guidance in the bible

Superbly written - a fantastic resource for understanding the teaching of the Catholic faith. Love it!

This is a compact edition 7.2 x 4.5 x 1.7 (825 pages) of the larger, more current and easy to use edition 9 x 6.7 x 2 inches (920 pages) by USCCB Publishing. Yet, this is more suitable when travelling and on the road. Nota Bene: This edition was published in April 1995. Although called the Second Edition, this is not therefore the "Catechism of the Catholic Church: revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II" which was published in April 2000. In fact, there is a proviso on the copyright page that says, "This translation is subject to the Latin typico edition (editio typica) when it is published." Anyway, there are a number of different good Catechisms that are in print. To name a few, Father John A. Hardon gave us The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church and The Question & Answer Catholic Catechism . Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl authored the Teaching of Christ and later The Gift of Faith: A Question and Answer Catechism Version of the Teaching of Christ . Better known as the Roman Catechism (Resources for catechetical teachers) , there is the less known version of The Catechism of the Council of Trent , which has a history like no other. Each of these has its unique format. However, examining the Roman Catechism, one finds it is divided into four parts which correspond to the divisions followed by the Church since early Christian times: 1. Catholic belief presented in an explanation of the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. 2. The seven sacraments are explained at length, instituted by Christ as a means for the living of the demands of faith. 3. The Ten Commandments in a New Testament setting showing how Christ brought the Old Law to perfection. 4. After a detailed treatise on prayer: its nature, its necessity, and the practice of prayer in general, including an exposition of the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer. If we look at the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, we notice an apparent likeness in how it corresponds to the format of the Roman Catechism, having four main and similar divisions: 1. The Profession of Faith 2. The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (and the Sacraments) 3. Life in Christ 4. Christian Prayer So, we can say that the new Catechism in many ways is really update of the Roman Catechism and the teachings and practices that Church has clung to throughout the centuries from early Christian times. This gives much credibility to the permanence, and uninterrupted nature of the Church's beliefs, doctrine, and the Christian Life espoused for 2000 years. We could call the Catechism of the Catholic Church a "Defender of the Faith" for what it does. It could also be called "Defender of Scripture" because it cites Sacred Scripture more than anything else, which certainly takes us back to early Christian times. There are also great references to Vatican II Documents, other Council & Papal documents, plus the writings of the Church Fathers and the Saints. You could say that it "teaches with authority!" It is a great reference book, not something the average person will sit and read from cover to cover.

Great book for Bible study

I purchased this version of the Catechism to replace the original first edition by Ligouri Press that I had before (ahem) "lending" it to someone a few years ago and never getting it back. I miss that first edition for a number of reasons, not the least of which were my rather copious margin notes and highlights I had made, as well as it's overall heft. The only downside was that they subsequently did some revisions and issued a separate addendum containing the corrections. For the record, that addendum always stayed with the main book and is presumed "missing" along with its main volume. Without getting too bogged down in the history of the book, the First Edition was based largely (if not exclusively) on the French translation of the Catechism. Once they completed the Latin version and began cross-checking, they discovered a number of linguistic inadequacies that were later addressed through the addendum then through subsequent issuances (like this one.) I was pleased to find this 2nd edition printing available (in hard cover, no less) for such a decent price. And to be certain, it is indeed the "revised" (based on the Latin text) version of the new Catechism. The reality of things hit me as soon as I pulled the volume from the box it shipped in. This edition is at least 1.5-2 inches smaller in both height and width than it's Ligouri predecessor. It also seems a skosh thinner than I remember the original being. I'm guessing this is due to smaller margins and MUCH smaller typeface, as well as some apparent content that was trimmed from this edition (primarily indices). The book does seem to be well constructed; the binding is tight, the leaves appear clean-cut and a casual pass-through noted no noticeable bleeds, smudges or mis-registers. Aside from my expectations with regard to dimensions, it seems to be a nice, solid publication. The 4-star rating was for the overall size of the volume and typeface. The Catechism itself receives a solid 5-stars for content, and will likely be the Catholic Church's legacy to future generations for many, many years to come.

Great great product, just as I expected.

If you’re interested in the catechism of the Catholic Church then this is for you! Pope John Paul II commissioned this in the 80s and with the council of Bishops the entire thing came together.

Easy to read, portable, beautiful and and overall great little reference book. This book is a must-have for Catholics. We are so fortunate as Catholics to have Church with can guide us and provide for us such a comprehensive guide to the Church and our Faith. You will gain so much knowledge just picking this book up and reading it for a few minutes every day, especially with all the resources available to guide us through it.

Beautiful. Arrived so fast. Cant wait to learn more about the Catholic religion! And the size of the book is so unique and pretty, if that makes sense. :)

Beautiful and well made with good paper and print quality

I'm so happy they have delivered this before the expected delivery date. Hey all, I'm really happy if you're seeing my message from anywhere around the world. I'm a convert catholic from Istanbul, Turkey and I'm honored to be able to recieve the book of 'Catechism of the Catholic Church." I can't wait to learn more about our Lord and savior. There's only two days to Easter, so buona pasqua to everyone, rejoice because by his wounds we were healed! God bless all of you who made sure I recieved it in time, the package came in so fast! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

All good but theres a dent in the cover and it came really dirty so i had to use some wet tissue to clean it off.