The most recent universal Catechism, called the Catechism of the Catholic Church, was promulgated by the late Pope John Paul II in 1992. This 800-page book was written primarily for bishops and professional teachers of the faith. But, of course, anyone can benefit from studying it.

When issuing the Universal Catechism of the Catholic Church, John Paul II encouraged countries to write a National Catechism which would speak more directly to local situations and cultures. Responding to this exhortation, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops produced in 2006 the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. This 600+ page book is an easier read than the universal Catechism.

The Catechism is divided into four parts:

Part One.  The Creed: The Faith Professed

Part Two.  The Sacraments: The Faith Celebrated

Part Three.  Christian Morality: The Faith Lived

Part Four.  Prayer: The Faith Prayed

Below you will find lessons on each section of the Catechism. Each lesson is referenced to the above mentioned Catechisms. "C" stands for Catechism of the Catholic Church. The numbers refer to the paragraphs in the Universal Catechism. USC stands for United States Catechism.

A topical index may be found at the bottom of this page.

THE CATECHISM, PART ONE. THE CREED: THE FAITH PROFESSED

This section has eleven lessons, three of which are not connected directly with the Creed.

Lessons one and two which focus on Divine Revelation and its transmission, is the foundation on which the Creed is based. Lesson ten focuses on Mary, who is looked upon as the Mother of the Church. Hence, the lesson on Mary follows two lessons on the Church.

SUMMARY OF THE ELEVEN LESSONS ON THE CREED

 Lesson one: Divine Revelation and Our Faith Response. What do we mean by Divine Revelation? How has our invisible God revealed himself to us? How are we to respond to his revelation? What is faith? Is Catholic faith different from Protestant faith? This lesson gives a brief summary of ten aspects of Catholic faith.

 Lesson two: Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Church. Confronting the Sola Scriptura Issue. How are the contents of Divine Revelation faithfully transmitted from one generation to another? Our Protestant brothers and sisters would answer, through the Bible. The great clarion cry of the Protestant Reformation was "sola scriptura," or "scripture alone." In contrast, the Catholic Church looks to Scripture, Tradition and the Church as the way to faithfully receive the teachings of Christ. This is a very important lesson for all who wish to learn how Scripture, Tradition and the Church are linked. These are essential for understanding why Catholics have certain beliefs not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, e.g., purgatory, certain beliefs around Mary and the saints, etc.

 Lesson three: The Mystery of God. This lesson begins our examination and meditation on the lessons of faith included in the Nicene Creed, which we profess each Sunday at Mass. We begin with the first lesson: "We believe in God..." This lesson looks at how belief in the doctrine of the Trinity developed and how the Church has sought to express this inexpressible truth. It also gives a brief summary of the five "proofs" for God’s existence by the great medieval theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas. Finally, the lesson looks briefly at several other non-Christian beliefs about God.

 Lesson four: Creation of All that is Seen and Unseen. The next lesson of the Creed states: "maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen." Can Catholics believe in evolution? Where did angels and demons come from? What is special about the creation of human persons? Why does a loving God allow evil and suffering? What is original sin? Why does the Church believe in it since it is not mentioned in the Bible? What do we mean when we say humans are born with original sin?

 Lesson five: Jesus -- Part One: Son of God and Son of Mary, Fully Human and Fully Divine. A large part of the Creed focuses on the mystery of Jesus. I have two lessons on Jesus. In lesson five, I look at why God decided to join the human race and the meaning of his hidden years. Then we move to his public ministry -- his teaching on the Kingdom of God (the central concept in the gospels), the meaning of Jesus’ miracles and exorcisms, how the Church came to believe that Jesus was both human and divine.

 Lesson six: Jesus -- Part Two: Salvation in Christ, His Death, Resurrection and Ascension. This lesson responds to the important question: Was it God’s will that Jesus die a cruel death for us? If so, what does that say about God? What is the meaning of the cross for our lives? What is the meaning of the resurrection and ascension? What does it mean to be "saved?" -- A Catholic response.

 Lesson seven: The Holy Spirit Our Divine Guide and Strength. The Creed states: "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life..." The Holy Spirit has been called the "unknown person of the Blessed Trinity." Who is the Holy Spirit? Was there a Holy Spirit in the Old Testament? What was the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus and the early Church? What are the "gifts" and "fruits" of the Holy Spirit? How can we develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit? Finally, the lesson looks at four scriptural images of the Holy Spirit.

 Lesson eight: The Church Part One -- The Sacrament of God’s Love and Salvation. "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16:18). In this first of two lessons on the Church, we look at how the Church was planned by God, founded by Jesus and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. We look at five scripture images of the Church. We look at membership and ministries in the Church, the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church and papal infallibility.

 Lesson nine: The Church Part Two -- The Four Marks of the Church. "We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church." Since the Council of Constantinople in 381, the Church has spoken of herself as "one, holy, catholic and apostolic," four traits that identify the Church before the world. In ancient times, these "four marks" of the Church helped to distinguish her from heretical or false churches. This lesson also looks at the issue of salvation, the salvation of Catholics, non-Catholics, and non-Christians.

 Lesson ten: Mary the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church. While Mary is not mentioned in the Creed, she is often called "the Mother of the Church." Hence, the reason for placing her following the two lessons after the one on the Church. In this lesson, we will respond to questions like: Why does the Catholic Church pay so much attention to Mary? Why does the Church have doctrines about Mary that are not explicitly mentioned in Scripture? Do Catholics worship Mary?

 Lesson eleven: What Will Happen to Us After Death? The Last Things. The Creed ends with these words: "We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen." Does the Church believe in reincarnation? What is meant by "particular judgment?" Who will attain heaven and what will it be like? Why does the Catholic Church believe in purgatory? What are the pain and joy of purgatory? Why does an all-loving God send people to hell? What is meant by the Second Coming of Jesus? What is the communion of saints?

THE CATECHISM, PART TWO -- THE SACRAMENTS, THE FAITH CELEBRATED

Part Two of the Catechism focuses on the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, her official public prayer in contrast to personal and private prayer. There are seven lessons in this section.

 Lesson twelve: Introduction to the Liturgy and the Sacraments. This lesson introduces the reader to the liturgical life of the Church. What is liturgy? What are sacraments? Why seven sacraments and not five or ten? Why does the Catholic Church have seven sacraments when there is no mention of seven sacraments in the Bible?

Lessons thirteen to eighteen look at the individual sacraments: the biblical roots of each one, its purpose and effects, its essential or core rite. In addition, each sacrament will look at issues connected specifically to that sacrament.

 Lesson thirteen: Baptism and Confirmation. What does the Church mean by baptism of blood, baptism of desire and baptism of implicit desire? Why does the Church baptize infants when they cannot repent of sin and profess faith in Jesus?

 Lesson fourteen: The Eucharist. Why does the Catholic Church believe that the mass is a sacrifice? Wasn’t the sacrifice of Christ on the cross sufficient? What does the term "transubstantiation" mean? Why doesn’t the Catholic Church invite non-Catholic Christians to Holy Communion?

 Lesson fifteen: Reconciliation. Why does the Catholic Church have the practice of private confession when this was not the practice in the early church? Seven questions frequently asked about confession.

 Lesson sixteen: Anointing of the Sick. What was the attitude of Jesus towards sickness? What is meant by the term "redemptive suffering"? How did Vatican Council II reform this sacrament from a sacrament for the dying to a sacrament of healing for the sick?

 Lesson seventeen: Holy Orders. What is the difference between the priesthood of the laity and the priesthood of the ordained? How did the orders of deacon, priest, and bishop develop? Why doesn’t the Catholic Church ordain women? Why mandatory celibacy? Why not ordain married men?

 Lesson eighteen: Marriage. What did Jesus teach about marriage? What is meant by the term "domestic church"? What is an annulment? What is the Church’s attitude towards Catholics who marry outside the Church?

THE CATECHISM, PART THREE - CHRISTIAN MORALITY: THE FAITH LIVED.

Part Three of the Catechism is divided into two sections: Foundations of Christian Morality and the Ten Commandments.

Lessons nineteen and twenty deal with the nine foundation stones or building blocks of Christian morality. These include the responsible use of freedom, the three elements of a moral act, the formation of conscience, the cardinal virtues, social justice, law and grace. The lesson responds to questions such as: What do we mean by Christian freedom? What are the three elements of a moral act? Should we always follow our conscience even if it disagrees with Church teaching? What is the difference between mortal and venial sins? What are the cardinal and theological virtues? What is the basis of the Church’s teaching on social justice? What do we mean by the theological term "grace"?

 Lesson Nineteen: Foundations of Catholic Morality: Part 1

 Lesson Twenty: Foundations of Catholic Morality: Part 2

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Lesson twenty-one: First & Second Commandments. After some introductory paragraphs on the Ten Commandments, this lesson looks at what the first commandment calls us to (faith, hope and love of God), what the second commandment calls us to (reverence for God’s name) and what both of these commandments forbids e.g. idolatry, superstition, all forms of disrespect for God’s name.

Lesson twenty-two: Third & Fourth Commandments. We look at what both of these commandments call us to do e.g. rest, communal worship of God, family relationships and what they forbid.

Lesson twenty-three: Fifth Commandment. In this lesson we discuss key life issues: abortion, euthanasia, suicide, death penalty, stem cell research, just war theory.

Lesson twenty-four: Sixth & Ninth Commandments – Sexual Morality. This lesson has three parts: 1) An introduction to human sexuality, 2) Chastity – helps and obstacles, sins against chastity. 3) Family planning, in vitro birth methods.

Lesson twenty-five: Seventh & Tenth Commandments – A faith that does justice. In these two commandments, we look at the social teaching of the Church – sometimes called the Church’s best kept secret. 

Lesson twenty-six: The Eight Commandment. This lesson looks at how we are called to be witnesses to the gospel and three obstacles that we face as we seek to live the truth of the gospel.

THE CATECHISM, PART FOUR – PRAYER: THE FAITH PRAYED

Lessons twenty-seven and twenty-eight: Prayer. In these two final lessons we look at: lessons from scripture on prayer, eight forms of prayer, four problem areas and the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

 Lesson Twenty-Seven: Prayer: Part 1

 Lesson Twenty-Eight: Prayer: Part 2

A Special Word of Acknowledgement

A special word of thanks to Fr. Alfred McBride O. Praem, world renowned catechist and author of several books on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, who was my mentor and guide through the process of writing these lessons. Fr. Al read each lesson and offered many suggestions along the way on how the lessons could be improved. He was also most helpful in making sure that each lesson reflected the authentic teaching of the Church.

Four ways to use the lessons

1. Private use of the lessons. One can read the lessons as a way to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the Catholic faith.

2. Small study group. In our parish (Ascension Catholic Church, Melbourne, Florida), small groups follow the following format while studying the lessons.