On October 11 of 1992, the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Saint John Paul II promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church with his apostolic constitution Fidei Depositum. That means this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Catechism was written to “faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers and the Church’s saints, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God” (FD III). There are many ways for us to celebrate this momentous anniversary by familiarizing ourselves with its content, the deposit of our faith.
- Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church online
- Catechism resources from Word on Fire
- Tour the Catechism with Father Daniel Mahan, S.T.L.
- VCat – Visual Catechism from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
- C4 – Ignite Your Catholic Faith from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Four Pillars of the Catechism
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is arranged into four parts: the Creed, the Sacred Liturgy, with pride of place given to the sacraments; the Christian way of life, explained beginning with the Ten Commandments; and finally, Christian prayer. Pope Saint John Paul II writes, “The four parts are related one to the other: the Christian mystery is the object of faith (first part); it is celebrated and communicated in liturgical actions (second part); it is present to enlighten and sustain the children of God in their actions (third part); it is the basis for our prayer, the privileged expression of which is the Our Father, and it represents the object of our supplication, our praise and our intercession (fourth part)” (FD III).
