Catechisms (Reading List)

Catechism of the Council of Trent (Roman Catechism)
Prepared in the 1500s, this Catechism addressed many of the issues facing the Church during the Reformation. Protestant leaders were invited to the preparatory meetings. This Catechism was not written for laypeople, but as a resource for priests and bishops.

Baltimore Catechism
Catechism designed for laypeople and used in the United States from the mid-1800s through the 1960s. Comprised of questions and answers, a format that is easy to remember for people who have limited literacy skills or are illiterate. Typically, the Baltimore Catechism was learned by rote – the questions and answers were often easily recalled by lapsed Catholics decades after they had memorized the booklets.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) oversaw the creation of this new Catechism – the first since the Council of Trent. Released in the 1990s, it is designed to be used as a reference for writing national level Catechisms in local languages. Beautifully written and a storehouse of quotes from the saints and church fathers.

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Released in 2006, the Compendium is the CCC reformatted in the style of the Baltimore Catechism with almost 600 questions and answers.

United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
Based on the CCC, the U.S. Catechism is formatted as a study text with reflection questions and is localized to the United States.