Compendium : Catechism of the Catholic Church

Bishop Donald Wuerl, past chairman and current member of the American bishops' Committee on Catechesis, had this to say about the Compendium, "[It] offers a concise yet complete presentation of the faith. It presents an overview of the whole Cathechism [of the Catholic Church] without going into all of the details that enrich the Catechism. Its primary focus is to provide ready access in a concise manner to the content of the faith." To the delight of seekers everywhere, the Compendium reintroduces new generations of Catholics to the reliable Q&A format. Twenty five years ago, Silvio Cardinal Oddi, the Prefect for the Sacred Congregation of the Clergy, defended this time-tested format from the attacks of members of supposedly "progressive" catechetical schools. He wisely observed that "specialists in internal medicine, engineering, and chemistry arm themselves with question and answer manuals to check themselves on recent developments in their respective fields." The good cardinal then addressed the progressive complaint directly: "Captious critics have objected that the Faith is not a series of answers to contrived questions but a way of life. The answer to this objection might well be another question: How can we live a Christian life until we first 'know the truth' (John 8:32)?" To that end, the Q&A format enables readers to commit the truths of the faith to memory. Indeed, "memorization" is one of the reasons Pope Benedict cites for issuing the Compendium. And thanks to its beautiful, crisp language, doing so can be a labor of love. Read the following excerpt from the section explaining the "Our Father": "596. What does 'Lead us not into temptation' mean? We ask God our Father not to leave us alone and in the power of temptation. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us know how to discern, on the one hand, between a trial that makes us grow in goodness and a temptation that leads to sin and death and, on the other hand, between being tempted and consenting to temptation. This petition unites us to Jesus who overcame temptation by his prayer. It requests the grace of vigilance and of final perseverance." For about the price of a movie ticket, and in a mere 200 pages, you can learn the path to salvation Christ entrusted to His Church. Bargains don't get any better.

In its question and answer format, the newly published Compendium of the Catechism is a simple, clear, and precise dictation of the truth (that is to say God Himself). Having ordered this book long before the English translation was complete, I was delighted to finally see it in my mailbox. In little less than a week, the Compendium took its place among my three most cherished books - The Bible, The Catechism, and now the Compendium. In addition to the question and answer format, which is very appealing to lay people and those who studied the Baltimore Catechism, the book has plenty to offer, such as: 1. The Size: The book is small enough to accompany anyone in their everyday activities, and throughout life's journey. 2. The Approval: Pope Benedict's letter of approval offers a clear synthesis of the origins of the Compendium, a promulgation of its content, and a petition to Our Lady. 3. The Icons: Perhaps the most noticed addition in the Compendium is the use of Icons (displayed in full color). Fifteen to be exact, starting with Christ the Pantocrator - a mirror to the Compendium because this Icon is described as "an invitation to contemplate and to follow the Lord Jesus through the Church His bride and His mystical body." Additionally, Pope Benedict describes the potency of the Icons with these words: "The sacred images, with their beauty, are also a proclamation of the Gospel and express the splendor of the Catholic truth." 4. Concordances: The Compendium contains concordances to similar topics in the larger Catechism. This is handy for those wishing to delve deeper into a given subject. 5. Common Prayers and Formulas: At the end of the book, the Church presents the faithful a summary of the common prayers in both English and Latin, and the formulas of the Church - especially helpful to me since I haven't memorized them all! If I was asked to concisely describe the benefits of reading the Compendium to a faithful Catholic, my reply would be that it enlightens the soul to the eternal ways of the ever living God; and likewise, to the inherent truths of Humanity. Considering that the price is equivalent to 4 gallons of gasoline - most likely covering production and distribution by a small margin - the Church is practically giving us this gift. And to that I say, Gratias Tibi Ago Benedictus PP. XVI!

This book is perfect for a person who is Catholic and wants to know more about the Church. It is great for people interested in converting. It gives questions along with the answers to make it a lot easier and less stressful. However it is best to go through this book on a slow and even level to allow yourself to reflect upon the answers. It defines terms (i.e. canon law, the nicene/apostolic creeds, the resurrection,original sin etc.) in a very short yet concise fashion. It is a very good way to get a firm grasp on the Catechism. I realize that I really didn't know enough about the faith to answer questions from people who were interested in Catholicism. If a person was condemning the Church I didn't know enough to defend it on a calm, objective and informative manner. This book is allowing me all of that. This book is the laymans option to a degree in theology. I will be reading this a second time and this time I will try to come up with my own added answers to some of these questions. This is a must have for evangelizing in this Year of Faith. I am doing this alone but I think working in a group would be a much better alternative.

For those who remember the Baltimore Catechism, the question and answer format provided an easy way to explore questions of Catholic Faith, Morals and Doctrine. Although the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH provides the most comprehensive exposition of matters of faith and is the standard for study and inquiry, its sheer depth and breadth often intimidated many who sought to develop a greater understanding of the faith. Recognizing this, Pope Benedict worked with his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, to develop this compedium in which essentials are once again communicated in a well-written, thorough-yet-direct question and answer format. The COMPENDIUM follows the outline and meticulously references the CATECHISM. Yet, the topics address specific questions in easy to understand language. It is an excellent tool for RCIA and catechesis for both lifelong Catholics or those who are just entering into the faith. I recommend that this be added to every Catholic family's library!

The Compendium of Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent "condensation" (the right word to use escapes me now)of the Catechism. It's written in clear, easy-to-understand English without sounding pedestrian. It's in question and answer format but still following the CCC outline. It is not a substitute however for the CCC which might take much longer to read. But if you want a quick and easy reference to answer your own or others's questions, this is very helpful lest you want to lose the opportunity for some "apostolate" work. It took me less than three days to leisurely read the whole book. And now using it as quick reference as I read the CCC at the same time. I have been impressed with the way Pope Benedict XVI writes. I suspect, much of the content of this book, reflect his personal style of writing. After all, he (as Cardinal Ratzinger) presided over the ICC that prepared the Compendium. The copy I have is the one printed by the USCCB. The texts are clearly printed and very legible. The choices of the of the photos and annotations are excellent. Another great feature of this publication is the compilation of popular prayers and devotions in English and in Latin so you won't need to have a separate prayer book while studying this one. I would have given this copy 5 stars, but the binding broke apart after one reading. Although this could be a problem resulting from my country's climate.

I love this book because it is easy to use/ understand and it's a great companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Great reference book. I had borrowed this book from a friend several years ago and purchased this for myself. I am going a Bible in a year Bible study and it's a great resource to have on hand. I normally purchase Kindle additions of books but find physical copies to be easier to search for what I need to find.

I recently ordered a copy of the "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church" from Amazon.com. As usual, the process was flawless and I received the book in short order! As anyone who has perused a full rendering of the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" can tell you, it is very thorough, and wonderfully readable and interesting, but somewhat daunting when it comes to looking up material. The "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church" is a faithful rendering of the original in a booklet containing all the important information but none of the myriad details in the full version. I have found it to be great for quickly looking up information and not really losing any important information. It is definitely worth having a copy in your spiritual library.

I received my book today (sooner than I had originally anticipated!) and had no issues with the packaging - everything appears to be in order and is just what I expected. I appreciate the vendor including a slip of notepaper in the pages of book reminding me to let them know if I have any issues with my delivery and that my satisfaction is guaranteed - that was a nice touch. Thank you Steven Kurth and may God bless you!

Me parece mejor la versión en inglés que en español, en español las hojas son en blanco y negro

A concise edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Highly recommended for all Catholic Christians; a must for the home and family.

「普遍教会に今私が現したこのコンペンディウム（要約）は、信じられる、確かな、「カトリック教会のカテキズム」 Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism) のまとめとなっています。簡潔な形で、教会の信仰に関する根本的かつ基礎的な要素が全て含まれています。...年齢や国籍の違いを超えて、全ての教会共同体、キリスト信者に、三千年紀を迎える教会が、福音を説き、信仰教育に当たって新たな熱意を惹起するに相応しいものとして、私はこのコンペンディウムを全ての教会に、全てのキリスト者に託します」(教皇ヴェネディクト16世;本書裏表紙から) トリエント公会議のカテキズムはカトリックの最も重要なカテキズムであると枢機卿時代に語った教皇ヴェネディクト16世が編纂委員会責任者を務めた「カトリック教会のカテキズム」 Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism) の実用版。従来から愛されてきた「公教要理」と共に、このコンペンディウムも長く愛され続けていくに違いありません。 日本語版が出ることを期待しつつ。

I love how the squished the catechism. It is an easier read. I teach bible study and and to refer to each article one by one , we get lost, but this book summarizes each section. If we are unsure, it is so easy to refer back to the big book, but works well for studies most of the time.

Excelente comprar si deseas conocer la doctrina católica