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Catechism of the Catholic Church
 Catechism Update
Spring 2001
Editorial Oversight Board Prepares First Consultation on the National Adult Catechism
On November 12, the bishops serving on the Editorial Oversight Board for the national adult catechism met for the first time. Present were the appointed members of the board: Bishop Donald Wuerl (Chair), Archbishop William Levada, Bishop William Lori, Bishop Richard Malone and Bishop Gabino Zavala. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, chair of the Catechism Committee, also attended the meeting as an ex officio member of the board. Staff to the project and the writer of the draft text were also present.
The first part of the meeting was a joint gathering with the members of the Bishops' Editorial Oversight Board for the National Directory for Catechesis. The two boards discussed the relatedness of the Directory and the adult catechism as well as the ways in which the two texts differ. The two are related in that they both focus on aspects of catechesis. Ways in which the two texts will differ include the focus and the intended audience. The Directory will deal with responsibility for catechesis at every level while the adult catechism will be a specific example of a way in which responsibility for catechesis at a particular level is exercised. The intended audience for the Directory will be specifically those who work as catechists while the audience for the adult catechism will be more general - any interested adult.
Following the joint meeting, the adult catechism's editorial board met on its own and prepared for the initial consultation on the adult catechism. The bishops on the board settled on a draft chapter outline for the text, on questions that will be asked as part of the consultation, and on a basic format for the consultation materials. They also decided that since the adult catechism was commissioned by the bishops and will ultimately be published in the name of the bishops, materials for the consultation will be sent directly to each bishop who may then decide how he wishes to consult with individuals or groups within his diocese.
Materials for the consultation on the adult catechism will be sent out in early January. Bishops will be asked to return consultation forms by early March.
Catechism Committee Holds Annual Meeting
with Publishers
On September 7, 2000, the Caechism Committee held its annual meeting with publishers of catechetical materials. At this year's meeting, which took place in Chicago, nineteen companies were represented.
At these gatherings, a portion of the meeting is given over to updating the publishers on Committee work that has taken place during the preceding year. One topic on which Committee members shared information concerned a significant development in the feasibility study of a national catechism or catechetical series, specifically, the Bishops' approval to undertake the development of a national adult catechism. Committee members also shared points of information concerning the conformity review process.
Another portion of these meetings can sometimes involve asking the publishers for their ideas on questions or proposals that have been brought to the Committee's attention. This year, the members of the Catechism Committee spent a good deal of time listening to the publishers' views on a subject that was brought to our attention as a result of the consultation on the draft instrument Doctrinal Elements for Elementary Grades Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Because a significant number of responses received as a result of this consultation suggested the need for national Religion curriculum guidelines, Committee members took the opportunity to ask the publishers their opinion on this topic. In the discussion that followed, the publishers explained the different types of guidelines that exist in this country and how useful each type is for their work. As a result of this conversation, it became apparent to the members of the Catechism Committee that many publishers would welcome the development of national curriculum guidelines which focus specifically on doctrinal topics but leave questions of methodology and pedagogy up to the expertise of the publishers.
As always, the members of the Catechism Committee are grateful to those publishers who joined us for this annual meeting. The knowledge and insight they have shared over the past few years have been helpful as the Catechism Committee moves toward shaping a report on the feasibility of a national catechetical series.
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