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The Deposit of Faith: What the Catholic Church Really Believes
"
"The Deposit of
What the Catholic Church Really
Believes," by Monsignor Eugene Kevane, is a
treasure of information for teachers of catechetical instruction. In the wake
of the Heresy of Modernism, Catholics everywhere, especially parents of Catholic
children, have experienced the proliferation of new opinions, the exclusion of
the Deposit of Faith, and the suppression of the Catechism by religious
educators. This book portrays what Jesus Christ, as God, wanted the Apostles
and through them the future members of His Church to know and teach. He made it
very "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away (Mk. 13, 31). An earlier volume, "Jesus the Divine Teacher,"
explains how Jesus
taught; this second one presents what
he taught.
This book provides an opportunity
for all Catholics and all religious people to review their own convictions and
explore the depth of their spiritual lives. In a special way, the author
presents in this volume the knowledge and information which can help bishops,
priests, religious, catechists, parents and all the laity regain their
equilibrium and rebuild their faith and spiritual lives. It is an excellent
tool to re-examine one's own posture relative to the Deposit of Faith.
"
"The Deposit of
What the Catholic Church Really
Believes," by Monsignor Eugene Kevane, is a
treasure of information for teachers of catechetical instruction. In the wake
of the Heresy of Modernism, Catholics everywhere, especially parents of Catholic
children, have experienced the proliferation of new opinions, the exclusion of
the Deposit of Faith, and the suppression of the Catechism by religious
educators. This book portrays what Jesus Christ, as God, wanted the Apostles
and through them the future members of His Church to know and teach. He made it
very "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away (Mk. 13, 31). An earlier volume, "Jesus the Divine Teacher,"
explains how Jesus
taught; this second one presents what
he taught.
This book provides an opportunity
for all Catholics and all religious people to review their own convictions and
explore the depth of their spiritual lives. In a special way, the author
presents in this volume the knowledge and information which can help bishops,
priests, religious, catechists, parents and all the laity regain their
equilibrium and rebuild their faith and spiritual lives. It is an excellent
tool to re-examine one's own posture relative to the Deposit of Faith.
"
484 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2004
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Eugene Kevane
24 books1 followerEugene Kevane on a family farm in the parish of St. Mary's, Storm Lake, Buena Vista County, Iowa. He attended a one-room country elementary school and a public high school. After college he spent four years in the seminary, including studies at the Gregorian in Rome. He was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa.
He earned an M.A. from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1949. In 1959 he joined the faculty of the Catholic University of America, where he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education with a doctoral thesis later published as Augustine the Educator.
He served as Dean of the School of Education at Catholic University. Later he founded the Notre Dame Catechetical Institute in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, designed to provide an M.A. program in catechetics.
He earned an M.A. from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1949. In 1959 he joined the faculty of the Catholic University of America, where he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education with a doctoral thesis later published as Augustine the Educator.
He served as Dean of the School of Education at Catholic University. Later he founded the Notre Dame Catechetical Institute in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, designed to provide an M.A. program in catechetics.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 6, 2026
My preface for my brief review is that Monsignor Kevane does not come across as a traditional Catholic while holding St John Henry Newman and Saint Pius X in very high regard. Twice 'traditional Catholics' are mentioned, once chided as he implies the entire group does not like the changes in the Mass. Once praised as he implies they better hold to the deposit of faith as a group, presumably not referring to the sedevicantists.
What is the deposit of faith? For Catholics it was passed down orrally until the Council of Trent. There a printed Catechism was approved for Priests in response to Martin Luther and his small catechism. Later, Pius X would publish his own 'small catechism' often called today The Catechism of Pius X. Lay Catholics can not publish a catechism, the deposit must be guarded and handed down by the Priests to the faithful.
What is the Heresy of Modernism? Kevane pegs it to 1835, Vatican I was to respond to this Heresy. Errors were being taught in German seminaries influenced by Hegel, Kant and others; and while the Church initially had success battling the Heresy, Vatican I was called as progress stalled. Saint Newman was active in this timeframe arguing the Church is the Roman Empire, the anti-Christ will come at the end of the empire, and the Church (the Empire) looks increasingly sick. But World War I prevented it from being implemented. Vatican II was too implement Vatican I, but the aftermath of Vatican II saw the prominence of theologians change to the amount of education they attained from whether they taught or personally held to the deposit of faith. Kevane is also greatly concerned about the growing Eucharistic Heresy in the Church and the small number of Priest's who also proclaim it as a symbol.
Kevane ends the book on a quote from Newman. The Empire is sick, perhaps on its deathbed. Pray, sacrifice building wealth and power and hold to the deposit of faith and morals preferably with the Catechism of Pius X if you are the commoner who lacks the education of the modern theologian. "The official Small Catechism is simply the Church's elementary explanation of the immutable meaning of her articles of Faith gathered by her authority into the Apostle's Creed, her summary of Divine Revelation for use in the Catholic baptismal profession, in catechetical teaching and for daily prayer." taken verbatim from his appendix. He recommends using the 'Munich Method' for best results when teaching a child from the catechism.
What is the deposit of faith? For Catholics it was passed down orrally until the Council of Trent. There a printed Catechism was approved for Priests in response to Martin Luther and his small catechism. Later, Pius X would publish his own 'small catechism' often called today The Catechism of Pius X. Lay Catholics can not publish a catechism, the deposit must be guarded and handed down by the Priests to the faithful.
What is the Heresy of Modernism? Kevane pegs it to 1835, Vatican I was to respond to this Heresy. Errors were being taught in German seminaries influenced by Hegel, Kant and others; and while the Church initially had success battling the Heresy, Vatican I was called as progress stalled. Saint Newman was active in this timeframe arguing the Church is the Roman Empire, the anti-Christ will come at the end of the empire, and the Church (the Empire) looks increasingly sick. But World War I prevented it from being implemented. Vatican II was too implement Vatican I, but the aftermath of Vatican II saw the prominence of theologians change to the amount of education they attained from whether they taught or personally held to the deposit of faith. Kevane is also greatly concerned about the growing Eucharistic Heresy in the Church and the small number of Priest's who also proclaim it as a symbol.
Kevane ends the book on a quote from Newman. The Empire is sick, perhaps on its deathbed. Pray, sacrifice building wealth and power and hold to the deposit of faith and morals preferably with the Catechism of Pius X if you are the commoner who lacks the education of the modern theologian. "The official Small Catechism is simply the Church's elementary explanation of the immutable meaning of her articles of Faith gathered by her authority into the Apostle's Creed, her summary of Divine Revelation for use in the Catholic baptismal profession, in catechetical teaching and for daily prayer." taken verbatim from his appendix. He recommends using the 'Munich Method' for best results when teaching a child from the catechism.
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