General Directory for Catechesis

by Congregation for the Clergy

The 1997 successor to the 1971 General Directory.

Genres: Catholic, Christian, Theology, Religion, Reference

305 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

Reviews

[James Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it is, it does the job. Not every part is for everybody, and yet there is something for everybody. However, all Bishops, priests, and I would say those who work in the Church should read this, to understand the absolute responsibility and necessity of forming both those young in the faith, and those who are already strong in faith. A major aspect this talks about is that the local churches are supposed to be vibrant communities that can welcome in new people. We are missing that. One thing we could do is tell people they need to be constantly learning in the Catholic tradition, including philosophy, theology, Bible, etc. And, we could provide them the place to do it. Why don't Catholic Churches have anything like Sunday school for adults?

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

God is the one who makes the seeds of faith grow.(see the last page). This manual instructs catechists in how to enter into the process which God initiates. This book is a companion to the catechism. The catechist should ground their teaching on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The book covers areas like pedagogy, responsibility, and delivery to various ages(adults are the most important in regards to catechesis according to the manual.)

I’ll finish my review now as autocorrect keeps changing catechist to catechism.

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must confess up front that I read most of this, but not exactly all. I was referring to it in the course of helping plan children's religious education at work. I found a lot of helpful sections in regard to what catechesis should have as its goals and how to train catechists. This is like the religious education version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in that it provides detailed but basic information. It's a good reference, but it won't give you lesson plans and activities. For that, you either need to purchase a curriculum or devise one of your own with the help of your diocese.

[James Barbale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very wordy

Good set of rules to know but does not read well. It is a good reference guide book. I recommend the summary