"This volume is intended to meet a widely felt need for an up-to-date and concise source book on the principal teachings of the Catholic Church. Since the close of the Second Vatican Council, there has been such an accumulation of ecclesiastical constitutions and decrees and so many changes they introduced in Catholic practice that few people have been able to keep up with all that has happened... A parallel purpose of this volume is to offer those who use it a handy guidebook of the Catholic tradition, whether formally documented in ecclesiastical sources or implicitly accepted by the faithful under the aegis of the Church's hierarchial leaders.
"The method followed in presenting the Church's doctrine is a combination of history and logic. Doctrines are placed into a historical framework by tracing their origins to the Old and New Testaments and placing their development within the context of persons, places, and times. The doctrine thus becomes more intelligible because it is viewed in the setting of its vital growth over the centuries.
"The intended reading audience of this Catholic catechism are all those priests, religious and laity, and above all parents and teachers, who are looking for a concise statement of the faith they profess, the conduct they practice, and the worship they give to the Lord."
--From The Catholic Catechism by John A. Hardon, S.J.
Catholic Catechism
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By a noted Catholic scholar, this volume answers the need for an up-to-date and concise source book on the principle teachings of the Catholic Church.
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By a noted Catholic scholar, this volume answers the need for an up-to-date and concise source book on the principle teachings of the Catholic Church.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I remember, more than 20 years after the fact, reading this book cover to cover while in college, and realizing for the first time that the whole thing made deep sense. I have recommended this book as a basic adult introduction to the teachings of the Catholic Church many times since, and continue to do so today.
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I was looking at Catholicism in the early 1990s, this was the only book available to me on Catholic doctrine in my public library. I lived in a very small, mostly Mormon town.
This book was a huge influence on my life. I ended up becoming Catholic after my move to Salt Lake City. I have often referred back to this book. It is very clealy written and quite useful to the ordinary Catholic.
You won't find anything in here that is contrary to Catholic teaching. It is a faithful and sure exposition of the Catholic faith.
This book was a huge influence on my life. I ended up becoming Catholic after my move to Salt Lake City. I have often referred back to this book. It is very clealy written and quite useful to the ordinary Catholic.
You won't find anything in here that is contrary to Catholic teaching. It is a faithful and sure exposition of the Catholic faith.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this gem in 1992, five years before the official CCC was published (2nd edition, corrected to the Latin text). After Vatican II, when Catholics went unjustifiably crazy trying to destroy everything more than five seconds old, there were few, if any, reliable catechisms. Fr. Harden saw the need and filled it. It taught me everything that nine years of catholic school during the 1970s and 80s ignored or mocked.
To compare it unfavorably to the CCC is an unfair anachronism. The CCC is the Church's authoritative reference to her teaching now, but Fr. Harden's catechism was there to teach us authoritatively back when the hierarchy was fiddling while Rome burned. Let's put it this way, this book was silk when the rest of the Church went double-knit polyester.
If you are a theology student, no orthodox professor will punish you for citing it. If you are simply a serious lay person, you will be enriched by it. It is well-written, well-organized, and thoroughly orthodox. It is all we had after the demise of the Baltimore Catechism series and before the new CCC. It deserves our respect and it deserves to be read and referred to often.
To compare it unfavorably to the CCC is an unfair anachronism. The CCC is the Church's authoritative reference to her teaching now, but Fr. Harden's catechism was there to teach us authoritatively back when the hierarchy was fiddling while Rome burned. Let's put it this way, this book was silk when the rest of the Church went double-knit polyester.
If you are a theology student, no orthodox professor will punish you for citing it. If you are simply a serious lay person, you will be enriched by it. It is well-written, well-organized, and thoroughly orthodox. It is all we had after the demise of the Baltimore Catechism series and before the new CCC. It deserves our respect and it deserves to be read and referred to often.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent !
Excellent research and review of the history and catechism of the Catholic church ! Very well written ! I gained insights into the scriptures that I had never been exposed to.
Published 1 month ago by Linda Shelley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Far and away the best Catechism available. If I could give this 6...
I am going to make an attempt to compare this Catechism against several of the other popular Catechisms being read today. Read more
Published 6 months ago by jwinch2
4.0 out of 5 stars
I would like to see more books like this about Catholicism
It was concise and well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed using this book for my classes.
MORE books like this are needed, AND it would be nice to have them on Kindle as... Read more
MORE books like this are needed, AND it would be nice to have them on Kindle as... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mrs. Teresa M. Vandal
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnum opus from one of the 20th centuries most saintly Catholics
Father Hardon was one of the quiet lights of the Catholic Church who labored to bring the Faith to people in the wasteland occasioned by the Second Vatican Council and the collapse... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mclusky
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful for Theology study
Concise and precise definitions on some of the most important themes on Catholicism. Could not do without for my studies in Roman Catholic Theology.
Published on January 7, 2009 by Le Jongleur de Notre Dame
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent resource!
Fr. Hardon's book is an excellent companion to the official Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a wealth of information that goes deep into explaining how the Church developed... Read more
Published on January 2, 2008 by M. Forsyth
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Clear Deep Examination of the faith
A very informative, lengthy examination of what it means to be a Catholic. While it is true that the book is rather lengthy, it is also true that the book does not have to be read... Read more
Published on May 12, 2005 by Sarah Gordon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Doctrinally correct but tedious
Fr. Hardon, I am glad to say, is a model of orthodoxy. This book is well-organized, and the sections on abortion and the Virgin Mary are particularly good. Read more
Published on September 20, 1998
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 23
books:
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38
books
cite this book:
See all 38 books citing this book
- The Summa Theologica (Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 19 & 20) by aquinas thomas on 6 pages
- Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium by Vatican II on 6 pages
- Summa Contra Gentiles: Volumes 1-4 in Five Books (v. 1-4) by Saint Thomas Aquinas on page 103, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Spiritual Exercises (Hodder & Stoughton Christian Classics) in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 23 books this book cites
- Theology for the Community of God by Stanley J. Grenz on 4 pages
- Catholic Replies: Answers to over 800 of the most often asked questions about religious and moral issues by James J. Drummey on page 22, page 176, and Back Matter
- St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary by Stephen K. Ray on page 52, page 57, and Back Matter
- Crossing the Tiber by Steve Ray on page 262, page 265, and Back Matter
- By What Authority? an Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition by Mark P. Shea on page 119, and Back Matter
See all 38 books citing this book
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