The Essential Catechist's Bookshelf

Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

Sacramental Guidelines is an indispensable tool for religious education teachers. Parents and pastors will appreciate its straightforward overview of the sacraments and how they function in our faith as the heart of our Catholic belief and the soul of our spirituality.

With clarity and insight, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore helps readers discover the joy that comes from walking with Jesus and living our faith. Following the structure of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Lori explains what the Church believes and how we can best put those beliefs into practice in our everyday lives. In five questions following each chapter, the reader can reflect on the meaning of these truths for his or her own life. Among the topics covered are the Creed, the liturgy, the seven sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and prayer in the Christian life. This book provides a wonderful means to appreciate the beauty of the Catholic faith, thus renewing our zeal and desire to share the good news of Christ with others.

The Catechists Manual is part of the ON THE JOURNEY series of books intended to be used for the Order of Christian Initiation in the Roman Catholic Church. This Manual is designed to be a practical help to the catechist by offering a structured way of preparing for and presenting the catechetical portion of an RCIA session. Together with the companion Participants Book, this Manual should enable catechists to prepare thoroughly for each teaching and to present the faith both systematically and organically. This book contains 60 doctrinal lesson plans, with full Scripture and Catechism references. For each of the lesson plans, the manual also contains at least five suggested hymns, a Liturgy of the Word, suggested discussion questions, definitions of key terms, and suggested prayers.