Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

A quick way to get through the breadth of the Catechism, but obviously not as deep as the full Catechism book. Even though it is relatively brief, it is dense and took me awhile to understand their use of some important words and phrases. I'm about 40% done, and plan to go through it all again to get more understanding of the faith.

This is a quality reference for the basics; especially when you don't have the time or effort to read the full catechism. Each entry has references to the full catechism for further reading.It's like the Catholic version of the IRS's Pub 17. Everything generally need to know, with a map of where to go if you need more info.

This book is perfect for a person who is Catholic and wants to know more about the Church. It is great for people interested in converting. It gives questions along with the answers to make it a lot easier and less stressful. However it is best to go through this book on a slow and even level to allow yourself to reflect upon the answers. It defines terms (i.e. canon law, the nicene/apostolic creeds, the resurrection,original sin etc.) in a very short yet concise fashion.It is a very good way to get a firm grasp on the Catechism. I realize that I really didn't know enough about the faith to answer questions from people who were interested in Catholicism. If a person was condemning the Church I didn't know enough to defend it on a calm, objective and informative manner. This book is allowing me all of that.This book is the laymans option to a degree in theology. I will be reading this a second time and this time I will try to come up with my own added answers to some of these questions. This is a must have for evangelizing in this Year of Faith. I am doing this alone but I think working in a group would be a much better alternative.

The Compendium of Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent "condensation" (the right word to use escapes me now)of the Catechism. It's written in clear, easy-to-understand English without sounding pedestrian. It's in question and answer format but still following the CCC outline. It is not a substitute however for the CCC which might take much longer to read. But if you want a quick and easy reference to answer your own or others's questions, this is very helpful lest you want to lose the opportunity for some "apostolate" work. It took me less than three days to leisurely read the whole book. And now using it as quick reference as I read the CCC at the same time.I have been impressed with the way Pope Benedict XVI writes. I suspect, much of the content of this book, reflect his personal style of writing. After all, he (as Cardinal Ratzinger) presided over the ICC that prepared the Compendium. The copy I have is the one printed by the USCCB. The texts are clearly printed and very legible. The choices of the of the photos and annotations are excellent. Another great feature of this publication is the compilation of popular prayers and devotions in English and in Latin so you won't need to have a separate prayer book while studying this one.I would have given this copy 5 stars, but the binding broke apart after one reading. Although this could be a problem resulting from my country's climate.

I purchased the complete version of the Catholic Catechism from Amazon and wanted to supplement it with this concise version which is written in a Question-Answer format. (It might even remind one of the former Baltimore Catechism.) Bishop Fulton Sheen said that those who criticise the Catholic Church do not understand the truths of her teachings. I have found that to be accurate. Many people make false statements about our beliefs and theology. If they read the Catechism, they will know what we believe. It is true. It is good. Most of all, the teachings of the Catholic Church are from God with no distortions. Our church has not changed our doctrines for 2000 years. Our dogmas will stay in place because they are based on God's Word. This is an easy to follow book of the doctrines of the Church.

Bishop Donald Wuerl, past chairman and current member of the American bishops' Committee on Catechesis, had this to say about the Compendium, "[It] offers a concise yet complete presentation of the faith. It presents an overview of the whole Cathechism [of the Catholic Church] without going into all of the details that enrich the Catechism. Its primary focus is to provide ready access in a concise manner to the content of the faith."To the delight of seekers everywhere, the Compendium reintroduces new generations of Catholics to the reliable Q&A format. Twenty five years ago, Silvio Cardinal Oddi, the Prefect for the Sacred Congregation of the Clergy, defended this time-tested format from the attacks of members of supposedly "progressive" catechetical schools. He wisely observed that "specialists in internal medicine, engineering, and chemistry arm themselves with question and answer manuals to check themselves on recent developments in their respective fields." The good cardinal then addressed the progressive complaint directly:"Captious critics have objected that the Faith is not a series of answers to contrived questions but a way of life. The answer to this objection might well be another question: How can we live a Christian life until we first 'know the truth' (John 8:32)?"To that end, the Q&A format enables readers to commit the truths of the faith to memory. Indeed, "memorization" is one of the reasons Pope Benedict cites for issuing the Compendium. And thanks to its beautiful, crisp language, doing so can be a labor of love. Read the following excerpt from the section explaining the "Our Father":"596. What does 'Lead us not into temptation' mean?We ask God our Father not to leave us alone and in the power of temptation. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us know how to discern, on the one hand, between a trial that makes us grow in goodness and a temptation that leads to sin and death and, on the other hand, between being tempted and consenting to temptation. This petition unites us to Jesus who overcame temptation by his prayer. It requests the grace of vigilance and of final perseverance."For about the price of a movie ticket, and in a mere 200 pages, you can learn the path to salvation Christ entrusted to His Church. Bargains don't get any better.

I love how the squished the catechism. It is an easier read. I teach bible study and and to refer to each article one by one , we get lost, but this book summarizes each section. If we are unsure, it is so easy to refer back to the big book, but works well for studies most of the time.

Me parece mejor la versión en inglés que en español, en español las hojas son en blanco y negro

A concise edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Highly recommended for all Catholic Christians; a must for the home and family.

The booklet was purchased for my personal study and has accomplished my reason for making the purchase.

Excelente comprar si deseas conocer la doctrina católica

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic church should read along with the Holy Bible in every Catholic homes.

This book is the synthesis of the Catechism that is perfect for study for our Legion of Mary.It has wonderful explanations.

「普遍教会に今私が現したこのコンペンディウム（要約）は、信じられる、確かな、「カトリック教会のカテキズム」 Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism) のまとめとなっています。簡潔な形で、教会の信仰に関する根本的かつ基礎的な要素が全て含まれています。...年齢や国籍の違いを超えて、全ての教会共同体、キリスト信者に、三千年紀を迎える教会が、福音を説き、信仰教育に当たって新たな熱意を惹起するに相応しいものとして、私はこのコンペンディウムを全ての教会に、全てのキリスト者に託します」(教皇ヴェネディクト16世;本書裏表紙から)トリエント公会議のカテキズムはカトリックの最も重要なカテキズムであると枢機卿時代に語った教皇ヴェネディクト16世が編纂委員会責任者を務めた「カトリック教会のカテキズム」 Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism) の実用版。従来から愛されてきた「公教要理」と共に、このコンペンディウムも長く愛され続けていくに違いありません。日本語版が出ることを期待しつつ。 Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism)Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catechism)