USCCB committee publishes document on catechesis on the sacraments

October 08, 2012

In preparation for the Year of Faith, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis has published a 38-page document entitled “Sacramental Catechesis: An Online Resource for Dioceses and Eparchies.”

The committee is led by Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay.

“There is a growing tendency, especially among younger generations of baptized Catholics in the United States, for individuals to be wary of religious institutions and leaders associated with them and to favor a privatized spirituality not rooted in Divine Revelation or in a historic faith community.” the document states in its introduction.

“There appears to be some confusion among the faithful about what constitutes an active sacramental life,” the document continues. “Low levels of participation in weekly Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance, as well as by the reduced numbers of Baptisms and marriages being celebrated within the Church … Some of the faithful lament that their own catechetical formation has been inadequate.”

The document discusses secularism, relativism, and other challenges to catechesis and offers principles for doctrinally and pastorally sound catechesis for each of the seven sacraments.

 

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Further information:

• Sacramental Catechesis: An Online Resource for Dioceses and Eparchies (USCCB)
• Bishop Ricken Calls For Greater Understanding Of The Sacraments In The Year Of Faith, Offers USCCB Resource (USCCB)