A Pocket Catechism for Kids
Fr. Kriss. D. Stubna
Mike Aquilina
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Huntington, Indiana 46750
Nihil Obstat:
Reverend James Wehner, S.T.D.
Imprimatur:
Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General
Diocese of Pittsburgh
May 29, 2001
The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed. Scripture texts used in this work may be verbatim or paraphrased and are taken from the New American Bible With Revised New Testament, copyright © 1986, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., and from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965 and 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The text of this work is based on the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, for use in the United States of America, copyright © 1994 and 1997, United States Catholic Conference — Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Every reasonable effort has been made to determine copyright holders and to secure permissions as needed. If any copyrighted materials have been inadvertently used without proper credit being given in one manner or another, please notify Our Sunday Visitor in writing so that future editions may be corrected accordingly.
Copyright © 2001, 2017 by Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. All rights reserved.
With the exception of short excerpts for critical review, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher: Write: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750.
ISBN 978-1-68192-236-2 (Inventory No. T1935)
eISBN: 978-1-68192-291-1
LCCN: 2001-132450
Cover design by Monica Haneline
Interior design by Sherri L. Hoffman
Interior art reprinted from Clip Art for Year C, art by Steve Erspamer.
Copyright © 1994, Archdiocese of Chicago, Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 N. Hermitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
Printed in the United States of America
Dedicated to our parents, who taught us the Catholic Faith, sometimes using words.
Table of Contents
Part Two: Celebrating the Faith
How to Make an Examination of Conscience
The Church Calendar and the Saints
Thoughts on Christian Friendship
Note to Parents, Catechists, Teachers
In his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis writes, “In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples” (120). It is the privilege and responsibility of parents, as the first teachers of the faith, and all educators to form children for this task of sharing the Gospel as they follow Jesus.
As intentional disciples, we are called to share the faith, both in word and action, first in our own families, then in the parish and larger community, and in a particular way with the poor and marginalized. However, we cannot share a faith we do not know.
This short booklet is an important first step to helping children understand what it means to follow Christ as a member of His Church. They are already living the faith in certain ways as they grow up in a Catholic family and parish, but to live as intentional disciples, and to continue living the faith you are handing on to them, they will need to know why they do what they do. It is our hope that, by learning the principles of faith articulated in A Pocket Catechism for Kids, the children you are forming will begin to draw connections between the “what” and the “why” of their Catholic faith — laying the foundation for a life of discipleship.
May God richly bless you as you hand on the treasure of our Catholic faith to His children.
Dr. Joseph D. White
National Catechetical Consultant
Our Sunday Visitor
Preface
As we enter the Third Millennium of Grace, we are aware of the great hunger among many, especially our young people, for some meaning and direction in life which begin with an introduction to Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses the need to share, at every level of catechesis and in a variety of ways, the content of our Catholic Faith. This satisfying of the hunger for God begins with the spiritual food of our Faith, which is so well articulated in the Catechism. Father Kris Stubna and Mike Aquilina have taken the challenge and provide a rich source of spiritual nourishment in A Pocket Catechism for Kids.
Here we find in a concise and easily recognized and remembered fashion the essential elements of the Faith presented for young people. Most particularly attractive about A Pocket Catechism for Kids is the format of question and answer to the many inquiries that continually arise as people attempt to grow more deeply in their understanding of the Faith. Enriching the work is “A Treasury of Prayers” with its collection of beloved and well-used Catholic prayers.
As we move into the new millennium with its emphasis on evangelization — an outreach that includes sharing the Faith with so many of our young people — the