When I was a child, our family had a collection of the World Book Encyclopedia. I turned to those books for edification, not for leisurely reading. Yet, I was drawn to the accessible information and, more importantly, the accompanying pictures. The images brought dense or intricate subjects to life, thus engaging more of my mind and heart.
Like those encyclopedias, the Catechism is often used for reference, but it is seldom read for long periods of time. When our children were young, we often pulled our copy of that chunky paperback off the shelf for everything from curiosity, to school assignments, to answering difficult questions. Despite the beautiful writing, it was not a book we lingered with, past obtaining the information we sought.
This “lingerability” drives the work of Kassie Manning and Christie Peters, co-founders of Every Sacred Sunday, whose mission is “to invite each person into a deeper relationship with Christ by the beauty of the Catholic Church.” They do this by creating “beautiful and thoughtful resources focused on scripture, prayer and the liturgical year.”
Kassie and Christie found the Catechism deeply impactful. Christie explains, “We were inspired by the words from the CCC, ‘Truth is beautiful in itself’ and a desire to make the Church’s beautiful teachings more accessible. Beauty awakens our hearts and moves us deeper into adoration, wonder, and worship.”
The two former college roommates-turned-entrepreneurs embarked on a five-year creative journey that produced a new edition of the CCC, crafted to be the center of the home and an heirloom due great reverence. At the creative heart of this idea is the desire to change the reader’s perception of the Catechism from reference book to story.
In 1985, Pope St. John Paul II commissioned a group led by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to write a new Catechism to deepen understanding of the Faith. Published in 1994, it has been a primary resource for millions of Catholics ever since.
“We wanted to create an edition that would draw people into the text and invite them to engage both their intellect and heart with the words and images inside,” says Christie. “Each image wasn’t intended to perfectly match up with the corresponding text. Rather, the photos were sequenced to tell a story, leaving space for interpretation and reflection.”
Having a carefully crafted, beautiful catechism in a central location in the home provides a natural opportunity to learn reverence. When that learning is done as a family, a deeper level of association is created, giving time spent together a quality akin to family liturgy in the Domestic Church.
Christie notes that each family approaches the Catechism differently. This edition is meant to give them another way to explore the text. “A great way to read the Catechism can be going back and forth between your Bible and the Catechism to dive deeper into specific topics,” she says. You can do this at a pace that is comfortable for your family.
There will be as many ways of using this Catechism as there are domestic churches that house them. All of them can foster appreciation for truth and beauty, as well as reverence for the Church’s teachings.
Through excellent photography, design, and layout, this edition of the Catechism helps readers understand they are not merely using a reference text, but holding a summation of 2,000 years of Church teaching and wisdom in their hands. As Catholics learn and grow closer to Christ and His Church through the gift of this USCCB-approved Catechism, its beauty will bear fruit for generations to come.
Check Out This New Catechism HERE!
