These books are terrific. When I saw the first copy of Introduction to Catholicism I nearly cried it was so beautiful, like what I remember from my Catholic high school, and utterly unlike the slop and PC drivel that is put out by most publishers for high school religion classes. The Intro book is now our basic book for HS CCD, covered over a 2-year period.and I think we will start using it for adult RCIA. The only drawback is that it is not yet available in Spanish.
I also bought book 2 on moral theology, which expands on the second half of the first book on the commandments. This will be the basis of a moral theology course for post-confirmation students, and for adult education.
I am waiting for the next books in the series. I believe we are one of the first parishes to order in bulk and despite the cost relative to other RE materials, it is a great investment.
The content, organization, documentation, and references -CCC, scriptural and church documents are excellent. There is also a catechist guide in a binder and on CD. The quality of print, pictures, layout, hardcover format, and composition is very high. We expect to be able to use these for several years. (We also started buying hard-cover bibles when they go on sale because we have found that cheaper in the long run than cheap paperbacks).
I know a lot of people keep saying CCC should be the primary text for any class, but it was not intended to be used that way, and this series does an excellent job making Catholic teaching accessible to high school age learners.
My catechists love the book, and when I have more feedback on how it works in use in the classroom, I will report back to you.
On my pastor’s orders I also gave copies to the priest in charge of lay ministry formation for our diocese, who will also be using this series.
