Why don't we use the Baltimore Catechism anymore?

[Seeker1961]

Not sure if this is the right place for this question so moderator please move if so warranted.

Why did schools stop using the Baltimore Catechism? My school was very traditional and we used it well into the 1970’s even though others in the diocese were changing to other religion texts. Our Pastor felt “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” so he just let it remain. It wasn’t until he left that the school changed texts, and I was in HS.

I know that my religious education was FAR superior to that of my friends in other schools and others my age. I also feel it was superior to what the children are getting now.

 

[thistle]

Not sure if this is the right place for this question so moderator please move if so warranted.

Why did schools stop using the Baltimore Catechism? My school was very traditional and we used it well into the 1970’s even though others in the diocese were changing to other religion texts. Our Pastor felt “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” so he just let it remain. It wasn’t until he left that the school changed texts, and I was in HS.

I know that my religious education was FAR superior to that of my friends in other schools and others my age. I also feel it was superior to what the children are getting now.

I assume you are talking about the USA?

 

[Seeker1961]

I assume you are talking about the USA?

Is it used in other countries? I do live in the USA so that is my experience.

 

[Indyann]

In my opinion, the Baltimore Catechism taught students how to memorize, but not how to apply what they had learned.

I used the Baltimore C. until high school. The good nuns rarely discussed the hows and whys of Church teaching. I memorized the book, but didn’t know what it meant to live as a Catholic. I just knew the facts.

 

[Lormar]

In my opinion, the Baltimore Catechism taught students how to memorize, but not how to apply what they had learned.

I used the Baltimore C. until high school. The good nuns rarely discussed the hows and whys of Church teaching. I memorized the book, but didn’t know what it meant to live as a Catholic. I just knew the facts.

That was my experience too. The only thing I came away with was a horror for mortal sin and the fear of going to hell. In my archdiocese, we used the Baltimore Catechism until 1967 or 1968.

 

[Seeker1961]

In my opinion, the Baltimore Catechism taught students how to memorize, but not how to apply what they had learned.

I used the Baltimore C. until high school. The good nuns rarely discussed the hows and whys of Church teaching. I memorized the book, but didn’t know what it meant to live as a Catholic. I just knew the facts.

I have heard that before, but I have never really understood how you could know the facts but not know how to apply them. We studied theology on a deeper level in high school but without the foundational facts, I don’t think I would have understood the deeper theology. I know some of the kids from schools that didn’t use the BC had a tougher time.

It’s kind of like the times tables. You can do algebra without having memorized the times tables, but knowing them makes it a whole lot easier.

 

[Indyann]

That was my experience too. The only thing I came away with was a horror for mortal sin and the fear of going to hell. In my archdiocese, we used the Baltimore Catechism until 1967 or 1968.

Same here. And I am quite scrupulous till this day. I don’t know if that learning fueled it or if scrupulosity is just in my nature.

 

[Lormar]

Same here. And I am quite scrupulous till this day. I don’t know if that learning fueled it or if scrupulosity is just in my nature.

Indyann, it must have been the training, because I suffer from scruples too! I remember this mental image as a young girl of God the Father standing at this lectern with a huge book on it and a big quill pen in His hand writing down all of my sins.

Let’s pray for each other.

 

[Indyann]

I have heard that before, but I have never really understood how you could know the facts but not know how to apply them. We studied theology on a deeper level in high school but without the foundational facts, I don’t think I would have understood the deeper theology. I know some of the kids from schools that didn’t use the BC had a tougher time.

It’s kind of like the times tables. You can do algebra without having memorized the times tables, but knowing them makes it a whole lot easier.

So what about the folks that were not fortunate enough to attend Catholic high school?

If they only knew the 10 Commandments, but did not know why certain things were sins, do you think they were prepared to live as a Catholic?

 

[Indyann]

Indyann, it must have been the training, because I suffer from scruples too! I remember this mental image as a young girl of God the Father standing at this lectern with a huge book on it and a big quill pen in His hand writing down all of my sins.

Let’s pray for each other.

I used to picture all my non-Catholic relatives burning in hell.

My person with the quill pen was at the gates of heaven. And my name could not be found in the “book of life”.

Agreed, I will pray for you also.

 

[Seeker1961]

Indyann, it must have been the training, because I suffer from scruples too! I remember this mental image as a young girl of God the Father standing at this lectern with a huge book on it and a big quill pen in His hand writing down all of my sins.

Let’s pray for each other.

And yet, I do not and I was taught from the same book.

As for the 10 Commandments, does anyone really need a detailed explanation why murder, adultery and theft are sins? Does anyone really need to be told why we must not have other gods or why the Sabbath is holy?

 

[Seeker1961]

My real concern is that we have generations of Catholics that seem to know very little about the faith. It seems pretty obvious that what we are doing isn’t working.

I truly believe that it was my religious education that brought me back to the Church. That strong foundation sticks with you no matter what happens in life

 

[Indyann]

My real concern is that we have generations of Catholics that seem to know very little about the faith. It seems pretty obvious that what we are doing isn’t working.

I truly believe that it was my religious education that brought me back to the Church. That strong foundation sticks with you no matter what happens in life

I agree that the Baltimore stays with you forever, but it was not until high school that I knew anything at all about the Bible. I didn’t know that the prayers said at Mass were mostly scriptural. I didn’t even own a Bible, and never once read it until high school.

No wonder Protestants thought we didn’t believe in the Bible.

 

[Seeker1961]

I agree that the Baltimore stays with you forever, but it was not until high school that I knew anything at all about the Bible. I didn’t know that the prayers said at Mass were mostly scriptural. I didn’t even own a Bible, and never once read it until high school.

No wonder Protestants thought we didn’t believe in the Bible.

We got our Bibles in 4th grade. On Fridays we went over the readings for that Sunday’s Mass.

 

[buffalo]

Baltimore Catechism was great. Yeah, indeed I memorized it and it served me well throughout my life.

Some schools are returning to it.

 

[Indyann]

My real concern is that we have generations of Catholics that seem to know very little about the faith. It seems pretty obvious that what we are doing isn’t working.

I truly believe that it was my religious education that brought me back to the Church. That strong foundation sticks with you no matter what happens in life

I agree what we are doing now is not working. I think part of the problem is that it is so expensive now to send children to Catholic schools. And then a lot of parents are not catechizing their children. It is not stressed enough that parents are the primary teachers of the faith.

Nor was it stressed enough back in the 70’s and 80’s. I sent my children to Catholic school and expected them to be taught the faith. That did not happen and now none of my children are practicing Catholics. I bear part of the blame.

 

[clem456]

My real concern is that we have generations of Catholics that seem to know very little about the faith. It seems pretty obvious that what we are doing isn’t working.

I truly believe that it was my religious education that brought me back to the Church. That strong foundation sticks with you no matter what happens in life

My children attended the same Catholic K-12 I attended. What the teachers are doing now works better than in the past. We had the Baltimore Catechism. We memorized the very basics of the Catholic Faith, but not with any spiritual depth. IMO, the catechesis was poor. At last count, out of a graduating class of 82, perhaps 5 or 6 stuck with Catholicism. Dreadful.

My kids on the other hand learned the faith and were challenged to live it. My kids graduated in the 2000’s and are further along in their faith journey than I was at age 35. They are encouraged to admit their doubts and ask questions. Their faith is tested more thoroughly than through mere memorization. If it is not tested and challenged in school, the world will test it surely. They should be ready. Memorization will not get it.

 

[YoungTradCath]

As with so many things after Vatican II, I think it was simply sucked up into the whirlwind of the times. Correct me if I’m wrong, people, but I think it was a combination of:

1. An abnormal obsession with change. Everything from the past, no matter its merits, history and tradition was automatically suspicious, at least at the level of Church intelligentsia. This feeling was fueled from a combination of euphoria (“exciting” times) and a sense of duty to “do what the Council wants us to do” (even though that is completely erroneous in this case).
2. An expectation of a new catechism and/or catechetical system.
3. Growing secularism.

Neither of the first two are an excuse; truly, our catechetical situation is an abomination and we have no one to blame but ourselves. The third was not nearly as bad as it is now, but it was still there of course.

The question now is to step back and chart a new course, and do it quickly. We already have a near universal admission of our catechetical catastrophe, so I’m sitting here -]making popcorn/-] aging wine waiting for the next step to be undertaken.

 

[clem456]

BTW, we have a great catechism right now.

In every age we are tempted to believe the state of the Church is the worst. Don’t fall for it. There are tremendous catechists at work right now. I do not ever remember getting such good teaching in the past. Fr Barron, JP2, Pope Benedict, our bishops. Tthe teachers at our high school, who are very orthodox and real Christians living the faith also. Our pastoral associate who does all the baptism and confirmation and adult ed classes… An unbelievable witness to the faith. There are also some bad catechists I suppose. There have always been good and bad. We are not called to dwell on the bad.

 

[Corki]

Baltimore Catechism was great. Yeah, indeed I memorized it and it served me well throughout my life.

Some schools are returning to it.

We use it for some of our CCE classes, especially in the younger grades. Kids of a certain age learn particularly well by memorization. It’s not a stand alone text for us; we combine it with another text or with a Bible study, depending on the grade.