Word of the Day: Baltimore Catechism

BALTIMORE CATECHISM. Originally the "Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Prepared and Enjoined by Order of the Third Council of Baltimore." It was the Plenary Council of 1884 that authorized this manual, first published in 1885, after a committee of six bishops were entrusted with the composition. The question of a uniform textbook of Catholic doctrine had been considered by the American hierarchy since their First Provincial Council in 1829, but it took fifty years to see the project to completion. After the catechism was issued, various editions were published, with word meanings, explanatory notes, and even different arrangements, so that in a few decades there was great diversity in the books that were called the Baltimore Catechism.

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Over the years four separate Baltimore Catechisms were issued. They were:

Volume 1 An edited version of the Catechism as enjoined by the Plenary Council, the 33 lessons contained in Baltimore Catechism No. 1 present the basics of the Catholic faith in a manner suitable for first communicants through fifth graders.

Volume 2 The 37 lessons contained in Baltimore Catechism No. 2 present the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith in a manner suitable for sixth through ninth graders and those preparing for Confirmation.

Volume 3 The 37 lessons contained in Baltimore Catechism No. 3 are intended for students who have received their Confirmation and/or high schoolers. It includes additional questions, definitions, examples, and applications that build upon the content of the original Baltimore Catechism (No. 2).

Volume 4 An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism can be used as a reference work, or as a teacher's manual for the original Baltimore Catechisms. It is often used as an advanced textbook. Its explanations of many little known questions pertaining to the Catholic Faith are designed to reward the questioning reader.