A little bit on the family tree of the new Youth Catechism

I arrived home a few hours ago after a rather long and semi-exhausting day and am now trying to catch up on several hundred e-mails—mostly containing "Inspirational Monistic Moments from Deepak Chopra" and equally deep thoughts from the Oprah Book Club. I plan on posting a picture or three of our Alaskan adventures (tourist shops! crazed glaciers! Tim Staples' talks! Karl Keating quips!) very soon. We had a wonderful time on the Catholic Answers Apologetics Cruise, blessed as we were with incredibly great weather and equally great attendees.

In the meantime here is an excerpt from a recent National Catholic Register piece by Tim Drake about the new Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"YouCat combines sound catechesis and faith formation, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, with a youthful, dynamic and graphically appealing presentation," Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez wrote in a letter to his brother bishops about the catechism. "I hope that this book and related resources will become tools to assist you and your pastoral collaborators in promoting the New Evangelization and a deepened catechesis among young people."

It takes as its model the Catechism of Trent from 1566. Especially designed for young people, YouCat seeks to make the faith accessible by offering a contemporary explanation of the faith through questions and answers, along with illustrations and images, quotations from Scripture, the saints, and great teachers of the Church.

"What distinguishes YouCat is its being based directly on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, its international scope, its dynamic contemporary use of graphics and adapted language, and its direct support by so many in the hierarchy of the Church, not least of all Pope Benedict," said Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, described the catechism as "near and dear" to Pope Benedict XVI's heart. In fact, Pope Benedict wrote a foreword to it.

In it, Pope Benedict asks youth to "study the catechism with passion and perseverance."

Read the entire piece. Learn more about YOUCAT at www.YouCat.us.