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Show The Question of a New Catechism One of the Matters Discussed at Recent Meeting of Arch-bishops Arch-bishops Views of Rev. A. P. Doyle of New York and Very Rev. D. Kiely of Salt Lake. f 41 ff i Catholic World Magazine.) At the recent meeting of the areh-I areh-I liii-lM'ps such vital questions as a uni-! 1 versa I catec hism and the status of the Creek Catholics were discussed. There vere a number of other topics dis- (UHsed, only to be rut aside for further '; consideration, or to be referred to the I holy see fT settlement as, for exam- pie, the difficulties arising from the in- j I teipictation of the Lenten dispensations, dispensa-tions, and the prohibition against the use f fish and llcsh at the same meal, j f iind the practice of celebrating patronal 1 feasts on the following Sunday. j The catechism question, however, re- I ' f erred to above, is of most serious im- i jiortaiicc It is admitted pretty gen-! gen-! rally. by those who have the care of insurtcing children, that the genera- tion that has grown up under the pres-I pres-I :-nt Baltimore catechism know less" of their religion than the previous generation. gen-eration. If this be true, it is a terrible indictment against the availability of i the present catechism. There is an- I other evil now menacing us, traceable i i to the inferior quality of the Baltimore catechism, and that is the mutiplicity ! of catechisms. Not being able to use 5 the present catechism, educators have : ! made catechisms of their own, so that V there are at least a dozen or more eat-n eat-n hisms clamoring for public recognition. recogni-tion. In the meantime the faith of the ! children is suffering. 'In the midst of I the vagaries of error it is needful that the minds of the children be gradually i and yet fully unfolded to the knowledge 1 ) of their religion. A good system of I catechetical instruction will be the most useful means to this desirable end. There is some talk of Rome itself preparing a universal catechism to be translated into all languages. Such a universal catechism would be of eminent em-inent service, and perhaps there is no better solution of the difficulty in this country. A universal catechism would possess many advantages. In all probability prob-ability it would be prepared by the most capable men that is, men who are not only theologians, but who have had years of training in the best methods meth-ods of imparting knowledge. Such a catechism, moreover, would be a bond of union between the various countries of the world. It would do more than any one other thing to perpetuate the unity of the faith. The marvel is, when one thinks of the advantages of a universal uni-versal catechism and remembers the wisdom of Rome, that this idea has not been put into effect before this. The Roman catechism did such service in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, centu-ries, but it is rather a hand-book of primary knowledge than a catechism, and it probably will be used as the basis of the universal catechism when the idea is made effective. What is wanted is a series of catechisms beginning begin-ning with the most elementary, and finally merging into the text books of theology that are used in the seminary, each succeeding but enlarging and developing de-veloping its predecessor. If this is done by capable men, with the sanction sanc-tion of Rome, It will be a great monument monu-ment of usefulness. It should be done quickly. It cannot be done too quickly to meet the needs of the church in this country'- A. P. DOYLE. |
