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Catechism of the Catholic Church
 How to Use
the USCCB Online Catechism
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a very lengthy document, so the USCCB online version is divided into chapter files to allow for faster download time on your computer. We have developed three ways for you to find what you're looking for: (1) consulting the complete table of contents, (2) taking the Catechism one part at a time, or (3) using the "Search" function on the USCCB website.
Complete Table of Contents
If you would like to review the entire table of contents at once, click on "View the Complete Table of Contents" on the Catechism homepage. The entire table will appear on your screen, and from there, simply click on the chapter that you would like to view.
Four Parts Plus Additional Materials
If you would rather not scroll down through the entire table of contents, we have divided the Catechism into its four main parts. To use this method, click on one of the four parts on the Catechism homepage. That will take you to a partial table of contents—including two sections, each of which has several chapters. From there, simply click on the chapter that you would like to view.
Besides the four main parts, the Catechism also includes an apostolic letter, an apostolic constitution, a prologue, an index of citations, an analytical index, a list of abbreviations, and a glossary of terms. Each of these may be accessed directly from the Catechism homepage, as well as from the complete table of contents.
Search for Terms
To find paragraphs in the online Catechism that address particular terms, use the "Search" feature on the USCCB homepage. Click only on the box marked "Catechism of the Catholic Church" to limit your search to the Catechism. Click the other boxes if you would like to see other USCCB website texts that deal with those terms.
Footnotes
In the USCCB online Catechism, the footnotes appear at the end of each chapter, and they are linked. If you would like to see a note, simply click on the superscript numeral and you will jump to the respective note.
Cross-References
Most paragraphs in the Catechism have cross-references to other paragraphs elsewhere in the Catechism. In the online version, these paragraphs will be linked but not until after the entire Catechism is posted. Simply click on any paragraph number that appears in color, and a small box will pop up, displaying the paragraph numbers of the cross-references. If you would like to review the cross-referenced paragraphs, simple click on the numbers in the small box and you will jump to the corresponding text. To get back to where you were, use the "Back" button on your Internet browser (or a similar method).
Font Size
Please note that the font size of the online Catechism is adjustable via your Internet browser controls. For Microsoft Internet Explorer, click on "view" and then "text size." For Netscape Navigator, click on "view" and then "increase font" or "decrease font."
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