History of Catechetical Accompaniment

Historical overview of the work of the Subcommittee on the Catechism

Early Beginnings

1992-2005

1992

In light of the impending publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the bishops of the United States established an Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Implementation of the Catechism in the United States. The mandate of the ad hoc committee was twofold: to prepare for the reception of the CCC in the United States and to assist the bishops of the United States in planning its implementation in their (arch)dioceses.

1994

After two years of successful efforts to provide a positive reception for the CCC, the bishops refocused the ad hoc committee and renamed it to the Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism. The committee was given responsibility of overseeing citations from and general use of the CCC, and it was charged with advising the bishops about events and matters related to the CCC. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein was appointed as the first chairman of the ad hoc committee.

1995

The ad hoc committee was tasked in 1995 with reviewing catechetical resources voluntarily submitted by publishers and to supervise the copyright use for the CCC in the United States. This same year the committee began developing a "Protocol" for evaluating the conformity of catechetical texts to the CCC. The president of the episcopal conference invited the ad hoc committee to consider developing a process for translating the CCC into English from the forthcoming editio typica. 

1997

The ad hoc committee published its first set of protocols in 1997, the Doctrinal Elements for Elementary Grades Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This working instrument was meant to guide bishops, diocesan directors of religious education, and publishers on the development of catechetical texts that conformed to the teachings of the Church as presented in the CCC. This instrument did not include instructions on pedagogy, inculturation of the language, or behavioral and formation goals. It also did not include instructions on age-appropriate language, specific and cultural examples, or concrete applications. These elements were left to the publishers to discern. Any catechetical concerns apart from the use of the Catechism and the conformity review process were overseen by the Committee on Education.

1999

The Conference established a task force of bishops to discern the feasibility and prudence of developing a national adult catechism. This task force was to prepare an outline, while the Catechism Committee would solicit feedback on the proposal for an adult catechism from the bishops of the United States.

2002

In 2002, recognizing the questions and concerns facing catechesis in the United States, the USCCB established the Committee on Catechesis to respond to the needs of the broader catechetical landscape of this country. The Committee on Catechesis published the National Directory for Catechesis in 2005 and the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults in 2006.

 

Continuing Development of the Conformity Review Process

2006-2015

2006

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is published in March. At the November plenary assembly, the bishops voted to restructure the USCCB. The Committee on Catechesis was joined with the Committee on Evangelization to form the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, served by the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis. The Ad Hoc Committee on the Catechism became the Subcommittee on the Catechism, under the direction of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.

2007

At the November plenary assembly, the bishops approved the publication of the Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age. The Doctrinal Elements provided a course sequence and structure for high school students, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

2011

The Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis charged the Subcommittee on the Catechism with ensuring that texts submitted for catechetical review followed the framework of the Doctrinal Elements. Future publications for high school catechetical materials would need to adhere to one of the six core or five elective courses as set forth by the Doctrinal Elements in order to receive a declaration of conformity from the Subcommittee on the Catechism.

2013

In 2013, the Subcommittee introduced the Sacramental Preparation Protocols to guide publishers developing texts for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation.

 

Conformity Review to Catechetical Accompaniment

2016-Present

2015

The Subcommittee on the Catechism began to receive requests for texts deemed in Conformity with the Catechism to be translated into Spanish. Bishop Caggiano, as chairman of the Subcommittee and in recognition of the changing landscape of catechesis, piloted a new program for reviewing texts that entrusted the work to reviewers approved and supervised by the Subcommittee. The changing landscape of catechesis could be divided into four categories of changes:

  1. The increase in the number of texts and series needing review, which was quickly reaching untenable levels.
  2. The need for materials in Spanish and other languages, with inculturated text and in service to the communities who would use them.
  3. The desire for texts that were better adapted to local situations or texts that were developed for a specific diocese/region ("micro publishing").
  4. The rise in use of digital materials and materials in non-print format.

Archived Letters to Catechetical Publishers

The Subcommittee on the Catechism continues to review and refine its ongoing work with Catholic publishers and to examine the effectiveness of catechetical materials. In the course of the Subcommittee's work, the bishops identified ongoing catechetical needs, as well as several recurring theological errors that were brought before it.

Between 2011 and 2016, the subcommittee bishops composed six letters to publishers on what texts would be eligible for review and on difficult theological ideas and ecclesial terms.

Since their publication, these letters have been succeeded by the Handbook on the Catechetical Accompaniment Process—first published in 2024—which functions as a central guide for the work of the Subcommittee's Institute on the Catechism. Much of the content from these letters was incorporated into the Handbook, though the Subcommittee continues to refine its work in response to ongoing catechetical needs. Publishers should refer to the Handbook for any questions about the Catechetical Accompaniment Process, though these letters are included here for reference.