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Baltimore Catechism
Definitive Catholic Catechism

I can remember the first time I read one of the versions of the Baltimore Catechism. I wondered, "Where was this all of my life?!" I could have answered Sr. Mary Smartie Pants in tenth grade when she opened up the 4 month long classroom "debate" on abortion. I could have told her what my favorite teacher in college said, "Abortion is murder." I wrote those three words around the margin of my notes - several times! Now, you can find this catechism easily. You can even download it from the internet and read it on your Kindle reader or whatever ereaders you have.

Until my oldest was preparing for First Holy Communion, I hadn't known anyone that had had to memorize the Ten Commandments. I sure wished that I had known them before she started learning. I always had to have a copy of them in my hands before I dared try to say them with her. At least my folks had always said the family Rosary, so at least I knew the prayers well.

The old Baltimore Catechism was the basic catechism Catholic Church publishers used in the USA for decades. It spared the fluff. It was "originally issued by the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1885" (Inside jacket cover, Baltimore Catechism No. 2 , Tan Books). It uses more definitions than other popular catechisms. The numerical order of the questions originally followed throughout the series 0 being a First Communion Catechism and the others adding in more questions and answers as "levels" would require for those teaching children through school, as with the Baltimore Catechisma href="http://www.aquinasandmore.com/index.cfm/title/Baltimore-Catechism-No.-1/FuseAction/Store.ItemDetails/SKU/18994/" target="_blank">No. 1 , No. 2 , and No. 3. Adult converts or those Catholics wishing to relearn their catechism would only have to read one of either No. 3 or No. 4 ; yet throughout the years this was not uniformly maintained amongst the many publishers and Catholic home school programs who have republished it since then. There have even been improvements to such as the First Communion preparation as with the Jesus Comes, of the Our Holy Faith Vol. 2 series and the Kindergarten Religion for Young Catholics as sold at Seton Home Study School.

You can read our early catechism story to see how we've come up with the St. Anne's Helper Audio Baltimore Catechism (CD or Audio Book Download, and Catholic worksheets and Copybooks). They all use the questions most often asterisked to be memorized in most Catholic catechism versions for First Communion and Catholic Confirmation - a great help for adults as well as children!

BC No. 1	BC No. 2
BC No. 3	Scriptural References

Precise And Definitive Catholic Answers

Through the years, there were revisions to the answers, only a few of which were good. As above, the best book we have seen for a First Communion Catechism is Jesus Comes, re-published by (Neumann Press). We have seen that the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine (CCD) approved the version of several answers that had needed some precision, especially in light of the growing error of evolution and corporate guilt/confession in this last century. Questions such as "Who made the world?" was made more specific as "Who made you?" The question "Who is God?" is retained to teach that "God is the Creator of Heaven and earth and all things." This is a great help against the error of evolution that is so slippery in our time.

Seton Home Study School has a great defense of the Baltimore Catechism! Click here to see more descriptions of good Catholic answers in some of the different catechisms and more Red-Flags-Waving. ("Red-Flags-Waving" are a reference to the Golden Book "Tootle". Tootle learned to stop when he saw a red flag waving, an excellent turn on a phrase for us!)

Catechism of the Council of Trent

One can go blind sorting through the many variations that claim to be the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Not only do they not all concur with the Catechism of the Council of Trent, they do not even concur amongst themselves and need corrections through ensuing years.

This study is exhausting and makes it hard to find a Catholic catechism that can be trusted to teach the Catholic answers before you've bought a whole library of compromised books. How can you tell? Only by comparison, by using the principle of non-contradiction, and by using the Catholic principle of choosing the better thing.

This is why it is so important to have a good book that teaches the basic Catholic beliefs like The Catechism Explained because it is against these basic beliefs that we compare the moral decisions of everyday life. The gift of moral certitude is such a welcome relief in any age. How can one tell if he doesn't understand the basics correctly or can't discern a good book from a bad one?

God's Will

What is God's Will? What am I supposed to do in order to "know, love and serve God in order to be happy with Him in Heaven"? How do I know God's will for me personally, especially if I should not "interpret the Scriptures" to my own "perdition" as according to the book of St. Peter?

This is an easy answer once one knows the best Baltimore Catechism answers! We know Him, love Him and serve Him when we obey His Commandments, believe the Apostle's Creed, and obey the precepts of the Catholic Church. These ask us to obey our lawful superiors and practice the virtues. Certitude is as easy as this! This is how we know God's Will! (Practical Meditations)

Remember that God's Will is adorable and ours is not (usually). He honors obedience even to the point of miracles! Think of St. Vincent Ferrer who had been performing too many miracles for the peace of his religious community that his superior ordered him to stop. When he saw a man falling from a scaffolding full of bricks he stopped mid-miracle remembering that he wasn't supposed to work a miracle. He left the man suspended while he ran to ask permission of his superior. Of course, the superior said "Yes!"

A Catholic catechism teaches the Catholic answers succinctly with definitions. Instead of asking in a subjective manner: "What does Baptism do for YOU?" or "What does Confirmation do for YOU?" (These sacraments essentially do the same thing for YOU as they do for EVERYONE who is well disposed!) The Baltimore Catechism answers approved by the CCD in Jesus Comes answer "What IS Baptism?" and "What IS Confirmation?" "Who IS God?" "What IS the Holy Eucharist?" "What IS the Mass?" "What IS Communion?", etc. Before having used the book called Jesus Comes to teach our children we did not even know to make the distinctions! These distinctions are easy to learn, too.

From a plain understanding of the text, Jesus Comes (Neumann Press) seems to be the best and most concise Catholic book for teaching the basic Catholic beliefs for Confession and First Communion for children or adults! The Catholic answers are definitive. One can make conclusions from them.

Subjective answers cannot be easily universalized, yet objective answers can be related to the subject's own life at any time. Once one knows the definition he can think well independently of the searching that is so prevalent today. Truth is truth and always concurs with truth!St. Anne's Audio Catechism and Catechism Copybook sets teach the minimum knowledge necessary for First Communion and Catholic Confirmation with the best Catholic answers.

Certitude!

St. Anne's Audio Catechism and Catechism Copybook teach the Catholic answers to Creation, Heaven, Hell, sin, singular Confession, etc.

-The St. Anne's Helper Catholic Audio Books CDs (or Downloads ) have both the voice and the verbatim reproducible text files.

-The Catechism Copybooks teach the same information as the audio Baltimore Catechism on ruled lines for the student to copy.

-The First Communion Catechism Copybook is in manuscript and can be used as homeschool worksheets or bound.

-The Confirmation Catechism Copybook is in manuscript or cursive. Your choice.

-The copybooks also offer excellent penmanship practice!

-Spelling can be practiced while practicing handwriting..

-All of this on words that teach the basic Catholic beliefs that your student will use and understand for a lifetime!

Baltimore Catechism Audio Clips And Copybook Samples

St. Anne's Helper recommendations for learning the Baltimore Catholic Catechism with an audio book download, using Catholic ebooks that can be read on an Amazon Kindle reader or other ereaders, reading about Roman Catholic saints, and learning the Roman Catholic prayers are made with the hope that God will grant us many Catholic saints and that many will learn the Roman Catholic Prayers and sweet Catholic prayers for children! Please remember to pray for all of us and share with family and friends. You and yours are included in our daily Rosary.

St. Anne's Helper Audio Baltimore Catechism

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