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It is important to find and teach the Catholic Ten Commandments
since they are well taught very early in a good Catholic catechism and are half the foundation of any catechism alongside the Apostles' Creed. It is important to use the best Catholic answers because it is against them that we base so many moral decisions in life, and it is upon them that we succeed in going to Heaven. They are also the standard by which to recognize Catholic books.
The reason
St. Anne's Audio Catechism and Catechism Copybook
chose these particular questions and answers is that we want our children to go to Heaven by the straight and certain route without the searching that is so popular (or necessary) today.
We also want to help many souls find these Catholic answers because the more good Catholics that are formed by the basic Catholic beliefs, the easier it will be for us to be good Catholics ourselves and thereby go to Heaven, too.
What follows is an explanation of St. Anne's inclusions in the First Holy Communion CD Audio Catechism Helper. Each answer has its source in the indicated catechism. Each has its Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, yet most of them come from the Our Holy Faith series' Book 2, Jesus Comes, as published by Neumann Press. Each has its Imprimatur (This does not mean that we can endorse all of the books from this or any other series, especially in their many reproductions, it would be impossible to keep up with the variations and revisions! Yet we have found that Neumann Press and TAN Books both have made a grand effort to produce the best. May God preserve them and reward them well.)
The following numbers correspond to the numbers of St. Anne's Helper Audio Catechism, its reprintable text, and St. Anne's Helper Catechism Copybook with Printable Workshets for First Communion and Holy Eucarist. Our Confirmation recommendations are below these.
1. Who made you? God made me.
This answer can be found in both Jesus Comes as sold by Neumann Press and in other versions of the Baltimore Catechism.It has been mentioned that “Who made the world?” leaves a path open to elements of evolution and removes the directly personal effect of creation from the child’s experience. If taught as the 1885 Baltimore Catechism teaches and as the Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches, it must also be explicitly explained that the word "world" in this instance means that God created everything visible and invisible which is answered already with "God made all things." The meaning should be taught to express the same idea. See this explanation in the Catechism of the Council of Trent found at TAN Books (in its online version here - no guarantees precisely because this format is manipulable). Answering "God made us." doesn't explicitly teach the truth that God personally creates each human soul as compared to answereing "God made me." Be sure to explain the more Catholic answer since it is more precise and definitive.
At the moment a child realizes that "God made me." he realizes that it is a comfort and an honor to know that God personally made him, and made him the way God loves him. The little child asks "Oh, really? He made ME?" It is a joy to be able to respond "Yes, and He loves you just the way He made you!"
Adults who were not taught this Catholic answer find the same consolation at this revelation. The most important time to be certain of it is during one's last hours. "Yes, He loves me. He made me the way He loves me."
This answer is the personal answer necessary when one is trying to weigh the argument of "Thou shalt not kill." against the errors of pro-"choice" enemies of life. Pro-"choice" proponents do not allow the true element of choice as manifest by their falsely naming the truth "anti-abortion". This is a tactic to make the true choice to be pro-life look bad: a dishonest name game.
2. Who is God? God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all things.
Instead of using the term “Supreme Being”, a comparison with Our Holy Faith series book 2, Jesus Comes, finds “Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all things” which concurs with the Apostle’s Creed, the Catechism of the Council of Trent and the Catechism in Pictures. Answering "God made us." doesn't explicitly teach the truth that God personally creates each human soul as compared to answering "God made me." Be sure to explain the more Catholic answer since it is more precise and definitive.At the moment a child realizes that "God made me." he realizes that it is a comfort and an honor to know that God personally made him, and made him the way God loves him. The little child asks "Oh, really? He made ME?" It is a joy to be able to respond "Yes, and He loves you just the way He made you!"
Adults who were not taught this Catholic answer find the same consolation at this revelation. The most important time to be certain of it is during one's last hours. "Yes, He loves me. He made me the way He loves me."
"God is the Supreme Being" is a true answer, yet it is not as indicative as "God is the Creator". Yes, God is the Supreme Being, yet this can be infered from the answer that teaches that God created Heaven and earth and all things. The inverse is not true. Older books use the more accurate term Absolute Being which answers "What is God?"
Including the answer "God is the Creator, etc." in a catechism anchors the child's faith that God the Father created all things from nothing and explicitly teaches this truth.
It may not explain all that God "IS" (neither does the term Supreme Being), but it certainly does indicate Who He is! He is the One Who did the Creating! Some books omit this question . Yet look at what has been removed, though! Creator and Heaven!
The book The Church Teaches (TAN Books) says on page 141 "Further, the true concept of creation excludes every form of emanationism and pantheism, while it emphasizes the liberality, power, wisdom and goodness of God, manifested by his free creation of the world in time. These truths are the cornerstones on which men can build lives of Christian optimism and personal responsibility. For that reason the Church has always insisted on them as basic to the revealed religion entrusted to it by God." It is so great to be certain that these basics are being taught for First Communion!
In very high level books we have seen the term Absolute Being. Another term "Architect of the Universe" (Sheed and Ward) is nearly a Masonic term and "Supreme Being" was used by Robespierre (To Quell The Terror, Carmelite book) during the Reign of Terror.
The oldest book we have found that uses the term Supreme Being was "revised" in 1921 and at least it does not use the term in a misleading way. Of course God is the Supreme Being, but Catholic answers are precise and definitive, especially for a beginner's catechism and for purpose of identification. It is an error to expand a term away from the simple truth. See the forward in The Church Teaches. These terms began to be used by Sheed and Ward and the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine (CCD) during the 1930s and 1940s.
3. Why did God make you? God made me to show His goodness and to make me happy with Him in Heaven.
A comparison of texts shows that this version (Our Holy Faith Vol. 2, Jesus Comes, and many others) is a complete Catholic answer without the grandiose verbiage that does not add any meaning as found in other versions of the Baltimore Catechism: "God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in Heaven.”This second version also removes God’s personal contact with the singular “me” the effect of which is explained for question number one above. Some of the older catechisms combine question number 3 and 4 "God made me to know, love and serve Him in this world." to good purpose. It is certainly more precise. Be sure to teach answer number 4 of St. Anne's First Communion Catechism if you are not using all of the questions and answers in your program.
We have heard sermons that defend both ways in that the one answer is in the order of intention and the other is realized in the order of activity. Neither opposes truth.
22. Excision
Our Holy Faith has the phrase “to do” added to the Ten Commandments tells and forbids questions. For over eighteen years St. Anne's has seen children who stumble in answering “to do to adore God”… By omitting “to do” in the question seems to make the child’s response easier without changing the meaning of the Catholic answer. This is the one liberty taken in St. Anne's First Communion Catechism text.39. What is a sacrament? A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Jesus Christ to give grace.
This question and others did not have Our Lord’s name in it in some versions. Since a main error in vogue today is to speak of a christ without him being Jesus Christ, St. Anne's Audio Catechism has used the answer found in Deharbe's Small Catechism (Christian Book Club of America), which specified the name Jesus. It seems to introduce Him well or to further specify Jesus as the Christ.
St. Anne's Audio Catechism has been taught by good priests and sisters who made a point of this being the more Catholic answer in sermon and in class. See Deharbe’s Small Catechism available through Christian Book Club of America for this inclusion of Jesus' name, Imprimatur and Nihil obstat as well.
41. What is Baptism? Baptism is the sacrament which cleanses us from Original Sin, makes us Christians, children of God and heirs of Heaven.
Here, St. Anne's chose the version that names Original Sin and what benefits Baptism gains for us as found in the 1891 Baltimore Catechism.The very purpose of Baptism (washing away Original Sin) is sometimes omitted in other versions.
At other times the question is reworded in a manner that can suggest that the Catholic answer is a subjective one: "What does Baptism do for YOU?" Imagine the subjective answers that could be had for this question (Aunts and Uncles, parties, gifts)! In past times it might not have been necessary to mention "washing away Original Sin", yet today's environment requires a surer answer as provided in the Baltimore Catechism.
The Catholic answer is precise and concise.
48. What happens to those who die in mortal sin? Those who die in mortal sin are punished forever in the fires of Hell.
Some catechisms omit teaching the consequences of Mortal sin, as found in the New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism, which teaches the idea of Hell, avoiding which is the whole reason for doing all these other works! It is a solemn moment when a child realizes that many other people are burning in Hell. Add this omission to the omissions sited above and find Creation, Heaven and now Hell omitted! These are all maintained at St. Anne's Helper. We are edified that the New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism included this question and answer.Our favorite recommendation for a child or adult Catholic catechism is The Catechism in Pictures as printed in India. We pray that they only correct typographical errors when they republish it. Even with many typos it teaches the Faith better than any book we have seen. There's no mistaking Hell or sin in this book. We hope that they do not change their very Catholic answers, the pictures alone teach so much! The publisher says that it should be available in August 2009. May God guide and preserve them.
Mortal Sin And Venial Sin
The version used at St. Anne's Helper is the version for younger students, yet it will stand for a life time of good Confessions.53. What is confession? Confession is the telling of my sins to a priest to have them forgiven.
This version; “to have them forgiven” (Jesus Comes) is a more plain, active, and certain Catholic answer than “to obtain forgiveness” as found in other versions.54. What must you do to receive the sacrament of Penance worthily? (Which see.)
Again, this version can be found in Jesus Comes, as well as several versions of the Baltimore Catechism, and seems to be the more Catholic answer. It uses the singular number in its answers which is a great defense against "corporate conscience" type errors of this last century. Catholic confession is a singular event."We" don't have "a" conscience.
Some catechism questions can be answered well in the possessive plural although this is one Catholic answer that should not, especially for children who are preparing for their first Confession. Parish priests warn parishioners not to confess the sins of others!
A Consideration On The Resurrection and Ascension:
The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism is the best one of the NSJ series. It has the fewest tricky places to beware.There are other places in it, though, that are more serious. At the bottom of page 33 and page 49 it seems that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead! Without a contorted explanation that everytime one of the Blessed Trinity acts all three act in union, it seems that it denies that Jesus rose from the dead by His own omnipotent power! This truth is certainly omitted. The Catechism of the Council of Trent and an out of print book, The Catechism in Pictures, say that Jesus, Himself, reunited his Body and Soul by His own omnipotent power. Seton's rewritten Kindergarten Catechism for Young Children removes the misperception and many others.
The Catechism of the Council of Trent says, "By the word Resurrection, however, we are not merely to understand that Christ was raised from the dead, which happened to many others, but that He rose by His own power and virtue a singular prerogative peculiar to Him alone.... We sometimes, it is true, read in Scripture that He was raised by the Father; but this refers to Him as man, just as those passages on the other hand, which say that He rose by His own power relate to Him as God."
The NSJ Baltimore Catechism No. 2 and No. 3 repeat this line and No. 3 expands the thought to include the Ascension! A careless reading of these and/or not explicitly teaching precisely what the Apostles' Creed teaches "the third day He arose again from the dead" might leave out the pivotal proof of our Faith: that the Resurrection proves that He is God.
We have three publications of the NSJ First Communion Catechism. How do we tell? They each have beautiful artwork progressively removed from pages 48, 54-59, and who knows by now. Not one iota is changed on the inside front cover about any changes! One would be lead to believe that they were the same publications, but they are not.
Catholic Confirmation Audio Catechism
What follows is our preparation for Confirmation recommendations and our explanation of St. Anne's Helper Confirmation Catechism. The first 49 of 76 questions are in exactly in the same order as the Preparation for Confirmation Baltimore Catechism as sold at Aquinas and More Catholic books and Catholic Gifts. The rest of the questions are from the many publications' suggestion to memorize the asterisked questions. Most of the questions are exactly the same and concur with the edition published by Tan Books.
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The Confirmation Audio Helper CD uses the Baltimore Catechism as republished in many versions without discrepancy. All of the questions and answers were drawn from versions that concur with each other.
St. Anne's Confirmation Catechism has simply omitted the few answers that cast a doubt on the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation. This sort of doubt is not found in the Catechism of the Council of Trent. We included Msgr. Paul Glenn’s defense as found in his Apologetics in the text found on the Confirmation CD. Both of these books can be found at TAN Catholic book publishers.
We also used the question that asks for the definition of Confirmation "What IS Confirmation?", rather than the version that asks "What does Confirmation do for YOU?" which leaves room for a subjective answer.
Conclusion
St. Anne's Audio Catechism defends these questions and their Catholic answers. Each comes from a book that has its Imprimatur.We defer to the constant teaching of the Catholic Church in all things, especially the Catholic answers to the catechism. The books we have recommended have proven to be the clearest in teaching the basic Catholic beliefs that we can find. We hope that they serve you well and that you are able to support the good Catholic companies that we recommend, like Aquinas and More.
St. Anne's Helper First Communion and Confirmation Audio CDs and Catechism Copybooks were formed in our efforts to do our duty of state well as Religious Instructors in a parish, and as parents teaching the faith to our own children. These CDs are only distributed in the hopes that they will help religious, parents and other catechists in the performance of their duties of state.
Pope Saint Pius X urged Catholics to use the technologies available to help spread and keep the Faith. These Audio CDs, Downloads, and reproducible Copybooks are our effort to do so. We apologize for any mistakes and certainly for any doctrinal errors, yet we feel that an ordinary comparison of the texts will reveal that St. Anne's Audio Catechism Helper has a faithful representation of the “Baltimore Catechism” in its many versions. We defer to the authority and teaching of Holy Mother Church in all judgments made in the name of truth.
Pope Pius XI says "...The believer has an inalienable right to profess his faith and to revive it as it needs to be revived. Laws which stifle or make difficult the profession and the practice of this faith are in contradiction with natural law." (Encyclical "Mit brennender Sorge" March 14, 1937.)
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