YOUCAT - The Official Catechism of World Youth Day 2011

 Our Description

Due to some problems with some of the answers in this book we no longer carry it. Hopefully, the issues will be resolved in future versions.

YOUCAT is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is the official catechism for World Youth Day. Written for high-school age people and young adults, YOUCAT is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The popular format includes Questions-and-Answers, highly-readable commentary, margin pictures and illustrations, summary definitions of key terms, Bible citations, and quotes from the Saints and other great teachers. What's more, YOUCAT is keyed to the Catechism of the Catholic Faith, so people can go deeper. It explains:

What Catholics believe (doctrine)

How they celebrate the mysteries of the faith (sacraments)

How Catholics are to live (moral life)

How they should pray (prayer and spirituality)

The questions are direct and honest, even at times tough; the answers straightforward, relevant, and compelling. After the Bible, YOUCAT will likely become the "go-to" place for young people to learn the truth about the Catholic faith. Pope Benedict XVI wrote the foreword; Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the editor of YOUCAT and the Archbishop of Vienna, Austria, wrote the afterword. Lavishly Illustrated.

AVOID this catechism until revised...

Let me start off by saying that I had such high hopes for this catechism. Especially in light of Pope Benedict XVI's foreward which exhorts youth to "study this catechism". I can't say that I agree with our Holy Father's opinion here... and I wonder whether he read it or simply gave it a quick flip through. When I first received the catechism, I was excited and as I flipped through quickly I couldn't help but thinking that this was a great idea. Aim a catechism towards the younger generation to help catechize and get them interested in their Catholic faith. The format is appealing--it doesn't look like a lot t Full Review...

Has potential, but a bit lacking.

I'll start with this--I'm 15 years old. So going into the new YOUCAT, I was definitely excited. I had heard so many good things and there was a lot of publicity going up to the YOUCAT's release. 

Full Review...

Digestable format makes this Catechism ideal for educating youth and young adults!

I highly recommend the YouCat as a youth catechism.  After reading the entire letter written by Pope Benedict XVI to our youth, I can appreciate the scope of this endeavor. Reflecting on the immensity of this project, I find it hard to criticize this work.  There will always be things that people will be offended by, or may not think appropriate, but context is crucial to understanding this catechism.

Consider the fact that the average western catholic teen is immersed in a barrage of images and ideals that completely undermine his or her faith and human dignity.  Look around you at Mass, how many college age kids do you see attending on their own?  How many high-schoolers do you see attending church related functions of their own volition?

Unless you happen to be blessed by having an engaging youth program at your parish, I can guess the answer would be less than s Full Review...

Great catechism for the teen or young adult in your life.

A few months ago a fresh catechism geared to teens and young adults became available.  It's a catechism that has had a lot of hype around it.  Unlike the big green Catechism of the Catholic Church, the YOUCAT, is less intimidating and is formatted in such a way that it will appeal to the young spiritual seeker.

While the YOUCAT is certainly a truncated version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it does not water down what the Church teaches.  This catechism, which is structured in a question and answer format, nicely presents church teaching in a way that is approachable to the youth. Each question and answer also provides a reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church so one who is wanting more information on a specific topic will know where to find it.

So you're probably thinking that it's not possible that a teen or young adult is going to want to actually Full Review...

Despite it's flaws, a great catechism for young people

Back in 1995, the Catholic Church released a monumental text called the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). It was hailed as a historic achievement for it had been 400 years since a new catechism was introduced. The CCC was compiled under then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and was created to be an authoritative summary of Catholic teaching. Even today it's still used as the "sure and certain standard for the teaching of the faith."

Unfortunately, though, most Catholics find the CCC to be fairly difficult. There are plenty of easy, flowing passages--especially in the section on prayer--which can even be read devotionally. But the large majority of the book is fairly heavy for people without a theological background. And if most adults find it challenging,  it shouldn't surprise that most young pe Full Review...

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