Anonymously help a university student receive the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church

10 Comments

1. inara says:

   30 November 2011 at 9:58 AM

   I wish I could get behind this effort, but unless quotes from the YouCat like the following have been corrected/ommitted, I’ll pass:

   “it is a painful experience for many homosexually oriented people that they do not feel erotically attracted to the opposite sex and necessarily miss out on the physical fruitfulness of the union between man and woman according to human nature and the divine order of creation.”

   “The Church does not demonize masturbation, but she warns against trivializing it…”

   “God created the world to be good, but it is not yet complete. In violent upheavals and painful processes it is being shaped and moved towards its final perfection. ”

   “The closest thing to a father confessor is probably a bartender.”
   – Peter Sellers, British actor

   “Shame exists wherever there is a mystery.”
   -Nietzche
2. Ezra says:

   30 November 2011 at 10:18 AM

   YouCat:

   Q 15: How can Sacred Scripture be “truth”, if not everything in it is right?

   The Bible is not meant to convey precise historical information or scientific findings to us. Moreover the authors were children of their time. They shared the cultural ideas of the world around them and often were also dominated by its errors. Nevertheless, everything that man must know about God and the way of his salvation is found with infallible certainty in Sacred Scripture.

   Pope Leo XIII:

   …it is absolutely wrong and forbidden, either to narrow inspiration to certain parts only of Holy Scripture, or to admit that the sacred writer has erred. For the system of those who, in order to rid themselves of these difficulties, do not hesitate to concede that divine inspiration regards the things of faith and morals, and nothing beyond, because (as they wrongly think) in a question of the truth or falsehood of a passage, we should consider not so much what God has said as the reason and purpose which He had in mind in saying it-this system cannot be tolerated. For all the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical, are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of the Holy Ghost; and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true.
3. Elizabeth D says:

   30 November 2011 at 12:17 PM

   I have looked through YouCat and was very, very favorably impressed. It draws you in, it is attractive, it teaches doctrine, morals, prayer and sacraments, has all sorts of interesting information, beautiful images, gentle moments of playfulness, it is rather fascinating. There are really few things to quibble over, though I too might have said some things differently. I think the Youth Catechism can have a good effect and that giving them to university students is a great idea.
4. B16generation says:

   30 November 2011 at 1:51 PM

   Here’s a way better idea, foks! Give them the REAL Catechism. Let’s not dumb down people by giving them dumbed-down books- especially when it comes to our glorious Catholic Faith. What was wrong with the Catechisim as we had it? And what are saying about our young people when we don’t think they can handle an ordinary book?
   I agree with “inara” and “ezra”.
5. Charles E Flynn says:

   30 November 2011 at 2:10 PM

   YouCat made George Weigel’s Books for Christmas.
6. Charles E Flynn says:

   30 November 2011 at 4:25 PM

   From Ignatius Press:
   Frequently Asked Questions About YouCat.
7. Ezra says:

   30 November 2011 at 5:01 PM

   Charles,

   Perhaps they should include copies of those “clarifications” with every copy shipped; no wonder Rorate Caeli has taken to referring to YouCat as LOLCat. I suspect the CTS would be better off sending students copies of the excellent Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Non-patronising, unambiguous, and consistent with Catholic doctrine!
8. IntroiboAdAltareDei says:

   30 November 2011 at 7:11 PM

   With all due respect, I would not give YouCat to _anybody_ if I cared much at all about their soul. Not my apostate relative, nor my friend’s confused teenager, nor the guy that wanted to mug me. Rather, I refer anybody with an open mind to fairly consider the critique authored, and anonymously released, by a group of both clergy (confirmed to be both orthodox and shall we say, “traditionally inclined” — they remained anonymous due to the particular ecclesiastic offices they hold) and laity at:

   http://youcatrecall.com/index.php/the-recall

   This critique was met with a certain scorn and mockery by a number of (oft-too-vocal) “conservative” and “professional” Catholic bloggers and apologists back when both YouCat itself, and this critique above, was released at the time of WYD in Madrid. That said, I am still waiting to see any credible refutation to the concerns raised in this critique, which is both objective, thorough and/or convincing.

   No, I do not accept the Ignatius story, which I find disappointing, and wanting. Yes, I still believe that You Cat is unacceptably confusing (at absolute best!).

   For the love of God, give the youth a Compendium of the Catechism (a success story of WYD 2008), a CCC, a Baltimore Catechism, or _something_ Catholic… but please spare the youth any more Modernism!
9. Charles E Flynn says:

   30 November 2011 at 8:26 PM

   From http://www.ignatius.com/Products/YOUCAT-P/youcat.aspx :

   What Pope Benedict XVI has to say about the YOUCAT project:

   “Study this Catechism with passion and perseverance. Make a sacrifice of your time for it! Study it in the quiet of your room; read it with a friend; form study groups and networks; share with each other on the Internet. By all means continue to talk with each other about your faith.”
10. Nicole says:

    30 November 2011 at 11:28 PM

    I think I’d prefer to typeset and print pamphlets with the text of the First Vatican Council in English and Latin side by side and distribute it anonymously…

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