YOUCAT

Gerard Gallagher
Search for God

The desire for God is written in the human

heart, because man is created by God and
for God; and God never ceases to draw man
to himself. Only in God will he find the truth
and happiness he never stops searching for.
CCC27
Why a Catechism?
The Church has always
used short documents such
as New Testament texts,
creeds and liturgical
prayers, to state the faith.
Over recent centuries,
catechisms have also been
used in the Church as
universal or local texts,
giving a comprehensive
treatment of the faith.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church makes clear that
those who seek to deepen
the understanding of
Christian faith must develop
catechetical methods
required of different
cultures, age, spiritual
maturity, and social and
ecclesial condition.
Share the Good News

seeks to lay down a framework and

principles, suited to local needs in Ireland. It
continues, It contents itself, instead, in
pointing to the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, the complete statement of the
Catholic faith.
Catechism of the Catholic Church

statement of the Churchs Broken into the following

faith and of Catholic sections:
doctrine, attested to or Profession of Faith (the creed)
illuminated by Sacred Celebrating the Christian
Scripture, the Apostolic Mystery (the Sacraments)
Tradition and the Churchs Life in Christ (The Beatitudes
Magisterium. and Ten Commandments)
Prayer in the Christian Life
(the Lords Prayer)
 So, everything a Catholic Christian needs to
know is hiding behind these four digits:
12 articles of the faith
7 sacraments of the Holy Church
10 Commandments
24 hours be connected to God in prayer
Catechism & Compendium
Share the Good News
designed to assist in
considering how to engage
with lifelong education in
faith within our local and
national context.
The Catechism, when
studied and unpacked, can
invigorate all those involved
in faith development
processes, giving them new
momentum. (SGN50)
What is YouCat
Today I recommend for
your reading an
unusual book. It is
unusual both because
of its content and
because of the way it
came to be. (Intro)
Pope Benedict & YOUCAT
Today I recommend for
your reading an
unusual book. It is
unusual both because
of its content and
because of the way it
came to be. (Intro)
So I invite you: Study this Catechism!
Pope Benedict XVI
This Catechism was not written
to please you. It will not make
life easy for you, because it
demands of you a new life. It
places before yu the Gospel
message as the pearl of great
value Mt 13:46.
So I beg you: 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 talk with each other
about your faith.
Pope Benedict.
What is the Catechism?

The most important book of the Church is the

Sacred Scripture. In second place comes the
Catechism. In the Catechism you find the
reliable knowledge about the faith of the
Catholic Church, accumulated during more
than 2000 years in precise formulations
approved by the Holy Church herself.
Multiple Versions

The Big One

The Smaller One
The Younger One
 The name YOUCAT hasn't
got anything to do with
"yellow cats".
It is the abbreviation of
YOUTH and CATECHISM.
First of all, YOUCAT is a real
catechism, which means a
reliable book for teaching
faith. It has thus been
approved by the Austrian
bishops' conference and
examined by the
congregation of faith in
Rome.
Here are the four basic principles - in
the words of Pope Benedict XVI.:
YOUCAT - Youth Prayer Book

The book is supposed to

help you on this prayer path
of friendship with God. It is a
collection of old and new
prayers for good bad days
and nights. You will find in it
prayers from Sacred
Scripture and prayers of
experienced people of
prayer from history and of
people living today. (Into)
YOUCAT Confirmation
The aim of this book is to
be your coach and go with
you right up to the big day of
your confirmation. You will
find many tips in it for
leading an exciting life with
God, but above all youll find
lots of sidebars pointing you
to two books youll be using
during this course the
Bible and YOUCAT. (Intro)
I invite all Christian
everywhere, at this very
moment, to a renewed
personal encounter with
Jesus Christ, or at least
an openness to letting
him encounter them
Joy of the Gospel 3
Official Website
http://www.youcat.org/h
ome
 The YOUCAT prayer book is excellent. I keep
buying copies and giving them away.
Used it for confirmation prep and discussion
starters in older youth groups
I've used it to prepare curriculum materials
and also when i need another insight in
addition to the Irish adult catechism and
general catechism
 Bought a copy to make discussions on Catechism
more accessible with the children (now 13, 9 and 6).
I bought it and used it frequently when I was working
with young adults in RCIA preparation. Now I still use
it but not as frequently when working with school
retreat groups. I find it gives a better understanding
of the catechism rather than giving them the more
academic language of the adult version.
I think it's a great resource for teaching RE.
Was lucky enough to get a free set of them at
the Eucharistic Congress. Gave a copy to my
own young adult children as well. Now I'm
working through the YOUCAT Prayer Book
which is a great companion to the first book.
I bought it and used it frequently for college
assignments, particularly for the quotes given
in the margins. Now I use it in homily
preparation
Got it at WYD Madrid 2011. Have to admit I
haven't used it much but when I do I find it an
easier reference guide than the regular
catechism. (And I love flicking the corners
with the little cartoons!)
I got a copy at Knock Youth festival (I think) I
sometimes use it for personal reference but
often recommend it to RE teachers or people
I know in ministry.
Got it WYD 2011 & have used it both for
college and to run YOUCAT study sessions
with young adult group.
Ihave a YOUCAT, got it as a present in my
WYD pack in Madrid, a gift from the Pope if I
remember rightly. I have read through it all
and refer to it from time to time, can be
easier to get an answer from that than my
Catholicism
 at the end of every school mission we do we
hand them out free to any students that want
them!
YOUCAT In 45 SECONDS..