I truly love the idea of having an entry level Catechism for those who are seeking to learn more about the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church itself, while a very beautiful document, can be very intimidating for those who are just entering into a phase of learning about the Catholic Faith and this text fills an important place.

This new edition has several very nice features that I really enjoyed. First, I love the question and answer format of this Catechism that makes it easy to skip around to find choose the topic of interest without feeling like one must read from cover to cover. Second, I really like how each section lists where the content draws from in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Third, I love how the sections end with a Saint quote and a question for reflection, although, I think it really would have been a nice addition if there would have been space in the Catechism itself for the reader to answer the question so that the reader to could return again and again to their own reflections as their faith grows and matures. Finally, I like the section at the end where it gives guidance if a person is considering becoming Catholic.

While there are MANY very positive aspects of this text, I would like to have seen a more thorough rewrite of this text. I realized that this may have been a difficulty due to the author no long being alive but before this is released again in the future I would like to see some (or all) of the following changes to make this a much stronger text. First, I would love to see the alignment of the order of the text more closely follow the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for consistency sake. Second, I would like to see a more robust treatment of the moral life. In the era we are living in, it seems like some of the biggest stumbling blocks to those joining the Catholic Church fall within this category. I am thinking most specifically about a more in depth treatment of issues such as same sex marriage, transgender issues, abortion, contraception, and even the death penalty. Obviously, the Church's position on these issues is the same but because society so misunderstands these issues right now, I wonder if a more detailed treatment might be needed for those seeking to understand the fullness and beauty of the Faith. Third, I believe that the language surrounding the process of entering the Catholic Faith needs to be adjusted. If I am not mistaken, the USCCB voted in 2021 or 2022 to amend the RCIA to be called OCIA. This language will also need to be changed in this text.

As I stated, I think that there are many very strong points to this text, however, I would like to see a few edits before it is reissued so that it can be very strong resource for all those seeking to learn more about the Catholic Faith.