Faith-Sharing Books: Content and Structure

The content of the books

The themes that are developed in each session are based on the structure of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. For each of the four pillars of the Catechism, the Why Catholic? process offers a 12 session faith-sharing book. These books are also available in large print editions.

LIVE: Christian Morality

LIVE: Christian Morality looks at biblical justice and presents the principals of Catholic social teaching. The first six sessions center on the Beatitudes, on our freedom and responsibility, conscience, virtues, moral law, sin, mercy, grace, and the Church. The second six sessions focus on the implications of the Ten Commandments.

PRAY: Christian Prayer

PRAY: Christian Prayer explores the concept of prayer and includes various styles of prayer for participants' use. The first three sessions focus on prayer and how God communicates with us. The next six sessions look at different forms of prayer and difficulties we may experience in prayer. The last three sessions offer a deeper look at the Lord's Prayer.

BELIEVE: Profession of Faith

BELIEVE: Profession of Faith looks at the truths that we, as Catholics, believe. It offers insights on what it means to be a Catholic following what the Catechism describes as "the oldest Roman catechism, the Apostles' Creed."

CELEBRATE: Sacraments

CELEBRATE: Sacraments explores the importance of the Mass and Christ's presence in the Eucharist. The first four sessions focus on the liturgy and an understanding of the sacraments. The next two sessions examine Baptism, one on the sacrament itself and another on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The last six sessions look at the remaining six sacraments.

The structure of the books

Each book offers twelve sessions, and small communities usually meet six sessions per season. Each 90 minute session has been designed to lead the participants in faith sharing around a quotation from Scripture and an appropriate section from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.