The General Directory for Catechesis
Overview
An essential companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) provides religious educators, teachers, and catechists with a single point of reference for all aspects of catechetical instruction, for content and pedagogy, as well as for methodology. Beginning with an introductory reflection of how contemporary human and ecclesial conditions have impacted the preaching of the gospel, the General Directory for Catechesis moves through a detailed presentation of the goals and essential elements of catechesis, from its role in the Church’s mission of evangelization, to norms and guidelines for its presentation, to adaptations for various groups and situations.
This standard reference work—found in parish libraries across the world—brings you unprecedented access to studying the catechetical writings of the Church. Clicking on footnotes, Scripture references, or Catechism chapter numbers will take you right to them. Study the Church’s faith formation process alongside other Catechism-focused resources, Vatican documents, and our growing catalogue of Catholic resources.
- Engages with the practice and theology of catechesis and evangelism
- Discusses the roles of the priest, the family, and the community in faith formation
- Connects directly with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other catechetical documents in your library
Top Highlights
“Truly, to help a person to encounter God, which is the task of the catechist, means to emphasize above all the relationship that the person has with God so that he can make it his own and allow himself to be guided by God.” (source)
“For this reason there cannot be teachers of the faith other than those who are convinced and faithful disciples of Christ and his Church.” (source)
“Jesus Christ not only transmits the word of God: he is the Word of God” (source)
“The evangelizing activity of the Church in this field of human rights has, as its undeniable objective, the task of revealing the inviolable dignity of every human person. In a certain sense, ‘it is the central and unifying task of service which the Church, and the lay faithful in her, are called to render to the human family’.(26) Catechesis must prepare them for this task.” (source)
“The fact that Jesus Christ is the fullness of Revelation is the foundation for the ‘Christocentricity’(92) of catechesis: the mystery of Christ, in the revealed message, is not another element alongside others, it is rather the centre from which all other elements are structured and illuminated.” (source)
- Title: General Directory for Catechesis
- Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
- Publication Date: 1998
- Pages: 300
