Dear Father Bloom,
First of all, congratulations on having put together a very straightforward and helpful Catholic web site. Most useful. I also wanted to voice my admiration at your using the actual CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLC CHURCH for your primary text in RCIA.
Which brings me to my second point. I'm a DRE in Raleigh, NC and I'm doing the same thing--using the CCC with our Wed. night RCIA and our Sunday morning Adult Ed classes. The response from the candidates and from the regular parishioners has been overwhelmingly positive (despite pressure from some people in the diocese who don't like the CCC for a number of reasons, which I'll leave you to imagine). The RCIA folks feel as if they're getting it straight from the horse's mouth, which they are. And we've all been pleasantly surprised at how readable it is (though not recommended at bedtime). I tell them this is rciA, for Adults, and that the're going to be educated as adults. They've really seemed to rise to the occasion.
I'd love to compare notes, and to see your syllabus, as well as to hear of any teaching aids you've found helpful. I've been using Father John Hardon's book THE FAITH, which is full of illuminating discussion questions, as well as Father Alfred McBride's THE ESSENTIALS OF THE FAITH, for additional commantary and input. But our primary discussion text remains the CCC.
Any other wisdom on teaching the CCC would be most welcome. In the meantime, keep up the great work.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Al Benthall
Director of Adult Religious Education
Our Lady of Lourdes Church
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