Book Review: YOUCAT

After the Bible, here's a book which is a staple content of my backpack lately, a bedside book, as well as something I regularly bring with me at the Adoration Chapel. YOUCAT is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is the official catechism for World Youth Day. True enough though the questions are direct and honest, even at times tough; the answers are straightforward, relevant, and compelling - a sure "go-to" place for young people to learn the truth about the Catholic faith. 

It explains: What Catholics believe and why (doctrine), How Catholics celebrate the mysteries of the faith (sacraments), How Catholics are to live (moral life), How they should pray (prayer and spirituality)

The Youth Catechism which is written in language suitable for young people, deals with the entire Catholic faith as it was presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC of 1997), without aiming, however, at the completeness provided in that volume. The work is structured in Question-and-Answer  format, and  numbers after each answer refer the reader to the more extensive and in-depth treatments in the CCC. A  commentary  following the answer is meant to give the young person  additional help in understanding the questions that are discussed and their significance in his life. Furthermore, the Youth Catechism offers in the margin a continuous series of supplementary elements, such as pictures, summary definitions, citations from Sacred Scripture, quotations from saints and reliable teachers of the faith but also from non-religious authors. At the conclusion of the book, there's an index of subjects and persons to facilitate finding specific topics.

Plus factors: Pope Benedict XVI wrote the foreword; Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the editor of YOUCAT and the Archbishop of Vienna, Austria, wrote the afterword. All pages are in glossy print. Appealing graphics: try flipping the bottom-right edge of the pages to see what the cartoon stick figure does :)

What Pope Benedict XVI has to say about the YOUCAT project:

"May people say to me: The youth of today are not interested in this. I disagree, and I am certain that I am right. The youth of today are not as superficial as some think. They want to know whatlife is really all about. A detective story is exciting because it draws us into the destiny of other men, a destiny that could be ours. This book is exciting because it speaks of our own destiny and so deeply engages everyone of us."

"Study this Catechism! This is my hearlfelt desire. Study this Catechism with passion and perseverance. 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... You need to be more deeply rooted in the faith than the generation of our parents..."

For more information check their official website here. Check out the book trailer below: