Four Decades of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Its Significance for Catechesis in Poland

Abstract

This year, we are celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The document, long-awaited by believers, contained a popularly outlined interpretation of the most important principles of faith, morals, worship and prayer. The purpose of this article is to analyse the significance of this document for the catechetical activities of the Catholic Church in Poland over the past four decades since its publication. The previous Roman Catechism served the Church for more than 400 years. A new document of such stature was to lead to a radical revision of the aims of catechesis, the prominence of its most important contents and the improvement of its methodological instrumentation. The article will answer the following questions: “Has there really been a religious revival in the stages of adapting the Catechism of the Catholic Church to the realities of the local community of the Church in Poland?” “Has it become the basis for a deeper reflection on the current state of catechesis?” It will also be important to answer the question: “Has there been a real popularisation of this document in Polish ecclesial, cultural and educational spaces?”.