The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Episode: Day 2: How the Catechism Works (2026)

Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the second half of the Catechism's prologue (paragraphs 11–25), focusing on why the Catechism exists, its structure, which audiences it’s meant for, and practical tips for its use. Fr. Mike Schmitz highlights the intention behind creating a universal Catechism and underlines its ultimate goal: love.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the Catechism Was Made

• Purpose: To provide an updated, organized synthesis of Catholic faith and morals for a new generation, rooted in both Sacred Scripture and tradition.
  • “The Church essentially realized we have to have an updated way to express the eternal truths of the faith to a new generation.” — Fr. Mike [02:50]
• Historical Context: References the 1566 Roman Catechism (Council of Trent) as a precedent—created in response to questions from the Protestant Reformation.

2. Intended Readership

• Primary Audience: Bishops (teachers and pastors of the Church), those responsible for catechesis, including priests and catechists.
  • “It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the people of God.” — Reading from Catechism [04:22]
• Universal Access: All Christian faithful are encouraged to read and benefit from it.
  • “It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful. So that’s us right now… useful listening for all the other Christian faithful.” — Fr. Mike [16:15]

3. Structure of the Catechism: The Four Pillars

• Fr. Mike lays out the four pillars that organize the Catechism:
  1. Profession of Faith: What Catholics believe (Creed, Trinity, faith response)
  2. The Sacraments of Faith: How faith is lived and encountered through liturgy and sacraments
  3. The Life of Faith: Morality, beatitude, and living out God’s law and charity
  4. Prayer in the Life of Faith: Importance and depth of Christian prayer, especially through the Lord’s Prayer
• Quote:
  • “The structure of this Catechism is based off four pillars…What do we know, how do we celebrate, how do we live, and how do we pray?” — Fr. Mike [17:34]

4. Practical Directions for Using the Catechism

• Unified Presentation: Catechism as a whole, referencing across themes—faith is interconnected.
  • “It should be seen as a unified whole…Numerous cross references…allow the reader to view each theme in its relationship with the entirety of the faith.” — Reading from Catechism [06:34]
• Formatting explained:
  • Marginal numbers = cross-references
  • Small print = historical/apologetic explanations or supplementary doctrinal notes
  • Summaries ("in brief") for memorization and catechetical use
  • Biblical quotes often shown as references (“cf.”), encouraging direct reading of Scripture

5. Adaptation and Teaching

• Local Catechisms: The universal Catechism is to be adapted for age, culture, and maturity—one-size-fits-all does NOT work.
  • “Such indispensable adaptations are the responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct the faithful.” — Reading from Catechism [09:20]
• Pastoral Principle from the Roman Catechism:
  • “Whoever teaches must become all things to all men to win everyone to Christ…not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted…” — Reading [10:05]
  • Fr. Mike: “We have maturity and we have immaturity. We have degree of understanding and a lack of understanding. And so here’s the Church saying, by the way, you guys, when you teach, please take into account the people who are listening.” [19:55]

6. The Ultimate Goal: Love

• All catechetical teaching is directed toward love—knowing facts isn’t the priority, but growing in love of God.
  • “The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends…all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.” — Reading from Roman Catechism [12:20]
  • “That is the goal of the next 363 days, you guys, is love. That we come from love, we’ve been made by love himself, we are made for love himself.” — Fr. Mike [23:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Fr. Mike (on the living nature of faith):

  • “The truth doesn’t change, right? The truth is eternal. Truth is constant, like the Lord, the source of truth. And yet we’re not. We grow.” [20:55]

• On the Catechism’s function:

  • “It’s a way to highlight the fact that the whole faith is united. It’s not just simply isolated, but it is a unity.” — Fr. Mike on marginal references [18:22]

• On adaptation in teaching:

  • “Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers…” — Quote, Roman Catechism [10:52]

• On the real objective:

  • “The end and the goal, the whole purpose of this, is love…so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.” — Fr. Mike, reading [12:26]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:05] – Opening and episode overview
• [02:50] – Why was the Catechism made?
• [04:22] – Intended readership explained
• [05:53] – Structure of the Catechism: The four pillars
• [06:34] – Practical directions for use, margin numbers, scriptural references
• [09:20] – Adaptation for different groups and cultures
• [10:52] – Pastoral principle: Adapting to different needs (“whoever teaches must become all things to all men…”)
• [12:20] – The whole concern: “doctrine must be directed to the love that never ends”
• [16:15] – Recap of intended readership
• [17:34] – Recap of the four pillars
• [18:22] – The unity of the Catechism, cross-references
• [19:55] – The importance of addressing the listener’s stage of faith
• [23:30] – The journey’s purpose: love

Summary

Fr. Mike Schmitz offers an in-depth introduction to how the Catechism works—its purpose, audience, structure, and usage. Grounded in Church tradition and Scripture, the universal Catechism is not just for bishops and catechists but accessible to all Catholic faithful, meant to guide and unify doctrine while allowing for local adaptation and personal growth. Throughout, Fr. Mike emphasizes the unchanging truth at the heart of the faith, but also the pastoral necessity of meeting people where they are. Above all, listeners are reminded that the goal of this entire journey is to deepen in love—because all the Church teaches springs from, and returns to, love.

For further episodes, Fr. Mike encourages prayer and engagement as listeners continue the year-long exploration of the Catechism, united by the love of God as the Church’s foundation and destination.