Encyclopedia of Catholic doctrine.

Huntington, IN, Our Sunday Visitor, 1997, 751 pp., $44.95 U.S., plus shipping and handling

REVIEWED BY RAYMOND J. DE SOUZA 

The appearance of this encyclopedia represents a flowering of the fruits of Vatican II. Primarily a lay initiative, the encyclopedia makes accessible to ordinary lay people the teachings of the Church on everything from A to Z, or at least as much as can fit in one volume. While the various contributors include priests and religious, the volume, editedby Russell Shaw and including many contributions from, amongst others, Scott Hahn, William E. May, Janet Smith, and Robert Royal, is an apostolate of the laity for the laity.

As such it is but one example of the recent explosion in catechetical and apologetical periodicals and books published by entrepreneurial, knowledgeable and faithful lay people. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has greatly facilitated this phenomenon, allowing everyone easy access to a "sure norm" for teaching the faith, so that lay people can be confident that what they are producing -- and what they are receiving -- is reliable doctrine.

This new encyclopedia treats Catholic doctrine alone. It will tell you what the Church teaches about the office of bishops; it will not tell you whether a bishop should wear gloves while celebrating Mass. For that, and other matters of Catholic history, tradition and practice, there is the one-volume Catholic Encyclopedia, also published by Our Sunday Visitor, and edited by Fr. Peter Stravinskas.

The editors succeed in making Catholic doctrine easily understood. The entries, usually running only a page or two in length, are written in a chatty magazine style. It is obvious that nearly all of the authors write frequently for mass circulation periodicals rather than exclusively for academic journals. They unfailingly cover all the major points of Catholic teaching, and also take account of contrary opinions abroad in both the Church and the world. Indeed, there is a clear emphasis throughout the encyclopedia on not only understanding the truths of the faith, but also being able to defend them.

It was wisely decided that this doctrinal manual would follow the Catechism as closely as possible. It is chock-full of references to the Catechism and the other documents of Vatican II, helpfully included in the text itself rather than in the notes. The notes on each entry include a recommended bibliography, sufficient to prepare any instructor for any level of catechetics taught in a parish or school. Indeed, this encyclopedia, along with the Catechism, would more than meet the doctrinal needs of those conducting RCIA instruction, pre-marriage courses, confirmation classes, and preparation for first communion and confession.

To take just one example, the entry on "Apostolate", written by William E. May follows carefully all the documents of Vatican II on the apostolate of the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. In a few pages, a more than adequate overview of the apostolic mission of every Christian is provided, and an ample list of recommended readings follows. Included there are such treasures as the late Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski's book on work and the sanctification of daily life, a quite accessible treatment of the topic that most readers would otherwise be unfamiliar with.

Likewise, in her fine entry on "Religious Liberty", Mary M. Keys does not only explicate the teaching of the Council, but addresses the contemporary situation. Violations of religious liberty are mentioned, and a defence of religious liberty according to the American founding is included. The encyclopedia does not remain aloof from practical applications of Catholic doctrine.

This encyclopedia, affordable in one volume, would be a welcome addition to Catholic school libraries and parish offices, and will also serve well as a home reference.

Raymond De Souza is studying for the priesthood in Rome for the Archdiocese of Kingston.