TheConfraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is an association established inRome in 1562 for the purpose of providingreligious education. The abbreviated name is colloquially used for thecatechesis or religious education program of theCatholic Church, normally designed for children.[1]
In the thirteenth century, theApostles' Creed and theLord's Prayer formed the general basis of religious instruction. All the faithful within theCatholic Church were required to know them by heart, andparishpriests were commanded to explain them on Sundays andfestivals. Eventually, the range of instruction was widened to include theCommandments, thesacraments, and the virtues and vices.[2]
In 1281 theSynod ofLambeth,England, ordered priests to explain these truths of faith four times a year. TheProvincial Council ofLavours,France, in 1368, expanded this and commanded priests to give instruction on all Sundays andfeast days. This council also published acatechism to serve as a textbook for theclergy in giving instructions in Christian doctrine, which was followed in all the dioceses ofLanguedoc andGascony. Similar manuals were published elsewhere.[2]
Partly in response to the challenge to uniformity posed by theReformation, theCouncil of Trent stated that church reform must begin with the religious instruction of the young. The Council issued the "Catechismus ad Parochos" and decreed that, throughout the Church, instructions in Christian doctrine should be given on Sundays and festivals.[2]
In 1536, theAbbot Castellino da Castello had inaugurated a system ofSunday schools inMilan. Around 1560, a wealthy Milanese nobleman, Marco de Sadis-Cusani, having established himself in Rome, was joined by a number of zealous associates, both priests andlaymen, and pledged to instruct both children and adults in Christian doctrine. In 1562,Pope Pius IV made theChurch of Sant' Apollinare their central institution; but they also gave instructions in schools, in the streets and lanes, and even in private houses. As the association grew, it divided into two sections: the priests formed themselves into areligious congregation, theFathers of Christian Doctrine, while the laymen remained in the world as "The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine".[2]
Encouragement from theHoly See was quickly forthcoming. In 1571,Pope Pius V, in the BriefEx debito pastoralis officii, recommended that bishops establish it in every parish. In 1607,Pope Paul V, by thePapal BriefEx credito nobis, erected it into anarchconfraternity, withSt. Peter's Basilica in Rome as its headquarters.[3] In 1686, a rescript of theSacred Congregation of Indulgences urged its establishment wherever possible.[2]
From Rome it spread rapidly over Italy, France and Germany. It found advocates inRobert Bellarmine andFrancis de Sales, andCharles Borromeo established it in every parish ofhis diocese.[4]
Pope Pius X was a strong proponent of CCD. In 1905, in his letterAcerbo nimis, he mandated the establishment of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (catechism class) in every parish.[5]
The First Provincial Council ofWestminster urged that its members should be used in both Sunday and day-schools.
If the central confraternity in a diocese is affiliated to the Archconfraternity of Santa Maria del Pianto in Rome, all others participate in all the confraternity indulgences.[2]
Similar in scope and character to the CCD are thePieuses Unions de la Doctrine Chrétienne, founded by theSisters of Perpetual Adoration at Brussels in 1851, for giving religious instruction to boys and girls. In Brussels, they were (as of 1913) found in about thirty parishes. In 1894,Pope Leo XIII erected it into an archconfraternity for Belgium.[2]
TheArchconfraternity of Voluntary Catechists (loosely corresponding to the FrenchOeuvre des Catéchismes) was founded to help parish priests in giving religious instructions to children attending the primary schools in Paris and other parts of France, after these had been laicized. In 1893,Pope Leo XIII gave it the rank of an archconfraternity with power to affiliate all similar confraternities in France. Theindulgences granted to all these confraternities are numerous.[2]
In 1902, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was established in theArchdiocese of New York by ArchbishopMichael A. Corrigan, as proposed by Marion Gurney, who was its first secretary.[6]
The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine is now commonly referred to by its abbreviation, CCD, or simply as "Catechism", and provides religious education to Catholic children attending secular schools. Inconsistently, CCD has also been offered under a spectrum of banners and acronyms, but all serve the same parochial function of providing a course of study that has been pre-approved by the diocese as meeting the requirements for children not enrolled in a Catholic school (i.e., public school students) to engage with the sacraments at the same time as their diocese-sponsored peers.
While CCD remains the official shorthand of the institution, occasionally parishes have opted to style their individual program as PSR (Parish School of Religion), SRE (Special Religious Education), and PRP (Parish Religious Program), especially when it occurs as a condensed extended-day summer program.[7]
Similar to children'sSunday schools inProtestant churches, CCD education is provided by both members of the clergy and lay staff. Unlike Protestant Sunday programs, CCD does not afford participating children an excuse from the weekend Mass they attend with their family unit, and only in rare occasions is it even offered in conjunction with (i.e., immediately before or after) a weekly Mass. Catholic culture in America often necessitates or at least prefers that instructors hold credentials in education, ministry, or both, in addition to professing that one lives in strict adherence to church teaching and customs. CCD attendance is considered by theHoly See to be vital to children's development as Catholics and an important complement to the limited liturgic participation they regularly experience while accompanying their family to church throughout the year. These classes not only educate children about Jesus and the Catholic faith but more practically prepare children to fully participate in adult spiritual life by providing a secure foundation to receive the sacraments ofPenance (confession), theEucharist (Holy Communion), andConfirmation.
Organisations called Confraternity of Christian Doctrine have been established in many countries and organise modern CCD programs.
The national Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the United States is a non-profit subsidiary of theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops based in Washington, DC.[8] It notably owns the copyright on theNew American Bible, the translation incorporated in thelectionary for Mass used in the United States.[9] The organization operates an internationalgrant-funding program in conjunction with theCatholic Biblical Association, usingroyalties to support "Catholic biblical literacy and Catholic biblical interpretation".[10]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Glancey, Michael C (1908). "Confraternity of Christian Doctrine". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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