About the Author
Reviews
Book Essay: Teaching a Catechist "to fish"
Interview with Bill Huebsch
Publiications by Bill Huebsch

From the Publisher
For those of us who need and desire to study the General Directory for Catechesis more deeply but have been daunted or hindered by its length and vocabulary, here is the answer.

The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English is that and more! Best-selling author Bill Huebsch uses his gift for clear, concise, and fluid prose to provide an outstanding paraphrase of the Directory. His text goes straight to the heart of each passage, and serves as a key to opening the riches contained there.

Readers familiar with Bill Huebsch's other books will welcome this valuable handbook. There is a brief study guide in the front of this book that will help readers ask thoughtful questions and focus on key points as they review the text. Catechists, teachers, DREs, and pastors will find here an indispensable aid for studying the GDC and a book that is enjoyable in itself

About the Author
Bill Huebsch is a popular author and workshop presenter, most notably on the topics of catechetics, spirituality, and the Second Vatican Council. He is a frequent contributor to Religion Teacher's Journal, and is the author of many books.

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Reviews

Review 1
The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English is written by a person who lives and loves his vocation as catechist. Bill Huebsch has given catechetical ministry an extraordinary gift in his latest work. Written in the poetic and prayerful style of Vatican II in Plain English the author has moved the General Directory for Catechesis from its sometime formal and repetitive style to a language that is clear, uncluttered, and psalm-like. His writing is respectful of the original text and is faithful to its message.

This work offers the catechetical leader and the catechist a companion to the General Directory for Catechesis and would best be utilized reading each along side of the other. The language and style of Huebsch’s book lifts the Directory to a new level and insures that it will be both a reference text and a spiritual companion. The suggestions for group process and prayer offer catechists an opportunity to study and pray the Directory as individuals or as a group.

The General Directory for Catechesis has become the gift that keeps on giving as the Church continues to break open this remarkable resource and make it accessible to each person called to catechetical ministry.

Review 2
The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English provides an excellent bridge between the recently published General Directory for Catechesis and people actively involved in catechetical ministry, who might not be inclined to read the official document at length.

Huebsch’s easily readable narrative, set forth in "sense lines," is reminiscent of the small handbook, Outlines of Vatican II Documents, published a generation ago for the benefit of those seeking to make the Church's official documentation their own in local practice.

Paraphrasing the new GDC as it proceeds, but with clearly indicated paragraph references to the source, Huebsch's work offers a broad audience ready access to a major church document that, occasionally like others of such import, might go unread because of its official language and style.

Far from supplanting the General Directory for Catechesis, this deceptively small offering may well encourage those involved in catechetical ministry, to see and read - or re-read - the GDC in an entirely new light. DREs and principals may also use The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English as a wonderful enrichment and appreciation gift for their catechists and teachers.

Review 3
The Church gave us a wonderful gift with the vision and challenge of the General Directory for Catechesis. Bill Huebsch has unwrapped that gift for all involved in catechetical ministry. He has freed it and presented it in language that is accessible, inclusive, and prophetic. The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English is a great book...one that I recommend for study to my directors of religious education.

Review 4
I highly endorse The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English: A Summary and Commentary for all involved in catechetical ministry. As a diocesan catechetical director, I welcome this book whose readable style makes an important catechetical document easily comprehensible for pastors, religious education program directors, and catechists. Bill did a very fine job. It truly touched my heart.

I wish I could have had this book the year I spent studying the General Directory for Catechesis with the DRE/CREs in my diocese, I will make this book available for the catechetical leaders in the diocese and will encourage them to use it to help their catechists become acquainted with the General Directory for Catechesis.

Book Essay: Teaching a Catechist “to fish”
The General Directory for Catechesis in Plain English is an important book. It is a potential tool for the director of religious education who longs for a more professional catechetical program, but just can't seem to get catechists to move beyond the basics of the Catholic faith tradition and the more cutesy "practical" tricks of religious methodology.

The real value of this book is that it may make the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) accessible to those who would otherwise never look at it because of intimidation at the size and density of thought in the official directory issued by the Congregation for the Clergy in 1997.

This paraphrase version of the GDC is by Bill Huebsch, who provided a similar folksy, three-volume rendition of the Second Vatican II documents. According to the author's preface, the GDC in Plain English is a "commentary" or "reflection" on each section of the official directory.

This is not the kind of commentary that will be ingested, digested and debated in seminaries and theologates. But, perhaps it should. Set against the official version, the Huebsch commentary highlights a growing problem in the Catholic Church. There is a chasm between the language that seems to speak to the hearts of American people, especially those with hearts torn by the chaos of modern life, and the terminology of official teaching and academic theology. The practitioners and the idealists are having too few conversations with each other, and the infrequency is growing. This should be a serious concern for all Catholic Christians.

After a rough ride over 20 centuries, Catholicism has learned it needs both "plain talk" and dense and theologically nuanced teachings. The Christian Scriptures, after all, were written in "street Greek." But, St. Paul had a theological sophistication that can still baffle the most obtuse contemporary mind.

In order to keep the fire of evangelization burning in a heart, a practical faith life in the modern world increasingly needs deeper understandings of sacred truths and finer distinctions about religious thoughts and feelings. Theology provides this service by breathing new life into church teaching through the deepening of religious insights in light of the world's growing knowledge about nature and the human condition.

On the other hand, it also true that since the 12th century, when the theological sciences achieved independent status in the medieval university, people have complained periodically that this field of study has abandoned its relevance for daily living in its hunger for the prestige of the "ivory tower." In more recent times, Thomas Groome has noted the widening gap between academic theology and the church community, often resulting in theology becoming less "practical" in orientation. Enter Bill Huebsch, who is something like the patron saint of the "practical idealist," trying to capture some of the gift of theological wordplay and official church teaching, in order to present it to people who are choking on the practicalities of the parish and school trenches. Reading the text in small groups out loud, which the author suggests, could provide some stimulating conversations among catechists in need of a broader vision than just "getting the job done."

Passages of the GDC in Plain English are presented intentionally in poetic or psalm-like form throughout the book, often condensing rather complex passages into bite-sized sections. For instance, section #143 in the original reads: Catechesis "accepts the principle of the progressiveness of Revelation, the transcendence and the mysterious nature of the word of God and also its adaptation to different persons and cultures." The Huebsch version reads simply: catechesis "follows the principle that faith unfolds slowly and is adapted to different cultures." Sometimes Huebsch replaces imagery in the original text, drawing on other images that are not included in the original text, but likely to appeal to many catechists. For instance, in a passage reflecting on the parable of the sower, the author calls Jesus "the first farmer," who "has sown a seed of faith in our hearts" and continues to "to plant that seed through the Church and the Holy Spirit" (#15). In a section discussing the "divine pedagogy," which Huebsch rephrases as "the art of teaching," the author summarizes God's teaching style as "a method of making the divine heart present to us" (#38).

Some sections might also concretize the mission of catechesis for those who only have an intuitive grasp of what they are trying to be about. Consider the Huebsch version of section #137: "Jesus Christ is the first catechist. He was not only teacher but also friend to his disciples. He lived what he preached. He asked opportune questions and explained to his disciples what he taught the crowds. He introduced them to prayer. He sent them as missionaries and sent his Spirit with them. Indeed, this is the 'teaching style of God,' the model for all we do." Any catechist should have thoughts on such a model of catechetical action.

It is important for the catechetical community to truly engage the General Directory for Catechesis. There is an old saying: "Do you want a fish, and eat for a day? Or, would you like to learn to fish and eat for a lifetime?" To become effective, every catechist must learn how to fish. Unfortunately, there is enormous pressure in the Catholic faith community to give catechists fish, rather than teach them to fish. Giving a catechist a fish constitutes providing practical ideas - like art projects, games, or programming suggestions - that can be lifted directly from a workshop or magazine for immediate use in parish faith formation programs. Many catechists, especially those with little formal training, are desperately seeking such fish. In fact, one might make the argument that catechetical leadership, in the past few decades, has evolved slowly toward a kind of fish market management. Catechetical leaders, at the parish and diocesan levels, can spend a great deal of time sorting out the religious education fish by size, shape, and variety, and then making suggestions to parishes based on individual preferences and perceived needs.

"Have a weak liturgy at your parish? You should be eating Trout. Try the Pflaum materials."

"People don't seem to know each other? Turn up the skillet and fry yourself some Haddock with the Art Baranowski's small faith group process." Teaching a catechist "to fish" goes beyond the practical ideas. It anchors the catechist in the rich intellectual and emotional tradition underpinning the rituals and practices of Catholicism and Christianity; it stretches the catechist to reach beyond a limited understanding of God, self, the human condition and nature; it grounds the catechist in the sacramental nature of reality. Learning "to fish" takes the catechist into the theory behind the practical ideas, so the catechist can make up his or her own practical ideas, or modify the ideas of others while remaining faithful to the Catholic tradition.

Because the GDC is a "how to fish" kind of document, it is a critical piece for every catechetical leader to read and study. Since it is a cogent explanation of the mission of catechesis in this moment of history, every catechist should also have some familiarity with its contents. The GDC can help catechetical programs learn how to fish. But, as every harried DRE knows, stumbling through the week over the maddening number of details making up a parish catechetical program, galaxies of distance can separate the Catholic reality from the Catholic ideal. And starships are in short supply. Like many other position papers in the church, the GDC is likely to gather a lot more dust on a shelf than intelligent and thoughtful readers among parish catechists. Herein lies the importance of the GDC in Plain English. It may take insights of the official GDC to the eyes and ears of catechetical leaders and catechists who are unlikely to give the real McCoy a look over.

Interview with Bill Huebsch

What is the General Directory for Catechesis?

Well, the bishops are the teachers of the church. All of us who work in catechetical ministry do so from our own vocations, but we're only helpful when we work in concert with the bishops. The General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) is the bishops' guideline. So even though we each play a different instrument in the orchestra, the GDC is the music we all play from.

Why did you put the General Directory for Catechesis into Plain English?

Because it's so important. It's vital for everyone in catechetical ministry to know and understand it. But the official English translation of the GDC is hard to read. It's a translation, but it's not poetic and compelling. This plain English version of it provides an enjoyable and readable access to it.

What are the challenges for today's catechetical ministers?

To put it bluntly, and to echo the spirit of the GDC, the challenge is to help those who come to us meet Christ. It's that simple. When someone comes to a religious education program, whether as a kid or an adult, they aren't coming to meet a catechism book, or a moral code, or a theological system. They are coming to meet another Christian. They are coming, in short, to meet US. That's the big challenge. To get ourselves ready to witness to our faith.

You have written over ten books. Why do you write?

To help accomplish just what I said above. You can pick up any one of my ten or so books and in it find a plainly written, poetic presentation of the faith. I hope these books will open doors and minds. I hope they will help people articulate their own faith. My books aren't new theology. They restate our present theology in plain language. That's the mission of my life.

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Publications by Bill Huebsch
Writing in the Spirit of Vatican II

All of the following books may be ordered from Amazon.com or from the publisher. For discount of bulk orders of 10 copies or more of any individual title, email faithAlivebooks.com or call 616.956.5044.

A Spirituality of Wholeness: The New Look at Grace (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1988. 151 p.) An exploration in prose that is almost poetry about how God touches our lives and empowers us to be our own most selves! How we speak about grace is one of the most fundamental shifts made during Vatican II.

Rethinking Sacraments: Holy Moments in Daily Living (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1989. 194 p.) Of all the reforms enacted at Vatican II, none touches the Catholic as much as the reforms of the Sacraments. This book explains the shifts in focus that Vatican II calls for.

A New Look at Prayer: Searching for Bliss (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1991. 128 p.) How God speaks to us in prayer is one of the most fundamental of human questions. This book provides a lovely look at what we are saying about this today.

A Radical Guide for Catholics (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1992. 224 p.) It goes without saying that one's conscience is one's most secret core and sanctuary where one is alone with God. This exploration of some of the most delicate questions before us today will challenge and change you.

Praying with John XXIII (Winona, MN: St. Mary's Press, 1999) 113 p. Pope John was unlike any pope we'd known in centuries. His faith and vision have changed the church - and the lives of many church people. This collection of reflections will also change your life!

Vatican II in Plain English, (Allen, TX: Thomas More, 1996.)

The Collection of three books (The Council, The Constitutions, The Decrees and Declarations) in a slip case.

The Constitutions in Study Guide format - four books. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church In the Modern World, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.

Is there any event in the past 400 years more profound than Vatican II? It is, in the words of Pope Paul VI, the advent liturgy of the new millennium. Here are the story and the outcomes of this great council - all in plain English. If you read these documents once, take another look!

The New Scripture Way of the Cross (Mystic, CT:Twenty-Third Publications, 1993) and Scripture Stations of the Cross: Remembering Pope John and Celebrating Vatican II (Mystic, CT:Twenty-Third Publications 1999)


These two renderings of the Stations of the Cross present this ancient prayer form in modern terms. Order them in bulk for your parish or school.

People of God at Prayer (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2000) 18 prayer services celebrating Vatican II. These can be copied for ready use. By praying and celebrating the council, your parish or school will appreciate it more and understand it better.

The General Directory for Catechesis -- in Plain English! A Summary and Commentary (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 2001) With a complete parish study guide. No document is more important in guiding and shaping our parish and school religious education programs than this one. Here it is in plain Englisyh, readable and almost poetic! A study guide in the front matter will assist you in studying it with your group.

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