catechism

noun

cat·e·chism | \ˈka-tə-ˌki-zəm

Definition of catechism

1 : oral instruction

2 : a manual for catechizing (see catechize sense 1) specifically : a summary of religious doctrine often in the form of questions and answers

3a : a set of formal questions put as a test

b : something resembling a catechism especially in being a rote response or formulaic statement The cook often consulted the latest nutritional catechism for advice.

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Examples of catechism in a Sentence

They went to school to learn their catechism. He taught catechism at Sunday school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Carole Paladino was a catechism teacher at a local church and a retired school nurse. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "New Jersey couple killed after home explodes; officials investigating cause of blast," 7 July 2018 This is not the first change to the catechism in the direction of less tolerance for capital punishment. — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "Pope Prohibits Death Penalty and Calls for Its Abolition," 2 Aug. 2018 Bill and Jean moved to West Hartford in 1976 where Bill was active at St. Peter Claver Church, teaching catechism classes, joyfully singing in the choir and planning events at Holy Family Retreat Center with the men's retreat league. — courant.com, "William S. Graham," 22 Apr. 2018 Mother Cabrini began her service in New York in 1889, organizing catechism and education classes for Italian immigrants and soliciting donors to help her establish schools and orphanages. — Joyce Rudolph, latimes.com, "Community: Cabrini Guild creates harmony with charities for 75 years," 10 Apr. 2018 These magnificent paintings-on-glass, in churches in Western Europe, played a huge role in teaching the mostly illiterate masses church catechism, Wight says. — Doug Main, The Atlantic, "Humankind’s Most Important Material," 7 Apr. 2018 Its adherents might squabble, but their differences lead them back, eventually, to a mutual inheritance: the words of Jesus in the Gospels, the lives of the saints, the rhythms of the liturgy, the catechism of the Church. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, "Will Pope Francis Cause a Schism in the Catholic Church?," 7 Sep. 2015 According to Catholic catechism, the soul of an unrepentant sinner will go to hell and suffer in eternal fire, the BBC reported. — Natalie Dreier, ajc, "Did Pope Francis really say there is no hell?," 30 Mar. 2018 The pope accompanied those words, which specifically referred to the situation of gay priests, with a reference to the Catholic catechism’s prohibition against unjust discrimination against gay people. — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "‘There Is No Hell’: An Untraditional Pope, an Italian Journalist and the Quote Igniting Controversy," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catechism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.