Customer Reviews:
 Basics Explained July 3, 2007
My husband and I both use this text - him for the Jail/Prison ministry he coordinates and me for RCIA inquirers before we begin session in the fall. If the people who read this understand it, they're better catechized than most of the people sitting in the pews.
Good book January 12, 2007
Excellent book, grew up catholic and strayed from the church in my late 20's, now in my lated 30's I was looking for help in the faith dept. and in the knowledge of the church. I have a 7 yr old who is attending religous education and I felt I should have known more than I do. So I was also looking for some education. This book helped me see the catholic church thru different eyes. It's not hard core catechism, but it is factual. Just what I needed.
Excellent Overview March 13, 2005
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a former RCIA student, and current practicing Catholic, I found this book an invaluable introduction to the Catholic faith. Pennock writes in a style that is very approachable, and provides concise answers to questions that a neophyte is likely to ask.
One may quibble with the organization, or dissect particular statements that Pennock makes, but I think that this misses the point. The books is meant to be a quick reference, not an exhaustive commentary on the entirety of the Catholic Faith.
I guess that the best recommendation that I can make is that Pennocks words were probably what most inspired me to become a practicing Catholic. Few other works, with the possible exception of Raymond Brown, whose works I also highly recommend, have done son.
 The slacker's catechism October 17, 2004
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Reading the reviews of others on this page, I eagerly sought Pennock's little catechism. I was especially drawn to its Q&A format.
Right off the bat, however, I came across a fairly serious error. On page 39 under the question "What is papal infallibility?", Pennock states "Only once in the last one hundred years has the pope proclaimed an infallible teaching."
Pennock conflates ex cathedra pronouncements with the infallible teachings of the Ordinary Magisterium. The Pope has the gift of infallibility whenever he explicitly defines a matter of faith and morals (usually by using the locution "We define ...). So infallible teachings can be found in encyclicals and other Church documents that fall short of ex cathedra decrees.
Since the book has the imprimatur of Cleveland Bishop Anthony Pilla, I'm surprised this error made it through the censors.
"The Seeker's Catechism" also contains unenthusiastic phraseology like "The Church has taught ..." or "The Church claims ..." Relatedly, Pennock lapses into distracting inclusive language, e.g., using the word "human" instead of man.
Most alarming, though, is his depiction of Christ. In the chapter "Jesus: Lord and Messiah", we are first told that Christ is compassionate, self-giving and humble, but Pennock doesn't get around to addressing his divinity until the last page and then only places it in a list of dogmas.
Similarly, when answering the question "What is meant by the 'real presence'?", Pennock states that Jesus is present in the "assembly", the priest, and "the word", but he lists Christ's presence in the Eucharist - what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the "source and summit of the Christian faith" - last.
If what one "seeks" is a short catechism that is faithful to the teachings of the Church, purchase Bishop David Konstant's "The Faith of the Catholic Church."
 The Entire Catechism - In 150 pages or less! November 15, 2001
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Michael Pennock once again provides the "basics" of the Catholic faith in a highly approachable format. Like his earlier text, "This is Our Faith" (also from Ave Maria Press), he reviews the teachings of the Church - the Trinity, the Sacraments, Prayer, you name it - without getting bogged down in too many details. Unlike his earlier work, he gives us the barest of the essentials without sacrificing scope. "The Seeker's Catechism" is simply that - a tool for catechesis (teaching), R.C.I.A., and general reference to Catholicism. The very size of this text - it can fit in your back pocket - matches its accessibility of the text. Anyone working in parish offices or programs - clergy, religious, religious educators - should own a copy, at the ready for those inevitable questions which come from visitors, students and the occasional detractor. By making frequent reference to the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" and several important Church documents, he enables his readers to refer to the larger texts. This is important for those in catechetical programs (R.C.I.A. for example) as well as those Catholics looking for more information. One minor criticism here - Pennock makes reference to official Church documents by their English titles. Most publishers and Catholic church employees refer to the Latin titles of these publications, which could lead to some confusion. Also, I would have liked more scriptural references - a necessity when working with evangelicals and other Christians - but this does not detract from the strength of the text as a whole. Given the near-vacuum of many Catholics with regard to many topics of the faith, not to mention the need of so many others who are seeking to join the Church, Pennock's text is a much-needed and highly usable instrument. I recommend this text to anyone and everyone.
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