March 9, 2011
In an episode of the new documentary series "Living Your Faith," Monsignor Kevin Irwin, CUA's dean of theology and religious studies, reflects on "the common good," a concept from the Scriptures that encourages Catholics to set aside their individual needs and fears for the betterment of the wider community.
The focus of the episode is the Rose Hill Center, a mental health treatment center outside Detroit. "The fabric [of our relationship with God] is made up of all kinds of threads, all kinds of people ... especially the most vulnerable," Monsignor Irwin says." The common good is putting the larger group first."
Monsignor Irwin provides commentary in four of the documentary's eight episodes about the "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church." Other members of CUA's theology and religious studies faculty who appear in the documentary include associate professors Joseph Capizzi and Sister Mary Ann Clarahan, and Assistant Professor William Mattison.
"Catholic University's School of Theology and Religious Studies is honored to lend its expertise to help explain Church teachings," says Monsignor Irwin. "The compendium is an important tool that enables Catholics and others learn how to live the catechism in today's society."
The episodes combine a panel discussion of major topics drawn from the compendium and an introduction to the work of the Order of Malta. The Rose Hill Center was founded by Rosemary and Dan Kelly, a dame and knight of Malta whose son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to the center's website.
The Order of Malta is a 900-year-old organization of Catholic laypeople dedicated to serving the sick and the poor and to spreading and defending the faith.
The compendium - prepared by a commission established in 2003 by Pope John Paul II - was designed to foster greater appreciation of the catechism and to meet a widespread need that emerged during the 2002 International Catechetical Congress, according to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Sometimes referred to as the "mini Catechism," the 200-page compendium offers a synopsis of the essential contents of the faith as promulgated in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" in 598 questions and answers, according to the USCCB website. The compendium offers catechetical leaders/parents, pastors, teachers, principals, and catechists an opportunity to dialogue with the faithful, the website notes.
"Living Your Faith" is a co-production of the Order of Malta and Telecare, the television service of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y. For more information about "Living Your Faith," click here .