A number of efforts in the US during the nineteenth century were made to creating a single textbook of Roman Catholic Christian doctrine might be used by all American Catholics.
In 1885, a Catechism was put together by the Order of the Third Council of Baltimore.
The desire of the council was to have a catechism "perfect in every respect" (Acta et Decr., p. 219). The result was a document that met with an overwhelming positive response. Almost all the American bishops gave their official approbation to the Catechism and soon numerous schools used the Baltimore Catechism as their standard religious education textbook.
Various editions were put forth with additions of word-meanings, explanatory notes, so that there was considerable diversity among Baltimore Catechism. Nevertheless, this Catechism became the standard text for Catholic education in the United States for the next four generations.
However since the 1960s, many Catholic institutions have stopped using a catechism-based education.
