Church Approval

Has P&C Received Ecclesiastical Authorization?

Yes. The Imprimatur for the Principles & Choices textbooks was granted by the Most Reverend J. Peter Sartain, Archbishop of Seattle, on July 12, 2012 for Book 1: Identity and Values; August 17, 2012 for Book 2: Truth and Reason; and on September 24, 2012 for Book 3: Ethics and Justice.

A letter of recommendation from Archbishop J. Peter Sartain for the Principles & Choices program can be accessed here.

Has P&C Received USCCB Approval?

Only certain types of catechetical texts and materials are eligible to receive a conformity review by the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Catechism. Principles & Choices is a supplemental curriculum that is not subject to this conformity review. Under the guidelines of the Catechism Subcommittee, a conformity review will only be provided for those supplemental materials “which explicitly and consistently cross-reference an approved basal series.”

Principles & Choices was developed to offer schools and parishes maximum flexibility in implementation. Accordingly, it was not designed to be used exclusively with any one specific basal text or series, since Catholic schools and parishes obviously use a variety of these curricula. Because it is not tied into a specific basal series, a conformity review is not prescribed.

The following excerpt from a statement of the Subcommittee on the Catechism is also relevant to this question:

“It is important to note, however, that not all catechetical texts and materials are subject to a conformity review. The fact that a given item does not appear on the Subcommittee’s ‘Conformity List’ does not necessarily mean that it is has been reviewed and found to be deficient, or that the publisher has failed to submit it.”
(emphasis added)

The full USCCB statement, excerpted above, can be accessed here.