The Catholic Youth Bible: New Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition
Catholics have lagged behind [Protestants] in making the Bible attractive and accessible to ordinary Christians of any age. Fortunately, . . . things are changing with this Christian Brothers publication [from Saint Mary's Press].The core of The Catholic Youth Bible is not new; rather it is simply the Catholic edition of the New Revised Standard Version, which has been authorized by the NCCB and the Catholic bishops of Canada. The innovations come in the format and special features of the Bible, designed to attract young people and encourage them to read the text for themselves. . . . this paperback is a colossal bargain at $27.95. --Church, Winter 1999One biblical scholar . . . said The Catholic Youth Bible marked the first time since the First Vatican Counciland perhaps everthat a publisher had produced a complete Catholic Bible for youths.Saint Mary's Press decided to undertake such a monumental project because The Catholic Youth Bible more thoroughly reflected [its] core values than perhaps any previous project  . . . to share the good news of Jesus with young people.Since kids were the targeted readership, they were the ones Saint Marys Press turned to in determining how to present the material in the Bible. The question uppermost in the minds of researchers was: What happens when kids read the Bible?What they discovered from teen focus groups is that young people often find the Bible overwhelming and intimidating. So the Bibles architects devised a series of aids geared to help young people navigate it. --Winona Daily News, December 19, 1999Speaking of Bible study programs, three cheers for The Catholic Youth Bible. This is, without question, the best edition of the Bible ever produced for Catholic youth. I hardly know where to begin to describe it. The Catholic Youth Bible includes advice for interpreting the Bible from a Catholic perspective; articles to help the reader understand culture and traditions and how these affect the biblical documents and their interpretation; Catholic Connections articles that explain the scriptural roots of Catholic tradition and beliefs; and multi-cultural articles to reflect African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic and Latino, and Native American cultural experiences, symbols, prayers and poetry related to the Bible. You need to see it for yourself, thats all there is to it. The Catholic Youth Bible is the ultimate resource to give Catholic youth familiarity with the Scriptures. --Mitch Finley, The Catechists Connection, March 2000