Introduction

You may wonder what makes No Question Left Behind different than other question and answer books written for teenagers. The difference is that I went directly to teenagers, not only for the questions, but also for the answers.

I gathered questions in a variety of ways. I met with teenagers through CCD classes and club meetings. I also searched the internet for websites and message boards dedicated to teenagers. I compiled more than 200 questions about teens’ everyday concerns and worries, as well as their questions about the Catholic faith.

I edited the questions for grammar, length, and clarity to help you, the reader. Some questions were also edited in order to protect the author’s identity. However, the general context of each question remains intact.

Once I finished that task, I set forth to have the questions answered within the framework of Catholic teaching. To accomplish this, I put together a team made up of young people in their teens and early twenties who have a real love for Christ and His Church. (You will find their biographies in the back of this book.) I lovingly refer to them as my “dream team.” They know what it is to be a teenager in today’s world, and are more than capable to answer the questions put forth by their peers. The team split up the questions that I collected and then answered them over a period of several months.

Finally, I sought priestly council to make sure that the answers in No Question Left Behind are theologically sound.

One final note, “Canon” stands for The Code of Canon Law and “CCC” stands for Catechism of the Catholic Church. You will see these notations throughout this book, as the dream team occasionally quotes canon law and the Catechism. The number following “Canon” is a reference number and following “CCC” is a paragraph number. The Code of Canon Law is an extensive volume and unlikely to find it’s way to your home library. However, the Catechism is a compendium of Catholic doctrine regarding faith and morals that deserves to be on the bookshelf of every Catholic. The Catechism’s system of numbering makes it very easy for you to look up the quotations found in No Question Left Behind.