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Study the Catechism with Mnemosyne

Mnemosyne (“nih-MA-suh-nee”) is a free flash card computer program that can help you and your kids study the catechism.

Once you download Mnemosyne and the catechism data file (see instructions below), you’ll be able to quiz yourself. Mnemosyne will prompt you with a catechism question; after you recite the answer, you can click a button to see the answer. Then you grade yourself on how well you did, so Mnemosyne knows when you need to keep repeating certain questions and when you’re ready to move on.

Getting Started

  1. Download the catechism data file heidelberg-catechism.mem.
  2. Download Mnemosyne (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux; link opens in a new window or tab).
  3. Install Mnemosyne.
  4. Launch Mnemosyne. You’ll be presented with a “Getting Started” tutorial, which you can click through or just close.
  5. Open the data file. Click File > Open… and then select the catechism data file you just downloaded (heidelberg-catechism.mem).
  6. If more than one person will be using Mnemosyne on the same computer, click File > Save As… to create a data file just for you.
  7. You might also want to turn off the toolbar at the top of the window since you won’t need it. Click Settings > Show Toolbar to hide the toolbar icons.

Quizzing Yourself

Now you’re ready to start quizzing yourself. Mnemosyne should be showing you Heidelberg Catechism Question 1. Just recite the answer to the question, and then click Show Answer. Then grade yourself: if you got it exactly right with ease, give yourself a 5; if you missed it completely, give yourself a 0. If you’re somewhere in between, choose a number accordingly. Repeat!

Checking Your Stats

To see how you’re progressing, click Deck > Show Statistics.

Mnemosyne for Multiple Users

When someone else wants to start using Mnemosyne on the same computer, you should repeat steps 5 and 6 above so each person has their own data file. Each time you open Mnemosyne, you should make sure you’re working with your own data file before you start quizzing yourself.

Got questions? Need help?

Please get in touch with Pastor Tom.