Sometimes the numbers tell...

Last year the Knights of Columbus asked the Marist Collage Institute for Public Opinion to conduct a nationwide survey on the subject of abortion. The survey showed that 65% of the Catholic population attend Mass at least once or twice a month. Of that group 59% describe themselves as "pro-life." Of the rest only a small percent of those who consider themselves "pro-choice" would allow abortion in all circumstances, the stand of Roe v. Wade. More telling to me is the fact that of those non-practicing Catholics fully 46% also support same-sex marriage.
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said:

It seems clear that Catholics who are no longer practicing their faith hold positions that are far outside the mainstream of Catholicism and have significant disagreements with the moral teachings of the Church on Fundamental issues.

This would seem to indicate to me that the reason many, if not , most, of these non-practicing Catholics are non-practicing is precisely because they have significant disagreements with the moral teachings of the Church on Fundamental issues.
At least most of these folks aren't pretending be practicing Catholics while publicly disagreeing with Catholic moral teaching. That act is reserved for politicians and some heretical theologians.
So how does that impact the lowly parish catechist?
One statement that every catechumate makes at his Baptism or Rite of Acceptance is that they accept without reservation the full teaching of the Catholic Church. That means more than accepting the articles of the Creed. That means accepting the Church's stance on Contraception, and Abortion. It mean accepting the Church's stance against the ordination of women. It means accepting the practice of the discipline of celibacy for priests of the Roman Rite. It means accepting the Church's stance on the disorderliness of acts of homosexuality and against same-sex marriage. Most of this comes under the heading of sanctity of life issues.
If we expect our candidates to be able to honestly answer to accepting what the Church holds we must insure they understand what the Church believes. More they must understand the issue of dogma, the Magisterium and the laity's place in the Church. We must also expect to perhaps have to defend the Church's position, and have to explain, to the best extent possible why the Church holds these positions.
Don't expect to be able to defend contraception if you haven't read Humanae Vitae. Don't expect to be able to discuss why the Church doesn't ordain women if you haven't read Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.
In other words be prepared. But don't be afraid to say," I'm not prepared to discuss that tonight. We'll talk about it next week." Then run to the CCC or Vatican web site to get doctrined up.