The dawn of Baltic literacy is closely connected to the development of the catechism genre, which brought forth the first substantial texts translated into the three Baltic languages. During this phase, a defining role was played by Martin Luther’s ‘Small Catechism’—a conclusion made evident through comparative analysis within the genre. While focusing on the sixteenth century, this study offers a comprehensive introduction to the oldest corpus of Baltic catechisms. The extant texts are classified and described with attention to the historical and cultural influences shaping each language’s written tradition. Key areas of interest also include issues of authorship and translation, sources and other textological aspects. Several tables summarize the paper’s main findings.