THE CHURCHSection 2: The Church is One, Holy,

Catholic, and Apostolic

Part 1: The Church is One The four marks, or essential

characteristics, of the Church are:OneHolyCatholicApostolic

The Church is seen as one, diverse entity, much like how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit form one God.

Part 1: The Church is One Unity does not mean uniformity; the Church is

composed of people from different races and backgrounds, yet are united in their profession of faith, common worship, and Apostolic Succession.

Over the centuries, heresies, schisms, and other breaks have lead to numerous Christian Churches that broke away from the Catholic Church.

Ecumenism is the movement to unite all Christians together again and all the people of the world to heal such breaks in the Church’s history.

Part 1: The Church is One The first mark of the Church is that the

Church is One. The New Testament makes it clear that

there is only one Church, one Body of Christ, open for all people to be a part of.

Saint Paul spoke of how there is one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism since in these things diverse peoples enter into the one Church.

Part 1: The Church is One Jesus prayed before He died that the

Church would be in unity with one another as Jesus was with the Father; the gift of unity in the Church is essential.

The ultimate example of the Church’s unity is that of the three Divine Persons in the Trinity, creating one God together.

We are brought in to unity with the Trinity as part of the one Church.

Part 1: The Church is One That unity with God was hurt by Adam and

Eve’s sin, yet Jesus brought us all back into unity with Himself and the Trinity by His death, collecting us all into Himself and making the Church united.

The Church is also one because of the Holy Spirit, since the Spirit can be seen as the soul of the Church that lives within all the Church’s members, bringing them closer to one another and Christ in word and deed.

Part 1: The Church is One Unity should not be confused with uniformity; as

mentioned before, the Church is full of diverse people, all of whom are not expected to strive to be the same as a fellow Church member.

People are diverse and so are the gifts they receive, yet they receive such gifts all from the same unified one Holy Spirit.

We are a Church of many nations and people, yet we all possess a single citizenship: that of a citizenship in Heaven as a people of God.

Part 1: The Church is One An example of this diversity can be seen

that within dioceses, Masses can sometimes be said in 12 different languages on any given Sunday.

The essential elements of the Mass, such as the prayers and readings, all remain the same across the board wherever you go in the Catholic Church so as to maintain unity, but artwork, music, and even liturgical dance can be culturally adapted.

Part 1: The Church is One Sin and its aftermath can greatly harm the unity

of the Church. When we wander far from the Church and from

God, we wander from not just the community of believers, but also from ourselves as we try to find something to fill the gap in our life that only God and His Church can fill.

At the end of the day, we just strive to be “perfect like the Father is,” as Jesus said, so as to maintain unity in the Church and all be “one” together.

Part 1: The Church is One

Part 1: The Church is One With all this take about unity, how do

Church members maintain that unity?By both visible and invisible bonds

The greatest bond of unity is God’s love (in an invisible way).

Visible bonds in the Church are:The profession of one faithThe common celebration of divine worshipThe recognition of ordained leaders as

successors of the Apostles.

Part 1: The Church is One Catholics all over the world profess one faith by

praying the Nicene Creed or the Apostle’s Creed. A Creed is based from the Latin word “credo,”

which means “I believe;” it is the official presentation of the faith, usually prepared and presented by a council of the Church and used in its liturgies.

The Apostle’s Creed came from the baptismal creed of the ancient Church of Rome; the Nicene Creed was formulated at the Church’s first two ecumenical councils at Nicaea (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD).

Part 1: The Church is One When we pray the Creed, we not only profess and

say what we believe, but we also commit ourselves to those beliefs, much like a promise to God and the Church community.

The Creed summarizes the major beliefs of the Catholic faith including belief in God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church.

However, it is important to remember our faith goes beyond what is professed in the Creed; think about the size of the Bible or Catechism…while the Creed professes essential elements of our faith, there are so many more important lessons and beliefs to be had from Mother Church.

Part 1: The Church is One We are also visibly united in the one

Church through the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is both a sign of the Church’s unity and a means to achieve such unity; the Eucharist is the summary and totality of our faith.

The celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church follows the same structure everywhere.

Part 1: The Church is One We are visibly united in the one Church through

recognizing the authority of the Church leaders, who are all the bishops in union with the Pope.

The bishops and the Pope have received their authority through Apostolic Succession, or the uninterrupted passing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles directly to all the bishops.This passing on of authority is performed through the

laying on of hands in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. If the Pope is your “boss” when it comes to

Church teachings, then we can be assured that we are part of the same faith that Jesus taught and handed on to His Apostles to spread 2,000 years ago.

Part 1: The Church is One The Sacrament of the Eucharist is a prime example

of what happens when a Christian community has no apostolic succession.

The Eucharist is a Sacrament of Unity between Catholics with the ability to transform bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ through apostolic succession.

If a person belongs to a Christian Church that does not carry apostolic succession, they were not in full unity with the Catholic Church and cannot receive the Eucharist because of their lack of communion and apostolic succession in their church community.

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Part 1: The Church is One

Part 1: The Church is One While the Apostles preached to keep the unity

they had received from Christ, we know throughout history division has occurred in the Church.

Heresy and schism were the principal causes of division in the Church.

Today, we live in a society where we appreciate diversity of opinions; however, diversity on key areas of theology have caused great confusion and division among Christians around the world.

Part 1: The Church is One A Heresy occurs when a person consciously

and deliberately rejects a dogma of the Church.

Heresies have lead to the establishment of opposing Church groups, especially in the first several centuries, including the establishment of groups such as the Gnostics.

A Schism, on the other hand, is a major break that causes division which occurs when there is a refusal to submit to the Pope or be in communion with other Church members.

Part 1: The Church is One Other schisms occurred when

communities refused to accept the teachings of a Council.

To understand schism in the Church, we must look at the history of the ancient Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire was so vast that it was divided into East (Byzantine Empire) and West (Roman).

Part 1: The Church is One Constantine’s successors were the ones

who ruled the Greek speaking East from Constantinople while the Latin speaking West was ruled from Rome by the emperor.

The Eastern section had the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church while Catholic Church was at the heart of Rome, forming a schism that lasts today, starting around 1054 AD.

Part 1: The Church is One In 1054, Pope Leo IX sent a delegation

from Rome to Constantinople to the Orthodox Patriarch Michael to try and repair the schism between the churches.

Disagreements arose and the Roman delegation decided to excommunicate, or a severe penalty for a grave sin against Church law that forbids the celebration of the Sacraments, the patriarch, who in turn excommunicated the delegation.

Part 1: The Church is One In 1204 AD, Western crusaders destroyed

Constantinople which, paired with the issues of excommunication, led to a complete break between the Roman and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Even so, the Catholic Church sees itself in almost full communion with the Orthodox Churches.

Jesus Christ established the Church, sometimes called the Church of Christ, and appointed Peter and the Apostles to lead Her.

Part 1: The Church is One The Church of Christ, as professed in the

Nicene Creed, is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic and only exists in the form of the Catholic Church.

Only the Catholic Church has kept the structure of leadership Christ set in place Himself.

The Kingdom of God exists in the Catholic Church then, waiting to be perfected at the end of time.

Part 1: The Church is One Another great schism that is well known is

the Protestant Reformation, which occurred in the early 16th century.

The term Protestants come from the word “protest” since conflicts arose in the Church that lead to formation of new church communities.

A key figure in the Protestant reform was Martin Luther, who was a German monk, scholar, and priest.

Part 1: The Church is One Luther was extremely outspoken about the Church

selling Indulgences, or the means by which the Church takes away punishment that a person would receive in Purgatory.

Luther did not want a split in the Church, but rather a discussion to occur about the issues he raised.

Luther presented his 95 Theses to the public by nailing them to a cathedral door, yet could not resolve his problems with the Church and was excommunicated; his followers became known as Lutherans.

However, there were much deeper theological issues at the heart of the Protestant Reformation.

Part 1: The Church is One Two theological principles at the center of the

Reformation that contradicted the truth of Catholic teaching were “sola scriptura” (Scripture alone) and “sola gratia” (Grace alone).

Sola scriptura was the idea that Church teaching should be based on Scripture alone, not Scripture AND Tradition.

Sola Gratia focused on how salvation comes from God’s grace alone rather than through any human effort.

Part 1: The Church is One Sola Gratia is wrong because while it is true

God’s grace is the ultimate source of our salvation, human beings can cooperate with God’s grace, or deny it, based on their actions in life.

After the Protestant Reformation, other churches began to pop up in Northern Europe.

In 1530 AD, King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church so he could divorce his wife and remarry and formed the Church of England (Anglican Church) which he was the head of.

Part 1: The Church is One In the early 16th century, other churches formed that

broke away from the Catholic Church including Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians.

With all this division in the Church, the Catholic Church did try to fix the issues at the heart of these schisms through the Counter-Reformation, most notably at the Council of Trent.

In the end, as we can still see today, many different Christian Churches exist, yet do not bear all four marks that Catholic Church does, which allows us to say our church is the one that descends directly from Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

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Part 1: The Church is One Although all Christians are not unified, all

those baptized in Christ and brought up in His faith are Christians, our brothers and sisters with the Church.This is the essence of Ecumenism.

All Catholics are Christian but not all Christians are Catholic.

Many elements of shared with other Christian churches and the Catholic Church, such as the Bible, the life of grace, faith, hope, love, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Part 1: The Church is One Christ can even use other Christian churches

as a means of salvation, yet all depends on ultimately on the fullness of faith that Jesus entrusted to the Catholic Church and where differences occur between the Catholic and Christian Churches.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is close to the Catholic Church, primarily because it has maintained apostolic succession and true Sacraments.

Part 1: The Church is One However, the dividing force between the Catholic

Church and Eastern Orthodox is that the Eastern Orthodox do not recognize the Pope as head over the whole Church.

Yet, since the Eastern Orthodox have valid Sacraments, they are in closer communion with us that other Christian communities since apostolic succession of bishops gives the fullness of salvation through the Sacraments.I.E., in Baptism, all Christians who are baptized into

Christ are imperfectly in communion with the Catholic Church; imperfectly because apostolic succession does not exist in all Christian churches and the fullness of the Sacrament is not there then.

Part 1: The Church is One Ecumenism is the movement to restore

unity amongst all Christians. Two immediate goals of ecumenism are:

To achieve better mutual understandingTo cooperate in various fields, i.e. assisting

the poor The ultimate goal of ecumenism is to

return all Christians to visible unity and full communion.

Part 1: The Church is One An essential element of ecumenism’s success

is the dialogue between officials of the Catholic Church and other Christian churches.

In 1965, for example, Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch of Constantinople agreed on a declaration that apologized to one another about the 1054 AD schism and all the events surrounding it, especially lifting the excommunications off of each other and regretting all the events that lead to the schism, before and after.

Part 1: The Church is One We, as the Church’s body, also have essential

elements to fulfill in ecumenism, including:Growing in holiness through the ChurchConversion of heartPray for unity for and with other ChristiansGain a deeper knowledge of each otherFormation of ecumenical dialogueEcumenical dialogue amongst Theologians, or people

who study God The Catholic Church fully embraces and works

for ecumenism in the hope all Christians will be united once again in Christ and in His One Church.

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Part 2: The Church is Holy The Church is unlike any other

organizations because it is made up of both human and divine elements.

The divine can be seen with eyes of faith that tell us the Church is holy because God created Her and the Holy Spirit dwells in Her.

The Church is not perfectly holy because Her members cannot be perfectly holy in this life, only in the next.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The Church depends on God’s free gift

of grace completely to be holy. The Church has the Holy Spirit active in

Her existence, gaining for us holy people like the saints as examples of how we are to be holy, i.e. Mary was perfectly holy by God’s grace and is an example of how we are to be holy and respond to God’s calling for each of us.

Part 2: The Church is Holy We can ask the question why is the Church

holy when she is obviously a part of a sinful world?

We first must understand the actual elements that compose the Church to answer such a question.

The Church is one entity, yet made up of two elements:DivineHuman

Part 2: The Church is Holy We see the human element of the

Church all around us in the people gathered in the physical building of the Church, the leaders of the Church, and such things as the Bible and religious icons.

But the Church is more than what just meets the eye; she is the bearer of the invisible divine life with God.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The Holy Spirit helps us see with the eyes

of faith the union of both human and divine elements by way of putting us in communication with the divine through what we see at Mass and in Church.

The earthly structure of the Church only exists for the sole purpose of sanctifying her members and making them holy so as to fulfill God’s will, even despite our failings.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The Church is holy because God created her,

Jesus loves and gave up His life for her, and the Holy Spirit dwells in her so she may have life.

The Church is also holy because God has made the Church an instrument of salvation, allowing her to sanctify through Holy Scripture, the Sacraments, models of holiness, and the leadership of the Apostles and their successors.

Even so, we must remember the holiness of the Church on Earth is real, yet imperfect.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Perfect holiness can only be achieved in

Heaven, yet we are called to strive for that holiness throughout our lives.

Love is at the heart of holiness and is the means by which the Church sanctifies her members.

We are all called to love, whether married, single, priest, religious, etc., in different ways through the example of God’s love found in Scripture and the Sacraments.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Despite the holiness of the Church, we are a

Church composed of sinners, no matter if you’re laity or the Pope.

However, the presence of sinners in the Church does not detract from her holiness since it is the Church’s mission to save sinners and bring them home to God, just as Christ did.

All people are composed of “weeds” and “wheat,” of sin and the Gospel, of death and new life in Christ.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Even so, we still need to remember we must

repent for our sins and have a conversion, or a change of heart by turning away from sin and moving toward God, to grow in holiness.

The Church calls all her members to two conversions:The first time at Baptism when original sin is

washed away and new life is given in ChristThe second time throughout the life of a Catholic,

continually hearing God’s call to conversion and holiness

Part 2: The Church is Holy

Part 2: The Church is Holy All members of the Church are called to be

holy and can do so by consciously responding to God in prayer, reading Scripture, receiving the Sacraments, etc.

But no matter how much we do, we can never completely earn holiness for ourselves since we are not perfect; we need God’s Grace, or the free and undeserved gift of God’s loving and active presence in our lives, restoring us to communion with Him which is lost through sin.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Grace is supernatural, or transcends the

power of human intellect and will. We can only see God’s grace through

faith, not based on how we feel or what we experience.We can see the effects of God’s grace at

work in us and in others however, but only if we believe in God and truly believe He is with us.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The Holy Spirit is the first to move in our

lives; otherwise, if left up to our own accord, we probably would never choose to seek Him or holiness.

The gift of grace allows us to cooperate with the Spirit to grow closer to God and His holiness.

God made us to be in loving communion with Him, yet with grace comes freedom, and we either have the freedom to participate in His grace or deny it completely.

Part 2: The Church is Holy With all this talk about grace, it is important to

know that there are different types of grace that are given by the Holy Spirit.

Sanctifying Grace is the grace that heals our human nature wounded by sin and restores us to friendship with God, infused into our souls by the Holy Spirit that help us to continually make us holy.

We receive sanctifying grace at Baptism and is always with us, helping us to live according to God’s will for us. It is a habitual grace, meaning it is a stable and

supernatural disposition.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Habitual grace differs from Actual Grace,

or God’s intervention and support for us in the everyday moments of our lives or during a conversion, since actual grace occurs at a specific moment, while habitual grace is stable and lifelong.

Sacramental Grace are gifts that are associated with each of the Sacraments.Grace comes from the Sacraments since

Christ instituted them and works through them.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Charisms are special graces of the Holy Spirit, such

as Graces of State which accompany people according to their specific vocation in life and in the Church.I.e., a parent is given the gift to do their best to raise their

children. God’s grace will not automatically make us holy

without our cooperation, just as we cannot make ourselves holy without God’s grace; it’s a two way street to being holy in which we must both have God’s grace and work to use His graces in our lives.

It is a struggle to work toward holiness since we are sinners, yet the end result of peace, joy, and everlasting life makes the struggle worth it.

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Part 2: The Church is Holy The Communion of Saints is a belief in the

Catholic Church which is actually a belief in the Church Herself.

The Church is a communion of holy people, both living and dead (but alive with God).

When we profess our faith in the Communion of Saints, we acknowledge our relationship with the faithful living now and in the past (holy people), as well as say we are bound in the Sacraments (holy things), especially the Eucharist, to God and one another, living and in Heaven.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Love for one another is what brings

communion to the Body of Christ, for all people, past, present, and to come.

The Church is a Communion of Saints that exists in 3 stages of sanctification, which are:The faithful, followers of Jesus, on this EarthThe faithful who have died and are being purified

in Purgatory, or a place of cleansing entered after death and before Heaven, to join God in Heaven

The faithful who have already attainted the perfect holiness and glory of Heaven, seeing God as He is

Part 2: The Church is Holy The boundaries of life and death are broken in the

Communion of Saints since the living and the dead benefit spiritually from each others’ prayers for one another.

We pray for the faithful departed, such as family members who have passed away, and offer Masses and the Eucharist in their memory, so that way they can be helped along the way of purification in Purgatory.

We pray for them so they too can participate in the Lamb’s Feast in Heaven and be united with us when we gather around the Lord’s Table during Mass here on Earth.

Part 2: The Church is Holy

Part 2: The Church is Holy Because the Church is holy, all her members

are saints or holy ones, even though they sin.

Some people are given the title of saint because in those people, the Holy Spirit could be seen at work and are examples for the rest of us.

These deceased members of God’s Church lived a life of extraordinary holiness or died for their faith and are honored with the title of sainthood.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The saints are “the living reflection of the

face of Christ” in this modern world, showing us how to life as Christ lived, even with all the new societal pressures we come to face.

Simply put, saints are models of holiness and encourage others to be saints too.St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest, took the

place of another man about to be executed in a concentration camp during the Nazi regime, showing us that sometimes in life, we are called to give to others even at the sacrifice of our own comfort or even at the sacrifice of our own life.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The saints are so closely united with Christ

in Heaven that they can intercede and pray for us in a special way to God.

We honor and venerate saints and ask for their help and prayers, yet they do not take the place of God.

We can ask the saints to pray for us just as we ask a friend to help us out when we are in need; we do not need to pray to the saints for God to hear us, but we seek their help in our prayers to them and God to hear us.

Part 2: The Church is Holy We also have come to associate certain

saints with certain needs, like you should pray to St. Anthony when you cannot find something.

Saint Valentine we all know, celebrated in February 14, and he is the saint of engaged and married couples.He was a Roman priest who was martyred

in the third century, unbeknownst to many.

Part 2: The Church is Holy The saints are honored on fixed days

throughout the year, usually on the date of their death, or their “birthday” in Heaven.

Celebrating saint feast days help us unite with the Heavenly liturgy, recall the Paschal Mystery in their own lives, and expose us to holy people we should aspire to be like.

At Confirmation, we usually choose a saints name as our Confirmation name because we are drawn to that saint for a particular reason; let the saints inspire, teach, and help you see what it means to live as Christ lived.

Part 2: The Church is Holy

Part 2: The Church is Holy Mary, our high school’s patroness, is the

perfect model of holiness for all people. Mary is honored above all other saints for

she was the holiest human being who ever lived, born without original sin, and perfectly holy “without blemish” throughout her life in which she never sinned.

We appreciate and venerate Mary since she was the masterpiece of the mission of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Part 2: The Church is Holy God used and uses Mary to bring people

into communion with Christ. God chose Mary of all the descendants

of Eve to be the human being who would take a real and active role in working out the divine plan for the world’s salvation.

Mary showed us the perfect response we are to have for God’s calling to each of us: that of a “yes” to His will.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Mary, a young virgin, was told she was to

bear a child, that child being the Son of God the Most High; she was afraid and confused, yet even in her fear, Mary still said yes to God’s plan for her life.

Mary’s Fiat, or Latin for “let it be done,” was the yes she gave to the angel Gabriel’s message from God and her cooperation in a real way with the salvation of the world.

Part 2: The Church is Holy Mary is the Theotokos, or a Greek title

meaning “God bearer,” since she is the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God.

For Mary to have such an important role, preparatory steps were needed to be taken.

The Holy Spirit first prepared Mary to be the Mother of God, for she needed to be sinless, humble, and full of grace to carry Christ in her body.

Part 2: The Church is Holy From St. Anne’s womb, Mary was already being

prepared to be the Mother of God, born without original sin.

Through Mary, the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ and the Church first began to show as Mary revealed the Father’s Son for the first time to the world.

And Mary’s “yes” did not just begin and end at the time of her conceiving Jesus; her yes was a lifelong mission, even to the point of standing at the foot of her Son’s cross and saying yes to the will of God that her only Son had to die in such a way.

Part 2: The Church is Holy When Mary’s life was over, Mary was

assumed, both body and soul, into Heaven; this dogma is called the Assumption of Mary.

Jesus crowned Mary as Queen of the Heaven and Earth to give her the due glory she deserved for her lifelong “yes” to God.

Mary is the Church’s model of faith and love and is the first to collaborate with Christ in His mission.

Part 2: The Church is Holy In Mary, as human beings, we see our own

hope, that on the last day, we too will be resurrected and admitted into Heaven to be with God for all eternity.

Mary is known as the Mother of the Church because she actively participated in the divine plan by giving birth to believers through her own giving birth of Jesus Christ.

We can pray to Mary for her intercession and know she is our Advocate, Helper, and Benefactress in Heaven to God.

Part 2: The Church is Holy

Part 3: The Church is Catholic While the next mark of the Catholic Church

may sound redundant and obvious, the Catholic Church being “catholic” is a lot more complex than you think.

When we say the Catholic Church is “catholic,” we are actually referring to meaning of the word catholic, which means “universal.”

The Church is present around the world, in communion with the bishops and the Pope, making it universal.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church is called to be in unity with all people

too, Christian or not, adding to the universality of the Church since the Church calls all people to be part of the People of God.

The universal Church is one with the same ultimate goal across the globe, but that does not mean the Church does not embrace difference.

The Eastern Catholic Churches have different rites and practices than the Roman Catholic Church, yet are unified in a common effort.Also, different cultural traditions can be integrated into

the Church’s worship around the world, yet the goal is still the same and universal: the bring people to God.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The word catholic comes from the Greek

word katholikos, which means “universal.” But notice how the word catholic is not

with a capital “c” when we speak about catholic as one of the four marks of the Catholic Church.The Catholic Church is catholic.

The Church can be catholic in two senses.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church is catholic in two senses by:

Because Christ is present in her (The Church has it all)She has been sent on a mission by Christ to all people of

the world to gather all into the People of God (The Church calls to all)

Therefore, the Catholic Church is “catholic,” or universal, because she possesses the total means of salvation for all people.

Catholic refers to the Catholic Church founded by Christ; catholic refers to the Church having the fullness of Christ in her and her mission to all people. (Chestnut Street vs. chestnut in a sentence)

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church is catholic and has it all

because Christ is in her and has given her the means of salvation for all people.

The means of salvation are free divine gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the Church, which are:The fullness of faithThe fullness of the Seven SacramentsThe fullness of ordained ministry passed down

from the Apostles

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church is catholic and calls to all

because the Church has the mission to “make disciples of all nations,” to the entire universal human race.

All people come from God and are called to be destined to God forever in unity.

The Church is already a sign of that unity since she is universal in uniting people of all different backgrounds into one common faith in Christ.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic

Part 3: The Church is Catholic Recall the word church has three different

references:The entire world community of God’s PeopleLocal community, such as a diocese Community assembled for liturgy, such as Mass

The Church is fully catholic in all these three references in that she has the fullness of Christ and the means of salvation in each.

Even though the Church is divided into dioceses around the world, the Church is indivisible, like Christ, when in union with Rome.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic No matter where you go in the world, when

you go to a Catholic Mass, you will see and hear the same words of Scripture, officiating priests and deacons, and Christ’s presence.

It is important to see, however, that dioceses do not just make up a huge conglomeration around the world; each diocese does good in a specific location while also doing good around the world.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic Particular churches are fully catholic when they

are in communion with the Church of Rome and the Pope.

In early times, Christians struggled with misleading beliefs about the faith and turned to the churches directly set up by the Apostles for guidance since they maintained full apostolic teaching.

The Church of Rome became so important because the Apostles Peter and Paul both preached the Gospel there and were martyred there for the faith and teachings.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Bishop of Rome, the Pope, is the director

successor of Saint Peter, establishing that continued apostolic teaching authority.

When in communion with Rome, churches possess the fullness, or catholicity, of apostolic faith found in the Roman Church.

When in communion with Rome, a church recognizes the Pope as the pastor of the whole Church, the foundation for bishopric unity, and share in the fullness of Christ.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church does not only affiliated

themselves with people who are Catholic and Christian; the Church also has special relationships with the other 4 billion people who are non Christians.

The Church recognizes other non Christian religions seek God and that goodness and truth can be found in them.

These religions prepare people for the Gospel message preached by Christ.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church seeks dialogue with other

religions by bearing witness to Her own faith, as well as seeing the good that can be found in other faiths that do not distort the image of God.

The Church is most closely linked to the non Christian religions of Judaism and Islam since all believe in one God (monotheism).

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Church has a special bond with the Jewish

people, such as:Jesus was JewishGod revealed Himself to the Jewish people in the Old

CovenantThe Jewish faith is a response to His calling to those

people Even though the Church was formed in the New

Covenant of Christ, that does not mean the Jewish people are forsaken by God.

God does not take back the gifts He has bestowed or the choices He makes.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic It is important to know the Church

teaches Christians not to blame the Jewish people for the death of Jesus; even though Jewish authorities were involved, we cannot blame the Jewish people as a whole for the death of Christ.

Muslims acknowledge one Creator and worship one God in prayer, along with tracing their faith back to Abraham.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic Muslims do not acknowledge Jesus as

divine, but see Him as a prophet. They also honor the Virgin Mary as

having given birth to Jesus while still a virgin, as well as the resurrection of the dead and the Final Judgment.

The Church also is involved in speaking with polytheistic religions since they still search for the one true God in the end.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic Hindus, for example, contemplate the

divine mystery, while Buddhists seek God in confidence and love.

Hindus and Buddhists recognize the temporary state of this world and see they can attain liberation through one’s own efforts and divine help.

The Church even has dialogue with those who do not have a belief system, for all people are still made in God’s image.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic

Part 3: The Church is Catholic We must remember that unity and

universality does not mean uniformity; the Church is greatly diverse.

The Church, for example, is not “Italian” or “European,” even though the Popes have been usually from Europe and we are headed by the Church of Rome.

Communion with God calls for union of all people, not rivalry and competition.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic We need to embrace differences, not

erase them, even though associating with people who are like us is easy.

The relationship between Roman Catholics and Eastern Catholics is an example of unity in diversity.

There are twenty one Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, even though they have some different practices and rituals.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic The Eastern Churches, for the most part,

separated from the Roman Church as a result between Orthodox and Catholic Churches in the 11th century.

As such, Eastern Orthodox Churches are not in full communion with Roman Catholic Church.

The Eastern Churches that did return to the Roman Church are called Eastern Catholic Churches.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic Even though Eastern Orthodox and Eastern

Catholics Churches are similar, they are NOT the same thing; they just share in common their formation in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire.

Eastern Catholic Churches possess different traditions, such as:The use of Icons, or religious paintings that express the

Gospel message just as the Word of God doesThe use of an Iconostasis, or a screen with doors and

tiers of icons that separates the altar from the nave, or body, of the Church

Part 3: The Church is CatholicThe Sign of the Cross goes from right

shoulder to left when invoking the Holy Spirit.Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist all

occur at the same time in a person’s life.Married men can be ordained to the

priesthood. We see throughout the world that the

Church takes on popular cultural elements into herself, purifying them to bring glory to God.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic Different religious dances, processions,

and pilgrimages take place across the Church in the world, different from one place to the next, yet all bearing witness to the same teachings of the Church.

Images of the Virgin Mary, such as our Lady of Guadalupe, play an interesting and important role to a specific section of the Church in the world, yet are revered still throughout the world.

Part 3: The Church is Catholic

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic The Church is apostolic because she was

founded on the Apostles. Jesus sent out His Apostles to perform the

Father’s mission on Earth, the mission He started.

For this reason, the Church is indestructible since she was formed by God to perform His will on Earth.

The bishops of the world are the successors of the Apostles and the Pope is the head of the Church, just as Jesus gave Peter that leadership position before His Ascension.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic When we are asked to do something by a

parent or teacher, we usually do it since we feel an obligation to do so; so too did the Apostles feel when Jesus sent them on their mission.

The Church is apostolic, or founded on the Twelve Apostles, in 3 ways:The Church was built on the Apostles, who lived and

learned with and from JesusThe Holy Spirit helps the Church preserve the

teachings of the Apostles and their successorsThe Church continues to be taught, made holy, and

lead by the Apostles through the bishops and Pope and assisted by priests throughout the world

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic The word apostle comes from the Greek

word apostolos, which literally means “one who is sent.”

Jesus came into the world to fulfill the Father’s will and mission for Him, which was to bring forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.

Now, the Apostles were sent forth by Jesus to continue the Father’s will on Earth, just as the Father sent Christ.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus gave the Apostles great authority,

including:Proclaiming the Kingdom of HeavenHealing the sick and casting out evil spiritsRaising the deadForgiving sins in Jesus’ name

The Apostles could do all these things only through the power of Christ.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic After Jesus’ Ascension, with Peter as the

head and spokesman for the Apostles, the Twelve Apostles lead this new Church in Jerusalem and had authority over other new Churches.

The Apostles made all the final decisions in matters of the Church, i.e. if all Church members had to be circumcised in accord with Jewish Law, showing the leadership and power they had.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Jesus commanded the Apostles to spread the

teachings they heard from Christ to all people and all nations throughout the world.

Thus, the teachings of Jesus are passed from one generation to the next, in word and deed.

Sacred Tradition, from the Latin tradere, means “to hand on;” referring to the passing of the Gospel message beginning with oral communication, then the writing of the oral tradition down and forming Scripture, to being interpreted by the hierarchy of the Church through guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic When the Apostles themselves were

coming to the end of their life, they chose successors, who were given the title of Bishop, or one who has received the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and is a successor to the Apostles.

To these successors the Apostles gave the authority to teach and interpret Scripture and Tradition.

This is known as Apostolic Succession.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic In this way, Apostolic succession assures us

that the leaders of the Church are teaching what the Apostles taught themselves 2000 years ago.

It is important to remember that faith is not something we are born with; it is something we receive from others, such as the Church.

The Church is the source of faith. Therefore, we too are called to pass the faith

on to others so they can do the same.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Faith therefore is both a personal choice

to believe, as well as a treasure passed to others ecclesial, or through the Church.

The Apostles passed on the Gospel message to others in two ways:Orally (through preaching to others)In writing (through the guidance of the Holy

Spirit, the Apostles and their associates wrote down the teachings of Christ)

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Some people ask why the Church doesn’t

just use Scripture as sole authority; why does it use Scripture and Tradition?Tradition teaches us some elements that are not

found in Scripture alone, including:○ The exact books that should be regarded as Sacred

Scripture, a process early bishop performed through the Holy Spirit to decipher which books were inspired by God

○ The use of the word Trinity, which isn’t in the Bible○ To answer present day questions, such as on new

technology

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic The Magisterium, or hierarchy of the Church

of bishops in union with the Pope, teach on matters of faith without error by applying the Scriptures to present day situations.

Together, Sacred Scripture and Tradition make up the Deposit of Faith, or Deposit of the Word of God.

Tradition and Scripture do not contradict one another; they help better understand one another.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Bishops have roles as leaders within

their appointed Archdiocese, as well as a global responsibility for the Church in fellowship with bishops and with the Pope.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is by which members of the Church are ordained for permanent ministry in the Church as bishops, priests, or deacons.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic This Sacrament is an essential one to Holy

Orders since Jesus gave authority to His Apostles through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, breathing on them and giving them His own mission.

The Apostles passed on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, an essential part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Bishops receive the fullness of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and are known were known as high priests in the early Church.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic The episcopal, or of relating to the bishops,

consecration allows them to sanctify, teach, and rule, just as the Apostles did.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders gives a Gift of the Holy Spirit to the new bishop just as Christ gave to His first Apostles.

This process of laying on of hands was done at the beginning of the Church and is carried on to today.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Those who receive Holy Orders that are

not bishops, such as priests and deacons, does not mean they have the authority of the bishops or are the successors of the Apostles; only those ordained bishops can say such.

Just as the office of the Apostles is continued in the office of bishops, so too is the office of Peter continued in the role of the Pope as head of the bishops.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Jesus gave better a special assignment:

“I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”

This authority, given to Peter, shows his authority over the whole Church, to forgive sins, to speak on matters of the faith, and make decisions that affect the Church.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and is the

source/ foundation of the unity of the Church, especially in the college of bishops.

The Pope is the Vicar of Christ and pastor of the global church.

The bishops have no authority without the Pope; they cannot veto him or act outside of him.

The college of bishops are in communion with the Pope.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic Every member of the Church has a

vocation to the Apostolate, or the Christian’s activity that fulfills the apostolic nature of the whole Church when they work to extend the reign of Christ to the entire world.

The entire Church is apostolic since she is in communion with the life and faith of the Apostles, as well as their mission to spread the Good News to all the world.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic The source of all apostolate for the Church

is Christ. If we are not in union with Christ, how can

we go about spreading the Good News, whether we are lay (all members of the church except those who are ordained/ consecrated life) or ordained?

The essential nature of the apostolate is love since we are sometimes called to either love or not love throughout daily life.

Part 4: The Church is Apostolic We must, however, understand a career can

be an apostolate if we perform it to help benefit others.A baseball player’s career can be an apostolate if

they become involved in the community to use his time and money to improve the life of others.

We are all called to the apostolate in different ways, whether we are students, teachers, etc.; it just all depends on what you will do with your current position in life to help spread the message of Christ to all people around you.