Holy Catholic Church

• Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.: 'And kindle in them the fire of your love.'
• Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.: 'And you will renew the face of the earth.'
• Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful.: 'In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.'
• The 9th Article of the Creed


  Foundation, Nature, and Mission of the Church
• The Four Characteristics of the Church

  • The Communion of Saints
• The Holy Spirit transformed fearful apostles into courageous witnesses to Christ.
• In a very short time, thousands had themselves baptized: IT WAS THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH.
• Fifty days after his Resurrection, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit down from heaven upon his disciples. The age of the CHURCH began.
• Peter gave his sermon and converted 3,000 people
• The Apostles reached different parts of the world.
• There was a sense of urgency in the early years that Jesus would return immediately.
• Decades past, it became clear that structure was necessary to organize the Church.
• Three developments


  • CLERGY - permanent leaders of worship - bishops, priests & deacons
  • NEW TESTAMENT
  • CREEDS - core beliefs
• The Church


  The ASSEMBLY OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, who are baptized, and who are in communion with the Pope
• Ekklesia


  Greek word meaning "assembly"
• The Church


  Not simply a building or an institution, but a community of believers
• To belong to the Catholic Church

  • To believe in Jesus Christ
  • To be baptized
  • To be in communion with the Pope
• Those who do not believe that JESUS IS GOD cannot be called Christians.
• Jesus appointed Simon Peter and his successors as the universal shepherds of his Church, when he said: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church"
• Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.: 'And kindle in them the fire of your love.'
• Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.: 'And you will renew the face of the earth.'
• Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful.: 'In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.'
• The mission of the Church is to establish among all peoples the Kingdom of God.
• Members of the Church

  • Laity
  • Clergy
• Laity


  Baptized, non-ordained Christians who belong to the People of God
• Clergy


  Ordained men in the Church
• Hierarchy of the Church

  • Pope
  • Bishop
  • Deacon
  • Priest
• Pope


  Successor of the apostle Peter, Bishop of Rome, supreme pastor, priest and teacher of the Church
• Bishop


  Successor of the apostles, leader of a diocese, member of the college of bishops under the Pope
• Deacon


  Ordained for the ministry of the Word, the liturgy, and charitable works
• Priest


  Co-worker with the bishop in proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments
• The Church is also called Roman because the two greatest Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, died as martyrs in Rome.
• On June 29, 64 AD, St. Peter was crucified upside-down on the Vatican Hill; while St. Paul was beheaded along the Ostiense Way.
• The Christian community in Rome was regarded as "the greatest and most ancient Church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul.
• Vatican City is the smallest city in the world, and the Vatican palace is the residence of the pope.
• Catholic tradition holds that St. Peter's Basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter.
• Baptism is the first and chief sacrament, conferring new life in Christ through water and the word.
• Sacramentals are sacred signs that institute the faithful into various forms of participation in the Church's mission, such as blessings, prayers, devotions, and pious practices.
• The sacraments are visible signs instituted by Christ to give grace.
• Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian worship, where bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.