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Choices are what send people to hell Saturday, September 6, 2008 As an ardent Roman Catholic, I am disappointed by the fact that 41 percent of the 35,000 respondents in the recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life do not believe in hell. I am even more disappointed, however, by the fact that the Religion News Service's article on this question, printed in the Aug. 29 Faith & Values section, "For Americans, belief in hell both ebbing, changing," relied exclusively on Dominican Sister Carmella Conway for the Catholic theological teaching on hell. While Sister Conway is...

PART ONETHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER ONEI BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ARTICLE I "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH" Paragraph 4. The Creator 279 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."116 Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words. The profession of faith takes them up when it confesses that God the Father almighty is "Creator of heaven and earth" (Apostles' Creed), "of all that is, seen and unseen" (Nicene Creed). We shall speak first of the Creator, then of creation and finally...

PART ONETHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER ONEI BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ARTICLE I "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH" Paragraph 4. The Creator 279 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."116 Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words. The profession of faith takes them up when it confesses that God the Father almighty is "Creator of heaven and earth" (Apostles' Creed), "of all that is, seen and unseen" (Nicene Creed). We shall speak first of the Creator, then of creation and finally...

PART ONETHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWOTHE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER ONE I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHERARTICLE I "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH" Paragraph 2. The FatherI. "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT" 232 Christians are baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"53 Before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part question when asked to confess the Father, the Son and the Spirit: "I do." "The faith of all Christians rests...

PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION ONE"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE" CHAPTER THREEMAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD 142 By his Revelation, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company."1 The adequate response to this invitation is faith. 143 By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, "the obedience of faith".3 ARTICLE...

ARTICLE 3 SACRED SCRIPTUREI. CHRIST - THE UNIQUE WORD OF SACRED SCRIPTURE 101 In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men."63 102 Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:64 You recall that one...

CHAPTER TWOTHE TRADITION OF PRAYER ARTICLE 2THE WAY OF PRAYER In the living tradition of prayer, each Church proposes to its faithful, according to its historic, social, and cultural context, a language for prayer: words, melodies, gestures, iconography. The Magisterium of the Church15 has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith; it is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning, always in relation to Jesus Christ. Prayer to the Father There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or...

Lesson 6: Angels and Devils "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients;  and the number of them was thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:  The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction."   (Apocalypse 5:11-12) What is an angel?    An angel is a spirit, that is, a creature who does not have a body. Is an angel a real person?    Yes, because an angel has a mind and a...

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world."  (Hebrews 1:1) What is the Bible?    A collection of writings which were inspired by God. "All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work."    (2 Timothy 3:16-17) What does "inspired...

Lesson 1: Religion What is the purpose of these lessons?    To fill in what is missing in the lives of so many people - the knowledge and practice of true religion.     "The heart of the wise seeketh instruction:  and the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness."    (Proverbs 15:14). Why is religion the most important study?    Because God expects you to know what He has taught and what He wants you to do in this life.     "Let no man deceive himself:   if any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a...

It is not easy to be a Christian. To be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect, is a directive which should instill both awe and humility into its hearers. Likewise, commandments to love our neighbors and pray for our enemies are also tall orders, which, without the grace of God, would be almost impossible to obey. As difficult as Christian living is, it's harder still to be a Catholic. Though the Holy Church is a gift and a blessing from God and ultimately, a gateway to eternal life, its ways are never easy, nor were they promised to be....

Q. 1052. What is a sacramental? A. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin. Q. 1053. How do the Sacramentals excite good thoughts and increase devotion? A. The Sacramentals excite good thoughts by recalling to our minds some special reason for doing good and avoiding evil; especially by reminding us of some holy person, event or thing through which blessings have come to us. They increase devotion by fixing our minds on particular virtues and by helping...

In Defense of Creedalism Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.We live in a non-creedal age. By and large conservative Christians dimin­ish the importance of creeds and confessions of faith. As a matter of fact, many non­-creedalists do not simply dismiss creeds as unimportant for maintaining biblical Christianity, they decry them as positively antithetical to it. Such a position is not simply “non-creedal,” but rather “anti-creedal.”Many factors are at work generating this anti-creedal sentiment today. Among these we may list the following:an increasing permeation of society with a relativistic, existential concern for the moment; a loss of a sense of the significance...

Question 12 of The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church now asks the following: "What is Apostolic Tradition?" Answer: "Apostolic Tradition is the transmission of the message of Christ, brought about from the very beginnings of Christianity by means of preaching, bearing witness, institutions, worship, and inspired writings. The Apostles transmitted all they received from Christ and learned from the Holy Spirit to their successors, the bishops, and through them to all generations until the end of the world." The notion of Sola Scriptura, or "Scripture alone", as the definitive source of all that is genuine, all that...

The first official catechism produced by the United States Catholic Bishops since the creation of the Baltimore Catechism, will be available this week. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, available from USCCB Publishing, is an adaptation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992. At that time, the Pope urged that local catechisms be developed to better address specific situations and cultural realities in different countries. This catechism reports to do just that. Unlike the Baltimore Catechism with its 421 questions and answers, the new catechism is aimed specifically at adults and...

Via Ignatius Insight: The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is now online on the Vatican website (hat tip: Pontifications). It is an excellent resource....The Compendium is far less intimidating for many readers because, of course, it is much shorter than the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The question and answer format is perfect for teaching and leading groups. And it is a very attractive volume, with reproductions of sacred art, commentary on the theological meaning of those pieces of art, and reproductions of numerous prayers (in both English and Latin). In addition to the Compendium, there...

Catholic News Service CHICAGO (CNS) -- Mary Zilligan Becker, a Chicago-area Catholic, does not view her chance encounter with a military chaplain stationed in Iraq as a mere coincidence. In January, Becker was asked by a friend without a computer to send an e-mail for her to a priest friend, Father John Hannigan, a chaplain with the U.S. Marine Corps. Father Hannigan, who was ordained in the Chicago Archdiocese in 1976, now has a 30,000-square-mile "parish" that reaches west from Baghdad and Fallujah to the borders of Syria and Jordan. He lives with soldiers, sailors, Marines and Seabees. At every...

Grand Rapids, Jun. 16, 2006 (CNA) - While the U.S. Catholic Bishops are currently meeting to discuss slight changes to the mass, delegates of the Christian Reformed Church in West Michigan are discussing how to resolve a historic condemnation of the Catholic mass, which appears in their Heidelberg Catechism. The Protestant catechism declares that the Catholic mass is “a condemnable idolatry” and, essentially, that it denies that Christ's crucifixion paid for humanity's sins once and for all. But delegates to the CRC Synod spent about three hours Wednesday attempting to tone down the 1563 Protestant doctrine, reported The Grand Rapids...

Interview With Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli ROME, JUNE 9, 2006 (Zenit.org).- New methods are needed to catechize believers in the truths of the Eucharist, says Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli. The monsignor, an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and member of the editorial commission of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is author of "L'Eucaristia, dono incomparabile di Dio agli uomini" (The Eucharist, Incomparable Gift of God to People), published by Ediciones San Clemente. In this interview with ZENIT, Monsignor Martinelli explains how he has worked to meet an increasing need for catechesis. Q: What...

The Da Vinci Code is only a novel. It is not a source of serious information, but it does raise some serious questions. 1. Was Jesus Christ really married? Yes. Jesus was married to the Church. In the New Testament, Jesus is frequently referred to as the Bridegroom, and St. Paul tells us: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a tremendous mystery. I’m applying it to Christ and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32) In fact, the Christian vocation is nothing less than an invitation...

The Da Vinci CatechismThe Da Vinci Code is only a novel. It is not a source of serious information, but it does raise some serious questions. 1. Was Jesus Christ really married?Yes. Jesus was married to the Church. In the New Testament, Jesus is frequently referred to as the Bridegroom, and St. Paul tells us: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a tremendous mystery. I’m applying it to Christ and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32) In fact, the Christian vocation is nothing less than...

WASHINGTON, D.C., FEB. 7, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The new Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be available starting March 31, says the U.S. bishops' conference. The 200-page synthesis of the 1992 Catechism will be published exclusively by USCCB Publishing, the publishing office of the episcopate. USCCB Publishing will launch the Compendium in English and Spanish at the 2006 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. The paperback version will be available first with the hardcover to follow shortly after. The Compendium consists of 598 questions and answers, echoing to some degree the format of the popular Baltimore Catechism which was...

THIBODAUX, January 27, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Bishop of a Louisiana diocese has misrepresented the Catholic teaching on homosexuality in a statement about one of his priests appearing in a local newspaper report. In early January, Rev. Jim Morrison, announced in a letter to his parishioners that he was a celibate homosexual, saying that he no longer felt comfortable keeping his secret while advising others to be open. Morrison is a long-serving priest and is currently pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on the Nicholls State University campus in Thibodaux. Bishop Sam G. Jacobs of Houma-Thibodaux in a statement...

by Rich Leonardi Contributing Author Other Articles by Rich LeonardiContact this Author The Compendium’s Promise 10/26/05 This fall marks the release of the long-awaited Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, providing us an opportunity to take stock of the state of catechesis in the Church in America and to examine the potential of this new teaching tool. As its name suggests, the Compendium is based on the longer Catechism of the Catholic Church. Sales of the Catechism (CCC), first released in 1992, have been impressive, with at least 8 million sold worldwide. Catechetical elites wrongly claimed that the Catechism...

Pope Benedict XVI offered a rare glimpse into his past Saturday and gave a small lesson in Catholicism to children who attended his first youth rally at St. Peter's Square; an event that was reminiscent of the gatherings inspired by Pope John Paul II. Benedict recalled the sunny, "beautiful Sunday" in 1939 that he made his First Communion at the age of 9, telling an estimated 150,000 children and their parents he had begun a "lifelong friendship with Jesus" that he hoped the children would also enjoy. "So I went forward in my life, and thanks to God, the Lord...

Father Jeffrey T. Robideau, a priest of the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., has written a short 45-page book titled Homosexuality: A Look at Catholic Teaching. He has been gracious enough to allow me to print excerpts from his book, which is based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. First excerpt: Knowing that homosexuality is the desire for a perverted relationship with someone of the same sex, the Catechism states the ‘psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.’ We know that the problem lies in the thinking and in the heart as Scripture says in Mt 15:10. This leaves the question - Why and...

Every once in a while, a case comes along that makes me truly grateful to be a Catholic. Our Holy Mother Church has been looking out for us and trying to keep us out of trouble, even when we chafe at her constraints. But when I see the trouble people get themselves into, I am grateful for our Holy Mother’s foresight. That is how I felt when I read the California Supreme Court’s ruling on the April 22 case, K.M v. E.G. Perhaps you don’t remember a case by that name, but surely you remember the headlines: “California Establishes Lesbian...

When I personally think of the word “catechism” I immediately associate it with a sister asking me prepared questions about God. All of us have probably gone through this routine because, until the last 20-30 years not much changed in our church from the days of St. Josephat and that was 500 hundred years ago. The History Actually it is more or less the same in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1566, St Charles Borromeo, at the wish of the Council of Trent, published a Catholic Catechism. This was divided into four sections – faith, sacraments, the Commandments and prayer....

A Catechism for the Culture of the ImageThe new "Compendium" of Catholic doctrine includes fourteen masterpieces of painting from both the East and the West. And the pope has explained why. Timothy Verdon: "Benedict XVI has done justice to Christian art" by Sandro Magister ROMA, July 5, 2005 – There is an unexpected novelty in the new "Compendium" of the catechism of the Catholic Church presented by Benedict XVI on June 28. It features prominently, in full color, fourteen sacred images. As the pope has explained, the images are not there purely for the sake of illustration. They are an...

A long time ago in a church, far, far away, a vicar and his flock sang their final hymn to the theme tune of the Star Wars saga. Well, not that long ago, or far away, really. Last week, in fact, in West Yorkshire, a parish church held a special service to mark the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It seems that in an increasingly secular Britain, vicars are turning to the Force to keep church attendance figures high, and to attract that crucial youth market. Reverend Paul Walker explained that the service was inspired...

Every Catholic on Earth is a sinner. From this writer up to and including the newly installed Pope Benedict XVI. That we have the church to steer us to our redeemer through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation to forgive our sins, is a precious gift of grace from God. It is this belief, along with many others, that unites us to what we call the one true church. During the last few weeks, we have seen numerous images of Catholics from around the world converging on Rome to worship God and to pray. People of different colors, dress and...

Catholic teachings for those who've drifted away The Catholic Church in the United States is on the way to having its first national catechism since the old Baltimore Catechism that children memorized for 80 years. But this new one is aimed at adults - specifically young adults who have left the church or are on the brink of falling away. "It was a labor of love," said Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh, who shepherded the text through four years, three drafts and more than 10,000 suggested amendments from fellow bishops. "We are trying to reach so many of those young...

Amchurch Bishops Come up with Another Phony Catechism From: Fr. Moderator Donald Wuerl, Newchurch Bishop of Pittsburgh Theological Bojanles Writes Amchurch "Catechism" Newvatican Previously Found Him So Ignorant of Canon Law That He Was Sent back to Remediation School If you thought that the New Order would stop after its Vatican II Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992 (well, that was the year of its first version at least), were you wrong! Although the Novus Ordinarians quote that travesty as if it were Holy Writ, the Vatican II catechism is so full of mistakes and "nuancing" of true Catholic...

WASHINGTON (November 8, 2004) — The U.S. bishops are slated to vote on an adult catechism during their annual Washington meeting, November 15-18, at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. The publication, which will be known as the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, will be the nation’s first national catechism intended for adults and has been in preparation since June 2000. It was developed under the oversight of the Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, chaired by Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans. This Committee was aided in its work by an Editorial Board...

(Kersten, The Heidelberg Catechism in 52 Sermons, Vol.2, Part 13) The Required Obedience to the Authorities God Has Set Over Us Lord's Day 39 Psalter No. 207 st. 4 Read Proverbs 31 Psalter No. 333 st. 1, 2, 3, 4 Psalter No. 40 st. 2, 3 Psalter No. 90 st. 6, 7 Beloved, No one can lengthen or shorten his life as determined by God's eternal counsel. Job says in the 14th chapter, "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass". God has determined the days...

(Kersten, The Heidelberg Catechism in 52 Sermons, Vol.2, Part 12) Keeping the Lord's Day Holy Lord's Day 38 Psalter No. 420 st. 1 Read Matthew 11:11-30 Psalter No. 348 st. 1, 2, 3 Psalter No. 227 st. 1 Psalter No. 250 st. 1 & 5 Beloved, In the passage of Scripture which was read to you, the Lord invites those who labor and are heavy laden, saying, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." The Lord did not mean those who labor physically, or those who are laden with external difficulties. This is very clear from the sharp...

St. John Leonardi St. John Leonardi was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1541, during the time of upheaval in the Church due to Martin Luther. He studied to be a pharmacist, then became a priest. As a young priest he devoted himself to teaching catechism to youths. In 1574, he founded the Order of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, a congregation of diocesan priests. He suffered many tribulations for this work, including exile. His contemporary, St. Philip Neri, was a great friend and spiritual guide, and helped him particularly in his time of exile. Gradually...

Can anyone point me in the direction of good books on the catechism, apologetics or the traditional faith that are intelligent, interesting and wouldn't be "off-puttting" to someone who has an interest in traditional Catholicism? I've read St. Joseph's Baltimore, but I'm wondering what else is out there or if anyone has any further recommendations. This person is very special to me and I would like her to understand the faith and why traditionalists practice the faith as they do. She's a baptized Catholic who is currently very interested in tradition. This is not to offend Novus Ordo attendees, but...

The world just learned that "Catholic" actress Brooke Shields is the proud mother of a new baby girl. For a long time infertility problems made it impossible for her and her husband to conceive, and after many failed attempts to conceive naturally she resorted to the technological solution: in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now she is pictured on the covers of glamorous magazines with a smiling beautiful baby girl, but some have questioned her decision to use IVF. I am one of them. Was this star wrong to have a "test tube" baby? Yes. Dead wrong. While recognizing the pain of...

The Catechism and Capital Punishment Mario Derksen There is so much to say about both the 1992 version [of the New Catechism] and the 1997 version that I don't know where to start. Let me, therefore, walk you through the whole thing, beginning with the 1992 version, from the very start, and interject my comments: "2266 Preserving the common good of society required rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm. For this reason the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with...

"Respect for bodily integrity: Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they subject their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism threatens, wounds, and kills indiscriminately, is gravely against justice and charity. Torture which uses physical or moral violence ... to satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity.... Amputations, mutilations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law(612, paperback)."

This is a question relating to Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion" and the "controversy" concerning his Traditionalist Catholic beliefs. There has been a lot of well...frankly, a lot of mischevious talk about his "traditionalist" views and head nodding about the Catholic Church's release of teaching guides to "assist" Catholics in understanding the movie from a church perspective. Frankly, I'm alittle confused since everything that has been said about the portrayal thus far seems to comport with the current catechism of the Catholic Church. So I am doing some on-line research specifically trying to determine if there is any difference between...

Later this year I will begin my conversion to the Catholic Church. For some background:My wife was raised Catholic. I was raised Protestant. We were married outside the church. We have been searching for a church in Georgia that meets both of our spiritual needs best. We had tried other denominations of churches. We ended up settling on Saint Vincent De Paul Catholic Mission in Dallas Georgia. My wife is more comfortable with the church because of her up-bringing. For me, this church provides a level of communion with God I hadn't been able to obtain before. I really feel...

TIME TO JUNK THE NEW APOLOGETICS? Dear Friend of Catholic Answers: In the 1960s, after South Vietnam had been undergoing a less-than-peaceful change of government every week or so, there came a period of stability. One magazine took notice and ran this headline: "No Coups Is Good Noups." You know the feeling. It's nice to take a breather from the fuss and fury. It's nice to have no one saying silly things that need to be responded to. It's nice to relax, kick back, and think that, even if only for a moment, all's well with the world. And then...

Co-responsibility for public policy New Orleans January 14, 2004 By ARCHBISHOP ALFRED C. HUGHES The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear that all Catholics have a personal responsibility to participate in promoting the common good in accordance with their vocation in life. Those holding public office have a special responsibility. The goal of this participation is to help shape a public policy that is in conformity as much as possible with the law rooted in our nature that governs us all, no matter what our religious belief. Thus, they are called to try to ensure that the laws that...

  ORIGIN OF "THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS" An Underground CatechismYou're all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" I think. To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE...

A Word About Sparrows: Evangelizing the Animal Rights Movement    HELEN M. VALOIS Like all errors, the animal rights movement contains elements of truth. Like the feminists who represent themselves as opposed to rape, unequal wages, and (until recently) sexual harassment in the workplace, the animal rights activists lead with issues we can all agree on. Indeed, the Catechism affirms, “Animals are God’s creatures . . . It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly” (nos. 2416, 2418). We’re mistaken, however, if we imagine that it begins and ends here. The root of the...

US abortionists are adopting a disturbing new tactic of promoting a 'baptism'' type ceremony for the aborted baby.According a report in an American magazine, the new methods involve the use of language more commonly found in counselling for post-abortion syndrome as well as a ritual including a kind of baptism of the aborted baby. Before the abortion, women are encouraged to express guilt, to write notes to their children about their feelings of empowerment, to grieve and express love for the child.But US pro-life groups have reacted with disgust to the tactics and a spokesperson for the Campaign Life Catholic...

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCHSECOND EDITION PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITHSECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHCHAPTER THREEI BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT ARTICLE 9"I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH" Paragraph 4. Christ's Faithful - Hierarchy, Laity, Consecrated Life "The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been incorporated in Christ through Baptism, have been constituted as the people of God; for this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ's priestly, prophetic, and royal office in their own manner, they are called to exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to...

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCHSECOND EDITION PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITHSECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER THREEI BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT ARTICLE 9"I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH" Paragraph 3. The Church Is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic "This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic."256 These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other,257 indicate essential features of the Church and her mission. The Church does not possess them of herself; it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church...