The Catholic Church The Catholic Church is the congregation of all Baptized persons united in the same true

faith, the same sacrifice, and the same Sacraments, under the authority of the Magisterium of the Church, which consists of the Sovereign Pontiff, the Pope, and all the Bishops in communion with him. The Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. er ead is Jesus! her soul is the oly Spirit! her mem"ers are the Catholic faithful, her life is #race. Just as a human "ody has one head, so does the Church have one head who is Christ. The Pope is is $icar, or representative, on earth, the visi"le head of the Church. Just as our human "ody is made up of many mem"ers, such as hands, feet, eyes, lungs, the heart, etc. so is the Mystical Body of Christ composed of many mem"ers. The mem"ers of the Church are those Baptized, profess the true faith, and have not left or have "een e%communicated &e%pelled' from the Church. The Catholic Church is the fullness of Christ, ead and mem"ers, the whole Christ. (t is rightfully said that the Church is the sum total of #od)s revelation to man*ind. (n the Church we are all one in Christ. (n a mysterious, yet true sense, the Church is Jesus Christ. The Church is made up into three sections, the Church Militant, who are all those living on earth who have "een Confirmed! the Church Suffering, who are all those persons doing penance in Purgatory! and the Church Triumphant, who are all those alive in eaven. Some of the sym"ols and comparisons the Bi"le uses for the Church Militant and Church Triumphant are+ the $ine, the Sheepfold, the ,r* of -oe, and the -ew Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ. The Catholic Church was founded "y Jesus Christ and everything she teaches can "e traced "ac* to is mouth or the mouth of an ,postle who was "reathed on "y Jesus! with the e%ception of the ,ssumption of Mary, which was defined "y Papal infalli"ility. The Catholic Church was founded "y Jesus to "ring all men to eternal salvation. The Church is ena"led to lead men to salvation "y the indwelling of the oly Spirit, who gives her life. The dwelling of the oly Spirit in the Church was first manifested on Pentecost Sunday, when e came down upon the ,postles and the Blessed $irgin Mary in the form of tongues of fire. Pentecost Sunday is the day we "ecame a Church. .e have the assurance that the oly Spirit will dwell in the Catholic Church until the end of time. Jesus gave us this Promise when e said, /The gates &powers' of hell will not prevail against My Church./ Matthew 01+02 The (ndwelling of the oly Spirit ena"les the Church to Teach. To Sanctify, and to 3ule the 4aithful in the name of Jesus Christ. Just as the human "ody has one soul to give it life, so the Mystical Body of Christ has one soul, the oly Spirit. e dwells in the "ody as a whole and in each living mem"er, filling it with 5ivine 6ife. Just as the human "ody has a human life, so does the Mystical Body of Christ have a 5ivine 6ife, which we call Sanctifying #race. By Teaching, Sanctifying, and 3uling, in the name of Christ is meant that the Church always does the .ill of its 5ivine 4ounder, Jesus, who remains forever its invisi"le ead. Teaching7 Christ stands "ehind the preaching of the Church. Sanctifying7(t is Jesus who is the invisi"le Minister of every Sacrament.

3uling7it is Jesus who guides the Church in ma*ing 6aws. Christ gave the power to Teach, Sanctify, and 3ule the mem"ers of is Church to the ,postles, the first Bishops. Jesus intended that this power should "e e%ercised "y them and passed on to their successors, the Bishops of the Church. Jesus gave to St. Peter a special power in the Church "y ma*ing him the head of the ,postles and chief teacher and ruler of the entire Church. St. Peter is our 4irst Pope, his power was always intended to "e passed down through his successors, the Popes, the Bishops of 3ome, all 819 of them, who are the $icars of Christ on earth, the visi"le ead of the Church. :ur Parish priests assist the Bishops in the care of souls. The 6aity, or 6aic society, of the Church are all its mem"ers who do not "elong the clerical or religious state. The 6aity can help the Church in her care of souls "y leading lives that will reflect credit on the Church, and "y cooperating with their Bishops and priests, especially through Catholic ,ction. Catholic ,ction is the active participation of the laity in the ,postolate of the Church under the guidance of the ierarchy. Some e%amples of Catholic ,ction would those involved in the ministries of 6ay Missionaries, ;ucharistic Minister, 6ector, <nights of Colum"us, or other various organizations wor*ing for the Church! Catechetical instruction! and "y promoting the high standards in the press, motion pictures, radio and television industries. ;very Catholic is o"liged to help the Church to spread. -on7Catholics are most often "rought into the Church "y the good e%ample of Catholics and *ept away "y "ad e%ample. ;very one of us has a moral o"ligation to ta*e an interest in Catholics who have fallen away from the Church and -on7Catholics. -ever argue, "ut cheerfully answer their sincere =uestions, regardless of how silly they may sound. They do not *now any "etter. ;ncourage them, and, if possi"le, donft >ust tell, "ut ta*e them to see a priest. .e got our -ame, /Catholic/ from St. (gnatius of ,ntioch. :n his way to Martyrdom in the year 0?@, he wrote seven letters, si% the Churches in his See, and one to his friend, St. Polycarp. (n his letter to the Smyrneans, he said, /.herever the Bishops appears, let the people "e there, >ust as Jesus Christ is, there will "e the Catholic Church./ The name has stuc* ever since. The ierarchy of the Church The Pope The Cardinals The Bishops The Priests The 5eacons The 6aity

The Chief teaching of the Catholic Church is the (ncarnation. The (ncarnation means that the Son of #od, Jesus Christ, retaining is 5ivine -ature, too* to imself a human nature, that is, a "ody and soul, li*e ours. The Center of the Catholic Church is the oly ;ucharist. This is the manner Jesus chose to remain with us always. The oly Sacrifice of the Mass "eautifully fulfills the Prophecy of Malachi 0+00. #od love yas Tim

Used with permission from Tim Rash KCC1TIM