In the Church each member has a vocation to lead a life of holiness. When God created man, He gave him the gifts of supernatural life, of divine sonship. Man was alive with the very life of God, but by sin, he lost this gift of divine life. Left to himself, man was incapable of winning back the divine life. …

The Catholic Church is missionary because every member shares the command from Christ to carry the Good News of His teaching to all mankind by word and example. The Church, as a community of believers and brotherly love, bears Christian witness by its preaching of the Gospel and its service to others. God has called to be witnesses all those …

The role of the Church is to make Christ known and loved, to spread the knowledge of Salvation everywhere, and to pray and suffer for the Salvation of souls. Christ gave His Church the commission to spread the message of Salvation to the ends of the earth. The greatest gift which God has given to man is the gift of …

The Catholic Church ministers to our spiritual needs by providing a community of faith, where we can find help and guidance in seeking God. The Holy Spirit gives and strengthens the life of God in the Church community through its teaching, the sacraments, prayer, and works of service. The sacraments are special actions in the Church through which the life …

The Church is called the sacrament of Christ because it is a visible reality which Christ has formed in this world as a sacred sign of His presence. It is the sign and also the means He uses to give us the unity and holiness He actually confers through it. It is a sacrament of His presence because He is …

When we speak of the Church in Heaven, we do not mean the Church in the condition in which it is a sign, with ministers and sacraments; these will cease. As signs and instruments, they will be absorbed into the heavenly realities which they now serve. When we speak of the Church in Heaven, we mean the union of the …

Yes, in God’s plan, the Catholic Church is a hierarchical society. It is a people guided by its bishops, who are in union with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. By means of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, bishops (the successors of the Apostles) and priests have received the powers of Jesus Christ. Bishops and priests, together with deacons, are …

Our Holy Father, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the Vicar of Christ. He is the successor of Peter and holds the office of supreme authority over all the Church, appointed by Christ for the guidance and care of His flock. The Pope is the head of the College of Bishops. Our Lord solemnly told Peter he was to …

The Pope is the successor of St. Peter; the Catholic bishops are the successors of the Apostles. Collectively, the bishops constitute what is known as the Episcopal College, with the Pope as its head. Christ made the Apostles as a stable group, or college. They were jointly responsible for spreading the Gospel of Christ in the whole world. To the …

The chief responsibilities of the Pope and the bishops are to teach, sanctify, and govern the People of God. This authority and power was given to them by Jesus, beginning with that received by St. Peter and the other Apostles. After His Resurrection, Jesus demanded of Peter a profession of love. “He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son …