THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS

OF THE CHURCH
• “This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the
Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and
apostolic.”
• These four characteristics, inseparably linked with
each other, 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 one, holy, catholic and apostolic, and it is
he who calls her to realize each of these qualities.
1. The Church is One

• “The sacred mystery of the Church’s

unity”

• The Church is one because of her

source: “the highest exemplar and
source of this mystery is the unity, in
the Trinity of Persons, of one God,
the Father, and the Son in the Holy
Spirit. The Church is one because of
her founder: for “the Word made
flesh, the prince of peace, reconciled
all men to God by the
cross…restoring the unity of all in
one people and one body.”
• The Church is one because of her “soul”: “it is the Holy
Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and
ruling over the entire Church, who brings about that
wonderful communion of the faithful and joins them
together so intimately in Christ that he is the principle of
the Church’s unity.
• Unity is of the essence of the Church.

What are these bonds of unity?

• Above all charity “binds everything together in perfect
harmony.” But the unity of the pilgrim Church is also
assured by visible bonds of communion:

- profession of one faith received from the Apostles;

- common celebration of divine worship, especially of the
sacraments;
- apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders,
maintaining the fraternal concord of God’s family.
Wounds to Unity

• The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ’s Body---here we

must distinguish heresy, apostasy and schism--- do not occur
without human sin.
• However, one cannot charge with the sin of separation those
who at present are born into these communities (that resulted
from such separation)
• and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic
Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers…
The Catholic Church
WORLD RELIGION’S
POPULATION SURVEY
(2010 – 6.9 Billion)

CHRISTIANITY = 2.6 Billion

ISLAM = 1.5 Billion
HINDUISM = 948 Million
NON-RELIGIOUS = 820
Million

Within Christianity:

Catholics – 50%
Protestants – 25%
Orthodox – 11%
Others – 14% https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populati
ons
Within Christianity: Within Non-Religious:

Including agnostic, atheists, secular

Including Catholic, humanist, + people answering ”none” or
Protestant, Eastern ”no” religious preference.
Orthodox, Pentecostal, Half of this group is theistic but non-religious.
Anglican, Monophysite,
AICs, Latter-Day Saints,
Evangelical, SDAs, Jehovah,s
Witness, Quakers, AOG, Within Primal Indigenous:
nominal, etc.
Including African Traditional/Diasporic
• All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are
incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be
called Christians.
• And with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord
by the children of the Catholic Church.
• Furthermore. Many elements of sanctification and of truth
are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic
Church: “the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith,
hope and charity, with the interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as
well as visible elements.”
• Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial
communities as means of salvation, whose power derives
from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has
entrusted to the Catholic Church.
Toward Unity

• Christ bestowed unity on His Church from the beginning.

This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as
something she can never lose, and we hope that it will
continue to increase until the end of time.”

• Certain things are required in order to respond adequately

to this call:

- a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her

vocation; such renewal is the driving force of the movement
toward unity;
- conversion of heart as the faithful “try to live holier
lives according to the gospel,” for it is the
unfaithfulness of the members to Christ’s gift which
causes divisions;
- prayer in common, because “change of heart and
holiness of life, along with public and private prayer
for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the
soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits
the name ‘spiritual ecumenism.’”
- fraternal knowledge of each other;
- ecumenical formation;
- dialogue among theologians, and meetings among
Christians of the different Churches and communities;
- collaboration among Christians in various areas of
service to mankind.
2. The Church is Holy

• “The Church…is held, as a matter of

faith, to be unfailingly holy.
• This is because Christ, the Son of God,
who with the Father and the Spirit is
hailed as ‘alone holy’, loved the Church
as his Bride, giving himself up for her
so as to sanctify her; he joined her to
himself as his body and endowed her
with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the
glory of God.
• The Church, then, is “the holy People
of God,” and her members are called
“saints.”
• United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him;
through him and with him she becomes sanctifying.
• “All the activities of the Church are directed, as
toward their end, to the sanctification of men in
Christ and the glorification of God.”
• It is in the Church that “the fullness of the means of
salvation” has been deposited. It is in her that “by
the grace of God we acquire holiness.”
3. The Church is Catholic

What does “catholic” mean?

• The word “catholic” means “universal,” in the sense of

“according to the totality” or “in keeping with the whole.”
The Church is catholic in a double sense:
• First, the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her.
“Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the catholic Church.”
• In her subsists the fullness of Christ’s body united with its
head; this implies that she receives from him “the fullness of
the means of salvation” which he has willed; correct and
complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and
ordained ministry in apostolic succession.
• The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic
on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until
the day of the Parousia.
• Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has
been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of
human race.

Who belongs to the Catholic Church?

• “All men are called to this catholic unity of the People
of God…And to it, in different ways, belong or are
ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in
Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God’s grace
to salvation.”
Mission-a requirement of the Church’s Catholicity

• The missionary mandate. “Go therefore and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you.”

• The origin and purpose of mission. The Lord’s missionary

mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the
Most Holy Trinity: “The Church on earth is by her nature
missionary since, according to the plan of the father, she
has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy
Spirit.”

• The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to

make men share in the communion between the Father
and the Son in their Spirit of love.
4. The Church is Apostolic

• The Church is apostolic because she is founded

on the apostles, in three ways:
- she was and remains built on “the foundations
of the Apostles,” the witnesses chosen and sent
on mission by Christ himself;
- with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the
Church keeps and hands on the teaching she
has heard from the apostles;
- she continues to be taught, sanctified and
guided by the apostles until Christ’s return,
through their successor’s in pastoral office: the
college of bishops, assisted by priests, in union
with the successor of Peter, the Church’s
supreme pastor.
 Pope
(1 head)

Bishops
(2,946 diocese, cathedrals)

Priests
(219,583 parishes)

Catholics
(1 Billion members)
A. The Pope (also called the
Patriarch) – refer to the
list of Popes file

The following terms are

applied to the Pope:

1. Bishop of the city of

Rome (head of the a local
diocese in Rome) 4. Pope (Universal bishop
2. Vicar of Jesus Christ over all other bishops)
3. Successor of St. Peter 5. Prince of the Apostles
6. Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church
7. Patriarch of the West
8. Primate of Italy
9. Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman
Province
10. Sovereign of the Vatican City State
11. Servant of the Servants of God
12. Priest of St. John Lateran Basilica (Parish priest)
The Pope actually holds three positions
in the Catholic Church:

1. Parish Priest at St. John Lateran

Basilica: Priest who preaches at the
pulpit of St. John Lateran Basilica on
a day to day basis just like any other
parish priest.

2. Bishop of the Diocese of the city of

Rome.

3. Pope: head of the universal Church.

Universal Bishop: Pope. The Pope is
also the "Ruler of the Bishops".
B. The Bishops (also called Archbishop =
Major-Archbishop) There are 2,946
"Mother Churches" (and diocese) in the
Catholic Church today.
• These men are the successors of the
apostles and are usually the spiritual
leaders of local Churches.
• One or several auxiliary bishops may assist
in the ministry. Some local Churches with
the largest population and territory are
called archdioceses.
• The local Church where a Bishop resides is
always called a Cathedral, which is Latin for
"chair".

• A Cathedral therefore means
that a specific local Church is
where the Bishop’s official
chair is centered from over
other local parishes.
• The Cathedral is the Bishop’s
home Church.
• Each of these Mother
Churches (Cathedrals) are
assigned a geographic
territory which is called a
diocese.
• These "archdioceses" are led
by an "archbishop".
• There is only one Bishop per
diocese, although he may be
assisted by other bishops who
rank below him as servants.
• So from a power
organization, there is one
Bishop for each of the 2,946
diocese.
• There is no difference in rank and
power between a Bishop and an
Archbishop.
• An archbishop is merely a bishop who
controls a larger than average territory
or is located in a city of political
importance, like a capital city of a state,
province or nation.
• An Archbishop has no power over other
bishops outside his own diocese.
• The term Major-Archbishop is just a
variation of Archbishop.
• In power terms, there is only one man
who can "fire" a bishop: the Pope, who
appointed him in the first place.
• All Bishops hold two positions of power in the Catholic Church,
which are separate offices.
• Bishop of diocese where his local Church is in the world. He
preaches for a "Mother Church" that is over other local
Churches in his area.
• All Bishops are more than just a parish priests, they are also
Bishop of a Church that is the head of diocese within which are
several other local Churches he rules over.
• As the Bishop of Rome, he is equal to every other bishop in the
Catholic Church including the Pope, who is also a mere bishop
of a local diocese.
C. The Priests: They are also called,
Reverend, Pastor, Priest, Father.
• There is one Priest for each of the
219,583 Parishes (local Churches) in the
Catholic Church.
• Each Parish has is own geographic
territory and boundary lines between
local Churches are well defined.
• The Priest, is in charge of a single parish
that is over common Catholics.
• The priest answers only to two men, his
Bishop and the Pope.
• A bishop from one diocese has no power
or control over a Priest from a different
diocese.
• In power terms, there are only two men
who can "fire" a priest: the Pope or the
bishop who appointed him.
D. Three levels: As you can see, the Pope holds
three separate offices, Bishops hold two
separate offices and Priests hold one office.

Head of Head of Head of

Bishops Diocese Parish

Pope
Bishops
Priests
III. What about Cardinals?

• Cardinal: This is essentially an honorary

title conferred on bishops. Cardinals
usually head a large archdiocese or hold
a chief administrative position in the
Church. Until he reaches the age of 80, a
cardinal is allowed to vote in the election
of a new pope.
• Cardinals have no power in the Catholic
Church.
• They are not over Bishops or Priests.
• Cardinals are chosen by the Pope from
the 2946 bishops to take on an additional
title of Cardinal.
• The best way to think of a Cardinal, is a
cabinet member in the President’s
Office.
• The President is like the Pope with total control. But there
are also hundreds of elected officials called "Cabinet
Members".
• Each "Members of the Cabinet", corresponds to a Bishop
and rules over a specific territory. From this pool of
elected "Cabinet Members of the President", the
President chooses his "Cabinet" of men and women to fill
positions like, "Defense Secretary", "Trade and Industry
Secretary", "Department of Education Secretary". These
cabinet members correspond to "Cardinals".
• So Cardinals are Bishops with additional privilege but do
not rank over anyone outside their own diocese. Cardinals
act as an advisory panel for the Pope and elect the new
pope when the current one dies.
Other Catholic offices and positions:

• Holy See: A term that refers to the pope and

the Roman Curia--the Vatican officials and
offices that are responsible for the day-to-day
handling of Church affairs and resources
worldwide.

• Apostolic Pronuncio (Papal Nuncio): An

archbishop who acts as the official Vatican
delegate to a country. He holds the rank of
ambassador.
• Priest: Co-worker of the bishop. The priest shares in
the power of the bishop as an ordained cleric. The
priest can be a diocesan priest or religious priest.

• A diocesan priest is attached to a specific diocese,

under the authority of the local bishop.
• A religious priest is a member of a
religious community that has a particular
mission in the Church (for example,
missionary work or teaching) and works
in many different parts of the world at
the invitation of local bishops.

• In addition, the religious priest takes

"vows" of poverty--to relinquish personal
ownership and share possessions;
chastity--not just to forego marriage as
the vow of celibacy requires (which all
priests take) but to strive for God-
centered love; and obedience--to spread
the gospel where requested.
• Pastor: The bishop is chief pastor of his diocese, but he delegates
priests to be his direct representative in the pastoral care of a
parish Church. The other appointed priests in the parish are called
"associate pastors" or "parochial vicars."

• Monsignor: An honorary title given to a diocesan priest in

recognition of his contributions to the life of the Church.

• Deacon: An ordained member of the clergy, ranked under bishops

and priests. A deacon can either be transitional (a step while
studying for the priesthood) or permanent (ordained only for the
diaconate). Only permanent deacons may be married, and only if
they were married at the time of their ordination. If their wives die,
they cannot remarry. Otherwise, deacons are celibate. The deacon's
ministry is performing pastoral works of charity and in assisting
liturgical functions.
Sister (nun): A member of a religious order
of women. Sisters, or nuns, take vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience, and
their ministries to spread the gospel are
diversified and widespread
Brother: A non-ordained (Priests and
brothers as "monks.") Brothers
obedience, and their widespread.
member of a religious order of men. in
monastic orders are referred to take vows
of poverty, chastity, and ministries are
also varied and
Laity : The term used to designate all
baptized Catholics who are not members
of the clergy but exercise their baptism by
leavening secular life with the presence of
Christ and attaining holiness by fulfilling
their own particular duties in life.
• CBCP: Initials that stand
for the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the
Philippines.
• This conference of bishops
and attending agencies
speak with one voice on
important religious and
social topics of our day
and expresses Catholic
teaching on these topics
for the Church in the
Philippines.
V. Catholic buildings and
places: (from a Catholic
publication)

• Vatican City: A 108-acre lot

of land in Rome that serves
as the worldwide
headquarters of the
Catholic Church and is the
official residence of the
pope. Vatican City is a
recognized "state," with
the pope as its temporal
leader, and has diplomatic
relations with many
countries.
 Basilica:
A Church
designated as a
place of special
importance (for
example, Saint
Peter's Basilica in
Vatican City).
• Major
• Minor
Cathedral: The official Church of the bishop of a
diocese. It gets its name from "cathedra," Latin
for "chair," which is the symbol of the bishop's
leadership. The bishop presides at this chair
when he is present for cathedral services.
Chancery: The place where the bishop works and where the
(arch)diocesan offices and programs are centralized. In some
places, the chancery is referred to as the "Catholic Centre."

Parish Church: A Church with territorial

boundaries that serves the needs of
the people in its immediate area.
Some parishes are not territorial but
were built to serve specific groups of
immigrants.
• Churches are named in honor of one
or all Persons of the Trinity, the Virgin
Mary, or one of the saints.

Parish Center: A building or large space

where parish activities are held.
Shrine: A Church with devotional center.

Minor Basilica and Shrine of the Black

Nazarene , and St. John the Baptist Parish
Chapel: is a building used by Christians, members of other
religions, and sometimes interfaith communities, as a place of
fellowship and worship. It may be attached to an institution
such as a large church, college, hospital, palace, prison or
funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship,
or it may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with
its own grounds.
Rectory: The residence of priests.

Convent: The residence of sisters.

Monastery: The residence of a

religious community of men or
a religious community of
women.

The apostolate: We call an

apostolate “every activity of
the Mystical Body” that aims
“to spread the Kingdom of
Christ over all the earth.”