THE VISIBILITY OF THE

CHURCH USING THE FOUR

MARKS OF THE CHURCH
Visibility is key to the oneness
and unity of the Church. This
unity can be seen in the Mass.
Every single day there is a
Catholic Mass being celebrated
throughout the world, and we are
continuously united with all
Catholic parishes as we take
turns participating in the same
Mass.
The primary means of
holiness are the very
visible sacraments.
Through physical and
visible things such as
water, bread, wine, and oil,
Christ dispenses his graces
upon us to make us more
holy.
To be catholic is to
be universal. In a visible
Church, the Catholic
Church, we can see with
our own eyes the same
universal faith practiced
from America to Africa to
Asia
Christ picked twelve apostles to lead his
Church and as visible leaders all would
know that communion with them meant
communion with him. The apostles
understood how important visible
leadership was, so they appointed
successors to fill their roles after they
died (Acts 1:15-26). The hierarchy of the
Church is a visible sign of the continuity
of the Church from the time of the
apostles to today.
 THE CHURCH IS ONE

There are 3 reasons why the Church is One: First, because

of its source, which is the Holy Trinity, a perfect unity of
three divine persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
Second, because of its founder, Jesus Christ, who came to
reconcile all mankind through the blood of the cross; and
third, because of its "soul," the Holy Spirit, who dwells in
the souls of the faithful, who unites all of the faithful into
one communion of believers, and who guides the Church.
(CCC 813)
 THE CHURCH IS ONE

Just as God is one in the Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit, so also is the Church one. The founder of the
Church is Jesus Christ, who brought us back to God
and made us into the family of God. The Church is
one in the Holy Spirit, who dwells in those who
believe.
 The Church is Holy
The Church is also holy. Our Lord Himself is the source of all
holiness: "The one Christ is mediator and the way of salvation;
he is present to us in His body which is the Church" (Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, no.14). Christ sanctifies the
Church, and in turn, through Him and with Him, the Church is
His agent of sanctification. Through the ministry of the Church
and the power of the Holy Spirit, our Lord pours forth
abundant graces, especially through the sacraments. Therefore,
through its teaching, prayer and worship, and good works, the
Church is a visible sign of holiness.
 The Church is Holy
By His grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as He is holy. This
doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there
would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70),
and not all the members would go to heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).
But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness
and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus
established, the sacraments (cf. Ephesians 5:26).
 The Church is Catholic
According to St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 100), who used this word meaning
"universal" to describe the Church (Letter to the Smyrnaens). The Church is
indeed Catholic in that Christ is universally present in the Church and that
He has commissioned the Church to evangelize the world — "Go therefore
an make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:19).
 The Church is Catholic
Catholic means “universal.” The Church is universal in two ways. First, the
Church is catholic because all baptized people are part of the Church and the
Church possesses the means of salvation. Second, the mission of the Church
is universal because the Church has been sent to proclaim Christ to the entire
human race.
 The Church is Apostolic
Christ founded the Church and entrusted His authority to His apostles, the
first bishops. He entrusted a special authority to St. Peter, the first Pope and
Bishop of Rome, to act as His vicar here on earth. This authority has been
handed down through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in what we call
apostolic succession from bishop to bishop, and then by extension to priests
and deacons. 
 The Church is Apostolic
The Church traces its tradition directly from the apostles; therefore, the
Church is considered apostolic. With the Holy Spirit the Church preserves
and continues the teaching of the apostles. The pope and bishops are the
successors of the apostles.