2. What is an INSTITUTION? An organization founded and united for a specific purpose An organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program A well-established and structured pattern of behaviour or of relationships that is accepted as a fundamental part of a culture
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4. Temporal Dealing with the everyday affairs of the world. spiritual Pastoral care of the people of God, preaching the Gospel
5. Who is the Leader of the Catholic Church? The Pope is the temporal leader and pastor of the Catholic Church The Pope is the INFALLIBLE spiritual leader of the more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide
6. St. Peter, the First Pope Jesus gave Simon Peter a new name, Peter (“rock”) a new name to go with his new mission Often portrayed holding keys keys of the Kingdom (gift from the Lord) Today, the ring the Pope wears is called the Fisherman’s ring in honour of St. Peter.
7. “… when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:19)
8. St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles Originally a persecutor of the followers of Jesus Experienced his conversion while on the road to Damascus; saw a vision of the resurrected Christ which temporarily blinded him Wrote 13 epistles or letters which were circulated within Christian communities throughout the world
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11. Our Parish – The Local Church We need a place where we can feel we belong… The pastor is like a shepherd The parishioners are like sheep Everyone has a role to play and when people are not present, they are truly missed what you do and do not do makes a difference. As Confirmandi, you are accepting this truth and committing to it!
12. The Mystical Body of Christ Christ is the head The head directs all the other parts Each part has a different role to play Each part works together to bring the Good News to the world The Church of Christ is INDEFECTIBLE – it will be on the earth until the end of time.
13. The Marks of Christ’s Church The Church of Christ is ONE One faith, one baptism, one leader, one sacrifice of the Mass The Church of Christ is HOLY Founded by Jesus The Church of Christ is CATHOLIC Means ‘universal’; the Church teaches all people Christ’s true Gospel The Church of Christ is APOSTOLIC We are disciples (followers) of Christ, a tradition that goes back to the Apostles
14. Jesus, Source of All Grace Jesus entrusted the Sacraments to the Church. Through the Sacraments, we live a life of grace so that sin and Satan may be conquered. Since all grace comes from Jesus and he was born of the Virgin Mary, she is often called the MEDIATRIX, or channel of all grace.
15. Remember the Wedding at Cana? It was Mary who encouraged Jesus to deal with the situation. Jesus was a little hesitant… Mary is someone whom we can turn to when we are in need of extra grace, help, strength, etc.
