The Church

1
The Church

• Sacrament of Salvation

2
The Church

• Chapter 4

3
Chapter 4

• The Church as Sacrament of Salvation

4
Chapter Objectives
The student will be able to understand

• The Church as the Sacrament of Salvation
• The Church as mystery
• The Church as Sacrament of Communion
• The hierarchical structure of the Church
• The office of the papacy
• The Roman Curia
• The office of bishop
• Ecumenical Councils
• The office of priest

• The office of deacon
• The Magisterium
• The Deposit of Faith
• The development of doctrine
• Infallibility
• The sanctification of the members of the
  Catholic Church
• Salvation of those outside the Church
• Evangelization

5
Keys to Chapter 4

• The Church is both the sign and the means of the
  salvation of the world.
• Christ gave the Church a hierarchical authority
  to teach, rule, and sanctify all the members.
• The bishops, led by the Pope, exercise a servant
  leadership with the help of priests and deacons.
• The Church both teaches and sanctifies.

6
For Discussion

• What does it mean to say that the Church is the
  Sacrament of Salvation?
• What is the meaning of the word church?
• How is the Church both visible and invisible?
• What is the role of the papacy in the Church?
• What are the three levels of the Churchs
  hierarchy, and what is the function of each?
• What does it mean when we say, Outside the
  Church there is no salvation?

7
The Church is the Sacrament of Salvation and
Communion

• Lesson Objectives
• The Church as Sacrament of Salvation
• The Church as mystery
• The Church as Sacrament of Communion

8
The Church is the Sacrament of Salvation and
Communion
Basic Questions
What does it mean to say that the Church is the
Sacrament of Salvation?
The Church is a Sacrament of Salvation because
she is both a sign and instrument of Gods
salvation for humanity.
9
The Church is the Sacrament of Salvation and
Communion
Basic Questions
What does it mean to say that the Church is a
mystery?
The Church is a mystery with human and divine,
visible and invisible, and horizontal and
vertical dimensions.
10
The Church is the Sacrament of Salvation and
Communion
Basic Questions
What does it mean to say that the Church is the
Sacrament of Communion?
The Church is a Sacrament of Communion because
she is Gods instrument to bring men into
communion with God and with each other through
the grace of the Sacraments.
11
Focus Question
How is the Churchs nature akin to the nature of
Christ?
Just as Christ is one Divine Person with two
natures, the Church is also a single reality with
a dual composition human and divine.
12
Focus Question
How does the Church fulfill mans nature as a
social being?
Mans nature and deepest need as a social being
is to be in communion with God and neighbor.
13
Focus Question
How is the Church a mixed composition?
The visible Church on earth is comprised of human
members who are sinners and subject to the
weaknesses of the flesh, yet who are also on the
way to holiness.
14
Focus Question
Even though the Church on earth is made up of
sinful members, why is the Church, herself, not
sinful?
The Church is holy and without sin because she is
the Mystical Body of Christ.
15
Focus Question
Why is the Church a mystery?
Neither our senses nor our reason can fully
unveil the reality of the Church.
16
Focus Question
How does the Church unify the human race?
The Church is the instrument by which men are
united with God and with one another. In Christ,
the Church gathers men from every nation, from
all tribes and peoples and tongues.
17
Focus Question
What is a Sacrament?
It is a sign that accomplishes what it
signifies. Extension For example, Baptism is a
sign of washing that actually purifies the soul.
18
Focus Question
What does it mean to say that the Church herself
is a Sacrament of Salvation?
It means that the Church is a sign of salvation
and a channel through which Gods grace is
conveyed to the faithful.
19
Focus Question
How is the Church like a Sacrament, according
to CCC 775?
She is a sign and instrument of communion with
God and of unity among all men.
20
Guided Exercise
Write about what Christ meant when he said the
following to his disciples (a message that
includes all Christians, including the students
themselves) It was not you who chose me, but I
who chose you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit (Jn 1516).
21
Focus Question
What is the etymology of the Latin ecclesia,
which means church?
The Latin word used for church is ecclesia, which
comes from Greek ekklesia and means an assembly
or to call out of. More significantly, this was
the word used throughout the Old Testament (qahal
in Hebrew) to refer to Israel, the People of God.
22
Focus Question
What is the etymology of the English word
church?
The English word church is derived from the
Greek word kyriake, which means what belongs to
the Lord.
23
Focus Question
Who calls together the Church?
Jesus Christ.
24
Focus Question
Who is the visible foundation of Christs Church
on earth?
St. Peter.
25
Focus Question
Who establishes the way the Church is governed?
Christ.
26
Focus Question
What is the proper response to the call of Christ
to be in the Church?
Faith and cooperation.
27
Focus Question
What are the three meanings of church,
according to CCC 752?

• A liturgical assembly
• A local community
• The whole universal community of believers

28
Guided Exercise
Complete a think/pair/share using the following
question What does it mean to say that the
Church is the universal Sacrament of
Salvation?
29
Focus Question
In what way is the Church a visible society?
The members of the Church on earth with her
hierarchical leadership and her institutions and
various organizations form a visible society.
30
Focus Question
In what way is the Church an invisible society?
It is the spiritual community of all the members
of the Church, whether on earth, in Purgatory, or
in Heaven.
31
Guided Exercise
Complete a think/pair/share using the following
question How does the Sacrament of the
Eucharist contribute to the Church as the
Sacrament of Salvation?
32
Focus Question
What is the definition of the Church presented in
this section?
The Church is a community of men and women united
in Christs fullness of grace as head of his
Mystical Body.
33
Focus Question
What does the New Testament word koinonia (in
Latin, communio) mean?
Communion.
34
Focus Question
What are the two spatial dimensions of
communion?
The vertical dimension is communion with God and
the horizontal dimension is communion among men.
35
Focus Question
What are the visual dimensions of communion?
The invisible dimension is the intimate communion
with the Holy Trinity and other human beings. The
visible dimension is communion in the teaching of
the Apostles, in the Sacraments, and in the
hierarchical order.
36
Focus Question
How does an individual enter into the Churchs
communion?
By faith and Baptism.
37
Focus Question
How does Christ build up and sustain the members
of his Mystical Body on earth?
Through the Eucharist.
38
Focus Question
How is the Eucharist the source of communion
among the members of the Church?
The Eucharist unites each member of the Church
with Christ himself.
39
Focus Question
What Greek and Latin words express the very
essence of the Church?
Greek koinonia and Latin communio.
40
Focus Question
Why do we refer to receiving the Eucharist as
receiving communion?
As St. Paul says, the bread and wine is a
koinonia or communio or participation in the Body
and Blood of Christ.
41
Authority in the Church The Hierarchy and the
Papacy

• Lesson Objectives
• The hierarchical structure of the Church
• The office of the papacy

42
Authority in the Church The Hierarchy and the
Papacy
Basic Questions
What is the hierarchical structure of the Church?
Christ endowed the Church with a hierarchical
structure in which those in authoritythe Pope
and those bishops, priests, and deacons in
communion with himserve the members by teaching,
ruling, and sanctifying them.
43
Authority in the Church The Hierarchy and the
Papacy
Basic Questions
What is the papacy?
The Pope is the apostolic successor of St. Peter
and shares St. Peters authority to rule the
Church, possessing the gift of infallibility in
defining doctrines of faith and morals.
44
Focus Question
Who remains forever the chief cornerstone and
shepherd of souls?
Even though Christ made St. Peter (and his
successors) the chief pastor of his Church on
earth, Christ himself remains the head of the
Church.
45
Focus Question
What is infallibility?
It is a guarantee, made by Christ, that St. Peter
and his successors would be free from error in
their public teachings on matters of faith and
morals.
46
Guided Exercise
Complete a focused reading of the final four
paragraphs of the section The Hierarchical
Structure of the Church (p. 114) using the
following question How is the Churchs attitude
to authority different from the worlds?
47
Focus Question
What is the college of bishops?
It is the bishops of the Church with the Pope as
their head.
48
Focus Question
What is Apostolic Succession?
It is the line of bishops that stretches back to
the Apostles, each consecrated by the previous
one.
49
Focus Question
What are the three distinct ministerial offices
within the Church?
They are the episcopacy (bishops), the presbytery
(priests), and the diaconate (deacons).
50
Focus Question
Where do bishops, priests, and deacons get their
authority and powers?
Their authority comes from Christ.
51
Focus Question
What is the equality and inequality in the
visible Church on earth?
There is a true equality of dignity among the
faithful with each member contributing to the
Churchs mission. At the same time, the Churchs
government is hierarchical some members, because
of the graces available through their ordained
roles, possess greater authority than others.
52
Focus Question
Why is the Church not a democracy?
In a democracy, political power derives from the
consent of the people. The power of the Church
comes from Christ, not from the baptized members.
53
Focus Question
Which Sacrament imparts the ministerial authority
of Christ?
The Sacrament of Holy Orders.
54
Focus Question
Who comprises the Churchs hierarchy, or sacred
order?
It includes the clergy, that is, bishops,
priests, and deacons.
55
Focus Question
Why is it logical that Christ should establish
his Church with a particular organization?
Every kingdom needs a certain organization in
order to endure, and the kingdom that Christ
established is to endure until the end of time.
56
Focus Question
When was the hierarchy of the Church
established?
Christ established it when he chose the Twelve.
57
Focus Question
Why was the hierarchy of the Church
established?
To pass down the Apostles authority and
traditions, so that the Church would continue the
course Jesus Christ had set for it.
58
Guided Exercise
Examine one of the six examples of St. Peter
exercising authority over the early Church.
Explain the example and what it indicates about
his role.
59
Focus Question
How do the Roman Pontiff and the bishops
correspond to St. Peter and the Apostles?
The Apostles were a collegial body with St. Peter
as their head. The bishops are the successors of
the collegial body of the Apostles with the Roman
Pontiff, the successor of St. Peter, as their
head.
60
Focus Question
What three tasks did Christ entrust the College
of the Twelve?
They are to teach, rule, and sanctify the Church.
61
Focus Question
In what ways do the successors of the Apostles
teach, rule, and sanctify?
The bishops with St. Peters successor as their
head preach the Gospel faithfully, rule the
Church by service, and sanctify the Church
through the Sacraments.
62
Focus Question
What is one of the most important duties of a
cardinal?
He acts as a papal elector.
63
Focus Question
What is a conclave?
It is a papal election that takes place in the
Sistine Chapel.
64
Focus Question
How many votes does a candidate need to be
elected Pope?
He needs a vote of two-thirds of the cardinals.
65
Focus Question
What is the significance of white and dark smoke
coming from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel?
Dark smoke indicates a ballot has been cast but
there is no winner. White smoke means a Pope has
been elected.
66
Guided Exercise
Complete a think/pair/share using the following
question Why is it prudent that the papal
electors be locked inside the Sistine Chapel
until a Pope is elected?
67
Authority in the Church The Roman Curia

• Lesson Objectives
• The Roman Curia

68
Authority in the Church The Roman Curia
Basic Questions
What is the Roman Curia?
The Roman Curia currently consists of the
Secretariat of State, nine Congregations, three
Tribunals, and twelve Pontifical Councils, which
assist the Roman Pontiff in governing the Church
throughout the world.
69
Focus Question
What is the Roman Curia?
It is the administrative, or governing, body of
the Catholic Church that assists the Pope.
70
Focus Question
Of what does the Roman Curia presently consist?
It includes a Secretariat of State,
Congregations, Tribunals, and Pontifical
Councils.
71
Focus Question
What does the Secretariat of State oversee?
He handles political and diplomatic functions of
the Catholic Church.
72
Focus Question
What is the role of the Secretariat of State
section for General Affairs?
They handle the everyday administration.
73
Focus Question
What is the role of the Secretariat of State
section for Relations with States?
They handle the Vaticans diplomatic relations
with civil governments.
74
Graphic Organizer
Complete the following table to see the purpose
of the various congregations of the Curia.
Congregation Function
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for Oriental Churches
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints
continued
75
Graphic Organizer
Complete the following table to see the purpose
of the various congregations of the Curia.

Congregation Function
The Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Clergy
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation of Seminaries and Educational Institutions
76
Graphic Organizer
Complete the following table to see the purpose
of the various councils of the Curia.
Council Function
Pontifical Council for the Laity
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
Pontifical Council for the Family
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Pontifical Council Cor Unum (With One Heart)
continued
77
Graphic Organizer
Council Function
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers
Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts
Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue
Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers
Pontifical Council for Culture
Pontifical Council for Social Communications

78
Focus Question
What is a tribunal?
It is a court.
79
Focus Question
What is the role of the Apostolic Penitentiary?
It grants absolutions and dispensations in
matters reserved to the Holy See. It also has
authority over the granting and proper use of
indulgences.
80
Focus Question
What is the role of the Supreme Tribunal of the
Apostolic Signatura?
It ensures that justice in the Church is
correctly administered.
81
Focus Question
What is the role of the Tribunal of the Roman
Rota?
It is an appellate court charged with
safeguarding rights within the Chrurh and with
providing assistance to lower tribunals.
82
Authority in the Church Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons

• Lesson Objectives
• The office of bishop
• Ecumenical Councils
• The office of priest
• The office of deacon

83
Authority in the Church Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons
Basic Questions
What is the episcopy?
Bishops are the successors of the Apostles who
exercise the fullness of the priesthood of
Christ. They serve the people of God in their
dioceses and remain in fellowship with their
brother bishops, concerned with the universal
needs of the Church.
84
Authority in the Church Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons
Basic Questions
What is an Ecumenical Council?
An Ecumenical Council is a meeting of all the
bishops of the world under the authority of the
Pope.
85
Authority in the Church Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons
Basic Questions
What is the priesthood?
A priest assists the diocesan bishop in the
office of the priesthood of Christ, usually
taking care of the people of the parish.
86
Authority in the Church Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons
Basic Questions
What is the diaconate?
Deacons are ordained to provide a ministry of
service.
87
Focus Question
How do bishops have both a local and a universal
focus?
As heads of particular Churches, they take care
of their own dioceses, assisted by their priests
and deacons. As members of the Episcopal college
they are concerned with the challenges facing the
universal Church.
88
Focus Question
What is a cathedral?
It is the official church of the local bishop.
89
Focus Question
Where does the word cathedral come from?
Kathedra, a Greek word meaning chair, is a real
or figurative chair from which a wise man teaches
and guides.
90
Focus Question
What is the kathedra Mouseos?
It literally means the teaching authority of
Moses. By extension, it was the seat of religious
and moral authority that the scribes and
Pharisees figuratively occupied.
91
Focus Question
How was the kathedra the Lord promised the
Apostles superior to the seat the scribes and
Pharisees occupied?
Jesus promised the Twelve they would sit on
thrones, judgment seats suitable for kings.
92
Focus Question
What name did the Apostles give their office in
the Church?
Each considered himself an episkope, which means
overseer. Extension The word bishop is
derived from episkope.
93
Focus Question
In whose place did the bishops preside, according
to St. Ignatius of Antioch?
They preside in the place of God.
94
Focus Question
What is the role of the Secretariat of State
section for Relations with States?
They handle the Vaticans diplomatic relations
with civil governments.
95
Guided Exercise
Do an online search to view some of the
cathedrals of Europe to get an idea of the
incredible architectural heritage of
Christianity.
96
Focus Question
What Sacrament can only be celebrated by
bishops?
The Sacrament of Holy Orders in which they ordain
a baptized man to the episcopacy, the priesthood,
or the diaconate.
97
Focus Question
What is the role of a bishop in a particular
church (specific diocese)?
He acts as Christs chosen representative and the
legitimate pastor of all the faithful within that
diocese.
98
Focus Question
What is a bishops conference?
It is an organization of bishops within a
geographical area that helps the bishops to
coordinate their activities.
99
Focus Question
What is an Ecumenical Council?
It is a meeting of the bishops of the whole
Church.
100
Focus Question
What was the first Ecumenical Council?
The Council of Jerusalem was a prototype for
later councils. The first Ecumenical Council was
the First Council of Nicæa, which met AD 325.
101
Focus Question
Who pronounced the decisive verdict at the first
council, after much debate?
St. Peter.
102
Focus Question
What did the first six Ecumenical Councils
address?
In essence, they addressed the question, Who is
Jesus Christ? in response to various Trinitarian
and Christological heresies.
103
Focus Question
What does ecumenical mean?
It means from the whole, inhabited world.
104
Focus Question
Why do the Eastern Orthodox Churches not
recognize any of the Ecumenical Councils held in
the West after 787?
The local churches in the eastern half of the
Roman Empire did not participate in these
Ecumenical Councils.
105
Focus Question
What was the most recent Ecumenical Council?
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) is the
most recently held.
106
Guided Exercise
Perform a paragraph shrink on the paragraph
beginning, Current canon law (p. 122) to
understand the Popes authority over an
Ecumenical Council.