What is the Catholic Church?

The Catholic Church is a global community of believers founded by Jesus Christ over two thousand years ago. There are over 1 billion Catholics on earth. The Catholic Church is made up of many people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Sometimes, the Catholic Church is considered a big tent; it encompasses many people within the spectrum of political belief, all united by the same central religious belief or creed.

A Group of Christians

The Catholic Church is Christian. Sometimes, people are confused and juxtapose the Catholic Church with Christianity when, in fact, they are one and the same. The Catholic Church was the first group of Christians from which all other Christian groups have splintered over the centuries.

Servant-Leaders

The Catholic Church is a worldwide group of Christians and an institution. Within the Catholic Church, there is a leadership structure. The leaders of the Catholic Church are not like kings and queens but rather servant-leaders following the example of Jesus. Servant-leaders put themselves at the service of those they lead, unlike a king who lords himself over the people. The primary servant-leaders of the Catholic Church are all men who have undergone a ritual called Holy Orders in which they are ordained or commissioned into the priesthood. Becoming a priest, while a special privilege, carries much responsibility, for priests act in the place of Jesus in a special way. The exclusive selection of priests as men is a tradition rooted in Jesus’ selection of the original twelve apostles, the twelve men he chose to carry out his mission after Jesus’ death.

One of the most important roles of the priest in the Catholic Church is that he represents Jesus’ great sacrifice at each Eucharistic (YOO-ka-rist-ick) liturgy. A Eucharistic liturgy is commonly referred to as Mass, the time when Catholics gather to worship God by listening to readings of the Bible and receiving Jesus in the form of bread and wine. Catholics believe that the bread and wine at Mass are turned into the body and blood of Jesus by the priest (called consecration). The consecrated bread and wine are then distributed to the worshippers, much like Jesus did with his twelve apostles the night before he was hung on the cross (crucifixion). This ritual is at the center of Catholic belief and worship.

Carrying Out the Ministry of Jesus

Aside from the special duties of the ordained priesthood, all Catholics are expected to carry out the ministry of Jesus. All Catholics, when initiated into the church through baptism, are baptized as priests, prophets, and kings, thereby responsible for a share in the work of Jesus.

Like any institution, the Catholic Church is not exempt from having bad leaders. Even with poor leadership, faith and hope in Jesus Christ remain, and that is what brings the Catholic Church together.

Source: About Catholics: Catholic Beliefs and Catholic Teachings, 2024 About Catholics, Last Accessed 2/2024