INTRODUCTION
The Catholic Church that was visited on the 15th of February was the St Stephens Cathedral. Catholic churches are traditional and formal. The number of Roman Catholics in the world (nearly 1.1 billion) is greater than that of nearly all other religious traditions. The Cathedrals the Catholics worship in are beautifully decorated and represent the era they were built in. Mary, Jesus’ mother is very important to the Catholics. Many statues and stained glass windows show many and baby Jesus.
HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE DENOMINATION
The outcome of changes in society and the Church is that today's Catholic community looks very different from that of the 1950s. Mass attendance rates have fallen; the number of priests, sisters and brothers are declining and their average age is increasing. The Church's teachings have been re-interpreted in the light of modern understandings of history, sociology, the sciences and other fields of human endeavour, and then re-expressed in language more suitable for the times[1].
The Roman Catholic Church traces its history to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Catholics believe that our Lord Jesus Christ found the Catholic Church in the 33A.D. When Jesus told Peter, “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," he was appointing Peter as the first catholic Pope and the instituting of the church.
Around the year 45A.D, Peter went to Rome and assumed control of the church. During the persecution of Christians by the emperor Nero, Peter was imprisoned and tormented. He was then led to the top of Vatican Mount to be executed by crucifixion. Deeming himself to be unworthy to die in the same position as God, he asked to be crucified upside down. He received his eternal reward in 67A.D. 266 Popes have succeeded Peter since.
For the next 300 years, Rome began a serious persecution against the truth. Christians began to make changes throughout the church. Elders of the church were known as bishops. Near the end of the third century, each congregation of any size had a bishop as its head, with a group of elders under the bishop.
In 306, Constantine became sole emperor of Rome. Constantine’s mother became a Christian and urged Constantine to ease up on the persecution of Christians. He declared the state religion would be Christianity. Since there was division throughout the church, Constantine decided to call a meeting to be held in Nicaea in 325 A.D. He held the meeting to discuss and unite over the issues that divided the church. 318 bishops came and established the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed is a passage about believing in God who exists as three people.
In 606 A.D, Boniface III was given the title "universal bishop," the Pope of Rome. This marked the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church[2].
The Catholic Church is around 2000 years old. As years went by, the Roman Catholic Church split into the east and west (Roman Catholic, and Orthodox). Eventually, the Church of England (Anglican) left the Roman Church and later became the Protestant Reformation[3].
Mary MacKillop was an important person to the Catholic Church. She was born in 1842. At a young age, she had a desire to follow God, and to educate poor people. As she became older, she became involved in a church (St Joseph). In 1867, Mary became the first Sister and Mother superior of the newly formed order of the Sisters of St Joseph. By the end of 1867, ten others had joined the Sisters of St Joseph. Mary was an inspiring person and a great leader[4]. Mary MacKillop influenced many people, and if she did not take a stand, there would probably be no Sisters in the Catholic Churches today.
THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDINGS AND CORE BELIEFS
Catholics main belief is that God entered the world through the incarnation of His son. Incarnation means to become a human being. Catholics core beliefs are God, man, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, salvation from sin and death, the seven sacraments, the sacrifice of the mass, the resurrection of the dead, and Satan and evil[5]. They believe in the gifts of spirit which are special abilities provided by the Holy Spirit to Christians for the purpose of building up the body of Christ[6].
Catholics believe to receive salvation; individuals have to have faith, good will, and have to be baptized. Baptism is very important to the Catholics because they believe it is essential to receive God’s salvation, and it brings them new life and closer to God. Baptism is a sacramental entry into Christian life[7]. Baptism of the infant is the beginning of a child’s faith life and journey with the Christian community. Therefore, it is a very important decision to make on behalf of the child by the parent. For a child to be baptized is it essential that one parent is a catholic and both parents agree to nurture the faith life of the child. One God parent should also be catholic.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is very important to the Catholics. The Roman Catholic Church that was visited had many glass windows of Mary and baby Jesus. Mary is stated as the ‘Mother of all Christians’. Catholics rightly proclaim her to be the most blessed woman on the earth. Catholics created ‘Mariology’. Sometimes Catholics mistakenly teach doctrines that cannot be supported by scripture. This makes Mary look like a horrendous idol[8]. Catholics venerate Mary in prayer and song. The meaning of veneration is giving special honor to a saint. Catholics venerate Mary because she is the mother of Jesus, and she was obedient to God[9].
Catholics believe in purgatory which is a place where individuals go after death. It is believed that purgatory is a place of burning torment[10].
Catholics believe in seven Sacraments. These sacraments are Baptism, the Forgiveness of Sins in Reconciliation with the Church (Confession), Ordination to Ministry (Holy Orders), Marriage of Christians, Confirmation, Eucharist, and the Anointing of the Sick[11]. Catholic ethical doctrines are based ultimately on the New Testament teachings but also on the conclusions reached by the church, especially by the Popes and other teachers. Catholics believe in the Nicene Creed, and therefore believe in one God who exists as three people. Catholics believe that Jesus literally gave us his body and blood in Communion. The bread represents Jesus’ body, and the wine represents his blood.
GOVERNANCE
The papacy is the government of the church. Roman Catholics are taught that the papacy began with Peter, the apostle[12]. There are six hierarchies within the Catholic Church. The Pope is the head of the church; he is based at the Vatican. The Pope is infallible in defining matters of faith and morals. The Cardinal is appointed by the Pope. There are178 cardinals worldwide, including 13 in the U.S., make up the College of Cardinals. The cardinal advises the Pope and, on his death, elects a new Pope. The Archbishop is a bishop of a main or metropolitan diocese, also called an archdiocese. The U.S. has 45 archbishops. A bishop, like a priest, is ordained to this station. He is a teacher of church doctrine, a priest of sacred worship, and a minister of church government. The U.S. has 290 active bishops, 194 head dioceses. A Priest is an ordained minister who can administer most of the sacraments, including the Eucharist, baptism, and marriage. He can be with a particular religious order or committed to serving a congregation. A Deacon is a transitional deacon which is a seminarian studying for the priesthood. A permanent deacon can be married and assists a priest by performing some of the sacraments[13].
LITURGY
The document on the liturgy, the first document released by the council, instigated a revolution in Catholic worship. Changes included the celebration of Mass in the vernacular. Throughout the mass, there were various bible readings and prayers which everyone repeated together. Catholics mainly worship kneeling down on their knees.
MUSIC
The Roman Catholic Church that was visited had a Jubilee Pipe organ with over 2000 pipes throughout it. The Cathedral's Jubilee Pipe Organ was completed in 2000. It is an instrument with 47 speaking stops and three manuals. The Cathedral has its own concert series, which features both Cathedral musicians, and other local and international artists. This particular Cathedral has a strong lively music program. This music program is staffed by both professional and voluntary musicians. Organist and cantor accompany on Sunday masses and choirs lead some of them. They believe music is a gift from God, and is fitting that the great gift should be used to give glory to God through regular worship[14]. The Catholic Church that was visited sang hymns; however, there was no music.
CONCLUSION
The Catholic Church is a large organization attended by many all around the world. It welcomes and celebrates the diversity of gifts and talents of individuals. They believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They meet weekly in Cathedrals, beautifully decorated. Their priests wear white gowns, however, on special events (e.g. Easter, Christmas), the priests wear various colours. They enjoy worshiping God using organs and choirs. Their services are generally traditional and routine. The Catholic Church provides a place for all to attend providing life giving encouragement and the love of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment