1. Church Authority: Our Fathers in Faith

2.  Following the Church also falls under the 4 th Commandment  Jesus founded the Church  Mission: save souls and teach all the truth  Allowed Him to be with us always  Church is the Body of Christ  Entrusted to the Apostles

3.  Pope rules Church on Christ’s behalf  Protects what was given to him  Established when Peter was made 1 st Pope  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt. 16:19)  Popes are successors of Peter  266 Popes  Each Pope possesses the same authority given to Peter  Makes sure the Church is fulfilling its mission

4.  Bishop  Successors of the Apostles  Chief authority in his diocese  Diocese: Community of the faithful led by a Bishop  Bishops have authority as long as they are in union with the Pope  Pope can’t run whole world effectively, so it is broken down into dioceses run by Bishops  Bishops, in turn, share some authority with priests so that each parish community is cared for  All are united in faith and worship

5.  Pope has the authority to declare what is taught  Speeches  Encyclicals  Letters of the Pope to Bishops and the whole Church  Declarations  Bishops do the same for their dioceses  Pastoral letters to the different Churches  All this is done to ensure that the Church is teaching all things correctly

6.  Church’s goal is to make her members holy  Grace  Sacrament: Outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace  Church determines requirements for receiving the different Sacraments  Age for reception  Ceremony in which they are received  Church also sets requirements for membership

7.  Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation  Make the Lord’s day a day of rest  Confession at least once a year  Keeps soul clean so we can get most out of Communion  Receive Eucharist at least once during Easter Season  Observe days of fast and abstinence  Help provide for the needs of the Church

8.  Like a mother, the Church loves & cares for us  Helps us develop  Makes God’s love manifest here on earth  We should love and respect her just as we should love and respect our own mothers