The Four Marks of the Church

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The Four Marks of the Church

• USCCA Chapter 11
• Thursday, December 31, 2020

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are

• The Church is One.
• The unity of the Church comes from the unity of
  the life of the Trinity.
• The Church professes one Lord, one Faith and one
  Baptism, forming one Body of Christ.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is One.
• The diversity of people in the Church is united
  by the Holy Spirit.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is One.
• Communion in the Church comes from charity and
  (CCC 815)
• Profession of one Faith received from the
  Apostles.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is One.
• Communion in the Church comes from charity and
  (CCC 815)
• 2. Common celebration of divine worship,
  especially of the sacraments.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is One.
• Communion in the Church comes from charity and
  (CCC 815)
• 3. Apostolic succession through the sacrament of
  Holy Orders, maintaining the fraternal concord of
  God's family.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is One.
• Disagreements in the Church have been a tragic
  source of division within the Church.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Holy.
• Because the Church is from the Holy Trinity, she
  is holy, set apart by God to be consecrated for
  good.
• Through Baptism and Confirmation, Catholics are
  consecrated by the Holy Spirit for holiness.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Holy.
• This mission of each Catholic is to be holy as
  Christ is holy.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Catholic.
• The word catholic means universal.
• For the Church to be catholic comes from the fact
  that Christ is for all people from all times and
  places.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Catholic.
• The universality of Christ and the Church does
  not suppress the good qualities of individual
  cultures.
• The universality of the Church is seen in her
  dioceses or eparchies, also known as particular
  churches.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Catholic.
• The Catholic Church is made of both the Latin
  (Roman) Church and the Eastern Churches.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Apostolic.
• Christ built the foundation of the Church on the
  Apostles, with St. Peter as the head.
• Christ promised the Holy Spirit to the Church as
  a whole to protect her from error.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Apostolic.
• Christ willed that bishops would succeed the
  Apostles as shepherds of the Church.
• Together with the Pope as the head, the bishops
  form a college.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Apostolic.
• The teaching office (or authority) of the college
  of bishops is the magisterium.
• This office is exercised in the following
  conditions

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The teaching office (or authority) of the college
  of bishops is the magisterium.
• 1. Extraordinary magisterium
• a. Ecumenical council of bishops gathering with
  the Pope.
• b. Papal Infallible ex cathedra pronouncement.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The teaching office (or authority) of the college
  of bishops is the magisterium.
• 2. Ordinary magisterium, the day-to-day teaching
  of the pope and the bishops in union with the
  pope.

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The Church has four primary and inseparable
characteristics or marks. These four marks are
December 31, 2020

• The Church is Apostolic.
• The sensus fidei refers to the gift that the
  entire body of faithful cannot error in matters
  of faith and morals.

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2. The structure of the Church also includes
December 31, 2020

1. The laity, who, through their baptism, are called
   to renew the temporal order.
2. Men and women religious, who live the consecrated
   life by professing vows of poverty, chastity and
   obedience.

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Discussion Questions
December 31, 2020

1. How do the different ministries in the Church
   (hierarchy, laity and consecrated life)
   complement each other?
2. Why are the four marks of the Church inseparable?
   What happens if one is taken out of the
   equation?
3. How do the four marks of the Church reflect the
   Person of Christ?