RCIA Resource – Session 27

The Church — One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic

RCIA – Session 27
This session forms part of a structured introduction to the Catholic Faith used in parish RCIA. It is intended to be read slowly and prayerfully, alongside participation in the life of the Church. This material is offered for formation and reflection. Reception into the Catholic Church always involves personal discernment and parish accompaniment.

Aim of this session

By the end of this session, participants should understand that:

  • the Church was founded by Christ, not invented by believers
  • the Church is both divine and human
  • belonging to the Church is necessary for the fullness of salvation
  • the Church possesses authority to teach and sanctify
  • the marks of the Church identify the true Church of Christ

This session answers:

What is the Church — and why does Christ require us to belong to her?

1. The Church Is Christ’s Will, Not an Option

The Church is not:

  • a voluntary association
  • a helpful support network
  • one spiritual option among many

Christ did not say:

“Believe what I teach” only

He said:

  • “Follow Me”
  • “Hear the Church”
  • “Remain in Me”

The Church exists because Christ willed it.

2. What the Church Is

The Church is:

The society of all the faithful, united in the profession of the same faith, the same sacraments, and under lawful pastors.

She is:

  • visible
  • structured
  • historical

But she is also:

  • animated by grace
  • sustained by the Holy Spirit

The Church is both human and divine.

Penny Catechism

Q. What is the Church?
A. The Church is the society of the faithful who are united in the profession of the same faith, the use of the same sacraments, and under the authority of lawful pastors.

3. Why Christ Founded a Visible Church

Christ founded a visible Church because:

  • truth must be taught publicly
  • sacraments must be celebrated validly
  • unity must be preserved

An invisible Church cannot:

  • teach with authority
  • preserve doctrine
  • administer sacraments

The Church’s visibility protects truth.

4. The Church Is One

The Church is One because:

  • she has one Lord
  • one faith
  • one sacramental life

Unity is not uniformity.
It is communion in truth.

Division is a wound.
Unity is Christ’s will.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why is the Church One?
A. The Church is One because all her members are united under one Head, Jesus Christ, and profess the same faith, and use the same sacraments.

5. The Church Is Holy

The Church is Holy because:

  • Christ is her Head
  • the Holy Ghost dwells within her
  • she possesses holy means

This does not mean:

all members are morally perfect

The Church is holy in her source and mission,
even when her members fail.

Sin in the Church is a scandal.
It does not disprove her holiness.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why is the Church Holy?
A. The Church is Holy because she is founded by Jesus Christ, and because the Holy Ghost dwells in her, and because she teaches a holy doctrine and offers the means of holiness.

6. The Church Is Catholic

The Church is Catholic, meaning:

  • universal
  • whole
  • lacking nothing

She is Catholic because:

  • she is sent to all peoples
  • she teaches the whole faith
  • she offers all the means of salvation

Catholic does not mean Roman culture.
It means fullness.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why is the Church Catholic?
A. The Church is Catholic because she is spread throughout the whole world, and because she teaches the whole doctrine of Jesus Christ, and because she offers to all men all the means of salvation.

7. The Church Is Apostolic

The Church is Apostolic because:

  • she was founded on the apostles
  • she preserves their teaching
  • her authority comes through succession

The Church today teaches the same faith
because she is historically continuous.

Apostolic succession protects truth from change.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why is the Church Apostolic?
A. The Church is Apostolic because she was founded by Jesus Christ on the apostles, and because she continues to be taught and governed by their lawful successors.

8. Authority in the Church

The Church possesses authority because:

  • Christ gave it
  • truth requires guardianship
  • unity requires leadership

This authority:

  • serves salvation
  • does not invent doctrine
  • protects what was received

To hear the Church is to hear Christ.

9. Belonging to the Church

Belonging to the Church is not:

  • cultural identity
  • private spirituality

It is:

  • communion in faith
  • participation in sacraments
  • submission to lawful authority

The Church is not an obstacle to Christ.
She is His Body.

10. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are asked to consider this:

If Christ founded the Church as the ordinary means of salvation, am I willing to belong to her fully?

That question leads directly to the sacraments.

11. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Do I see the Church as Christ’s will or a human institution?
  • How do the marks of the Church help identify the true Church?
  • What does belonging actually require of me?

12. Closing Summary

The Church is:

  • One
  • Holy
  • Catholic
  • Apostolic

She is not an invention.
She is Christ’s chosen instrument.

Next week we will ask:

How does Christ give His saving life through the sacraments of the Church?

Optional Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You founded the Church as the pillar and foundation of truth.
Give us faith to trust her teaching,
humility to live within her life,
and perseverance to remain in communion with You.
Amen.