Everything a Confirmed Catholic Should Know

Liturgical Ministries Formation Study Guide

PART 1 OF 3 PARTS

Liturgical Ministers and Servers should be able to write or recite the following prayers:

Our Father Glory Be Act of Contrition

Hail Mary Apostles’ Creed Hail, Holy Queen

Liturgical Ministers and Servers should be able to thoroughly define the following terms:

Holy Trinity Grace

Sacrament Transubstantiation

Liturgical Ministers and Servers should be able to list the following:

Ten Commandments Seven Sacraments

Corporal Works of Mercy Three Theological Virtues
Four Cardinal Virtues Basic Outline of the Bible
The Beatitudes Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Five Precepts of the Church Spiritual Works of Mercy
Four Major Parts of the Mass Mysteries of the Rosary
The Four Gospels Four Marks of the Church

Liturgical Ministers and Servers should know and understand the following terms:

God Jesus Holy Spirit

Angels Adam & Eve Body & Soul
Original Sin Mortal Sin Venial Sin
Concupiscence Salvation Redemption
Heaven & Beatific Vision Purgatory Hell
Resurrection of the Body Communion of Saints Faith
Baptism by Desire & Blood Old Testament New Testament
Tabernacle Immaculate Conception Mother of God
Incarnation Revelation St. Joseph
Holy Thursday Good Friday Easter
Last Supper Crucifixion Resurrection
Assumption Pentecost St. Peter
Catholic Church Apostolic Succession Canonization
Infallibility Pope Francis Bishop & Diocese
Magisterium Hierarchy Priest & Parish
Mass as Sacrifice Real Presence Words of Consecration
 THE CREED
“I believe in God”
“I believe in God” means that a person believes in God. Belief is the deepest conviction of mind.
Belief in God is simply called faith.
God is self-existing, meaning He was not created. He is eternal: God always was, always is and
always will be. He is infinite, meaning He has no limitations, like a need for food and water. God
is a spirit. He is perfect. He is all-good, all-present, all-loving, all- merciful, all-just, all-holy, all-
knowing (omniscient), and almighty (omnipotent).
We can know God through reason. Using reason, a person realizes that the world we see could
have only been made by a Supreme Being. When we see the design, order, and beauty of creation
and when we think of the precious gift of life, we are moved to believe in God: eternal, all-
powerful, all-knowing Supreme Being who created everything.
We can also know God from supernatural revelation. Revelation means that God makes Himself
known to us: He communicates with us. We find revelation in the truths in Sacred Scripture (the
Bible) and in Tradition (the understanding and teaching of the faith since the time of the
apostles). We respond to revelation in faith.
The Bible is the written Word of God, committed to His Church for the instruction and
sanctification of mankind. When we say that the entire Bible is inspired, we mean that its
principal author is God. For this reason, we say the Bible is the Word of God. Inspiration means
the Holy Spirit enlightened and guided the human authors to write all those and only those things
that He wanted to be written for the sake of our salvation. The Bible, therefore, is God’s truth.
The Bible has two parts: the Old Testament (46 books) and the New Testament (27 books). The
Old Testament begins with creation and tells the story of the Jewish people almost to the time
of Christ. The New Testament begins with the gospels (the story of Christ’s life), tells the history
of the early Church, and concludes with the book of Revelation.
The basic structure of the Bible is as follows:

Old Testament (46 Books)

1. Pentateuch or Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
2. Historical Books
3. Wisdom Books
4. Books of the Prophets

New Testament (27 Books)

1. Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
2. Acts of the Apostles
3. Epistles
4. Revelation
We believe in one God who has been revealed as three divine persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
The Holy Trinity is one God, three divine persons: God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the
Holy Spirit. They are one because they share the same divine nature. They are equal but
distinct. They exist from all eternity, and so are eternal. This is a mystery which we do not fully
understand and which we could not know on our own; only through revelation do we know this
and believe it through faith.
“the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth”
God created everything, and is the Supreme Being above all creatures. God did not create the
world from materials, but created it from nothing. God created even that from which created is
made. Traditionally speaking, God created ex nihilo, that is He created from nothing. He created
the world and everything in it with purpose, according to His design, and of His own freewill. God
did not have to create, but because of His perfect love, He created.
Creation climaxed when God created man and woman in His own image and likeness. No other
creature is made in God’s image and likeness; therefore, each person has a special relationship
with God and a special dignity. This “image and likeness” also means that each human being has
a body, a physical being of a person, and a soul, a spiritual being. While a person’s parents in
union with God create the physical body, God Himself creates the soul at the time of conception.
The soul is immortal; when we die, even though our body dies, our soul lives on and stands in
judgment before God.
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve were the first man and woman created by God. They had
a special graced relationship with God. Because of their sin of disobeying God's command and
wanting to be God, they lost this graced relationship. We call this first sin the Original Sin. Original
Sin has been passed onto to every generation; each person is born with this Original Sin. Unlike
other sins which we commit, Original Sin is a weakness in our human nature whereby like Adam
and Eve we reject God’s will and want to be God. Jesus came to restore the graced relationship,
freeing us from sin and death through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection. We now
benefit from what Christ did through Baptism, a sacrament which washes away all sin, both
Original Sin and any other sins, and infuses the life of God in our souls. Nevertheless, even after
Baptism, we still have concupiscence, that weakness in our human nature which still makes us
susceptible to temptation; only with God’s grace can we overcome weakness and temptation.
“and Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the
Virgin Mary”
Jesus is the second person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus is the Savior of all mankind. Jesus means
“savior.” Christ or Messiah means “anointed.” In God’s plan, the Heavenly Father sent Jesus, His
only begotten Son, into this world to free us from sin and to open the gates of Heaven. Here then
is the mystery of the Incarnation: By the will of the Father, Mary conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ, true God from all eternity, entered this world becoming also true
man. Jesus is a divine person with two natures: a human nature and a divine nature. Jesus
retained His divine nature and also took on a human nature. He is one like us in all things but sin:
Jesus was born without sin and never sinned. In this way, Jesus is true God and true man.
Mary is a model of faith for each of us. At the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel recognized
her as “full of grace.” We believe that she was conceived and born free of Original Sin; we call
this belief the Immaculate Conception. Since Mary shared in her Son's life and was sinless, at the
end of her life she was taken body and soul into Heaven with our Lord; we call this the
Assumption. We also call Mary the Mother of God, or Theotokos in Greek, meaning that Mary is
the mother of the person, Jesus, the second person of the Blessed Trinity and true God.
St. Joseph is the foster father of Jesus Christ, not the natural father. He was a very holy man.
Remember that God, the Father, entrusted St. Joseph with the care of His only Son. As a good
Jewish father, St. Joseph taught Jesus the trade of carpentry and how to read and write. St. Joseph
also provided a home for Mary and Jesus.
“suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the
third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of
God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead”
Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of the province of Judea under Tiberius Caesar. He
ordered the execution of Jesus after He was brought to trial by the Jews. Crucifixion is a very
painful type of execution whereby a person is first tortured with scourging and then nailed on a
cross to die a slow death of suffocation. Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday.
Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Although Jesus died an awful death, we believe that He
offered the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The Jewish people believed that sin violated God‟s law,
offended Him, and separated a person from His love. For the sin to be forgiven, the person had
to offer a sacrifice: by offering a sacrifice, like a lamb, sin was washed away and the person was
reunited with God. However, because sin had grown so much, no longer could any sacrifice
offered by a person forgive the sin. Instead, only the divine action of God Himself could offer such
a sacrifice; but since sin is committed by a human, it would also take the action of man. Therefore,
Jesus, who is true God and true man, is the only one who could offer the perfect sacrifice for all
sin for all time-- past, present, and future-- and bring mankind back into union with God.
However, Jesus did not just die in sacrifice, He rose from the dead giving all who believe the
promise of everlasting life.
There are two important terms to remember:
Redemption: Jesus redeemed us from sin. He offered His suffering and death to the
Father out of total obedience and love to the Father for all mankind so that our sins would
be forgiven and we would have eternal life with God in heaven. We were slaves to sin,
and Jesus paid the price to buy our freedom. Just as a person has to pay a price to a pawn
broker to “redeem” a piece of merchandise, so Jesus paid a price for us to be redeemed
from the slavery of sin.
Salvation: Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we have salvation. Salvation is being
one with God; it is sharing His life and being in union with Him in Heaven forever when
we die.
When we say Christ descended into hell, we do not mean "hell" as we know it: a place of eternal
punishment for the devil, the fallen angels, and those who have no love for God. Rather, before
our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection, all of those who died went to hell, as in the land of
the dead. The Jewish name for this was “Sheol.” Here there was a place of punishment for the
wicked, and a separate place of waiting for those who loved God and awaited the Messiah and
Savior--people like Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah waited here. Therefore, when we say, “Jesus
descended into Hell,” we mean that He descended into a place of rest where the souls of the just
were waiting for Him. Jesus showed them that the sacrifice for sin had been made and the gates
of Heaven were now open; He then took the faithful souls who were waiting to go to Heaven.
The Resurrection occurred on Easter Sunday. Because of Jesus' love and obedience to the Father,
the Father raised Jesus from the dead so that they would be united perfectly in Heaven. Jesus
was raised body and soul; His whole person was raised. However, He was not a resuscitated
corpse, but had risen to a glorified and perfected life.
Forty days after Easter, Jesus ascended to Heaven, returning to His Father. The Ascension of our
Lord into Heaven fulfills the promise that He has prepared a dwelling place there for each person
who believes and dies in the faith.
When we say that Christ sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, we mean that our
Lord as God is equal to the Father. He shares above all the saints in the glory of His Father and
exercises for all eternity the supreme authority over all creatures. The Jewish people always
considered the right hand a special place of honor and a place of equality.
When we say that Christ will come to judge the living and the dead, we mean that on the last day
at the end of time, our Lord will come to pronounce a sentence of eternal reward or eternal
punishment on everyone who has ever lived in this world.
“we believe in the Holy Spirit”
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit dwells in the Church as
the source of life and sanctifies souls through grace. (Sanctify means to make holy.)
Fifty days after Easter, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles gave them
special gifts. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are fear of the Lord, piety, knowledge, understanding,
counsel, wisdom, and fortitude.
The Holy Spirit also strengthens us with virtues. A virtue is a strength and a good habit which
helps us to avoid evil and do good. The three theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity.
Faith - the belief in God
Hope - the trust in God
Charity - the love of God and neighbor
By faith, we firmly believe all the truths God has revealed, as found in the Bible and Sacred
Tradition. Through faith, we have hope: a firm trust in God who is all-powerful and faithful to His
promises, and who in His mercy gives us eternal happiness and the means to obtain it. By charity,
we love God above all things and our neighbors as ourselves. These gifts and virtues help us by
making us more alert to do the will of God.
We also practice the Four Cardinal Virtues:
PRUDENCE helps us to do good and avoid evil by making correct decisions in life.
FORTITUDE gives us strength and determination in living our faith by loving God and one's
neighbor. It gives us courage to defend our faith and face persecution.
JUSTICE inspires us to respect the rights and dignity of all human beings.
TEMPERANCE helps us to enjoy pleasures with moderation and to use things wisely. It
helps us to become mature, disciplined Christians.
These are called “cardinal virtues” because every other virtue, such as patience or humility,
depends upon them. The word cardinal means “hinge” in Latin, so these four virtues are the ones
upon which the others “hinge.”
“the holy, catholic church”
We call the Church “the mystical Body of Christ.” We are united to Christ into one body through
our Baptism. The Church is a community of believers. Through our Baptism, we believe that Jesus
is our Lord and Savior. Through Baptism, we are His adopted sons and daughters. Christ is the
head of the Church; those baptized living people and those who are in Heaven and Purgatory are
members of the mystical body.
The Church is called “the Catholic Church” because in the year 100, St. Ignatius of Antioch used
the word catholic, which means “universal,” to describe this one Church of all Christians. Ever
since that time, our Church has been called “the Catholic Church.” Officially, it is also called “the
Roman Catholic Church” because St. Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, the capital of the Roman
Empire, and to this day, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome.
Jesus is the founder of the Catholic Church and its head. Jesus wanted His mission to continue,
so He entrusted His authority to the apostles at the Ascension to go out, preach the gospel, makes
disciples of all people, and baptize. St. Paul is the great apostle who evangelized the Gentiles.
The Pope is the leader of the Church on earth and is Christ's Vicar or representative. St. Peter
was the first Pope. Jesus said, "Peter, you are rock and upon this rock I will build my Church."
Ever since the time of St. Peter, the Church guided by the Holy Spirit has chosen a successor to
be Pope. Therefore, Pope Benedict XVI is the successor of St. Peter. By the action of the Holy
Spirit, the Pope is preserved from error when he declares a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals;
this is called Papal Infallibility.
The Bishops are the successors of the apostles, who were the first bishops. The authority given
to the apostles by Jesus has been handed down from bishop to bishop through the Sacrament of
Holy Orders. This handing down of authority is called apostolic succession. Keep in mind that the
Pope is also the Bishop of Rome.
What is the difference between the Catholic Church and other Christian religions?
1. We believe that the Catholic Church was founded directly by Jesus, who appointed St.
Peter as the first Pope. The authority of St. Peter has been handed down and rests with
our present Pope. The Orthodox Church did not officially exist until the year 1054 when
they broke away from the Catholic Church; however, the Orthodox Churches do have
apostolic succession. The Protestant churches, which are more accurately called ecclesial
communities, did not exist until 1517 at the earliest when Martin Luther started the
Protestant Reformation.
2. We believe that the fullness of God's revelation and the understanding of that revelation
rests within the Catholic Church.
3. We believe that the sacraments give great graces which unite us in life and love with God
now and prepare us for our perfect union in heaven.
4. We also worship at Mass. The Mass unites us with the everlasting, ever-present reality of
the Lord’s passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.
Consequently, we believe that the fullest means of salvation subsists in or rests within the
Catholic Church. This does not mean that others cannot be saved; salvation is granted to anyone
who truly believes in God and tries to follow the will of God, or to those who through no fault of
their own do not know God but try to lead good lives as they know best. Nevertheless, the fullest
means of salvation which comes to us through the Mass, the sacraments, and the teachings of
Church are available only in the Catholic Church.
The Four Marks of the Church are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic:
1. The Church is ONE because all of its members profess the same faith, have the same
sacraments, and are united under the leadership of the Pope.
2. The Church is HOLY because it was founded by Jesus Christ and because it teaches
according to the will of Christ holy doctrines and provides the means of leading a holy life
for its members. The members of the church also continue the mission of Jesus, pray, and
worship, thereby bringing about holiness.
3. The Church is CATHOLIC which means universal. The Church is Catholic or universal
because it is destined to last for all time and strives to fulfill the command of Jesus to
teach all truths revealed by God. Also, the Church is universal because it includes all of
the faithful on earth, in Heaven, and in Purgatory.
4. The Church is APOSTOLIC because it was founded by Christ who entrusted His authority
to the apostles. This authority has been handed on from bishop to bishop; this handing
on is called “apostolic succession.”
“the communion of saints”
The Communion of Saints refers to the union of the faithful on earth (Church Militant), the souls
in Purgatory (Church Suffering), and the blessed in Heaven (Church Triumphant) with Jesus Christ
as their head. We are all called to be saints, and to live a life like Jesus. Those individuals who
have led very good and holy lives are often formally declared saints by the Church and are models
for us to follow. The declaring of a person as a saint by the Church is called canonization. Keep in
mind that everyone in Heaven is a saint; however, the Church only gives that official title to those
who have been canonized. Those saints who died in defense of the faith are called martyrs; St.
Stephen was the first martyr of the Church.
Heaven is a place and state of eternal happiness in union with God. In Heaven, we will see God
“face to face.” No longer will there be any confusion, doubt, or misunderstanding. This special
seeing God face to face is called the beatific vision. Also present in Heaven are the angels, who
are pure spirits and messengers of God. God gives each person a special guardian angel to protect
them.
Hell is a place and state of eternal punishment of the fallen angels and those who die in the state
of mortal sin, who have rejected the love of God, and who have no sorrow for sin. People really
place themselves in Hell because they refuse to seek forgiveness for their sins and have turned
away from God.
Purgatory is the place of temporary punishment where the souls of those who die in the state of
grace must be cleansed of venial sin or the hurts caused by sin. In justice, God holds us
accountable for our venial sins or the hurt caused by sin; in His love, he purges or cleanses our
soul so that we can be united with Him in Heaven. To have the beatific vision, the soul has to be
perfect-totally free of sin and the hurt caused by sin.
“the forgiveness of sin”
God has given the Church, through Jesus, the power to forgive sins, no matter how great, if the
sinner is truly sorry and promises to amend his life. This forgiveness comes especially through
the Sacrament of Penance when a person makes a good confession and receives sacramental
absolution.
“the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting”
At the end of time, there will be the resurrection of the body, when we will be united body and
soul in Heaven with Jesus. Just as Jesus rose and ascended body and soul into Heaven, so will we.
Just as Jesus after the resurrection could appear and disappear suddenly, eat a meal and be
touched, so will our own bodies undergo a glorious transformation.
For those souls who have already died and have been judged, they will be united to a changed
body that is immortal and incorruptible. For those souls in Heaven, their bodies will be glorified,
meaning totally spiritualized, without any defect, suffering, or death.
The souls in Purgatory will be finally purged and taken to Heaven where they too will have a
glorified body.
The souls in Hell will be united with their body, which will be immortal and incorruptible, but they
will have pain and suffering.
The faithful on earth who have not died will be glorified body and soul in Heaven.

- END OF PART 1 –
 Liturgical Ministries Formation Study Guide
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION FOR PART 1

1. Which of the articles of fundamental truths about our faith have you come to believe on
your own, without relying on any explanation or teaching from anyone? Why? How has
this/these belief(s) manifested in your own life?
(Alin sa mga katotohanang ating ipinapahayag sa ating pananampalataya ang iyong
lubos na pinaniniwalaan kahit walang nagturo o nagpaliwanag sa iyo? Bakit mo
pinaniwalaan ang mga ito? Papaano mo naipapakita ang mga paniniwalang ito sa sarili
mong buhay?
2. Which of the fundamental truths do you believe because of the Church’s teachings,
even if you yourself have trouble understanding these? Why? Has/have these doubts
affected your faith in the Church and its teachings? How?
( Alin sa mga ito ang pinaniniwalaan mo dahil ito ang turo ng Simbahan, bagamat ikaw
mismo ay kulang sa pangunawa sa mga ito? Bakit? Ang iyo bang agam-agam ay nakaka-
apekto sa iyong paniniwala sa SImbahan at sa mga turo nito? Papaano ito
nakakaapekto?
3. Which among the fundamental truths do you live out in the Ministry that you are
serving in? How?
(Alin sa mga katotohanang ito ang iyong isinasabuhay sa ministro na iyong
pinaglilingkuran? Paano naisasabuhay ang mga ito?