...for my friends first. When my friends and I entered the room, I was really nervous, but the music calmed me. In the welcoming part, Mr. Benjamin told us that the guest priest will be arriving late and so he asked us to introduce ourselves to 3 people in the gathering. Instead of just 3 people, I made acquitances with more than 5 people, namely: Mafe, Jason, Ate Celine, Kwen, Kim, Abby and others. It was fun meeting other peoe around my age other than my schoolmates. People there were very welcoming and made me feel like I belong. When the mass started, I felt a little awkward. I don't go to Catholic masses anymore, other than those held at school, so I'm not that familiar on what exactly to respond on some parts and the lyrics of the songs, they kinda changed the melody of the songs and so I don't really know how to sing it properly. Anyway, I went to a Catholic school before so, I know some of the basic things that are done in a Catholic mass. In the priest sermon, he told us about a boy named "Jep." Jep has an illness and was given food by Father so he could take his medicines afterwards but instead of eating it, he putted it in a plastic bag...
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...Growing up in a Catholic home, I always dreamt of a big church wedding with the beautiful white gown with the long train. The older I got, I realized that dream would never come true because I was not baptized and I did not have any sacraments. In order to get married through the Catholic Church, a person must have all their sacraments prior to getting the sacrament of marriage. I guess you could say, my dreams were shattered and I never thought about the big church wedding again. Many years later, when attending a class to have my son baptized when he was baby, the Deacon mentioned something that I thought I would never hear, “you can still be baptized.” At that moment, I realized I was about to want to know what I had to do in order to start the process of marrying my husband through church. Getting married through church was a big deal to my husband and I now that we knew it was possible. As a little girl, everyone wanted a fairy tale wedding and to live happily ever after. Being a Catholic, there are many rules to abide by in order to get married through church. A person must have all their sacraments. I did not know I could still be baptized and get my other sacraments even though I was older than most kids were. My daughters were taking their classes to get their sacrament of baptism and Holy Communion. I decided that it was time to get moving after I found out that I could still be baptized and marry my husband in a church. I had mixed emotions since I...
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... Since I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, it was quite a different experience. When I first arrived I was immediately greeted by several people welcoming me to the church and asking me if I needed help finding my way around. I was very surprised by the amount of hospitality these people presented themselves with, because typically in a Catholic church everyone sort of sticks to themselves. Everyone was dressed in a different manner, in everything from gym clothes to a work uniform, the message portrayed in this was come as you are. “Sunday’s best” was paid no mind in this church. The room was an auditorium type set up with a huge big screen projector allowing everyone in the building to clearly see the pastor. There were no pews, no statues, no crosses, no deacons, no priest, instead, a band came out and started playing up-beat lively music. The people at the church really got into the music. Everyone was singing and dancing to the songs, and this went on for a good twenty minutes. This is much different from what I am used to because at the Catholic Church, the music is extremely traditional and is sung by a choir. It used to open the mass, close the mass, and also during times when setting up or partaking in a tradition. At this church, the people were the choir and seemed to enjoy singing every minute. When the music was finished, the pastor, a young man wearing jeans, came to the stage and began speaking. In the Catholic Church, everyone...
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... The Catholic Church has become so recognizable that there have been movies made about it. Some of the movies would include scandals that were about priest themselves or about the church hiding some secretive group that had the power to control governments. Some of the stories that have been told, included Bishops and or Cardinals that were the true governing entities over Kings in the times of old. Some of these stories talked about demonic possessions' that only the Catholic church could exorcise. Whatever the story or movie, the Catholic church has influenced millions. It is also known that the Catholic church owns many valuable items such as, ancient texts, various artwork, a library that can not be rivaled, and arguably, loads of money. Even with the "Hollywood fame" and valuables that the Catholic church may have, the Catholic religion has been rocked by scandals and persecution. Nonetheless, the church has stood their ground and continues to strive and its followers, still hold their faith to the church as sacred as ever. For the first thousand years of Christianity there was no Roman Catholicism (Roman Catholicism, religionfacts.com). There was no other denomination at that time to distinguish Roman Catholicism from other denominations. If you were Christian, you were considered catholic. Catholic which means "universal", meant that if you were Christian during the middle ages, you were considered a catholic. Catholics makes up about half of the...
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...Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole.[1][2] For many the term usually refers to Christians and churches belonging to the Roman Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See.[3] For others it refers to the churches of the first millennium, including, besides the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Assyrian Church of the East.[4][5] And for others again it refers to "adhering to the catholic faith as it has been inherited from the earliest Christians ... seeking to restore the faith and order of the primitive church",[6] as claimed by the Anglican Communion, various Lutheran churches,[6][7][8] and other Reformation and post-Reformation churches.[9][10] The Catholic claim of continuity is based on, among other factors, Apostolic succession, especially in conjunction with adherence to the Nicene Creed.[11] In the sense of indicating historical continuity of faith and practice, the term "catholicism" is at times employed to mark a contrast to Protestantism, which tends to look solely to the Bible as interpreted on the principles of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation as its ultimate standard.[12] It was thus used by the Oxford Movement.[13] This contrast, however, is not so clearcut for Anglican theologians such as Alister McGrath: "Anglicanism is not...
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...Once upon a time, there was a little girl raised in a big, happy, Catholic family. She attended Catholic school and mass, and believed in God with all her heart. Eventually, the little girl grew up and decided to have a family of her own, except now, her new family was Lutheran. She made the decision to convert to Lutheranism from Catholicism. This little girl was my mother. Given my familial background, I decided to compare the Lutheran and Catholic faith traditions in closer context. Based on my observations, the Lutheran and Catholic churches are comparable, but they also have many distinctions. The two churches that I chose to observe King of Kings Lutheran Church (LCMS), located in Kansas City, Missouri, and St. John’s Catholic Church,...
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...I visited St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church on Sunday, October 28th at the 6pm mass. From the outside, St. Francis Xavier looked like a normal Catholic church. It wasn’t just a free standing square, but you could tell that a lot went into the design, like most Catholic churches. However, once inside, I noticed that it is shaped like a fish. During Jesus’ time, Christians used the Greek word for “fish” as an acronym for Jesus Christ God’s Son, Savior. The crucifix that hangs above the altar looked like a “space Jesus” to me, but I’m sure that doesn’t really have a meaning. The people participating in this ritual believe that there is one God. He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: The Trinity. They believe that He is the creator of all things visible and invisible. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same divine being. They are far beyond what we can conceive as humans. Catholics believe that the Son is begotten by the Father, and the Holy Spirit is begotten by the Son. To start off the ritual, everyone stands and the procession begins. There are usually two or three servers; they enter first, one carrying the cross, then the one or two lectors and the priest and/or deacon follow. The priest begins with the sign of the cross that everyone does with him, then he says a greeting, and then the congregation states the act of penitence and the priest concludes it with a prayer of absolution. Next is the kyrie eleison, which is Greek for “Lord have...
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...his contribution was large and certainly helped set the foundations for Irish independence and more Irish rights, and in this respect did make some essential attempts at improving the rights of Irish citizens. In this respect the work of O'Connell was far from insignificant and certainly, perhaps his greatest achievement of Catholic emancipation, was highly welcomed amongst the Irish Catholic community. O'Connell's first achievement was in 1823 when he, along with Thomas Wyse and Richard Lalor Shell formed the Catholic association. By inviting the poor to become associate members, O'Connell built it into a mass organisation. It cost a shilling a year, but quickly became popular. Catholic priests were highly encouraged to promote the Association and were recruited as agents. This association campaigned for the repeal of the act of union, of 1800 legally binding Great Britain with Ireland. It also campaigned for a secret ballot and universal suffrage. This campaign was done peacefully and therefore didn't won much support in England. However, in Ireland it was met by considerable approval and quickly had over 100,000 members. In this respect the Catholic association, founded in 1823, was significant on the Irish scale, but not on the full national...
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...Roman Catholicism, Christian church that has been the decisive spiritual force in the history of Western civilization. Along with Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism, it is one of the three major branches of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church traces its history to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Over the course of centuries it developed a highly sophisticated theology and an elaborate organizational structure headed by the papacy, the oldest continuing absolute monarchy in the world. The number of Roman Catholics in the world (nearly 1.1 billion) is greater than that of nearly all other religious traditions. There are more Roman Catholics than all other Christians combined and more Roman Catholics than all Buddhists or Hindus. Although there are more Muslims than Roman Catholics, the number of Roman Catholics is greater than that of the individual traditions of Shīʿite and Sunni Islam. These incontestable statistical and historical facts suggest that some understanding of Roman Catholicism—its history, its institutional structure, its beliefs and practices, and its place in the world—is an indispensable component of cultural literacy, regardless of how one may individually answer the ultimate questions of life and death and faith. Without a grasp of what Roman Catholicism is, it is difficult to make historical sense of the Middle Ages, intellectual sense of the works of Thomas Aquinas, literary sense of The Divine Comedy of Dante, artistic sense of the Gothic cathedrals...
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...Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches share many core beliefs regarding Jesus Christ, including his divine and human natures, his virginal birth, his death and resurrection, along with his anticipated return to earth. Both denominations also recognize the teachings expressed in the first seven ecumenical councils. At the root of the Great Schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches was the ways in which the idea of the Trinity was expressed. While the Eastern Orthodox Church emphasized the distinct personhood of each member of the Trinity, the Roman Catholic Church emphasized the Trinity’s unity of essence (site). This division proceeded with the filioque controversy, which was another one of the primary theological triggers of the Great Schism. The churches also have different views on the perpetual virginity of Mary as well as the nature of original sin. Both churches believe in the concept of original sin, but there is a difference in consequences. Both branched hold baptism as the way to cleanse the soul of sin Saints plays a central role in the spiritual lives of Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Catholics. The Greek Orthodox Church states that their practice of kneeling before or kissing the images of Mary and deceased saints is a way of showing reverence to their memories, not worshiping them. The Orthodox Church only worships God but the church does offer veneration to individuals who have been important human instruments of God in...
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...Analyse Religious expression in New Zealand I am an experienced sociologist who has many years of teaching within the country. Being New Zealand born I have watched the steady changes in religious make up within Aotearoa/New Zealand and seeing how the society and government responds to the changes. I am preparing an analytic report outlining the changes in the past basing my main focus on Scientology (cult), Quakers or Society of Friends (sect) and the Catholic Church. The reports have been specifically based upon the changes within New Zealand. Quakerism “Quakers”, also knows as Society of Friends, is a sect which is Christian in its origin and inspiration but is open to ideas from other religious groups. Quakers cover the three components which exists in a Christian group, conservative, mainline and liberal. Quakerism was found by George Fox in the mid 17th century. He believed that there is “that of God in everyone”. He believed that each human being has the potential to succeed and accomplish their most outright goals in life by following the example of God. The sect had an early involvement with New Zealand and began with regular meetings and Worship in Nelson in 1842 but stopped after 20 years then continued in Auckland in 1885. Quaker congregations are almost completely autonomous. There exist no main assemblies or medial authority within the sect, although there is a committee in London. In New Zealand they follow a non-hierarchical organisation having no...
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...political system as a whole. It is the way in which people respond and act towards the political system. Pye (1995 p.965) defines political culture as “the sum of the fundamental values, sentiments and knowledge that give form and substance to political processes”. Heywood’s view on political culture is that it is ‘the pattern of orientations to political objects such as parties, government, the constitution, expressed beliefs, symbols and values. Political culture differs from public opinion in that it is fashioned out of long-term values rather than simply people’s reactions to specific policies and problems’ (Heywood, 2002: 200). The process through which we learn about politics and how our political attitudes and values can be influenced is through political socialization. The main agents of political socialization are the family, education, mass media and the government. Two American scholars, Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba, studied political culture and published a book a book of their studies, ‘The Civic Culture’. Its purpose was to identify the political culture within which a liberal democracy was most likely to survive and develop. Almond and Verba (1989) identified three pure types of political culture the parochial, subject and participant. ‘A parochial political culture is marked by the absence of a sense of...
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...Experience at Catholic Mass Kevin M. Butts HUM448 October 9, 2011 Professor Henke My Experience at Catholic Mass The purpose of this paper is to describe the sights, sounds, and observations of the author on a recent field trip to Christ the King Roman Catholic Church. The author will also point out both the similarities and the differences between the house of worship that he attends and the church he visited. Upon pulling into the church’s parking lot, he noticed how well the parking was laid out, and how clear and concise the signage was; this was quite similar to his own house of worship. Being a bit of an architectural buff, he noticed that the church was large and French gothic in its design. Even though it had the appearance of old world craftsmanship, strangely it fit in very nicely in the upscale neighborhood it is located in. Looking at this magnificently designed cathedral leaves one with an indelible impression that you are indeed treading upon sacred ground; the high arch enclosed stained windows and the soaring towers tipped with crucifixes add to the grandeur of it all. Once inside, a visual treat for the eyes awaits all who walk through the enormous wooden doors that allow you entrance into the main sanctuary. It is impossible to ignore the absolutely stunning arched high ceilings, along with the gorgeous hand hewn wooden pews, beautifully handcrafted stained glass windows which upon closer inspection depict many of the patron saints of the Catholic Church...
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...Comparison between Orthodoxy, Protestantism & Roman Catholicism: The table below aims to given an outline of some of the key issues in Christian belief and how the three traditions view these issues. I have tried to state what might be called the 'representative' view of each tradition; though there are obviously differing views within each of them e.g. the diverse range of opinions on the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The links under the More information section should be consulted for the definitive positions. With thanks to Father Gregory Hallam for his assistance. |Topic |Orthodox |Protestant |Roman Catholic | |Apostolic Succession |This is an important part of Orthodox |With the exception of the Anglicans|As in Orthodoxy, this is of vital | | |belief and ensures continuity with the |and some Lutherans, this idea is |importance to the church. There is also | | |church that Christ founded. |rejected. Rather it is important to|some degree of mutual recognition of the | | | |emphasize continuity of teaching |validity of Orthodox ordinations. | | | |with that of the apostles, rather | | | | ...
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...World Religions Report Name HUM/130 Axia College of University of Phoenix Introduction The Roman Catholic Church is considered the largest of all Christian churches (Believe, 2007). Roman Catholicism is a branch of Christianity governed by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. Today the Roman Church with the Pope, Archbishops, Cardinals, Monsignors, Priests, Deacons, and Nuns has become a huge global operation reaching almost every country in the world. This report will include a personal viewpoint gathered from an interview with a Roman Catholic follower and a recent visit to their church. In addition to the personal viewpoint on Roman Catholicism, this report will include researched facts on Roman Catholic beliefs and practices as well as a comparison between Catholicism and Islam. Although Catholics and Muslims have distinct beliefs and worshipping practices, they share similar fundamental principles. Church Visit Presentation BVM was the place of worship visited on Saturday May 29th, 2010 for Saturday Mass. The Church is located in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania at 100 Old Soldiers Road. The mass was conducted by the Pastor of the church, Father Harrison. The church service for this day was extremely interesting and was based on the concept of the Holy Trinity and its importance to honor this belief. This topic was fascinating because of the marvel in the doctrine of the Trinity. I was grateful...
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