Catholic Identity
Beliefs, Rituals, Symbols, And Gestures
that Reflect a Uniquely Catholic Experience
What do we mean by Catholic Identity?
Merriam-Webster defines identity in two ways: 1. the state of being exactly alike
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Look around the church. Are we exactly alike? Certainly not! The great diversity in our church is one of its great strengths.
Therefore what we mean by "Catholic Identity" is closer to the second definition. Who are we? What sets us apart from the rest of the world? What does it mean to be authentically Catholic?
Therefore what we mean by "Catholic Identity" is closer to the second definition. Who are we? What sets us apart from the rest of the world? What does it mean to be authentically Catholic?
Many struggle to identify what it means to be Catholic today. While we may not be able to come up with a precise definition, we will explore the beliefs, rituals, symbols and gestures that reflect a uniquely Catholic Experience.
What does it mean to be Catholic? Thomas Groome, in What Makes Us Catholic, offers some answers. An expert on Catholic religious education, Groome says that all Catholics, regardless of their religious involvement in the Church, share a common sense of spirituality. Inviting readers "to critically consider and deliberately choose what could be life-giving from their faith tradition," Groome describes eight spiritual qualities that he believes are distinctively Catholic. These include sacramentality ("finding the infinite in the finite"), a sense of community, a commitment to work for justice, a reverence for tradition, and a disposition toward faith and not despair.
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In his book, Practice Makes Catholic, Joe Paprocki identifies five key characteristics that define what it means to be Catholic.
1. A sense of sacramentality 2. A commitment to community 3. Respect for human life 4. Reverence for Scripture and Tradition 5. An attitude of faith and hope You might also be interested in the Practice Makes Catholic webinar recording. |
by Bert Ghezzi
In The Heart of Catholicism, Bert Ghezzi, bestselling author and popular speaker, invites readers into his deep love for the Church.
Ghezzi uses stories from his own life to show how Catholicism is contagious, spreading from person to person because of the things Catholics do that are distinctively Catholic. Essential practices such as praying daily, celebrating the sacraments, reading and applying scripture, honoring the saints, confessing and overcoming sin, participating in parish life, caring for the poor, and evangelizing are treated in seventeen brief and inspiring chapters.
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The essays in this volume invite the reader, in different ways, to consider Catholic identity not only in terms of "who we are?" but "what are we for?" To be sure, identity and mission are deeply interconnected but offer different starting points for reflection and formation. At the heart of those questions is the challenge of building the common good within the Church and for the world.
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