One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

In the Nicene Creed, we identify the four marks of the Church. They are qualities that Jesus Christ shares with his Church through the Holy Spirit.

The four marks of the Church are that it is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. It is Christ who calls her to realize each of these qualities.

The Church is One:

The Church in which I serve as a priest is one. This worldwide Church of Christ, entrusted to Peter for its extension and governance, subsists fully in the Roman Catholic Church, much like the sun's gravity holds the solar system together.

The church is one through its source, founder, and soul. The source is the unity of the Trinity. Its founder, Jesus, reconciled humanity to God through the cross. Its soul, the Holy Spirit, unites the faithful in Christ and sustains them in communion.

Unity in diversity defines my Church, which embraces both God's many gifts and the large number of receivers. It is home for different skin colors, speaks a multitude of languages, expresses itself through unique styles, and holds countless citizenships.

The church professes one faith and celebrates divine worship together. The apostolic succession from St. Peter to Pope Leo XIV unites the faithful in communion.

Human sin causes ruptures – heresy, apostasy, and schism. They wound the unity of Christ’s Body. While Christ bestows the gift of unity, the Church is called to pray and work towards its perfection.

Achieving full unity transcends human effort alone; it demands the involvement of the entire Church – both the faithful and the clergy.

The Church is Holy:

The one Church is holy because Christ loved her as His Bride and gave Himself to sanctify her. He united her as His Body and gifted her with the Holy Spirit.

With Christ as her Head, the Holy Spirit her Soul, Mary her Mother, and the multitude of saints in heaven her kin, the Church is truly “the holy People of God,” and its members are called “saints.”

The Church exists to sanctify humanity in Christ, and it is in her that we attain holiness. Within the Church, sanctity is real, though imperfect. The Lord calls all the faithful to strive for perfect holiness.

The Church continually needs purification, following a path of penance and renewal. All members, including its ministers, must humbly acknowledge their sinfulness.

Canonized saints reveal the spirit of holiness in the Church, serving as models and intercessors. In the Virgin Mary, the Church has reached perfect holiness, making her a sign of hope.

The Church is not defined solely by its sinful members – all 1.3 billion of us. Rather, its holiness stems from its closeness to the Lord. She is the Mystical Body of Christ, with Christ as her head, the Holy Spirit as her soul, Mary as her mother, and the myriads of saints in heaven.

The Church is Catholic:

Fundamentally, I am a Christian. But I am a universal Christian because I am a Catholic.

The word “Catholic” is derived from the Greek 'katholikos,' meaning 'universal.' This originates from 'katholou' ('on the whole'), itself composed of 'kata' ('about') and 'holos' ('whole'). St. Ignatius of Antioch provides the earliest known use of 'Catholic.'

The church is catholic in a double sense: First, Christ is present in her and in her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head.

She receives from Christ the fullness of the means of salvation: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession.

Second, it holds Christ's mission to unite all humanity. This universality, a gift from the Lord, drives the Catholic Church's continuous pursuit of bringing humanity under Christ's head in the unity of His Spirit.

Each particular church or diocese, is also catholic, representing a community of the Christian faithful in communion with their bishop, ordained in apostolic succession. They hold the Roman Catholic Church as their basis and foundation.

The Church's catholicity is expressed through diverse ecclesiastical disciplines, liturgical rites, and theological and spiritual heritages proper to the local churches.

The Catholic Church encompasses the Catholic faithful, other Christians, and ultimately, all of humanity.

The Church is Apostolic:

The Church is apostolic in three ways: it is built on the foundation of the apostles; it transmits their teachings; and it is taught, sanctified, and guided by them through their successors – the college of bishops, assisted by priests, in union with Peter's successor.

Jesus appointed the twelve apostles to be with him, and to be sent out to preach. Jesus granted them both the mandate and the power for their mission. In them, Christ continues his own mission.

While the apostles' role as witnesses to the Lord's Resurrection is unique and non-transferable, their enduring mission to spread the Gospel, the lasting source of all life for the Church, continues to the end of time. Therefore, they appointed successors.

Just as Peter's office, entrusted by the Lord, is permanent in his successors, so too is the apostles' shepherding role, continued uninterrupted by the bishops, who take their place.

The Church remains apostolic by staying connected to its origins through the successors of Peter and the apostles, and by being sent into the world. All members share in this mission, each in their own way.

Charity, drawn from the Eucharist, is always the soul of the whole apostolate. The Church is ultimately one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and ultimate identity, because it is in her that "the Kingdom of heaven," the "Reign of God," already exists and will be fulfilled at the end of time.