Counter-Reformation

The Counter Reformation was an extremely important time in the Catholic Church. During the Protestant Reformation the Church was almost being separated because of the schisms they Protestant leaders made. The Counter Reformation is the part in history when the Church countered these protests with truths. It began with the Council of Trent and ended near the time of the Thirty Years War.

This counter reformation led the Church's comeback from the turmoil and troubled state, to the state of unity and holiness. A major participant was the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola. He set an example of the Catholic renewal and helped a great deal in the Counter Reformation. This led St. Ignatius of Loyola to become the huge part of the Church as he is today.

Misconceptions on Mary

Growing up as a kid, I heard about many different roles, and beliefs on the role Mary plays. Throughout the Church there are many misconceptions on many truths of the Church. The one I am going to talk about today is the misconception of Mary on how some people hold her equal to God.

In the Catholic Church we hold Mary in a very high regard, as the mother of God. Although she is the mother of God, the Catholic Church does not hold her equal to God. Since Jesus is fully God, no one including Mary can be equal to him. Another false teaching of the Church is that we worship Mary. This is a false teaching because, although we do hold Mary to a high regard, we do not worship her. We venerate her with respect, because she is the Mother of God.

Catholic Rites

Hello there. Today I will be talking to you about the Catholic rites of the Church. The definition of "rite", according to The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, is: "the liturgical, theological, spiritual , and disciplinary heritage, distinguished according to peoples' culture and historical circumstances, that finds expression in each autonomous church's way of living the faith." This is basically saying that a "rite" is a ceremonial practice that divides the Christian Church through liturgy and worship. The list of Catholic rites are endless, from the Coptic Rite, to the Premonstratensian Rite. The most commonly celebrated rite today is the Roman Rite. The Roman Rite is a liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. This rite is very special because it is one of 23 particular churches that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. Catholic rites have been around for ages, and what makes them so important is that though they are divided sections of the Church, these sections bring the Church together as one through Catholic liturgy and ceremony.

What does it mean to be a Catholic?

Hello there. Over a billion Catholics reside in this world, and the number is only increasing. To be a Catholic means to have complete faith in God and his divine grace. Having God's divine grace means to obey it and keep it holy as it was created by God and given to His chosen people. The religion itself is based on this and the people take it very seriously. Catholics believe that all people are of good nature but when one commits a sin, it not only hurts that person but also the people and the Church.

Faith

Hello there. I am a young eager teen in search of other young eager teens who are thirsty to learn about their faith. Faith is belief not based on truth. It believing the real world behind the material world around us. Faith is what drives us to follow the path to moral righteousness. We exercise faith every single day of our lives. In fact, faith has been incorporated into our lives since the moment of our birth. This is what makes it so beautiful. It is blindly believing, but with meaning. We don't need proof to believe in God. We can see him through little things, such as nature. Nature is God's presence around us. It is what has been placed on this Earth for us to adore and enjoy. Seeing the beauty of nature brings us closer and closer to God everyday.