ANNULMENT:

A declaration by a Church tribunal (a Catholic Church court) that a Marriage thought to be valid according to Church law actually fell short of at least one of the essential elements required for a binding union. Rather than dissolving a Marriage that already exists, by this declaration of nullity, the Church formally recognizes that a valid Marriage was never entered into in the first place.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK:

The Sacrament which gives spiritual healing and strength to a person seriously ill and sometimes also physical recovery.

BAPTISM:

The Sacrament which is the birth of the baptized into new life in Christ. In Baptism, Original Sin is forgiven along with all personal sins. By it we become adoptive children of the Father, members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit; it also incorporates us into the Church and makes us sharers in the priesthood of Christ.

BEATITUDES:

The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount on the meaning and way to true happiness or fulfillment.

CAPITAL SINS:

Title given to the vices which are the source of all other sins, and called deadly because their repetition corrupts the soul. The alternate title capital sin comes from the Latin caput, meaning head. They are pride, avarice, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth.

CARDINAL VIRTUES:

Four virtues acquired through our own effort that play a pivotal role in the exercise of other virtues. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts and help prepare the powers of human beings for communion with God’s love. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

CATECHUMEN:

One who is preparing for Christian initiation.

CHARITY:

The theological virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

CONCUPISCENCE:

The inclination or tendency toward sin that is a result of our wounded human nature.

CONFIRMATION:

The Sacrament in which the gift of the Holy Spirit received at Baptism is confirmed, strengthened, and perfected for living the Christian life and spreading the faith to others.

EUCHARIST:

The Sacrament which re-presents in the Mass the sacrificial Death of Christ and His Resurrection — making it possible for us to eat His Body and drink His Blood.

FALL OF MAN:

When Adam and Eve, due to the temptation and lies of Satan, disobeyed God and rejected His love. Also called the Fall of Man.

FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

Twelve perfections formed in us by living a holy life in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. They are: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

Seven gifts of grace given to us by God at our Baptism and again in Confirmation that help us respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. They are wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.

HOLY ORDERS:

The Sacrament through which a man is made a bishop, priest, or deacon and is given the grace and power to fulfill the responsibilities of the order to which he is ordained.

INDULGENCE:

A partial or complete (plenary) remission of the temporal punishment due to sins which have already been forgiven. The Church dispenses indulgences under certain conditions from the stored treasure house of satisfaction gained by Christ and the saints. The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or for those who have already died.

JUSTICE:

A cardinal virtue that is the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.

JUSTIFICATION:

The transformation of the sinner (all of us) from a state of unrighteousness to a state of holiness with God. It is an act done by God that requires our free participation with His grace. We are justified by the Sacrament of Baptism, which makes us children of God. Our justification, or salvation, is won for us by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and by His Resurrection.

MARRIAGE:

The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman form with each other a lifelong covenantal communion of life and love that signifies the union of Christ and the Church and through which they are given the grace to live out this union.

MORTAL SIN:

Serious sin we choose to commit even though we know it is wrong. Mortal sin completely separates us from God, destroys His divine life within us, and rejects His love for us.

PASSIONTIDE:

Refers to the last two weeks of Lent during which the faithful particularly commemorate the Passion of Christ.

PROVIDENCE:

God’s plan by which He guides His creation towards its perfection.

REAL PRESENCE:

Christ’s true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity contained in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine.

SACRAMENT:

Signs of God’s grace that actually give the grace they signify. Jesus founded seven: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Holy Matrimony.

SACRAMENT OF PENANCE:

Also called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The Sacrament through which sins committed after Baptism can be forgiven and reconciliation with God and community can be effected.

SOUL:

That which animates or gives life to a body. Human souls are rational, which means they have an intellect and a will and are made in the image of God.

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY:

Jesus taught us that we must love our neighbor by performing Spiritual (and Corporal) Works of Mercy. The spiritual works of mercy help us meet a person’s spiritual needs. They are: instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead.

VIRTUE:

An habitual and firm disposition to do the good. Moral virtues are acquired through human effort. The infused moral virtues and the theological virtues are gifts from God.