The Church
The Church is primarily the People of God.
It is the community of the New Covenant.
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, and Christ is its head.
All who have received the sacrament of Baptism are members of the Church.
The Church is called a Holy Nation, a Royal Priesthood, the Pillar and Ground of Truth.
In the Nicene Creed, the Church is described as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
The Church is One, because all its members believe equally in One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God and Father of us all. It is one Body, under one Head, Jesus Christ.
The Church is Holy, because the Holy Spirit fills it, directs it, and consecrates its members.
The Church is Catholic, because the Faith taught by Jesus Christ and the Church founded by him are for all people, for all time, everywhere.
The Church is Apostolic, because it teaches and safeguards the Faith which Christ entrusted to his Apostles, and because it continues in the fellowship and mission of the Apostles.