HIERARCHY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

HIERARCHY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pope (1 head) Bishops (2946 diocese, cathedrals) Priests (219,583 parishes) The Clergy ordained priest -those who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders Catholics (98%) (1 Billion members) Religious and Laity The Church defines laity by what we are: sharers in Christ’s office of priest, prophet,and king,holders of an important vocation critical participants in fulfilling the mission of the Church.

In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a oneness of mission.

Guidelines for Discerning Our Calling

The following points enlarge on the Holy Father’s guidelines for discovering the actual will of the Lord in our lives.

1. Listen to the Word of God and the Church.
2. Formation. Ongoing formation is essential for every baptized Catholic.

• We must learn the Catechism.
• We must study Scripture.
• We must remain close to the Sacraments.
• We must take the initiative as lay people and see to it that our education is actively pursued and faithful to the actual teaching of the Church, using materials and resources that accord with her magisterial teaching.

    3.    Participating in the Life of the Church.

• Individual Participation-We are each called to spread the Gospel through both word and deed to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and even the strangers we may meet in our daily lives.
• Group Forms of Participation-“The most significant positive development since the Second Vatican Council has been the flourishing of lay movements within the Church.” These lay movements “have arisen to meet the specific needs of the laity—the need for a deeper spirituality . . . and the need of the laity to give greater evidence of their own desire for evangelizing the word—the world of economics, the world of politics, the world of university, the world of unions.

Professional Ministers	Volunteer Lay Minister
Director of Religious Education (DRE) Pastoral minister Social minister	Parish council members Finance council members Choir Eucharistic ministers Lectors Ushers Liturgy committee Sacristans PIHDM Catechists