ABRAHAM The father of Jewish and Christian people.

ACOLYTE An altar server who helps the priest at the altar during Mass.

ADVENT The four weeks before Christmas which help us get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

Anointing of the Sick The sacrament given to people

who are very old or sick. They receive holy oil and prayers.

APOSTLES’ CREED A prayer that tells what Catholics believe about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit

BAPTISMAL CALL Because we are baptized, God wants us to teach others about God and how much HE loves us.

BISHOP

They are like the apostles of today. Men who have received the highest level of Holy Orders. They are the most important teachers in the Church.

BLESSED SACRAMENT The bread blessed by the priest at Mass that becomes the body of Christ. It is kept in the tabernacle

BODY of CHRIST The Church Jesus established. Jesus is the leader and we are the members

CAIN and ABEL The sons of Adam and Eve who made sacrifices to God. Cain gave a little and Abel gave a lot

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

The way the Church teaches us to treat all other people and God’s creation, with love and care.

CHRISTIANS Everyone who follows Jesus and has been baptized.

CHRISTMAS

Jesus’s birthday

CLERGY Another name for a group of priests

COMMUNION of SAINTS All people alive and dead who love and serve God

DEACON A man who has received Holy Orders who helps the priest and bishop

DENOMINATION A group in a religious community (example would be Protestants, Catholics, Lutherans)

EASTER The most important day of the Church year when we celebrate Jesus’ rising from the dead after three days in the tomb

EUCHARIST The body of Christ. How Jesus remains on Earth with us.

EVANGELIZATION To speak about

Christ through our lives. Evangelizing makes us disciples for Christ

DECALOGUE Another name for the Ten Commandments

HEAVEN A life of happiness with God that never ends

HOLY ORDERS The sacrament that priests, bishops, and

deacons receive so that they can work in the Church and bring sacraments to the people.

HOLY TRINITY The mystery of God being one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is NOT 3 separate Gods.

INTRODUCTORY RITES

The beginning of the Mass where we remember our sins, ask for forgiveness, and give praise and glory to God.

JESUS CHRIST The son of God who was born of the virgin Mary. Also known as the SAVIOR and the REDEEMER

Jesus’s Religion Judaism. (Jesus was Jewish. His existence STARTED Christianity.

JUDGE God’s right to ask us to explain how well we have obeyed him.

JUSTICE Treating everyone with fairness.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The people on earth and in heaven that work to help teach about God to others

LAW OF LOVE Love God and Love our neighbor: this sums up the ten commandments.

LAY PEOPLE People who belong to the church who are not priests.

LECTOR A person who reads the Word of God (except for the Gospel) during

the Mass.

LENT The forty days before Easter when we pray and offer sacrifice so that we can get ready for Jesus’ resurrection.

LITURGY A celebration where we give praise and thanks to God for all he has done for us

LITURGY OF THE WORD

The part of Mass where the Holy Word of God is read and the priest talks to us about the readings of the day.

MATRIMONY Another name for MARRIAGE. It is a sacrament where a man and a woman agree to be partners for life

MINISTERS of HOLY COMMUNION

A person who helps the priest give out Communion during Mass.

MORALITY Helps us know whether our actions are right or wrong

NOAH Noah obeyed God so he and his family survived a flood because they had faith in God and God’s promise.

OBEDIENCE Doing what we are taught to do.

ONE GOD Even though we

use the names of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we believe that they are all 3 persons that are part of one God

ORDINARY TIME The time of the Church year when we pay special attention to the teachings of Jesus.

OUR FATHER The prayer of Jesus, found in the Gospels

PENANCE/ The sacrament

RECONCILIATION where we ask God to forgive our sins and celebrate our renewed friendship with God and others we have hurt with our sins

PENTECOST The Church’s birthday because it is the day Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles to give them strength to carry on his work.

POPE The leader of the Catholic Church on earth. He is called the “successor of Peter” because he follows all other popes since the time of Jesus

REDEEMER Another name for Jesus, who set us free from sins though his life, death, and resurrection

RELIGIOUS A man or woman who has a special vocation to serve God and his Church

RESURRECTION The bringing back to life of the body of Jesus after he had been dead for three days

SACRAMENTAL An object or

prayer that helps us become more holy

SACRAMENTS OF HEALING The sacraments that give special grace to our soul and body. They are: Penance/Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION

Help Christians live a life where Jesus is the center. They are Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.

SACRAMENTS of SERVICE of COMMUNION

The sacraments that help us bring holiness to others. They are Holy Orders and Marriage

SAVIOR Another name for Jesus, who opened the doors of heaven for us by forgiving our sins.

SIN Something we do on purpose that is against God or his Commandments

that hurts our relationship with God and other people

TEN COMMANDMENTS

The laws God gave to Moses to guide us in living as God’s children

TOWER OF BABEL A story that tells how people turned away from God by putting themselves first instead of growing closer to Him. God created different nations and languages so that

they could not understand each other.

TRIDUUM The three days just before Easter where we remember how Jesus suffered and died for us.

TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS

The teaching of Jesus that sums up the ten commandments: to love God and love our neighbor

VIRTUES Good habits that help us to live holy and happy lives. Three examples are faith, hope, and love

VISIBLE HEAD The leader of the

church that we can see. (POPE)

VOCATION When you feel called to love God and serve others.

BeatitudesJesus taught us these 8 guidelines to show us how to trust God, to forgive, and to have mercy for others. Each one starts with “Blessed.”

Old Testament The part of the Bible that is about God’s Creation.

Genesis The first book in the Old Testament.

Prayers of Petition Asking God for help

Public Prayer Praying together with other people as a community

Private Prayer praying by yourself

Holy Spirit The third part of the

Holy Trinity that inspired people to write Bible.

Scripture the sacred words written down in the Bible.

Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy

Ways of showing our love for Jesus who cares for the poor.