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Portal:Catholic Church

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Introduction

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.28 to 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2024. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The Diocese of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, which is a small, independent city-state and enclave within the city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.

The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies, and institutes such as mendicant orders, enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church.

Of its seven sacraments, the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest, the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin, Mother of God, and Queen of Heaven; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions. Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, and orphanages around the world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. (Full article...)

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Founder Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley
Founder Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley

Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States.Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the State of New Jersey. The university is known for its programs in business, law, education, nursing, and diplomacy, as well as its basketball team.Seton Hall is made up of nine different schools and colleges with an undergraduate enrollment of about 5,200 students and a graduate enrollment of about 4,500. Its School of Law, which is ranked as one of the top law schools in the nation,has an enrollment of about 1,200 students. The Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry was acquired by the state in 1965, and is now the New Jersey Medical School, part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.Like many Catholic universities in the US, Seton Hall arose out of the Plenary Council of American Bishops, held in Baltimore in 1844, with the goal of bringing Catholicism to higher education in order to help propagate the faith.
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James I of England
James I of England

James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary, Queen of Scots, who had been forced to abdicate. Regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1581. On 24 March 1603, as James I, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue. He then ruled England, Scotland and Ireland for 22 years, until his death at the age of 58. James achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced great difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and repeated conflicts with the English Parliament. According to a tradition originating with historians of the mid-seventeenth-century, James's taste for political absolutism, his financial irresponsibility, and his cultivation of unpopular favourites established the foundation for the English Civil War.
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St Mark's Church

Feast Day of November 22



Oil painting of Saint Cecilia holding violin and bow, 1606, by Guido Reni.
Saint Cecilia (Latin: Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the patroness of music and musicians, it being written that, as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord". Musical compositions are dedicated to her, and her feast, on 22 November, is the occasion of concerts and musical festivals. She is also known as Cecilia of Rome. (Full article...)
Prayer: Dear Saint Cecilia, one thing we know for certain about you is that you became a heroic martyr in fidelity to your divine Bridegroom. We do not know that you were a musician but we are told that you heard Angels sing. Inspire musicians to gladden the hearts of people by filling the air with God's gift of music and reminding them of the divine Musician who created all beauty. Amen.


Attributes: Flute, organ, roses, violin, harp, Baritone harpsichord, singing
Patronage: Hymns, musicians, poets; Albi, France; Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska; Mar del Plata, Argentina, Pipe organs

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News



November
"Christ in Limbo"
Painting by Fra Angelico,1441-1442
17 November 2024 – Israel–Hamas war
Pope Francis calls for the global community to investigate whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (CNN)
23 October 2024 – China–Holy See relations
China and the Holy See agree to extend their 2018 provisional agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for a further four years. (Vatican News)
21 September 2024 –
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announces plans to create a 27-acre sovereign enclave for the Bektashi Order in Tirana modeled after the Vatican City, which would be called the "Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order". (The New York Times)
29 August 2024 – Migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea
Pope Francis strongly condemns European mistreatment of migrants crossing from the Mediterranean Sea and refusal to offer aid as means to reject them from entering European nations as "a grave sin", and requests the expansion of migrant access routes to the continent. (The Hill) (Reuters)

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