St. John of Capistrano, Confessor

The Church is apostolic: remaining in communion of faith and life with the apostles through their successors, she is sent into the whole world to spread Christ’s Kingdom. Every member shares in this mission in different ways. Its fruitfulness depends on a vital union with Christ, and charity drawn especially from the Eucharist is the soul of the whole apostolate. As we reflect together, we can rejoice in the Church’s deepest identity as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic: one Body, given life by one Spirit; holy through God, Christ, and the Spirit even while including sinners; catholic in proclaiming the fullness of faith and being sent to all peoples; and apostolic, founded on the apostles and governed by Christ through Peter and the other apostles in their successors.

The Catechism teaches that through Baptism, Christians become the People of God and share, each in their own way, in Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and royal office. All the faithful have equal dignity and cooperate in building up the Body of Christ, according to each person’s condition and function. The Church’s diversity of ministries serves her unity and mission: ordained ministers teach, sanctify, and govern in Christ’s name, while the laity have their own assignment in the Church and in the world. Christ is the source of ministry in the Church, and sacramental ministry is a service, modeled on Christ who took the form of a servant. As we reflect together, we can give thanks for the different ways God calls the faithful to serve the one mission of the Church.