1. NCEA ACRE VOCABULARY

2. Martyrs Saints and other holy people who die for their faith. Martyr means “witness”. By being faithful even when faced with death, martyrs give witness to what they believe.

3. Parish Community Church membership gives us an opportunity to worship God in community and to serve others

4. Resurrection Jesus rose from the dead. This resurrection confirmed all he taught about himself and the Kingdom of God.

5. Communion of Saints The union of believers, living and dead, who form one body of Christ.

6. Ecumenism Movement toward unity in the church. Efforts to bring all Christians together in cooperation, lookin forward in hope to the unity of the Christian Church. The word ecumenism comes from a Greek scriptual phrase that means “the whole household of God.”

7. Conscience A person’s ability to judge right from wrong. The gift from God that helps us know the difference between right and wrong and choose what is right. Conscience is free will and reason working together.

8. Greatest Commandment Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, love your neighbor as yourself.

9. Tradition Belief and practices passed down from one generation to the next generation. The entirety of the word of God entrusted to the apostles by Christ and the Holy Spirit and passed on through the successors of the apostles, the bishops.

10. Sin Choosing to do something that offends God. The choice to disobey God. Sin can be serious (mortal ) or less serious (venial). Sin is a deliberate choice, not a mistake or accident.

11. Incarnation Mystery by which the Son of God became man.

12. Prodigal Son Luke 15:11-32 The Lost Son, a parable of forgiveness

13. Transubstantiation Real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

14. Catechumenate A person seeking initiation into the church.

15. Sacramental Objects, actions, and blessings that help us grow in holiness.

16. Catholic Universal The Church is catholic because its mission is to the whole world.

17. Bible A collection of many books written under God’s inspiration.

18. Pentecost Sunday Celebration of the Holy Spirit coming to the disciples and Mary.

19. discipleship To follow Jesus faithfully and share his mission.

20. Trinity Each person is really and fully God. Three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in one true God. This is the Central Mystery of the Catholic Church.

21. Assumption Mary was taken into Heaven when her earthly life ended.

22. Magisterium Church’s office that teaches matters of faith and morals. This office is held by the bishops who are guided by the Holy Spirit to direct the teachings of the successors of the apostles. It is a Latin word which means “body of teachers”.

23. pope Highest teaching authority in the Catholic church

24. missionary Share the good news with others One who is sent to bring the good news of God’s kingdom to people in other places or distant lands.

25. Holy Thursday Commemorates the Lord’s Last Supper Passover is the Jewish holy day that celebrates how God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The Passover meal, our Holy Thursday, is referred to as the Seder Meal.

26. Paschal Mystery Jesus’ suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.

27. Ascension Celebration of Jesus going to heaven.

28. Vatican II The most recently held Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church.

29. covenant Promise God made with Moses and his people.

30. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist Sacraments of initiation, necessary for FULL initiation into the Church.

31. Mary Mother of God

32. Theological virtue of faith Gift by which we believe in God and all God has revealed.

33. Theological virtue of love We love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God. Charity, the form of all love.

34. Theological virtue of hope We desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.