St. Francis Preparatory Religious Education Exam CORE
Catholic: Universal "Universal or General" the Catholic Church is the Christian Community that is
One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, open to all people everywhere at all times, and that preaches the
fullness of God's Revelation in Jesus Christ.
Magisterium: the official teaching authority of the Catholic Church. (The Pope and Bishops)
The Pope: the leader of the Catholic Church and Magisterium
Bishop: the head of a Diocese
Pastor: Priest who leads a parish in worship, prayer and teaching
Priest: the ordained who celebrate the mass
Nuns: take vows but not in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church
Deacons: ordained minister ranking below Priest, who can perform all functions of a Priest but
cannot say Mass.
The Laity: The body of the faithful, outside of the ranks of the clergy
Conclave: The closed room specially set aside and prepared for the cardinals when electing a pope.
Ecumenical Councils: meetings of the Magisterium which make decisions regarding doctrine, creed
and mass
Marks of the Catholic Church: One Holy Catholic Apostolic
Creed: formal statement of beliefs; Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed
Liturgical Year: begins with Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time
Advent: the season that prepares for Christmas, the birth of Christ
Christmas: the celebration of the Incarnation; the birth of Jesus
Lent: the season that prepares for Easter (40 days in remembrance of Jesus in the Desert)
Paschal Mystery: the saving love of God most fully revealed in the life and especially the Passion,
Death, Resurrection and glorious Ascension of his Son, Jesus Christ. (celebrated and remembered
through the seasons of Lent and Easter)
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday
Easter: the feast and season that celebrates Christ's Resurrection from the dead; the core belief
of Christianity
The Bible: a library of books (73)
Canon: the Church’s official list of inspired books in the Bible
Biblical Truths: the promise of God’s love and salvation
Contextualism: Christian’s interpretation of Scripture Fundamentalism: interpret scripture literally
Polytheism: belief in many gods
Monotheism: belief in one supreme God
Hebrew Scriptures-Old Testament: the 46 books of the Bible that contain the covenant of Moses
Pentateuch, Torah: the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures
Old Covenant: the promise between God and God’s people
Genesis: “origins”; Creation stories; humankind is created in God’s image and all creation is good
Exodus: Moses and the 10 Commandments
The 10 Commandments: the law that Moses gave the Israelites on Mt Sinai; the love and respect
for God and others
Yahweh: I AM
Passover: the feast commemorating the miraculous way God saved the Jews from death and slavery
in ancient Egypt
Religions with Origins to Abraham as The Patriarch: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Christianity: developed from Judaism (remember Jesus was Jewish)
Sects of Christianity: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant
Immaculate Conception: the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus was conceived without Original
Sin; celebrated on December 8th.
Christian Scriptures-New Testament: the 27 books of the Bible that contain the life and teachings
of Jesus
Gospel: “good news”; the 4 books of the Christian Scriptures about the life and teachings of Jesus
Synoptic Gospels: “one eye”; similar portraits of Jesus (Mark, Matthew, Luke)
Evangelists: Gospel writers who arranged their stories of the life, death, resurrection of Jesus to
best serve the needs of their audience.
Matthew is the bridge connecting the old and new testaments of the Bible emphasizing Jesus and
the fulfillment of the Jewish Prophesies
Mark: the earliest and shortest Gospel written; focuses on the humanity and suffering of Jesus
Luke: written by a Gentile author for a gentile audience focuses on Jesus as the universal savior of
the world
John: the last Gospel written; focuses on the divinity of Jesus as the Word of God
Jesus: ‘God saves” Jesus is fully human and fully divine
Christ: messiah; divine nature of Jesus, anointed one, post resurrectional term
Infancy Narratives: accounts of the birth of Jesus; (Matthew and Luke)
Incarnation: God becoming human in Jesus; God's eternal Son assumed a human nature and became
human in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins; "taking on human flesh"
Revelation: God making himself known to us
Apostles: specifically chosen by Jesus by name to represent the 12 tribes of Israel
Peter: the Apostle Jesus chose to take on the leadership role after His ascension
Miracles: the saving works of Jesus, reveal God’s love and power, presence and goodness, often lead
to increase the faith of others
Kingdom of God: the rule or reign of God over the hearts of people and a new order of love and
service
Parables: the stories Jesus used to reveal the love and message of God to challenge listeners to
reflect on their own lives and love of God
Abba: was shocking to the contemporaries of Jesus when he used this term to address God; ‘my
dear daddy’ in Aramaic
New Commandment: love one another
Paschal Mystery: the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus
Passion: the suffering and death of Jesus because of his deep profound, unconditional and eternal
love for us
Crucifixion: the sentence of death imposed by Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor
Resurrection: the core belief of Christianity
Ascension: Jesus' passage from humanity into divine glory in God's heavenly domain forty days
after his Resurrection.
Pentecost: 50 days after Jesus' Resurrection when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and
gave them the power to preach with conviction the message that Jesus is Risen and is Lord!!
The Trinity: the central mystery of Christianity that there are three persons in One God; Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit
Communion of Saints: unity in Christ of all those He has redeemed in the Church in heaven and
earth
Evangelization: the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ and the love of God with others
Sacrament: a visible sign of an invisible grace that brings about the spiritual reality it represents.
Jesus is the great sign of God's love; the Church for God's presence in the world and the Seven
Sacraments.
The Seven Sacraments: Effective Signs given to us by Jesus Christ through which we share in God’s
life.
Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation
Baptism: we are welcomed into the Church
Eucharist: commemorates the Last Supper, at which Jesus gave his Body and Blood in the form of
bread and wine, the consecrated body and blood of Christ is shared in the community
Eucharist: Real Presence: Jesus Christ in the bread and wine; Eucharist: "thanksgiving"
Confirmation: "the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit"
Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation, Anointing the sick
Reconciliation and Penance: Christ extends his forgiveness to sinners through the absolution
conferred by a Priest; we reconcile our sins with God, ourselves, and others
Anointing the Sick: administered by a Priest in which the Lord extends his loving, healing touch
through the Church to those who are elderly, facing, surgery, seriously ill, or dying
Sacraments of Service: Marriage, Holy Orders
Matrimony: Christ binds a man and a woman into a permanent covenant of love
Holy Orders: ordained into the priesthood
The Mass: Liturgy of the Word; Offertory procession; Liturgy of the Eucharist
Transubstantiation: the consecration of the bread and wine at Mass, where the entire substance is
turned into the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharistic "Real Presence" of Christ
Real Presence: Jesus Christ is fully present in the consecrated bread and wine
Revelation: the way God communicates knowledge of himself to humankind, a self-communication
realized by his actions and words over time, most fully by sending his divine Son, Jesus Christ!
Doctrine: official teaching of the Church
Dogma: a central truth of Revelation that Catholics are obligated to accept and cannot be changed.
Canonization: a process that recognizes the particular example of a Christian who has led a good and
holy life and died a death faithful to Jesus and that declares the person to be a saint.
Soul: the eternal, innermost, spiritual part of a person; the invisible and spiritual reality that makes
us human and eternal
Natural Law: God’s plan for human living that is written in the nature of creation
Conscience: the ability to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil
Virtues: good habits which help lead a moral life
Vices: bad habits that turn us from good and make it easy to commit evil
Original Sin: the fallen state of human nature into which all generations are born. Jesus came to
save us from Original Sin.
Mortal Sin: serious sin where through full consent of our will when we turn completely away from
God with full knowledge; full consent of the grave matter
Venial Sin: a sin that weakens and wounds, but does not destroy our relationship with God
Free will: God's gift to humanity to choose from among alternatives; to perform deliberate actions
on one's own responsibility.
Grace: God's favor to us, Grace is a participation in the life of God
Catholic Social teaching: respecting life; the needs of the poor, care for creation, human dignity
and human rights
Conversion: returning to God after committing sin, is an ongoing process of deepening and maturing
one’s faith commitment.
Tradition: the living transmission of the Church’s Gospel message found in the Church’s teaching,
life, and worship, faithfully preserved, handed on, and interpreted by the Magisterium
Prayer: communication with God; personal, communal, can help us make healthy decisions