We love Jesus and His Church. It saddens us that the evil one has struck the Shepherd and scattered His sheep. We pray for that day when all Christians will again be reunited in faith as they were in the early Church. Until that day, while we're praying for that unity to occur, we'd like to invite you to learn about Church history and rediscover your Christian roots in the Catholic Church.
Christ founded His Church on the rock of Saint Peter when he said in Matthew 16:18-20: "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build by Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Christ wisely knew for the sake of unity there needed to be one leader for the Church. Just think if the United States of America did not have a President and day-to-day operations of the government were left up to the Congress or the 50 Governors of the individual states. The government would not only not get anything done, but there would be no unity at all.
After Christ's death, St. Peter took a leadership role in the early Church. As described in the Book of Acts, he was the first to preach the gospel to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. He received the vision from God to dispense the new Christian flock from the Jewish dietary laws. He ended his life preaching the gospel in Rome, where he became bishop, and was crucified there like Jesus predicted in John 21:18-19. Upon Peter's death, the Apostles chose Linus to succeed him as new bishop of Rome, or "papa" of the Church, as the word "pope" means. After Linus died, and each succeeding bishop of Rome died thereafter, another was selected to take his place as the head of the Church. Click here for a complete list of popes.
Until 1054 A.D., the Church, both the Latin tradition based in Rome, and the Greek tradition based in Contstantinople, were united in belief and practice. And until Martin Luther's Reformation in 1551, the Latin tradition remained united. As Catholic Christians, we realize that this splintering occurred in part because of the scandal and sinfullness of some Catholic Church leaders and lay people. For any past wrongs that were committed by Catholic brethren, we sincerely ask for your forgiveness. But in that asking, we fully expect that forgiveness to be granted someday because Christ asks us to forgive one another seventy times seven...and that forgiveness applies to Church leaders as well as individual Christians.
Whether you are a non-Christian or Christian of another denomination, we invite you to look at the good the Catholic Church has brought to the world--from hospitals, orphanages, and universities, to revival of classic literature, architecture and great works of art. Without the Catholic Church, we wouldn't even have the Bible and Europe would not have been Christianized. We believe that if you truly investigate the Catholic Church with an open mind, the beauty and truth you'll find there will be rich beyond measure. We invite you to e-mail us at email@example.com to receive free pamphlets about Catholic Church history and teachings.
God bless you!
In case you're wondering, anyone can become Catholic and it's easier than you may think: How to Become a Catholic
Some interesting facts about the Catholic Church: