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	Word	Definition as found in Blest Are We
	act of contrition	An act of contrition is a prayer of admitting wrongdoing, expressing sorrow, and asking for God’s forgiveness.
	Anointing of the Sick	This sacrament brings Christ’s strength, comfort, and healing to those who are very sick, elderly, or near death.
	Ascension	The ascension was the moment when Jesus, with his resurrected body, entered heaven.
	Assumption	The Assumption is the belief that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven and fully shares in the Resurrection of Jesus.
	Baptism	Baptism is the sacrament of initiation that welcomes us into the Church and frees us from all sin.
	Beatitudes	The Beatitudes are Jesus’ teachings about how to live and find real happiness in God’s kingdom.
	bishops	Bishops are the chief teachers of the Catholic Church.
	Blessed Trinity	The Blessed Trinity is the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
	Body of Christ	The Body of Christ is the People of God, or the Church.
	chastity	Chastity is a virtue that helps us express our sexuality in ways that are proper for our time of life.
	chrism	Chrism is perfumed oil that has been blessed by the bishop.
	Church	The Church is the living Body of Christ.
	Communion of Saints	The Communion of Saints is all the followers of Jesus, both living and dead.
	Confirmation	Confirmation is the sacrament of initiation by which we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us for carrying out Christ’s mission.
	conscience	Our conscience is our ability to judge what is right or wrong.
	corporal works of mercy	The corporal works of mercy are found in Matthew 25:31-46. They are loving actions that describe how to respond to people’s basic physical needs.
	creation	Creation is the gift of God’s life.
	creed	A creed is a statement of basic beliefs of a religious or social community.
	discernment	Discernment is praying to God to find the ways in which we are being called to serve.
	domestic church	The family is the domestic church when we are welcoming, kind, forgiving, generous, caring, and loving.
	Eucharist	The Eucharist is a sacred meal, a sacrifice, and the sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood.
	free will	Free will is our freedom to choose to do what is right or what is wrong.
	heaven	Heaven is the supreme happiness of union with God forever.
	hell	Hell is everlasting separation from God and those with God.
	holy days of obligation	The holy days of obligation are days on which the Catholic Church requires Catholics to attend Mass. In the United States the holy days of obligation are the feasts of Mary, Mother of God; the Ascension; the Assumption; All Saints’ Day; the Immaculate Conception; and Christmas Day.
	Holy Orders	Holy Orders is the sacrament at the service of communion in which bishops, priests, and deacons are ordained to serve the Church in a special way.
	Holy Spirit	The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, gives us the strength to follow Jesus.
	Immaculate Conception	The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin.
	Incarnation	The incarnation of God’s Son becoming man, one like us, Jesus Christ, who is both human and divine.
	kingdom of God	The kingdom of God is Jesus’ promise of peace, justice, and fairness for all people.
	Liturgy of the Eucharist	The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the second part of the Mass, which centers on the Eucharistic Prayer and communion.
	Liturgy of the Word	The Liturgy of the Word is the first part of the Mass, which centers on the Scripture readings.
	Lord’s Prayer	The Lord’s Prayer, or the Our Father, is a prayer that was given to us by Jesus.
	Matrimony	Matrimony, or Marriage, is the sacrament at the service of communion in which a woman and a man promise to love and be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives.
	mortal sin	To commit a mortal sin, a person must do something that is seriously wrong, fully understand that it is wrong, and choose to do it . A mortal sin is a serious violation of God’s law.
	ordained	When a man is ordained, he makes a commitment to spend his life serving the Catholic Church.
	original sin	Original sin is the condition of sin into which we are born.
	Paschal mystery	The Paschal mystery is Christ’s life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
	Penitential Rite	In the Penitential Rite we admit we have sinned and thank God for the gift of forgiveness.
	pope	The pope, the head of the Catholic Church, is the bishop of Rome.
	prayer	Prayer is talking and listening to God.
	prophet	A prophet is someone called by God to speak in his name.
	purgatory	Purgatory is a final purification that prepares those who have led a good life to enter heaven.
	Reconciliation	In this sacrament we reunite with God after we have sinned by asking for God’s healing and forgiveness.
	sacrament	A sacrament is a sacred sign and cause of grace instituted by Christ in the Church to continue the saving action of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
	sacramentals	Sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church. They include sacred objects, prayers, actions, or blessings that help us recognize the presence of Christ.
	sacraments of healing	The sacraments of healing are Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.
	saints	Saints are people like us who become holy.
	sanctifying grace	Sanctifying grace, God’s free gift of his life, heals us of sin and makes us holy.
	Scriptures	The Scriptures are the books collected in the Bible. The Church holds that these books were written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit because they reflect the authentic Tradition of the apostles.
	seven sacraments	The seven sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. They are sacred rituals through which Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit enter our lives.
	spiritual works of mercy	The spiritual works of mercy are found in Matthew 25:31-46. They are loving actions that describe how to respond to people’s basic spiritual needs.
	Tradition	Tradition is the body of truth handed down through the Church from the apostles.
	venial sin	A venial sin weakens a person’s love for others and can lead to mortal sin.
	virtue	Virtue is the ability to make morally good decisions that lead to the habit of doing good. Christian virtues are considered gifts from God that we can develop into habits of Christian living.