Brother Mike's Religion Final Essays

Front 1

Explain in a three point sequence, the Schism between the Eastern and Western Churches.

Back 1

1. Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of the Eastern Church:
§ Refused to say mass in latin
§ Refused to use unleavened bread
§ Refused to enforce clerical celibacy
§ Refused to change the hierarchy of God in the Nicene Creed

2. Both Churches excommunicated each other and the Eastern Orthodox Church was formed.

3. It was not until the Second Vatican Council that the Western Church had attempted to make amends with the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Front 2

What would be four major reasons for the Protestant Reformation? Explain each.

Back 2

1. New ideas such as humanism became more important that Church tradition.
2. Medici Pope Julius II focused more on military, power, and buildings than the spiritual.
3. The Black Death caused a rise in strange magical practices and superstition.
4. Princes and kings increasingly detested the taxation and interference in governmental matters by the Pope.

Front 3

What are two of the four ways that immigrant Catholics were assimilated into American culture?

Back 3

1. Parochial Schools were an effective way to make the Catholic faith live on. Almost every parish had to have a school and went through grades 1-12. Originally, they were free and were completely staffed by a religious order.
2. Charitable Organizations like hospitals, drug and alcohol programs, etc are developed to help Catholics in need

Front 4

Avery Dulles’ six models of the Church:

Back 4

1. The Body of Christ – the people of God as a visible example of the Christian life and message
2. Institution – means Church as physical structures and the teaching authority of the Church
3. Sacrament – when the Church approaches a person to express his/her self as fully as he/she can
4. Herald – when the Church proclaims the word of Jesus Christ and evangelizes people
5. Servant – the Church ministering to human beings
6. Community of Disciples – when we act as Jesus and his disciples did, we live the mission of the Church

Front 5

5. NAME 4/7 challenges for the Church in the 21st Century.

Back 5

· Leadership- With an aging pop. Of priests and religious, the pool of leadership in the church is diminishing. How can the clerical and religious leadership in the Church involve the laity more in the decision making of the church.

· Catholic and Religious Education- With the decline in the number of religious orders where is the future of Catholic Schools in America? What has to be changed in the Catholic School System in order to make them more attractive and viable.

· Role of Women in the Church- Should women be made priests? Should priests be allowed to be married to help with the current shortage of priests?

· Outreach to African Americans- As the Church pop. Changes, in particular in the inner city, how will the church embrace African Americans in a new way?