Sacraments of the Catholic Church
There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which according to Catholic theology were instituted by Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church. Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to all those who receive them with the proper disposition.
Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1448
The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church
Distribution of divine graces by the Church through the sacraments. In the center the personification of Ecclesia with the (papal) tiara; above her baptism, from which streams of grace proceed; at the right marriage, eucharist, confession; at the left anointing of the sick, holy orders, confirmation (Johannes Hopffe, Wrisberg epitaph, Hildesheim, before 1615)
Scene of baptism. Stained glass, Paris, last quarter of the 12th century. From the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris.
Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholic Church. This article serves as an introduction to various topics in Catholic theology, with links to where fuller coverage is found.
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Eucharist at the canonization of Frei Galvão in São Paulo, Brazil on 11 May 2007
Holy Trinity by Francesco Cairo (1607–1665)
Depiction of God the Father offering the right hand throne to Christ, Pieter de Grebber, 1654. Utrecht, Museum Catharijneconvent. The orb, or the globe of the world, is almost exclusively associated with the Father in depictions of the Trinity
Christ depicted as the creator of the world, Byzantine mosaic in Monreale, Sicily.
