The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter. The sacraments are integral to Catholic liturgical worship. The principal sacrament is the Eucharist, also called the Mass. The Church teaches that in this sacrament the bread and the wine consecrated by the priest become the body and the blood of Christ. The Catholic Church practices closed communion and only baptised members are ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist.
The local Church is the diocese. (Our diocese is made up of the regions of Canterbury and Westland with the Chatham Islands). The Church within a particular diocese is divided into smaller communities called parishes. Each local church belongs to a district cluster. We are Waimakariri and our patron saint is St. Peter Chanel.
