Spread of Christianity Westward

• Discovery of Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492 sparked the desire to spread faith throughout colonies.
• Churches began to spring up in colonies and religion became a primary focus for many people.
• Christianity began to play an important role in the social values and ways of thinking in America.

Sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic#Origins_and_history

Augustine

Considered to be a church father and an important figure in the spread of Western Christianity. Wrote many works that proved very influential in human life and beliefs. Most famous works include Confessions, On Christian Doctrine, and The City of God.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo

Priest

A member of the secound grade of clergy ranking below a bishop but above a deacon and having authority to pronounce absolution and administer all sacraments except ordinance.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic#Presbyterate_.28Priesthood.29

Advent

Advent is the time of preparation for the coming of the Nativity of Christ. In Western Christianity, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on December 24th. If Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, Catholics are still required to go to Church earlier in the day and attend mass again later in the evening for Christmas services. The Roman Catholic Church uses Purple as its color to represent advent. Advent also serves as the reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews as they awaited the birth of their messiah, and the waiting that is done today by Catholics as they wait for the second coming of Jesus

The Trinity

The trinity is the belief that God exists as three beings; The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Since the 4th century, the "Trinity" doctrine has existed in both the Eastern and Western sects of Christianity. With the Trinity belief, The Son is also believed to be two distinct beings; one divine and one human. The majority of christian sects believe in the trinity, but there are some groups that oppose trinitarianism; Binitarians, Unitarians, The Latter Day Saints (A.K.A. Mormons), and the belief in Modalism. The trinity, being such an important belief, however, the word "trinity" does not appear in the Old Testament or the New Testament. The official accpetance of the belief in the trinity was during the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. (Peter Kreofsky)


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity

Limbo

Limbo is where the Catholic Church believes that un-baptized babies with orignial sin. Limbo is the permenate status of babies who die in infancy, before they could be baptized, and thus not having been freed from orginial sin. Theologists who believed in this thought that it was a place of maxiumum natural happiness, and minmal punishment. Limbo has never been explicitly defined by the church, and in more recent times, it is a more common belief that dead infants may go to heaven rather than Limbo.

Lent

Lent is the forty day time in the Catholic Church that starts with Ash Wednesday and ends with Holy Thursday (although most other Christian denominations end lent on Holy Saturday.) The Bible says that the forty days represent the time that Jesus spent in the desert in the temptation of Christ. Lent ends with Holy Week and Easter, the Catholic celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Traditionally during Lent, Catholics are supposed to fast and not attend festivities. Many Catholics also give up something that they enjoy during Lent. Lent is suppose to be a time of grief that ends in the celebration of Easter.