Q.1
Which of the following would you NEVER be likely to see in a Roman Catholic church?
  • Congregants marking themselves with the sign of the Cross
  • Communicants at Mass 'receiving in two kinds', i.e. wine as well as bread
  • The Mass (Eucharist/Communion) being celebrated by a female priest
  • A service for the Anointing of the Sick
Q.2
One feature you would almost certainly spot, spaced at regular intervals clockwise around the inside wall of the main space in a Catholic church of any size (though also within some others, unsurprisingly including the 'Anglo-Catholic'), would be a matching series of pictures or carvings showing the key stages of the Passion / Crucifixion story so central to Christian faith. Which of the following is the most correct collective description of these?
  • Twelve Steps along The Way
  • Fourteen Stations of the Cross
  • The Seven Sorrows of Mary
  • The Ten Temptations
Q.3
While the Anglican Church within Britain is divided into two provinces of York and Canterbury, who is the top Catholic for England and Wales?
  • The Archbishop of London
  • The Archbishop of Westminster
  • The Cardinal of Winchester
  • The Cardinal of London
Q.4
Which of the following is NOT a true label or description for the Pope?
  • Direct successor of St Peter (to whom Jesus Himself 'gave the keys of the Kingdom' when Peter had voluntarily confessed Him as Messiah)
  • Bishop of Rome
  • The Pontiff
  • The Great Archbishop
Q.5
Almost all Catholic church interiors have a generic smell about them ~ smoky, spicy, one would probably say ~ and cynics might add with some truth that there is a direct causal connection between this and the lack of woodworm which might otherwise attack the pews (seats), organ-case (if any) and other furniture, and some of the likely carvings around the place. What, in worship, gives rise to this smell?
  • Catholics do not believe in central or modern heating, so open fires or stoves are used in winter
  • Palm leaves are regularly burnt as a sacrifice
  • Incense (a mixture of gum and spices) is burnt by way of an 'echo' of Old Testament burnt-offerings (of sacrificial animals), and to help ennoble the overall sensory experience along with such elements as music and candles
  • It has something to do with the embalming process where the bodies and relics of Saints are preserved for veneration by subsequent generations
Q.6
There are many ways a person may approach God in worship; Jesus Himself proposed quite a simplistic one in urgent or even ordinary circumstances, where a believer might step aside into a quiet place and simply commune with God in prayer. But organised corporate worship (especially, though by no means only, within the Catholic mainstream of Christianity) suggests a more deliberate, respectful, ritualistic approach. Which of these best defines an instinctual Catholic arrival at church for Mass, or some other service?
  • Rinsing the fingers in a stoop of holy water near the main entrance
  • Genuflecting (briefly going down on one knee towards the altar) before moving into a pew
  • Both the above
  • Neither of the above
Q.7
Some religions (and certain more puritanical Christian denominations) believe it is blasphemous ~ i.e. idolatrous, or at least distracting ~ to have decorations in the place of worship which represent living (or once-living) things or people, including animals but also likenesses of holy people (Saints &/or Biblical figures), however well-intentioned and beautifully rendered. For Catholics there is no such problem since we should rejoice in craftsmanship and embrace it as a means of responding to God and 'giving back to Him' as an adjunct and encouragement for our worship. There may well be depictions of Bible stories, unashamedly showing God Himself (usually as a 'wise old man'-type character), the young (and, of course, baby) Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, often in the form of a Dove of Peace. Who else will be much in evidence, in statue, portrait and/or icon form, in a Catholic church?
  • The Blessed Virgin Mary
  • The lawgiving prophet Moses
  • St Peter, the fisherman-turned-evangelist
  • Abraham, the founding father of God's original chosen people
Q.8
Regarding meanings and definitions, in this context: what does 'catholic' (note the lowercase 'c') actually mean?
  • Exclusive
  • Applicable to everyone
  • Traditionalist
  • Able to bring relief from guilt
Q.9
Of course, before a practising Catholic can arrive for Mass, there is something else they mandatorily must have done: what?
  • Confess their sins, usually to the relevant priest, either by appointment or by 'dropping in' to the Confessional during suitable hours (often on a Saturday afternoon)
  • Recite the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments, read the set Psalm/s for the day and say three Hail Mary's
  • Make a donation in cash or kind for those less fortunate, e.g. through CAFOD
  • Rinse out their mouth with Holy Water
Q.10
Why might one see one, or quite possibly several, youngish (well-pre-adolescent) children around a Catholic church, dressed like little brides ~ or bridesmaids ~ or groomsmen, when there is no wedding on?
  • For their Confirmation
  • For their First Communion
  • For a Day of Solemn Dedication
  • For a Baptismal Reunion and Renewal of Vows
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