More than a billion people in the world, a sixth of the human race, consider themselves Roman Catholic Christians. It is helpful for Catholics and non-Catholics to understand the history, beliefs, and practices of this large group of Christians. The practices of the church may seem puzzling to members and certainly to nonmembers, but the puzzlement is lessened when people learn the story of how and why they became prominent.

Session one is designed to introduce participants to the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The timeline of the development of this branch of the Christian church will be discussed. At the end of the session participants will be able to define the word "catholic" and the understanding of "holy Catholic Church," identify the major time blocks in that development, and tell at least three facts in one time block of the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Session two is designed to introduce participants to the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Beliefs shared with other Christians and beliefs unique to Roman Catholicism will be discussed. At the end of the session participants will be able to state at least one way to learn about Catholic beliefs, identify beliefs that Catholics share with most other Christians, and discuss the beliefs and practices unique to RomanCatholicism.