Psychology of Personality Essay

The method by which a person can seek to be successful in the varied areas of their life, can be pin pointed to how well a person is aware of them self. To be more specific, the person needs to have an understanding of self-awareness and the connection it has to success. â€Å"Self-awareness is fundamental to self-leadership. Leaders who have mastered self-awareness are realistic and accurate when they assess their personal strengths and weaknesses.† (Watson, 2004). Thereby self-awareness comes from knowing what are the personal strengths and weaknesses we have as it relates to the areas of our lives such as with family, work and school. Based on my desire to better myself in the different areas of my life, I seek to identify the abilities and skills I hold strongest, discover the areas I am weakest in and define how I can go about in making improvements based on my findings. During my readings at the University of Phoenix, I arrived at discovering learning styles and how understanding your own style can be the key to grasping control of a successful education. The process of which touched on the subject of self-awareness and how assessment tests could help you to reach the level of understanding needed. In chapter 2 of â€Å"Keys to College Studying: Becoming a Lifelong Leaner† (Bishop & Carter & Kravits, 2002), it was stated that, â€Å"Many different kinds of assessments give people a method of self-discovery, providing different means of exploring strengths and weaknesses, abilities and limitations.† (p29). After completing a couple of assessments as covered in the chapter, I found myself to have a logical and adventurer personality style with strengths in being skillful in a variety of fields that make use of my abilities to organize materials logically, explain things in sequential order, analyzing information, and hands-on problem sol ving to name a few. These strengths are not only evident in my line of work as a welder, but in the way I live my personal life and the way I interact in with my learning team members. Along the lines of an old commonly known clich & eacute;, for every positive there is a negative, I learned that just as I have good personal strengths, there are as well weaknesses to bare. â€Å"Human strengths are as real as human weakness, so say history and science.† (Lopez, 2003, p. 5). Among my weak points are the lack of being musically talented, sociable, and even though  being skillful in various fields can be a strength, there is a high sense of pride from doing good quality work, that if not controlled could feed an ego rush that may rub off the wrong way for some people. In addition, while there are strengths to being an adventurer personality type with a desire to be involved in an action-packed environment that is on the constant go with a taste for the variety of things that can be done. The down side comes from the intense want for a personal life, work and school environment that can fulfill that diversified need. Overall weaknesses can be problematic and t he thought of there being kinks in somebody’s armor, can bring a persons moral down. However, it needs to be understood that it is human to have weaknesses and that weaknesses can be strengthen. Among the various study materials I’ve read, in addition to discovering both personal strengths and weaknesses, there was as well supporting information on how a person can go about improving their weaker personality styles. The website for Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2006) defines the word improve as, â€Å"2a: to enhance in value and quality: make better.† (Definition 2a). That enhancing of value and quality is precisely what I seek to accomplish in my areas of home, work and school which I plan to make better so as to improve my overall life. Over and again, in my readings, it was commented that a person should make use of their personal strengths in order to support and improve on the weaknesses. As thus, by taking what I have come to learn about my personality style and in seeking courses, training, self-help books and kits tailored to my learning style on subjects that cover those areas I am weak in, will it be possible for me to improve. Of course, only through practice on top of more practice shall I be able to truly make improvements to my weaker areas and in time when I reassess my personal strengths and weaknesses will I be able to tell where I stand. Anyone with a good understanding of his or her self-awareness, thus knowing what his or her own personality style is, can very well hold the key to having a successful life. So in knowing what your personal strengths and weaknesses are, will you be able to know what type of classes will suite you best in school, what type of job would you be best fitted for at work and understand what reasoning there is behind the way you live your personal  life. In discovering my personality style was I able to grasp an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses I hold, which has allowed me to go forth in using my strong points to over come my drawbacks. In time with practice shall I be able to strengthen my weak points and perhaps one day reach, a level of equal enlightenment between the various personality styles. References: Bishop, J. & Carter, C. & Kravits, S. (2002). Learning Styles and Self-Awareness. Keys to College Studying: Becoming a Lifelong Learner. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 2002, pg. 29. Lopez, Shane J. & Snyder, C. R. & Rasmussen, Heather N. (2003). Striking a vital balance: Developing a complementary focus on human weakness and strength through positive psychological assessment. Positive Psychological Assessment: A handbook of models and measures. 2003, pp. 3-20Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2006). Improve. Retrieved March 6, 2006, from http://www.webster.com/dictionary/improveWatson, Liana (2004). Self-leadership: Becoming an Exceptional Leader. Radiologi Technology. Iss. July-August 2004, p457.

Organizational Behaviour Written Assignment Essay

Organizations strive to be effective. However, conflicts within an organization can distort the effectiveness of organizations. Potential for conflicts can be found in all organizations. Nowadays there is a need for understanding what exactly causes conflict. With this knowledge, organization can decrease the possibility of encountering conflict. We can describe organizational conflict, as an open argument between two or more individuals/groups within an organization, which leads to a disrupt cooperation (Hatch, 1997). In organizations, conflicts can occur on a horizontal and vertical level. In our research we will focus on vertical level conflicts, which mean that the conflict takes place between people from different hierarchical levels. As Jung (2003) states, conflicts are clearly associated with power/ status within an organization. Therefore, vertical conflicts can be caused by a lack of acceptance of status and power in a hierarchal model. This last point can be attributed to ‘power distance’, one of the culture dimensions of Hofstede. Our moderator model starts with the independent variable â€Å"status† that leads to the dependent variable â€Å"conflict†, and the relationship between these two is influenced by the moderator â€Å"power distance†. Our research question is as follows: Does power distance (moderator) influence the relation between status (IV) and conflict (DV)? If we found out that power distance influence the relation between status and conflicts, we found a cause for conflicts in organizations and then we know how to reduce conflicts, that is the importance of this research question. Hypothesis An increase in status, the independent variable, will lead to a higher possibility of conflict, which is the dependent variable. Hofstede’s dimension of power distance acts as the moderator. Power distance explains how less powerful members of a society, in our case organization, accept that power is unequally distributed. A high power distance refers to an acceptance of a hierarchical order. A low power distance strives for equal distribution of power, and it asks for justification of inequalities of status (geert-hofstede.com). Therefore, our hypothesis is: If there is a hierarchical order and the status increases, the possibility of conflict will also increase. Especially if there is a low power distance. Explanation In this section we will explain what our expectations of the outcome of this research are. If the status of a person in an organization increases that person will have more power over the other employees. We expect that there will be more conflict in the organization due to the fact that there is a more unequal distribution of status. The lower employees have the feeling that they have no say in things, while their supervisor or manager has everything to say. In general this will lead to more vertical conflict. However power distance plays an important role in this. In organizations that have a low power distance, an increase of status will definitely lead to more conflict. This is because organizations with a low power distance strive for an equal distribution of power. The employees will most definitely disagree with the increase of status, and they will not easily accept this. However, in organizations with a high power distance, an increase of status might lead to a little more conflict. But the effect is not as described above. In such organizations there is a hierarchical order that is accepted, which means that we believe that an increase of status will be more accepted. Thus, leads to a lesser increase of conflict than when there is a low power distance. Method We develop a research method in order to determine whether the relationship between status and conflicts is negatively or positively influenced by power distance. The research type that we will use is a survey, more specifically, a questionnaire. We explain the process of how we will do the research method down below. Participants Around 270 people of several companies will be asked during our survey. We supposed that 270 people is a good amount to complete the research successfully and draw a sufficient conclusion. The expected participants who participate in our research are employees, who have to be 20 until 65 years old in order to include the different ages and their views on organizations. We try to equally choose participants from both sexes with a different employment status. We will ask, for example, a CEO, a sales manager and a janitor from the same enterprise to get a good overview through the whole organization and their thoughts about hierarchy and power distance. However, not every company has that much female employees in their organization. Therefore, we will ask more male employees than female employees if it is necessary. Furthermore, our participants will be from different continents, namely: Asia, Europe, and the United States. Procedure We have chosen for three continents to take off our questionnaire in order to make sure that the culture of different continents does not have influence on the results. Another reason that it is a necessity to ask organizations in different continents is the need to get adequate results. We will ask in every continent six companies to participate in our questionnaire, whereof three companies have a strong hierarchy and three companies do not have or have a low hierarchy. Furthermore, the three companies in every continent are divided into a small company with under 100 employees, a middle company with around 500 employees, and a big company with over 1000 employees. In every company, there will be 15 employees asked to participate in the questionnaire. The questionnaire will be taken off by the online-questionnaire method. We send the several CEOs of the companies the questionnaires by email. It is not possible for us to take off all the questionnaires face-to-face because of the geographical distance between the continents. However, we will provide the questionnaires with a very clear explanation about the questionnaire. We expect that the whole procedure will take around 15 minutes per person. Measurement Our questionnaire will include 20 statements regarding to hierarchy and conflicts at the workplace. The answers varying from a number of 1 to 7, with at the left side strongly agree and at the opposite site strongly disagree. The front page of the questionnaire is about some general background information like their age, sex, status in the company, and their nationality. However, there are also some limitations associated with the survey. Firstly, it is possible that organizations and participants do not want to participate in the survey for several reasons. Secondly, there is a chance that people do not understand the questions right and giving therefore an insufficient answer. Because we are not using the face-to-face method, it is not possible for us to explain the question clearly to the participator during the questionnaire. Lastly, there could be some message barriers because we make use of an online questionnaire send by email. For instance, the CEO does not read the email because it was marked as spam. To put all together, our research method is a survey, more specifically, a questionnaire with 20 statements regarding to the hierarchy and conflicts at the workplace. There will be asked 18 companies in three different continents with in total 270 employees. It is an online questionnaire send to the CEOs of the specific companies by email with clear explanations. Bibliography http://geert-hofstede.com http://ejbo.jyu.fi/pdf/ejbo_vol10_no1_pages_22-28.pdf Jung, S. (2003), â€Å"The effects of organizational culture on conflict resolution in marketing,† Journal of American Academy of Business, Vol. 3 September, pp. 242-46. Katz, D. and Kahn, R. L. (1978), The Social Psychology of Organization, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Audit Assurance and Compliance Services

Auditing is the important aspect in any financial managing company to keep all their data safe, secured and perfect without any missing information for any firm. This report talks about the work given to the auditors for making assessments of the statements related to the financial data by the management. The authorization of auditing the files are given only to those examiners who are found responsible and could present the data to the stakeholders by taking the leadership authentication and ruling out any glitches found in the information while maintaining professionalism and giving them overall finance required to the company by appropriate estimations (Audit.ucsf, 2016).   Any information related to the organization is provided to the auditor as a part of morality and competence obligations. Any suggestions specified by the auditor to the company are given prior importance to execute by the management. The information related to the company should be perfect and complete withou t any unclear data, so the auditors will have a keen view on all these aspects and wants it to be highly standard and accurate. If found any missing or unrelated information then they would enquire about it and clear the doubts (Cso, 2016). The task of assessing the financial statements is completed only after noting the ambiguities like revenue of the company, important assets and expenditure for that particular duration. Any accountant who has accepted for auditing the financial statements should be complaint to the laws by considering the fact that he should not get threatened by the organizations group or overlook the conducts of ethical rules as it is the suggested criteria from the ethical guidelines. It should be noted that accepting the task that leads to the cause of threats should be avoided by the auditor which is an essential point to be kept in mind (Isaca, 2016). So the rules in ethical guidelines specifies that before considering to execute any task for auditing you need to be aware of the factors that are mentioned in the guidelines. All the necessary information related to the clients and records of the business are needed to be gathered by the auditor for the present work and need to give the brief outlook of the work and issues if found so that it would not mess up at the end of the audit as it is dealt with the client outside (PwC, 2016). There is always a chance of rejecting the given task if found any proposed threat or insecurity. It clearly implies that every accepted task should be dealt carefully nevertheless of taking long time in assessing the audit files while it gives an opportunity of knowing the customer in depth. As the client gets approval from the auditor for auditing the files they take into consideration those formalities while never getting compromised on their objectives (Rbk, 2016). Threats can be expected from the new firms as a part of their job if any of the auditing team is related to the organization members in terms of share. Expectations of any threat to the auditing team from the client never says that the proposal has to be taken off or stop in between it can even been carried out under proper protection by safeguarding themselves from opponents. Measures should be taken to get away from the issue repeatedly and demolish it completely to avoid any further threats in future (Isaca, 2016). T he later level of audits are accepted by identifying if there are any further issues involved with them. Solutions should be designed for safeguarding the audit team from being threatened by the clients. Auditor efficiency varies based on the organization they are chosen for. It drastically varies if greater organizations are involved in auditing work. Clients such as BSF which is a high level industry the auditor is expected with special skills of efficacy and should be highly capable in order to understand the terms and policies of that firm in regards to their context (Rbk, 2016). In these aspects evaluation should be to the greater extent if auditor is accepting the task and it is a sign of inviting the threat on their own if they are not eligible for this task to complete and accepting it if unable to sketch out the business details at a prospective level. The satisfaction of expectations of clients , reaching the deadlines specified by them are need to be carefully understood by the auditor and should fulfill this requirements before approving the assigned task (Audit.ucsf, 2016). Not presenting the accurate solution that is according to the situation then it creates the way to the threats related to audit firm while giving the suitable conditions for the beneficial of the financial statements. Three kinds of risks are involved in auditing they are: Any possibilities of missing the data and taking commissions or interpreting the data in a wrong way in the financial statements then these are considered to be the inherent risks. These consequences vary from the controls and should be noted that are important to be verified. If the risk is at high level, certainly the industry has to face the risk of inherent which is similarly found with BSF limited (Rbk, 2016). The standards of BSF limited are independent from other firms and have their own judgments which are personal and voicing the nature with no restrictions are the rules required to step ahead. This implicates that risk of inherent is pretty high. There is no significant risk of control identified with BSF limited in such case as it is less than 5 percent involved. If mechanism required to control the process is not properly handled then that leads to control risk which can be aptly defined by this and it apparently makes a way to the threats if failing to recognize the statements that are materialistic (Isaca, 2016). Appropriate control measures internally are to be proposed to solve the misinterpretation regarding the BSF. Auditor should give an opinion on the control measures that are being input in the BSF. By implementing such measures it seems to work out well at BSF and efficient. BSF is comparatively having higher threats as it is the top level industry and the details related to their organization are not clearly given to the auditing team. This figure out the control measures and identifies that situation is controllable (PwC, 2016). If failing to recognize the missing statements from the financial bills of the company then the risk of detection comes into the picture. And it describes the inability of the auditor or giving an opportunity for the company by the auditor (Audit.ucsf, 2016). A customized systematic manner is to be followed while auditing the financial statements and has to rule out the missing of data or any other manipulations in the statements and appropriate corrections are to be proposed as it is not expected to record it in the books without necessary corrections as it affects the user’s interests at later stages. Multiple audit visits can be carried out to verify the mistakes and to reduce the chance of risks (Rbk, 2016). Mixture of three risks of audits is finally presented by the audit team after the completion of entire auditing process (Isaca, 2016). Increase in the three different risks such as risk of inherent, Risk of control and risk of detection are to be determined to know the risk involved in audit. Risk in Audit = Risk of control x Risk of detection x Risk of Inherent To identify the threats involved in auditing the task the audit team has found the process and has to report the possible ways to reduce the threats by acknowledging them is the work given to the team to make a final decision on the entire threats reduction. If the risk level is unmanageable, then the proposed suggestion is at rejection (Rbk, 2016). The risk level is proposed with number of safeguards process in case of risk of detection since the risk is at insignificant level. High labor and lengthy duration is required for this and approval is taken from the management before accepting any task (Isaca, 2016). Risk of inherent and risk of control levels are inversely proportional to the risk level of detection. Risk of detection is chosen to be at lower level by the audit team if threat of inherent is pictured in the situation while giving way to the risk of inherent at high peaks (Audit.ucsf, 2016). The final threat for BSF appears to be at higher level in auditing process for threat levels of detection and inherent. The calculations involved in audit risk are as follows: Risk in Audit = Risk of control x Risk of detection x Risk of Inherent The threat level less than 10% is expected by the audit team to be moderate in general. Hence it is considered that threat of audit on BSF is on the safer side. This reveals that there are no restrictions in taking the task for auditing the financial statements. The adequate amount of proofs related to the audit is to be collected by the audit team as a part of the auditing program in order to follow the appropriate systematic procedure of auditing the financial statements. The auditing process is carried out only if the account system of the client industry is evaluated by the team for example here it is the BSF limited. The accounting system is studied in detailed by the auditing team is the strategy followed on the clients tasks (Rbk, 2016). This at later stages are tested   by conducting control and other tests which are related to this process to make sure that all proofs are gathered in the given duration of time. At the end the audit team has to be sure of providing the evidence correctly about the client’s financial statements. The audit programs that are certainly recommended are as follows: Reports related to finance- on monthly basis Suggestions to be followed from the previous audits Proposing the financial balance at year end Reports to be sent to the required clients and list of funds needs to be received Predictive check on the account balance thoroughly Ledgers are maintained by the clients which are to be checked keenly and other related files The data from all the sectors should be matched after totaling the accounts The office accounts are to be linked to banks statements Number of transactions occurred should be verified and amount taken for the purpose is utilized accordingly or not should be checked The auditors from external team need to follow the entities regarding the irregularities on financial statements from the journal. The audit process is regulated using the journal from the department of accounting for accurate verification. The managing is enquired regarding the entries by the audit team and accordingly the funding is given (Cso, 2016). BSF has designed a success factor that the success in business is based on the development and research carried out. The uncertainty of research depends on the external factors. After attaining the success from such a research program then it can be taken for benefiting the needs of customers. The activities of research and development are to be carried out properly to get a success and the necessary targets should be identified. The targets which are in between should be executed depending on the budget allocated and the duration of time. BSF follows the journal guidelines to show the report effectiveness before marketing them (Audit.ucsf, 2016). The performance from the research that is undertaken newly by BSF is found to be quite complex but cost on research are given on daily basis of expenses and revenue. Collection of material and major equipment’s is given huge capitals (Rbk, 2016). The decision of fixing the funds is decided by the audit team as it has to be carefully tasked based on the requirements of work in the industry. The three entities that are involved in triple bottom line addendum are the environmental, social and economic production in the organization. For the audit to be in a signature process Spreckly has designed this system in 80’s and made a first approach. BSF limited is corresponding to this triple bottom line terms and standards hereafter. The credit’s for the work executed on the financial statements is appreciated (Gay & Simnett, 2000). Though the auditing process looks extended because of the procedure but the company management is pleased with the friendly approach environment and the respectful communication (PwC, 2016). The media reports that these rules are criticized by industries of other firms because of their diversion to the fish production company rather than the suppliers of food materials. This has made an attempt of getting food for next generations. It created a bias between the extremely poor and high people so the approach was not taken into account ( Gay & Simnett, 2000). On the progress of working on this account though the initial take off was not appreciated it was considered as better solution in the later stages. In the scientific research, the triple bottom line is considered to be the success measure but it is not really accepted by the auditor to sign off as they were reluctant to accept (Whittington & Pany, 2001). From the conclusions it is evident that auditor has to get convinced and sign off the document because of the huge information that is available and processed through the auditing process is correct. After performing the extensive research the information is given based on the conditions in the market place and the predictions derived from the situations are submitted. The management is provided with the patent value that is capable of in producing the efficient output in future (Whittington & Pany, 2001). The less availability of advanced technology is providing very less competition to the management and as the time progress it will change the opinion. There might be drastic change in regards to competition which is not exactly related to the market research (Gay & Simnett, 2000). After a proper understanding is created in the market then we can notice a great interest on the patent value in another one or two years or so (Gay & Simnett, 2000). The price is however fixed based on t he popularity of product in the market and its sales conditions. The management is extremely not worried as it can get back the value of it in the later stages after fine evaluation in the market. Audit.ucsf.edu. 2016.  Audits (Assurance and Compliance) | Audit & Advisory Services. [online] Available at: https://audit.ucsf.edu/audits-assurance-and-compliance [Accessed 11 Sep. 2016]. Cso.ie. 2016.  Chapter 5 - Audit, Assurance and Compliance Arrangements - CSO - Central Statistics Office. [online] Available at: https://www.cso.ie/en/aboutus/governance/corporategovernancestandard/chapter5-auditassuranceandcompliancearrangements/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2016]. Isaca.org. 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.isaca.org/knowledge-center/research/pages/audit-assurance-programs.aspx?cid=1003563&appeal=pr [Accessed 11 Sep. 2016]. Gay, G.E. and Simnett, R., 2000.  Auditing and assurance services in Australia. Mcgraw-hill. PwC. 2016.  Points of view. [online] Available at: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/audit-assurance/publications/regulatory-debate.html [Accessed 11 Sep. 2016]. Rbk.ie. 2016.  Audit, Assurance & Compliance. [online] Available at: https://www.rbk.ie/services/audit-assurance [Accessed 11 Sep. 2016]. Whittington, R. and Pany, K., 2001.  Principles of auditing and other assurance services. Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

The Aerodynamics of Future Electric Cars Research Paper

The Aerodynamics of Future Electric Cars - Research Paper Example The researcher states that changes in global demand patterns, market forces, environmental concerns and the ever present danger of fleeting fossil fuel reserves are forcing automobile manufacturers and research scientists to look for alternative means to fuel automobiles. One facet of these developments has been electric vehicles that are powered exclusively through electric batteries. The emergence of electric vehicles has put in motion a number of new design challenges such as the aerodynamics of such vehicles because aerodynamics represent a large loss during normal functioning of all kinds of automobiles. Drag created by a moving vehicle represents one of the largest losses of energy created by an automobile’s engine. Conventional automobiles may lose as much as 40% of the total power to air drag. As with other conventional bodies, the aerodynamic drag exerted by air on a vehicle is directly proportional to the square of the velocity of the vehicle. For typically aerodynam ic automobiles the coefficient of drag and the accompanying area need to be as small as possible in terms of design considerations in order to minimize the drag encountered. There has been an ongoing struggle to create vehicles with as low a coefficient of drag as possible. Typically well designed vehicles display coefficients of drag of the order of 0.13 while a coefficient of drag of 0.1 is achievable through special design considerations.... Moreover considerations of an acoustical nature are also reduced through the use of electric engines that produce far less noise than conventional engines. However this has been criticized for increasing danger to blind people because the incoming vehicle would not possess a sound. (The Week, 2010) Based on these considerations it can be seen that the design of electric vehicles is an altogether different domain from conventional automobile design. The inclusion of new components such as the electric engines places new constrains on design that require solutions through out of the box thinking. This paper will attempt to describe the various major challenges being posed in terms of design and their current solutions along with their future outlook. 2. Conventional Automobile Packaging and Acoustics Conventional automobiles have been built and packaged in nearly the same way for decades. The early pioneering research into automobiles has created a stable platform that is dogmatically used as per vehicle class and usage. For example most passenger cars created along conventional design philosophy house the engine in the front and use a front wheel drive system while load carriers such as trucks use front mounted engines with rear wheel drive. Moreover recent advances in computational fields have allowed designers to create more light weight and singular construction frames better known as monocques. While some of these design elements such as a light weight bodies, four wheels and singular construction have been applied to building electrical vehicles but other packaging constraints have changed altogether. The design configuration and considerations for conventional automobiles are being

Climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Climate change - Essay Example Individuals Human activities are frequently blamed as root causes of climate change. Similarly, human beings can clean up this mess through little ways. When we are aware of our environment, we gain better consciousness of how we can help in our homes and workplaces. By sometimes riding a bicycle, walking, or taking a bus, and saving electricity, we reduce the greenhouse-gases released unto the atmosphere. Recycling is also important in saving resources and energy. U.S. Government Being a developed country, the United States undeniably has a large contribution in producing greenhouse gases that harm the atmosphere. There seems to be no clear-cut federal policies that control or limit such production. However, concerned organizations and experts have several recommendations, and some government leaders pass bills or implement laws in their specific states. For instance, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger implemented law AB 32, which mandates that the state’s greenhouse g as-emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by the year 2020, which is approximately 25% (Walsh 2). The need for firm national leadership regarding the problem is needed, but it is essential to see that laws to encourage citizens to participate are not enough. Rather, specific regulations applicable even to the largest industries should be implemented.

Entrepreneurship vs. Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Entrepreneurship vs. Small Business - Essay Example Researchers, Hofer and Bygrave (2003-4, Pg 6-7) suggests that entrepreneurs are the gap-fillers who given the supply and demand nature of market forces through their skills, perceive and take steps to correct market deficiencies. To encourage entrepreneurs to transform the market, they not only provide new goods and services, they also create more and newer jobs. The jobs increased not only in number but also in diversity - supermarkets have created the job of trolley collector; technology support desks are a by-product of computer technology; medical innovations have resulted in increased layers of new job classifications and descriptions. One hundred years ago, there was no perceived need for these services, nor was there any basis for exploring such a need. Kirby (2003, Pg 786) investigated in his book that by the beginning of 1980s, entrepreneurship was at finest, a likely hopeful ground of academic inquisition. Though, by the finale of that decade, owing chiefly to remarkable progress in its corpse of experimental information, entrepreneurship might assert to be a rightful ground of educational inquisition in every compliment apart from one: it requires a considerable hypothetical basis. A main confront in front of entrepreneurship examiners in the 1990s is to build up theories and models build on firm basics from the social sciences (Welsch, 2003, Pg 4-5). Wickham (2004) observe that subsequent to all, models and theories expect the result of operations. And it is not possible to operationalize an idea that cannot be defined, as an Entrepreneur a person who perceives a chance and makes an association to pursue it. Entrepreneurship vs. Small Business A lot of people make use of the terms "entrepreneur" and "small business possessor" simultaneously. At the same time as they might have a great deal in general, there are noteworthy dissimilarities between the entrepreneurial project and the small business. Jones-Evans Dylan and Carter Sara (2000, Pg 374-375) recommend that Entrepreneurial ventures vary from small businesses in following ways: 1. Quantity of wealth creation - rather than simply generating an income stream that replaces traditional employment, a successful entrepreneurial venture creates substantial wealth, characteristically in surplus of quite a few million dollars of turnover. 2. Pace of wealth construction - while a flourishing small business can produce numerous million dollars of revenue over a life span, entrepreneurial prosperity formation repeatedly is quick; for instance, within 5 years. 3. Risk - the danger of an entrepreneurial venture must be elevated; or else, with the inducement of certain profits several entrepreneurs would be following the thought and the opening no longer would survive. 4. Innovation - entrepreneurship repeatedly occupies considerable innovation further than what a small business may display. This innovation offers the venture the spirited benefit that fallout in capital creation. The innovation might be in the creation or service itself, or in the business procedures used to convey it. The Entrepreneurial Process Allow us start with the entrepreneurial procedure because this is at the core of the topic. Some of the vital characteristics of the entrepreneurial procedure are as follows Commenced by an act of human will. Takes place at the

Contrast and compare the psychological theories of Jung and Freud Essay

Contrast and compare the psychological theories of Jung and Freud. Discuss some implications of their theoretical and therapeutic differences - Essay Example As seen in the research conducted by Schimmel (2013, pp. 61-77), Sigmund Freud was of the opinion that the mind comprise of three levels that control the human. The first level is the unconscious mind, second the preconscious mind and lastly the unconscious mind. For the case of the Psychoanalytic theory, focus is mostly put on the unconscious mind. In the work of Schimmel (2013, pp. 61-77), the unconscious mind entails feelings and thoughts such as sexual feelings, uninvited thoughts, events as well as the experiences that are in contrary with the conscious mind. In the thought of Freud, personality development solely relied on the unconscious motivations of the self (Rycroft, 1995, pp. 38-52). Freud also noted that the mind contains, the id, ego and the super ego (Schimmel, 2013, pp. 61-77). The id seeks to attain pleasure and will not stop until it attains its immediate satisfaction. In the event that the id does not get satisfied, it automatically turns aggressive. The ego tries to fulfil the desires of the id. This explains that the ego works under pressure from id to meet its needs if long term satisfaction has to be attained. The facilitation of the needs between the desires of id and ego reduces the chances of aggression and chaos resulting (Schimmel, 2013, pp. 61-77). Lastly, the super ego is a conscious part of the mind that represents the expected norms and values of the society. Schimmel (2013, pp. 61-77) writes that the superego determines what is factual and what is real; thus, determine how a person ought to behave in the society. Simply put, the superego determines what is right and what is not in the society more so as prescribed by one’s parents as well as the environment. It is through the superego that persons determine if they are right or wrong. In the long run, individuals end up appreciating themselves or even becoming guilty of their actions. The function of the superego is indeed a contrary of the id and the ego

Argumentative paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argumentative paper - Essay Example Notably, the year-round school plan ensures that students do not have the three-month summer break, but are in school throughout the year. Although the year-round school seems to be highly favorable, it has certain disadvantages that need proper consideration as will be highlighted in this paper. The year-round calendar adopted by some school districts presents certain challenges, especially when it comes to the storage space needed for both students and teachers. Notably, many multitrack year-round calendars do not follow the usual single class operating in a specified classroom. The system allows many students to enroll in different programs throughout the school year. Therefore, school districts adopting the plan have budget wisely in an effort to ensure that there is sufficient storage space for both students and teachers. Unless this happens, the multitrack year-round calendars will strain school facilities contrary to its objective of ensuring proper utilization of the facilities throughout the year (Chittom and Klassen 1). The year-round calendars adopted in some districts introduce additional demands on the school subordinate staff cafeteria systems as well as the maintenance services. Usually, all these services are continuously needed throughout the year. Compared to other plans that allow students to have a three-month summer break, support staffs working in different schools face the compulsion of constantly providing services to the schools. Therefore, many support staffs do not find the systems favorable because the year-round calendar strains them (Long). The year-round calendars pose challenges for teachers who pursue further education during the summer break. Notably, teachers need to advance their education in an effort to become more qualified for their job responsibilities. Usually, the three-month summer break gives teachers sufficient time to study each year. With the

Apple's Loyal Customer Base Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Apple's Loyal Customer Base - Assignment Example The researcher states that Apple’s product lines mainly include the iPod and iTunes, desktop and laptop computers, the revolutionary iPad and iPhone, and the OS X operating system. The company’s main competitors are Microsoft, Sony, Dell, Acer, Samsung, Toshiba, Nokia, and HTC. As of 2011, the organization has 364 retail stores across 13 countries. As scholars point out, a well-developed business model, competitive products, an innovative marketing strategy, and a potential operational model constitute the key elements affecting Apple’s overall corporate strategy. The company organizes workshop programmes and promotes other personal customer relationship practices like e-mails and surveys as part of building a long-term relationship with its customers. This paper will discuss various strategies used by Apple to enhance its customer communication practices and drive customer relationship management effectively. Target marketing to build customer relations As of 20 11 data, Apple operates in 13 countries including United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Sweden. Majority of these countries are economically developed, and the remaining are rapidly emerging economies. In terms of geographic targeting, Apple focuses on market segments like cities where the density of people is very high. In addition, the organization gives specific attention to geographic market segments that have a well-developed infrastructure. By following such a geographic targeting approach, the firm tries to enhance the easy flow of raw materials and labor. In terms of demographic segmentation, Apple mainly focuses on young people and business executives, because most of the Apple products offer extensive and innovative features that may not be appealing to a middle-aged or senior person. In addition, Apple particularly targets high-income groups while dividing its market segments on the bas is of demography. To illustrate, Nokia and Samsung are major competitors of Apple in the smartphones market. Relative to Nokia or Samsung products, Apple’s smartphones are very costly as the company does not consider the needs of low-income people much. The company also practices psychological or behavioral segmentation approaches effectively. Referring to a report by Jaques, many of the people consider Apple as a luxury brand and hence they are willing to buy Apple products regardless of the prices in order to increase their social status. With the intent to take advantages of this favorable condition, Apple’s management designs and sets prices for products particularly for high-class social groups. In addition, the company identifies the potential market for a planned product in advance by exploring the psychological needs and requirements of customers effectively. For instance, Apple’s management identified the music sector as the broad market for its iPod be fore even the company began the product research or development process. Customer communications Apple gives great significance to customer communications as the company extremely values customer suggestions and feedbacks. A company uses various traditional and modern communication channels to be in line with changing customer tastes and preferences. Apple uses many ways to collect their customer information.

Fiction compare 2 stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fiction compare 2 stories - Essay Example In the story The Land of Sad Oranges, the narrator’s character is a round character. While the narrator begins the story as a child, by the end of the story, the narrator’s childhood has departed, never to come back again. The story is about a family that leaves Palestine to Lebanon. When the journey starts, the narrator thinks that â€Å"we were just like anybody who goes to spend the festival season every year in another city† (Kanfani 137). But as they travel, the destruction of the family follows along with its occupation to Lebanon. Eventually, the family makes its way to a refugee camp in a lorry with all its belongings. As the family of the narrator bundles up in a lorry, the land of the family is left behind forever. The defeated Arab armies crush any hope of the family that still lingers. The family notices the harsh reality of permanent exile from Palestine staring in its face. The narrator’s father decides to grab hold of the matters and out of anger, perplexity, and emotional outburst attempts to kill his own children as well as himself which however, does not happen eventually. While the story ends in failure and defeat at this point, the narrator does mention how the whole situation impacted him and took his childhood away from him in these words, â€Å"As I left the house behind, I left my childhood behind too. I realized that our life had ceased to be pleasant, and it was no longer easy for us to live in peace† (Kanfani 141). What follows in the last few lines of the story is a depiction of an altogether change in attitude of the narrator that provides evidence of his lost childhood. The narrator tells how he tried to behave in suitable ways understanding the complexity of the situation that had snatched his childhood from him; the narrator no more asked for food when he was hungry, remained silent while the father shared his difficulties, and simply smiled and obeyed when he was told to go to the mountain and not return till the midday. â€Å"You were huddled there, as far from your childhood as you were from the land of oranges† (Kanfani 141). In the story A Family Supper, the character Wantanabe is a round character. In spite of being a man of honor and principle, Wantanabe could not sustain the grief of having his firm collapse and thus took not just his own life but also the life of his whole family including his wife and two daughters. As a man of principle, Wantanabe should have understood that the collapse of his firm was a natural incident and had nothing to do with his family. As the narrator’s father tells him, â€Å"After the firm’s collapse, Wantanabe killed himself. He didn’t wish to live with disgrace† (Ishiguro). This suggests that for Wantanabe, taking the life of his whole family and committing suicide was a less disgraceful act or was not disgraceful at all as compared to having his firm collapsed. Had Wantanabe been a man of principle , he would never have displayed such cowardice and lack of courage that he did by taking the life of his family and committing suicide. Wantanabe’s act of killing his family and committing suicide makes the audience think that Wantanabe was never a man of principle in the first place. However, the narrator’s father says that he had known and worked with Wantanabe as a partner for seventeen years, which is definitely a

Industrial Relations Essay Example for Free

Industrial Relations Essay Industrial relations has three faces: science building, problem solving, and ethical. [9] In the science building phase, industrial relations is part of the social sciences, and it seeks to understand the employment relationship and its institutions through high-quality, rigorous research. In this vein, industrial relations scholarship intersects with scholarship in labor economics, industrial sociology, labor and social history, human resource management, political science, law, and other areas. Industrial relations scholarship assumes that labor markets are not perfectly competitive and thus, in contrast to mainstream economic theory, employers typically have greater bargaining power than employees. Industrial relations scholarship also assumes that there are at least some inherent conflicts of interest between employers and employees (for example, higher wages versus higher profits) and thus, in contrast to scholarship in human resource management and organizational behavior, conflict is seen as a natural part of the employment relationship. Industrial relations scholars therefore frequently study the diverse institutional arrangements that characterize and shape the employment relationship—from norms and power structures on the shop floor, to employee voice mechanisms in the workplace, to collective bargaining arrangements at company, regional, or national level, to various levels of public policy and labor law regimes, to varieties of capitalism (such as corporatism, social democracy, and neoliberalism). When labor markets are seen as imperfect, and when the employment relationship includes conflicts of interest, then one cannot rely on markets or managers to always serve workers’ interests, and in extreme cases to prevent worker exploitation. Industrial relations scholars and practitioners therefore support institutional interventions to improve the workings of the employment relationship and to protect workers’ rights. The nature of these institutional interventions, however, differ between two camps within industrial relations. 10] The pluralist camp sees the employment relationship as a mixture of shared interests and conflicts of interests that are largely limited to the employment relationship. In the workplace, pluralists therefore champion grievance procedures, employee voice mechanisms such as works councils and labor unions, collective bargaining, and labor-management partnerships. In the policy arena, pluralists advocate for minimum wage laws, occupational health and safety standards, international labor standards, and other employment and labor laws and public policies. 11] These institutional interventions are all seen as methods for balancing the employment relationship to generate not only economic efficiency, but also employee equity and voice. [12] In contrast, the Marxist-inspired critical camp sees employer-employee conflicts of interest as sharply antagonistic and deeply embedded in the socio-political-economic system. From this perspective, the pursuit of a balanced employment relationship gives too much weight to employers’ interests, and instead deep-seated structural reforms are needed to change the sharply antagonistic employment relationship that is inherent within capitalism. Militant trade unions are thus frequently supported. History Industrial relations has its roots in the industrial revolution which created the modern employment relationship by spawning free labor markets and large-scale industrial organizations with thousands of wage workers. [9] As society wrestled with these massive economic and social changes, labor problems arose. Low wages, long working hours, monotonous and dangerous work, and abusive supervisory practices led to high employee turnover, violent strikes, and the threat of social instability. Intellectually, industrial relations was formed at the end of the 19th century as a middle ground between classical economics and Marxism, with Sidney Webb and Beatrice Webb’s Industrial Democracy (1897) being the key intellectual work. Industrial relations thus rejected the classical econ. Institutionally, industrial relations was founded by John R. Commons when he created the first academic industrial relations program at the University of Wisconsin in 1920. Early financial support for the field came from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. ho supported progressive labor-management relations in the aftermath of the bloody strike at a Rockefeller-owned coal mine in Colorado. In Britain, another progressive industrialist, Montague Burton, endowed chairs in industrial relations at Leeds, Cardiff and Cambridge in 1930, and the discipline was formalized in the 1950s with the formation of the Oxford School by Allan Flanders and Hugh Clegg. [13] Industrial relations was formed with a strong p roblem-solving orientation that rejected both the classical economists’ laissez faire solutions to labor problems and the Marxist solution of class revolution. It is this approach that underlies the New Deal legislation in the United States, such as the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Industrial relations scholars have described three major theoretical perspectives or frameworks, that contrast in their understanding and analysis of workplace relations. The three views are generally known as unitarism, pluralist and radical. Each offers a particular perception of workplace relations and will therefore interpret such events as workplace conflict, the role of unions and job regulation differently. The radical perspective is sometimes referred to as the conflict model, although this is somewhat ambiguous, as pluralism also tends to see conflict as inherent in workplaces. Radical theories are strongly identified with Marxist theories, although they are not limited to these. Pluralist perspective In pluralism, the organization is perceived as being made up of powerful and divergent sub-groups, each with its own legitimate loyalties and with their own set of objectives and leaders. In particular, the two predominant sub-groups in the pluralist perspective are the management and trade unions. Consequently, the role of management would lean less towards enforcing and controlling and more toward persuasion and co-ordination. Trade unions are deemed as legitimate representatives of employees, conflict is dealt by collective bargaining and is viewed not necessarily as a bad thing and, if managed, could in fact be channeled towards evolution and positive change. Unitarist perspective In unitarism, the organization is perceived as an integrated and harmonious whole with the ideal of one happy family, where management and other members of the staff all share a common purpose, emphasizing mutual cooperation. Furthermore, unitarism has a paternalistic approach where it demands loyalty of all employees, being predominantly managerial in its emphasis and application. Consequently, trade unions are deemed as unnecessary since the loyalty between employees and organizations are considered mutually exclusive, where there cant be two sides of industry. Conflict is perceived as disruptive and the pathological result of agitators, interpersonal friction and communication breakdown. Marxist/Radical perspective This view of industrial relations looks at the nature of the capitalist society, where there is a fundamental division of interest between capital and labour, and sees workplace relations against this background. This perspective sees inequalities of power and economic wealth as having their roots in the nature of the capitalist economic system. Conflict is therefore seen as inevitable and trade unions are a natural response of workers to their exploitation by capital. Whilst there may be periods of acquiescence, the Marxist view would be that institutions of joint regulation would enhance rather than limit managements position as they presume the continuation of capitalism rather than challenge it Industrial relations today By many accounts, industrial relations today is in crisis. 14][15][16] In academia, its traditional positions are threatened on one side by the dominance of mainstream economics and organizational behavior, and on the other by postmodernism. In policy-making circles, the industrial relations emphasis on institutional intervention is trumped by a neoliberal emphasis on the laissez faire promotion of free markets. In practice, labor unions are declining and fewer companies have industrial relations functions. The number of academic programs in industrial relations is therefore shrinking, and scholars are leaving the field for other areas, especially human resource management and organizational behavior. The importance of work, however, is stronger than ever, and the lessons of industrial relations remain vital. The challenge for industrial relations is to re-establish these connections with the broader academic, policy, and business worlds.

Sample Business Plan Essay Example for Free

Sample Business Plan Essay Designing business plan needs critical thinking, innovative concept, intelligent interactions, and positive attitude among colleagues. It is a partnership business of Janessa Johanne T. Ramos and Marie Jessica M. Bustos as a starting point for their career as entrepreneurs of the Republic of the Philippines. It is named Pilipinong Sarap Catering Delights because it has a dual purpose, to cater on-premise and off-premise. Also, we would like our clients to be delighted with the services, food, and the ambiance of the establishment. It’s a kind of service where we will be able to meet the satisfaction of the clienbts through simple, pleasurable and joyful service. We also mainly serve Filipino cuisine. That’s why we called it Pilipinong Sarap because we offer the Filipino favorite dishes. Pilipinong Sarap Catering Delights is located at Prime Square, F. Torres St. , Davao City. Our business is accessible for the customers since our location is located near bars, coffee shops and some other restaurant. Our catering service will be available from 9:00am to 10:00pm as our restaurant will open by 5:00pm to 2:00am. Product and Services Our business is a dual-restaurant that offers catering services on all occasions. We also offer dine-in area where food can be served in the buffet or ala carte orders. We offer Filipino dishes, cakes and pastries, desserts, and beverages. For the meantime, as a starting business, we will be catering a maximum of 100 pax. As a catering business, we will provide food, well and prompt service in supporting professionals, other businesses and social activities of large groups of people like birthdays, weddings, family reunion and other occasions. As Filipinos, we will be serving Filipino favorites like kinilaw, kare-kare, sinigang, barbeques, and a lot more Filipino cuisines. In the near future, we might be able to provide delivery and pick-up as alternatives during all hours of work week. There will also be additional food and menu choices for our customers. This also helps our customers ease of access to our business and improve satisfactory rate.

Marriage and Holy Orders

Marriage and Holy Orders Here is the question Since Vatican 2 the sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders have been understood as sacraments of Christian ministry. How is this understanding of these two sacraments reflected in the churchs contemporary theology of Marriage and Holy Orders? Several individuals have been concerned with the understanding of the sacraments of holy matrimony and the holy orders in the churchs contemporary theology. for instance 1st a The Catholic custom educates that sacraments are an outward signs, incidents that are clear in our understanding, of the unseen truth of Gods grace in our lives, which is practiced only indirectly by its consequence on our lives. And the customary lessons goes further. Not only do sacraments spot the approaching of grace with a noticeable symbol, but they bring about the realism of refinement by the means they connect us to the person of Jesus Christ present in the society which is his house of worship. In the case of the sacraments of occupation this is clear in the way these sacraments begin individuals into a duty, a service, in the church society. since the outcome of the sacraments is connected to the outer symbol, which should be as comprehensible and fluent as possible. To a great level the society itself is constitutive of the symbol, and is thus vital in calling forward the gifts of the occupation in which each individual is well-known and established in each sacrament of oc cupation. 1st b The Bible pioneers us to a widespread custom of sacramental movement.For example the Hebrew Scriptures do not utilize any phrase that we would interpret as sacrament, but portray acts of worship base on representation. The most significant of these is the Passover festivity, but there are many others. However, in the New Testament Jesus built on these obtainable customs of worship, as well as on the narratives and descriptions of the Scriptures in his events and in his teachings. Consequently, the sacraments we rejoice in nowadays are all developed from these events and teachings of Jesus. And that is why we refer to Matrimony Holy Orders as the sacraments of occupation, a statement that originates from the Latin for call. Meaning that, all of us are called by God. As a matter of fact, we are called at different levels, and increasingly all through our lives, we are called into existence, into human self-respect and accountability, and into certain associations, societies and tasks. Most significantly ,we are called into an cherished spiritual union with God that does not come as expected but must be required and refined within the grace, or a particular outreach, of God. The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. 2nd part The Christian perception is that, despite the fact all of the complex human tradition of disputes and competitions, maltreatment and unfairness, chauvinism and eliminations, matrimony in the grace of Christ are redemptive. They are authorized to exceed all the troubles and to make families and relationships all over the community that bring health and completeness and pleasure both within their individual family circle and in the wider society. This too is an necessary part of building the church, the society of the believers of Jesus. This also is a sacrament of occupation, of the passion to build up the church that contributes in the work of salvation. The sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus; the matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. When we perceive the complementarily of these sacraments of occupation, we are observing the house of worship in a manner that may be new and thus seems odd. Some may even imagine that this is a more Protestant method of observing our Christian being collectively and at the nature and purpose of the house of worship. So far this organic means of viewing the house of worship and our positions inside it is built right into our sacramental performance and our theology of the sacraments. In addition, essentially and theologically there is no shared exceptionality between the sacraments of Matrimony Holy Orders. Though the present regulation of the Catholic church needs celibacy of its priests, that has not all time and all over been so. An individual can be named to assist in the building up of the body of the risen Christ, which is the society of followers, in two ways. He can be the one to bring the society collectively in Eucharist as well as being one of individuals who build up the society family by family in weaving the redemptive relations. The two sacraments of occupation, similar to the entire sacraments, are not just celebrations that occur in a given moment and then are history. They are ongoing and continuously unfolding the truth in our existence as we remain heading towards full salvation and change that move us towards redemption, which is our correct connection with God and thus with one another. The main fundamental calling of a believer is the call into discipleship of Jesus in a society of disciples. Thus the main fundamental sacrament of calling is in fact baptism, or more precisely initiation which is celebrated in first Eucharist, Confirmation, and Baptism. It initiates an individual into the membership and life of the house of worship. Therefore, the solemn festivity simultaneously of the heavenly invitation, of the reply of the person, and of the welcome of the society which is both the local meeting of followers of Jesus, and the great general People of God, the international church. Nothing is actually superior or closer in the association we have with our maker than the grace and vocation of baptism. However, that vocation expressed by baptism, that calling of the baptized, plays out in different ways for different individuals. Amongst our 7 sacramental celebrations, we recognize this by a series of festivities shared by all, and by 2 festivities focused on the 2 crucial ways in which the church as society of salvation in the world is built up. And these 2 are usually identified as the sacraments of vocation. Ordained members and Holy Orders See also: Catholic Church hierarchy, College of Bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church),and Deacon Lay men become ordained through the sacrament of Holy Orders, and form a three-part hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons. As a body the College of Bishops are considered to be the successors of the apostles.[137][138] Along with the pope, the College includes all the cardinals, patriarchs, primates, archbishops and metropolitans of the Church. Only bishops are able to perform the sacrament of Holy Orders, and Confirmation is ordinarily reserved to them as well (though priests may do it under special circumstances).[139] While bishops are responsible for teaching, governing and sanctifying the faithful of their diocese, priests and deacons have these same responsibilities at a more local level, the parish, subordinate to the ministry of the bishop. While all priests, bishops and deacons preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services, only priests and bishops may celebrate the Eucharist or administer the sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the S ick.[140] A priestly ordination at the abbey of Fontgombault in France Although married men may become deacons, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Latin Rite.[141][142] Clergy who have converted from other denominations are sometimes excepted from this rule.[143] The Eastern Catholic Churches ordain both celibate and married men.[144][145] All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition that, after ordination, marriage is not allowed. Men with transitory homosexual leanings may be ordained deacons following three years of prayer and chastity, but homosexual men who are sexually active, or those who have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be ordained.[146] All programs for the formation of men to the Catholic priesthood are governed by Canon Law.[147] They are designed by national bishops conferences such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and vary slightly from country to country. The conferences consult Vatican documents such as Pastores Dabo Vobis, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Optatam Totius and others to create these programs.[148] In some countries, priests are required to have a college degree plus another four years of full time theological study in a seminary. In other countries a degree is not strictly required, but seminary education is longer. Candidates for the priesthood are also evaluated in terms of human, spiritual and pastoral formation.[149] The sacrament of Holy Orders is always conferred by a bishop through the laying-on of hands, following which the newly ordained priest is formally clothed in his priestly vestments.[139] Because the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus were all male, only men may be ordained in the Catholic Church.[150] While some consider this to be evidence of a discriminatory attitude toward women,[151] the Church believes that Jesus called women to different yet equally important vocations in Church ministry.[152] Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Christifideles Laici, states that women have specific vocations reserved only for the female sex, and are equally called to be disciples of Jesus.[153] This belief in different and complementary roles between men and women is exemplified in Pope Paul VIs statement If the witness of the Apostles founds the Church, the witness of women contributes greatly towards nourishing the faith of Christian communities.[153] [edit] Lay members, Marriage See also: Laity The laity consists of those Catholics who are not ordained clergy. Saint Paul compared the diversity of roles in the Church to the different parts of a bodyall being important to enable the body to function.[154] The Church therefore considers that lay members are equally called to live according to Christian principles, to work to spread the message of Jesus, and to effect change in the world for the good of others. The Church calls these actions participation in Christs priestly, prophetic and royal offices.[155] Marriage, the single life and the consecrated life are lay vocations. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the Latin rite is the one sacrament not conferred by a priest or bishop. The couple desiring marriage act as the ministers of the sacrament while the priest or deacon serves as witness.[139] In Eastern rites, the priest or bishop administers the sacrament after the spouses grant mutual consent.[156] Church law makes no provision for divorce, however annulment may be gra nted in strictly defined circumstances. Since the Church condemns all forms of artificial birth control, married persons are expected to be open to new life in their sexual relations.[157] Natural family planning is approved.[158] Lay ecclesial movements consist of lay Catholics organized for purposes of teaching the faith, cultural work, mutual support or missionary work.[159] Such groups include: Communion and Liberation, Neocatechumenal Way, Regnum Christi, Opus Dei, Life Teen and many others.[159] Some non-ordained Catholics practice formal, public ministries within the Church.[160] These are called lay ecclesial ministers, a broad category which may include pastoral life coordinators, pastoral assistants, youth ministers and campus ministers.[161] [edit] matrimony and orders After definition (done) The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. The 2 sacraments 4th part Finally, this brings us to the sacraments at the service of communion; the sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus, The matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. [92] By the eleventh century ordination had come to be generally considered a sacrament. [93] With the advent of Vatican II and the publication of the document The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) the Church states the prayers addressed to God by the priest who, in the person of Christ, presides over the assembly, are said in the name of the entire holy people and of all present. [94] That is, the priest acts for and in the name of the entire Eucharistic community. In further Vatican II documents the role of the priest is stated as thus: by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament However, it is in the eucharistic cult or in the eucharistic assembly of the faithful that they exercise their sacred functions and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering a spotless victim to the Father. [95] Once again the centrality of the Eucharist is evident. It is through the Eucharistic ministry of the priest that the presence of Christ can be actualised for the community of believers. [96] With the reception of this sacrament certain men are seen to receive a sacred power in order to serve the faithful through teaching, divine worship and pastoral governance. [97] The Church therefore sees the ordained priesthood as a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads [Christs] Church. Marriage The Council brought about two major changes in our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. First, the Council speaks of marriage as a covenant. The marriage covenant helps us think in biblical and interpersonal categories that reach beyond the legal categories of the marriage contract. The marriage covenant is a symbol of Gods covenant with humanity. Second, the Council taught that the purpose of marriage is not only to produce children but also to enable the couple to support one another in mutual love. Marriage is an intimate partnership of life and love (Church in the Modern World, #48). We look to the married couple as a sacrament, a sign to the world of Gods love. Both of these changes enrich our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. But they also open the door to new questions: Who is capable of a sacramental marriage? What are the qualities and conditions necessary for a marriage to be a sign of Gods love for the Church? In a time when Catholic marriages are vulnerable to the stresses of modern life, the Churchs support of married couples is vital. Holy Orders When we think of Holy Orders we usually think of the sacrament by which one becomes a priest. But Holy Orders ends in s because it names three sacramental orders: the Order of the Episcopate (bishops), the Order of Presbyters (priests), and the Order of Deacons. The Council had important things to say about each of these. The Order of the Episcopate (Bishops). The Council affirmed that a bishop is ordained to the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders. By his ordination a bishop becomes a member of the College of Bishops and assumes responsibility not only for his own local Church but also for the universal Church. The Order of Presbyters (Priests). We have all witnessed the drastic decline in the number of priests. Empty rectories, merged parishes, closed seminaries, Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priestthe bishops of Vatican II envisioned none of these things. The Council made two major changes that radically affected the lives of priests. First, while the ordained have specific ministries within the Church, the Council affirmed that the basis of all ministry is Baptism into the Body of Christ. Second, the Council placed the priest in the midst of the baptized and said that priests should work together with the lay faithful (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #9). To go from being set apart from the faithful to living in the midst of the faithful was a big change. The Council affirmed that priests are in a certain sense set apart but they are not to be separated from the People of God because priests cannot serve the faithful if they are strangers to their lives and conditions (PO, #3). Has this change in identity contributed to the decline in the number of priests? The Order of Deacons. Deacons had ministered in the Western Church until about the fifth century. By the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Order of Deacons was simply a transitional stage for those passing through on their way to the priesthood. The Council restored the Order of Deacons, making it a permanent ministry in the Church. The bishops of the Council decided to permit married men to be ordained deacons. In 1967 there were no permanent deacons; today there are over 30,000 deacons worldwide. PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE INTRODUCTION 1. Preparation for marriage, for married and family life, is of great importance for the good of the Church. In fact, the sacrament of Marriage has great value for the whole Christian community and, in the first place, for the spouses whose decision is such that it cannot be improvised or made hastily. In the past, this preparation could count on the support of society which recognized the values and benefits of marriage. Without any difficulties or doubts, the Church protected the sanctity of marriage with the awareness that this sacrament represented an ecclesial guarantee as the living cell of the People of God. At least in the communities that were truly evangelized, the Churchs support was solid, unitary and compact. In general, separations and marriage failures were rare, and divorce was considered a social plague (cf. Gaudium et Spes = GS, 47). Today, on the contrary, in many cases, we are witnessing an accentuated deterioration of the family and a certain corrosion of the values of marriage. In many nations, especially economically developed ones, the number of marriages has decreased. Marriage is usually contracted at a later age and the number of divorces and separations is increasing, even during the first years of married life. All this inevitably leads to a pastoral concern that comes up repeatedly: Are the persons contracting marriage really prepared for it? The problem of preparation for the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows emerges as a great pastoral need, first for the sake of the spouses, for the whole Christian community and for society. Therefore, interest in, and initiatives for providing adequate and timely answers to preparation for the sacrament of Marriage are growing everywhere. 2. Through on-going contact with the Episcopal Conferences and the Bishops in various meetings, and especially their ad limina visits, the Pontifical Council for the Family has carefully followed the pastoral concern regarding the preparation and celebration of the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows. The Council has been repeatedly asked to offer an instrument for the preparation of Christian engaged persons which the present document represents. The Council has also drawn on the contributions from many Apostolic Movements, Groups and Associations working for the pastoral care of the family who have offered their support, advice and experience for the preparation of these guidelines. Marriage preparation constitutes a providential and favourable period for those oriented toward this Christian sacrament, and a Kayrà ³s, i.e., a period in which God calls upon the engaged and helps them discern the vocation to marriage and family life. The engagement period is set within the context of a rich evangelization process. In fact, questions that affect the family converge in the life of the engaged, the future spouses. They are therefore invited to understand the meaning of the responsible and mature love of the community of life and love which their family will be, a real domestic church which will contribute toward enriching the whole Church. The importance of this preparation involves a process of evangelization which is both maturation and deepening in the faith. If the faith is weak or almost nonexistent (cf. Familiaris Consortio = FC 68), it must be revived. Thorough, patient instruction that arouses and nourishes the ardor of a living faith cannot be excluded. Especially where the environment has become paganized, it will be particularly advisable to offer a journey of faith, which is similar to the catechumenate (FC 66), and a presentation of the fundamental Christian truths that may help acquire or strengthen the maturity of the faith of the persons contracting marriage. It would be desirable if the favourable moment of marriage preparation could be transformed, as a sign of hope, into a New Evangelization for the future families. 3. This particular attention is highlighted by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (GS 52), the guidelines of the Papal Magisterium (FC 66), the ecclesial norms themselves (Codex Iuris Canonici = CIC, can. 1063; Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium = CCEO, can. 783), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1632), and other documents of the Magisterium, including the Charter of the Rights of the Family. The two most recent documents of the Papal Magisterium the Letter to Families Gratissimam Sane and the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (= EV) constitute a notable aid for our task. The Sacraments of Vocation and Commitment: Matrimony and Holy Order (Vatican II) As happened with so many other theological and pastoral questions, the Catholic Churchs perspective on marriage was significantly modified by the Second Vatican Council. In contrast with previous official pronouncements and conventional theological and canonical insights, the council adopts a remarkably personalistic standpoint. It no longer uses the traditional term contract to describe the marriage bond. Instead, the council speaks of the marriage covenant which is sealed by an irrevocable personal consent (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, n. 48). Second, neither does the council continue to employ the old distinction between primary and secondary ends in which the begetting of children is always more important than the mutual love of (two people). Hence, while not making the other ends of marriage of less value, the true practice of conjugal love, and the whole nature of family life resulting from it, tend to dispose the spouses to cooperate courageously with the love of the creator and Savior who through them day by day expands and enriches His own family (n. 50, italics McBriens). Third, the sacrament of marriage is not something added to the marriage union established through mutual human love. Authentic married love is taken up into divine love and is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the salvific action of the Church (n. 48). This new emphasis in the theology of marriage is consistent with the claims of contemporary sociology that this is the first age in which people marry and remain in marriage because they love each other. And so there is this stress on the mutual exchange of love constituting the sacrament of marriage, on married love as the source of the institution of marriage, on the need for growth in this love to bring the sacrament to its full realization, and on the need for the Church constantly to bring forth the witness value of this sacrament to the whole community of faith. As (two people) are called to be faithful, generous, and gracious to each other in fulfillment of their marriage covenant, so is the whole Church called to be faithful to its covenant with God in Christ. Fourth, the council emphasizes the necessity of a faith commitment for the sacrament of marriage (see Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n. 59). Marriage is not just a ceremony by which two people are legally bound together. As a sacrament, it is an act of worship, and expression of faith, a sign of the Churchs unity, a mode of Christs presence. . Fifth, the full consummation of marriage is more than a biological act. The old theology and the old canon law asserted that a marriage between two baptized Christians, once performed according to the rite of the Church (ratum) and once consummated by a single act of physical union (consummatum), can never be dissolved, not even by the pope. But according to the council, the expression of the mutual love which is at the heart of the sacrament consists of more than biological union. It involves the good of the whole person. Therefore it can enrich the expressions of body and mind with a unique dignity, ennobling these expressions as special ingredients and signs of friendship distinctive of marriage. Such love pervades the whole of (the spouses) lives (n. 49) Finally, the broader ecclesial dimension of the sacrament is maintained. Christian spouses, in virtue of the sacrament of matrimony, signify and share in the mystery of that union and fruitful love which exists between Christ and the Church (see Ephesians 5:32) (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 11). (pp. 856-858) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. (Gospel of Matthew 19:6) Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1445. Stages for catholic marriage Catholic marriage, also called matrimony, is an indissoluble bond between a man a Marriage and Holy Orders Marriage and Holy Orders Here is the question Since Vatican 2 the sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders have been understood as sacraments of Christian ministry. How is this understanding of these two sacraments reflected in the churchs contemporary theology of Marriage and Holy Orders? Several individuals have been concerned with the understanding of the sacraments of holy matrimony and the holy orders in the churchs contemporary theology. for instance 1st a The Catholic custom educates that sacraments are an outward signs, incidents that are clear in our understanding, of the unseen truth of Gods grace in our lives, which is practiced only indirectly by its consequence on our lives. And the customary lessons goes further. Not only do sacraments spot the approaching of grace with a noticeable symbol, but they bring about the realism of refinement by the means they connect us to the person of Jesus Christ present in the society which is his house of worship. In the case of the sacraments of occupation this is clear in the way these sacraments begin individuals into a duty, a service, in the church society. since the outcome of the sacraments is connected to the outer symbol, which should be as comprehensible and fluent as possible. To a great level the society itself is constitutive of the symbol, and is thus vital in calling forward the gifts of the occupation in which each individual is well-known and established in each sacrament of oc cupation. 1st b The Bible pioneers us to a widespread custom of sacramental movement.For example the Hebrew Scriptures do not utilize any phrase that we would interpret as sacrament, but portray acts of worship base on representation. The most significant of these is the Passover festivity, but there are many others. However, in the New Testament Jesus built on these obtainable customs of worship, as well as on the narratives and descriptions of the Scriptures in his events and in his teachings. Consequently, the sacraments we rejoice in nowadays are all developed from these events and teachings of Jesus. And that is why we refer to Matrimony Holy Orders as the sacraments of occupation, a statement that originates from the Latin for call. Meaning that, all of us are called by God. As a matter of fact, we are called at different levels, and increasingly all through our lives, we are called into existence, into human self-respect and accountability, and into certain associations, societies and tasks. Most significantly ,we are called into an cherished spiritual union with God that does not come as expected but must be required and refined within the grace, or a particular outreach, of God. The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. 2nd part The Christian perception is that, despite the fact all of the complex human tradition of disputes and competitions, maltreatment and unfairness, chauvinism and eliminations, matrimony in the grace of Christ are redemptive. They are authorized to exceed all the troubles and to make families and relationships all over the community that bring health and completeness and pleasure both within their individual family circle and in the wider society. This too is an necessary part of building the church, the society of the believers of Jesus. This also is a sacrament of occupation, of the passion to build up the church that contributes in the work of salvation. The sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus; the matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. When we perceive the complementarily of these sacraments of occupation, we are observing the house of worship in a manner that may be new and thus seems odd. Some may even imagine that this is a more Protestant method of observing our Christian being collectively and at the nature and purpose of the house of worship. So far this organic means of viewing the house of worship and our positions inside it is built right into our sacramental performance and our theology of the sacraments. In addition, essentially and theologically there is no shared exceptionality between the sacraments of Matrimony Holy Orders. Though the present regulation of the Catholic church needs celibacy of its priests, that has not all time and all over been so. An individual can be named to assist in the building up of the body of the risen Christ, which is the society of followers, in two ways. He can be the one to bring the society collectively in Eucharist as well as being one of individuals who build up the society family by family in weaving the redemptive relations. The two sacraments of occupation, similar to the entire sacraments, are not just celebrations that occur in a given moment and then are history. They are ongoing and continuously unfolding the truth in our existence as we remain heading towards full salvation and change that move us towards redemption, which is our correct connection with God and thus with one another. The main fundamental calling of a believer is the call into discipleship of Jesus in a society of disciples. Thus the main fundamental sacrament of calling is in fact baptism, or more precisely initiation which is celebrated in first Eucharist, Confirmation, and Baptism. It initiates an individual into the membership and life of the house of worship. Therefore, the solemn festivity simultaneously of the heavenly invitation, of the reply of the person, and of the welcome of the society which is both the local meeting of followers of Jesus, and the great general People of God, the international church. Nothing is actually superior or closer in the association we have with our maker than the grace and vocation of baptism. However, that vocation expressed by baptism, that calling of the baptized, plays out in different ways for different individuals. Amongst our 7 sacramental celebrations, we recognize this by a series of festivities shared by all, and by 2 festivities focused on the 2 crucial ways in which the church as society of salvation in the world is built up. And these 2 are usually identified as the sacraments of vocation. Ordained members and Holy Orders See also: Catholic Church hierarchy, College of Bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church),and Deacon Lay men become ordained through the sacrament of Holy Orders, and form a three-part hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons. As a body the College of Bishops are considered to be the successors of the apostles.[137][138] Along with the pope, the College includes all the cardinals, patriarchs, primates, archbishops and metropolitans of the Church. Only bishops are able to perform the sacrament of Holy Orders, and Confirmation is ordinarily reserved to them as well (though priests may do it under special circumstances).[139] While bishops are responsible for teaching, governing and sanctifying the faithful of their diocese, priests and deacons have these same responsibilities at a more local level, the parish, subordinate to the ministry of the bishop. While all priests, bishops and deacons preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services, only priests and bishops may celebrate the Eucharist or administer the sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the S ick.[140] A priestly ordination at the abbey of Fontgombault in France Although married men may become deacons, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Latin Rite.[141][142] Clergy who have converted from other denominations are sometimes excepted from this rule.[143] The Eastern Catholic Churches ordain both celibate and married men.[144][145] All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition that, after ordination, marriage is not allowed. Men with transitory homosexual leanings may be ordained deacons following three years of prayer and chastity, but homosexual men who are sexually active, or those who have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be ordained.[146] All programs for the formation of men to the Catholic priesthood are governed by Canon Law.[147] They are designed by national bishops conferences such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and vary slightly from country to country. The conferences consult Vatican documents such as Pastores Dabo Vobis, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Optatam Totius and others to create these programs.[148] In some countries, priests are required to have a college degree plus another four years of full time theological study in a seminary. In other countries a degree is not strictly required, but seminary education is longer. Candidates for the priesthood are also evaluated in terms of human, spiritual and pastoral formation.[149] The sacrament of Holy Orders is always conferred by a bishop through the laying-on of hands, following which the newly ordained priest is formally clothed in his priestly vestments.[139] Because the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus were all male, only men may be ordained in the Catholic Church.[150] While some consider this to be evidence of a discriminatory attitude toward women,[151] the Church believes that Jesus called women to different yet equally important vocations in Church ministry.[152] Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Christifideles Laici, states that women have specific vocations reserved only for the female sex, and are equally called to be disciples of Jesus.[153] This belief in different and complementary roles between men and women is exemplified in Pope Paul VIs statement If the witness of the Apostles founds the Church, the witness of women contributes greatly towards nourishing the faith of Christian communities.[153] [edit] Lay members, Marriage See also: Laity The laity consists of those Catholics who are not ordained clergy. Saint Paul compared the diversity of roles in the Church to the different parts of a bodyall being important to enable the body to function.[154] The Church therefore considers that lay members are equally called to live according to Christian principles, to work to spread the message of Jesus, and to effect change in the world for the good of others. The Church calls these actions participation in Christs priestly, prophetic and royal offices.[155] Marriage, the single life and the consecrated life are lay vocations. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the Latin rite is the one sacrament not conferred by a priest or bishop. The couple desiring marriage act as the ministers of the sacrament while the priest or deacon serves as witness.[139] In Eastern rites, the priest or bishop administers the sacrament after the spouses grant mutual consent.[156] Church law makes no provision for divorce, however annulment may be gra nted in strictly defined circumstances. Since the Church condemns all forms of artificial birth control, married persons are expected to be open to new life in their sexual relations.[157] Natural family planning is approved.[158] Lay ecclesial movements consist of lay Catholics organized for purposes of teaching the faith, cultural work, mutual support or missionary work.[159] Such groups include: Communion and Liberation, Neocatechumenal Way, Regnum Christi, Opus Dei, Life Teen and many others.[159] Some non-ordained Catholics practice formal, public ministries within the Church.[160] These are called lay ecclesial ministers, a broad category which may include pastoral life coordinators, pastoral assistants, youth ministers and campus ministers.[161] [edit] matrimony and orders After definition (done) The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. The 2 sacraments 4th part Finally, this brings us to the sacraments at the service of communion; the sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus, The matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. [92] By the eleventh century ordination had come to be generally considered a sacrament. [93] With the advent of Vatican II and the publication of the document The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) the Church states the prayers addressed to God by the priest who, in the person of Christ, presides over the assembly, are said in the name of the entire holy people and of all present. [94] That is, the priest acts for and in the name of the entire Eucharistic community. In further Vatican II documents the role of the priest is stated as thus: by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament However, it is in the eucharistic cult or in the eucharistic assembly of the faithful that they exercise their sacred functions and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering a spotless victim to the Father. [95] Once again the centrality of the Eucharist is evident. It is through the Eucharistic ministry of the priest that the presence of Christ can be actualised for the community of believers. [96] With the reception of this sacrament certain men are seen to receive a sacred power in order to serve the faithful through teaching, divine worship and pastoral governance. [97] The Church therefore sees the ordained priesthood as a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads [Christs] Church. Marriage The Council brought about two major changes in our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. First, the Council speaks of marriage as a covenant. The marriage covenant helps us think in biblical and interpersonal categories that reach beyond the legal categories of the marriage contract. The marriage covenant is a symbol of Gods covenant with humanity. Second, the Council taught that the purpose of marriage is not only to produce children but also to enable the couple to support one another in mutual love. Marriage is an intimate partnership of life and love (Church in the Modern World, #48). We look to the married couple as a sacrament, a sign to the world of Gods love. Both of these changes enrich our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. But they also open the door to new questions: Who is capable of a sacramental marriage? What are the qualities and conditions necessary for a marriage to be a sign of Gods love for the Church? In a time when Catholic marriages are vulnerable to the stresses of modern life, the Churchs support of married couples is vital. Holy Orders When we think of Holy Orders we usually think of the sacrament by which one becomes a priest. But Holy Orders ends in s because it names three sacramental orders: the Order of the Episcopate (bishops), the Order of Presbyters (priests), and the Order of Deacons. The Council had important things to say about each of these. The Order of the Episcopate (Bishops). The Council affirmed that a bishop is ordained to the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders. By his ordination a bishop becomes a member of the College of Bishops and assumes responsibility not only for his own local Church but also for the universal Church. The Order of Presbyters (Priests). We have all witnessed the drastic decline in the number of priests. Empty rectories, merged parishes, closed seminaries, Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priestthe bishops of Vatican II envisioned none of these things. The Council made two major changes that radically affected the lives of priests. First, while the ordained have specific ministries within the Church, the Council affirmed that the basis of all ministry is Baptism into the Body of Christ. Second, the Council placed the priest in the midst of the baptized and said that priests should work together with the lay faithful (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #9). To go from being set apart from the faithful to living in the midst of the faithful was a big change. The Council affirmed that priests are in a certain sense set apart but they are not to be separated from the People of God because priests cannot serve the faithful if they are strangers to their lives and conditions (PO, #3). Has this change in identity contributed to the decline in the number of priests? The Order of Deacons. Deacons had ministered in the Western Church until about the fifth century. By the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Order of Deacons was simply a transitional stage for those passing through on their way to the priesthood. The Council restored the Order of Deacons, making it a permanent ministry in the Church. The bishops of the Council decided to permit married men to be ordained deacons. In 1967 there were no permanent deacons; today there are over 30,000 deacons worldwide. PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE INTRODUCTION 1. Preparation for marriage, for married and family life, is of great importance for the good of the Church. In fact, the sacrament of Marriage has great value for the whole Christian community and, in the first place, for the spouses whose decision is such that it cannot be improvised or made hastily. In the past, this preparation could count on the support of society which recognized the values and benefits of marriage. Without any difficulties or doubts, the Church protected the sanctity of marriage with the awareness that this sacrament represented an ecclesial guarantee as the living cell of the People of God. At least in the communities that were truly evangelized, the Churchs support was solid, unitary and compact. In general, separations and marriage failures were rare, and divorce was considered a social plague (cf. Gaudium et Spes = GS, 47). Today, on the contrary, in many cases, we are witnessing an accentuated deterioration of the family and a certain corrosion of the values of marriage. In many nations, especially economically developed ones, the number of marriages has decreased. Marriage is usually contracted at a later age and the number of divorces and separations is increasing, even during the first years of married life. All this inevitably leads to a pastoral concern that comes up repeatedly: Are the persons contracting marriage really prepared for it? The problem of preparation for the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows emerges as a great pastoral need, first for the sake of the spouses, for the whole Christian community and for society. Therefore, interest in, and initiatives for providing adequate and timely answers to preparation for the sacrament of Marriage are growing everywhere. 2. Through on-going contact with the Episcopal Conferences and the Bishops in various meetings, and especially their ad limina visits, the Pontifical Council for the Family has carefully followed the pastoral concern regarding the preparation and celebration of the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows. The Council has been repeatedly asked to offer an instrument for the preparation of Christian engaged persons which the present document represents. The Council has also drawn on the contributions from many Apostolic Movements, Groups and Associations working for the pastoral care of the family who have offered their support, advice and experience for the preparation of these guidelines. Marriage preparation constitutes a providential and favourable period for those oriented toward this Christian sacrament, and a Kayrà ³s, i.e., a period in which God calls upon the engaged and helps them discern the vocation to marriage and family life. The engagement period is set within the context of a rich evangelization process. In fact, questions that affect the family converge in the life of the engaged, the future spouses. They are therefore invited to understand the meaning of the responsible and mature love of the community of life and love which their family will be, a real domestic church which will contribute toward enriching the whole Church. The importance of this preparation involves a process of evangelization which is both maturation and deepening in the faith. If the faith is weak or almost nonexistent (cf. Familiaris Consortio = FC 68), it must be revived. Thorough, patient instruction that arouses and nourishes the ardor of a living faith cannot be excluded. Especially where the environment has become paganized, it will be particularly advisable to offer a journey of faith, which is similar to the catechumenate (FC 66), and a presentation of the fundamental Christian truths that may help acquire or strengthen the maturity of the faith of the persons contracting marriage. It would be desirable if the favourable moment of marriage preparation could be transformed, as a sign of hope, into a New Evangelization for the future families. 3. This particular attention is highlighted by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (GS 52), the guidelines of the Papal Magisterium (FC 66), the ecclesial norms themselves (Codex Iuris Canonici = CIC, can. 1063; Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium = CCEO, can. 783), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1632), and other documents of the Magisterium, including the Charter of the Rights of the Family. The two most recent documents of the Papal Magisterium the Letter to Families Gratissimam Sane and the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (= EV) constitute a notable aid for our task. The Sacraments of Vocation and Commitment: Matrimony and Holy Order (Vatican II) As happened with so many other theological and pastoral questions, the Catholic Churchs perspective on marriage was significantly modified by the Second Vatican Council. In contrast with previous official pronouncements and conventional theological and canonical insights, the council adopts a remarkably personalistic standpoint. It no longer uses the traditional term contract to describe the marriage bond. Instead, the council speaks of the marriage covenant which is sealed by an irrevocable personal consent (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, n. 48). Second, neither does the council continue to employ the old distinction between primary and secondary ends in which the begetting of children is always more important than the mutual love of (two people). Hence, while not making the other ends of marriage of less value, the true practice of conjugal love, and the whole nature of family life resulting from it, tend to dispose the spouses to cooperate courageously with the love of the creator and Savior who through them day by day expands and enriches His own family (n. 50, italics McBriens). Third, the sacrament of marriage is not something added to the marriage union established through mutual human love. Authentic married love is taken up into divine love and is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the salvific action of the Church (n. 48). This new emphasis in the theology of marriage is consistent with the claims of contemporary sociology that this is the first age in which people marry and remain in marriage because they love each other. And so there is this stress on the mutual exchange of love constituting the sacrament of marriage, on married love as the source of the institution of marriage, on the need for growth in this love to bring the sacrament to its full realization, and on the need for the Church constantly to bring forth the witness value of this sacrament to the whole community of faith. As (two people) are called to be faithful, generous, and gracious to each other in fulfillment of their marriage covenant, so is the whole Church called to be faithful to its covenant with God in Christ. Fourth, the council emphasizes the necessity of a faith commitment for the sacrament of marriage (see Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n. 59). Marriage is not just a ceremony by which two people are legally bound together. As a sacrament, it is an act of worship, and expression of faith, a sign of the Churchs unity, a mode of Christs presence. . Fifth, the full consummation of marriage is more than a biological act. The old theology and the old canon law asserted that a marriage between two baptized Christians, once performed according to the rite of the Church (ratum) and once consummated by a single act of physical union (consummatum), can never be dissolved, not even by the pope. But according to the council, the expression of the mutual love which is at the heart of the sacrament consists of more than biological union. It involves the good of the whole person. Therefore it can enrich the expressions of body and mind with a unique dignity, ennobling these expressions as special ingredients and signs of friendship distinctive of marriage. Such love pervades the whole of (the spouses) lives (n. 49) Finally, the broader ecclesial dimension of the sacrament is maintained. Christian spouses, in virtue of the sacrament of matrimony, signify and share in the mystery of that union and fruitful love which exists between Christ and the Church (see Ephesians 5:32) (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 11). (pp. 856-858) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. (Gospel of Matthew 19:6) Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1445. Stages for catholic marriage Catholic marriage, also called matrimony, is an indissoluble bond between a man a