We are in the midst of a series of messages called “Big C, little c.” It’s a strange title that’s raised a lot of questions. After all, what do those “c’s” stand for and why is one big and the other little? This series is all about looking at the similarities and differences between the Catholic Church and CCC and what we can learn from each other.

The two different sizes of “C” deal with the word catholic. Most likely the only time you run across the word catholic is in relation to the name of a church, such as this or that “Catholic Church” (with a capital “C”). The world catholic (with a lower case “c”) is a word that means universal, or the church at large and in general. The early church did not envision itself as a collection of individual churches or as denominational clusters, but as a universal, “catholic” Church (lowercase “c”). The church being universal was a focus beyond local manifestations of the Church. In this series we are comparing and contrasting the big C (the Catholic Church) with the little c (the universal or general Church).

This is a vital series for anyone who lives in or is from the Northeast, where a significant number of Catholic Churches are located. It is our dream that “Big C, little c” is a very helpful series that clears up confusion and misconceptions about the differences and similarities between the Catholic Church and CCC. It is also a wonderful chance to invite a friend or family member who would find this discussion to be helpful.