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'''Church''' is a term with many meanings. In this context it refers to "'''Ecclesia'''" in Latin which means, in English, ''Assembly''. That was also a designation for the ancient ''Assembly of Israel'', in Hebrew ''Qahal''. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia "''the term qahal was used with the special meaning of <<those called by God to eternal life>>(š).

The Church according to the Church

Ecclesiology is the science of Theology that studies the identity of the Church. Along the journey of two thousand years, there are many documents and scholars of every time and region that have given their own vision of what is called the "Body of Christ". Here some of the most important documents for modern times on the Catholic Church:

* In Catholic ? Canon Law ? the Church is presented as the [Apostolic See] and it is not only the physical side, but also a juridical person and a subject of rights and duties (cf. Can. 113)(˛)

* But there can not be doubt that the most important documents on the meaning of Church in the modern times are founded in the II Vatican Council ?. The Council was deeply concern about the face of the Church for the man of the 20th Century and it made the fathers to think about the meaning and rescued the most original concepts. The central document about is Lumen gentium ?, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church that sees the Assembly of the God's people as part of the salvation design and the Spirit of God as its sanctifier(ł).

The Church in the Salesian Constitutions

The relationship of the Society of St. Francis de Sales and the Catholic Church stems from the beginning of the Constitutions of the Society as stated in the 1st Article:

* ''The Church has acknowledged God's hand in this, especially by approving our Constitutions and by proclaming our Founder a saint''.

Index of the Church in the Salesian Constitutions

The most specific mention of the Church is in the following list, but the Salesian Constitution in this matter depends on the 2nd Article: The Salesians are religious who carry out the Founder's apostolic plan of being "''...in the Church signs and bearers of the love of God for young people, especially those who are poor''"(4).

* Our Society in the Church: Articles 4, 6 and 146. * Sense of Church, an element of salesian spirit: Articles 7, 13 and 24. * Educative initiation to life of the Church: Articles 35 and 47. * The community, expression of Church: Article 85. * Knowledge of documents of Church: Rule 175. * Solidarity with and service to the Church: Article 42, 48, 57, 157, rules 2, 3, 84 and 135. * Service to Church in non-Salesian structures: Rule 35.

References

* (š) "Church Teaching, The Cathechism, Simplified, Catholic Encyclopedia, [http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/c/church.html "The Church"]. Link checked on October 3, 2006. * (˛) Codice di Diritto Canonico, Unione Editori Cattolici Italiani, seconda edizione, Roma 1984. * (ł) Enchiridion Vaticanum, Documenti del Concilio Vaticano II (1962-1965), Testo ufficiale e versione italiana. Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna, 17 giugno 2000. * (4) Constitutions of the Society of St. Francis de Sales. Editrice S.D.B., Direzione Generale Opera Don Bosco, Roma, 1984.(:nl:)