Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole.

For many the term usually refers to Christians and churches, western and eastern, in full communion with the Holy See, known alternatively as the Catholic Church or as the Roman Catholic Church. However, many others use the term to refer to other churches with historical continuity from the first millennium.

In the sense of indicating historical continuity of faith and practice, the term "catholicism" is at times employed to mark a contrast to Protestantism, which tends to look solely to the Bible as interpreted on the principles of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation as its ultimate standard. It was thus used by the Oxford Movement.

According to Richard McBrien, Catholicism is distinguished from other forms of Christianity in its particular understanding and commitment to tradition, the sacraments, the mediation between God, communion, and the See of Rome. According to Orthodox leaders like Bishop Kallistos Ware, the Orthodox Church has these things as well, though the primacy of the See of Rome is only honorific, showing non-jurisdictional respect for the Bishop of Rome as the "first among equals" and "Patriarch of the West". Catholicism, according to McBrien's paradigm, includes a monastic life, religious institutes, a religious appreciation of the arts, a communal understanding of sin and redemption, and missionary activity.

Stephen "Steve" Ray (birth registered in April→June 1906 (age 105–106) in Newport district) is a Welsh professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s, playing at representative level for Wales, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity, and Warrington, as a Wing, i.e. number 2 or 5.

Steve Ray won caps for Wales while at Wakefield Trinity and Warrington 1930…1932 2-caps .

In the 1932-33 season Steve Ray set Warrington's "Most Tries In A Season" record with 33-tries, subsequently extended by Brian Bevan to 48, 57, 60, and finally 66-tries.

Richard Roland Sherlock (born 15 September 1983) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Canterbury Wizards. He played for the New Zealand "A" team in 2004 and 2005, but his career suffered a setback when he was injured in the build-up to the 2005–06 season. In 2010 Sherlock played with Horsham in the Sussex cricket competition and was invited to partake in a Mushtaq Ahmed benefit match. For the record, Richard is also a very good electric guitarist. He was born in Palmerston North.

Scott Hahn (born October 28, 1957) is a contemporary author, theologian, and Catholic apologist. His works include Rome Sweet Home and The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. His lectures have been featured in multiple audio distributions through Lighthouse Catholic Media. He currently teaches at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in the United States.

Hahn received his B.A. in 1979 from Grove City College in Pennsylvania with a triple major of theology, philosophy, and economics (magna cum laude). He obtained his M.Div. (summa cum laude) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1982. In May 1995, he was awarded a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Marquette University (Phi Beta Kappa). His dissertation, entitled Kinship by Covenant: A Biblical Theological Analysis of Covenant Types and Texts in the Old and New Testaments, is an example of contemporary covenantal theology^{[citation needed]}.

Hahn started out as a Presbyterian minister and theologian with years of ministry experience in congregations of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America or PC(USA), and Professor of Theology at Chesapeake Theological Seminary.

Robert M. Bowman Jr. (born 1957), Director of Research at the Institute for Religious Research, is an American Evangelical Christian theologian specializing in the study of apologetics.

Bowman is the oldest of seven children, the son of Robert M. Bowman, a scientist and former colonel in the United States Air Force. Raised in the Roman Catholic Church, Bowman converted to Evangelicalism in college. He received the M.A. in Biblical Studies and Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1981, and was married the same year to Catherine Lyon. They have four children: Beth, Robbie, John, and Maria.

In 1984, Bowman began working as a researcher and editor at the Christian Research Institute, at the time headed by Walter Martin and located in Southern California. From 1988 to 1990 he pursued a Ph.D. in Historical and Theological Studies at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, by early 1992 completing all of the requirements, although the seminary did not accept his dissertation. In 1990 he returned to CRI, this time under Hank Hanegraaff, who had succeeded Martin when he died in 1989. A falling out with Hanegraaff led to Bowman being ousted in early 1992. For most of the next fourteen years Bowman worked as a full-time author and as an adjunct instructor, specifically at Luther Rice Seminary (1994-99) and Biola University (2001-2005). In 2002 he became the president of Apologetics.com and hosted their weekly radio broadcast on 99.5 KKLA in Los Angeles. From 2006 to 2008 he was the manager of Apologetics and Interfaith Evangelism for the North American Mission Board (based in Alpharetta, Georgia), an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since 2008 he has worked at the Institute for Religious Research, first as Executive Director and more recently as Director of Research.