The Catholic Church has its roots all the way back to the first century. In fact, the word “catholic” means universal and was used to describe the Church that Jesus founded upon His apostles. It was first coined by Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the apostle John, in the early 2nd century to distinguish itself from the many splinter groups that had already begun to claim the authority of Christ for themselves.
Although it is acknowledged that all baptized believers in Christ are members of His mystical Body, it is important to realize that Jesus Christ established a visible entity called His Church (ekklesia) on earth with a visible hierarchy. That the early Church had bishops, deacons and presbyters (priests or elders) and a structure of governance and even church discipline is seen in the teachings of Christ and in the Epistles of the New Testament. One example of this ancient belief comes to us from Ignatius of Antioch. In his second-century letter to the church in Smyrna, he wrote, “Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8, 1 [A.D. 110]) ..
To teach authoritatively and establish doctrine: This can be demonstrated at the first Church council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 concerning what new Gentile believers in Christ were expected to comply with. Although Jesus never taught whether Gentile believers should or shouldn’t be circumcised to be saved, the apostles and other leaders of the council discussed, argued and prayed and trusting the Holy Spirit’s guidance established a doctrine for the fledgling Church. These types of councils have been held throughout the centuries to establish doctrines of faith and belief, but mostly to address errors concerning the divinity of Christ and to definitively assert the teachings of the Apostles. The authority that Christ gave His apostles has been passed down through succession by the laying on of hands. The Catholic church can trace the succession of each Pope back to St. Peter himself upon whom Christ built His Church.
Communicate and explain God’s revealed Word: Without a definitive authority upon which to base one’s beliefs we can see that many interpret the Scriptures to their liking and understanding. This explains why there are some 30,00 Christian groups (denominations) in the US alone according to (https://www.completepilgrim.com.) The Catholic Church has proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ, affirmed His divinity unreservedly and upheld the dignity of the human person for millennia. The prayer of Christ was for unity among His followers (John 17:20)
Be a source of moral teaching: In addition to understanding the Ten Commandments and their implications, the Church has developed a theology and ethics for how to live the Christian life in light of everchanging developments in our society. Truth is eternal and does not depend on what is popular or convenient. The teachings of Christ guide the life of the Christian and propel him/her to a life of virtue through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Provide sacred rituals, worship and symbols: This may not seem important in our day when many traditional practices are seen as archaic or unnecessary. However, ritual, order, even routine, are important for humans and we all have them. Jesus Himself practiced the Jewish rituals of His time. He lived a routine life for many years before His entry into His ministry. The Old Testament is full of feasts, celebrations, sacrifices and rituals that gave the Jewish people their identity as people of God. Catholic Christians also have such prayers, sacraments, feasts and commemorations to solidify and unify them as a faith community… the Body of Christ.
Provide guidance for our relationship with God: The commission Christ gave His apostles was to go into all the world, preach the Gospel, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all He had commanded. This has been the mission of the Catholic church for over 2,000 years. The Catholic Church initiates persons into the family of God through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and reception of Holy Communion. These were established by Christ Himself and are evidenced as common practice among the early Church. Confession of sins to one another was encouraged and the sacrament of reconciliation was given to the Apostles and their successors to forgive and remit sins.The Christian life is lived in community through the sacraments, prayers and worship. We are part of one, holy catholic and apostolic church instituted by Christ.
( Excerpts from https://CredibleCatholic.com)
The apostle Peter is recognized in Matthew 16:18,19 as the one upon whom Christ would establish His Church and with whom His authority would rest. It is interesting to note that the words Christ uses to confer the keys to the Kingdom are the same used in Isaiah 22:20-22 to confer an authority upon a servant over his master’s estate. The early Church would have understood this in the context of Jewish thinking at the time to refer to an office occupied by a person. Christ instructed the Apostles to preach everything He taught (Matt. 28:19–20) and promised the protection of the Holy Spirit to “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). That mandate and that promise guarantees that the Church Christ established will never fall away from His teachings (Matt. 16:18, 1 Tim. 3:15), even if individuals in His Church might. There is also no guarantee that a pope won’t sin or fail to a be good example of Christian charity. This illustrates the common confusion between infallibility and impeccability. A pope’s private theological opinions are not infallible; only what he solemnly defines in relation to faith and morals is considered to be an infallible teaching as well as what the college of bishops agree upon. Popes have done this only twice in the history of the Church! It is the Holy Spirit who prevents a pope from officially teaching error. If, as Christ promised, the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church then it must be protected from fundamentally falling into error and thus away from Christ. This reality is reflected in the Apostle Paul’s statement that the Church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). If the Church is the foundation of religious truth in this world, then it is God’s own spokesman. As Christ told his disciples: “He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16). The fact that there have been bad popes and wicked priests does not negate Christ’s promise to uphold the Church He established. https://www.catholic.com/tract/papal-infallibility
Catholics do not worship Mary. She is venerated and honored for the unique and special woman she is as the mother of our Savior. As she herself prophesied "All generations will call me blessed."...Luke 2:48). No one can love or honor Mary more than Her Son, Jesus Christ. The honor and reverence given to Mary in song, poetry and prayer does not involve worship, but praise for her obedience and devotion and cause for our imitation of her faithfulness to God in always saying yes to Him. Prayers or petitions to Mary involve asking for her intercession to God similar to how we might ask another person to pray for us.
Praying or even kneeling in front of a statue or picture does not mean that one is praying to the statue or picture, just as someone kneeling in prayer with a Bible in their hands is worshiping the Bible. Statues, pictures or other artistic espressions can help one recall to mind the one depicted. It is similar to having photos of one's loved ones hanging in your home. The use of statues and icons for religious purposes can lead one to consider the lives of people worthy of imitation in their devotion and relationship to God Himself. Imitation is a biblical form of honor. It is well to note that in the Old Testament God commanded Moses to depict golden images of angels to adorn the Ark of the Covenant and yet this was not considered idolatry.
It is the central act of Christian worship and nothing less than the celebration of the Eucharist that Jesus instituted at the Last Supper when He commanded His apostles to "Do this in memory of Me".. Luke 22:19 These were the words of our Lord on the night of His betrayal. It is this form of worship instituted by Christ whereby we commemorate His sacrificial death and the offering of Himself to the Father for our salvation. The Mass makes present to us today the reality of the past event of Calvary. As St. Paul taught in I Corinthian 5:7-8 "Christ, our Paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the feast!" Contrary to popular belief, Catholics do not sacrifice Christ again! His sacrifice on Calvary was completed once and for all. His sacrifice, however, is ever present and offered to the Father since Christ ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). During the Mass, we participate in that offering of ourselves to God as members of Christ's Body. After the the words of consecration, "This is My Body", This is My Blood", the Catholic Church affirms that it is not merely a symbol, but truly becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. It is a mystery of our faith how this occurs. This has been believed by Christians since the first century and held by not only Catholics, but Orthodox, and many Protestant denominations to some extent. Even Martin Luther believed it was more than a symbol. In partaking of the "Eucharist" (thanksgiving), Christ imparts His life to us and we become partakers of His divine nature. We are empowered to live virtuous lives being conformed to His image and being united with each other in His one Body, the Church. True worship always involves sacrifice.
Other great resources about the Catholic church:
When the Church Was Young: Voices of the Early Fathers by Marcellino D’Ambrosio
Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words by Rod Bennett
Why We are Catholic by Trent Horn
Stunned by Scripture: How the Bible Made Me Catholic by Dr. John Bergsma
The Reformation 500 Years Later: 12 Things you Need to Know
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History by Rodney Stark
The Apostasy That Wasn’t : The Extraordinary Story of the Unbreakable Early Church by Rod Bennett
Why Be Catholic and not just Christian? by Fr. Mike Schmitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJCbCs-y1_k
Why do Catholics call Mary Mother? by Fr. Mike Schmitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGRGv9_60iI
Why Catholics have a Pope by Fr. Mike Schmitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4N0hSMCAIU
Pray the Mass like Never Before by Fr. Mike Schmitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpUp6zSGCb4&t=1049s
A Roman Catholic Teaching Mass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCtZmLrFkqk&t=1588s
Lumen Gentium(Constitution of the Church)
https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
http://jimmyakin.com/why-be-catholic