Excerpt - The Catholic New World, Chicago Aug.29-Sept.11, 04. p. 3. Cardinal's Column.
"[...] To be Catholic, of course, one must be baptized, for baptism is the sacrament through which we receive Christ's life and are marked as his forever. To be Catholic means as well that, once at the age of self-conscious reason, one must consciously accept the faith that tells us who Christ is and who we are in Christ. Baptism and faith define the boundaries within which each is called to participate in the life of Christ's Church. [...]"