""The present volume, being the outgrowth of lectures delivered in the classroom, was originally written in Latin with the intention of supplying a textbook suited to the needs of those beginning the study of theology in our seminaries. . . . It is hoped that the detailed explanations and the simplicity of language will render the work intelligible and useful to a large portion of the laity. ""With the exception of the Sacraments, there is, perhaps, no subject of more practical interest to clergy and laity alike than that of the Church, yet there are few works in English treating the subject in full. The author trusts that he has made some contribution in this matter by giving a connected and rather detailed account of the origin, constitution, and powers of the Church from the dogmatic as well as from the apologetic point of view."" -From the Introduction