We believe in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, sent to mankind by the Father, so that we may all have everlasting life. We believe that Jesus walked here on earth, just like you and me. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary in a humble manger in Bethlehem. We believe in the Incarnation - that God was made man without ceasing to be God. Thus He is true God and true man. This man is Jesus Christ. Through Him we are called to be heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is the second person of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We have Good News.
God created the heavens and the earth, and all who live in it. As His sons and daughters, we were created to be in relationship with Him forever in paradise. However, through the fault of our first parents, Adam and Eve, sin entered and broke our relationship with God. This created a great divide between us, a barrier that we can never fix on our own. Because of this, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to Him. Jesus was condemned to suffer for our sake -- leading to His death on the cross. His death bore our sin and shame and through this one act of love He fixed the broken relationship between us and the Father. We believe that Jesus died and went to the grave, and that in three days He rose again in glory. Through His death and resurrection, He conquered sin. His victory over death is our hope and our salvation. Through Christ we can rise again and through Him we are invited into the heavenly inheritance that awaits us. This is the Gospel or the Good News as we call it. However, it does not end there. The Good News is about hope and the invitation that follows it. It is an invitation to get to know the person of Jesus Christ, in whom we place our trust. It is an invitation to say yes to Him and to encounter the Church.
We belong to a very big family.
During His time on earth, Jesus moved the hearts of many followers. He especially transformed Twelve Apostles and the many disciples, both men and women, that He called by name. He gave them authority to take care of the Church that He started on Earth. Jesus promised His believers that when He returns to Heaven, He will send us an Advocate. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down to the early Church giving courage to the apostles and disciples to become fearless and courageous witnesses to Christ. On this day, the Church was born. The Holy Spirit broke down ethnic and linguistic barriers and united the Church, making us into a universal family. We are called the Catholic Church because, in Greek, the term katholikos (καθολικός) means “universal”.
Over 2,000 years later, the Catholic Church is now a family of over 1.2 billion people around the world. We are made up of people from all walks of life, called to different vocations, some ordained and some to lay ministry. Our mission is simple: to love God and to love others.
Statement of Faith:
A Summary of Catholic Teaching
TRINITY
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three persons are coequal and coeternal.
1 John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11; CCC 232-267
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He is fully human and fully divine, 100% God and 100% man. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and inaugurated the kingdom of God on earth. He suffered and died on a cross for our sins, conquered death by rising from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven body and soul. He will come again on the last day in power and glory. He is the way, the truth, and the life; the only bridge between God and man.
John 1:1, 1:14, 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5; CCC 464-483
GRACE AND SALVATION
We are saved by the merits of Jesus Christ. The gift of salvation is received at baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. Once baptized, we live a life in Christ which is an ongoing process of transformation. This lifelong process of turning away from sin and toward God is often called sanctification or justification. Sanctification is achieved by faith, works, and grace from the sacraments. All three are necessary to prepare to enter heaven.
John 3:5, 3:16, 6:53; Romans 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 5:21; Acts 2:38; Galatians 4:7; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 10:20; CCC 1987-2029
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church as the Kingdom of God on earth. He gave his authority to govern the Church to his apostles, who have passed this office down through the centuries to other men called bishops. The Catholic Church is united in Jesus as the Body of Christ on earth, set apart and guided by the Holy Spirit, universal in application, and governed by the authority of the apostles. It is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
Matthew 3:2, 16:18-19; Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12; John 20:22; Galatians 3:28; 2 Tim 1:6; CCC 811-870
DIVINE REVELATION
God has fully revealed himself and his plan for us through his Word, Jesus Christ. There will be no other word than this one. This Word has been transmitted by the apostles through all generations both orally and in writing. The authentic interpretation of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition has been entrusted to the Magisterium, which is composed of all bishops in communion with the pope.
John 1:1, 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-2; Luke 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Peter 1:20; Ephesians 2:20; CCC 74-100
MARY
The Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin and remained sinless for the rest of her life. She conceived the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus Christ. She was a virgin before conceiving Jesus and remained a virgin for the rest of her life. As the mother of Jesus, she is truly the mother of God and the mother of all Christians baptized into Christ. At the end of her earthly life, her body and soul were assumed into heaven, where she continues to intercede on our behalf. These four dogmas are known as the Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Divine Motherhood, and the Assumption.
Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:28, 1:43, 1:48; John 19:27; Galatians 4:4; Acts 1:14; Rev 12:1, 12:17; CCC 487-511
COMMUNION OF SAINTS
All Christians are part of the Body of the Christ and set apart for God’s kingdom. The saints in heaven have already fought the good fight on earth and behold the glory of God for the rest of eternity. They continue to pray for us on earth so that we may one day be with them in heaven.
Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2; Rev 7:9-17; CCC 946-962
SACRAMENTS
Sacraments are outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace. We are saved at Baptism, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, and we are nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. Our sins are forgiven in Confession and our souls are healed and strengthen in the Anointing of the Sick. Marriage is between man and woman until death and Holy Orders is given to the priest so that he can truly act in the person of Christ.
John 3:5, 6:51-58, 20:21-23; Acts 2:1-4, 8:14-17; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; James 5:14; Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6, 28:19; 2 Timothy 1:6; CCC 1113-1666
THE LAST THINGS
Death is the temporary separation of man’s body and soul. Each person will face his particular judgment at the moment of his death and immediately go to one of three places. Heaven is eternal, perfect happiness with God and is offered to those who have loved God perfectly in this life. Purgatory is a temporary state of purification which serves as an entryway into heaven for those who have loved God imperfectly in this life. Hell is an eternal state of torment and despair which awaits those who have freely rejected God in this life. At the end of time, Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, at which time we will experience the resurrection of the body so that our bodies would be reunited with our souls forever.
Acts 1:11; Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 24:30; 25:31-34, 41; 1 Corinthians 3:14-15, 15:13; 2 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Peter 1:4; Philippians 3:21; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:12-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; CCC 988-1065
What Constitutes a Practicing Catholic?