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The Catholic Church begins with the person and mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus laid the foundations of the Catholic Church when he said to the apostle Peter, the first Pope, ‘you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church’ (Matthew 16:18). The world ‘catholic’ means universal. Today there are more than 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, making today’s Church truly universal.
Jesus gave the Catholic Church its mission:Go, make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20)
The Church proclaims the gospel message in all corners of the world, celebrates the sacraments and reaches out in love to those in need. Our leader is the Pope, who is the successor of St Peter, and the bishops to whom have been handed on the mission Jesus gave to his apostles.
The Church is made up of all the People of God. Bishops, priests and deacons, have been chosen for a particular service and join with all of the baptised in forming together the Body of Christ. Christ’s lay faithful are called to live our their baptismal promises in the circumstances of their daily lives: their families, places of work and friendships; they too share in the responsibility of fulfilling Jesus’s command to teach all the nations by ministering to those in need and sharing their faith.
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The Nicene Creed
Our Catholic faith is summarised in the Nicene Creed which we pray every Sunday at Mass.
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I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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