Catholic
Catholic
One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic — the faith handed down.
The Catholic Church is the largest Christian body in the world, with over 1.4 billion members. Catholic faith is structured around the Four Pillars of the Catechism — the Creed (what we believe), the Sacraments (how we celebrate), the Commandments (how we live), and Prayer (how we relate to God). The Catholic tradition holds Scripture and Sacred Tradition together as the deposit of faith, interpreted by the Magisterium in communion with the Bishop of Rome.
Source of faith: Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Distinctive doctrines
The doctrines that most shape this tradition.
The Seven Sacraments
A sacrament, in Catholic teaching, is "an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us" (CCC §1131). The…
Read more →The Mass and the Real Presence
The Catechism calls the Eucharist "the source and summit of the Christian life" (CCC §1324). Catholic teaching holds that in the Mass, through the words of consecration spoken …
Read more →Apostolic Succession and the Papacy
Catholic teaching holds that Christ entrusted His Church to the apostles, with Peter as their head, and that the apostles in turn passed on their teaching authority and pastoral…
Read more →Mary and the Communion of Saints
Catholic teaching honors Mary as the Mother of God (Theotokos), preserved from original sin in the Immaculate Conception, ever-virgin, assumed body and soul into heaven. She is …
Read more →Purgatory — Final Purification
Purgatory is one of the most misunderstood Catholic doctrines. It is not a "second chance" for the damned. It is a final purification for those who die in God's grace and friend…
Read more →Scripture and Sacred Tradition
Catholic teaching holds that God's revelation comes to us through two streams that flow from the same source: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. These are not in competition…
Read more →The Magisterium — Teaching Authority
The Magisterium is the teaching office of the Catholic Church — the Pope and the bishops in communion with him — entrusted with the authentic interpretation of the Word of G…
Read more →Confession and Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance, Confession, or Conversion) is one of the seven sacraments. In it, the penitent confesses sins to a priest, receives absolut…
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