What Catholics believe, on one page
A token that fits the other half.
In short. A creed is a summary of the principal truths of the faith and a sign of recognition and communion between believers.1 Its three parts follow Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.2,3
Key points
- Creeds take their name from their first word in Latin, credo, “I believe”.4
- Very early, the Church gathered the essentials of the faith into summaries, especially for candidates for Baptism.5
- The Creed has three parts: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.3
- The Apostles’ Creed is the ancient baptismal symbol of Rome, and the Nicene Creed is common to East and West.6,7
Try this, this week
- Read the Apostles’ Creed aloud. Mark the line you most want explained.
- Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Paul hands on what he himself received.
- Listen for the Creed at a Sunday Mass. It comes after the homily.
- Ask a Catholic which line means most to them.
“For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures: And that he was buried: and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures:”
Watch out: what this does not mean
- A creed is a summary, the first and fundamental point of reference for catechesis, not the whole of the faith spelled out.1
- The articles of the Creed are distinct although connected with one another, like the joints in our bodily members.9
Common questions
Why are there two creeds?
The Apostles’ Creed is a faithful summary of the apostles’ faith and the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome.6 The Nicene Creed stems from the first two ecumenical Councils, in 325 and 381, and remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West.7
Do I have to believe all of it?
Whoever says “I believe” says “I pledge myself to what we believe.”8 Communion in faith needs a common language of faith, normative for all and uniting all in the same confession of faith.8
Remember: Three parts, one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.