From the Latin word credo which means “I believe”, a creed is a statement of belief. Catholics recite ancient creeds to personally profess their belief in the truths of the Catholic faith which unite them all as one body, the Church.
From its beginning, the Church summarized its essential teachings into professions of faith especially for teaching those individuals who were preparing to be baptized into the Church.
Also called symbols of faith, creeds are a sign of recognition and communion between believers. Martyrs boldly professed the sacred creeds together, refusing to deny their faith even in the face of death.
The two main creeds contain what the Catholic Church believes about God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These creeds also include statements about the Church that was founded by Jesus.
The Apostle’s Creed came from the teaching of Jesus’ closest disciples. It is said while praying devotions such as the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. It may be recited during Mass, especially when young people are present.
The Nicene Creed, or Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, added statements to emphasize the truth about God, especially Jesus, in response to false teachings of various heresies. Catholics regularly recite the Nicene Creed together at Mass.
The Athanasian Creed, or Quicumque, was once recited at Mass on Trinity Sunday because of it’s emphasis on the three distinct persons of the triune God. It is less familiar to many Catholics today.
Jesus is alive and active in this moment:
The meaning and mystery of the true Church:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 19-20
The Creed is more than a proclamation:
Extremely important concepts and dogmas:
Definitively responding to challenges of the faith:
Catholics assembled into one body at Mass:
The personal response of faith is integrated in the Church’s Profession of Faith, expressed in the Creed. We all recite the Creed in the Mass. Recited by the entire assembly, the Creed manifests the common response to what is heard together from the Word of God. There is an essential nexus between listening and faith. They are linked. Indeed, this — faith — does not arise from human imagination, but, as Saint Paul recalls, “comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ”. Thus, faith is nourished by what is heard and leads to the Sacrament. In this way, reciting the Creed enables the liturgical assembly to “call to mind and confess the great mysteries of the faith … before these mysteries are celebrated in the Eucharist”.
Pope Francis, General Audience, 14 February 2018
Professing faith and combating heresy:
Making clear statements about what Catholics believe:
Stating truths about God in different ways:
As on the day of our Baptism, when our whole life was entrusted to the “standard of teaching”, let us embrace the Creed of our life-giving faith. To say the Credo with faith is to enter into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church which transmits the faith to us and in whose midst we believe: This Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart’s meditation and an ever-present guardian; it is, unquestionably, the treasure of our soul.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 197
Professing what Catholics understand about the Trinity:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
The Church is like a weird gothic cathedral:
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