Catholicism
“The Catholic Church is a denomination of Christianity. It is the largest denomination of Christians, with over 1 billion members. It is the world’s second-largest religious group after Sunni Islam. It teaches that it is the same church started by Jesus Christ and his followers about 2,000 years ago.
The Catholic Church is led by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, who lives in Vatican City. According to Catholics, the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, who also guides the Pope. The Church teaches that when the Pope speaks officially on the subject of Catholic faith and morals (‘ex cathedra’), he cannot be wrong.
Some of the traditional worship practices of Roman Catholics include making the sign of the cross, kneeling, bowing, and receiving the Eucharist during their worship ceremonies. Catholics put more emphasis on the Virgin Mary (Jesus’s mother) than many other Christians, calling her the “Mother of God,” “The Queen of Heaven,” and praying to her regularly, as “Mediatrix of graces” at a level higher than other saints.”
{Source: Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions by Susan Meredith and Clare Hickman, 2010, with updates through 2022}
What My Faith Means to Me
By Kenya DeLouis, Partnerships Manager
I’ve been Catholic since I was born. Because I grew up in the Catholic faith and everyone in my family was Catholic, it’s all I’ve ever known. My faith means a lot to me. As a child, I attended a Catholic Church, had my first Communion, received the body and blood of Christ, and practiced more Catholic traditions. I remember not really knowing why I was doing it. I just knew that this was something that most of my family members did, and now I was of age to do as well. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the faith more and more because, as an adult, I can choose whether to continue in my faith or go elsewhere.
My faith is an integral part of my identity because it guides me in all aspects of my life, from my decisions to how I want to conduct myself. For example, I had a huge conscience growing up because of my faith. I was a “good girl” who rarely did anything bad, which affected my decisions in my life. I learned not to succumb to peer pressure as much, did things at my own pace and way, and understood by watching and not by doing.
In Catholicism, we have to confess our sins to the priest. Practicing that and saying my sins aloud made me keenly aware of my actions. I want people to know that Catholicism is under the umbrella of Christianity. People seem to believe it is an entirely different religion, but we are a denomination of Christianity. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior and will come back again. This means that we have shared values with all Christians.
As with any group, Catholics are not perfect. In light of many heartbreaking stories coming out of our denomination, I’d also like people to understand that Catholicism isn’t defined by certain people who claim to be Christians but have been practicing unsavory things. It’s an amazing denomination, and I hope people see the beauty of my faith. I try to live out my faith by being kind to people, going to Church, praying, going to confession, and being helpful to others.