BASIC ELEMENTS OF CATHOLIC FAITH FORMATION
Catechesis shapes the minds, hearts, and spirits of believers, forming them as disciples .
I BELIEVE (in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
The Holy Trinity—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—is three persons in one God.
Some ways to express one’s belief in the Holy Trinity are with the Sign of the Cross and the Apostles’ Creed.
Jesus is fully human and fully divine.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, piety and fear (or awe)
of the Lord.
I BELONG (to one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and the communion of saints).
The people of the Americas honor Our Lady of Guadalupe as their patroness.
The first Christians were disciples (followers of Jesus) and formed the earliest Christian communities—the Church.
The Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
The Lord’s Day is honored as a celebration of the Resurrection and a holy day of obligation.
The Church has certain holy days of obligation on which to worship together as a community.
The Church Year consists of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time. It also includes special feasts in
honor of Mary and saints.
The Church is a communion of saints made up of those living and those who have died.
The pope is the pastor of the whole Church. Bishops, priests and deacons help lead the Church, God’s people.
A parish is specific gathering place for a community of believers in Jesus to worship together under the leadership of
a pastor.
The human family is the domestic church through whom one learns how to live faith in community.
WE RESPOND (as disciples of Christ helping to build the kingdom of God).
Being a good steward means sharing one’s time, talents and treasures with the Church.
Grace is God’s life; it is a participation in the life of the Holy Trinity.
Sacraments are visible signs of God’s life.
Through Baptism everyone is called to serve God and others through the married, ordained, vowed religious or single
life.
Bishops, priests and deacons are members of the ordained ministry.
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments with his Great Commandments: love God and love one’s neighbor.
There are prayers of praise and blessing, petition, thanksgiving and contrition (sorrow).
The psalms are special prayers written long ago and intended to be sung.
Boys and girls are equal partners in God’s plan for creation.
From the beginning of life to death, humans grow and develop in a given sequence but the rates and patterns differ
for each individual.
It is important to reflect on what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church.
Some ways to deepen one’s relationship with God include spontaneous prayer, prayers of cultural/liturgical
significance, and the following formal prayers, beliefs and practices:
• Sign of the Cross
• Grace Before/After a Meal
• Our Father/The Lord’s Prayer
• Hail Mary
• Glory Be
• Morning Prayer
• Angel of God
• Act of Contrition
• Communion Fast
• Communion Regulations
• The Ten Commandments
New Prayers, Beliefs and Practices introduced at this
level are:
• Apostles’ Creed
• The Rosary
• The Two Commandments of Love
• Liturgical Year