What We Believe

"For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church" -Augustine of hippo

What Catholics Believe

Lots of people know a few things about the Catholic Church, but have you ever wondered what the Church really teaches? Take a look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church and see what you can learn! Yes, it is a long book, but it follows a plan. The first section is about what we believe. The second section is about how we worship. The third section is about morality and how to live in Christ. The last section is about how we pray.

Core Beliefs

The following are the core beliefs of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church  based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible and by the authority of the Catholic Church. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines and the Tradition of the Church.

God

There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise.  God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom,  justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Revelation

God has revealed himself to us through his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself. The Bible is not just a history of man's search for God, but is the real history of God revealing Himself to the human race.

However, Scripture was never meant to be used alone. The Scriptures were written for the Church and to be used in the Church. Without the Church, we have no way to recognize the Bible as the inspired Word of God. If there is a visible, historical Church that speaks with the authority of Jesus, then that Church can tell us which books form the canon of the Scriptures.

Mankind

Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations.

The Fall

When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time. This is called Original Sin. We are all born with this Original Sin, which inclines our will against God's will.

Salvation

Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God. He came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone.

The Church

Christ did not come to just preach a message. He came to build a new covenant of God and the human race. We call this new covenant community the Catholic Church. The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God, proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, and celebrate the sacraments. The Church founded by Jesus subsists in the visible Catholic Church.

Resurrection

Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom.