What Catholics believe, and how they worship

Catholics belong to the worldwide church led by the Pope in Rome, gathered each Sunday around the Mass, where they believe Christ himself is truly present in the bread and wine. In Wellington County, Catholic parishes belong to the Diocese of Hamilton.

What Catholics believe

Catholics confess the faith summarized in the Nicene Creed that all historic Christians share: one God in three Persons; the full divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ; his death for our sins, bodily resurrection, ascension and return; the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the body. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) is the authoritative summary of Catholic teaching, arranged in four parts: the Creed, the sacraments, life in Christ (the Ten Commandments) and prayer (the Lord’s Prayer).

What distinguishes Catholic belief is how God’s revelation is understood to reach us. Catholics hold that Christ entrusted the gospel to the apostles, and that it comes down to us through both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, interpreted by the Magisterium, the teaching office of the bishops in communion with the Pope. In the Catechism’s words, “Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.” The Pope, as successor of Peter, is the visible sign of the Church’s unity.

Catholics believe God’s grace is given above all through seven sacraments: baptism (usually of infants), confirmation, the Eucharist, penance (confession), anointing of the sick, holy orders and marriage. The Eucharist is central; the Catechism calls it “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Catholics believe that at the words of consecration the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation), that the Mass makes present Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross, and that the consecrated host may be adored. Salvation is by God’s grace, received in faith and lived out through charity and the sacraments. Catholics honour Mary as the Mother of God and ask her and the saints to pray for them, and they believe in purgatory, a final purification for those who die in God’s friendship.

Worship: what a service is like

Catholics call the service the Mass, and taking part on Sunday (or Saturday evening) is an obligation rather than an option. The Mass has two main parts. The Liturgy of the Word includes an Old Testament reading, a Psalm sung responsively, a New Testament reading and a Gospel reading, set out in a three-year cycle, followed by a homily (a short sermon of ten to fifteen minutes), the Nicene Creed and the prayers of the faithful. The Liturgy of the Eucharist follows: bread and wine are brought forward, the priest prays the Eucharistic Prayer, everyone prays the Our Father and exchanges a sign of peace, and the people come forward to receive Communion.

Expect standing, kneeling and sitting, set responses (“And with your spirit”), the sign of the cross, holy water at the door, a crucifix, statues or icons, candles, and vestments whose colours change with the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time. Music ranges from organ and traditional hymns to guitars. A typical Mass lasts about an hour. Visitors are welcome, but Communion itself is reserved for Catholics who are prepared to receive it; others may come forward with arms crossed for a blessing, or simply remain in the pew.

How Catholic churches are organized

The basic unit is the parish, served by a priest (the pastor), often with a deacon, and helped by lay councils. Parishes are grouped into a diocese under a bishop; every Catholic church in Wellington County belongs to the Diocese of Hamilton. Canada’s bishops meet as the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and all are in communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, who appoints bishops and holds final teaching authority. Priests of the Latin rite are celibate men; permanent deacons may be married. Religious orders such as the Jesuits, present in Guelph since the 1850s, run retreat centres and missions. Parishes also work closely with Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic schools, locally the Wellington Catholic District School Board.

Compared with Reformed churches

Catholics and Reformed Christians share a great deal: the Trinity, the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, the Bible as God’s Word, the incarnation, the cross and bodily resurrection, and the baptism of infants. A Catholic visiting a Canadian Reformed service would recognize a set liturgy, with an opening blessing, the Ten Commandments or the Creed, confession of sin, Scripture readings, a sermon and a closing benediction, and would notice the whole congregation singing the Psalms to Genevan tunes with organ.

Reformed churches hold Scripture alone as the final authority, summarized in the Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort), and are governed by elected elders rather than bishops and a pope. The sermon is long and central, there are two services each Sunday, and one of them is preached from the Heidelberg Catechism. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated several times a year, and Reformed believers understand Christ to be truly received there by faith through the Spirit rather than by a change in the bread and wine. Prayer is addressed to God alone, without the intercession of the saints. Catholics curious about all this are warmly welcome at the local Canadian Reformed church.

What Catholics believe, and how they worship