Faith and Liturgy

Catholics are followers of Jesus Christ, who lived 2000 years ago and taught His disciples to live a life of outstanding care and concern for one another, to uphold the highest standards of morality, and to offer forgiveness and compassion to those who acknowledge their inability to live out these ideals consistently.

Catholics believe that Jesus was more than a great moral teacher – that He was God walking among us as a human being. The night before He died He shared a ritual meal of bread and wine with His followers and said “This is My Body – This is My Blood – Do this in memory of Me.” Ever since, Catholics have celebrated the Mass, the re-presentation of the Last Supper of Jesus. We believe that when we receive Holy Communion, although what we eat and drink looks, feels, and tastes like bread and wine, it is in God’s sight the actual Body and Blood of Jesus.

We believe that within God, there are three distinct identities which we call Persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – yet these are united so closely with one another that we can still proclaim that we believe in One God. We believe that many people who have lived good lives on earth are now saints with God in heaven, and pre-eminent among them is Mary the Mother of Jesus. We believe that we can invite these saints, and also the angels created by God, to pray for us in God’s presence.

We are ordinary people who strive daily to live up to the teachings of Jesus and to worship Him each week. The best of us are reputed as great saints; the worst of us are notorious sinners. What we have in common is that we believe that God is real, that the Catholic Church on earth enables us to worship and receive God’s teaching in the way most pleasing to God, and that, despite our weakness, we continue the struggle to live as followers of Jesus in the face of the difficulties and temptations which surround us!