• People on a Journey

  We Catholics make our journey through life believing we are in the presence of one God who loves us infinitely. We are guided by the teaching authority of pope, bishops, and priests. Today our family of 1.1 billion stretches around the globe, present in every nation in the world. Here in the United States we number about 65 million, representing all racial and social groups.
   
  Bible and Tradition
  This creative, redeeming, sanctifying God is revealed to us in the Bible, which we cherish as God’s Word, and in the living Tradition of the Church.
   
  Faith and Service
  “Love one another as I have loved you” is the core of Jesus’ message.  This means that we not only believe, but we are mandated to serve one another.
   
  Apostolic Succession
  The apostles are considered to be the first bishops of the Catholic Church, and the bishops today are their direct successors.  The priests and deacons whom the bishop ordains to minister to the people share the bishop’s apostolic ministry. The Pope as the bishop of Rome is the direct successor of Peter, the leader of the Apostles and the first Bishop of Rome.  The Pope in consultation with the bishops of the world guides us in our understanding of the message of Christ and how it is to be lived today.  The bishops of each country meet regularly to advise each other on how to guide the Catholic community in such areas as personal responsibility, family life, social justice and peace.
   
  A People of Worship
  God is present in each of us every moment of our lives, but there are occasions when we Catholics take time out to worship as a family.  As God’s people we come together at least every Sunday (or Saturday evening) because God holds a central place in our lives and because we want to celebrate Jesus’ continuing gift of himself to us,  We do this through the words and actions of the Mass, also called the Celebration of the Eucharist.
        
  Life and Justice
  We Catholics have always believed that each person is made in God’s own image.  Therefore every human life is sacred; every person is loved by God.  We believe in a consistent “ethic of life.” Catholics affirm the sacredness of life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Our Pope and bishops call for a halt to the nuclear arms race and oppose capital punishment. The Church has a deep and continuing concern for the quality of life as well. The church pleads the cause of the homeless, the laborers, the hungry, the political oppressed, even the environment. This tradition of caring continues today, as stated long ago by the prophet Isaiah: “To set free the oppressed, and to break every yoke . . . to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house. . .” In all of our efforts to make the love of God and the teachings of Jesus a reality in our world, we Catholics find that the Church gives stability and direction to our lives in an age of confusion and moral uncertainty.
                                    
  A Human Church
  Of course our Church is made up of human beings with all their weaknesses. There have been times of division, disputes, even serious mistakes and bad judgments on the part of the Church. But we believe that the Holy Spirit is always with the Church. That is why the Church has remained strong for twenty centuries.
   
  Recognition
  Our church recognizes that there are many good people outside its membership, and she recognizes that other religions can and do bring their members close to God and to their fellow human beings. 
                               
  An Invitation
  Yet, as Catholics we have found something very special and we would like to share our Church, our Faith, our Way of Life with you.