Catholic Faith Foundations

St Mary's · St John Bosco · St Edward's

Catholic Faith Foundations

A self-guided course in Catholic belief and life

Written by Fr John Owens

A structured introduction to what Catholics believe, celebrate and seek to live — taught in short sessions you can work through at your own pace. Each session has the same shape: Begin, Read, Reflect, Check.

Foundations

  1. 1 Religion, Reason, and the Question of God religion is not superstition or habit 5 min read · Read
  2. 2 Reason and Revelation human reason can know that God exists 5 min read · Read
  3. 3 Has God Revealed Himself in History? revelation, if real, must occur in history 4 min read · Read
  4. 4 Jesus Christ the person of Jesus Christ stands at the centre of the Catholic Faith 4 min read · Read
  5. 5 The Miracles of Jesus Christ miracles are not fairy tales or symbolic stories 4 min read · Read
  6. 6 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ the Resurrection is the central claim of the Catholic Faith 4 min read · Read
  7. 7 Why the Church Exists the Church is not an optional extra to faith 4 min read · Read
  8. 8 The One Church of Christ Jesus Christ founded one Church, not many 3 min read · Read
  9. 9 The Marks of the Church Christ did not leave His Church unrecognisable 4 min read · Read
  10. 10 Authority in the Church authority in the Church comes from Christ, not from the community 4 min read · Read

Revelation and the Church

  1. 11 The Papacy Christ established a visible principle of unity in the Church 4 min read · Read
  2. 12 Sacred Scripture Sacred Scripture is truly the word of God 4 min read · Read
  3. 13 Sacred Tradition Sacred Tradition is not optional or secondary 4 min read · Read
  4. 14 The Magisterium — How the Church Teaches Without Error the Church possesses a teaching authority given by Christ 4 min read · Read

God, Creation and Sin

  1. 15 God the Creator — What the Church Teaches About God God is not part of the universe but its Creator 4 min read · Read
  2. 16 Creation — The Visible and Invisible World creation includes both the material and spiritual orders 4 min read · Read
  3. 17 The Human Person — Created in the Image of God the human person is unique within creation 4 min read · Read
  4. 18 Sin and the Fall — What Went Wrong? evil is not part of God’s creation 4 min read · Read
  5. 19 God’s Promise of Salvation — Hope After the Fall God did not abandon humanity after sin 4 min read · Read

The Redeemer

  1. 20 The Redeemer — Why God Became Man the promised Redeemer could not be a mere human being 4 min read · Read
  2. 21 The Life of Christ — God Revealed in Human Living the life of Christ is part of redemption, not merely preparation 4 min read · Read
  3. 22 The Passion and Death of Christ — The Sacrifice That Saves the death of Christ was not an accident or failure 3 min read · Read
  4. 23 The Resurrection — Christ’s Victory Over Death the Resurrection is the decisive victory over sin and death 4 min read · Read
  5. 24 The Ascension and the Reign of Christ — Lord of Heaven and Earth the Ascension is not Christ’s departure but His exaltation 4 min read · Read
  6. 25 The Second Coming and Judgment — Christ the Judge of the Living and the Dead Christ will come again in glory 4 min read · Read

The Holy Spirit and the Church

  1. 26 The Holy Spirit — Lord and Giver of Life the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, not a force or feeling 4 min read · Read
  2. 27 The Church — One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic the Church was founded by Christ, not invented by believers 5 min read · Read
  3. 28 The Sacraments — How Christ Gives Us His Life salvation is not only promised but given 4 min read · Read

The Sacraments

  1. 29 Baptism — New Birth and Entry into the Life of Grace Baptism is necessary for salvation as the ordinary means chosen by Christ 4 min read · Read
  2. 30 Confirmation — Strengthened by the Holy Spirit Confirmation completes the grace of Baptism 4 min read · Read
  3. 31 The Holy Eucharist — The Sacrifice and the Real Presence the Holy Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ 4 min read · Read
  4. 32 The Holy Mass — Christ’s Sacrifice Made Present the Mass is a true sacrifice offered to God 4 min read · Read
  5. 33 Holy Communion — Receiving Christ Worthily Holy Communion is the true reception of Jesus Christ 4 min read · Read
  6. 34 Penance — Forgiveness and Restoration After Baptism sin can still be committed after Baptism 4 min read · Read
  7. 35 Anointing of the Sick — Strength, Healing, and Hope sickness and suffering are part of human life after the Fall 4 min read · Read
  8. 36 Holy Orders and Matrimony — Christ’s Mission Continued Christ continues His saving work through specific vocations 4 min read · Read

Living the Faith

  1. 37 The Moral Life — Living What the Church Teaches Catholic morality flows from truth about the human person 3 min read · Read
  2. 38 Prayer — How the Catholic Faith Is Lived Daily prayer is relationship, not technique 3 min read · Read
  3. 39 The Liturgical Year — Living Time with the Church time itself is sanctified 3 min read · Read
  4. 40 Living as a Catholic — What Happens Now? reception into the Church is a beginning, not an ending 3 min read · Read