To be a Catholic, you must be baptized and profess agreement with all the Church's dogmatic teachings. It is not possible to be a Catholic until you are baptized into the Faith, and it is not possible to remain a Catholic if you do not believe all of the Church's teachings. There are 255 infallible dogmas of the Catholic Faith that we must believe.
Do Catholics worship Mary? Do Catholics believe in the Trinity? Why do Catholics go to Mass? What are the Sacraments? Why do Catholics go to Confession? What do Catholics believe about prayer, death, judgment, the pope, Tradition, Scripture, or the person of Jesus? Why do Catholics fast and abstain from meat at times? Why do Catholics believe what they believe? These are all great questions and all of them require sufficient explanation. We are happy to answer these and hundreds of other questions in our thorough course on the Catholic Faith, which goes through all of the Church's teachings systematically. Explore the course outline and consider enrolling just to learn more from experts in Catholicism.
The Church is the flock of Christ, the House of God, and the Spouse of Christ. In Scripture, the word “church” is often used to describe the assemblies of the faithful. Far more than describing a mere building or even the communities in which we gather on Sundays to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Church collectively refers to the totality of all those who are baptized Catholics in communion with the Lord’s established religion.
The word "catholic" literally means “universal.” We are the universal faith established by Christ and meant for all people of all corners of the world for all times (cf. Matt. 28:18-20; Apoc. 5:9-10). The etymology of the word “catholic” is the Greek adjective katholikos, which is related to the adverb katholou, meaning “in general” or “according to the whole.” This definition helps communicate the fact that the Catholic Faith is for people of every place, culture, and class. There is no one who is not called to a member of the true Faith. As St. John relates in the Book of the Apocalypse: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; because Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, in Thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Apoc. 5:9).
A Catholic is someone who is baptized, believes the same doctrine, and is united in the worship of God through the same Sacraments. Living a Catholic life also requires uniformity in many matters. A Catholic should strive to live a life that is consistent with the beliefs stated in the Apostle’s Creed and in keeping with the 10 Commandments. The words and example of Jesus, prayer, the communion of the saints, and the community of the Church are all there to support and strengthen Catholics and their families in their daily lives. Trust in the Lord and love thy neighbor.
Catholics should also observe the precepts of the Church (i.e. attend Holy Mass on all Sundays and all Holy Days of Obligation, abstain from meat on ALL Fridays of the year unless the Friday is a Holy Day of Obligation, receive Holy Communion in the state of grace at least once during the Easter Season, fast on all required days and more often as you are able), pray the Rosary ideally every day, perform the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, frequent the Sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion, engage in apostolic and evangelization activities to make the Faith known to others, and to strive for greater perfection in the spiritual life. We should also pray for the dead often, and even visit the cemetery to pray for the dead.
We should live an outward and an interior Catholic life that is always an inspiration to others and helps us better imitate our Lord and His Blessed Mother. Our purpose as a Catholic is to imitate Christ and to work towards Heaven. Catholics also must never support abortion, embryonic stem cell research, homosexual marriage, human cloning, euthanasia, or artificial contraception. A Catholic must believe all dogmas of the Catholic Church declared over the past 2,000 years.
It is not enough to be a Catholic to get to Heaven. One has to be a good Catholic. "Many Catholics will be lost, because they are only nominal, not practical, Catholics, and because they reject some doctrines of the Catholic Church, especially such as oppose their inclinations and passions. Remember, he who rejects even one doctrine proposed to our Faith by the Church will certainly be lost (James 2:10), even though he should lead a good life." (From THE PULPIT ORATOR, Volume VI.)
St. Peter Julian Eymard, who lived from 1811 - 1868 remarked, "Sometimes people say 'It is better to be a good Protestant than a bad Catholic.' That is not true. That would mean at bottom that one could be saved without the true Faith. No, a bad Catholic remains a child of the family - although a prodigal; and however great a sinner he may be, he still has the right to mercy. Through his faith, a bad Catholic is nearer to God than a Protestant is, for he is a member of the household, whereas the Protestant is not. And how hard it is to make him become one!"
Every single human person on this earth is meant to be a Catholic. To be a Catholic is necessary for salvation! If you are interested in studying what the Church teaches from the comfort of your own home and with no pressure at all, please explore our Adult Faith Formation course. This best selling course systematically explains all of the Church's teachings. In our era when so many people claim to be Catholic but fail to understand, believe, or practice the Faith, it is essential to learn from the Church what it actually means to be a Catholic. We happily present what the Church teaches in its fullness in this course.