Religious Concepts
The Holy Trinity
We believe in one God. We believe that there are three persons in one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We call these three divine Persons the Blessed Trinity.
God the Father is the creator of the universe. God the Father is spoken about through the entirety of the Old Testament. The prophecies and interactions with God throughout the Old Testament are with God the Father.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins on Good Friday. He rose from death back to life on Easter Sunday. He ascended into heaven forty days later on Ascension Thursday, and He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
The risen Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the world on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit brings seven gifts to our lives. They strengthen us to live in peace. They are wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
The Sacrament of Penance
God's love with His infinite mercy forgives us. The church celebrates God's forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. We examine our conscience to ask God's forgiveness and work toward a life of goodness. Celebrating the Sacrament of Penance places us incommunion with God and community. This allows us to grow in faith, love and peace with God and neighbors.
The Eucharist
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church's life. Eucharist means, "giving thanks". The Holy Mass is an encounter with the love and goodness of God. The Mass is our celebration of forgiveness, thankfulness, and love. It is our time to experience and share in community prayer. We pray for others who are living and deceased, and they pray for us. It is our time to be in a relationship with God as a community.
Transubstantiation
We believe in transubstantiation. This is the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. At Holy Mass we believe Jesus becomes present in the bread and wine through the consecration. Therefore, the bread and wine become the body and blood of the risen Jesus while retaining its physical appearance of bread and wine. This is a sacred mystery. Through receiving the body and blood of Jesus we are strengthened and nourished to live holy lives.