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We are the Catholic Church
The Catholic Parish of Bishop’s Stortford is proud to be part
of the Diocese of Westminster and the universal Roman Catholic Church,
founded by Jesus Christ with two thousand years of history
and over a billion members worldwide.

What we believe as Catholic Christians

The Trinity

We believe in one God, made up of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God made us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. (1 John 5:7, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30)

Founded by Jesus

We are the original Christian Church, which Jesus himself founded. He appointed Peter the first pope and Pope Francis is the successor of Peter: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Scripture and Sacred Tradition

All Catholic teachings are founded in Sacred Scripture and Holy Tradition. The latter is teachings and spiritual guidance handed down through the apostles and papacy since the Church’s beginnings. No teaching or tradition can contradict Scripture. Paul himself supports the concept of passing on Holy Tradition: “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thesselonians 2:15)

The Eucharist

We believe that, at the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the gift of Himself through the Eucharist, that is his own Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. We believe that the bread and wine presented at Mass become the Real Presence of Jesus: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:17-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

The Saints

We believe that holy men and women who have come before us still pray for us and help us. They are our friends in Heaven. We do not worship them. We only worship God. But we do ask for their prayers, just as we might ask a friend on earth to pray for us. We particularly ask Jesus’ mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, for her prayers, that we may draw closer to her Son. (James 5:16, 1 Timothy 2:1, Revelation 8:3-4)

Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength … [and] you shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31

The Apostles' Creed

The Apostles’ Creed is a summary of our beliefs.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty;
from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body
and life everlasting. Amen.

The Ten Commandments of God

  • I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
  • You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
  • Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day
  • Honour your father and your mother.
  • You shall not kill.
  • You shall not commit adultery.
  • You shall not steal.
  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
  • You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.
  • You shall not covet you neighbour’s goods.

The Chief Commandments of the Church

  • To attend Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation.
  • To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
  • To confess our sins at least once a year.
  • To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time.
  • To contribute to the support of the Church.

There are many similarities and differences between the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations. In this video, Fr Mike Schmitz narrows the differences down to one thing that really sets Catholicism apart from other Christian Churches: authoritative teaching.

The difficulty explaining why I am Catholic is that there are 10,000 reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.
– G.K. Chesterton
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