Our Faith
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If you are new to the Church and want to understand more
about the practicing faith in the Thames Isis Pastoral Area,
this section of the website contains an overview of the
Roman Catholic faith and a number of useful resources
including a Catholic Dictionary and liturgical calendar.
For parishioners looking for daily spiritual services and
resources, here is where you can access and view daily and
special prayers, request a mass or prayers to be said,
download the latest readings in up to13 languages and check
mass times.
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The Faith of the Catholic Church.
At the heart of our faith is Jesus Christ. Born into
a Jewish family in the Roman province of Judaea some
2000 years ago, we believe that he is not only the
‘Messiah’ (‘the Christ’) awaited by the Jews as
their Deliverer, but that he is also ‘Lord’,
‘Universal King’ and ‘Son of God’. We believe this
not only on the basis of his teaching and miracles
of healing, but supremely because of his death and
resurrection from the dead. Eventually put to death
by crucifixion, three days later his demoralised
followers were astonished by reports that his tomb
was empty, and that he was alive. They later
encountered him, not restored to life within the
limitations of this world, yet fully himself, and
fully alive with a life beyond death; alive, in fact
with the life of God.
The Charter of the Catholic Church
After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus
instructed his followers to ‘preach the Gospel to
all nations’. This is the basic charter of the
Catholic Church. ‘Catholic’ means ‘universal’. The
‘Gospel’ (‘Good News’) which Jesus preached
concerned ‘the Kingdom of God’. God created the
world good, and intended the human race to live in
harmony with God and with each other. Humanity has
clearly failed to live in that harmonious
relationship. We believe that it is through the
risen Jesus, who is both truly God and truly human,
that God has begun the restoration of that original
harmony. As such, the risen Jesus is ‘Universal
King’. Those who accept him as their Lord and King
are invited to become members of the Church through
Baptism in the name of the One God, ‘Father, Son and
the Holy Spirit’. The Catholic Church, united to
Jesus Christ, (and described in Scripture as ‘the
Body of Christ’) is intended to be a sign to the
world of God’s purpose of unity for the whole human
family.
The Structure of the Catholic Church
The unity of the Catholic Church throughout the
world is maintained through the communion of the
bishops who are the leaders of local churches
(‘dioceses’) in every land. They are the successors
of the original apostles chosen by Jesus. In
communion with their leader, the Pope, the successor
of St Peter, they are responsible for governing the
Church and keeping it true to the faith of the
apostles. The present Pope is Benedict XVI, and the
Bishop of our Diocese of Portsmouth is Bishop
Crispian Hollis.
Click here for more about
the church.
Growing and developing our FAITH
Activities
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This will list and link to activities in our parishes, open
to all.
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