The Year of Faith

October 2012 – November 2013

How to rediscover your Faith in God and pass it on to others

25p

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A wide range of inexpensive publications is available from CTS to help nurture your faith and keep you informed about a wide range of issues. If you would like to receive further information please contact us: CTS, 40-46 Harleyford Road, London SE11 5AY Or visit www.cts-online.org.uk Tel: 020 7640 0042 Fax: 020 7640 0046

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Make a Pilgrimage

Pilgrimages are great moments of prayer where we make a journey to a particular place as a sign

that all our Christian life is precisely that, a journey, walking with the help of Christ and his Church.

This does not necessarily have to be to anywhere grand or far away - even a visit to a local shrine or important Church or Cathedral can be a clear way of declaring your intention to follow Jesus.

Study the Catechism

If you are unsure what the Church teaches about a particular question

or issue, do your best to find out. Ask a priest, or look it up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If you find this volume, which is very well referenced and indexed, difficult to use, there is the Compendium of the Catechism, which presents the faith in the form of questions and answers.

The documents of the Second Vatican Council also deserve to be read and studied.

True witnesses

Above all, the Year of Faith is about drawing closer to Jesus. All the things listed above are

ways to achieve that ultimate end. Jesus is closest to us during the Holy Eucharist, so going to Mass is the most important thing you can do. Be with him and receive him who is the God who loves you. It is God’s love and life that the world is waiting for, as Pope Benedict has written:

“Faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world. What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.”

(Porta Fidei, 15)

Key Books to Read

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catechism of Christian Doctrine, CTS (Do 003)

Companion to Faith, CTS (Do 860)

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, CTS (Do 742)

Christianity - An Introduction to the Catholic Faith (Do 859)

Credo - The Catholic Faith Explained, CTS (EV 4)

Gift of Faith - Insights for the Year of Faith, CTS (Do 856)

Porta Fidei, CTS (Do 852)

What Catholics Believe, CTS (Do 531)

What is the Catholic Faith?, CTS (LF 54)

Year of Faith Prayer Book, CTS (D 756)

Year of Faith with John Paul II, CTS (Do 853)

YOUCAT - Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, CTS (Do 845)

All rights reserved. © 2012 Incorporated Catholic Truth Society. Images: Pope Benedict XVI opens the Glory Gate of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Barcelona, Spain © Dusko Despotovic/Corbis. Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims outside Westminster Cathedral © Mazur/Catholic Church. Detail of Disciples from Last Judgement © Pascal Deloche/Godong/Corbis. Pilgrims © Mazur/Catholic Church.

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Activities for the Year of Faith

1. Read the life of a saint2. Go on a pilgrimage3. Choose a section of the Catechism to study4. Go to Confession more often5. Read one of the main documents of Vatican II6. Join a prayer group in your parish7. Learn the Creed by heart8. Say a prayer to the Virgin Mary every day9. Devote greater attention to the Mass and homily10. Get involved in a parish mission

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Steps on the journey

Eternal life is what is on offer for each person, through the death and resurrection

of Jesus. This is, and always has been the central message of Christianity and it must continue to be so today. If Catholics are to understand and spread this “good news” they must first draw

closer to Jesus themselves. Then they will be able to understand their Faith and bring it to others in the world who are in such need of it.

The Church calls this drawing closer to Jesus “conversion” and it means changing direction. Making a choice to live according to what Jesus teaches us through his Church. Practically, this could mean deciding to take part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation more often during the Year of Faith, since Confession is the clearest way of showing God we are sorry

for our failings and intend, by his help and grace, to live in a different way in future.

How to learn what the Church teaches

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an explanation of that faith divided into four

broad sections: what we believe, how we worship, how we live, and how we pray.

The documents of the Second Vatican Council have addressed everything from the Church’s relationship with other religions and the secular world, to how she should continue her work of spreading the word of Jesus in the modern era.

The importance of the Creed

The clearest expression of what we believe as Catholics is given in the Creed, which we

recite every Sunday at Mass. We could take time to study it and learn it by heart. The Creed forms the basis of the international events taking place during the Year of Faith and the Year will end with the Pope reciting it at a special Mass.

The call to evangelise

The Church, urged by the love of Jesus for each person, has always spread the message

of God’s mercy and forgiveness across the world, and this too, is an important aspect of the Year of Faith. If we believe in the love of God for us, shown through Christ and his Church, we cannot keep it to ourselves. We must share that immeasurable love with those around us, near and far.

Practical suggestions

So what can we do to deepen our faith? Or what can a parish do to answer Pope Benedict

XVI’s urgent call? The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued guidelines and pastoral ideas for the Year of Faith.

Catechesis

Learning what the Church believes through catechesis and teaching is emphasised, as is

fostering devotion to the Virgin Mary. You could do these things on your own or in your parish.

Learn about the saints

The Holy Spirit, working in the Church, has produced countless holy people who lived

out their faith in every time and place. If you want to know how to put the faith into practice and the joy that comes with that, spend time reading about the Saints. From St Paul to Blessed John Paul II and throughout the two millennia in between, the Saints’ lives are examples of what the Holy Father has called the “Power and beauty of the faith.” Make a commitment to finding out more about your favourite saint, or to discover a new one you have never met before, and pray to them to help you in your journey of faith.

What and when is the Year of Faith?

Pope Benedict XVI has called the Year of Faith as a special time in which Catholics are asked

to better know and spread the message of God’s love shown in Jesus to all the world. The special Year of Faith runs from 11th October 2012 until 24th November 2013, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King.

Why now?

The starting date of the Year of Faith has been chosen because it marks two very important anniversaries for the Church.

1. The 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council (11th October 1962 - 8th December 1965).

2. The 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (11th October, 1992)

The aims of the Year of Faith

Rediscovering Faith means rediscovering how much God loves us and preparing to respond to that love. But how can we achieve this? Our Faith journey begins at Baptism and lasts for our whole life. On that journey we can sometimes get a little lost or forget where we have come from or where we are going. The Church in this year, asks all the faithful to commit themselves once more to take up the journey that ultimately leads to heaven.

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