A People's Catholic Faith

1.) We believe in the Holy Trinity, trusting in One Living God who is Father and Mother of us all,
known by many names who is the Creator of that which is known and unknown. We recognize
God’s presence in any religion that expresses love for all mankind and all creation. We fully
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and the deliverer of God’s message of
love, healing, reconciliation, transformation, peace and justice. We believe in the presence of
the Holy Spirit as the dynamic action of the Creator, present in and the deliverer of all life and
wisdom in every living creation.

2.) We are catholic by our firm belief in the gift of God’s grace through acceptance into God’s
family in Baptism by water and the fulfillment of salvation through the Holy Eucharist.

3.) We acknowledge that the Living God can be revealed through Holy Scripture, human
reason, life experience, nature and all other forms of creative expression.

4.) We celebrate and acknowledge the grace of those sacraments developed in the later years,
specifically confirmation, reconciliation, holy orders, matrimony and anointing of the sick. We
particularly affirm that confirmation is acceptance of the Holy Spirit into our heart and soul.

5.) We thank God for giving all people the right to the ministry and empowering each person
with the ability to directly experience God’s reconciliation, love and justice without any human
intermediary or impediment.

6.) We believe that this communion of faith shall be without formal hierarchy other than that
which is necessary for management and representation. All ministers whether lay or duly
ordained are servants of Jesus Christ and the people. Pastors and ministers must be ordained
by an acknowledged church who itself professes basic Christian beliefs. More importantly,
they must  constantly emulate the love and compassion that has been taught by Jesus Christ,
the greatest teacher.

7.) We encourage public and private prayers, but the Holy Eucharist is a shared and public
experience as we believe in the words of Jesus “wherever two or more are gathered in my
Name, there in the midst
am I”.

8.) We believe in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the true body and blood of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that no single person has the sole designation as Christ’s
representative. Each person confirmed through the Holy Spirit has the ability in communion
with an ordained minister to consecrate the Holy Eucharist.

9.) We affirm the equality of every person in life, faith, sacrament and service, regardless of
ability, sexual preference or gender, appearance, culture, vocation or theological opinion.

10.) We recognize our path is the path of following Jesus, not Paul, not Peter, nor some
hierarchy or institution, but Jesus Christ who presented to us the essence of God’s real law: “’
Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your
mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

11.) We firmly acknowledge the Gospel written by our patroness St. Mary Magdalen who
became the most loved disciple of Our Lord Jesus. By His love and forgiveness for Mary we
believe that all women are to be worthily included in the ministry of Christ along with men. As it
is written in Mary’s gospel, “He commanded us, and preach the gospel, not laying down any
other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.”
Counter
St. Mary Magdalen
Catholic Mission
Statement of Beliefs