Praying the Nicene Creed
“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. . . . ” begins the Nicene Creed, which Catholics all over the world pray during Mass. It is prayed in hundreds and hundreds of different languages. Imagine that it is Sunday morning and you can hear beyond boundaries and borders: you can hear of all of the Mass goers praying this prayer. What do you hear? Maybe it is all chaos at first? Maybe as you listen the word-by-word dissonance fades to the background and you hear a common rhythm?
The sounds may add up to more cacophony than chorus, given the different languages. But the prayer’s meaning and structure, patterned after God’s triune nature, are the same throughout the world—making it a powerful symbol of unity among all who pray it.
The English word creed comes from the Latin credo, which means “I believe” or “I set my heart on.” Creeds, such as the Nicene Creed, help us express our faith, share it with others, and celebrate it in our community’s liturgies. When we voice our beliefs together with others, we say something about who we are, whom we belong to, and what kind of life we are trying to live.
Sometimes, however, we can repeat words without thinking and miss the significance of their meaning. A challenge for the world’s prayers of the Nicene Creed is to keep the words fresh and alive with meaning and to consider the implications for their lives.
Teaching the Nicene Creed to Youth
Interested in helping young people keep the Nicene Creed alive with meaning? Try this activity!
- Write each of the following sentence starters at the top of a sheet of newsprint or poster board:
• I set my heart on God the Father. By that I mean . . .
• I set my heart on Jesus. By that I mean . . .
• I set my heart on the Holy Spirit. By that I mean . . . - Arrange to display the Nicene Creed digitally or provide access to print copies of the Nicene Creed. (Note: The creed can be printed or downloaded here.)
- Divide the young people into three, six, or nine small groups. Give each group a sentence starter (give one-third of the groups the first one and so on) and point out the section of the Nicene Creed that focuses on that person of the Trinity.
- Instruct each group to record its ways of completing the sentences and to add any symbols or images that help convey the meaning of the statement.
- Invite everyone to join in saying the Nicene Creed together, pausing mid-prayer to hear the “God the Father,” “Jesus,” and “Holy Spirit” group(s) share their reflections. (Note: Pause after “. . . visible and invisible” for the first group, after “. . . have no end” for the second group, and after “. . . through the prophets” for the third group.)
- Comment that the one, holy, and apostolic Church, that the creed refers to near the end, reaches across the globe. Remind everyone the creed is both a profession of faith and a symbol of unity. Invite them, next time they pray the creed at Mass, to imagine all the people throughout the world who also pray the creed at Mass—to imagine being connected to all of them and to God.
Newly Revised: The Catholic Youth Prayer Book
Check out The Catholic Youth Prayer Book which provides many prayers and ways to help young people keep the words they pray fresh and alive with meaning!
