Catholic beliefs

What the Church teaches about Mary, purgatory, sin, indulgences and the saints, with the sources behind each answer.

• Do Catholics worship Mary?
  No. Catholics adore God alone and honor Mary as the mother of Jesus. What the Catechism says about veneration, praying to Mary, statues and the one mediator.
• What is the Immaculate Conception?
  The Immaculate Conception means Mary was kept free of original sin from her first moment. What the 1854 dogma says, where it comes from, and the December 8 feast.
• What is purgatory?
  Purgatory is the final purification of those who die in God's friendship but are not yet fully holy. What the Church teaches, where it is in Scripture, and how the living can help.
• What is Mortal Sin?
  Mortal sin needs grave matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent. Examples of each, how it differs from venial sin, and how it is forgiven.
• What is an indulgence?
  An indulgence remits the temporal punishment that remains after sin is forgiven. What that means, plenary and partial indulgences, the usual conditions, indulgences for the dead, and the history.
• What is the communion of saints?
  The communion of saints is the whole Church, on earth, in purgatory and in heaven, sharing one life in Christ. What the Creed means by it, where it is in Scripture, how the saints help us, how we help the dead, and why none of it takes away from Christ.
• What is a sacramental?
  A sacramental is a sacred sign instituted by the Church, such as a blessing, holy water, a rosary or a medal. How sacramentals differ from the sacraments, how they work, who can bless, and where superstition begins.
• How does someone become a saint?
  How the Catholic Church declares someone a saint: the five-year wait, Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed, the miracles and the canonization itself, with what the Catechism says about holiness.
• How do you choose a patron saint?
  A patron saint is a saint in heaven you take as a model and ask to pray for you. What the Church teaches about the saints' intercession, and how to choose yours for Baptism, Confirmation or daily life.

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