Use of the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed in the Mass?

[“Paisios”]

Forgive my ignorance. I know that the Catholic Church recognizes and affirms both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed (with the Filioque), but can someone explain how the Roman Catholic Church uses these two different Creeds in the Mass? Is one or the other recited in the Mass? Are they used interchangeably, or is each one used at different times of the liturgical year or for particular services? Are they both given equal respect or is one valued more highly than the other?

(And a related question: is the Athanasian Creed recognized and accepted by the RCC, and if so, when and how is it used?)

Thank you in advance for any replies in my attempts to better understand the RCC.

 

[concretecamper]

Forgive my ignorance. I know that the Catholic Church recognizes and affirms both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed (with the Filioque), but can someone explain how the Roman Catholic Church uses these two different Creeds in the Mass? Is one or the other recited in the Mass? Are they used interchangeably, or is each one used at different times of the liturgical year or for particular services? Are they both given equal respect or is one valued more highly than the other?

(And a related question: is the Athanasian Creed recognized and accepted by the RCC, and if so, when and how is it used?)

Thank you in advance for any replies in my attempts to better understand the RCC.

My experience is that the Nicene Creed is most commonly used at Mass. I have been to some parishes that use the Apostles Creed. They can be used interchangeably.

 

[“Paisios”]

My experience is that the Nicene Creed is most commonly used at Mass. I have been to some parishes that use the Apostles Creed. They can be used interchangeably.

Thank you.

 

[dailyprayerwarrior]

Great question. I am interested in someone giving an answer.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Forgive my ignorance. I know that the Catholic Church recognizes and affirms both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed (with the Filioque), but can someone explain how the Roman Catholic Church uses these two different Creeds in the Mass? Is one or the other recited in the Mass? Are they used interchangeably, or is each one used at different times of the liturgical year or for particular services? Are they both given equal respect or is one valued more highly than the other?

(And a related question: is the Athanasian Creed recognized and accepted by the RCC, and if so, when and how is it used?)

Thank you in advance for any replies in my attempts to better understand the RCC.

The Nicene Creed is the most common. Masses with lots of children can have the Apostles Creed. The Athanasian Creed is one of the big three in the Catholic Church but is rarely recited at Mass. I remember it once for sure and I think it was Trinity Sunday. My father taught me the Apostles Creed. I didn't even know of the Athanasian Creed for the longest time.

 

[“Paisios”]

The Nicene Creed is the most common. Masses with lots of children can have the Apostles Creed. The Athanasian Creed is one of the big three in the Catholic Church but is rarely recited at Mass. I remember it once for sure and I think it was Trinity Sunday. My father taught me the Apostles Creed. I didn't even know of the Athanasian Creed for the longest time.

Thank you.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Thank you.

It was a pleasure to help.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

It was always the Apostles creed growing up. We had to learn it by memory. It was recited at every mass.

 

[“Paisios”]

It was always the Apostles creed growing up. We had to learn it by memory. It was recited at every mass.

Thank you.

 

[Bob Crowley]

As a convert to Catholicism from the Protestant Church, where creeds were never recited (Presbyterian) , I had to do a bit of reading to find out what they were about.

I don't know why, but the parish I go to has nearly always recited the Apostles Creed, rather than the Nicene Creed.

I suppose the three "biggies" (Apostles, Nicene and Athanasian) all say the same thing in the end. The Nicene Creed has a bit more majesty about it, and makes a point of emphasising Christ's divinity.

Since it was one of the tools devised to combat Arianism, then that stands to reason.

 

[Bob Crowley]

There's a Catholic link here which gives a bit of background on why and how the Creeds developed.

Origins Of The Creed

In case any readers don't know the creeds, the words for the Nicene and Apostles Creeds are given here. The Apostles Creed goes back a long way as a succinct statement of Christian faith, probably the 1st or 2nd Century AD, long before we had "Bibles", whereas the Nicene Creed came out of the first Council of Nicea in 325 AD as a formal response to the heresy of Arianism.

As the very first Christian emperor, Constantine had the unenviable job of convening a church council to deal with a divisive heresy, for those who want to maintain the fiction it all went wrong when Christianity was established as the official state religion. The heresy gained a lot of momentum when the church didn't have official recognition.

Or as my old Presbyterian pastor said, "What's the use of having a church if you don't give it any authority?"

The Nicene and Apostles' Creeds

Finally there's another link here giving the Athanasian creed. I haven't heard it used once during mass in about 22 years or so as a Catholic, and was unaware of it till another contributor mentioned it. The author comments that it is very rarely used in the liturgy, which I assume would be due to it's length. It bears the name of Saint Athanasius, who was one of those who opposed Arius. He is mentioned in the first link, but it is not believed he was the originator.

Athanasian Creed

 

[“Paisios”]

There's a Catholic link here which gives a bit of background on why and how the Creeds developed.

Origins Of The Creed

In case any readers don't know the creeds, the words for the Nicene and Apostles Creeds are given here. The Apostles Creed goes back a long way as a succinct statement of Christian faith, probably the 1st or 2nd Century AD, long before we had "Bibles", whereas the Nicene Creed came out of the first Council of Nicea in 325 AD as a formal response to the heresy of Arianism.

As the very first Christian emperor, Constantine had the unenviable job of convening a church council to deal with a divisive heresy, for those who want to maintain the fiction it all went wrong when Christianity was established as the official state religion. The heresy gained a lot of momentum when the church didn't have official recognition.

Or as my old Presbyterian pastor said, "What's the use of having a church if you don't give it any authority?"

The Nicene and Apostles' Creeds

Finally there's another link here giving the Athanasian creed. I haven't heard it used once during mass in about 22 years or so as a Catholic, and was unaware of it till another contributor mentioned it. The author comments that it is very rarely used in the liturgy, which I assume would be due to it's length. It bears the name of Saint Athanasius, who was one of those who opposed Arius. He is mentioned in the first link, but it is not believed he was the originator.

Athanasian Creed

As a convert to Catholicism from the Protestant Church, where creeds were never recited (Presbyterian) , I had to do a bit of reading to find out what they were about.

I don't know why, but the parish I go to has nearly always recited the Apostles Creed, rather than the Nicene Creed.

I suppose the three "biggies" (Apostles, Nicene and Athanasian) all say the same thing in the end. The Nicene Creed has a bit more majesty about it, and makes a point of emphasising Christ's divinity.

Since it was one of the tools devised to combat Arianism, then that stands to reason.

Thank you. Quite informative.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Forgive my ignorance. I know that the Catholic Church recognizes and affirms both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed (with the Filioque), but can someone explain how the Roman Catholic Church uses these two different Creeds in the Mass? Is one or the other recited in the Mass? Are they used interchangeably, or is each one used at different times of the liturgical year or for particular services? Are they both given equal respect or is one valued more highly than the other?

(And a related question: is the Athanasian Creed recognized and accepted by the RCC, and if so, when and how is it used?)

Thank you in advance for any replies in my attempts to better understand the RCC.

I've only seen the Apostles Creed used on rare occasion but it can be and is available in the missal should it be selected. Typically, however, the Nicene Creed is professed before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I think in the past four years or so I've heard the Apostles Creed used fewer than five times, and I wasn't expecting it either. I have the Nicene Creed memorized, but I fumble sometimes with the Apostles Creed.

It always feels more terse to recite it than the Nicene Creed, for some reason.

 

[“Paisios”]

I've only seen the Apostles Creed used on rare occasion but it can be and is available in the missal should it be selected. Typically, however, the Nicene Creed is professed before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I think in the past four years or so I've heard the Apostles Creed used fewer than five times, and I wasn't expecting it either. I have the Nicene Creed memorized, but I fumble sometimes with the Apostles Creed.

It always feels more terse to recite it than the Nicene Creed, for some reason.

Thank you.

I am more comfortable with the Nicene Creed myself. The Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy only uses it (without the Filioque), and it seems that other denominations to which I previously belonged use it as the primary Creed.

Some time ago, I read Fr. Hans Urs Von Balthasar’s book on the Apostles’ Creed, Credo, which I found quite interesting.

Thank you all for your replies. I appreciate all your patience with me, and I find it profitable to try to understand others’ beliefs, even when we have differences.