Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381)

The Nicene Creed — Credo in unum Deum

The Creed of the Sunday Mass

LatinEnglish

Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipoténtem,
factórem cæli et terræ,
visibílium ómnium et invisibílium.
Et in unum Dóminum Iesum Christum,
Fílium Dei unigénitum.
Et ex Patre natum ante ómnia sǽcula.
Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine, Deum verum de Deo vero,
génitum, non factum, consubstantiálem Patri:
per quem ómnia facta sunt.
Qui propter nos hómines et propter nostram salútem
descéndit de cælis.
Et incarnátus est de Spíritu Sancto
ex María Vírgine: et homo factus est.
Crucifíxus étiam pro nobis: sub Póntio Piláto
passus, et sepúltus est.
Et resurréxit tértia die, secúndum Scriptúras.
Et ascéndit in cælum: sedet ad déxteram Patris.
Et íterum ventúrus est cum glória,
iudicáre vivos et mórtuos:
cuius regni non erit finis.
Et in Spíritum Sanctum, Dóminum et vivificántem:
qui ex Patre Filióque procédit.
Qui cum Patre et Fílio simul adorátur et conglorificátur:
qui locútus est per prophétas.
Et unam, sanctam, cathólicam et apostólicam Ecclésiam.
Confíteor unum baptísma in remissiónem peccatórum.
Et exspécto resurrectiónem mortuórum.
Et vitam ventúri sǽculi.

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God;
begotten, not made; of one substance with the Father:
by whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven.
And became incarnate by the Holy Spirit
of the Virgin Mary: and was made man.
He was crucified also for us,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried.
And on the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father.
And he shall come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead;
of whose kingdom there shall be no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified:
who spoke by the prophets.
And one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
And I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

SourceCouncils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) · The Creed of the Sunday Mass

The history of this prayer

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was born at the first Ecumenical Council, at Nicaea in 325, to affirm against Arius that the Son is “of one substance with the Father” (consubstantial), true God of true God. The Council of Constantinople in 381 expanded the articles on the Holy Spirit, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 sanctioned the text as the profession of faith of the whole Church. In 2025 the Church marked the 1,700th anniversary of Nicaea.

In the West the words “and the Son” (Filioque) were added to the procession of the Holy Spirit, a use attested in Spain from the Council of Toledo (589). At Rome the Creed entered the Mass in 1014, under Pope Benedict VIII. Since then it has been sung or said on Sundays and solemnities after the homily.

At the words “and became incarnate… and was made man” all bow; on Christmas and the Annunciation they kneel. The Enchiridion of Indulgences grants a partial indulgence to those who devoutly recite it.

Frequently asked questions

Which Creed is said at Mass?

Normally the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (“I believe in one God”). The Missal allows the Apostles' Creed instead, especially in Lent and Eastertide.

What does “of one substance with the Father” mean?

That the Son has the same substance, the same divine nature, as the Father: He is God as the Father is, not a creature. It renders the Latin “consubstantialem Patri” and the Greek “homoousios” of Nicaea.

What is the Filioque?

The Latin phrase “and the Son”, added in the West to say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

More prayers: Every Catholic's prayers

← All the traditional prayers · Prayers and novenas

Schola Gregoriana · CC BY-SA