Taken by all Priests at Ordination

I, N..., believe and profess with firm faith each and every truth which is contained in the Symbol of Faith [the Nicene Creed] of which the Holy Roman Church makes use, namely:

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, being 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 was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary: and was made Man. He was crucified also for us: suffered under Pontius Pilate, died, and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures. And He ascended into heaven: He sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead: of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, 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 in 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.

I resolutely accept and embrace the traditions of the Apostles and all other traditions of the Church and all its observances and regulations. Likewise, I accept the Sacred Scriptures in that very sense in which Holy Mother Church, whose right it is to declare their true sense and meaning, has held them and holds them now; nor will I ever accept or interpret them in a way contrary to the unanimous agreement of the Fathers [of the Church].

Further, I profess that there are seven true and proper Sacraments of the New Law, each instituted by Jesus Christ Our Lord for the salvation of the human race (although all of them are not necessary for everyone), namely, Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, [Holy] Orders, and Matrimony; that these confer grace and that, of these, Baptism, Confirmation and [Holy] Orders cannot be received a second time without sacrilege. Also, I accept and adhere to the rites of solemn administration of the aforementioned Sacraments according as they have been accepted and approved by the Catholic Church. I embrace and accept each and every tenet concerning Original Sin and Justification which was defined and declared by the Sacred Council of Trent. I likewise affirm that in the Mass there is offered to God a true, worthy, and expiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead; and that the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, together with His Soul and Divinity, are really and substantially present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, and that there occurs a change of the total substance of the bread into His Body and of the total substance of the wine into His Blood, which change the Catholic Church calls Transubstantiation. I confess also that Christ, whole and entire, and the true Sacrament are received under either species.

I firmly hold that there is a Purgatory and that the souls detained there are helped through the prayers of the faithful; similarly, that the saints who reign with Christ are to be venerated and invoked and that they offer their prayers to God for us and, that their relics should be venerated. I firmly assert that images of Christ and of the Mother of God ever Virgin, as well as of the other saints, should be possessed and retained and that they should be shown due honor and veneration. Also I affirm that Christ left the power to grant indulgences to the Church and that these are most useful for the salvation of the Christian people. I acknowledge the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church to be the Mother and Teacher of all Churches, and I vow and swear true obedience to the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Jesus Christ and the Successor of Blessed Peter, the Prince of the Apostles.

Moreover, I maintain and profess, without doubting, all the other teachings handed down, defined, and declared in the Sacred Canons by the Ecumenical Councils, especially by the Most Holy Council of Trent and by the [First] Ecumenical Vatican Council, particularly that of the Primacy and Infallible Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff; and at the same time I condemn, reject, and anathematize all opinions to the contrary and all heresies whatever which the Church condemns, rejects, and anathematizes.

I, N..., promise, vow, and swear that, with God’s help, I shall most constantly hold and profess this true Catholic faith, outside which no one can be saved and which I now freely profess and truly hold. With the help of God, I shall profess it whole and unblemished to my dying breath; and, to the best of my ability, I shall see to it that my subjects and those entrusted to me by virtue of my office hold it, teach it, and preach it. So help me God and His holy Gospels.