This 2025 Jubilee Year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, which developed the Creed. To mark the occasion, the Archdiocese of Edmonton has launched “I Believe,” a catechesis series in partnership with St. Joseph’s College (University of Alberta) and Newman Theological College.
The “I Believe” series, livestreamed on the Archdiocese YouTube page, stems from the Archdiocese’s Pastoral Priorities focusing on three aspects of formation. One of the priorities is the formation of confident witnesses to the faith.
Dr. Darren Dahl’s presentation is the sixth in the seven-part Nicene Creed Series and will focus on the proposition from the Creed: “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.”
Scripture Proclamation: John 17
What is your interest in this topic? How does it align with your study interests?
Having worked as an ecumenist for a number of years, my interest in the Church is not only academic but very practical. How do we speak of the unity, identity, and commission of the Church in a world of many churches and, indeed, many different religions? The subject matter also aligns with my current research interests – which are dedicated to a study of the doctrine of revelation – insofar as the Church is called into being precisely as God manifests Himself in Christ through the Spirit. In that sense, the Church is a uniquely theological reality (as well as a sociological one) or, as the Creed puts it, the Church is something in which we ‘believe’.
What are the main points you expect to cover?
The Creed identifies the Church according to four ‘marks’ – one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. I will explore the meaning of these four terms and how they hang together according to a specific logic. This logic, in turn, will allow me to make some basic connections with what the Catechism says about the Church in Article 9, 1-3.
What do you hope people takeaway from your presentation?
Given the way our underlying societal assumptions are informed by a logic of consumerism, it is tempting to see the Church as merely a life-style enclave, a place where we have met our ‘spiritual needs’ in a friendly social environment. By reflecting on the theological reality of the Church in dialogue with the Nicene Creed, I hope participants will discover a deeper level of reflection on the nature, identity, and commission of the Church.
In what ways will your presentation help to form Catholics as Confident Witnesses for their faith?
By attaining the deeper level of reflection to which I referred above, Catholics will be empowered to be confident witnesses of their faith by understanding more thoroughly and rigorously the nature of the Church, its connection to the identity of Christ and the Holy Spirit and, ultimately, its place in the Triune revelation of God.
Why is the Creed important today?
The Nicene Creed is important today because it continues to determine orthodox belief in the Church. This is so not only within the Roman Catholic Church but, also, among our brothers and sisters in the other churches where the Creed remains a crucial benchmark for ecumenical dialogue. While its language and concepts require historical understanding, the theo-logic to which the Creed attests represents the true and living witness of the Gospel.
Watch the I Believe Series from the beginning
About Dr. Darren Dahl:
Dr. Darren Dahl serves as the 15th president of Newman Theological College. He has held teaching and leadership roles at Briercrest College, St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, and the Lutheran Theological Seminary. His work spans the disciplines of philosophy, theology, religious studies, and classics, with a particular focus on Catholic thought, phenomenology, and ecumenical dialogue. Dr. Dahl and his wife Kate O’Gorman have one adult son.
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