the Blessed Virgin, we have the Litany of
the Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament, the Litany
of the Sacred Heart, the Litany of St. Joseph, and many others--all made
up in the same form. We have also the Litany of all the Saints, in which
we beg the help and prayers of the different classes of saints--the
Apostles, martyrs, virgins, etc.

THE APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day
He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the
right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to
judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy
Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

A creed is a definite list or summary of all the things one believes.
The "Apostles' Creed" is therefore a list or collection of all the
truths the Apostles believed. The "Apostles" were the twelve men that
Our Lord selected to be His first bishops. We know they were bishops
because they could ordain priests and consecrate other bishops. They
lived with Our Lord like a little family during the three and a half
years of His public life; they went with Him and learned from Him
wherever He preached. Besides these He had also His disciples, i.e.,
followers who went with Him frequently but did not live with Him. Our
Lord wished His doctrine to be taught to all the people of the world,
and so He told His Apostles that they must go over the whole world and
preach in every country. During the life of Our Lord and for a short
time after His death they preached in only one country, viz.,
Palestine--now called the Holy Land--in which country the Jews, up to
that time God's chosen people, lived. Since the Apostles were to preach
to all nations, the time came when they must separate, one going to one
country, and another to another. In those days there were no steamboats
or railroads, no post offices, telegraph offices, telephones, or
newspapers. If the Apostles wished to communicate with anyone they had
either to go to the place themselves or send a messenger. By walking or
riding it might have taken them months or years in those days to make a