Why Do Catholics ...?

Why do Catholics celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the Church?

Pentecost is considered the birth of the Church because it is when the apostles began spreading the message of Christ, evangelizing to all people in all languages. The story of Pentecost, which the Church celebrates May 15, is in Acts 2.

“Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise,” as St. Basil wrote.

As the Catechism explains (731), “On the day of Pentecost, when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given and communicated as a divine Person: Of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance.”

Have you always wondered about some aspect of the faith or Church teaching? Or maybe you’d like to know some trivia about Pope Francis or the saints. If so, email us your question at editor@ewtn.com and look for the answer in an upcoming issue.

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