“For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice” (John 18:37).

I want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth …. 

You owe it to yourself to learn all about Christ’s life and teaching and what the Church believes. The goal is exposure to the entire content of the faith—not just a few things sprinkled willy-nilly. It ultimately boils down to truth, and truth matters!

The Catholic Online School RCIA program is carefully designed to provide you with a systematic, comprehensive education in the divine faith of the Church. The goal is to make you “of the truth” by exposing you to the voice of Christ.

We begin with “The Creed: The Divine Faith We Profess and Believe.”

The Creed—the faith we profess as Christians—is the first of the four main pillars of the faith we’ll be exploring. Here are some of the topics you’ll learn about in this section:

  • The longing for God and why happiness is found in God alone
  • Creation, the human person, reason, and the Church as paths to knowledge of God
  • God’s plan to share his blessed life with you
  • Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the saving Gospel
  • The gift of faith and living as a Christian
  • The mystery of God, the Holy Trinity, and creation
  • Man and woman, original sin, angels, and the devil
  • God sends his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world
  • The saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
  • The Holy Spirit
  • The mystery of the Church
  • The Christian faithful of the Church: hierarchy, religious, and laity
  • The communion of the saints and praying to the saints
  • The Virgin Mary, Mother of God
  • Life everlasting: death, judgement, purgatory, heaven, and hell
  • The resurrection of the dead
  • The new heaven and the new earth


From all of us at Catholic Online School: May Christ bless you on your journey of faith.

“The Creed: The Divine Faith We Profess and Believe" is broken up into 8 different chapters. 

In this course, students will work through Chapter 8.

Students will cover - 

  • Course 19 - Life Everlasting
  • Course 20 - The Resurrection of the Dead


Earning a certificate of completion in this online course is not a substitute for completing a parish-based RCIA program. The Sacraments of Initiation can only be conferred by a bishop or priest. This certificate means you have successfully completed a course of study that is intended to supplement your parish RCIA program.

For free. For everyone. Forever.

With God, you can learn anything

Course curriculum

  • 01

    Introduction - RCIA - For Students - The Creed - Chapter 8 with 'Certificate of Completion'

    • How to get your 'Certificate of Completion'
  • 02

    The Creed - Course 19 - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • INTRODUCTION - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • LESSON PLAN / STUDY GUIDE - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • OPENING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • SCRIPTURE READING - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • VIDEO - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • CLOSING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • CATECHISM TEXT, RESOURCES, AND GLOSSARY - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • QUIZ - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 1 - Death and the Particular Judgment

    • Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers
  • 03

    The Creed - Course 19 - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • INTRODUCTION - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • LESSON PLAN / STUDY GUIDE - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • OPENING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • SCRIPTURE READING - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • VIDEO - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • CLOSING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • CATECHISM TEXT, RESOURCES, AND GLOSSARY - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • QUIZ - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 2 - Purgatory

    • Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers
  • 04

    The Creed - Course 19 - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • INTRODUCTION - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • LESSON PLAN / STUDY GUIDE - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • OPENING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • SCRIPTURE READING - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • VIDEO - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • CLOSING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • CATECHISM TEXT, RESOURCES, AND GLOSSARY - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • QUIZ - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 3 - Heaven

    • Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers
  • 05

    The Creed - Course 19 - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • INTRODUCTION - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • LESSON PLAN / STUDY GUIDE - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • OPENING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • SCRIPTURE READING - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • VIDEO - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • CLOSING PRAYER - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • CATECHISM TEXT, RESOURCES, AND GLOSSARY - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • QUIZ - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS - Life Everlasting - Lesson 4 - Hell

    • Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers
  • 06

    The Creed - Course 20 - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • INTRODUCTION - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • LESSON PLAN / STUDY GUIDE - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • OPENING PRAYER - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • SCRIPTURE READING - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • VIDEO - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • CLOSING PRAYER - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • CATECHISM TEXT, RESOURCES, AND GLOSSARY - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • QUIZ - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 1 - The Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment

    • Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers
  • 07

    The Creed - Course 20 - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • INTRODUCTION - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • LESSON PLAN / STUDY GUIDE - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • OPENING PRAYER - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • SCRIPTURE READING - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • VIDEO - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • CLOSING PRAYER - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • CATECHISM TEXT, RESOURCES, AND GLOSSARY - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • QUIZ - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE READINGS - The Resurrection of the Dead - Lesson 2 - New Heaven and New Earth

    • Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers

Reviews; See what others are saying about this course

Paul Aung Moe Thein

5 star rating

“Best course I have ever taken, Deacon Bartels is wonderful at explaining. ”

“Best course I have ever taken, Deacon Bartels is wonderful at explaining. ”

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Ian Paris

5 star rating

“Amazing studies, positively loved it! God bless.”

“Amazing studies, positively loved it! God bless.”

→Read Less

Instructor(s)

Instructor Bio:

Deacon Frederick Bartels is a member of the Catholic clergy who serves the Church in the diocese of Pueblo, CO. He received an MA in Theology and Educational Ministry from Catholic Distance University, where he is currently employed as an adjunct professor of theology. He is founder and editor of Joy In Truth (joyintruth.com), an online magazine dedicated to the New Evangelization. As a Catholic educator, public speaker and evangelist, Deacon Bartels strives to infuse culture with the saving principles of the gospel. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Shelly, and the youngest two of their six children. Professor Bartels is Chairman of the Theology Department.

Deacon Frederick Bartels

Professor of Theology, Department Chair