Proud to Be Catholic? - Visors, T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers and More

Catholic doctrine holds that the Church is made of up three groups of people. There is the Church Triumphant, which are the people who have died in a state of sanctifying grace, and have gone to Heaven. Then, there is the Church Suffering. These are the souls in Purgatory, waiting to get to Heaven some day.

The people in Purgatory, Catholics believe, are very dear to God, because they have followed His Commandments and are destined for Heaven. However, they must undergo a bit of purification before going there.

Catholics pray for the souls in purgatory, that they can get to their destination quickly.

Here on earth, we are still fighting for the faith, sometimes along with trials and persecutions. We are also assailed by doubts, fears and temptations. That's why we're referred to as the Church Militant.

The Catholic Church was founded by Christ in the year 33 AD. Saint Peter the Apostle was our first Pope. Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican is named after him. He was crucified there, upside down, in the year 64 AD.

What we now know as the Bible was compiled by Catholic Church leaders in the fourth century during the Council of Hippo and the Council of Carthage.

The Catholic faith is based on three things - Biblical teaching, oral tradition and the Magisterium, which is the deposit of faith as it's been practiced over the course of the last 2,000 years. The oral tradition was handed on by Jesus to his Apostles, who spent three years with him.

Pope Francis is number 266 in an unbroken chain of pontiffs that have led the Church.

Saints are people who lived good lives on earth and now enjoy eternity with God, according to Catholic doctrine. Although we don't worship them, we ask them to pray for us, much as we ask our friends here on earth to do the same. Since the saints are now with God, and very dear to Him, we have an excellent chance of having our prayers heard.

Some of the best-known saints are Saint Anthony, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Therese the Little Flower.

Catholics show great respect for the Mother of God, as she was chosen to bear the Son of Man and witness his Passion, as she stood at the Foot of the Cross.

One common misconception is that we worship Mary. This is not true. We simply have a warm relationship with her, because she agreed to take on a great sacrifice when she gave her consent to the Angel Gabriel.

We also believe prayers to Our Lady are especially efficacious, because it would be hard for Christ to refuse a prayer request given from His Mother.

That is why you'll often hear a Catholic say, Holy Mother, pray for us."

Saint Therese, or "The Little Flower," as she is often called, is one of the most popular modern saints. She died in 1897 after suffering from tuberculosis when she was only 24. She became known outside of her cloistered convent because she wrote an autobiography before she died.

She is often associated with roses, because, during her final illness, she said, "I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth, I will let fall a shower of roses."

People who ask her help in their pressing needs or request her intercession, often receive a rose in some form when this prayer is heard.