What are the precepts of the Church?
Answered on video by Ascension Presents
Video: The "Bare Minimum" for Catholics (The 5 Precepts of the Catholic Church w/ Br. Michelangelo), Ascension Presents, published May 6, 2024. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube
In short: The bare minimum for growing in love of God and neighbor. Think of it as the floor, not the ceiling. CCC 2041 CCC 2042 CCC 2043
The answer, in writing
The precepts guarantee the faithful “the indispensable minimum” in prayer and moral effort. CCC 2041
They are: Mass on Sundays and holy days, confession at least once a year, Communion at least in the Easter season, CCC 2042 keeping holy days, observing days of fasting and abstinence, and helping to provide for the Church’s needs. CCC 2043
They’re the floor, not the ceiling. Nobody becomes a saint by doing only the minimum, but everybody starts there.
Next step: Find a parish near you
Honestly? The best answers come from people, not websites. Take the next step: find a parish near you
Related questions
Sources on this page
How we know · 3 Catechism paragraphs
Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words and cites every teaching claim. Our own wording is not an official Church text. Found a mistake? Report an errorCorrections.