The precepts of the Church are five basic duties that every Catholic is asked to keep: going to Mass on Sundays and holy days, confessing at least once a year, receiving Communion at Easter time, fasting and abstaining on the appointed days, and helping to provide for the Church’s needs. The Catechism calls them “the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor” (CCC 2041). Below is each precept explained, how they differ from the Ten Commandments, and the older list of six “commandments of the Church.”
The five precepts of the Church
| Precept | In short |
|---|---|
| 1. Attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, and rest from unnecessary work | Keep the Lord’s Day holy |
| 2. Confess your sins at least once a year | Go to confession |
| 3. Receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter season | The “Easter duty” |
| 4. Observe the days of fasting and abstinence | Do penance with the whole Church |
| 5. Help provide for the needs of the Church | Support your parish and the Church’s mission |
1. Sunday Mass and holy days
Catholics are bound to take part in Mass on every Sunday (or on Saturday evening) and on the holy days of obligation, and to avoid work or business that hinders the worship of God and the joy and rest of the Lord’s Day. Those who deliberately miss Mass without a serious reason, such as illness or caring for infants, commit a grave sin (CCC 2181). See holy days of obligation.
2. Confession at least once a year
Every Catholic who has reached the age of reason must confess serious sins at least once a year. Of course, the Church encourages much more frequent confession, and anyone conscious of a mortal sin should go before receiving Communion. See how to go to confession.
3. Communion during the Easter season
Every Catholic who has made First Communion must receive the Eucharist at least once a year, during the Easter season. In the United States the “Easter duty” may be fulfilled from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday. See who can receive Communion.
4. Fasting and abstinence
The Church asks all the faithful to do penance together on certain days:
- Fasting (one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, for those from age 18 to 59.
- Abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent, for those age 14 and older.
- Every Friday of the year is a day of penance; in the United States, abstaining from meat on Fridays outside Lent may be replaced by another act of penance or charity.
The sick, pregnant women and others with serious reasons are excused. See Lent and Ash Wednesday.
5. Supporting the Church
The faithful are obliged to help with the material needs of the Church, each according to their means: supporting the parish, the clergy, the Church’s works of charity and its missions. This can be done with money, time and talents.
The older “six commandments of the Church”
Older catechisms listed six “commandments of the Church,” including a precept about marriage. The Baltimore Catechism (1885) gave them this way:
1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation.
2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
3. To confess at least once a year.
4. To receive the Holy Eucharist during the Easter time.
5. To contribute to the support of our pastors.
6. Not to marry persons who are not Catholics, or who are related to us within the third degree of kindred, nor privately without witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage at forbidden times.
Some details have changed since then: the rules on fasting and on marriage were revised in the 1917 and 1983 Codes of Canon Law. The US bishops’ lists have also included the duty to join in the missionary spirit and work of the Church.
Precepts and the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are God’s moral law, binding on everyone. The precepts of the Church are positive laws made by the Church’s authority to help Catholics live the commandments, especially the third commandment (“Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day”), within the life of the Church. See the Ten Commandments.
Frequently asked questions
How many precepts of the Church are there?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists five (CCC 2042–2043). Older catechisms, like the Baltimore Catechism, listed six.
Is it a sin to break a precept of the Church?
Yes. The precepts bind in conscience. Deliberately missing Sunday Mass without a serious reason, for example, is a grave sin. Ignorance or a real inability lessens or removes the guilt.
What is the Easter duty?
The precept to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season, after a good confession if one is needed.
More Catholic basics
- The Ten Commandments
- The seven sacraments
- Holy days of obligation
- How to go to confession
- The works of mercy
- Mortal and venial sin
Texts and sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 2041–2043, 2181.
- Code of Canon Law, canons 920, 989, 1247–1253; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, norms on fasting and abstinence.
- The six commandments of the Church: Baltimore Catechism No. 1 (1885), Q. 389, public domain (Project Gutenberg).