St. Ignatius of Antioch: The Man Who First Called Our Faith “Catholic”

October 17, 2025: Have you ever paused after saying the Creed and wondered where did the word “Catholic” actually come from? We hear it every Sunday: “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” But that word didn’t start in a church council or a catechism. It came from the heart of a man in chains, a saint on his way to martyrdom — St. Ignatius of Antioch.

A Bishop in Chains

It was around 107 AD when Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and disciple of St. John the Apostle, was arrested by Roman authorities for refusing to worship their idols. For the Empire, refusing Caesar’s gods was rebellion. For Ignatius, it was fidelity — a love too deep to betray.

As he was taken under guard from Antioch to Rome, he wrote seven letters to Christian communities along the way. Imagine that: a man heading toward certain death, yet his pen filled with joy, unity, and encouragement. He didn’t write about escape or fear. He wrote about love, love for Christ, love for the Church, love for the believers who would carry the Gospel forward long after him.

The Word that Changed Everything

In one of these letters, to the Christians in Smyrna, Ignatius wrote the line that would echo through the centuries: “Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”

The original Greek word he used was 'katholikós" — meaning “universal,” “whole,” or “complete.” To him, it wasn’t a label or an institution. It was a living reality. The Church was “catholic” because it embraced everyone, everywhere — one faith united in Christ.

Ignatius saw the Church as a single body held together not by walls or empires, but by the Eucharist, by love, and by the Holy Spirit. To be “Catholic,” in his eyes, was to belong to something greater than ourselves — a universal communion of hearts joined to the same Christ.

A Word Born from Witness

What makes Ignatius’ story so moving is that he didn’t write from comfort but captivity. He knew lions awaited him in the Roman arena, and still he spoke of joy. He longed to be so united with Christ that even death would become a doorway to glory.

Nearly 2,000 years later, when you and I profess the Creed, we echo that same faith. We’re not just repeating a line — we’re carrying forward his testimony. Every time we say “I believe in the Catholic Church,” we affirm that we belong to the same universal faith Ignatius gave his life to name.

So the next time you pray those words at Mass, remember him — a bishop in chains, a disciple in love, a saint whose courage gave the Church its name. He didn’t invent a word; he revealed a truth that still burns bright: Wherever Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.

By Catholic Connect Reporter