Large Print Apostles' Creed: Free Printable PDF

The Apostles' Creed in large print: words and download

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified,
dead and buried.

He descended into Hell,
The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into Heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost,
The holy Catholick Church,
The Communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting.

Amen.

Words: Book of Common Prayer wording (English 1662 text as printed in the Protestant Episcopal Church edition of 1892); old spellings modernised (Jesus, under, Communion, Church, crucified). Public domain in the United States: Book of Common Prayer text of 1662, printed 1892 (public domain, US and UK).

Download PDF: The Apostles' Creed

The words above are set the way this site sets every text: left aligned, one column, plain type with no italics, and a blank line between stanzas. The text is listed with the other short readings on the large print prayers and hymns page, and you can print it on its own here.

Where does the Apostles' Creed come from?

The creed is a statement of faith in three parts, about God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Wikipedia says the name is first found around the year 390, in a letter from a synod at Milan. It most likely grew out of an older Roman creed, and it has been used in the Latin liturgical rites since the eighth century. A story that each of the twelve apostles contributed one article was already current by then.

Our sheet uses the English wording of the Book of Common Prayer, the 1662 text as printed for the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1892. We modernized a few old spellings, and the file header records which. Churches vary in the wording of some clauses, so check the sheet against the one your congregation says.

How is the Apostles' Creed used in worship?

Wikipedia says the creed is used in the baptism rites of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, where the candidate and the congregation answer questions taken from it. It is also said in regular services. Since the 2002 edition, the Roman Missal has allowed it in place of the Nicene Creed, especially in Lent and Easter.

At a bedside or in a care home, it is most often said by a group that already knows it, as part of a short service of prayer. Because the lines are steady and rhythmic, a printed copy helps people who know the words but can no longer see them on a small hymnal page. It sits well with the large print Lord's Prayer in a single folder.

How do I print the Apostles' Creed in large print?

Choose a size and paper and press the download button under the creed. The creed is twenty-one lines in seven stanzas. Set in one column with a blank line between stanzas, the creed is easy to follow with a finger. In our layout tests on US Letter paper it takes 2 pages at 18 point, 2 at 24 point and 2 at 28 point, and 1 page on 11 x 17 paper at 24 point.

Print one copy for each person who will say it, since sharing a sheet makes the group read at the pace of the person holding it. Cream paper, matte finish and plain type are what the guidance on what large print is recommends. The large print prayers and hymns page lists the rest of the short readings.

The other short readings in the same layout are The Lord's Prayer, Psalm 23, The Doxology and The Hail Mary.