Our Story

The initial idea for Credo was planted in 2016 in a local Catholic Young Adult Group, Flock15, at Jesus, Our Risen Savior Catholic Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was only briefly mentioned that the group could build on its success at a local level and expand it to a much broader base across the United States. The founder of Credo, Chris (me), was a member of the Core Team at the time.

Fast forward to March 2020, the world was in the midst of the novel COVID-19 pandemic that literally took the world by storm and changed numerous lives. Given how contagious the virus is, social distancing and shelter-in-place orders were enacted across the United States, which instantly forced churches and places of worship to close their doors. Fortunately, with modern technology, church services were not fully lost, as many churches went to virtual live-streams of their services.

In the first week of virtual masses in late March, I, a parishioner of Jesus, Our Risen Savior, began watching mass in my bedroom with my wife, Mary. All was proceeding as expected until the very end of the homily. The priest had concluded the homily with reference to the pandemic and wanted to ensure that Jesus is still with you, even while you are away from church. As the priest had said, "Jesus is with you," I had become extremely emotional, which was not a normal or expected occurrence. For the final twenty plus minutes of mass, I could not fully regain composure. To me, I can only truly relate it to what I had once felt at a LifeTeen retreat in Steubenville, Ohio back in my high school years, when we were exposed to the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. I remember being told then that it is normal to feel "consumed" by the Holy Spirit during adoration.

After mass had concluded, I was finally able to mentally regroup. With a clearer mind now, I was now consumed with a thought that came into my head. The thought was surrounding starting a ministry, and given the current environment along with some recent personal experiences, I felt called to start a virtual ministry. Why virtual? It may seem counter-intuitive to start a ministry that is hiding behind a computer screen or other device, but there is some reasoning behind it.

In June 2019, my wife gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Abigail Grace. She was our first born, and we absolutely adore her. Since we were still involved in our local young adult group, Flock15, there were meetings every Tuesday night. Given that I am at work all day and have plenty of social interaction, I encouraged Mary to attend these for her to get her social interaction, as she spends her time at home taking care of Abby. It really was the least I could do, as taking care of a baby, as many of you reading this already know, is a lot of work! I couldn't help to think that there is an opportunity here to connect with others who may be in similar situations.

When you take the COVID-19 pandemic, which was keeping people inside, an opportunity noted from personal experiences, and an obvious call from God, you come up with a virtual ministry. All that being said, I have been eager since the day of God's call to pull something together. It took a few weeks and some additional prayer, but Credo was formed in April 2020. In picking a name for the ministry, I wanted something that truly represented my mission, was unique and creative, and carried a classic feel. The Latin language stood out to represent the unique and classic components, and after more deliberating, I came across Credo. In Latin, it means "I believe." There were a few other names that I was considering, but this name stuck. To me, it truly is the foundation for the mission: belief.

For anyone to grow and improve themselves, they have to believe in a lot of things. You have to believe that you can make it through that workout. You need to believe that you have the capacity to learn, and pass your test. You believe that you have a purpose in life, whether it is clear yet what that is or not. You believe that there is a God that loves you and wants the best for you. I know that I personally believe that everyone can make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. I believe that if you are committed to something, you have the best chance of achieving what you set out to do.

As we continue to build on the foundation of belief within Credo, we hope that we help to take you one step forward, even if it is a small step. Our goal is to make a small impact in as many lives as possible, with the hope that it will continue with others. Thank you very much for reading this, and we hope to connect with you in the future!

God Bless,

Chris Ippolito (Founder of Credo)