There are two creeds in primary use today. Here is the one you'll need to memorize.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried;

He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Here, we have a much longer prayer for you to learn. The Apostles Creed is believed to go back likely towards the end of the Apostolic era during the 1st century. It is said at the beginning of the Rosary and is an alternative creed during the Mass itself.

The Apostles Creed reminds us of what we believe. This creed is shared by certain other non-Catholic Christian churches, although without the final paragraph.

The longer Nicene Creed came about in 325 AD at the First Council of Nicaea. At that time, disputes had developed, becoming heresies, especially as to the nature of Jesus, but also regarding other things. To resolve such heresies and to help ensure the Faithful would not be misled, the Council came up with this more extensive creed. It is the one primarily used at Mass today, although the older, shorter Apostles Creed is a legitimate alternative. Some of the Nicene Creed's wording directly addresses those earlier heresies and clarifies the Church's actual teaching.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a good and complete discussion on every section of the Creed. The Catechism is recommended to have as a reference. Be sure to ask a teacher, priest, or deacon if you still have questions even after reading the Catechism — if you have one. Whether or not you have one, ask questions if you want more clarity on any of the Church's teachings. Regardless, much or all should be covered in your class which specifically looks at this creed. Learn all that you can.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a good reference source for most of the Church's teachings. You can get a Catechism as a Kindle ebook if you don't want the full paperback. Each of the things in the Apostles Creed is important to understand.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept: Taking just one phrase at a time, take your time to learn — to memorize — the Apostles Creed. It will take longer than the shorter prayers, but it's important to learn.
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Let me take a moment to look at at least one thing in the Creed. When it says that we believe in "the holy catholic Church." you'll notice that the word catholic isn't capitalized. That's because its meaning was then, and is now, "universal." It means it was indeed the universal Church... the universal Christian Church. When it was founded by Jesus, the Catholic Church was the only Christian church. That is why it was called catholic or universal. No other Christian church existed at that earliest time.

The first known written use of the term catholic Church was in a letter from a bishop on his way to Rome to be martyred around the year 105 AD. The bishop used the term in such a way as to assume that the person to whom he was writing already knew what he was talking about. That leads us to understand that the term "catholic" (universal) had been used preceding the word Church for some time prior to that approx 105 AD letter.

Some non-Catholic Christians, without any credible historical basis, insist that the Catholic Church did not actually come into existence until a few hundred years later and that somehow their own (recently founded) church(es) were the ones that actually go back to Christ. That early letter, as well as the rest of actual history, disproves that historical revisionist attempt to delegitimize Catholicism.

Catholics can both historically and administratively trace themselves back, unbroken, directly to Jesus. Without twisting history or integrating with the history of Catholicism as though it were also theirs, no other Christian church can do that. [The history of some Orthodox churches can be somewhat different, but such still don't originate with Jesus separately from Catholicism.]

The Catholic Church has four marks to indicate that it is the true Church. The Church is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." Here, again, we see the word "catholic" (small "c") used within its original meaning as universal.

Other things in the last paragraph of the Apostles Creed refer to specific doctrines of the Church. Hopefully, you will learn them as you go along. All are important. I recommend special attention to the Communion of Saints.
©L. S. Scarpitta