QUESTION CORNER Q: I understand that, as Catholics, if we choose to be cremated our cremains are to be treated with dignity and must be buried or entombed. My husband and I have two family members who have asked us to arrange to have their ashes “scattered.” One is a Catholic, one is not. Does […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Is a funeral Mass required? Do Masses have to include moments of silence?
QUESTION CORNER Q: My wife and I are in our mid-70s and have bought cemetery plots and made our funeral arrangements. We selected immediate burial, without any rites, ceremony or embalming. But after talking to family members, we are worried that perhaps, in not having a Catholic funeral Mass, we are sinning gravely and making […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: How do I keep the Lord’s day holy?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I write to ask for guidelines on the Third Commandment — keeping holy the Lord’s day. I do not consider some of the things that I do to be work — cooking, for example, minor cleanups, mowing, trimming, weeding. Does the church look upon all chores as work? I find it very […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Communion for divorced, remarried?
QUESTION CORNER Q: If a Catholic gets married by a priest, later gets divorced, then gets married by a judge, can that person still receive the holy Eucharist? A: The short answer is “no,” but there is so much more to it than that. First, to explain the rule: The church is a communion of […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: May I marry in a Catholic church? Why the pulpit scolding?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church. When I was younger, I served as an altar boy for several years. About 12 years ago, I got married in a Methodist church. I never had the marriage “convalidated” in the Catholic Church since my wife was against involving another member of […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Why no Old Testament saints?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Figures from the Old Testament are never referred to as saints. Were there no saints in those days? (Albany, New York) A: Your question is an excellent one, and the answer is a bit complex. It is true that, in the Catholic Church, Old Testament figures have not been formally canonized and […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Can prayers guarantee heaven? Priest won’t attend beach wedding
QUESTION CORNER Q: I was given a prayer folder that tells me that I will suffer no purgatory and be taken directly to heaven when I die, provided that I say these prayers daily for 12 years. (Missed days can be made up.) I am about ready to start the third year, but a dear […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Changing a child’s godparents? Mass for the unborn?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I was wondering whether you’re allowed to change your child’s godparents and, if so, how to go about it and have it be acceptable to the church. The situation is this: When we chose our daughter’s godparents, seven years ago, they were Catholic and went to church. But over the years, they […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Crying babies are ruining Mass. Plus: Should my daughter take communion?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I love children, and I know that babies will cry at inopportune times. That said, I am puzzled at the young parents in our parish who allow their children to cry loudly in church for extended periods of time. I tend to believe that it might be part of our American culture […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Is it better to go to church or be kind? Why do Catholic light candles in church?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Who is a better person? Someone who attends Mass every Sunday and receives Communion but is not nice to people (rude, insulting, doesn’t help the poor)? Or someone who attends Mass sporadically but is a kind, considerate and helping individual? (Gahanna, Ohio) A: Is it better to walk on your right leg […]
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