Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Father Kenneth Doyle: How are non-Catholics forgiven? How are parish donations split?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Catholics are blessed to have the sacrament of reconciliation. But what about other faiths? How do non-Catholics have their sins forgiven? (Honolulu) A: The Catholic Church has a long history of the confession of sins. In the earliest centuries, confession was actually done in public, the thinking being that when we sin, […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Homilies printed and distributed? Saying a Mass for a non-Catholic?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Recently you answered a reader’s question regarding their pastor, an African priest who is difficult to understand and who gives 30-minute homilies, the result being that parish attendance is dropping. (You suggested asking a parish council member to speak to the priest, voicing parishioners’ concerns.) Here’s another suggestion. In our diocese, we […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Why is the pope approving of civil unions? Should I have my hands raised in prayer?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why is the pope approving of civil unions for homosexuals? Isn’t this still one of the deadly sins? (Lexington, Indiana) A: First, to clarify: I have never seen homosexuality mentioned as one of the seven deadly sins. In fact, many people with a homosexual orientation are celibate. The seven deadly sins are […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Was Friday really ‘Good’? Should I return to my parish if I can’t understand the priest?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why do we call the day Jesus was crucified “Good” Friday? Christ was made to suffer horribly, so this has always bothered me. (Radford, Virginia) A: A fair number of people agree with you, and some have suggested that “Black Friday” would be a more appropriate designation. Interestingly, in the Greek Orthodox […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: New marriage without death certificate? Vaccines made from fetus stem cell lines?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I am 69 years old and a new Catholic. My wife and I would like to restate our vows in a Catholic Mass. However, I was previously married 40 years ago for a short time. My first wife has passed away, but she had married again and I don’t even know her […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Did I blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Why not dip the host in the wine with a spoon??

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Recently I read an article in the Catholic press about the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and it has caused me to worry about something that happened long ago. I am now 45 years old and when I was in the seventh grade, this is what happened. I really liked […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: In the creed, what about women? Can Jews be a baptism sponsor?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My recollection is that the text of the Mass in English was rewritten about 20 years ago — to be a more accurate translation and to eliminate sexist references. I wonder, however, if they missed something: in the Nicene Creed, our parish still prints, “For us men and for our salvation he […]

Ask Father Doyle: How do I dispose of religious objects? What do I do if I want to go to Mass during the pandemic but my spouse doesn’t?

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QUESTION CORNER Q; What is the proper way to dispose of the medals, rosaries, small crucifixes, etc., that many Catholic organizations mail out unsolicited? (I have enough of everything!) (Atlanta) A: Perhaps surprisingly, church law on disposing of blessed articles of devotion is not very specific. Canon 1171 of the church’s Code of Canon Law […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: What is the status of the women deacon commission? Standing or kneeling at communion?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: A few years back. Pope Francis set up a commission to study the feasibility of permitting women to become permanent deacons. Has that commission made a recommendation to the pope, and where does the matter lie now? (Personally, I think that women deacons are long overdue, and this pope could make history […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Please explain death as a consequence of sin. If I am distracted in prayer, should I go back and redo those parts?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: In one of your recent columns — about Our Blessed Mother’s Assumption — you wrote “Some theologians feel that, since death is a consequence of sin, Mary would not have had to die.” I have never thought of sin as causing death. Can you explain this a little more? (Montvale, Virginia) A: […]

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