Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Jenna Marie Cooper: Descent into hell sealed redemption

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Question corner Q: In the Apostles’ Creed, we say that Jesus “descended into hell” after he died on the cross. But why would Jesus go to hell if he was sinless? A: The short answer is that Jesus was not sent to hell as a consequence for his own sinfulness, but in order to free […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: ‘Absolution’ of sin is a complex topic

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Question Corner Q: I heard a priest on the radio talking about holy water fonts in church, and he said that as a sacramental, the holy water “absolves us from venial sin.” He actually used the word “absolves.” That doesn’t sound right to me. What does the church teach about this? (Rhode Island) A: I […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Prayers of petition are not bad

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Question corner Q: In a recent homily, my parish priest suggested that we all “give up prayers of petition for Lent.” He said we’re not being good friends to God if all we do is ask him for things, and that “you’ve all said enough prayers of petition, it’s time to say some other prayers.” […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Charisms inform range of religious orders

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Question corner Q: Why are there so many different kinds of convents out there? I don’t understand why a young woman who feels called to give her life to God would need that many choices. (Ohio) A: The short answer to the question of why there are such a variety of convents out there is: […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Why Mary’s perpetual virginity matters

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Question Corner Q: Why is Mary’s perpetual virginity so important to us Catholics? I’ve had discussions with my Protestant friends about this, and while they believe Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, they don’t understand why we’re so “hung up on” the idea that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: ‘Protomartyr’ is both literal, symbolic

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Question corner Q: A Catholic church near me is named after a certain saint, but has “protomartyr” after the name. What does this term mean? (Indiana) A: My guess is that the church you’re thinking of was named “St. Stephen,” since “protomartyr” is a title specific to him. “Protomartyr” is a Greek term that is […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Women have key roles, but not as deacons

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Question corner Q: I heard that the Vatican recently decided against having women deacons for now, but that they will revisit the question at a later time. How long will we have to wait before we have women deacons? (Ohio) A: The short answer is, we’re unlikely to ever have women deacons in the way […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: ‘Vocation’ can mean many things

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Question corner Q: At my parish, we pray “for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.” But at the other parish in town, they pray for “vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate, marriage and religious life.” How many vocations are there actually? A: This is a tricky question to answer, because in our Catholic tradition […]