QUESTION CORNER Q: Are there certain divorce situations for Catholics that do not require annulments? I’m thinking about Justice of the Peace marriages, marriages at sea or even marriages conducted by someone who is “ordained” online. How does the church handle these types of divorce situations? (Corydon, Ind.) A: Yes, there are certain situations […]
By Jenna Marie Cooper: Wishing bad for the other team?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Is it a sin to go to a ballgame and wish bad things for the other team? (Austin, TX) A: I suppose that depends on what is meant by “bad things.” It’s not a sin to go to a ballgame and hope — or perhaps even pray — that our preferred […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: A priest talking about his grandkids?
QUESTION CORNER Q: My new parish priest’s wife died before he became a priest. He sometimes even talks about his grandchildren during the homily. Why is this allowed? He obviously wasn’t always celibate, and I thought priests had to be celibate? (Portland, ME) A: Latin (a.k.a. “Roman”) Catholic priests are indeed expected to be celibate. […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: May we believe in ghosts?
QUESTION CORNER Q: When I was an Evangelical I was told there was no such thing as ghosts and that paranormal phenomena were likely demons. What does the church say about this? Doesn’t the church teach that there are such things as “apparitions?” (Brandenburg, Kentucky) A: The word “ghost” can refer to several different concepts. […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Why can’t you marry in any church?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Why can’t a Catholic couple receive the sacrament of marriage at any church? My grandson and his fiancée chose Indianapolis as a midpoint of getting married, to help their family travel distances. They sought the ceremony at several churches but were declined because they were not parishioners. Our family is devastated and […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: How is Father Rupnik still a priest?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I read that Father Marko Rupnik (the famous mosaic artist who has been credibly accused of sexual abuse) was expelled from the Jesuit order but remains a priest. How does that work? (Flushing, New York) A: First for some background, priesthood and religious life are actually two distinct vocations, even if they […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Is Sister Wilhelmina a saint? Can you drink water before Mass?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Does the incorrupt body of the Benedictine nun, Sister Wilhelmina, mean that she is a saint? What does the church think of it? (Farmingville, New York) A: We say that a saint is “incorrupt” when, years after their death, their mortal body is found to have remained in an unexplained state of […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Are our intentions remembered?
QUESTION CORNER Q: If I send a donation to some group that says they’ll remember my intentions at Mass, how does that work? They can’t possibly remember every intention of every donor! (Garden City, NY) A: Depending on the specific circumstances of the donation and the nature of the prayer request, the group in question […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Does original sin need an update?
QUESTION CORNER Q: My Catholic grandmother used to say that “original sin” was a sort of stamp all people since Adam and Eve have been born with, where God is still holding people guilty of Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience even up through today, and that unless this stamp is removed through baptism, people […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Does a prenup invalidate a marriage?
QUESTION CORNER Q: A friend is in a relationship where his fiancée won’t sign a prenuptial agreement because she thinks it would make the marriage invalid. It could be grounds for annulment. “For richer and for poorer” etc. What is the canonical opinion here? (Sydney, Australia) A: When we speak about a prenuptial agreement, or […]
