Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Jenna Marie Cooper: Dating before the annulment?

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  QUESTION CORNER Q: Can there be situations where a Catholic can date another person who has been divorced but has not yet received a declaration of nullity for that marriage? In a previous column you stated the following: “All marriages are presumed valid until proven otherwise.” I have relatives and friends who date divorcees. […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Do all divorces require an annulment?

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  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 […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: A priest talking about his grandkids?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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 […]