Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Jenna Marie Cooper: Do we relax Lenten fasts on Sunday?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I understand that the 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays, because every Sunday is a “little Easter” when we remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. I hear people say it is “cheating” if one doesn’t abstain on Sundays from whatever one “gives up” during Lent, but I wonder why one would […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: What are miracles? Why are they needed to declare someone a saint?

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  QUESTION CORNER Q: A two-point question: It is common to hear, “It’s a miracle,” for a sports comeback victory. Does the church actually have a definition of a miracle? When it comes to canonization, miracles are required, aren’t they? Does a miracle happen in other domains except health and medicine? (Cape Girardeau, Missouri) A: […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Can laypeople ever absolve sins? Can you have Latin chants at a Novus Ordo Mass?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: If someone is dying, can anyone hear their confession and offer absolution? (Fredericksburg, PA) A: No. Only an ordained priest has the power to forgive sins sacramentally in Jesus’ name. Even in an emergency, non-ordained laypeople are not able to confer absolution; nor can Catholic deacons, even though they are ordained. Interestingly […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Do I have to wait until the song ends? Why is the Easter Candle not always lit?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Can I leave Mass after the blessing, or must I wait for the recessional hymn to be sung? (Syosset, New York) A: The final blessing is the official conclusion of the Mass, so — in that sense — once the final blessing is said, Mass is over and you may leave without […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Why do days of obligation differ? How do vegetarians do Lent?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why do Holy Days of Obligation differ from year to year, diocese to diocese, and around the world? (Los Angeles, California) A: Holy days of obligation — days when Catholics are obligated to attend Mass — are discussed in canon 1246 in the Code of Canon Law. This canon first describes Sundays […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Why confess to a priest? Will the priest be angry if I haven’t gone in awhile?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why must I confess to a priest, when I can just talk to God? (Newark, New Jersey) A: Jesus told his Apostles: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:23). Our bishops are the direct successors to the Apostles and, together with their priests, […]