QUESTION CORNER Q: The prayer “Hail, Holy Queen” has three phrases in it that trouble me. They are: “to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve”; “mourning and weeping in this valley of tears”; and “after this, our exile.” The author of this prayer makes life on earth appear to be a punishment. […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: I have always had great admiration for Mother Angelica. Would it be wrong of me to talk to her and ask her prayers if she has not yet been declared “blessed” by the church? (Phoenix) A: Mother Angelica died in 2016 at the age of 92. In 1981, she founded the Eternal […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: I am a recent (fervent) convert to the Catholic Church. I am also a registered nurse and have held many patients as they passed on to eternity. I am concerned over the issue of priests being “barred” from hospitals during the current coronavirus epidemic; I have heard many Catholics bemoan the fact […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: In the Gospel for the feast of the Epiphany, Matthew indicates that the Magi visited with King Herod in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ birth and that apparently very soon after their visit, the Holy Family fled to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod and stayed there until Herod had […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: I am a Catholic and single father of two. I was not married Catholic originally and was divorced 20 years ago. I am looking to marry a woman who was married in a Catholic ceremony and divorced 20 years ago because of abuse. The paperwork required for her to obtain an annulment […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: My wife realized that my Bible is not Catholic when I could not locate the Book of Sirach in it. What is a good Catholic Bible, with a contemporary translation from Greek? (My ultimate preference would be a Catholic Bible with the Old Testament translated from Hebrew and the New Testament from […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: A number of Catholic parishes here in my archdiocese have hosted programs on the Alpha movement in Christianity. I have found conflicting guidance as to the legitimacy/orthodoxy of this movement. Can you advise me as to whether it is approved for Catholic membership? (Tigard, Oregon) A: Alpha is a program of Christian […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: Most of my family is Protestant, but I became an adult convert four years ago and was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith. Members of my family often ask me questions about Catholic beliefs, and usually I can answer them, but recently my mother asked me one that I need your […]

QUESTION CORNER Q: I was diagnosed with anxiety/mood disorder in 2003. I had spent time in the military and gone through some horrific experiences that had affected me emotionally. I have also been on Dilantin now for more than 25 years because of seizures. My psychiatrist has explained to me that I find sounds and […]