Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Father Kenneth Doyle: Doesn’t my parish have to report its finances? Can I go to confession by phone?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I belong to a Catholic community in Florida that has been in existence for 32 years. For all that time, we have had only one pastor. The problem is that we have never seen a parish financial report, and I have been told that our parish’s weekly income averages $30,000. I approached […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Is apostolic succession real? Can I be a Eucharistic minister if I’m divorced?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My understanding is that the church teaches that bishops and priests are the successors of the apostles. Can this line really be traced back to one of the original apostles? (Lancaster, Ohio) A: The Twelve Apostles were the privileged eyewitnesses sent to proclaim the teachings of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew (28:19-20) […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Do I have to go to Mass in pain? Isn’t the ambo for readings only?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: In a few weeks I will turn 65 years old. I have arthritis in most of my joints; in the early spring, when it’s rainy and damp, the arthritic pain can be unbearable. Is it a sin to miss Sunday Mass, given the extreme pain? When is it acceptable to stop going […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: In Lent, do Sundays count? Is the pope promoting a one-world religion?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My mother was very religious and she always told us that during Lent, whatever you gave up — ice cream, candy, etc. — you could have on Sundays. Is that true? Do Sundays count as part of Lent? (Green Bay, Wisconsin) A: I’ll answer your second question first, because that’s the easier […]

Ask Father Doyle: Did Jesus say ghosts exist? May I be a witness at a Protestant wedding?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: In a recent column, you quoted Luke 24:39 (“Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”) Are we to believe from this that Our Lord is confirming the existence […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: How does excommunication work? What became of the 10-minute limit on homilies?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: From what we are seeing on social media here in New York state, there seems to be some misunderstanding about what excommunication is and how it happens. Does the pope excommunicate someone, or can a bishop? Is there a process? What is the pastoral approach to something like this? What are the […]

Ask Father Kenneth Doyle: Why do the properties of bread, wine remain? Do miscarried babies go to heaven?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I firmly believe that at Mass the Eucharist becomes Christ’s body and blood. But here’s what I don’t understand: Why then do the properties of the bread and wine still affect people — for example, those with wheat allergies or alcoholics? (Danville, Indiana) A: Not surprisingly, this is a bit difficult to […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: May a Lutheran receive Catholic Eucharist? Can you confess online?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: One of my sisters who is Lutheran recently moved to an area where there is no Lutheran church, so she started attending Mass at a nearby Catholic parish. She has been receiving the Eucharist at Mass even though she is not Catholic. She says that she asked the Catholic pastor and he […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Where do ‘single Catholics’ fit in?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Where do single people “rank” within the Catholic Church? Many times we are asked to pray for those who are married or who have followed a calling to the religious life — but how many times has anyone in any parish been asked to pray for those who are single? Are we […]