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?
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?
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?
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, […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: May I scatter non-Catholic’s ashes? How do I dispose of wedding ring?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I understand that, as Catholics, if we choose to be cremated our cremains are to be treated with dignity and must be buried or entombed. My husband and I have two family members who have asked us to arrange to have their ashes “scattered.” One is a Catholic, one is not. Does […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Communion for divorced, remarried?
QUESTION CORNER Q: If a Catholic gets married by a priest, later gets divorced, then gets married by a judge, can that person still receive the holy Eucharist? A: The short answer is “no,” but there is so much more to it than that. First, to explain the rule: The church is a communion of […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Why no Old Testament saints?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Figures from the Old Testament are never referred to as saints. Were there no saints in those days? (Albany, New York) A: Your question is an excellent one, and the answer is a bit complex. It is true that, in the Catholic Church, Old Testament figures have not been formally canonized and […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Can prayers guarantee heaven? Priest won’t attend beach wedding
QUESTION CORNER Q: I was given a prayer folder that tells me that I will suffer no purgatory and be taken directly to heaven when I die, provided that I say these prayers daily for 12 years. (Missed days can be made up.) I am about ready to start the third year, but a dear […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Crying babies are ruining Mass. Plus: Should my daughter take communion?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I love children, and I know that babies will cry at inopportune times. That said, I am puzzled at the young parents in our parish who allow their children to cry loudly in church for extended periods of time. I tend to believe that it might be part of our American culture […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: Is it better to go to church or be kind? Why do Catholic light candles in church?
QUESTION CORNER Q: Who is a better person? Someone who attends Mass every Sunday and receives Communion but is not nice to people (rude, insulting, doesn’t help the poor)? Or someone who attends Mass sporadically but is a kind, considerate and helping individual? (Gahanna, Ohio) A: Is it better to walk on your right leg […]
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