Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

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, […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: May I scatter non-Catholic’s ashes? How do I dispose of wedding ring?

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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?

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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?

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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

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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?

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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 […]

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