Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Jenna Marie Cooper: Is Sister Wilhelmina a saint? Can you drink water before Mass?

by

QUESTION CORNER Q: Does the incorrupt body of the Benedictine nun, Sister Wilhelmina, mean that she is a saint? What does the church think of it? (Farmingville, New York) A: We say that a saint is “incorrupt” when, years after their death, their mortal body is found to have remained in an unexplained state of […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Where did Lazarus go before Jesus raised him?

by

QUESTION CORNER Q: Regarding the people Jesus raised from the dead, where were their souls while they were dead? (Location withheld) A: Among the many miracles Jesus performed as part of his public ministry, some of the most remarkable include his raising several recently-deceased people from the dead. In the Gospels we read of the […]

Question Corner: Jesus became man so I could become God? Do people talk too loudly before Mass?

by

  QUESTION CORNER By Jenna Marie Cooper Q: I’m reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and have a question about CCC 460. Can you please fully explain the lines: “For the son of God became man so that we might become God” and “… might make men gods.” I am to become GOD? That […]

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

by

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?

by

  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?

by

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?

by

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?

by

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?

by

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?

by

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 […]