Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Jenna Marie Cooper: Do all divorces require an annulment?

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  QUESTION CORNER Q: Are there certain divorce situations for Catholics that do not require annulments? I’m thinking about Justice of the Peace marriages, marriages at sea or even marriages conducted by someone who is “ordained” online. How does the church handle these types of divorce situations? (Corydon, Ind.) A: Yes, there are certain situations […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: A priest talking about his grandkids?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My new parish priest’s wife died before he became a priest. He sometimes even talks about his grandchildren during the homily. Why is this allowed? He obviously wasn’t always celibate, and I thought priests had to be celibate? (Portland, ME) A: Latin (a.k.a. “Roman”) Catholic priests are indeed expected to be celibate. […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Why can’t you marry in any church?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why can’t a Catholic couple receive the sacrament of marriage at any church? My grandson and his fiancée chose Indianapolis as a midpoint of getting married, to help their family travel distances. They sought the ceremony at several churches but were declined because they were not parishioners. Our family is devastated and […]

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

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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?

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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?

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  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?

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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?

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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 […]