Q. Earlier this year, I saw a communicant take the host and proceed to dip it into the consecrated wine before consuming it. Is this acceptable? (I had never seen it before.) (Annandale, Virginia) A. No. What you saw is not permissible -- unless the one receiving Communion happened to be a priest c...
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By Father Kenneth Doyle Catholic News ServiceQ. What do persons who don't normally eat meat do about the church's rules on abstinence, such as on the Fridays during Lent? Nowadays, many Catholics are mainly fish eaters anyway, or they are vegans or vegetarians. What can they do to participate in th...
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WASHINGTON – Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice and Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued a statement July 30 on the federal government’s decision to resume the use of the death penalty...
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Q. I have a question about the Gregorian Masses. I have been told that there can be Masses said for 30 consecutive days (at a cost of $300) with the hope that the deceased person will be received into heaven immediately, without having to pass through the cleansing rigors of purgatory. I have no do...
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As part of its Protecting Our Children program, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council has released a 30-minute feature video, “Protecting Our Children: A Family’s Response.” It includes the first-hand recounting by a Knights of Columbus family of every parent’s worst night...
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Today, some states are challenging the seal of confession in reaction to the Catholic Church's clerical sexual abuse crisis. Unfortunately, many Americans – including Catholics – do not understand why the Church defends the inviolability of the seal. This is the final article in a serie...
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Q. I am wondering what Mary did and where she lived during the three years of Jesus' ministry. Did she travel with the "women who ministered to him"? (Wichita, Kansas) A. In the Gospels, once the public ministry of Jesus has begun, Mary is mentioned in only a few scenes. We can assume that his moth...
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Editor’s note: Archbishop William D. Borders was born in Washington, Indiana, in 1913. At that time, Washington was in the Diocese of Indianapolis, which also included Evansville. Our thanks to former Editor Paul Leingang for this information. BALTIMORE (CNS) – Did the Apollo 11 mission...
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Q. Are first cousins allowed to be married in the church? I have in mind a couple I know whose fathers are brothers. They hadn't known each other as children but met later at a family reunion and then fell in love. They were married in a civil court, which is allowed in some states. The parents of...
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Today, some states are challenging the seal of confession in reaction to the Catholic Church's clerical sexual abuse crisis. Unfortunately, many Americans – including Catholics – do not understand why the Church defends the inviolability of the seal. This article is the third in a serie...
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