Q: I’ve often wondered why Catholics emphasise the Eucharist more than the wine, as the wine is not offered at Communion time. Jesus said to do both in remembrance of him. Isn’t it wrong to not receive both as Jesus taught? A: First, the Eucharist is both the bread that becomes the body of Christ…
Q: Listening to a Catholic radio station one day, they mentioned that leprechauns and fairies were demonic. This shocked me. St Patrick’s Day celebrations always include leprechauns. Fairies are loved by little girls and big girls alike. I made a small fairy garden for me and my granddaughters. We also have many other fairy items. Are we…
Q: I was married in a non-Catholic wedding ceremony, then divorced years later civilly. Once I became Catholic and wanted to marry again, I got an annulment of the first marriage. My non-Catholic friends and relatives said this was a Catholic cop out to get around Jesus’ prohibition against divorce, by saying that the first marriage ‘never happened’. Could you comment?…
Q: What is the criteria determining who can wear a ‘clerical collar’? I’m not sure if it varies from one seminary/diocese to another, but I’m curious why seminary students would wear a collar since they are not a member of the clergy just yet? It’s caused a bit of confusion for adults and children alike…
Q: Some people have said a spiritual communion is the same as a sacramental Communion when one has a sincere desire and cannot receive otherwise. If this is so, why do we say, “Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.” Would it count in the case of making…
Q: What is the position or rule of the Church concerning cremation? A: There is a short answer to your question in Paragraph 2301 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which tells us that, “The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.” But we can gain…
Q: I am baptised Catholic and was married in a Catholic church. Then I was divorced and remarried in a Methodist church. She is a baptised Methodist. Then she recently did RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults] and joined the Catholic Church. How can I receive Communion again? What are the steps? A: For…
Q: I’ve heard that a Catholic who is involved in an abortion is automatically excommunicated. But where do you draw the line in terms of what makes a person involved? Like if a person drove a woman to the abortion clinic because he wanted to try to talk her out of it at the last minute, would…
Q: I wanted my aunt and uncle to be godparents for my new baby. Both my aunt and uncle went through 12 years of Catholic school. But the priest told us my uncle couldn’t be godfather to my baby because he never received Confirmation. This doesn’t make sense to me because I’m sure my uncle…
Q: Is a parish required to provide a screen and kneeler in the confessional? Our pastor moved our confessional from a room with screen and kneeler to a family room that does not have a screen or kneeler. So, our parishioners no longer have the option to use a screen and kneeler. Our second graders…