The priest’s stole is worn around the neck, like a yoke. The deacon’s stole is slung across one shoulder and the opposite hip. The stole is a “sign” or “badge” of office. ...

Question: How do I get a Catholic hospital chaplain to visit my father in the hospital?  With the Hippa laws, they don't send them over anymore. Very easy. Every hospital I have ever been in ...

First, ask yourself who died and left you in charge of making such judgments of taste? Remember the old Latin phrase, "de gustibus non disputatem est" (there’s no accounting for taste). I would ...

There’s an old Latin phrase, de gustibus non disputatem est (“there’s no accounting for taste”). Personally, I think visiting Cathedrals is always interesting. From The National Shrine in Washington, DC, to the Western ...

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are the methods of prayer and ways of relating to God that Ignatius of Loyola developed in the years after his conversion to Christ. Ignatius realized God loves ...

Call your local parish and get the number for the chancery (the main office of the Bishop of diocese). The folks at your local chancery will be happy to help you with this request. ...

For me, the World Cup intimates something of what God is and can be for us. The principle guiding our getting together and enjoying life. ...

That priests are somehow “different.” I’ve often been told, “I can’t believe you’re a priest.” I don’t know if that says something about me, or the priests they have met. One of ...

Mortal sin is deadly sin, those freely chosen acts and dispositions that make the reality of God’s grace (i.e., his love and power) dry up in us. God can no longer relate to us ...

The word God speaks to us is our life. Sit quietly and ask yourself the following question: What really fills me with joy and passion? God is speaking there. We can think about this ...

The quick answer is that bread and wine during the Eucharist are not transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus of Nazareth, but the glorified reality of the risen Christ. The sacramental signs ...

Ghosts are figments of novelists’ and Hollywood movie makers’ imaginations. Ghosts are the souls or spirits of the dead that somehow manifest themselves to the living. Despite popular stories (Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, ...

Contact the proper authorities. Any parish, diocesan office or local police station can hear your suspicions, help you evaluate the evidence you do have, and take appropriate action. If the priest has several ...

The first thing I wonder on reading your question is why you feel the need to make such a distinction? Jesus commands, “Stop Judging that you may not be judged” (Mt 7:1). St. ...

Well, you can.  The question is should you?  More importantly, what is God asking of you in this situation?  Mostly consider refraining from sex until ...

If I know some of the products I buy (like Nike sneakers for example) were made in sweatshops, am I morally bound by the church ...

Sure you can.  The question is should you?  More importantly, what is God asking of you in this situation?  A helpful book for you would ...

Question:  I am a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution which is the right to keep and bear arms.  I currently ...

We live in incredibly complex times.  So often the corporations that provide us with products and services are so large and so interconnected, we can ...

If I have a gay brother am I bound to not attend his "commitment" ceremony if I am Catholic?...