Think of it this way: if you needed help with something, you’d probably ask for the support of someone who has had personal experience with the issue in question. This is the idea behind patron saints – why John the Evangelist is a patron saint of writers, say, or why Joan of Arc is one of the patron saints of soldiers.
When it comes to sexual purity (I’m assuming that’s the type of purity you’re referencing here), Mary is a logical intercessor. Church teaching states that she was a virgin not just at the time of Christ’s conception, but that she remained a virgin her whole life. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, in their pastoral letter Behold Your Mother: Woman of Faith, put it this way:
“God…

The word “ministry” can be equated to mean the work that the church does in the world. Therefore anyone who does “ministry” is a minister. This includes priests, deacons, women religious, brothers and lay professionals (like youth ministers and campus ministers).
Usually all of these people hold a master’s degree in theology, divinity, pastoral ministry or religious education. Some are ordained or have made promises or vows to a religious community, while others are not and are merely employed by a particular parish or diocese or religious community.
Taking my own parish as an example we have an ordained priest who serves as the pastor, a religious sister who is the pastoral…

The word “cult”, in its original sense, refers to a collection of practices and rituals associated with a religion or with a particular aspect of a religion. This is how the word is primarily used in academic discourse. Thus we can speak of the cult of a particular saint in reference to the devotions associated with honoring that saint in Catholic Christianity, or the cult of worship of Vishnu in Hinduism, for example.
However, in more popular usage, the word “cult” has come to refer to exclusive or separatist religious groups, especially new groups, whose beliefs and practices fall outside the perceived mainstream. The word is often used pejoratively, to label a group’s expressions as threatening…

Words are very important here. Because of very real differences in faith, it is not possible for Christians to pray with those of another religious tradition. However, we may, and in fact are encouraged to respectfully be in the presence of people of other religious traditions when they are at prayer, just as we would encourage them to observe us when we pray. A very helpful book in this regard is How to be a Perfect Stranger: A Guide to Etiquette in Other People’s Religious Ceremonies (Arthur J. Magida, ed., Jewish Lights Publishing, 1996, 3rd ed., 2003).
The same principle applies with saying grace. You may certainly respectfully observe while someone from another tradition blesses the meal. Likewise, if they…

The answer to this question is a bit above my pay grade. As a Jesuit, I’m not in the loop of the diocesan priests’ world. They better know who is moving up the ladder of ecclesiastical offices. The priests who study in Rome seem to get to know one another and they would have a better sense of who from other countries has a chance of becoming Pope. If you really want the inside gossip on such matters, the respected blog “Whispers in the Loggia” is the site to click.
The Center for Research in the Apostolate in Washington provides some great info on the world wide church. In 2025, there will be some 606 million Catholics in Latin America; 228 million in Africa; 81 million in the USA (Malloy 2007, p. 168). So you can see the…

Actually, we owe the first half of it to the angel Gabriel and to Mary’s cousin Elizabeth. “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” are the words of the angel when he greets Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28). During the visitation, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth welcomes her with the words, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:42). The joining of the two salutations in prayer appears to have become a widespread practice in the mid-eleventh century, though there is evidence of it showing up in eastern rites as far back as the sixth century.
The second part of the “Hail Mary” is where we ask for Mary’s intercession: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,…

Ownership of land was very important in biblical times. Heck, it still is! Who doesn’t think that they’ve “made it” when they finally purchase their first home? To own property is to reach a degree of prosperity that makes you a “someone.” Recall that, in the Old Testament, the Jewish people find themselves in slavery in the land of Egypt. They have no land to call their own, and therefore, they have no identity. So, when God sends Moses to free the Jewish people from slavery and lead them into freedom, he promises them land – something that will identify them as a people and as a nation. This wasn’t some last minute after thought, however, that God threw in to sweeten the pot. It was part of God’s plan…

Q:  Do Hindus believe in Jesus? A friend told me that they believe in all gods.
Hinduism is an umbrella term for the indigenous religious traditions of South Asia, a vast subcontinent which is home to a wide diversity of belief and practice. However, certain principles are common among Hindus. Among these is the belief that there are many gods and goddesses, all of which are manifestations of one abstract supreme being. Unlike the Christian Trinity, one God in three persons, there is greater distinction among these deities, which have different mythologies and personalities. An individual person or a local community will have a particular devotion to one or a few of the deities, expressed in that person or community’s…

It depends on what your wife’s religious tradition is. If she is Christian, then there are many things which you already hold in common which you should celebrate such as your common baptism, common scriptures, belief in Jesus as Lord, etc. In short, what you can do together in conscience, you should do together, refraining only from those things which cannot be shared in conscience, such as reception of the Eucharist. It is also important that you have a good knowledge of your spouse’s religious tradition since it’s part of who she is.
If your wife is not Christian, then it’s important to keep two things in mind. First, because of the great differences in faith, strictly speaking, it is not possible for us…

The simple answer is that statues of saints remind us of the saint and their heroic efforts on behalf of the people of God and the spreading of the Gospel Good News so needed in every age. We gaze upon and ponder statues and pray to become like the great witnesses to God’s love and mercy and justice. We don’t worship the statue or the saint. We let our imagination be fired up by thoughts of who that saint was and what he or she did. We hope to grow to be like the saint in their dedication to God and God’s people.
I have coffee mug with an image of a young St. Ignatius on it and a famous quote of his. Every morning, the image and the quote remind me to strive to be a faithful and loving Jesuit as St. Ignatius wants us to be.
Graven images…

Many depictions of Mary show her wearing a long veil that covers her head and stretches to the ground. This is also referred to as a mantle. Many Catholics find comfort in the image of Mary holding open her mantle and wrapping it around us, protecting us as a mother would protect her children. (This symbolism is found in Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well; the protection of Mary’s veil even has its own feast day in the Orthodox liturgical calendar).
I am guessing that your friend’s comment comes from a wish for you to feel the warmth and safety of Mary’s love. It’s kind of the same thing as saying that she wants Mary to wrap her arms around you, and for you to feel the comfort that can come from a close relationship…

Catholics believe that death is not the end of the human soul. The dead face a particular judgment which leads to damnation or salvation; those led to salvation may enter eternal life immediately or after a period of purification in purgatory. We don’t actually know what purgatory entails, although we do believe that we can have contact with the dead who have gone before us. That’s what we do when we pray for the intercession of the saints. But the Church does not teach that tormented souls linger on earth like the ghosts of popular imagination.
The Catholic Church does teach that a person or place can be possessed by the Evil One, although this is extremely, extremely rare. In such cases a Rite of Exorcism can be…

No, not true. Even better than true. What your friend is referring to is the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification which was signed by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation on October 31, 1999. See: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
The document represents the culmination of decades of ecumenical dialogue at the highest levels of our two traditions on the very doctrine that was the primary dispute which many say actually caused the Reformation in the first place. It’s important to read the document to appreciate the richness of the text, but in short, it says that…

What is the best Catholic response to any problem? Pray, then act.
Pray for those who suffer from religious violence and persecution, that they will find safety and be able to live free from fear and coercion. And pray for the conversion of those who enable or perpetrate violence, that they will come to respect the human dignity and freedoms of all people.
Then act. Educate yourself about the causes and effects of religious conflict in an area of the world that is important to you. Find an organization that is working to promote non-violence, tolerance and human dignity in that area and ask how you can help. You may be able to support the organization financially, educate others about the situation, join in a letter-writing…

This is a very insightful question. Sometimes the differences in interpretation of Scripture and Tradition seem overwhelming. However, unity is possible because Christ prayed for it at the Last Supper “that they all be one…so that the world may believe.” Thus, as John Paul II said in Paragraph 20 of Ut Unum Sint, “the movement promoting Christian unity, is not just some sort of “appendix” which is added to the Church’s traditional activity. Rather, ecumenism is an organic part of her life and work, and consequently must pervade all that she is and does.” (See: http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0221/_INDEX.HTM)
So unity is possible, it’s just a matter of how. The principle…

Symbols matter and communicate. What we wear “says” something. One would not show up at a Philadelphia Eagles game in a NY Giants jersey and expect to go unnoticed. A man who takes off his wedding ring before going on a business trip to Las Vegas would be questioned closely by his wife.
Funerals are times of sober reflection, prayer and celebration of a deceased person’s life. If I am not going to wear black, I need to think about what my attire communicates. Does my choice of dress or suit say I care about the person and appreciate and understand the profundity of the occasion? Or do my jeans and tee shirt or tank top say, “This is no different than a quick trip to Target.” If I choose not to wear black, why do I choose…

Most likely.
The most remarkable thing about the Celebration of the Eucharist is that throughout 2,000 or so years- we have always come together to listen to the words of scripture and then share a meal together. Throughout the years, many people have prayed the Eucharist in many different ways. The 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal is just one more way to pray the Mass. Since we have had so many different translations in the past, I wouldn’t count out another revision of the Roman Missal on our horizon.…

What we find in the New Testament is a reference to a woman named Phoebe as “minister of the church at Cenchreae” (Romans 16:1) The Greek word used here for minister is diakonos which means servants, attendants, or ministers. St. Paul used the word to refer to himself on occasion as he did in 2 Cor 6:4 (“ministers of God”) and 2 Cor 11:23 (“ministers of God”). It is not at all clear, however, that this had been established as an ecclesiastical role in the church at that time.
On the other hand, it is very clear in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy (3:8, 12) that the word deacon referred to an established office of the church’s hierarchy to which one was ordained. Thus, because we do not know what the precise functions…

Tithing (from an old English word meaning “tenth”) is the practice of donating a tenth of one’s income to the Church. Since its earliest days the Church has taught that all its members have a responsibility to support its mission and ministry; tithing is a shorthand way of describing that obligation in financial terms.
However, like many shorthand expressions, it ultimately comes up short. God does not measure out blessings to us, but pours them out until our cups are filled up and running over. We are called to be just as generous when we share our blessings with others. To a wealthy person, ten percent may be so insignificant that he or she is called to give more; conversely, a poor person may be able to share…

Wait a minute! You if you reading this, you are already logged into one of the most popular Catholic websites on the planet! Throughout our history the Church has been at the forefront of social communications. There are several popular figures who come to mind just in the last century. In the 1950’s, Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s television show, “Life is Worth Living” was more popular than the Milton Berle. In 1952, Sheen won an Emmy for Most Outstanding Television Personality. Sheen continued to be on the airwaves in one way or another until 1968, garnering millions of viewers. Arguably, the most recent and most popular of Catholic media personality is Mother Angelica who founded the Eternal Word Television…