Q: Our son just finished his first year of college at what we were told is one of the “real” Catholic colleges in the country. He has been surprised, however, by some of the groups he is urged to participate in to be a more authentic Catholic. Sometimes they sound very narrow. Have you any suggestions on how to deal with this?
Your concern is a healthy one and is shared by a number of faithful and well-informed Catholics.
Good common sense is always the first judge i...
Q: At the Last Supper Jesus consecrated the bread and wine into his body and blood, and told us to take and eat and drink. Why are we not compelled to receive both species at Communion?
Perhaps a bit of history will help put it in perspective for you. For most of the history of the Church (about 12 centuries) Communion under both species was standard. Much spiritual and theological significance was placed on the symbolism of receiving the Lord under the form of both bread and win...
Q: Are weddings that take place in other churches (such as Lutheran or Baptist) recognized as valid by the Catholic church?
At the very end of St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus proclaimed, “All authority has been given to Me, both in heaven and on earth.” Subsequently, Christ gave that same authority to the Church so that she may complete her mission with His authority until He comes again. Based on that, the Church has always claimed that she has the power, as the catechis...
Q: I am a fallen-away Catholic who has just recently returned to the Church after many years. Could you explain what a sacrament is and how many sacraments are there, and why they are necessary? I would also like to know what the difference is between a sacrament and a sacramental.
There are seven sacraments instituted by Christ that actually confer the grace they signify, namely Baptism, Confirmation, the Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. In ea...
Q. My grandson, who is Catholic, will be married in a Methodist church to a girl of that denomination. Will this marriage be valid in the Catholic Church? Or does there need to be a priest present?
Normally, as you know, a Catholic must be married before a priest or deacon for the marriage to be valid according to Church law. However, the bishop of the diocese may grant a dispensation, allowing that marriage to take place before a judge, minister or other licensed official for marriage...
Q. What are the requirements for having a child baptized in the Catholic Church? Specifically, do the parents have to be married in the Church to baptize their child in the Church?
Jesus’ last words to the Church were His command to go forth and baptize the peoples of all nations. The Church must always be faithful to this. Jesus also commanded us not to cast our pearls before swine. We have always understood that He was speaking of the sacraments, the holiest things we have, and...
Q: I have heard about married men becoming priests. Is this really allowed?
In a word, yes. But there’s a lot more to it than that.
Let’s set the groundwork first. Although the Church has linked celibacy and holy orders together (wisely and prudently, I believe), they are really two separate things. And so we find that at least one of the very first priests, St. Peter, had been married. (Scripture speaks of his mother-in-law but not his wife, so we don’t know w...
Q: Must a priest be free of mortal sin in order to consecrate the Eucharist, distribute Communion or administer any of the other sacraments?
In His infinite wisdom, God has structured the sacraments such that their power and effectiveness are not limited by the ministers who offer these sacraments. The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church for the dispensation of divine life. The sacraments are necessary for our salvation and withou...
Q: I have been engaged for over a year to a young Catholic woman who believes that there is nothing wrong with contraception, and she would not use natural family planning. This has caused a problem for me in our relationship and to our engagement, and if we did marry would I be morally justified in having relations with her if she used contraceptives?
When two people intend to marry they ought to be in total agreement about something as essential to the marriage covenant as procreati...
Dear Father
Q: Will God judge us at the time of our death or must we wait until the end of time?
A: Actually, both. Of what are traditionally known as the “four last things” — death, judgment, heaven and hell — we don’t know very much beyond the fact that they will occur. Of judgment, we know that there are two: the particular judgment that each of us must endure at the moment of our death and the general judgment, which will take place at the end o...
Archbishop Robert J. Carlson delivered his first homily as Archbishop of Saint Louis on June 10, 2009 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, after Saint Louis seminarian and...
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