Whenever Kathryn Jean Lopez goes to confession during the month of June, she’s extra frustrated. She writes: “I struggle with pride. I hate that I do. For the longest time, I was in denial about it, too. False humility can be a
A reader explains that they were running late for their daughter’s baptism. The godparents had taken the baby ahead of them, and when the parents got there, their daughter had been baptized. Was it valid?
Divine Mercy Sunday opens the "floodgates of mercy" for all through the sacraments of confession and holy Communion, said a priest renowned for promoting the liturgical feast and its accompanying devotion.
"A soul that's been to confession and receives holy Communion (on that
Starting this Lent, priests in the United States can begin using the new translation of the formula of absolution. Even without a new translation in play, sometimes priests make mistakes when giving absolution. What should you, as a penitent, do if the
The sacraments lie at the heart of our Catholic faith, most especially the Eucharist. But do we spend enough time trying to comprehend these sacred mysteries and the limitless ways they can shape our lives?
The Council of Trent taught in the 16th
Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1926, offers a four-year bachelor of arts major in religious studies, as well as minors in ethics, Catholic studies, and religion and society. Father James Piszker is the university chaplain,
A reader asks: “St. Paul was an evangelist after his conversion, but was he a priest able to celebrate the sacraments?” In his latest column, Monsignor Charles Pope answers, “St. Paul certainly speaks of himself as a priest: In his letter to
Associate editor Ava Lalor shares that she is about three months from her wedding, and that the months of engagement have flown by. While she and her fiancé have been working through their to-do list for the wedding, they’ve also been going
Most Catholic Christians go through life seeking the one who is hidden from us. We are like someone entering a dark room and fumbling for the light switch. We want and need the light, just like we want and we need God.
A reader asks: “St. Augustine battled the Donatists, who argued (basically) that sacraments were invalid if performed by sinful priests. Yet American bishops seem to argue that ‘worthiness’ for receipt of Communion is essential. If one need not be ‘worthy’ to consecrate