Q: In the last 50 years, various orders in the church, including porter, exorcist, and subdeacon, have disappeared. What is the theology behind these orders and why were they discontinued? A: As early as the third century, certain roles of service, including deacon, subdeacon, lector, and acolyte, were present in …

Are you having trouble being perfect?   Remember Martha Stewart referring to her cakes and flowers etc. as perfect? It would irritate me to use perfect that way. But I suspect that the real problem is that I know that I can never measure up to Martha’s standards. The idea of …

In the last few months, national news stories have outlined new allegations of abuse and misconduct involving bishops, priests, and even seminarians from various dioceses. It’s hard to read about. Very hard. It can test the faith of even the strongest of Catholics.      Yet, you’re still Catholic. Why?  …

Summer is most associated with vacation and fun activities. Perhaps it is appropriate, then, that the unofficial end of summer is a holiday that celebrates workers – Labor Day. The Catholic Church, which honors St. Joseph the Worker with a feast day on May 1, has a good deal to …

El verano está más asociado con vacaciones y actividades divertidas. Tal vez sea apropiado, entonces, que el final del verano, no oficial, sea un día feriado que celebre a los trabajadores: el Día del Trabajo. La Iglesia Católica, que honra a San José Obrero con una fiesta el 1 de …

The name Joseph has a long history in my family. Both of my parents were named Joseph (Josephine.) One great-grandfather and an entire herd of cousins bear the name. I was called “Little Joe” until I was 10 and passed Dad on the yardstick.      When I think of …

Q: Is there any hope of salvation for those who are not Catholic or Christian? What is to become of those who do not accept Jesus as their savior (such as those who follow the Jewish or Muslim faiths)? A; Each year on Good Friday, Catholics pray an extended set …

“Daddy, why is the priest dressed like Jesus?” Do you remember that question? I used it in the very first article introducing this column, as an example of a teaching moment we could seize.       It dawned on me recently that we could challenge ourselves and ask an even …

“En lo que podría considerarse como la Iglesia doméstica, los padres, por palabra y ejemplo, son los primeros proclamadores de la fe con respecto a sus hijos”.      En este pasaje de la Constitución Dogmática sobre la Iglesia (“Lumen Gentium”) del Concilio Vaticano II, la Iglesia enseña que los …

“In what might be regarded as the domestic Church, the parents, by word and example, are the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children.”      In this passage from the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (“Lumen Gentium”), the Church teaches that parents have …