News that Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West will be expanded to accommodate a steady increase in the number of men interested in becoming priests reminded me that my younger brother will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his ordination next year. Father Anthony Trosley serves as a diocesan priest …

Q: The Catechism defines hell as “eternal separation from God” (1035). However, it says that at the last judgment “before [Jesus] will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another. . .  And [some] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” …

Are you getting tired of listening to everyone complain? Are you annoyed with feisty Facebook reports about our government? Are you tired of folks shouting, “The sky is falling!”? It seems that every time we turn around someone is unhappy about something. The media is the one of the worst …

Labor Day has just passed and as the nation celebrated the end of summer and the joys and glory of working, a cherished memory came. Dad went to a car dealership in 1959 and came home with a 1957 red Lincoln Premier two-door coupe. It displayed all of the excesses …

Q: Why did Christ wait until approximately 2,017 years ago to appear on Earth when man (Homo sapiens) is about 200,000 years old? A: Theologians call this theological issue the “scandal of the particular.” Which is to say, Why did God reveal Himself in Jesus in a particular time and …

We can learn as our children grow. Solomon asked God for wisdom and God should have told him to listen to his children. I learned the concept of “inside voice and outside voice” when my oldest child started grade school. She explained to me one day when her brother and …

Have you ever found yourself doubting your faith? I am not talking about serious doubt. I am referring to “pop-up” doubts. You are driving to work and, without prompting, your mind wanders to the funeral you attended last week. You ask yourself: “What if there is nothing after death?” This …

Q: I recently became aware that not all parishes or even dioceses have women serving as ministers within the liturgy. What is the church’s teaching on women lectors, acolytes (servers), and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion? A: Those who assist at the liturgy, whether as lectors, servers, or ministers of …

By Jeanne Hunt Do you have enemies? Are there people you can’t stand because they have caused you great harm? Most of us might have a short list of enemies: a few politicians, a high school basketball coach, the girl who dumped you in college. And then there is the …

Q: I am making my final arrangements and have been trying you decide between traditional burial and cremation. I have some concerns about cremation from a religious point of view, although it is the best financial option. Does the Church have a preference between burial and cremation? A: The Church …