Q: My husband has not practiced the Catholic faith for 30 years. What does he need to do to return to the sacraments? A: Once baptized, a person is always a Christian. But as you note, it is possible to leave the practice of the faith for a time (or …

You have probably heard the old expression, “Everybody makes mistakes. That is why pencils have erasers.” As Catholics, we have something much better than an eraser. We have a kind of reset button known as the Sacrament of Confession, or Penance, or Reconciliation. All three of those names for the …

Have you decided on your New Year’s resolution yet? Every year, thousands of us decide to lose 10 pounds and join the gym, stop playing so much golf and spend more time with the kids, or if you really mean business, go to Mass more than one day a week. …

Your faith can come alive at any moment of your day. “Daddy, why is the priest dressed like Jesus?” your son asks you during Mass. You freeze. No one’s ever asked you that before. What do you do? You can shush him, or you can teach him something about the …

Q: At the beginning of Mass during the penitential act, the priest/deacon asks for God’s mercy on behalf of the people, but in doing so he never mentions the sins for which we need mercy. Is it allowable to mention specific sins at this time? The penitential act at the …

SEEK THE LORD by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr Christians from the earliest days have always defended the defenseless, bringing God’s love to the poor, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. No one is more vulnerable than a child in the womb. In America today, about one in five pregnancies end in …

Tis the season to be merry. Or is it? Too often, we dread the holidays because of all the hassle involved in making merry. Not the least of which is getting gifts for family and friends. Thanksgiving is so simple: great food, great company and not a worry in the …

What are we saying this year? Season’s greetings? Holiday greetings? Merry Christmas? Anecdotal evidence would seem to indicate that how we greet others at Christmas time has more to do with fear than with conviction. We fear that we will offend someone or instigate an unpleasant confrontation. So we default …

My dear friends in Christ: No one likes to wait, especially when we are waiting for something good. However, the better that something is, the more it is worth waiting and preparing for. That is why the Church gives us the season of Advent, a word derived from the Latin …

Question of Faith Q: Back in the day, we were taught there was a “limbo” where infants went if they died before baptism. Does the church still teach that? A: As you mentioned, limbo, from the Latin word for “border,” was a theological hypothesis to explain the fate of unbaptized …