Q: Due to work or other commitments, many people find attending Mass on holy days difficult. Why does the Church ask its members to attend Mass on holy days of obligation? What makes those days different? A: Although all Sundays are the “Day of the Lord” and the faithful should …

Q: It is difficult to know when shopping for books in a store or online whether a book’s content is contrary to the faith. Does the Church still censor books? If so, what is the best place to check if a book or an author has been censored by the …

Answer: If God’s revelation to humanity ended with the death of St. John, the last apostle, how was other information (which is not necessarily in the Bible) revealed to Church fathers and teachers? Does this kind of revelation continue today? In God’s divine plan, he slowly revealed himself to humanity, …

Q: In the case of a federal judicial appointee, adherence to Catholic dogma was criticized during the confirmation proceedings. What exactly is a dogma? Do other religions have them? A: A dogma is a belief handed down as true by an authority. We frequently think of dogmas in matters of …

In the Gospels, the term “Son of Man” is used numerous times. What does “Son of Man” mean? When Jesus spoke of himself and His mission, He often referred to himself as “Son of Man.” In the Gospels, He uses the term more than 80 times, especially as recorded in …

Q: Was Christ born on Dec. 25 in the year A.D. 1? A: We cannot be sure of the day and month, nor the year, of Jesus’ birth. Many scholars date the Nativity to several years before the traditional first year of the Lord (Anno Domini or A.D. 1) This …

Q: Is the foundational concept of respect for life, especially concern for the unborn, something that is in the Bible or is it rooted more in church traditions? A: The Catholic Church is noted for its respect for life: from the moment of conception to natural death. Like all church …

St. Mary Hyde Park will host a 4-part series on Cincinnati’s Catholic History. Fr. David Endres, Dean of the Athenaeum and Professor of Church History and columnist for The Catholic Telegraph, will explore the history of our archdiocese as we approach the bicentennial. Fr. Endres’ multimedia presentations will explain how …

  Q: A friend of mine refers to the Holy Spirit as “she.” I have heard the theory that the Holy Spirit is a feminine manifestation of the divine. Is this consistent with Catholic teaching? A: God transcends gender, which is to say that the divine is neither male nor …

Q: I have read the Bible and can find nothing on purgatory. It seems to me that if we believe that Jesus is our savior and died for our sins, we have eternal life the minute we die. Can you explain the origin of the church’s belief in purgatory?  A: …