Q: There are a lot of parishes being closed around the country these days. We hear all the time about people protesting and taking their legal case to the Vatican, to have the bishop’s decision overturned. But we never hear…

Q: Nowadays in our parish we constantly have guest speakers preach at Sunday Masses. Sometimes it’s a visiting missionary priest, or somebody from the bishop’s office; other times it’s the parish council president, or the school principal, or the head…

Q1: My nephew asked me to be his confirmation sponsor.  I’m required to provide a letter from my parish, stating that I am a registered parishioner “in good standing,” whatever that means. I attend Mass at my parish weekly and…

 Q: Last year we were on vacation overseas on the feast of the Assumption, which is a holyday of obligation. We went to Mass and hardly anybody was there. It seemed like it was an ordinary weekday Mass to everybody…

Q: Since all priests are now permitted to say the Tridentine Latin Mass, do you think that the Pope will lift the excommunication on the Society of Saint Pius X?  –Marjorie

A: This is a question that is asked more and…

Q: I tried to register at a parish, but the secretary told me that I can't since I live outside the boundaries of the parish. She told me what my real parish is supposed to be, based on where I live, but it's notorious for its guitar Masses and the priests' leftist social justice sermons, so I don't want to have anything to do with it! Am I really required to attend Mass at this horrible parish? — Maggie

A: We Catholics in the U.S. tend to take it for granted that it is necessary to register ourselves and our families at a parish. It is routinely understood as a requirement if we want our children to attend the parish school, receive their first Holy Communion, or marry in the parish. It may come as a surprise, therefore, that parish registration is nowhere mentioned in the Code of Canon Law, and may very well be simply an American invention.

Q: There's a woman in my parish who does sidewalk counseling outside an abortion clinic. She has a lot of pro-life literature that she keeps in the trunk of her car. I looked at some of it recently and found a flyer that says that women who have abortions are excommunicated from the Church. I had never heard this before. Is this true? If so, why don't our priests preach this fact from the pulpits? Everyone should be made aware of this!  — Joanne.

A: Sadly, we see here a good example of the tremendous harm that can potentially be done when persons untrained in the law attempt to cite canons out of context. The Code of Canon Law is not a how-to manual or fix-it guide, that one may simply thumb through to find a quick answer to one's legal questions. Often a canon may on the surface appear very straightforward, while in actuality it must be viewed in light of other provisions of the code which are less so.

Q: There’s a woman in my parish who does sidewalk counseling outside an abortion clinic. She has a lot of pro-life literature that she keeps in the trunk of her car. I looked at some of it recently and found…

Q: The noon Mass last Sunday was supposed to be offered for my deceased grandmother. I scheduled the Mass with the parish secretary and gave a monetary offering long ago. The bulletin listed my grandmother as the intention for that…

Q: A non-Christian friend asked me a question about the Church and I didn't know how to answer her. She wanted to know whether the pope, since he is the highest authority in the Church, can command anything he wants,…

Q: I did some really stupid things in my earlier years, and am wondering whether I got myself excommunicated. How can I find out?  – Bill

A: After marriage law, the notion of excommunication is probably the most widely misunderstood…

Q:  In my parish, people normally receive Holy Communion standing, but there have been some people who knelt down before the priest when their turn came to receive. On one occasion I noticed that the priest stopped and spoke to…

Q1: A friend of mine is Presbyterian.  He recently mentioned to me that he is the godfather to the child of Catholic parents.  But how could a Presbyterian be allowed to become the godparent of a Catholic baby?  I…

Q: Last year, I visited my relatives at Christmas time, and we all went to their parish to a communal penance service before Christmas. There were probably almost a hundred people there, and only one priest. He didn't hear each…

Q: I thought the Pope said that only men can become priests. But recently I've seen a couple of different articles in the paper, about women being ordained as Catholic priests in private ceremonies. The articles say very clearly that…

Q: When opera star Luciano Pavarotti died in Italy recently, he had a big funeral in a Catholic church. Lots of famous people attended, and the bishop was there. Even the Pope issued a statement saying positive things about him.…

Q: Not far from my home is a church with a sign in front identifying it as a "Roman Catholic Church" with "traditional Roman rites." But the bulletin from our Catholic parish never refers to any activities going on at this…

Q: I was raised Catholic, but in my 20's I fell in love with a Baptist woman and started attending her church with her on Sundays. Eventually we got married in the Baptist church. Later our marriage fell apart and we…

Q: Every day I drive past a church that's called a "Greek Melkite Catholic Church." What does this mean? Are these people really Catholics? Why aren't they Roman Catholics? — Carol

A: This specific question can be viewed as part of a…

Q: In a Catholic magazine I frequently see advertisements for chapel veils. The ad always says, "canon 1262 is still in force." I guess that this canon says that women must wear chapel veils. Is this true? Are all women still…

Q: At a social event, I met a woman who is Catholic, but newly married to a Methodist. We started talking about wedding-planning, and she mentioned that her own wedding took place just a couple of months ago in a Methodist…

Q: My husband and I have been married almost 21 years now. He was raised as a Mormon, though he is a non-believer in any faith. We were married in the Church during a time when they had not fully decided…

Q: One of my best friends was raised Catholic like me, but she stopped going to church when her parents got their marriage annulled. She says that it's ridiculous for the Catholic Church to say her parents weren't married, since they…

Q: My coworker is a Baptist who is married to a Catholic, and attends Sunday Mass regularly with her. He asked the priest whether he could receive Holy Communion even though he is not a Catholic, and the priest replied, "Do…

Made public on Tuesday was a Motu Proprio, written in Latin, with which the Holy Father Benedict XVI restores the traditional norm concerning the majority required for the election of the Supreme Pontiff. According to this norm, in order for…

Q: My wife and I are both Catholics and are expecting our first child in three months. Our parish requires all parents who want their baby baptized to attend an evening class, which conflicts with my work-schedule. Otherwise they told us…

Q. A visiting priest was hearing confessions one weekend at my parish, while the pastor was away. He refused to grant me absolution, because he said that I hadn't sinned! I confessed some venial sins, but he told me that you…

I am a Catholic, and my husband of nearly 50 years is a member of the Assembly of God, a protestant church that's popular down South, where he's originally from. We were married in the Catholic Church and we raised…