Category Archives: Other Canonical Questions

When Christmas Falls on a Monday: Holydays of Obligation, Part III

Q:  If a solemnity is a precept [i.e., a holyday of obligation] in my country and it falls on a Saturday or a Monday, is going to just one Mass enough to fulfill the precept? For example, if a festivity … Continue reading

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Who Controls Ecclesiastical Property?

Q: I am hoping that you can resolve a debate we are having about the term “ecclesiastical property.” Some Catholic friends and I were talking about how the US bishops tried to seize [the Catholic television station] EWTN from Mother … Continue reading

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Why Can’t You Change the Name of a Church?

Q:  If a church was consecrated by the diocesan bishop in the name of a particular saint, can a different bishop later change its name? I ask because my parish church was consecrated 150 years ago to the Mother of … Continue reading

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Becoming a Hermit in the 21st Century

Q: I’m a priest of the diocese of X. Presently, I’m considering becoming a hermit according to canon 603.  The process seems far more difficult than incardinating into another diocese or religious order….  Under what circumstances can the bishop refuse … Continue reading

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Establishing Dioceses and Parishes in Mission Lands

Q:  While doing some historical research, I found that my parish church which is 152 years old, when its foundations were laid, had belonged to the Apostolic Vicariate of [X] and the mission of [Y].  I understood these terms as … Continue reading

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