Category Archives: Sacraments

If I Become a Catholic, What Happens to My Marriage? (Part I)

Q1: Can I be received into the Catholic Church if I was not married by a Catholic priest? –Rachel Q2: I was divorced from a Catholic in 2012. Our marriage was not in a Catholic Church nor administered by the … Continue reading

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Does a Convert Become a Latin or an Eastern Catholic?

Q: I have a question about the church membership of an adult convert to Catholicism. My grandparents were Greek Melkite Catholics. Their son, my father, drifted away from Catholicism, married a protestant woman, and began attending protestant services. I was … Continue reading

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What Makes a Baptism Catholic?

Q1: What makes a Catholic baptism Catholic? I’m a lay Roman Catholic who just started working as a hospital chaplain, which means I may be called upon to administer emergency baptisms in some cases.  If I baptize, for example, an … Continue reading

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Can the Pastor Set a Minimum Age for Baptism?

Q:  Canonically speaking, may the pastor/parish set a minimum age of 4 months old for the baptism of an infant?  If not, what steps should be taken by parents who want their child baptized before that age?  We have a … Continue reading

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(Repost:) Confession and General Absolution

Unfortunately, reposting this piece is almost becoming a Christmas tradition, since reports continue to surface of abuses of the Sacrament of Penance during this busy season.  For that reason it may be worth reading it once again.   A very … Continue reading

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