(Repost:) Confession and General Absolution

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Cathy Caridi

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 happy and holy Christmas to all!

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 person’s confession, as we expected. Instead, he stood near the altar, said some prayers, and blessed all of us. Then he told us we were absolved of our sins, and that was it. Was that priest wrong to do what he did? Did God really forgive us our sins?  –Robert Continue reading →

Posted in Confession, Parish Life, Rights of the Faithful, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on (Repost:) Confession and General Absolution

When Can the Parish Priest Postpone a Wedding?

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Cathy Caridi

Q: My 26-year-old daughter is pregnant.  She has been dating her boyfriend for over 4 years.  They now want to marry when she completes the first trimester.  All their documents are in place.  The parish priest will not grant them this request of marrying them by [a date less than two months from now].  They will most willingly attend the marriage preparation course.

The Church instead of bringing them together in the Lord Jesus Christ, is pushing them away from the Church.  How and what can we do to escalate this issue so they can marry in the Catholic Church on [the abovementioned date, less than two months from now]? –Anthea Continue reading →

Posted in Marriage, Rights of the Faithful, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on When Can the Parish Priest Postpone a Wedding?

Why Would I Need an Annulment, Since My Civil Marriage Was Obviously Invalid?

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Cathy Caridi

Q:  I am Catholic, and was married with civil ceremony to my ex-husband…and we divorced the following year.  Now older and hopefully wiser, I want to share the rest of my life with my current partner.  We want to get married, but can’t because my previous marriage (only civil, not in the church) is still not annulled.

A Catholic priest told me that I can marry anyone in the church, so we can be blessed.  It would be considered a Secret Marriage.

My question is, would that marriage be valid?  I want to know if doing that would not be against God’s law? –Ethel Continue reading →

Posted in Marriage, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Why Would I Need an Annulment, Since My Civil Marriage Was Obviously Invalid?

Who’s in Charge of the Diocese When There’s No Bishop?

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Cathy Caridi

Q: We have a lot of confusion in our parish…. Complicating the equation, our diocesan bishop has retired and the Pope has yet to name his successor.  We have a diocesan administrator, but he is also currently the bishop of [the diocese right next to ours].  The bishop-administrator is taking very much a “hands-off” approach to running our diocese… laypeople have tried to contact him regarding other matters and he told them to wait for the new bishop to arrive.  So many of us have begun to despair of resolving our parish problems….  Do you think maybe we should contact Rome? —Marie Continue reading →

Posted in Clergy Issues, Parish Life, The Pope | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Who’s in Charge of the Diocese When There’s No Bishop?

Can I Attend the Marriage of a Catholic Outside the Church?

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Cathy Caridi

Q: My brother and I have a disagreement. We are both Catholic and have a decent understanding of what is required for a Catholic to marry outside the Church, including canonical form (which is well explained in some of your responses on your website).

My brother posits that attending such a wedding, in which the Catholic spouse had not obtained permission from his bishop, would be considered “intrinsically evil.” Since the Church would not consider such a marriage valid due to a lack on canonical form, the attendee would be helping to celebrate and be offering at least tacit approval of a marriage that the Church does not consider valid.

For reasons I cannot fully articulate, I don’t think the attendance can be considered “intrinsically evil”….  Can a Catholic attend the marriage of another Catholic that takes place outside the Church, when that Catholic has not received permission from his bishop to do so?  –Sharon Continue reading →

Posted in Marriage, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Can I Attend the Marriage of a Catholic Outside the Church?