What Happens if Catholic Parents Have Their Child Baptized in a Non-Catholic Church?

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q:  My sister-in-law recently baptized her youngest daughter in a Presbyterian church.  She is Catholic, her husband is non-denominational, and he is uneasy with the Catholic Church although they were married in a Catholic ceremony.

My father-in-law insists “a baptism is a baptism is a baptism.”  I tried to tell him that first it has to be valid (Trinitarian formula and “living water,” right?), and that if my sister-in-law wanted her daughter to become Catholic eventually, she’d have to do RCIA.  He didn’t seem to agree with that.  If my sister-in-law wanted her daughter to be “raised Catholic,” I say these two things would have to happen.  Is this correct?  –Aurora Continue reading →

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Can a Lapsed Catholic Have a Catholic Funeral?

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: My girlfriend’s grandfather stopped going to church after Vatican II, because he didn’t like all the changes in the Mass.  Now he’s getting old and the family is thinking about the possibility of an upcoming funeral, since he hasn’t made any burial plans for himself whatsoever.

They asked the pastor of their own parish what they could do.  He insists they can have a Catholic funeral for him if they want, no problem.  He said this, even though as pastor he has never even met the man.  Is this accurate, or is he just trying to be nice to the family?  I always assumed you had to be an active member of a parish if you expected to have a funeral Mass. –Conor Continue reading →

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Who is Qualified to Become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion?

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: Can openly married homosexuals become extraordinary ministers of communion?

This happened in our parish.  I sent an email to the bishop regarding church policy on this and I was directed to meet with the priest who allowed this.  I met with the priest and he was in a controlled rage the whole meeting.  He scorned me for not following protocol by speaking with him first. He lectured me about divine law and the guidelines for becoming an extraordinary minister.  He never told me his exact position or what he intended to do…. What do you think?  I know we are all sinners but… –Kent Continue reading →

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What Do You Do With the Deacon Who Refuses to be Ordained a Priest?

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q1: We have a seminarian in our diocese, who spent a summer in my parish.  He was expecting to become a priest several years ago, but the bishop declined to ordain him.  Nobody knows why.  Today he’s just a deacon and is working in the diocesan office, doing administrative work that any layperson can do.

Does this sound strange to you?  People are wondering if there’s some problem with him, otherwise why wouldn’t he be a priest already?  A couple of us asked our pastors about him, and they were evasive…. If he’s a problem, why not just let him go altogether?  Unemployment is high here and we laypeople question why we’re paying this man a salary, instead of hiring someone who really needs a job to feed his or her family. –Erika

Q2:  In our diocese we have a deacon who was ordained for the priestly ordination. Some months after his diaconate ordination, he began to have a fear of receiving the priestly ordination. He is now a deacon without doing his ministry. What does the Code of Canon Law say about this? What is the responsibility of the Bishop for him? –Father B. Continue reading →

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Why Would an Illegitimate Man be Barred from the Priesthood?

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: I heard about a boy who wept when he found out that he could not be admitted to our local seminary. The reason I heard was because he was an illegitimate child.

I also read in the Catholic Encyclopedia that illegitimacy was indeed an impediment from receiving the sacrament of holy orders.  Thanks to your post I learned about the canons regarding the impediments to ordination.

Now I am curious, does the law prohibiting illegitimate children from becoming priests still hold?  The current Canon Law does not seem to include it. –Kevin Continue reading →

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