Laypeople Can Always Baptize–But When Should They?

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: My son was married to a non-Catholic girl for 7 years, and they have three boys. Just after she gave birth to the third, my daughter-in-law snapped and ran out on my son, taking the children with her and moving to [a city over a thousand miles away]. It’s been a nightmare.

After fighting a legal battle, she got a divorce and custody of the kids, whom my son is required to support. He can only visit them every few months, since they’re so far away and travelling there is expensive. Needless to say she isn’t raising the boys Catholic, so when my son visits them he takes them to Sunday Mass, and tries to teach them the catechism basics on his own as best he can.

The baby wasn’t baptized in their parish church, because my daughter-in-law ran off before there was even time to arrange it. My son intends to baptize him on his next visit himself. The baby isn’t in danger of death, but my son says that if he doesn’t baptize him, he’ll never get baptized because the mother will never allow it. Is there any problem with him doing this? –Liz Continue reading →

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If the Church Has Never Permitted Divorce, Why Did Henry VIII Expect the Pope to Give Him One?

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: I understand that the Catholic Church does not approve of divorce.  But I do not understand why Henry VIII asked the Pope to grant him a divorce from his wife, and expected the Pope to grant it.  Was there perhaps a loophole for royalty back in the 16th century? –Derek Continue reading →

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Marriage and Quasi-Domiciles

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: For four years our son was away at college, over 500 miles from home. He just graduated and is now engaged to a girl he met at school, and they want to get married in our parish here.

Our son attended Mass regularly the entire time he was at school.

In his last year of school, we got a new pastor at our parish here at home. He’s now refusing to marry our son because he says he doesn’t know who he is! Father insists that if you’re a parishioner, you should be coming to Mass regularly at the parish, and if you’re not a parishioner, you can’t be married in the parish.

We’re at a loss. Kids go away to school all the time, and during that time they obviously don’t go to Sunday Mass at their home parish every week. We’ve never heard of a college-graduate having this problem… what can we do? –Roger Continue reading →

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Do Catholics Have to be Confirmed Before Getting Married?

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q: In our parish RCIA program, I have a couple that were married civilly, but plan to marry next year in the Catholic Church back in her hometown. Both are baptized Catholic and have received Holy Communion, but neither has been confirmed.

They were told by the priest that will marry them that they need to get confirmed or he cannot do their wedding.  I’m telling them that they first need to get married in the Church or they cannot get confirmed.  How can we resolve this? –Mike Continue reading →

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Canon Law and Getting What You Want

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Cathy Caridi

Q1: My fiancé and I wish to be married in a chapel [instead of the parish church]. This chapel… has been the most pivotal part of our faith life and relationship with one another.

However, we were informed that we would need permission from the Archdiocese to be married in a private Catholic Chapel, which they did not grant us.  We honestly didn’t even foresee this issue coming about….  Our main frustration comes from the fact that this law is interpreted differently depending on the bishop and diocese.

How common is it for bishops to grant exceptions to the rule in a scenario like this?  Do you know which diocese are more likely to do so? Or is there any way to get a different diocese or bishop to overrule?  Is there any way to look up records regarding the exceptions they made in the past during other bishops’ terms?  Do we have any case here regarding the fact that canon law is interpreted differently from bishop to bishop?  —Sara Continue reading →

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