Tag Archives: canon law

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

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Clergy Issues, Holy Orders, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on What Do You Do With the Deacon Who Refuses to be Ordained a Priest?

Why Would an Illegitimate Man be Barred from the Priesthood?

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Clergy Issues, Holy Orders | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why Would an Illegitimate Man be Barred from the Priesthood?

Laypeople Can Always Baptize–But When Should They?

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Baptism, Parish Life, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Laypeople Can Always Baptize–But When Should They?

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

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Marriage, Sacraments, The Pope | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on If the Church Has Never Permitted Divorce, Why Did Henry VIII Expect the Pope to Give Him One?

Marriage and Quasi-Domiciles

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Marriage, Parish Life, Sacraments | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Marriage and Quasi-Domiciles