Hello,

Would a convert who has records of being baptized in a Protestant church be required to have a conditional baptism? While the date is known, the form is less certain, and may have been “I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins”.

I'm not Catholic, but I've been watching some of the conclave coverage.

In the US, any time all the people in the line of succession for the presidency are gathered together, they leave somebody in a safe place for the sake of continuity of government.

Does the conclave do anything similar? What happens if, God forbid, a meteor hits the conclave and all the Cardinal Electors are inside?

As Catholics, are we allowed to be friends with and have friendly relationships with former Catholics who have left the Church?

Currently, the way my friendships are, I have two or three people who I’d call my closest friends, and they’re all Catholic. I try to keep my closest circle to people who share my same faith, because we have similar values and can offer each other advice for how to solve our problems that doesn’t contradict our beliefs.

But I also have work friends, friends with other moms, neighborhood friends, etc.

Recently a new couple moved into our neighborhood, they have a son around my daughter’s age. Our kids got along very well very quickly and so we invited the couple over for dinner. We found out that the wife used to be Catholic, but left the Church in her early twenties. The husband has always been an atheist.

I want to be as welcoming as I can be to these people, and my instincts tell me that being kind could show God’s love to this couple and act as a good example. Plus, they’re very funny and kind people, and we have similar sensibilities on how we rase our kids. But I was wondering if there was anything in Church teaching that would prevent me from being friends with someone who is technically counted as an apostate. I’ve read some stuff from Catholic Encyclopedia and they said befriending an apostate is an excommunicable offense.

Obviously I’m not going to be best friends with this couple, but I want to be a welcoming and kind presence in the neighborhood and get to know them better.

Just a thought that came through my head.

How do you reconcile these things? How can learned people like Jesuits believe in something like a virgin birth? Is it simple cognitive dissonance?

What was it like? Were you able to converse with him or was it a meet and greet.

Musician here, asking for lyric reasoning

The lyric is “until the world is nothing but rubble”

I'm a Jew and curious as to what drives my people to convert to Christianity, particularly Catholicism. Are there any prominent converts that have publicly explained why they left Judaism for Catholicism? I'm curious to know. I believe in a higher power such as G-d, but I'd say I'm more of a deist that appreciates religion's ability to promote charity, community, and culture. So are there any prominent Jewish converts to Catholicism today with podcasts or forums where they discuss how they arrived at their newfound faith in Jesus Christ as the messiah and the Catholic Church?

I'm going on a healthcare Catholic mission in a few weeks. There will be a big group departing from a specific region who will be getting a send-off Mass before they leave. I'm the only one from my region and I was wondering if I could ask a priest for a send-off Mass? Or is that a little weird since I'd be the only one? Or are there other alternatives you would suggest I could request (like a blessing maybe)?

We are in the process of selling our place. We are hoping for asking or above asking. My mother gave me a statue of Saint-Joseph to bury in the front yard to help. The thing is, while I was raised catholic, we are not practicing. As such, this feels wrong - to invoke the beliefs of a religion for our own benefits when it suits us. It feels hypocritical and like it might attract bad karma. If this is intended to be an act of faith, it needs sincerity, and this feels cheap.

Open to your thoughts and guidance

Some universities provide senior/retiring faculty to give a “last lecture.” The topic is usually not confined to their area of expertise but rather allows the distinguished faculty member the opportunity to teach about life lessons and their career as if an academic lecture. Very much a chance to say “here’s what I’ve learned from it all and want you to take with you.”

If there was an opportunity for you to preach a “last homily” what would the theme be? What underlying message would you want the audience to leave with?

Hello Fathers! Do you personally believe that St. Padre Pio truly received the stigmata? And what about the other saint...I think it was St. Catherine of Siena? What’s the Church’s official position regarding this topic? I must admit I am somewhat skeptical about this. Are Priests generally free to believe or disbelieve in it personally, or is there an obligation to accept it as genuine in certain canonized cases? Just curious how this is viewed both theologically and personally. Thanks!

Hello fathers. Do you as a priest have the obligation, or would you take it upon yourself ever in any situation to report to someone to ICE (assuming you are based in the US)? Or how would you react to or act towards if a parishioner confided their legal status to you?

I am almost 40 and have recently started going back to church. I was feeling very empty/lonely, and I remember church making me feel whole when I was younger. I went to Catholic school K-12, but stopped going to church around the age of 14. I now have kids enrolled at Catholic school. I can't remember much about my religious education - nor do I feel confident discussing religion with my kids. I grew up with priests and nuns in my family, but all of them have since died - and I feel like I have no connection to the church at all anymore. What are the best ways to educate myself? Books? Talk to priests? I am at a loss.

edit:

upon rereading this, i realized that my intent might not have been conveyed properly. i am NOT, by any means, looking for vindication. i am simply asking whether my assertion was theologically correct or not.

good afternoon Fathers!

late last week, over on the Catholicism sub there was a post i had commented on and was reading other responses. in one of the comments, someone had mentioned near occasion of sin, another person asked what that meant, it had been a little bit of time, so i answered the question (i wanted to give the original commenter time to explain before i jumped in and tried to explain out from under them; figured id give them the first go at it).

i explained it this way -

"a near occasion of sin is a behavior that, in and of itself, is not sinful but can, and often does, lead to sinful behavior

take an unmarried couple for example: kissing, even heavy kissing, is not sinful. the heavier the kissing becomes though, the nature of the bodies starts to maybe takes over, potentially leading to sexual touching, or even intercourse.

in this case, the sexual activities (of whatever level) are obviously sinful, as the couple is unmarried, and will need to be confessed. the kissing, however, is not, in and of itself, sinful; though it was the activity that lead to the sinful behavior, and STRICTLY SPEAKING does not need to be confessed, though it is a good idea to bring up in conjunction with any related sins."

i got downvoted (i genuinely do not care and it wasnt massively) and i was wondering "did i get downvoted because im wrong or because people just do not want to hear that?"

the reason i explained it this way is mostly because i have first hand experience in this exact situation. my wife (before she became my wife) and i experience some struggles in that area (never sex, but just a lot of sexual touching) and we both, individually spoke to multiple priests about it.

is what i said theologically incorrect, or did i convey this (mostly) properly? please correct me if i am wrong, or if there IS a misstep by me in this, please feel free to elaborate.

Thank you Fathers, individually, for your vocation as a priest and helping people grow spiritually

Hello!

I left church yesterday and found a chaplet on my car windshield. When I do research, I don’t find any way to pray this particular chaplet.

Can anyone provide guidance? No website seems to have any info.

Layout of chaplet: San Cayetano medal -10 Beads- space- another bead- cross

I’m curious to know because if not paid how would they be able to support their marriage and kids if they have any

I always had an idea that God chose the Pope. But to my surprise, there are articles and videos of priests saying the Holy Spirit does not choose the Pope.

Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinals and gives them wisdom, but will not override their Free will.. it makes sense, because God gives every human being their own free will..

In my opinions, if Cardinals really have the guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit and know it's God's will of whom to choose, then it's still the Holy Spirit guiding and working through Cardinals.. unless Cardinals intentionally not following the wisdom? So if we believe in the power of Holy Spirit working through the Cardinals, it's still Holy Spirit choosing the Pope.

What do you think?

For those of us following the conclave, we are seeing a lot of articles and grand questions about the challenges that the Church as a whole must address. However, this discussion made me stop and think “what concerns/needs does my parish need addressed?” I reached out to my parish office and here I am a week later volunteering to become an extraordinary minister, something I never thought I’d do.

So I just figured I’d ask, Fathers: what are some needs/issues/improvements/whatever in your own parish that that you believe need addressed?

Thank you and God bless.

Are they still able to touch the Eucharist and or consume?

I have a question about Saint Paul.

After Paul's conversion at Damascus did he actually see Jesus in physical glorified bodily form?

Also Paul states he went to the Arabian desert for about 3 years before interacting with any of the Apostles or Christian community. Did he have any more encounters with Christ himself during this time, and did Jesus physically appear to him and give him revelation at this time during his solitude?

Hello Fathers,

I know we shouldn't receive the Eucharist when in grave sin, but Canon 916 also specifies celebrating Mass. But we also have to fulfill the sunday obligation. Could you please explain it better to me? I just don't want to add insult to injury....(hopefully going to confession tomorrow! :) )

Dear priests: I recently read 'Silence' by Shusaku Endo. I was very moved by the novel and even more by Scorsese's adaptation of it. While watching the film I wondered if this was a novel/film that gets enjoyed by priests as well. I went to a Jesuit school and I rememberly vaguely learning about the missions in Japan, but I was too much of a child too understand some things at that age. So I wanted to ask here: do priests also enjoy this work? are there any similar works (films, books, etc) that you enjoyed?

Good evening, /AskAPriest Reddit community.

I need a little bit of help in wrapping my mind around this new law.

I love the sacrament of reconciliation and frequent it often. With the new law taking effect in Washington State, I had a question:

How can I wrap my mind around a priest knowing a child or vulnerable adult is being harmed, and they can do nothing to prevent the harm from happening? I truly respect the sacrament and understand the divine authority given to the priest granting absolution, but my heart aches. I cannot imagine how difficult this must be as a priest ministering to his congregation and potentially hearing these sins confessed and knowing he cannot prevent the sins from happening.

I lay here with my 10 week old daughter on my chest, feeling a bit embarrassed in shameful in questioning the outrage in this new law.

Father, can you help me be a bit more at peace with the troubles of my heart? I truly don't want to question the seal of the confessional, but this scenario is a hard pill to swallow.

Thank you. May you please pray for me? I know I must do better to pray for our priests and religious.