Q: I have read the Bible and can find nothing on purgatory. It seems to me that if we believe that Jesus is our savior and died for our sins, we have eternal life the minute we die. Can you explain the origin of the church’s belief in purgatory?  A: …

By Nick Hardesty One day, Charles Dickens sat in a coffee shop. Actually, it was a “coffee room,” as indicated on the glass door of the establishment. Dickens had read that sign and frequented rooms like it many times. But, on this day, he happened to read the sign from …

The vocation prayer that we say in our parishes has a very curious plea: “Help us… to respond with a generous “yes.” Every time I say the prayer, that phrase haunts me. It seems that the root of our problem in fostering holy vocations is that no one wants to …

Q: I have heard that Mass can be offered outside, but in inquiring about having a wedding Mass outside, I was told that Masses could only occur in churches. Can you please explain the church’s position on outside wedding Masses? A: Catholics place a high value on the eucharistic liturgy. …

In the beautiful words of the Exultet, jubilantly sung at the Easter Vigil: “This is the night when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.” Easter, the feast of feasts, celebrates Christ’s saving victory over sin and death. This is too important to be confined …

“Let’s violate a cultural norm. In a time when religious conversations can seem tense or even taboo, we sit down with a different guest each week to talk about their faith (or disbelief), what shaped it, and why it matters.” — The Threshold So begins the ‘About’ section of The …

Although we are still focused on the season of Lent, Easter will be here soon. You know what that means: it’s “open season” on the Resurrection. The History Channel will reveal a “secret Gospel” that contradicts Jesus’ rising from the dead. Atheists on Facebook will start posting memes about “Zombie …

Do you take things back from God?  You know what I mean: you are praying your heart out for your son who struggles in school, you turn your troubled marriage over to God again and again, you lift up the chaos on the streets…only to grab it all right back …

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr’s letter for March: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” You may have heard this directive of Jesus pronounced as blessed ashes were placed on your forehead on Ash Wednesday. These few words, which were also part of the Gospel for the Second Week of Lent (Mark 1:15), …

Q: My understanding is that Catholics are to observe some form of penance every Friday during the year, even during Ordinary Time. So even though we’re allowed to eat meat on Fridays outside of Lent, there is an obligation for Catholics to do (or not do) something on these Fridays. …