Q: Does a prenuptial agreement invalidate a sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church? I have heard that it is only a legal arrangement, but others say it renders the marriage null because the spouses are not giving all of themselves. Please explain. A: The existence of a prenuptial agreement is …

Q: Was Christ born on Dec. 25 in the year A.D. 1? A: We cannot be sure of the day and month, nor the year, of Jesus’ birth. Many scholars date the Nativity to several years before the traditional first year of the Lord (Anno Domini or A.D. 1) This …

Q: Is the foundational concept of respect for life, especially concern for the unborn, something that is in the Bible or is it rooted more in church traditions? A: The Catholic Church is noted for its respect for life: from the moment of conception to natural death. Like all church …

Q: Where did the rosary come from? A: The practice of praying the rosary is ancient. The rosary is often linked to St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). According to tradition, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Dominic in southern France in the early …

  Q: A friend of mine refers to the Holy Spirit as “she.” I have heard the theory that the Holy Spirit is a feminine manifestation of the divine. Is this consistent with Catholic teaching? A: God transcends gender, which is to say that the divine is neither male nor …

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: …

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. …

Q: At the beginning of Mass during the penitential act, the priest/deacon asks for God’s mercy on behalf of the people, but in doing so he never mentions the sins for which we need mercy. Is it allowable to mention specific sins at this time? The penitential act at the …

Question of Faith Q: Back in the day, we were taught there was a “limbo” where infants went if they died before baptism. Does the church still teach that? A: As you mentioned, limbo, from the Latin word for “border,” was a theological hypothesis to explain the fate of unbaptized …

Q: The Catechism defines hell as “eternal separation from God” (1035). However, it says that at the last judgment “before [Jesus] will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another. . .  And [some] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” …