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 …

St. Mary Hyde Park will host a 4-part series on Cincinnati’s Catholic History. Fr. David Endres, Dean of the Athenaeum and Professor of Church History and columnist for The Catholic Telegraph, will explore the history of our archdiocese as we approach the bicentennial. Fr. Endres’ multimedia presentations will explain how …

  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: …

By Gail Finke (An earlier version of this story was previously posted in error.) A real estate venture by Catholics who both wanted to make their fortunes and establish a village far from the anti-Catholic sentiment of urban Cincinnati, rural St. Bernard was home to one of the country’s original …

By Gail Finke (An older version of this story was posted in error.)  Franciscans in Europe didn’t pastor churches. Even when sent on foreign missions, they established friaries, where they lived together in community and worked with the poor.  But in America, things were different. Father David Endres, dean of …

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 …

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” …

Q: I have heard that the number of seminarians is increasing locally and more of them are recent college graduates. Why do you think there are fewer second-career vocations and more young men applying to seminary? A: Yes, there has been an increase in seminary enrollments locally and nationally and …

Q: Are the homilies of priests and deacons critiqued? The homily quality among preachers varies considerably. Some are outstanding; others are poor. Are continuing education classes available and/or required for clergy especially in the area of homily development and presentation? A: Yes, the homilies of priests and deacons, are always …