Dear Father: What’s the purpose of a homily? Is it to reflect on the scriptures, to teach or give catechism, to talk about the saint of the day or current events?  Dear Reader: The answer to your questions can be found in recent church documents. Your question deals with the …

Staff Report The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation via John Carroll University for the development and delivery of a course in religion and science. The grant is for a course titled, “Only Wonder Comprehends” to be taught …

  Dear Father: Why aren’t non-Catholics allowed to receive the Eucharist? I’ve talked to my parish priest and his response was two-fold:   They need to be in union with the Catholic Church, and they must believe that the Eucharist is the body of Christ, not just a symbol of Christ’s …

Dear Father: Year after year and month after month, I have been wondering why does the creed we recite during Sunday Mass state that Christ “rose again?” When was the first time He rose? I checked my Lithuanian creed interpretation and it does not state “He rose again.”  In Lithuanian, …

Dear Father: What does the Church teach about Reiki? Why do people turn to these types of things instead of Jesus or the saints? Dear Reader: Thank you for your question.Some years ago, I was in the Metaphysics section of a bookstore. I was edified thinking that a mainstream bookstore …

Dear Father: I’m a “southerner” as far as the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is concerned and at a recent visit to a northern area parish I observed an unfamiliar custom. The faithful receiving communion often knelt before the priest and received on the tongue. What does the church say about this …

Dear Father: How is a priest to handle a request for a Mass to be said for an intention from a lay person? I understand a donation is not necessary but usually accepted. Is it covered in the Catechism? Dear Reader: The Code of Canon Law answers your question, especially …

Dear Father: I have been staring at a poster of the Last Judgment from the Sistine Chapel. I began to think about the judgment on my soul, but then I got a little confused. Will I be judged immediately when I die or only at the end of time?

Dear Father: Am I crazy? I mean, my friends think I’m crazy because I won’t let my kids have a phone or an iPad. I want them to run around and play and not look at a screen all the time. People look at me as if I’m crazy. What …

Dear Father: I keep hearing that Pope Francis changed Church teaching on homosexuality with his question, “Who am I to judge?” Is that true? Dear Reader: Pope Francis did not change church teaching [cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church (2357-2359].