ASK A PRIEST
GENERAL QUESTIONS
“Ask a Priest: Are Health-Care Proxy Directives OK?”
Q: Is it morally permissible for a Catholic to have a health care proxy that directs his next-of-kin and doctors to withhold artificially delivered food/water in the event that he is in a persistent vegetative state? -D. Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC A: Thanks for your question, which is ...
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“Ask a Priest: Would Botox Injections Go Against God’s Plan?”
Q: I am a few months shy of 50 and the idea of getting a Botox injection on my forehead has been haunting me. Is it going against God’s plan? Is it moral? -D.N. Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC A: Your question touches on a lot of issues, including ...
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“Ask a Priest: Can What I Wear Be an Occasion of Sin for Others?”
Q: Hello! I would like some advice concerning a conflict I face. I am a teenage Catholic girl and I enjoy participating in sports (running and swimming specifically). To me, sports are a way to make new friends, become more confident in my body, and reduce the amount of stress ...
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“Ask a Priest: Do I Have to Practice Catholicism Even If I Don’t Believe in It?”
Q: I was baptized and raised Catholic. My family was not very involved in the Church and I never felt any connection to God while attending Mass, Sunday school, etc. As an adult, I found a non-denominational church and for the first time ever felt the presence of God. I ...
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“Ask a Priest: How can I defend the Church’s teaching on mortal sin?”
Q: I am having trouble defending the Church’s teaching on mortal sin — specifically the idea that one can fall from grace through one act of disobedience. I am not having trouble defending this logically, but it just seems to many people to be a little rigid and mechanical, as ...
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“Ask a Priest: How Does the Church Want a Body Treated After Death?”
Q: My husband participated in a memorial for a fellow Knight of Columbus who recently died. The service took place at the nursing home; the Knights prayed the usual rosary. My husband said the member’s body was not present, since it was donated to a university medical school. To us, ...
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“Ask a Priest: Was Joseph Much Older Than Mary?”
Q: Some friends and I are having a discussion about this. It would appear that St. Joseph was much older than Mary when they married. Was he widowed with children? -J.M. Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC A: There is not much definitive teaching about the life of St. Joseph. ...
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“Ask a Priest: Is it harmful to have a voodoo doll?”
Q: My mother recently came back from New Orleans and brought me a voodoo doll for success and happiness. I decided to make a little altar for it and write down my hopes and wishes on it, which were not at all harmful or vain — things like: I want ...
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