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Today’s secular world throws curve balls at us all the time. Ask A Priest is a Q&A feature that anyone can use. Just search the topics below for an answer to your question! You can ask about anything – liturgy, prayer, moral questions, current events. Our goal is to provide a trustworthy forum for dependable Catholic guidance and information. So go ahead and ask your question.
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I’m a Widow — Is It OK That I Watch Mass at Home?
Q: I lost my spouse and moved out of the state. I tried to attend the local church and didn’t feel right. Am I committing a sin for not attending? I do watch TV Mass or EWTN or Mass on YouTube. Keeping my faith is the only thing I have to hold me together. I hope I’m doing something right. — K. Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC: Please accept my condolences on the death of your husband. May Our Lord rest his soul. There is still one man with you who loves you dearly and who wants you close ...
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“Ask a Priest: Can you explain excommunication?”
Q: I’m having a slight problem understanding why the Church can excommunicate sinners when the sin is grave enough, yet the Church does not condemn Judas who betrayed Jesus. I understand that no one can know the heart of another, except God. I truly believe the same way, and I’m ...
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“Ask a Priest: I Fear to Bring Children into the World. Am I Wrong to Use Birth Control?”
Q: I am a married Catholic. My faith is so very important to me and a very important part of my life. I am having a struggle. I have felt since high school that I did not want children. I love kids, but this world makes me very fearful to ...
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“Ask a Priest: Can Non-Catholic Christians Be Saved?”
Q: Okay, so I’m a Catholic but my parents are devout Baptists, and I recently discovered the “extra ecclesiam nulla salus” doctrine. Does this say that they will not be saved since they aren’t Catholics? I’m really worried about them. -B.M. Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC A: Thanks for ...
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“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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