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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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Should I Miss Mass and Go to Confession Later?
Q: Today I missed a morning Sunday Mass due to being up all night. I want to go to 6 p.m. Mass but will have to leave right after communion (which I don’t like to do), but I need to get to my birthday party dinner that my daughter is having for me. Would this be OK or should I just miss Mass and go to confession as soon as possible? — D.H. Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC: Ideally, no one should never leave Mass right after communion. The Mass ends with the final blessing. I hope that you ...
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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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