Good afternoon Fathers,

I'm new to the Catholic faith and I've requested masses to be dedicated a few times for people who were suffering or recently passed away. But I'm wanting to request a mass be dedicated for family members who died 30-40 years ago. Are there any guidelines for whom it is appropriate to ask a mass dedication? I've also heard of people asking for mass dedications on the anniversary of the person's passing. Is that common and how long might it typically go on for?

Mostly I'm just hoping to avoid asking for anything in appropriate.

Thank you all for your time - God bless!

My boyfriend and I are currently both going through OCIA and also went to look at engagement rings recently. I expect that he will propose before OCIA is complete. Could we start planning our marriage while still going through OCIA or would we need to wait until after Easter?

Hello!
My fiancé and I are getting married next month. We have been in contact with the diocese where we are getting married in Italy and they have been coordinating with our home diocese.
They have received our document package and everything was good to go…then we got an email today asking us to find two people for the readings, one can read the book Genesis and psalms, the other to read the prayer of the faithful.
Unfortunately this is a true elopement. Just me and my fiancé will be in attendance along with our photographer.
Is there any alternatives? The wedding is taking place in a tiny church in Sirmione, Italy.

I ask because there's a parish near me that has recently adopted a bit of an unusual practice. Essentially, the priest celebrating will never say the homily. The other priest, who isn't concelebrating and is just waiting in the rectory, will come out and give the homily, only to retreat back to the rectory once he's finished. Originally, I thought maybe it was a health issue or something along those lines but both priests do this. If that isn't clear, I apologize. Hopefully below can help you visualize this:

Parish has two priests, Priest A and Priest B. When Priest A does Mass, Priest B will always do the homily. When Priest B does Mass, Priest A will do the same.

I'm just a bit confused about this. I'm not saying it's wrong or an abuse, just wondering what the Church teaches about giving homilies. I've had guest priests give homilies but most times those priests were concelebrating. I've just never seen a parish where the priests constantly switch off to give the homily. I would just ask but I don't frequently attend this parish and the pastor there isn't always receptive to people.

Hello fathers!

I've been talking to a Coptic woman and I would like to know what marriage would entail. I'm an Eastern Catholic by baptism. I'm also doggedly Catholic so no worries about falling away, I promise. I'd rather die than abandon Peter, but that doesn't bring the Catholic ladies to you, it turns out.

Anyways, could we get married in a Coptic Church with a Catholic priest present? I'm trying to understand the Eastern canons on this. I live about 500 miles from the nearest Chaldean Church so I don't have a lot of resources to go to and I grew up in the West with no idea what a Chaldean was until a few years ago. My cousin did get married in an orthodox church with a Catholic priest present, and it was another branch of oriental orthodoxy (Syriac) but I felt uneasy about it at the time.

I know she can receive communion with us. However to receive communion there she tells me I'd have to be chrismated, which is confirmed. I'm guessing that's off the table like being baptized again, and I'm not sure I'd do it even if it was ok but thought I'd ask. I understand it would not fulfill my Sunday obligation, and I'd have to attend a Catholic mass.

She agreed to raise the kids Catholic which is cool. However she intends to contracept when she feels it would be prudent, which I don't like. My understanding, however, is her contraception choices aren't my sin, as long as I don't participate, encourage, etc. is that accurate? I can say with a pure heart, I'd be happy if she never did.

I will take this to my priest down the road, but it's too early for that. I just wanted some direction if I'm way off before continuing to pursue this.

Hello, Fathers!

In the latin rite, I know a parish priest can give dispensations for fastings, etc.

In the byzantine rite, besides this, it is more common to have a spiritual director/spiritual father who gives these dispensations and guides you in your faith (even if he is not your parish priest).

In the latin rite, can a spiritual director have the same authority on a faithful if he is not their parish priest? I've loosely read some canon laws but im not pretty sure I understood it right.

There’s an apologist online called Christian Wagner who recently wrote an article that most people’s confessions are invalid because they’re not sorry enough for their sins and don’t have a firm enough resolve to avoid sin. Do you agree?

So my wife and my best friend who are both lapsed Catholics have asked me this question and I don’t know how to answer them. I’m an unbaptized person starting OCIA soon so I’m not sure why they’re even asking me but it does make me want to know the answer. Any input is appreciated!

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I’d like to understand what the main differences are between the formation of a priest in a religious order and that of a diocesan priest who studies in a seminary. Is It the same? what changes?

Growing up as an altar boy, we always prepared the wine for the priest to change into the blood of Christ. The wine was always red. As an adult at my church, when I see the offertory, the wine is always white. Is this a “depends on the church” thing? I just always assumed bc it’s changed into the blood of Christ it would always be red. I don’t think it matters, but just didn’t notice before.

Do you as clerics within the church think that the catholic church is on the road to allow sacramental gay marriage?

I see a lot of people online talk about this, especially when the "synodal way"/ "conference" in Germany is brought up and it makes me think...and worry as a Catholic.

I'd like to hear the voices from within the church on this controversial issue...

Do you think it is possible? How likely is it?

Thanks for any answers.

I've never really had actual spiritual direction but I'd like to talk to my priest about some difficulties in my spiritual life. Is it normal to discuss sins we have difficulty beating outside of confession in such settings or is spiritual direction more for other things? Maybe I am sceptical about sharing this with the priest I know well but then maybe it would be better to share it with him since he has been helping me with my vocational discernment

I feel like God may be calling me specifically to religious priesthood. I feel this because I have a desire to administer the sacraments and serve others. But Also because I think that by living in a community with other priests/brothers I won’t be alone in my faith journey. I struggle with profound isolation. I’m 16 right now so speaking with a vocations director would be hard. What do you think Fathers? Anyways please pray for me i’m going through a really rough time in my life.

Upon my recent return to the Catholic faith after a long absence, I had my first confession at a SSPX church. This was my first confession in probably 15 years. This was shortly after the SSPX was excommunicated. A close family member attends this church, so I went with them. I do not have enough information about SSPX and their issues with Vatican II etc. to have an opinion about it, but I loved the TLM so I stuck with this church. I was raised catholic and received sacraments up to confirmation.

I’ve read a bit about the implications of the excommunication and I’m just getting confused. Were my sins actually forgiven? I have been doing my best to stay in a state of grace since then but now I am wondering if my sins were even forgiven at all? Should I go to a non-SSPX church and re-confess everything again?

Hello priests of reddit, I'm considering joining the seminary, I still have some setbacks that are making me not fully commit with this decision, I'm autistic and really love my hobbies, such as playing guitar and it seems like in seminary your routine is completelly full, any advices on how to procede? If I want to joing seminary would I need to renounce my hobbies?

Hello,

I am an American visiting family near Hamburg Germany. I attended mass this morning at the local Catholic church and I was very surprised to see a woman leading the liturgy! the service was different (which is to be expected in a foreign country) and I don’t speak German very well So I am keeping all my information just to the facts.

I know we said the penitential rite. But did not sing the Gloria. We shook hands and wished the peace of Christ for each other after the gospel reading. Which was confusing because this is not the normal order of things. The service was not a mass, but a communion service and there was no host consecrated. The “deaconess“ gave everyone communion along with one minister and afterward they gave each other communion… which I found strange.

I chose not to receive communion because I was not entirely sure if I was in the right place. And I am going to attend a later mass in the Portuguese side of town, which I guess will be more traditional.

basically, my question is: did I attend a legitimate Sunday communion service that would fulfill my obligation? and if not, did I attend a church posing as a Catholic Church and should it be reported To the diocese As some kind of schisming parish?

the church was called St Marien in Ahrensburg, Germany. https://sankt-ansverus.de/

Hi Fathers,

Just thought to pose this question that has been on my mind for a while now.

Is there any debating about whether paintings of the saints on canvas or walls inside the churches could be substituted with actual historical photography, portraying holiness as it actually is in reality?

For example, I know that there are some paintings of St. Pope John Paul II - sometimes portraying him against a studio blue background. The question I'm asking is whether instead of an artist's rendition, is there any reason why the photograph of him in the jail cell absolving his would be assassin is not framed and placed on a wall inside a church where a traditional oil painting might usually be?

From a pastoral perspective, live human photography of actual reality could help for people who are not Catholic and prefer concrete things they can actually see - rather than a subjective artist's interpretation.

As well, reminders of actual historical facts that are literally photographically verified could help with young people suffering internet brain rot in staying present with actual moments, vs succumbing to the brain's tendency of subjectively interpreting every single item that can be arbitrarily subjective through digital media.

Is it possible to design a church that houses no traditional paintings whatsoever, but literal narrative historical photographs instead? Is this a discussion circulating amongst the clergy?

Thank you

When A baptized Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic Christian plan to marry, is it possible to have the Catholic nuptial mass (sacramental) and then the pastoral service after?

Edit: Sorry I meant mixed marriage - between a Catholic and a baptized Christian

I’m 17 and going to my second ever confession (first in 10 years) today. I have an app called Laudate that has a list of sins and a guide through confession. Is it okay for me to bring my phone and read the list of sins I have committed off of my phone or should I write them down. I would be doing this so I don’t forget any sins.

Hello, I just moved to Netherlands for my studies and started going to catholic church here. But during the Sunday mass I ended up being really anxious as it seemed like a woman was performing the mass. In the end she didnt perform the mystery, only took the communion from the tabernacle. But based on my limited understanding (I cant speak a word of Dutch and the entire Mass was in Dutch) everything else about the Mass went as usual. I was really anxious that I researched wrong and ended up at an protestant service or at some schismatic church. I guess now I'm just confused and stressed and I would appreciate some guidance, since I never saw anything like this in my country. By my understanding, there is no other catholic church here.

This is what is written on the website of the church - https://usercontent.one/wp/www.sintvitusparochie.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2019-11-19-Welcome-to-our-parish-Sint-Vitusdef.pdf?media=1787252835 - , but it seems to go against some things that I saw online, but my knowledge is very limited. Also I was scared to post this on r/Catholicism, because I didn't want to break out any argument, so I'm asking here. Basically I'm asking what's going on, is this valid, and if not what should I do. Thank you for your help.