Q: These days we hear so much about trans people. I really have never heard anything ‘official’ about the Church’s position. What does our Church say about it? Thank you. A: It is true that, with transgender issues being a relatively new phenomenon in modern society, the Church does not yet have an extensive teaching…

Q: What scriptural basis is there for praying for the dead, for their repose, or for praying to the dead, for their intercessions? And in a related way, what scriptural basis is there for the Catholic practice of ‘relics’, such as saving a person’s bone fragments? My Protestant friends say these practices are not in the Bible…

Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs 50 – 74 By natural reason we can know God with certainty, based on his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which we cannot possibly arrive at by our own powers: the order of divine Revelation. His plan of loving goodness He reveals His mystery, His plan…

Q: Please explain what an indulgence is and how it can reduce or eliminate the time a soul must spend in purgatory.   A: Indulgences are perhaps one of the more misunderstood parts of Catholic practice. But indulgences are deeply rooted in several key Catholic theological concepts, such as the nature of purgatory, the Church’s…

Q: I recently took a six-week theology class, and the priest teaching it was emphatic that most don’t make it to Heaven. First, we must be without mortal sin. So, all those who forsake Mass or the Holy Sabbath would not be eligible. I have also heard other well-known priests state the same thing. One…

Q: When I was evangelical, we said a ‘saved’ person went immediately to Heaven at death. In a recent homily our priest said most Christians, including himself, will likely go to purgatory at death. How can Jesus’ shed blood pay for a person’s sins, but they not go to Heaven at death?   A: Your…

Q: I have heard some priests refer to ‘non-sacramental’ marriages on the annulment question. I presume these are civil marriages. Is it so? Or do these marriages become ‘non-sacramental’ due to the various other faults in the couple’s status? A: Terms like ‘sacramental marriage’, ‘non-sacramental marriage’, ‘civil marriage’, and ‘valid marriage’ all refer to slightly…

Q: Why did God send Lucifer down to Earth to live and rule amongst his beloved creations? A: I don’t think we can say that God truly sent the devil – also known as Lucifer, or later as Satan – down to Earth in quite the way your question envisions. While the devil was cast…

Q: I’ve often wondered why Catholics emphasise the Eucharist more than the wine, as the wine is not offered at Communion time. Jesus said to do both in remembrance of him. Isn’t it wrong to not receive both as Jesus taught? A: First, the Eucharist is both the bread that becomes the body of Christ…

Q: Listening to a Catholic radio station one day, they mentioned that leprechauns and fairies were demonic. This shocked me. St Patrick’s Day celebrations always include leprechauns. Fairies are loved by little girls and big girls alike. I made a small fairy garden for me and my granddaughters. We also have many other fairy items. Are we…