1. Reader Question: What Happens When a Holy Day Falls on a Sunday?
There's a lot of confusion surrounding holy days of obligation, especially here in the United States, where some holy days, such as the Ascension of our Lord, are transferred (in most ecclesiastical provinces) from the actual date of the feast to the nearest Sunday, while the obligation to attend Mass on other holy days, including the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is abrogated when they fall on a Saturday or a Monday. But what happens when a holy day falls on a Sunday?
Related Articles:
- Ascension of Our Lord
- What Is an Ecclesiastical Province?
- Ascension Thursday Sunday?
- Assumption of Mary
- Reader Question: What Happened to the Assumption?
- Immaculate Conception
- Reader Question: Saturday Masses, Sunday Obligations, and the Immaculate Conception
- Reader Question: All Saints Day and Our Sunday Obligation
- Why Must Roman Catholics Go to Mass Every Sunday?
2. Slandering the Catholic Church: Where Left and Right Meet
Every time Mel Gibson shoots his mouth off, every newspaper, radio, and television reporter starts jockeying for position, hoping to be the one to land an interview with Hutton Gibson, Mel Gibson's father. Hutton Gibson is a certifiable crank, and, at 91 years old, he doesn't seem to mind letting everyone know that.
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3. Reader Question: Why Don't Priests Preach About Birth Control?
"Is using birth control a mortal sin?" And if so, why don't priests preach more often (or even at all) about birth control? It's a very good question, which goes to the heart of both doctrinal confusion and pastoral practice.
Related Articles:
- Confirmation Catechism - Baltimore Catechism No. 2
- How Many Things Are Necessary to Make a Sin Mortal?
- The Sacrament of Confession
- Natural Family Planning
- Natural Family Planning Methods
- Summary of Humanae vitae (Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical on birth control)
- Natural Family Planning: A Personal Perspective
- Wordless Wednesday: The Fruits of NFP
- Reader Question: Is NFP Really Effective in Avoiding Pregnancy?
- Notes on the Guttmacher Institute's "Facts on Contraceptive Use in the United States"
- Reader Stories: NFP and Openness to the Lord
- More Reader Stories: Why I Decided to Use Natural Family Planning (NFP)
4. Slandering the Catholic Church, Part II
After I discussed the latest outburst from Hutton Gibson, the sedevacantist father of Mel Gibson, my friend Stuart Reid, in his indispensable blog at the Catholic Herald (Britain's best Catholic newspaper), raised an interesting question: "are wackadoo conspiracy theories more often found among Christians than among atheists?"
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5. Reader Question: Must Children Be Named After Saints?
One of the most common questions that Catholic parents ask is "Is it compulsory to name your children after saints?"
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6. Of Selfishness, Large Families, and Jennifer Aniston
In "Newsflash to Jennifer Aniston: every child needs a dad," Danielle Bean, the editorial director of Faith & Family magazine, made an observation that not so long ago would have been considered simply common sense: All else being equal, children who come from two-parent families have advantages over those who come from single-parent families. But not today.
7. POLL: Should the Age of First Communion Be Lowered?
On the 100th anniversary of Quam Singulari Christus Amore, Pope Pius X's regulation on when children should first be admitted to Holy Communion, Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, the head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, suggested that the age of First Communion should be lowered even further.
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8. Reader Question: What Does a Godfather Do?
"What does one do to prepare himself to be a godfather?" It's a very good question—and one with important consequences. After all, there's nothing less at stake than the soul of a young child.
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9. Church in Belgium Rocked by Sex-Abuse Scandal
Earlier this year, the resignation of Bishop Roger Vangheluwe of Bruges, Belgium, was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI after the bishop admitted that he had sexually abused his own nephew from the age of 5 to the age of 18.
10. New Book of Interviews With Pope Benedict Forthcoming
At the end of August, the Associated Press reported that "Pope Benedict XVI has granted a series of interviews to a German journalist that will form the basis of a new book expected later this year." That book turned out to be Light of the World (compare prices).
