Jenna Marie Cooper J.C.L., OSV News
Question Corner: Can laypeople absolve sins for the dying? Is chanting...
Q: If someone is dying, can anyone hear their confession and offer absolution? (Fredericksburg, PA)
A: No. Only an ordained priest has the power to...
Question Corner: Elucidating the annulment process — Jenna Marie Cooper
One challenge of my work as a judge in a diocesan marriage tribunal is that, in one sense, nobody is happy to have to...
Question Corner: Leaving Mass early; why the Paschal candle isn’t always...
Q: Can I leave Mass after the blessing, or must I wait for the recessional hymn to be sung? (Syosset, New York)
A: The final...
Question Corner: What exactly are sacramentals, and explaining holy water
Q: What are sacramentals and why must they be burned or buried? (St. Cloud, Minnesota)
A: The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sacramentals as...
Question Corner: The origins of Limbo explained; does God hear silent...
Q: What happened to Limbo? (Sacramento, Cal.)
A: Traditionally, limbo was thought of as a “place” in the afterlife that was neither heaven nor purgatory,...
Question Corner: Common confession queries answered — Jenna Marie Cooper JCL
Q: Why must I confess to a priest, when I can just talk to God? (Newark, N.J.)
A: Jesus told his Apostles: “Whose sins you...
Question Corner: The difference between orders and vows; laypeople as saints...
Q: What is the difference between Orders and Vows? Are nuns actually laypersons? (Glendale, Calif.)
A: Holy Orders is the sacrament through which a baptized...