Dear U.T., I’m very sorry for your loss. May your relative rest in peace. The Church is very benevolent in her norms regarding the disposition of one’s remains, but it is helpful to see it in the broader context. The Order of Christian Funerals has three main rites: the Vigil for the Deceased, the…
Dear Fr. Leo, A canonical question for you. I have a Catholic friend who is civilly married. She recently came back to her Catholic faith, but her husband needs a declaration of nullity from his previous marriage before their own marriage can be convalidated. He is not Catholic and sees no point in getting an…
Q: Dear Fr. Leo, I am a baptized Catholic and I am looking to return to the Church. I have been married to a wonderful Christian man for the past 32 years. He is an elder in his (Protestant) church. We did not have a Catholic wedding. He supports my return, but he is confused…
Q: Dear Fr. Leo, When I was at Mass in Florida, they did an unusual penitential rite. I didn’t catch it all because it caught me by surprise, but it was not the “I confess,” or the “Lord have mercy” one. It only had two parts, and it was over before I knew what…
Dear Fr. Leo, Well, I did it. I proposed to my girlfriend and now she is my fiancée! What do I have to do next to get married in the Church? – B Dear B, Congratulations! As the great social philosopher Groucho Marx once said, “Marriage is a wonderful institution…but who wants…
Editor’s note: This article was published in the March 2023 issue of the North Star Catholic. Dear Fr. Leo, Can a Christian be in the military? What about the fifth commandment? — G Dear G, The quick answer is, “Yes, but only for the right reasons.” Christian soldiers do not wage war indiscriminately. Rather, they…
Dear Fr. Leo, What does the church teach about tattoos? I was always told it was forbidden. — A Dear A, Believe it or not, there is nothing in the Catechism that forbids tattoos per se. There is a text from Leviticus 19 that some look to for such a prohibition, but when viewed in the…
Dear Fr. Leo, I’m sorry but those bishops’ hats (mitres?) seem just goofy to me. Where did they come from? What is the meaning behind the headgear worn by bishops, archbishops, the pope, etc? – Q Dear Q, In one sense they are kind of silly, but then so is just about every other kind…
Dear Fr. Leo, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of purgatory. I believe in a just and merciful God, but this doctrine feels like it forgets that God’s perfect justice was shown by Jesus’ sacrifice, thus also showing His perfect mercy toward all men. While, ultimately, I do believe there…
Dear Fr. Leo: Will I see my dog in heaven? – M Dear M: Roy Rogers once famously quipped, “If dogs don’t go to heaven, when I die, I want to go where they went!” Not a bad thought, but to help answer this question, I like to invoke the theological principle: “Lex orandi, lex…