Dear Fr. LeoIs the Catholic Church the only church that venerates relics? What’s the deal with relics, anyway?G Dear G:In truth, relics are venerated not only by Catholics, but also by Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians. Due to some of the abuses which happened in the Middle Ages, the churches and ecclesial communities which grew…
Dear Fr. Leo: Would it be okay to imagine a biosphere (a spiritsphere?), perhaps, surrounding the earth containing the spirit world where souls head toward at the time of death? I hope that the spirits and images of those I love would be apparent to me if I find myself so lucky to meet them…
Dear Fr. Leo,Do we worship on Sunday because that is the day that Our Lord rose from the dead? In rising from the dead, did he cancel the Old Testament practice of observing the Sabbath on Saturdays? Is that why we call it the Lord’s Day? – S Dear S,These are three good questions. I’ll…
By Father Leo WalshThe North Star Catholic In 1971, Archbishop Ryan recognized a need for a new parish to serve the Catholic faithful on the east side of Anchorage. Without a facility, parishioners of St. Anthony Church came together to form this new parish community. The fledgling community met for several years in the gym…
Dear Fr. Leo: In the gospels, when Jesus called his apostles, they each just got up and followed him. What about the other responsibilities they had? Isn’t that abandonment? What about their other day to day life accountabilities? – S. Dear S:Yes, they did leave everything to follow him and yes, it is abandonment –…
Dear Fr. Leo:My sister sent me something published by a Jesuit magazine that suggested Mary was illiterate. As I had not thought about that before, it occurred to me that perhaps Mary is the second smartest person ever in the world, the first of course being her Son. If Mary studied scripture, she would have…
Dear Fr. Leo: What happens to our souls when our bodies die? Does it go with our spirits up to God for initial judgment? I have a good friend from a new religious movement who believes that the soul remains with the dead body until Christ returns. At the same time, I would like to…
Dear Fr. Leo: When we say the Apostles Creed, we say, “He descended into hell.” It seems to be a direct contradiction to the Bible when Jesus told the thief as they hung on the cross, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Did Jesus go to Heaven or…
Dear Fr. Leo:Jesus got one hundred percent of his earthly stuff from his mother…her blood type, her DNA, her good looks, etc. So, when we receive the Eucharist, which IS the body and blood of Jesus, aren’t we also receiving her? – M Dear M:An interesting speculation. The crux of the matter lies in the…
CatholicAnchor.org As we continue to emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown slowly, the clergy of the Archdiocese in union with Bishop Bellisario have been incrementally opening parish facilities to liturgical and other gatherings using the best practices to protect against the risk of infection. Why the glacial pace of reopening? Why not simply throw open the…