Do souls or spirits have a shape or form? How will we notice and recognize our loved ones who have gone before us?— Roger in Edwardsville Read More

In the previous issue, there were a number of suggestions about observing the Easter season, which always runs seven weeks, and this year concludes on Sunday, May 23. I’d like to add another suggestion. If you have never read the Acts of the Apostles all the way through, the Easter season is the perfect time to do so. We always read excerpts from Acts on the Sundays of Easter. In addition, every year at weekday Mass we read a semi-continuous narrative from Acts. Read More

Thank you for asking this important question, and indeed it is an important question to answer since it relates to our relationship with Jesus Christ and his relationship to us. Read More

On March 1, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told residents in the town of Mattapan that when it comes to the various COVID-19 vaccines, “These are all very effective. People don’t need to pick one from another. People should get vaccinated. If you have a chance to get a vaccine, you should take it, whatever it is.” The governor’s sweeping statement seems to imply, first, that everybody should get a COVID-19 shot, and second, that it’s not necessary to distinguish among the different vaccines currently on the market, like Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and eventually others. Read More

 “Oh my God!” What’s wrong with saying that? Read More

For many years I aspired to direct, and to play the role of the “Stage Manager” in Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play Our Town. I had my chance in 1998, when I was pastor of St. Patrick in Girard and St. Mary in Farmersville. I was able to assemble a cast which included students of St. Isidore’s School in Farmersville, adult parishioners, and also my father, who was once on the stage as a student at Decatur High School. Read More

Does the Catholic Church believe that innocent babies that have not been baptized yet will go to limbo and not to Heaven upon their deaths?— Anonymous in the diocese Read More

During “serious illness conversations,” some doctors will ply their patients with this question: “What is your minimally acceptable quality of life?” Behind the question can be the implication that if patients are experiencing a low quality of life, their medical treatments can be discontinued because their life has become “no longer worth living.” Read More

I have two adult children, both of whom were raised Catholic. They are good, loving and kind yet neither believe in Jesus these days. If I am lucky enough to be admitted to Heaven how could I possibly be joyful in eternal life if my children aren’t there?— Nancy, from Springfield Read More

As I have noted in at least one previous column, the calendar itself gives us opportunities to reflect on the strivings of humanity. We find simultaneously that “the march of time” leaves us missing some of those opportunities. The first International Day of Human Fraternity occurred this month, on the fourth day of February. Declared by the United Nations, this Day has been inspired by such efforts as those of Pope Francis and Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Cairo, when they issued their document on human fraternity on Feb. 4, 2019, during Francis’ visit to the United Arab Emirates. Read More

What is the anointing of the sick? Is it only used when someone is about to die?— Anonymous in Coles County Read More

As the new COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, several people have told me, “I don’t want a vaccine with any connection to abortion.” This is a valid sentiment that most of us would likely echo. At a minimum, it should serve as an important “call to action” for each of us during the course of this pandemic. Even if we decide to get inoculated with a vaccine that was produced using abortion-derived human cell lines — which for a serious reason and in the absence of alternatives would not be unethical — we still face a real duty to push back… Read More

Pope Francis presided at the Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter’s Basilica the evening of Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. In recent years, this Mass has been celebrated at 9:30 p.m. Because of pandemic restrictions, the Mass was rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Rome is seven hours ahead of us, so I was able to watch the Mass as it began at 12:30 p.m., well before my 4 p.m. vigil Mass. I turned to the Vatican’s English translation of the pope’s homily, and discovered that, toward the end, he quoted an American poet. Read More

Do I, how do I, approach and give alms to all those men and women on street corners with “homeless” signs? I am so conflicted.— Bill from Springfield Read More

While I understand that God does not need our prayers, my confessor assured me that I still need to say them. While I believe this, will you explain in greater detail why this is true? — Paula in Springfield Read More

Can a godparent be replaced? My sibling is godparent to two of my children and has done something terrible to me and my family and we no longer have a relationship and wondered if it is possible to make a change?— Anonymous in our diocese Read More

In the wake of announcements from multiple pharmaceutical companies about safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, many are expressing ethical doubts about whether it is OK to take these vaccines. Do Catholics have a moral duty to decline an inoculation if it was unethically produced using a cell line that came from an abortion? The short answer is “no.” This has been discussed and explained in several magisterial church documents in recent years. Read More

“Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.” I remember hearing the chorus of a song with these words and they often come to mind when I consider the topic of death. Nobody will disagree that we will only be admitted to Heaven after we die, and while the prospect of being in Heaven is appealing, the getting there is not. Why are we so afraid of dying? To be sure, there are many reasons, and in this article, I would like to briefly address a few of them. Before I do so, let me first share… Read More

And so, we find ourselves in the brief season of Advent, at the point of entering the even briefer season of Christmas. When we examine our liturgical calendar, we find that this time of year is a sort of unkempt “seam” for the entire year, where the irregularities of each year are dealt with, not necessarily in an elegant fashion. Holy Family gets moved from Sunday to Friday in some years; the Baptism of the Lord moves from Sunday to Monday in others. Read More

Some states have “dying with dignity” laws. Can you please explain the Catholic Church’s teaching on physician assisted suicide? Read More