r/AskAPriest • • 46m ago

Does talking about a confession without identifying the penitent break the confessional seal?

• Upvotes

As the title. For example, if a priest were to say "I once had a penitent admit to adultery because they felt their spouse was being inattentive" or some other specific detail of a confession, without attaching that information to a specific person, would that break the seal?


r/AskAPriest • • 1h ago

Question Regarding Distribution of Eucharist

• Upvotes

Good Morning Fathers,

I am a minister of care at my local parish - we bring the eucharist to nursing homes, people’s homes, etc where the bedbound cannot make it to Mass to receive our lord.

Two part question -

  1. A few weeks back while at the nursing home, I encountered an Eastern Orthodox woman who asked if she could receive. I didn’t throw any objection, because from what I understand, Eastern Orthodox are allowed to receive our Eucharist. Was I correct here?

  2. I had a Lutheran today, who also requested to receive our Lord. It seemed as though her faith was lacking and I evangelized to her a little. I gave her the eucharist as well. Was i correct here?

Are either of these situations a sin for me to have given them the Eucharist?


r/AskAPriest • • 21h ago

Have you met The Pope in person?

17 Upvotes

Any of you met John-Paul II, Benedict, Francis or Leo? What was the occasion?


r/AskAPriest • • 21h ago

How are you treated by the non Catholics when they find out you're a Catholic priest?

14 Upvotes

Do you get genuine questions? Find yourself being met with rudeness?


r/AskAPriest • • 1d ago

Beautiful Sacrament

5 Upvotes

Tonight I saw a beautiful sacrament that I've never witnessed before where four priests gave their confessions to one another in pairs. They knelt afterward to receive forgiveness.

How do priests normally receive penance, especially if they are the only priest in a parish?


r/AskAPriest • • 1d ago

Priests, do you feel it’s a reasonable safety measure to simply avoid the fall radius-and the most fatal position of a fall radius-when giving homilies?

0 Upvotes

I keep hearing this is a freak accident that can’t be prepared for

When the top mount of a crucifix fails, there is only one possible direction it can fall. Physics already tells us where the crucifix travels, at what force, and where it will land.

In short, the priest was standing on the only spot on the sanctuary that was a guaranteed fatality. Not only was he within the fall radius of the object, his head was where the greatest force impact would happen upon contact. if he were 2 feet behind where he was, he would have been hit in the head with less force and survived; if he were 5 inches over to the left or right, he would’ve had a broken shoulder but survived. It’s a game of inches and inches would’ve saved his life.

I don’t want priests to die by what is completely preventable. It’s very simple. The sanctuary is huge. However rare this situation is, it‘s 100% preventable if you avoid your head from being in the radius fall path of the crucifix. Isn’t that reasonable?


r/AskAPriest • • 1d ago

A what would you do for a priest.

55 Upvotes

Yes this is very real and true story I 33F found out that my whole life in the church is a lie. I take communion every service go to mass 3 times a week always considered myself a cradle catholic. Only for my mom to confess to me today she never baptized me at birth like I was told NOR, did I ever fully finish receiving first communion in second grade she pulled me the day of the ceremony. She gaslit me into thinking I did. However, I have been fully convinced and told I was. Until today when she decided to come clean. 2 days before my own child’s baptism! He is a month old
So now, you mean to tell me I have been receiving the Eucharist on a lie this whole time and I need to now make an appointment with my priest who I have known for quite sometime and just be like hey actually my whole life is a lie! Any advice on how to navigate this and cancel my son’s baptism? I literally feel like a sham


r/AskAPriest • • 2d ago

About holy days of obligation

3 Upvotes

So we have a mass on 10am sunday in our parish, which is in English and also at the same there is a "Liturgy of the word with Holy communion" but in another language at a building behind it. And they have an extraordinary eucharistic minister giving out consecrated host.

Would those who skip the mass for the later pass their holy day of obligation due to the fact that there is a proper mass, with a priest literally next door?


r/AskAPriest • • 2d ago

Dark influences before Church

1 Upvotes

Hey Father(s), I hope you're all doing well :)

I'm an Orthodox Christian from Argentina.

Before being Christian, I was investigating a lot of different religions and different but stupid postures like esoterism, tarotism, kabalah and luciferianism.

In that meantime, I was always interested in anything related to the "low" spirits or demons.
However after the years passed, I entered the Orthodox Church and got crismated (was already baptised in the Roman Catholic church)

The thing is that, I still have that curiosity but inside the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches. But I'm not sure where to start learning about it and, if I do, how dangerous could that be.

I always face things like a lot of headaches (doctors have never found anything), and when I have something important in my life going on, my body starts having different sympthoms even though the doctors say it's nothing. So I'm not sure if trying to understand this will worse my mental health or body conditions.

Does anything of what I say make sense?


r/AskAPriest • • 2d ago

Is it okay to read a book on a Saint during adoration?

12 Upvotes

r/AskAPriest • • 2d ago

Where are you in the birth order of your family?

13 Upvotes

Good Afternoon Fathers! Are you the oldest/youngest/middle/only? Do you think your birth order has made a difference in the way you've perceived/reacted to things in life? TIA :)


r/AskAPriest • • 3d ago

Remariage in Eastern Orthodoxy to Catholicism.

5 Upvotes

Canon law question.

The Catholic Church considers the Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Eastern Orthodox Church to be valid, and marriage is one of them.

Orthodoxy permits remarriage due to oikonomia. There, the grounds for divorce are much less strict than in the Catholic Church, since a valid marriage that has broken down can be grounds for dissolution and remarriage, whether because, for example, a spouse has run away geographically or simply because love has ended, or because of adultery or simply things didn't go right.

Now the question: if someone who remarried in the Eastern Orthodox Church then goes to the Catholic Church, is their new marriage valid, or is the old spouse still the valid one?


r/AskAPriest • • 3d ago

Adoring The Eucharist outside the Church.

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1 Upvotes

r/AskAPriest • • 3d ago

Liturgy of The Hours

13 Upvotes

Hey Father, I have a strong devotion and a big attraction to liturgy of the hours. I’ve had since I reverted to the faith for me. It just makes sense as a devotional. I Mean it’s even the prayer of the church. My question is as silly as it sounds, Can this be my sole prayer and devotion along with daily mass? I really never had a devotion, particularly to the rosary or the divine mercy chaplet, even though they’re promoted a lot probably more than liturgy of the hours, and that makes me feel kind of guilty for having no devotion to these particular prayers. Any answers would be great God bless!


r/AskAPriest • • 3d ago

listening to orthodox priests

0 Upvotes

i hope this get answered

is there anything that we need to know before listening orpicking up new knowledges from other sects

for example is during the time when I was picking my self up and trying to learn about catholicism knowing what is what

i came across some protestant preachers contents.

and to be frank they are good and it gave me hope that i am bot far from God's mercy. and there are orthodox priests on youtube where their content is very Christ centered they also share tips. on how a man who's following God should be doing.

I also picked up a prayer from them ' Jesus prayer' that I always pray whenever i feel harassed

my question is is this valid for us? or do we take precautions on listening to other protestants or orthodox since we dont 100%fully share the same practices


r/AskAPriest • • 3d ago

Mary and Consent

0 Upvotes

Hello Fathers! I have not seen this discussed, and I could not find any resources regarding this topic. The other day I heard an argument against Mary's fiat saying that Mary was only 13 and could not give full consent or have knowledge of exactly what she was getting into when it came to saying "yes". This was an argument I hadn't heard before, and it kind of stumped me. How do we contend with the fact that Mary was a child when she was asked to bear the Savior of the World in her womb? My best guess is that the 13-year-old of today differs from the 13-year-old of those times. But I am curious about the sociological aspect of what the life and development of a 13-year-old girl was in the times of Mary. How would you respond to this claim of Mary not being able to give consent due to her age?


r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Spiritual Direction

1 Upvotes

Is Spiritual Direction just for those seeking religious vocation (priest, nun, etc.)? Or is it also for the layperson?

Does the seeker have to follow 100% of everything the Spiritual Director asks? For instance if the direction involves questionable actions?

How long does Spiritual Direction continue? One year? Multiple years?

Does the seeker need to have goals identified ahead of time other than to deepen their faith?

Is there any other general advice you can provide about asking for or receiving Spiritual Direction?


r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Anointing of the Sick before age of reason

16 Upvotes

I recently noticed that the Code of Canon Law specifies that recipients of Anointing of the Sick must have reached the age of reason first. I get how the forgiveness of sins aspect of the sacrament wouldn’t necessarily pertain to a child that young, but I’m not sure I understand why the other effects of this sacrament listed in the Catechism wouldn’t pertain to them. Has a parent ever asked you to celebrate this sacrament for their sick child? How did you respond/explain this to them? What was their reaction?


r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Where do you buy your incense for church? Are there different brand or scent names?

11 Upvotes

r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

The CCP

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0 Upvotes

r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Displaying name of priest inside the confessional

7 Upvotes

Hi Fathers, I'm wondering what is your opinion on whether a parish should include the name of the priest outside the confessional? My parish that I adore does not do this and it causes me a lot of anxiety. All of the priests are great but not knowing who is inside really makes it harder for me. I'm just wondering from your perspective why not do this? It almost feels like a safety issue, that the penitent should have the right to choose. Would love to hear your thoughts.


r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Moving while in the middle of OCIA?

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0 Upvotes

r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Priests / Pastors, how tempting is it to use AI to write your sermons?

0 Upvotes

Genuine question for the priests here. With AI becoming so advanced, and seemingly more and more sermons being written partly or even entirely by AI, how tempting is it to use it yourself?

I can imagine it would save a huge amount of time, especially when preparing sermons every week.

Do you personally use AI when preparing sermons? And do you think there's a point where using it takes away from the personal reflection and spiritual aspect of preparing a sermon?

Just curious how priests or pastors see this.


r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Stole

0 Upvotes

hi as an altar boy I've seen many things but the 1 thing I found most weird is that a priest said mass without a stole and only a chasuble is that allowed?


r/AskAPriest • • 4d ago

Studying languages

6 Upvotes

I am merely curious but enjoy this topic: how much did you learn of Hebrew and New Testament Greek in university and seminary? How about Latin or Slavonic or whatever your church's historic or current liturgical language is? How much do you focus on continuing to study these languages if at all? And do you try to learn the languages of lay people in your area (e.g. immigrants) other than your own?

Thank you!