Obviously you don't have disclose what the confession was. I am just curious as my mother says her record from when she was a kid was 25 & I wanna see if anyone has been given more Hail Maries than my mother.

I’ve been on active duty in the US Air Force for 12 years. I’ve had a conversion of heart, and found the Church last year and received the sacraments this Easter. Through my conversion my conscience has changed and I no longer feel that I can partake in the instrument of warfare. Just or unjust. I plan on applying for conscientious objector status this week.

My question is…I feel a call towards religious life and I’ve been discerning a vocation since the turn of the new year. I have a spiritual director, I understand I’m far away from being able to apply to any community, if that is something I end of doing.
But if I am approved for conscientious objector status, would a vocation team or community look down on that fact? Do you think it could be a deterrent?

Thanks in advance for any help. And please pray for me.

Hi there! As the title states, I don‘t have a confessor to ask this to since I’m not a part of a parish or even Catholic (yet at least). But I 100% believe God has been slowly leading me towards the Catholic Church for years now, and I’m at a point where I can’t deny it.

So, my question is about contraception. For context, I am a married woman with one child. My husband and I have used a form of contraception all throughout our marriage, and I’m just becoming aware now that this is morally wrong. However, after our child was born, I developed some severe OCD, anxiety, and depression that has (still) been my life’s toughest battle. So naturally, the thought of having another child and going through it all again sends me into physiological distress. It’s something I’ve thought about and fought with for over a year now. Before I had my child, I wanted like 12 kids - seriously! I actually was planning to not use birth control ever again.

Now my question is, is continuing to prevent pregnancy now that I KNOW it’s wrong by church standard a mortal sin? I wrestle with this because it feels like my fear/mental illness doesn’t give me *full* consent to this aspect of my life, even though I can make a conscious decision. It’s not like I’m in psychosis or “out of my mind” in that way, but I feel like the prevention of pregnancy is a form of an avoidance compulsion. I appreciate your wisdom on this!

Our priest said that he orders hosts for communion on Amazon which I found odd. Are there any rules about where the bread for hosts come from? I always assumed that they would be made by monks or nuns somewhere so please enlighten me , I’m just curious.

Kind of a niche question. I'm 37 weeks pregnant and baby will be here soon, meaning labor and delivery are just around the corner as well. I'm making a list of positive affirmations to help me through the pain of contractions and birth, like "each contraction brings me closer to baby," "​I can do anything for 60 seconds," and "my body was made to do this."

One sentence that also seems to resonate is "This is my body, given up for you." It just feels like I'm drawing on Christ for strength as I sacrifice my body so painfully for someone else. I'm not trying to equate this sacrifice to Christ's in any way, or say that the pain of birth is on the same level, but I don't want to use this verse in a blasphemous way either. Do you think this is appropriate? I wouldn't say it out of pride or to idolize birth, but out of seeking the help of Christ's sacrificial strength and surrender.

At the end of Mass a couple of weeks ago, as soon as I stood up, two men approached me to introduce themselves before I could even leave my pew and genuflect. They invited me to visit them at their place of employment, which I politely deflected.

I am single and attend mass alone, however, I am not open to dating. I only attend mass for God, and I don’t have space in my life right now for a man for various reasons, nor would I be interested in going out to spend time with two men I don’t know even if I was open to dating. And of course, it is equally likely that they were just being friendly, and weren’t interested in me at all.

With that said, because these men were standing immediately in front of me, I had to move to the other side of the aisle to genuflect so that I wouldn’t be doing so towards them and with my leg touching them. The situation made me feel uncomfortable and cornered even though it likely wasn’t their intention. And because of this, I attended mass at a different time last week, and sat in a different place this week.

I am wondering if there is anything I can do or wear to discourage male attention at mass? I have considered wearing a ring on my ring finger, but I am worried that would be dishonest and therefore a sin. I am seeking advice. Thank you

I came to Catholicism about a couple of years ago and received all of my sacraments. I originally had started to learn quite a bit about the Orthodox Church. But, after watching quite a few debates from Voice of Reason on YouTube I was swayed on papal primacy. But, this nagging feeling crept back about learning more about orthodoxy. Maybe it’s God, honestly still trying to discern. The more I learn the more confused I’ve become. Can anyone paint a clear depiction on whether or not the papacy is heretical or not? Maybe it’s my human understanding and wondering if evil has crept into the church, a lot of things that have come down from the Vatican (at least at surface level) seem to be almost opposite of Christ’s teachings, although it might be hardness of heart on my end. Also, any other guidance or information would be beyond helpful.

I am writing a film about a priest and am wondering if they can attend Mass without concelebrating? Do they have to wear their collar ? Are there any rules about this sort of thing? Thank you for the insight !

Have you ever done this? I consulted with a local priest, and he said he would review canon law. I did a quick search using AI, and it seems that in cases like my relative's, it can be applied under certain restrictions. It's worth mentioning that my relative belongs to the Pentecostal evangelical branch, so their communion with Rome is noticeably less than perfect.

Hello all, I hope you are doing well and God bless :).

So, Orthodoxy uses the porneia clause in the Gospel of Matthew to varying degrees of severity and allowence for remarriage under increasing penance.

My question is, what happens if an Orthodox person has divorced and remarried with the permission of the Orthodox Church, and then later converts to Catholicism?

If their first spouse is still alive, would they have to seek an annulment of their first marriage before the Catholic Church could recognise the second marriage? Since the Catholic Church recognises Orthodox sacraments, I assume the first marriage would be presumed valid?

And if the first marriage was found to be valid, what would actually happen to the second couple? Would they be expected to separate, or live as brother and sister?

I'm writing a story, and I want a 23 year old non-religious man to go live with a 40 year old priest in his rectory, as sort of a adoptive father-son story. (I mention these specifics since I'm guessing a woman would incur more worries from the church)

My question is: Is there a chance this would be allowed in real life, at all? If not simply through the will of the priest, then through some other means, such as the man applying for some non-religious job for the priest, or leaving when they know someone from the church is coming, or something like that?

The story has some fantasy, so even if it is unfortunately impossible to happen in real life, I don't mind breaking a rule to make the story continue, but I do want to know exactly what I'm working with so I can at least mention it, hopefully to make it more believable.

I apologize in advance if this is disrespectful to ask, I'm not religious but I thought this would be the best place to ask rather than believing AI.

I can’t convert to Catholicism for legal reasons like persecution and I have no idea when I’ll be able to convert. I secretly go to mass multiple times a week, pray often, and essentially live like a Catholic. Can I still take communion and go to confession in this circumstance? I’ve been told by a priest online (asked a priest online because I’m too scared to ask a priest in person, lol. Even though I shouldn’t be worried about a priest betraying me) that in certain circumstances it’s fine to participate in these sacraments if you have not been baptized, that it’s based on my intentions and beliefs. Canon 844, §4 says something about it, apparently, but I’m not entirely sure if I understood it correctly. I do believe that the Catholic Church is the one true church and I do wholeheartedly believe that the Eucharist is the blood and body of Jesus. I have not participated in either communion or confession yet because I’m really worried that I’m not allowed to and I’m not 100% sure. An answer that can clear everything up for me would be amazing. Thank you.

Good morning,

Can you help me understand a situation at my local church. In my women's ministry group there is a practice of writing prayer intentions in a journal and placing the journal below the altar for the prayers to be prayed over during daily Mass. However, these intentions were recently found to not be included in the prayers of the faithful. Does having the journal present during Mass mean these prayers are still prayed for, or is it dependent on the priest specifically mentioning them in the Mass? Additionally, does not having the journal present under the altar make the intentions any less prayed for?

I’m a baptized Christian but not Catholic though I’m starting OCIA. I go forward at mass for blessing. I usually respond with silence and dip my head or add an amen. I’m sure of the proper respectful response such as should I cross myself and somehow it always escapes my mind when I see the priest to ask.

To be fair, I haven't been to church (other than baptisms, funerals, and weddings) in maybe 15 years. That's probably why I can't remember the term for this particular sin.

When I was 12, I was watching a documentary on TV about an Amazonian tribe. My mom walked into my room during a scene in which two women were cooking. They were, of course, not modestly dressed according to Western standards. My mother was very upset and turned off the TV. When I asked why, she said watching the documentary would be the sin of "_____."

She said it to me one more time when I had the opportunity to take an early college course around the age of 16. I wanted to take a World Religions course, but she again said it was the sin of "______."

Anyway, I can't ask her, because we kind of avoid the topic of religion together as it always leads to arguments.

Hello all, asking this question because I am looking to return to the Catholic Church but don’t know what i need to do.

My mother’s side grew up devoutly catholic, and I was baptized catholic as a baby, but my family fell out of the faith shortly after, so I’ve never had confession or confirmation.

I am wondering if i can have my first confession and take the Eucharist without going through OCIA, or if i need to do the process from the start.

I’m an altar server from the Diocese of Chongqing, China. This Wednesday, I will be serving at a very solemn Mass: the Episcopal Ordination (Consecration) of our new Bishop.

There will be multiple bishops, lots of priests, and a Master of Ceremonies (MC). Since this is my first time serving a Mass of this scale, I want to make sure I don't mess up.

I have a few quick questions for experienced servers here:

Bishop Etiquette: When meeting the bishops in the sacristy or during Mass, what is the proper etiquette? Should I genuflect and kiss the episcopal ring, or is a deep bow and handshake more common nowadays?

Mitre & Crozier: If I am assigned to hold the bishop's mitre or crozier, what are the basic rules? (I know about using the vimpa veil, but any pro-tips on timing?).

Common Mistakes: For anyone who has served a Bishop's Mass or an Ordination before, what is the most common mistake servers make that I should avoid?

We will have a rehearsal, but any quick mental cues, tips, or advice on staying calm during a long, grand liturgy would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your help and prayers!

Lets say that i have an appointment on a random workday near a church, and could make it from the appointment to daily mass which i dont usually attend, but i would be about 15 minutes late, can i still take communion or should i just skip it?

I’m an engineer facing a moral question about my work. I’m working on a small part of a semiconductor chip. I recently found out that the larger electronic component containing this chip will be used in missiles, but also has non-weapons applications.

About 95% of my work was already complete before I became aware of the missile applications, and the technology is probably more than a year away from being manufactured. I know that weapons are not inherently evil, but given the wars occurring around the world, it also seems that there are too often improper uses of weapons, which makes me concerned about contributing to them.

Would it be morally permissible for me to finish my work? If I should recuse myself, would the fact my employer would expect me hand off my work and cross-train another employee—who would then continue the work—change the moral analysis? Would either finishing the work or handing it off constitute cooperation in the use of weapons?

Does it really matter? I think everyone who goes to confession regularly has a prayer memorized. I know there are a few templates out there.

Is it better to say something from the heart, of course, keeping in mind to be brief. Or does it not really matter at all?

Is it annoying when somebody just tries to freewheel it and they miss important criteria for a sufficient active contrition? Or is this just not something that happens at all?

My husband and I were both baptized Catholics; his family were not regular attendees, mine were, but I elected not to complete Confirmation for a variety of reasons, but ultimately I could not in good conscious receive that sacrament at that time based on what I learned in my classes. I have since been in a non-christian faith and my husband is an Atheist and rather skeptical of any organized religion. My husband and I have been married for almost 20 years, and were married civilly.

My mother recently passed and I have been contemplating rejoining the church. I am prone to hyperfixations, so I am taking a long period of discernment before I take action. My husband is aware, but does believe this is a hyperfixation and part of my grief.

One thing I am trying to figure out is Convalidation if I end up wanting to rejoin the Church and receive Confirmation. My husband would never stand in the way of my rejoining for myself, but convalidation requires both members, and there is a decent chance that he would not want to make that sort of religious vow.

What would be the process then? I cannot see a way forward where I am never in a state of grace to receive communion.

I know the answer to this is "ask your priest" but my priest is, well, my older brother, and I am not yet at a point where I want to discuss this with him.

So basically, my sister and I aren’t confirmed Catholics, but we both subscribe to the ideas of the church and I’m looking to find an OCIA program. Several years ago my mom was a wedding coordinator, so she took us to one rehearsal she had a local Catholic church. My little sister bought a bottle of holy water for a dollar. The other day, it was on my desk and I was really confused as to what it was until she told me lol.

I’m not really sure how holy water works (whether it’s supposed to be purchased, if it ‘expires’, etc). Is it most likely real holy water? If so, what should I use it for? I did Google it, but I think an opinion directly from a priest may be better.

Hello, I am a 35 y.o man discerning diocesan priesthood in virginia. On the diocesan website, there is a section asking for prayer for the semarians, saying: " Please consider "adopt" in prayer for our seminarian in prayer by saying prayer for them daily and throughout their discerning process. Please lets us know if you are praying for a specific seminarian name". I am discerning and I am not in seminary yet, but I feel like I need someone pray for me for discerning the priesthood. I take that "adopt in prayer " concept and ask a lady at my home parish to pray for me. She is not a family member of me. We just join the rosary community on saterday morning at the church together. I ask her : " may you adopt me in prayer by add these two sentences in your daily prayer : my name is V, may the Lord help V to discern and reveal his vocation to him as soon as needed". I tolad her that its a daily prayer on top of her daily prayer, and it will continue from now to maybe May 2027 , the latest time for seminary application next year. I do not pay her anything for doing this. She said she would do it. Then a week later when we meet for the rosary praying meeting, she told me that she have brought this up to the pastor. The pastor said she cannot do this, praying for me. I did not ask her why because I do not get in the conflict with the pastor decision, but just obey and respect the choice they made. I bring this question up to this forum. May you tell me why no one can pray for me regarding to discerning? In the rosary paring meeting, we open the prayer with a list of intentions. On intention is praying for young man to have discernment for the priesthood. I just ask her to add my specific my name to that prayer, and it is forbiden by my pastor? May you explain why?

I’ve been to a few Catholic parishes that have gift shops selling things like rosaries, books, statues, medals, and other religious items. Is this a normal practice? I’m just wondering if this is contrary to Jesus cleansing the temple, turning over tables and driving people out. I’m a Catholic so I’m not coming from a place of disrespect (I mean, I bought a rosary when I visited one of the parishes haha). I just wanted to know what the difference was.