Recently, LifeSite News published disturbing news: "The Washington state Senate passed legislation to throw priests in jail for almost a full year for maintaining the Seal of Confession. Senator Noel Frame, a Democrat, is on her third attempt to force priests to divulge what they hear during Confession if it concerns abuse." Notice the last four words above:  if it concerns abuse... Keep in mind we in the traditional Catholic world have been fighting clergy-abuse of children. That means those of us who defend the seal of confession are not looking for a "work-around" in hiding child-abuse when the predator is lay or clergy.  In fact, in past articles, I [...]

He said therefore to them again: "Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you." When He had said this, He breathed on them; and He said to them: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."—St. John 20:21-23. Most of my articles are directed to Catholic laity, but this is one of the rare ones where I am writing to other priests.  The only message of this article is:  Please add more confession times.  If you do, the penitents will come. In rural areas, it might take some penance [...]

What are "Last Rites"?  "Last Rites" is simply a compound-noun indicating the sacraments you hope to receive on your deathbed.  First, the priest hears your confession.  Then, you receive your final Holy Communion (aka Viaticum, literally "food for the journey.")  Then, the priest gives you "extreme unction" (a Latin/English compound-noun simply meaning "anointing at the extreme—or end—part of your life.")  After all of this, but before the Final Commendation of the Soul (of which I wrote about here for my mother) the dying person receives the Apostolic Pardon.  (I also gave this to my mother, but didn't write about it in the above-linked blog post because most of you already [...]

Before going to confession, remember to never bring your phone in the confessional (as a phone even in airplane-mode may be hacked by the government or another enemy.)  Rather, write out your sins on a piece of paper that you may wish to bring into the confessional.  Then, begin your confession by saying to the priest your state in life (married, single, priest religious) and then say how long it's been since your last confession (one week, one month, one year, etc.).  Say, "I accuse myself of the following sins..." as you keep in mind the traditional Four C's of Making a Good Confession: Clear.  Someone recently told me about an [...]

There's a lot of combinations of sacramental debates happening today, but most of them are very similar:  Someone's Catholic family member is getting married outside the Church.  Half the family feels squeamish about it.  A priest steps in and says to the more conservative family members, "You should indeed go to your son's wedding outside the Church, so as to not break the bonds of charity.  That way, you can evangelize him back into the Church later." Then, all the lay people in the family have their consciences euthanized by the smiling priest, and they all go to the "wedding." Here's why that priest is wrong and it's actually a [...]

p/c Star of the Sea, San Francisco. The 1950 Carmelite devotional Divine Intimacy reads: “The Father and the Word, mutually beholding Their infinite goodness and beauty, love each other from all eternity, and the expression of this unitive love is a third Person, the Holy Spirit. As the Word is generated by the Father by way of knowledge, so the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of love. The Holy Spirit is, therefore, the terminus, and the effusion of the reciprocal love of the Father and the Son, an effusion so substantial and perfect that it is a Person, the third Person of the Most [...]