Q. How does the Church choose which date will be celebrated as the memorial for each saint? A. A saint’s feast day is typically the day on which the saint died (if that date is known). Sometimes there may be a liturgical reason for moving the day: For example, if a saint died on December 25, the memorial would be moved to another day so that its celebration would not always be overshadowed and preempted by Christmas. The day chosen might, for example, be the anniversary of th

Q. If I pray for the healing of all the sick people in the world, is that less effective than praying for a few specific individuals? Does it somehow “dilute” the power of my prayer to pray for millions at a time? A. Prayer is a mystery with regard to the ways it actually works. That is, the intricate, complex, often hidden ways in which God responds to a prayer, and the subtle ways in which it affects the one praying as well as the one being prayed for, are beyond our full k

Q. What exactly is the RCIA program? A. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is a formal process of faith formation for three types of participants. First are catechumens: those who have never been baptized and are seeking to become Catholic. Second are candidates: baptized Christians who are not Catholic but seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. Third are adult Catholics seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation, who receive instruction in the esse

Q. Why does Lent last forty days? A. The Lenten season includes forty days of penance because it recalls the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying, preparing for His public ministry, and the Devil’s attempt to tempt Him there (Luke 4:1–13). Our forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving join our hearts more closely to Our Lord’s heart and strengthen us against the Enemy’s temptations as we seek to serve God. The number forty has great significan