Q. Why do we strike our breasts when we confess our sins during Mass? A. Striking the breast is an ancient sign of penitence or sorrow. In the Gospel, for example, the penitent tax collector “beat his breast” as he prayed for God’s mercy. The sorrowful multitudes who had watched Jesus die on the Cross “returned home beating their breasts” (Luke 18:13; 23:48). Ancient Christians testify to the practice as well. St. Augustine observed that by this gesture “you wish to bring to

Men of St. Catherine's, please join us in a 33-day preparation for consecration to St. Joseph. The preparation begins on February 16, and the consecration occurs on March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph. More details can be found here. To purchase your preparation book, click here.

Dear Men of St. Catherine's Parish, I want to invite you all to join me on March 19, 2020, the feast of St. Joseph, in making a special consecration to St. Joseph. You may be more familiar with the tradition in the Church of making a consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary (really we are consecrating ourselves to Jesus through the intercession of Mary); however, there is also a tradition, especially for men, to consecrate themselves and their families to Jesus through the in

Q. I’ve heard that St. Thomas Aquinas (feast day, January 28) had a vision near the end of his life that showed him his work was just “straw.” What does this mean? A. On the feast of St. Nicholas, 1273, while celebrating Mass, St. Thomas received a revelation from God that caused him to stop writing, leaving his brilliant lifelong work, Summa Theologiae, unfinished. He told his secretary: “The end of my labors has come. All I have written appears to be as so much straw after

Q. Is it possible to have Confession en masse? A. It’s possible to receive General Absolution (Confession en masse) when the circumstances permit it. But generally, circumstances do not permit it. This is outlined in the Code of Canon Law, no. 961: “§1 General absolution, without prior individual confession, cannot be given to a number of penitents together, unless: 1) danger of death threatens and there is not time for the priest or priests to hear the confessions of the ind

Q. Why did God allow Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? A. Another way to state your question is this: Why did God make human beings with a free will, even though He knew they would abuse it? Which is better: A world of robots who act only in accordance with God’s will because they are programmed to do so? Or a world of sons and daughters, made in His own image, who are free to love Him and one another, even if they sometimes fail

An adult faith formation series for married and engaged couples Saturday, October 12, 2019 “Faith, Family, and Vocation” Sr. Mary Diana Dreger, OP, MD Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia and Medical Doctor Saturday, January 11, 2020 “Identifying the Demon Dialogues in Your Marriage” Shannon D. Mullen, PhD, CSAT Owner and Director of Mosaic Psychological Services Saturday, April 18, 2020 “A Catholic View of Marriage and Mental Health” Sandra McKay, LMFT Director of Holy Family Cou

Q. Where do we get the traditional names of the three Magi (Wise Men)? A. The Gospel of Matthew, which tells us about the Magi (Matthew 2:1–18), provides no names for them. In fact, even the number of Magi isn’t specified there. The presumption in Western tradition has typically been that the reference to three gifts (verse 11) implies three givers; but some Eastern traditions have insisted there were twelve. Various traditions about their names have arisen. The common Wester