At the same time, we have found that Electronic Voice is a duplicate of our main website and divides the energy of our staff trying to write for two websites. We feel this is not effective stewardship regarding our time and talents and in this case two websites are not better than one. So...
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I am not old enough to remember the Latin Mass. Before Vatican II, was the Mass always in Latin? For many centuries, the Mass was in Latin, but prior to the eighth century, it was not. In the early church, the Eucharist was celebrated in the context of Jewish rituals and prayers, so obviously...
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With Christmas fast approaching, can you give me some practical tips to prepare myself and my family that will help us “stay grounded” in what this holiday is really about? With all the commercialism, it’s easy to stray… Happy times and events bring fond memories and a renewed sense of love and kinship with...
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We offer these suggestions as a Catholic approach to sharing your faith with family and friends. Say “I will pray for you” to a friend who has shared some personal concern or difficulty. Respond “Thank God” when someone shares a success story with you. Make the sign of the cross as you pray before...
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Genesis 18:20-32;  Colossians 2:12-14;  Luke 11:1-13 The disciples came to Jesus with the request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In reply Jesus gave us some of the most familiar words to Christians, “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Luke’s version is worded differently than Matthew’s from which we derive the memorized prayer.  But the first lesson we...
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Does watching Mass on TV fulfill my Sunday obligation? In the age of instant communication, e-mail, voice mail and teleconferencing, many people wonder if these media of communication can be used for sacraments. Many priests, I am sure, have had people ask about going to confession on the phone. While it may seem like...
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Are there right and wrong ways to pray? Think of all the ways that people communicate with one another: Post-its, cell phones, fax machines, letters, e-mail, voice mail, movies, videos and of course, the old reliable telephone. All are ways in which we enhance the most basic form of communication-talking. At times, some are...
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Why do we pray to saints? We really don’t pray to saints as much as we ask them to pray with and for us. In the same way we ask other people to pray for us, we ask saints for their intercession and their spiritual assistance. So that just as I ask my friend...
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I go to confession regularly and try to live my life based on my faith. On one or two occasions I have forgotten to mention a sin, and now do not recall if I ever mentioned it. Are forgotten sins forgiven? We cannot stop the flow of God’s love and mercy, especially when we...
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Be a pillow of the Church? This message might make you think of an old Saturday Night Live routine about a character who never quite correctly heard what was said. “What’s this I hear about a pillow of the Church? Oh, pillar of the Church. Never mind…” But this is intentional. We’ve all heard...
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