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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    . recorded April 10, 2008 I read in the diocesan newspaper that the bishop made an ad limina visit to Rome. What does ad limina mean? The term ad limina is a Latin phrase meaning “to the threshold.” It refers to the pilgrimage that bishops are required to make every five years...
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Why is the Vatican sometimes called the “Holy See”? A little background in ecclesiology will help explain why we call the Vatican the Holy See. The church is very structured and organized in its hierarchy. A diocese is a geographic area governed by a bishop appointed by the pope. Each diocese is further broken...
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When Catholics have been away from the Church, they sometimes are unsure of how to go about returning. They might have questions for which they seek answers. If they have been away a long time, they wonder how the Church of today is different from what they knew. Catholics who have questions about returning...
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A friend told me there are special Mass prayers for our president. Why? As we celebrate Independence Day, questions about the relationship between church and state always abound. What is the proper relationship of the church to the state? With a new administration in Washington, this question is as significant as ever. Gaudium et...
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Why was the name for this Sunday changed from Corpus Christi to the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ? The Lectionary revised by Vatican II changed the name of this feast from Corpus Christi, the feast of the body of Christ, to the feast of the Most Holy Body and...
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