Fr. Michael Copenhagen is a Melkite (Eastern Catholic) priest, husband, and father, at St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Melkite Catholic Church in Gates, New York. He holds a Bachelors of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

In Today's Show:

• Is there a difference between telling the truth and being judgmental?
• What can one do if they stop feeling guilty after a habitual sin?
• Is it permissible for a professional athlete to work on Sundays?
• Are there different beliefs regarding transubstantiation in the Eastern Rite Catholic churches?
• How can you tell what God's will is for you?
• Can a non-Catholic attend confession?
• When attending mass, does one have to focus on the prayers of the priest? Can you pray a rosary while the mass is going on?
• Is it a sin to gamble, if I have a set amount of money set aside for the purpose of gambling.  And if it is a sin, is it mortal or venial?
• I have a friend who is straying away from the faith, what can I say to help him?

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Canon Benjamin Norman, ICKSP formerly served as Chaplain of the ICKSP Oakland Apostolate at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Oakland, California. He was ordained in 2018.

 

In Today's Show:

• What is the synodal church? ("Not a Burger King Church)
• Can there be two "religions" instead of one within the Catholic church?  One synodal and one traditional?
• What is the definition of knowledge?
• What are your thoughts on dipping the Eucharist in the Blood of Christ before the priest consumes the host? Is this practice of intinction permissible?
• I've heard that feelings aren't sinful but what about the verse about not going to the altar when you are angry with your brother?
• Is it okay for Catholics to donate to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews?
• Can I attend my friend's Lutheran church?
• Is it sinful to lie when you are trying to hide priests from persecution?

 

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. Elias Mary Mills, F.I. served as Rector of the Shrine Church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, Wisconsin from 2016 to 2021. He was ordained in May of 2000.

 

In Today's Show:

• What was the first Marian apparition?
• I was wondering how you decided to become a Franciscan Friar rather than a diocesan priest or even joining another traditional order such as the FSSP or ICKSP. Also, how do your duties differ from those of other types of priests?
• I once attended a wedding on Saturday where it was stated that Mass attendance would count for the next day, even though the Mass was before 4. Is that correct?
• How morally responsible are we for the sins of others if we willingly decide not to speak up and correct them?
• ​​Is it ok to pray for something more than once or ask for the intercession of more than one saint for something?
• Are there any past sins that prevent you from becoming a monk/priest?
• Where does it say in the Bible that women cannot be priests, besides Matthew 16?
• Is it permissible to read the edifying works of modern Orthodox Saints without any desire to leave the Catholic Church?
• Generally speaking, do you think the Crusades were largely successful or unsuccessful?
• Do souls in purgatory know when we are praying for them?
• Why is it that Angels cannot receive Our Lord in Holy Communion?
• Do the Angelic choirs form part of the Mystical Body of Christ?
• If I think the death penalty is still a valid moral option in appropriate circumstances, and therefore disagree with the teaching of the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty, do I commit the grave sin of schism and risk damnation?

 

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Canon Stephen Sharpe, ICKSP serves as Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit, Michigan. He was ordained in 2020.   In Today's Show

• In a previous episode, Canon Sharpe noted that reading of sacred scripture is offering a sacrifice, and that it be done by an ordained minister - that is to say, a subdeacon or a deacon or a priest or an ordained lector."  If so, is it "unfitting" for a layman to deliver a scripture reading at a Novus Ordo Mass? In addition to being "unfitting", is it also objectively morally evil (notwithstanding the reader's knowledge or intentions)?
• Why did Jesus have to go away for the Holy Spirit to come? Why couldn't they both be present at the same time?
• When God created the Angels, 1/3 of them fell. What about our Guardian Angels? Is it possible that a number of Guardian Angels fell? If so, how does everyone have a Guardian Angel?
• I am afraid that some of my loved ones who have fallen away from the Church and are living in unrepentant sin may not make it to heaven. Of course, I am hopeful that I will someday reach heaven, but I don’t know if I could be truly happy in heaven if some of my family are not there with me. So, I pray for them, but what if my fears are realized?
• Are there any references in the Old Testament you would point towards to explain the sacrament of extreme unction?
• What are your thoughts on some Catholics promoting the “warning" and illumination of conscience?
• Why do I sometimes hear preaching in church that refers to the Holy Spirit using the pronoun "It" rather than "He?"
• Is attending weekly Mass on Saturday evening acceptable, as a Carmelite Chapel only offers weekly Mass on Saturday?
• Is there any kind of traditional medicine, any pre-modern 'alternative' medicinal approach that is allowed by the Church?
• How do you advise we prioritize possible prayer  intentions, and make sure we best pray for everyone we can?
• What does the church teach in terms of the dead reaching out to the living through signs, animals or nature?
• Why is Canon called Canon instead of Father? I've never heard that before!
• How can I explain to my family members why we have crucifixes with the corpse in our churches?
• I left out sins in my past confessions and I went back to confess the ones I left out but I never mentioned the sins in my first invalid confession. Do I need to confess all my sins again?

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. Michael Copenhagen is a Melkite (Eastern Catholic) priest, husband, and father, at St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Melkite Catholic Church in Gates, New York. He holds a Bachelors of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

 

In Today's Show:

• If lifting an excommunication makes one not in schism, wouldn't that mean the Eastern Orthodox are no longer in schism? If the SSPX are not schism, does that mean the EO aren't either?
• If one looks at somebody of the opposite sex and notices their physical appearance or fitness in a non-lustful way, would that be considered sinful?
• I had a Priest tell me that I was fulfilling my Sunday obligation when I was attending the Orthodox Church for a year, but not with the SSPX. Would you say the same Father?
• Is it immoral to buy certain stocks in companies that may be involved in war?
• What happens in a Protestant Baptism?
• What does the term "ecumenical" mean?
• Is it true that in the eastern churches, Eucharistic miracles are seen as a bad thing?
• How do we explain to someone that Mary is sinless and was assumed into heaven with her body?
• After I receive absolution at the end of making my confession, is there something specific that I should be saying?

 

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. Paul Born currently serves as the Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Martyrs Parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

In Today's Show:

• Can we believe in the multiverse and is it possible that there is a reality in which Adam and Eve did not eat the apple? If so, would that be another place with live people or would it just be heaven?
• Is there any reason why marrying or not marrying someone can be a sin if both are licitly available for marriage?
• Is it proper to have a funeral mass for a baptized Catholic that has walked away from the church?
• Would Father Born share his vocation story? So grateful for this show and the priests and team behind it!

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. William Rock, FSSP serves as Parochial Vicar at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was ordained in October of 2019 and serves as a regular contributor to the FSSP North America Missive Blog.

In Today's Show:

• When looking back on the pandemic, do you think the Church would now do things differently in hindsight?
• Is it a sin not wanting to receive the Holy Eucharist in a Novus Ordo mass, but instead in a Latin Mass (SSPX)?
• In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, St. Paul describes the deceptions of the antichrist, and how all those who fall for the deception of the antichrist will be condemned by God. If the antichrist appears during our lifetime, how should a good Catholic recognize and resist the deception of the Antichrist, and so avoid God’s condemnation?
• I'm having a hard time encouraging my daughter, age 8, to follow along in her missal at Mass. She has a STRONG choleric temperament and I don't want to turn her off to the faith. Any advice?
• How to make restitution as an adult convert
• Can you please speak a little about the Supreme Court Decision today that upheld the Tennessee law prohibiting gender affirming treatment on children?
• Is it permissible for a nun to incense the tabernacle in their monastic chapel?
• Is it permissible for Catholics to call a funeral a "celebration of life"?
• If my child's godparents are not active in the church anymore, can I ask a new couple to take over?
• Should we hold back tears when anxious about the future? Would giving in to the desire to weep be a sin or an expression of distrust in God's providence?

  If you enjoy Ask A Priest Live and the other great Catholic programs from The Station of the Cross, please consider making a donation of any size to support our apostolate! As a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, your donations are tax deductible and help us to continue spreading the Gospel to the airwaves for years to come!   To donate, call 1-877-711-8500, visit thestationofthecross.com, or use your iCatholicRadio mobile app! We also offer a great assortment of thank-you gifts, which can be viewed at thestationofthecross.com! Thank you for your generosity.

Fr. John Brancich, FSSP is the pastor of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was ordained into the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in 2004.

 

In Today's Show:

• Do we worship the same God as Muslims?
• Can I arrange to baptize my grandchild if my son will not?
• Is it sinful for same-sex couples to adopt a child?
• I feel like St. Therese has let me down.  What should I do?
• Is Yahweh considered by Catholics to be the name of God?
• Can you receive communion on the tongue from a Eucharistic minister?
• What are the correct ways to say "Glory be" in a doxology?
• Is it wrong for a Diocesan priest to celebrate an Old Rite Nuptial Mass if he is not at a designated TLM Parish?
• Are all evil thoughts sinful?
• Can you define the "new" covenant? 
• How do I know if I was contrite enough for a valid confession?

Fr. Anthony Amato is the Pastor of St. Peter's Parish in Clifton Springs, New York. He was ordained as a priest in June of 2017 by Bishop Salvatore Matano of the Diocese of Rochester, New York.

 

In Today's Show:

• Which circumstances excuse one from attending Mass?
• Which Gospels refute accusations that Jesus had siblings?
• ​​Why did the devil choose to speak through a serpent?
• Does a judge commit mortal sin by issuing the death penalty?
• If a Baptized Catholic marries outside of the Church without a dispensation, are the children legitimate?
• What weight does Fr. give to the actual spoken language of the mass?
• Why does it feel like my prayers are never answered?
• My son was taught by a TLM priest to kneel while taking communion. Does that apply when attending a NO mass?
• Is a confession still valid if there was a slight language barrier between myself and the priest?
• How do you explain that Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days? 
• Why I was taught to pray to saints & to Mary, when it was Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice?
• What is the Christian concept of time?
• What are your thoughts and explanations on the “rapture”?
• What happens If you die in a state of mortal sin but intended to attend confession?
• Was there any special meaning to the Vatican being built in Rome?
• Should bigger diocese be split instead of using auxiliary bishops?
• How can we know when righteous anger becomes sinful anger?

 

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Canon Benjamin Norman, ICKSP formerly served as Chaplain of the ICKSP Oakland Apostolate at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Oakland, California. He was ordained in 2018.

 

In Today's Show:

• Is Pentecost the Church’s birthday? 
• Are the 7 Deadly Sins grave or venial?
• Is it wrong to say that Jesus descended into hell?
• I am struggling with perceived crises in the church, but is there indeed a crisis?
• What exactly is a Canon?
• My Rosary broke. Does that mean anything?
• A hospitalized friend was given communion without confession. Is that OK?
• What is the meaning of 2 Thessalonians 2?
• Why did Jesus call Peter "Satan?"

 

Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!