Sunday Mass attendance in person at Catholic churches in the U.S. is back to pre-pandemic levels — although just under one quarter of the nation’s Catholics are in the pews on a regular weekly basis.
Worship & Sacraments
Vatican office clarifies rules for transferred holy days of obligation
When a holy day of obligation falls on a Sunday and so is transferred to another day, the Catholic faithful are encouraged to attend Mass, but they are not obliged to do so, the Vatican said.
Question Corner: Is non-alcoholic church wine valid for consecration?
Canon 924 is telling us that the wine, which is to become the blood of Christ, must be something that can truly be considered “wine” in a strict sense.
Canon, civil law collide on seal of confession, says expert
Proposed legislation looking to repeal clergy-penitent protections in at least two states is in a head-on collision with the church’s primary legal code, one expert told OSV News.
5 things to know about the sacrament of reconciliation
Here are five things you might not know, others you once learned but perhaps forgot, and inspiration to recommit daily to seeking closer friendship with God through repentance and fighting sin, wherever it is found.
In this holy mystery
With our eyes reopened by the Fathers, we can now see that meaning hidden in plain sight in “the mysteries of the Rosary” and in “the mystery of Faith” in the eucharistic prayer in the Mass.
Question Corner: Is kneeling to receive Communion allowed?
Receiving holy Communion while standing is the local norm for the United States, but this doesn’t mean that those who choose to kneel for Communion are doing anything wrong or “illegal.”
Best gift a child can receive is faith, pope says at baptisms
When children are baptized, their parents and the church are giving them the greatest gift ever: the gift of faith, Pope Francis said before baptizing 21 infants in the Sistine Chapel.
Filipino Simbang Gabi Masses more and more rooted in the US
The Masses, called “Simbang Gabi” or “Night Mass,” are mostly on an evening anticipatory schedule. Filipino-Americans have brought the tradition to their adopted homeland and added some multicultural flair to their celebrations.
Cupich: Standing, not kneeling, for Communion a ‘powerful symbolic expression’
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago is advocating for Catholic faithful to receive holy Communion standing — the normative posture established by the U.S. Catholic bishops — as part of a renewed awareness of the theology of the Communion procession.
Radio Interview: Seminarians delve into charismatic prayer
Benjamin Oursler and Jack Morris, two seminarians studying to become priests for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, are involved in the Charismatic movement and have received training charismatic prayer through a two-year program called the Encounter School of Ministry. They share their experiences with charismatic prayer with Catholic Review Managing Editor George Matysek.
A beginner’s guide to prayer for Catholics
God loves us more than we can imagine. He wants us to get to know and love him as a Father. Like any loving parent, he wants to spend time talking with his children. The following are answers to commonly asked questions about prayer.