Catholic Q&A

Q: What saint can help you get pregnant?

A: St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Elizabeth, the Blessed Virgin's cousin, are both saints for assistance in getting pregnant, since they were both quite elderly when they were granted miraculous pregnancies. St. Gerard Majella is the patron saint of pregnant women.

Q: When was the canonization of St. Paul the Hermit?

A: St. Paul the Hermit was never formally canonized, since he was reputed to be a saint before the Congregation for Saints began. There are many saints in a similar situation; the Church generally assumes that these people are worthy of the title, but does occasionally review a pre-congregation saint and remove them from the canon, the list of saints. In such cases, private devotion and veneration of the saint is still permitted, but the Church does not publicly venerate the saint. St. Paul the Hermit is still assumed by the Church to be a saint, but there has not been a formal investigation.

Q: Does an Episcopal service fulfill the obligation of Mass in the Catholic Church?

A: Because the Catholic Church does not recognize the validity of Episcopal ordinations, their Mass is not celebrated validly and does not fulfill the requirements on the Catholic faithful according to Canon Law.

Q: Which Catholic Bible would be good for a new Catholic?

A: There are many different possible answers. The Bible used for the readings in the Mass (in the United States) is the New American Bible. It is also one of the most affordable and usually includes a commentary. If you come from a background that used the King James Version and prefer the older style of language, you may prefer the Douay-Rheims translation. There are also numerous study Bibles put out by Ignatius Press and others. A Bible that is growing in popularity is the Revised Standard Version - Catholic Second Edition.

His Servant and Yours,

Micah