Catholic Q&A

Q: Why is the Church considered a sacrament?

A:  The Church is a sacrament (meaning that it is sacramental in nature, not that the Church is one of the seven sacraments) because she has a visible reality which signifies an invisible reality. This fits the human person, which has a visible reality (a body) which signifies an invisible reality (a soul). The Church's sacramental nature stands against some Protestant claims of a merely spiritual church with no visible attributes. It is responsible for the Church's sacramental approach to theology, including soteriology, liturgy, morality, spirituality, etc.

Q: How is a name a symbol of Baptism?

A: At several points in the Scriptures, God renames individuals (Abraham, Peter, Paul) as a sign of their new nature and mission. One of the first tasks of mankind was for Adam to name the creatures. Naming a thing assigns a certain understanding of it and its purpose. When God is involved, the name change is an act of consecration to God's calling. In Baptism, which regenerates an individual and makes him or her the child of God, purifies the soul, and destines him or her for heaven, it is fitting for a name to be given.

Q: What are the vows of Benedictine monks?

A: The vows of Benedictines are stability, conversion, and obedience. Stability means that a monk is tied to his monastery for life (with rare exceptions, such as the need to move on to found a new monastery). Conversion includes poverty and chastity among other things. Obedience is directed toward the abbot or abbess, who lead the community. 

In many other religious orders, such as mendicant communities (Franciscans, Dominicans, etc.), stability is not a part of the vows because these communities are active in the world outside their walls and cannot be bound by these vows. The vow of conversion is therefore split for them into poverty and chastity, leaving them with the three vows familiar to most people: poverty, chastity, and obedience. 

Q: What are the names of Roman Catholic Cardinals in the US?

A: The following are active cardinals in the United States. There are several current dioceses (such as New York) which fit the norms for having cardinals, but do not have cardinals as administrators due to their newly appointed bishops. They are:

His Eminence Francis Cardinal George - Chicago
His Eminence Sean Cardinal O'Malley - Boston
His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali - Philadelphia
His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo - Houston
His Eminence Roger Cardinal Mahony - Los Angeles


The following cardinal is from the United States, but is currently at an appointment in the Vatican City:

His Eminence William Cardinal Levada - Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The following cardinals are retired:

His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua - Philadelphia
His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan - New York
His Eminence Edmund Cardinal Szoka - Detroit
His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida - Detroit
His Eminence Bernard Cardinal Law - Boston
His Eminence William Cardinal Keeler - Baltimore
His Eminence James Cardinal Stafford - Denver
His Eminence William Cardinal Baum - Washington, D.C.
His Eminence Theodore Cardinal McCarrick - Washington, D.C. 


His Servant and Yours,


Micah