I work in a Catholic school teaching Pre-K. We take the 4 - 5 year old students over to school Mass until after Petitions the first few weeks of school. My coteacher has expressed she is not comfortable missing communion herself and it surprised me a little.

Our class can't receive it yet and the full Mass is a challenge for their attention span as they are used to attending with parents who have snacks or activities for them

She says she feels communion is the reason to attend Mass and I feel my responsibility is to the children and what is developmentally appropriate making sure they have a good relationship with school Mass.

Thoughts on this? Our plan is to have someone else help in the classroom with me until she receives it, but this is tricky because our state licensing requires people in the classroom have specific trainings and I can't be alone as I would be out of ratio. She was ok asking another Catholic teacher leave the Mass to walk the class back with me so I'm struggling to understand her train of thought on this.

Hi! I am currently in the process of converting to the Catholic Church, and I have some questions.

First, I have seen mixed opinions about whether it is okay to wear the rosary as a necklace. I have seen special rosary rings or bracelets, but wearing an actual full size rosary around the neck appears to be touchy subject. It would be helpful if I could do so because my rosary case is super bulky, and I carry it everywhere.

Second, veiling seems like a very unspoken thing in the church. I really admire the practice and feel called to do so, but I don't really know if it would be appropriate since everyone I ask seems to have a different perspective on what veiling means. Can anyone do it?

Thank you 😊

The U.S.-China Catholic Association (USCCA) disinvited Purdue professor Fenggang Yang from its conference after warnings from the Chinese government.

The USCCA's cringe-worthy prostration reads like satire:

We are afraid of being blacklisted.

Yang was removed, he said, to protect the future of the USCCA.

Perhaps he can return in 2028 with clearance from the government.

A Catholic organization, on American soil being dictated to by Beijing.

Am I missing anything?

Discussed this with friend today and was interested in hearing other perspectives.. As Catholics we of course believe in honoring a natural death, but as critical care members who all too often intervene with looming death for the hopes of preventing one happening prematurely… are we dishonoring a divine plan? I’m not talking antibiotics, fluids… I mean the maxxed pressors, the vents and CRRT/ECMOs running full steam. It works many times and we have helped heal but how many MORE times have we done these acts and prolonged suffering and the return to our Father? The intention is good but many times we also are being asked to push physical limits beyond our own comforts to honor the wishes and requests of families.. where do you draw the line between healing and curing vs denying a natural death?

I don’t think the Catholic Church has made a direct statement allowing for or condemning the Arminian view of Predestination. I end up agreeing with it a lot, so I wonder, am I allowed to believe it as a Catholic?

It seems like parts of the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas have been written with AI. Pangram, which has a 0.5% false positive rate, has detected some of the paragraphs as written by AI. What are we supposed to make of this? Should be submit our theological will and intellect to what a machine tells us? For example, Pangram says that this paragraph was generated 100% by AI:

"Transhumanism and posthumanism encompass a range of currents and sensibilities, making it difficult to define them in a single, unambiguous way. They can be likened to an archipelago of conceptual “islands,” distinct yet connected by a common “sea” of assumptions, namely the central role of technology and the aspiration to transcend the limits of the human condition. In general, transhumanism envisions the enhancement of human beings through technologies — such as biomedicine, body engineering, devices and algorithms — with the aim of increasing performance and capabilities. Posthumanism, especially in its more radical forms, goes further: it challenges anthropocentrism and envisions a hybridization of human beings, machines and the environment, even anticipating a threshold where humanity surpasses itself in a new evolutionary stage. Even when such ideas remain largely speculative, they gain relevance by altering the collective imagination and thereby influence social, economic and political choices."

A scanning of the first 79 paragraphs says that 10% are written by AI. So, what should we do about this? I think at the very least we need more transparency in seeing how these documents are written. Who is in charge of what parts? Also, wouldn't this be hypocritical given what the encyclical is about?

Edit: Pangram is much more accurate than previous AI-detection software and is independently verified by researchers. https://www.pangram.com/blog/third-party-pangram-evals https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-026-00226-w All previous encyclicals are said to be human-generated. https://linch.substack.com/p/claude-author-of-the-humanitas

Also, I do not think Pope Leo himself used AI. I am thinking that members of the Roman Curia might have used it.

I find it fascinating when modern saints get parishes named after them. To think, most people were alive while he walked the earth, and now he's the patron of a church!

An excerpt:

The first Catholic parish in the world founded under the patronage of Ghanaian martyr and saint Matthew Ayariga will open in Arlington, Texas, in January 2027.

Ayariga was one of 21 Christian migrant workers in Libya kidnapped and then beheaded by the terrorist group ISIS on a beach near Sirte, Libya, on Feb. 15, 2015.

Originally from Ghana, Ayariga was the only Black African among the 21 men. The others were all Coptic Orthodox Christians from Egypt. When questioned about his faith by his kidnappers, he reportedly replied: “Their God is my God.”

The parish will also be the first Ghanaian Catholic parish in the U.S. and will serve the Ghanaian community in north Texas, which has met since 2007 at St. Joseph Church in Arlington.

I've been raised protestant ever since I was born. But recently I've been looking into Catholicism and it's making sense. But for some reason I haven't told them and I also feel bad because if the things I hear are true then I feel like I'm abandoning my old church friends. Like if salvation is the way the Catholic Church says, I feel like I'm leaving them without trying to help, but like I'm really confused and I still want to be Catholic because the only opinion that matters is God's.

Hey folks, 18M here.

I’m at that stage in life in which I tend to be quite cautious in what I belief, and likewise the intricacy of its defence.

Since spring 2025, I’ve been Inquiring into Eastern Orthodoxy for a range of reasons, I am not a scholar of any kind but I in my somewhat deep research room the orthodox side of the argument. However on essentially the point at which I could decide to become an orthodox catechumen or not I’m becoming more interested in knowing as much about what Catholics think.

I’ve spent the past few days going into ‘History Proves Catholicism’ which I found helpful but not fully convincing, the other poster recently posted another video, of which I’m watching as I type this.

I have a list of questions, which the video likely explains however I like simpler explanations sometimes.

So here they are, please if possible, try answer as concisely as possible, but I understand if it’s hard:

1.) Why does the Filioque not cause a break in the trinity?
2.) why do Catholics think the Mother of God was bodily assumed into heaven (EO belief is bodily death and Dormition)
3.) Papal authority in history doesn’t really seem similar to how it’s defined in the Vatican councils, how is it supposed to be doctrine but not as clear in the most prevalent time to be so?
4.) Marian Apparitions? They’re very rare to see Saints appear, although I don’t doubt them i just don’t understand why they’re so ‘common’ as well as other apparitions.
5.) The Latin mass doesn’t ‘feel’ like 1st century Christianity imo, idk why but perhaps it’s a gut call?
6.) ok this one is silly, but Greek just sounds wayyy cooler than Latin.
7.) Crossing right to left was the original practice wasn’t it? Then it changed to opposite since the priests did so. Also other silly one but crossing with the 3 fingers and 2 on the palm is a lovely feature of orthodox Christians
8.) What’s the RC church’s view on Penal Substitutionary atonement, and how does it effect if you do belief it the trinity (as in is there a break).
9.) this one is more of a hunch, but noticeably a lot of bad things always happen in the church, however I see this more as proof to its success, as Satan will always attack the faithful. Does this assumption have merit?
10.) fasting rules? (Just be general)
11.) why does everything have to be defined with like a 60000 page essay in it, is anything simply put to mysticism? IMO I don’t think everything needs to be known, but open for help on this.

I probably have more I don’t remember atm, but lord have mercy to anyone reading this…

Depending on your answers, I might walk down to my local Catholic Church and pay them a visit for a service this week (which I must say is mighty convenient from the 1hr+ commute I’d make to the orthodox parish)

Lord guide me and guide you all also.
Thanks

I think St. Jerome would get temporarily banned on reddit, make a burner account, and get permanently banned.

I have so much respect for my pastor. He’s helped me a lot during the last few years as I transitioned from a life of homosexuality to a life of chastity. WELS is a smaller and very conservative denomination of Lutheranism, and so they place a lot of efforts on gaining and retaining their members.

This is going to sound ridiculous but I have a very soft heart and I don’t want to disappoint or upset my Pastor. He views Catholicism as false (however, he does believe some are saved) and would probably think that he failed as a Pastor.

I just want to make sure that I leave on good terms and as friends who both love Christ.

I bought myself a Catholic Bible earlier this year. Been slowly reading it. And not to go to much into it, but I feel sad that I have this aversion to going to Church. I've been to Church once with my dad on a trip out of the country when I was really young. I can barely remember it. But, thinking about attending a Church now doesn't seem enjoyable. Only because, for all my life, I was either not religious, spiritual, agnostic, or just learning about all these other forms of religions both mainstream and occult. I just find it interesting, but I had recently felt a pull to Catholicism. I have great relationship with my family but overall I am very, guarded, I guess you could say. If my family found out I was even thinking of any form of religion, my feeling, I guess the word would be vulnerable. I dont want to get into these deeper feelings with anyone. I want to be private, and read my Bible, and go to Church and have it be empty so I can be with myself and Jesus and just, breath. Without being seen.

Its horrible to say but, it's borderline embarrassment. Not that I'm embarrassed of Catholicism or any religion in itself but, i feel like my face would go red and id look away and avoid confrontation. I would hate follow up questions and the prying of and the knowledge that OTHER people know what I possibly beleive in or otherwise.

I just dont want to open myself up emotionally to a majority of people I am close with.

Maybe I feel like they'd scoff at me, a little laugh and a smirk. And to them it'd be nothing but to me, devastating. I feel like im back in elementary school with how shy I am at expressing faith.

I just want to do this alone, but i know I can never be a real Catholic without attending church services. And that makes me so so sad.

Maybe this isnt right for me.

Do you think all married couples go through seasons of loneliness? I’m wondering if that’s just how it is regardless of a marriage’s status (healthy or dysfunctional), lonely at times?

Obviously they can’t attend mass and receive the Eucharist

So I apologise in advance but this post will probably be all over the place. Firstly, I’m a cradle catholic but my family isnt the most religious. I had my own very long journey with religion, but when I finally turned back to Christ I was kind of set on orthodoxy. Only under a year ago did I start seeing some problems with orthodoxy and I realised Catholicism is the truth.

However there are some teachings in Catholicism that really pain and confuse me, which make me kind of look at orthodoxy and think “they have it so easy”.

First of all, it’s the teaching that if one dies in mortal sin before being able to go to confession, they can only be saved if they have perfect contrition. Mortal sin can either by forgiven by perfect contrition (you are sorry for your sins for the sake of God and you had the intention to go to confession asap) or by imperfect contrition if accompanied by confession. This means that if I was on my way to confession to repent of a mortal sin, but I died in a car accident and my repentance was led by fear of hell rather than love of God, I wouldn’t be forgiven.
This is a very difficult teaching for me because well firstly I don’t understand where it comes from, what scriptural basis there is of it etc. Secondly it just feels unfair. Like I can’t imagine God saying “look I know you repented, you truly did feel bad for your sin and you really were set on not doing it again, it really sucks you got into that accident because if you didnt you wouldve been in confession in 5 minutes and been in a state of grace but now you gotta burn for eternity. Unlucky”
It just feels like a random teaching thats just a very heavy burden.

Second teaching, or more lack of a teaching, the idea that we don’t know if unbaptised babies go to heaven or not. This one is a bit strange because if we are to take St Thomas Aquinas’ view, unbaptised babies go to a state of limbo where they are naturally happy but they miss out on the beatific vision of God. They don’t necessarily experience this as a pain because they don’t know what they lost. Aside from the really unfair/sad fact that these babies were literally condemned to be outside of a relationship with God for nothing that they did, like literally it was completely out of their power, this is a really sad deal for God as well. God, who loves us all and wants us all to be saved, is torn away from this group of souls because they happened to die before they had a chance to be baptised. If this was a miscarriage or a stillbirth this is literally out of any human’s will- the babies, the parents etc. Theologically this would mean that this random, nature-driven incident is more powerful than God. If God wants to be with these babies, and the babies haven’t done anything to reject that, but they are still not allowed to be with God, then this law of God (no one is saved unless they are born again) is more powerful than God. This reminds me of how the Pharisees condemned Jesus from healing someone on a Sabbath. Here Jesus clearly stated that the law of God is to be understood through the love of God.
Basically my confusion is, why does the Church claim that there isn’t enough theological evidence to just dogmatically teach that unbaptised babies go to heaven?? I truly don’t see how a theory of limbo (or worse that babies go to hell) makes any sense when we consider that God wants everyone to be saved and that He is all powerful.
Also the Church literally says that Hell is a deliberate choice of the person going there. Remember, the concept of Limbo is technically one of Hell.

In both of these difficult teachings the Orthodox Church poses a simple answer. For the first, it has no such teaching and believes all that is needed for forgiveness is repentance (with a will to go to confession) without specifying what inspired the repentance.
Secondly, it has a completely different outlook on original sin which by itself doesnt damn one to hell, only predisposes them to sin. In this view, babies would simply go to heaven baptised or not.

These two problems weigh heavy on my heart. I am not considering orthodoxy by any means, it has its own (bigger) problems. But I won’t lie that they are a hindrance to my faith in Catholicism

Recently I had to make a decision whether or not to leave a job I've been at for a long time. I had an offer from another company, which would be lower pay but better flexibility and the hope that there will be better morale than the place I was leaving. Where I am leaving had been "home" for a long time but has been taken over by toxic management and horrible morale.

I had a strict time limit in which to accept or decline the offer, so I felt rushed. But I spent those 48 hours talking to all my family and friends and praying, praying, praying. I didnt feel any direction from God while praying at all and I started to panic.

On the morning I had to choose one way or the other, I prayed a rosary with that intention, and towards the end of it, I found myself having a series of memories flash through quickly- the employee I shadowed telling me it was a great place to work, my parents and husband urging me to do it, etc. The memories that popped up were all in favor of me taking the job and it happened during the rosary so I though ok, theres my answer!

I accepted the job, put in my notice at my current place of work, and I start in a couple weeks.

But 2 weeks later, I still dont feel at peace or settled. I feel extremely doubtful and anxious. Several people who used to work at my new workplace have contacted me to tell me its really bad there and to "warn me". (Although one person told me they liked it) It's too late now, I am committed there. But now I'm wondering if God really led me to this choice or if it was just my own subconscious panicking about the time limit. It's shaken my faith a bit, and I havent even started the new job.

This may seem like an overreaction, and perhaps it is. But Ive been at the same company for 15 years- ever since I graduated college, and have many friends there. This is a very big leap for me who had been in my comfort zone for so long. And I took a pay cut in hopes of greener pastures- with a family to help support.

I dont really know what I'm asking. The word discernment gets thrown around a lot and I guess I'm realizing I dont think I actually know how to do that. I guess I want to know from those who have gone through any kind of discernment process before- is this normal to have doubts even when the right choice was made, or should I feel confident and at peace if I made the right choice? Is my anxiety coming from God trying to tell me something, or spiritual warfare, or just my own regular own brain?

If you read this far, genuinely, thank you for indulging this anxious tirade, and I appreciate hearing your experiences.

I know that God loves everyone of his children unconditionally, but is that love equal among everyone? God still love those who are outside of the church, but doesn't it makes sense that he would love more people that are more devoted to his faith? Would God love his saints more than normal Catholics that still sin? Can God love a lost sheep more than an obedient one?

I thought against posting this on the adhd subreddit, as too many folk on Reddit are anti-catholic and I don’t want to open myself up to harassment.

Alright. I’ve got this problem where I am super stressed out during mass from start to finish. I try with everything in me to focus on the priest, or choir, or any other speaker, but it is SO hard. People talk, babies cry and cry, all the coughing, tone deaf loud singing, and more- its just too much. It’s overwhelming! It makes me not want to attend Sunday service, but obviously I have to.

I’ve tried going at different times for different crowds, sitting in different places all around the church, and attending different parishes. The best experience I’ve had was at my old parish… an hour away.

So I’m stuck feeling like I’m failing at worshipping the Lord because every single sound people make distracts me from it. I have to fight against being upset with them for being inconsiderate and disrespectful of the mass , and fight against being upset with myself for struggling to focus to begin with.

For a few weeks I quit going to Sunday service and just went to daily mass. I LOVE daily mass. The crowd is smaller, quiet and respectful and I can actually focus on what the priest is saying with only my own inattentive thoughts to distract me. It’s much easier to bring my focus back from distracting thoughts than it is to bring it back from constant noice every five seconds.

I wish that I could get the audio cast from the choir/speaker directly into noise cancelling earbuds so that I could only hear what they are saying.

I’m really at my wits end with this and can use some advice. I tried taking my add meds and attending but had the same problem. When I first noticed it happening I thought I was just being impatient with others, but eventually I realized that no I’m just freaking frustrated that I can’t focus. I’d rather all of the talkers and disgruntled babies (my church has a LOT of them) be at mass than not, so I’m not upset with them. Not really. But heck I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having a very hard time.

It’s to the point where I don’t even see the point in attending. I can’t focus, I mean I try and try and try, and everything I hear online says if you aren’t paying attention in mass then it’s an insult to the Lord.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I adore mass, I’d go every day if I could and often do, but man Sunday service (aka the mandatory one) is just a brutal experience.

Edit:
This community is the best! Thank you all for being so supportive and helpful. I’ve gotten a few great suggestions so far, but feel free to add more. It’ll probably take a combination of things to find something that’ll work best for me.

I try to respond to everyone who is so kind as to leave a message, but if I don’t I promise that I’m still grateful for the time you took in reaching out, though probably got distracted and forgot to respond.

I hope that anyone else that’s struggling with adhd or sensory issues can benefit from this post and the comments. May the Lord keep us all.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some spiritual and moral perspectives on a dilemma I’ve been wrestling with. I am a faithful Catholic and also a hunter in France.

Occasionally, I go out to hunt nutria (coypu). In France, they are officially classified as an invasive alien species (ESOD) because they cause massive damage to riverbanks, destroy local ecosystems, outcompete native wildlife, and carry dangerous diseases like leptospirosis.

Here is where my moral questioning lies, and I want to be completely honest with myself and with God:

1. The joy of hunting: I genuinely enjoy the act of hunting. It motivates me to go out, it’s engaging, and it feels like a challenging outdoor activity. I don't hunt out of hatred or a desire to cause pain, but I do find fulfillment and pleasure in the sport/activity itself.
2. Proactive pest control: Right now, the specific area where I hunt doesn't have a massive, out-of-control infestation yet. However, nobody else is hunting them here, and their population could easily explode in the near future if left unchecked.
3. The reality of clean kills: I always try my absolute best to make a clean, ethical shot to avoid any unnecessary suffering. However, as any hunter knows, perfection doesn't exist, and I have missed or made imperfect shots in the past. It weighs on my conscience when an animal suffers, even if it wasn't my intention.
4. No consumption and safety: I don't eat the meat or skin them. Honestly, because they carry leptospirosis, it's too much of a hassle and a health risk to clean and butcher them. Instead, I leave the carcasses in a quiet spot in nature where they are quickly scavenged and eaten by local wildlife like foxes..

My internal conflict:
Every time after a hunt, I experience this mental balancing act between the love for the outdoor activity—the sense of communion with my environment—and the reality of the animals' suffering and death. Deep down, I want to be completely honest with my conscience and not lie to myself: I truly don't think I take any pleasure in the act of killing itself. In fact, paradoxically, in my everyday life, I try my best not to kill animals needlessly—for example, I avoid killing bugs or small creatures in my house and prefer to catch them and put them outside.

Because of this constant tension, I am even considering stopping hunting altogether in the long run if my conscience keeps troubling me like this.

I truly want to live my life in a way that pleases God and respects His Creation. I don't want to disappoint Him by turning a necessary ecological chore into a selfish pleasure.

I would love to hear your thoughts, whether they are positive, negative, or challenging. How do you balance the traditional role of human stewardship over nature with the personal enjoyment of the hunt?

God bless.

So, I'm getting married soon and we're at a stage in our life that we don't have the conditions or time to have a child (we are 18 years old and we don't have a home yet).

Womens, what is the most effective natural method there is?

I’m currently going through a very difficult and exhausting time. Yesterday, my husband brought home a Rosary gifted to me by his coworker. ​I used to pray the Rosary years ago, but stopped because back then, it didn't really bring me the peace of mind I was searching for.

​Receiving this gift makes me want to try again, but I’m not sure if it will give peace and comfort this time. I’m also worried that if it doesn't help this time either, it might push me even further away from Catholicism.

​Has anyone been in a similar place? Any advice would mean a lot. Many thanks in advance. God bless.

Basically, each time I go to confession (regardless whether my own pastor face to face or franciscans behind a screen), I feel like my confessor is being too kind with me, specifically asking what things I like so they can give me a penance I'd enjoy. I know that they are there to show us Christ's mercy, and that he's already redeemed us, but still.

I have a lot of sins/bad personality traits that can cause me to sin, so I usually confess those, I don't usually have mortal sins. But each time, the confessor kindly asks a little about my life status, and then assures me that these things stem from outside circumstances and should resolve in a few weeks. But I know that I have problems that are fully my own responsibility.

Should I request to the priest to be harsh? Should I confess what troubles me most at the end, so they remember better? Have you ever felt the need to get a stern talking to by a father?

hello! i apologize in advance for the length and formatting, as i am on mobile. i'd also like to apologize if this is not the right place to post this.

like the title says, i've been feeling drawn to Catholicism but not for religion. for context, i was raised atheist and have no interest in joining an organized religion. i have nothing against religion, and i love talking to people about what they believe, i just know it's not for me.

my grandmother, who passed almost 2 years ago, was a devout Catholic her entire life. she was the quite honestly and angel on earth. she was the sweetest, most loving, kindest person i have ever known and i miss her dearly. for the last several months (since may to be precise), i've been feeling her absence like a hole in my chest and i've been desperate for a way to feel closer to her.

she lived in the same small town her entire life and was buried there. this town is a couple of hours away from where i live currently and i make the drive to visit her and my grandpa at least once a month, usually more. a couple of weekends ago, i was visiting her grave and i found myself parked in front of the church she attended her entire life. her baptism, her confirmation, her wedding, her children's baptisms, her vow renewal, and her funeral service, as well as every other major life milestone were celebrated at this church. i wanted to go inside, but i got scared (unsure why) and drove home instead. i've been thinking about it a lot since then and i think i'd like to visit her church/talk to her pastor about her. i'd also like to start wearing a celtic cross necklace (our family is Irish), as a way to keep her with me.

i don't have anyone in my personal life that i can talk to about these things, and i don't want to offend anyone by wearing the cross/visiting her church, etc., when i don't follow the Catholic faith. so i'm asking here: is it ok for me to do those things to feel closer to her? TIA ♡