Articles by Father Rocky Hoffman
Communion rails
Jul 26, 2011 / 00:00 amWhy are Catholic churches/parishes bringing back communion rails?
Tithing and sacrificial giving
Jul 19, 2011 / 00:00 amCould you please tell me more about what the Catholic Church believes about tithing?
NFP not ABC
Jul 12, 2011 / 00:00 amA dear friend in a neighboring state lives in a parish with two deacons. She sponsors RCIA candidates, teaches RCIA, CCD, and now she and her husband are asked to counsel engaged couples. She tells hem the only means of birth control approved by the Catholic Church is the condom. I was appalled and shocked, asking her where she got that information. She said from the deacon. Am I out of touch? What has changed?
Discerning a religious vocation
Jul 5, 2011 / 00:00 amI am considering joining a religious order as a brother after certain obligations to my family are met. I am interested in orders active in communities (Franciscans, Marians, etc.). Is there a good general source of information on religious orders in general- locations of vocational offices, admission requirements, etc.
Scapular usage
Jun 28, 2011 / 00:00 amI have grown up wearing the traditional brown scapular, but recently noticed that they have come out with many types of scapular jewelry. I am interested in the wearing a scapular bracelet instead of the traditional wool scapular. Does the bracelet contain the same benefits as the brown scapular? Also must the wool scapular be worn over the head or can it be pinned to your clothes?
Formation of conscience
Jun 21, 2011 / 00:00 amIs it truly possible for someone to “kill” his conscience — that is, to make it completely inoperable so that he has no moral discernment at all?
Repentance for sterilization
Jun 7, 2011 / 00:00 amPope Paul VI’s encyclical “Humanae Vitae” “teaches that each and every marriage act must remain open to the transmission of life.” If a man has a vasectomy or a woman, tubal ligation, and later repents and confesses his/her sin, may they continue to have marital relations and be in accord with the teaching of the Church?
Is only Rome right?
May 31, 2011 / 00:00 amI would like some information about being a Catholic and a question my daughter has, are all churches the same? Do we have to be Catholic to get into heaven? Can a person pick any denomination even though they were baptized a Catholic? What can a person do if they are going to a church and the priest really isn't a good preacher – can they go to a different denomination and find a good preacher at another church?