QUESTION OF THE MONTH #179 (November 2015)
Question:
What was special about Angel Gabriel? (N.S., Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary (our Blessed Mother) and told her that she would be the Mother of God.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #178 (October 2015)
Question:
What is the New Commandment? (M.D., Scotch Plains, NJ)
Answer:
The New Commandment given to us by Jesus is "Love one another as I have loved you". (John 13:34).
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #177 (September 2015)
Question:
What is the Act of Contrition in our Ukrainian Catholic Church? (C.H., Bridgewater, NJ)
Answer:
The Act of Contrition for Ukrainian Catholics is as follows:
God, be merciful to me a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #176 (August 2015)
Question:
What does the word Testament mean? (P.P., Morristown, NJ)
Answer:
Testament is an agreement, or covenant, especially between God and His people.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #175 (July 2015)
Question:
What does venerate mean? (N.S., Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
Venerate means to show deep respect and honor (e.g. venerate the cross).
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #174 (June 2015)
Question:
Who is a Troparion? (D.S., Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
A troparion is a hymn that tells the story about the feast that is celebrated on that particular day.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #173 (May 2015)
Question:
Who was the angel Gabriel? (M.D., Scotch Plains, NJ)
Answer:
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and informed her that she would be the Mother of God (i.e. the Annunciation).
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #172 (April 2015)
Question:
What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit? (K.P., Bridgewater, NJ)
Answer:
There are 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives us these
gifts as "extra strength" allowing us the opportunity to live a virtuous Christian life.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #171 (March 2015)
Question:
Who was Joseph of Arimathea? (N.S., Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy follower of Jesus who donated the tomb and the burial shroud of Jesus.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #170 (February 2015)
Question:
Which archdiocese does your Hillside, NJ parish belong to? (J.K., Hillside, NJ)
Answer:
Our Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hillside, NJ belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #169 (January 2015)
Question:
What do wedding rings symbolize? (J.P., Millington, NJ)
Answer:
Wedding rings represent the couple's never ending love and commitment to each other -- just as a circle is never ending.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #168 (December 2014)
Question:
I heard someone say they are going to the church's Place of Fellowship. What does that mean? (J.T., Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
A Place of Fellowship is another name for a church's hall.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #167 (November 2014)
Question:
Why does the Bishop's staff have 2 serpents under the cross? (T.C., Montclair, NJ)
Answer:
The Bishop's staff has two serpents looking toward an orb under a cross in commemoration of Moses' brass serpent he used to heal the Israelites.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #166 (October 2014)
Question:
What was the main outcome of Vatican II Council? (N.S., Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
Vatican II Council, which was held 1962-1965, focused on "renewal, modernization and ecumenism."
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #165 (September 2014)
Question:
What was the main outcome of Vatican I Council? (M.V., Florham Park, NJ)
Answer:
Vatican I Council, which was held 1869-1870, reconfirmed and defined the previous teaching of papal infallibility.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #164 (August 2014)
Question:
How long did Jesus fast in the desert? (N.S., Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
After His baptism, Jesus fasted in the Judaean desert for forty days and forty nights. The devil tried to tempt Jesus during this period, but Jesus
always refused.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #163 (July 2014)
Question:
What happened on Mount Sinai? (M.D., Scotch Plains, NJ)
Answer:
An angel appeared to Moses, in the flame of a burning bush, on Mount Sinai. God then spoke to Moses through the burning bush. Later, Moses received
the 10 Commandments from God on Mount Sinai.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #162 (June 2014)
Question:
Which are the most important cities for Christians? (J.S., Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
The most important cities for Christians are: Bethlehem (where Jesus was born), Nazareth (where Jesus grew up) and Jerusalem (where Jesus died and rose from the dead).
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #161 (May 2014)
Question:
What does the word "Missionary" mean? (I.I., NY, NY)
Answer:
Missionary means "one who is sent".. Many use this term the same as apostle - although typically apostle is used for those who bring the Gospel to a place
where there is no Church, while missionary is used for those who bring the Gospel to where the Church already exists.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #160 (April 2014)
Question:
Which pope named Jorge Bergoglio a cardinal? (S.P., Watchung, NJ)
Answer:
Pope John Paul II named Jorge Bergoglio, from Argentina, a cardinal in 2001. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio then became Pope Francis in 2013.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #159 (March 2014)
Question:
What is a heretic? (N.S., Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
A heretic is someone who denies an infallible teaching that has been proclaimed by the church.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #158 (February 2014)
Question:
As a non-Catholic, can you tell me if Catholics worship saints? (H.G., Bridgewater, NJ)
Answer:
No, Catholics do not worship saints. Rather, Catholics venerate (i.e. honor) saints. Only, God is worshiped.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #157 (January 2014)
Question:
Why is the Lord's Day / Sabbath celebrated on Sunday? (M.S., Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
Originally, the Sabbath was celebrated on Saturdays as per Exodus 20:8-11. Hebrews, Seventh Day Baptists and the Seventh Day Adventists still celebrate the
Sabbath on Saturday.
For Catholics, Orthodox and most Protestants, the Sabbath is celebrated on Sunday because the apostle Peter moved the Lord's Day to Sunday because Jesus rose
on a Sunday .
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #156 (December 2013)
Question:
What major did Pope Francis study before he became a priest? (J.P., Union, NJ)
Answer:
Pope Francis studied Chemistry before he became a priest.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #155 (November 2013)
Question:
Who was the first Christian martyr? (N.S., Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death for preaching about Jesus. We celebrate his feast day on December 26.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #154 (October 2013)
Question:
When did the faithful first begin to recite the Stations of the Cross? (J.S. Whippany, NJ)
Answer:
The devotion of the Stations of the Cross is more common in the Roman Catholic Church than the Eastern Catholic Church - although many Eastern
Catholic parishes do encourage the Stations of the Cross devotion.
It is difficult to identify the first time period that the Stations of the Cross devotion originated. We do know that the Stations of the Cross began in
response to the many Catholics who could not travel to the Holy Land to visit the sites of Jesus' passion. Also, the popes of the 16th and 17th centuries
granted indulgences to those who recited the Stations of the Cross.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #153 (September 2013)
Question:
In the Roman Catholic Rite, where do the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from? (O.S., Hillside, NJ)
Answer:
The Ash Wednesday ashes come from the blessed palm branches of the previous year's Palm Sunday. In the Ukrainian Catholic Rite, we do not celebrate Ash Wednesday. Our
Ukrainian Catholic Lent begins on the preceding Monday.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #152 (August 2013)
Question:
What is Transubstantiation? (M.D. New York City, NY)
Answer:
Transubstantiation is when the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #151 (July 2013)
Question:
Do the Protestant Churches celebrate the same Seven Sacraments as the Catholics? (M.B. Cranford, NJ)
Answer:
No, the Protestant Churches celebrate Baptism and Holy Communion since Martin Luter and others believed those were the only two referenced in the Scriptures. Catholics
believe that all Seven Sacraments are referenced in Scripture. Thus, the Protestants and Catholics have different interpretations of the Scriptures regarding Sacraments.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #150 (June 2013)
Question:
Who is the Patron Saint of Shools? (M.J. Ledgewood, NJ)
Answer:
St. Thomas Aquinas is the Patron Saint of Schools. He lived from 1226 to 1274. St. Thomas was a Dominican friar, a university
professor and wrote SUMMA THEOLOGICA which is a summary of theology.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #149 (May 2013)
Question:
What does Excommunicate mean? (J.P. Union, NJ)
Answer:
Excommunicate means to officially deny a person the right to receive Communion. It is a very serious act taken by the Church in very rare cases.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #148 (April 2013)
Question:
Who was St. Joseph of Arimathea? (N.S. Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
St. Joseph of Arimathea was one of the few wealthy followers of Jesus during His lifetime. St. Joseph of Arimathea donated the tomb and the shroud for Jesus' burial.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #147 (March 2013)
Question:
Is the Communion (altar) bread prepared in a certain way? (J.D. Flemington, NJ)
Answer:
The Communion (altar) bread is prepared as a round loaf. The Communion (altar) bread is stamped with the Greek letters
IC XC NIKA which means "Jesus Christ Conquers". The priest cuts the loaf into small pieces before the Liturgy and then the priest places them
on the diskos awaiting the consecration.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #146 (February 2013)
Question:
Where does the term "Meatfare Sunday" come from? (A. H. Denville, NJ)
Answer:
Meatfare Sunday occurs the second Sunday before Lent begins. From an historical perspective, this was the last day that laity were able to eat meat before Easter.
This Sunday is also known as the "Sunday of the Last Judgment". This particular Sunday focuses on the future judgment of all persons who will stand before the throne of
God when Jesus will return.
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH #145 (January 2013)
Question:
What does the word "Charity" mean? (N.S., Westfield, NJ)
Answer:
Literally, "charity" means love. From a practical standpoint, charity are acts done out of love for people who need our help.
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