Three Are One: How Can I Explain the Holy Trinity?
Question: I have great difficulty in explaining the Trinity to non-Christians who persist in thinking that we worship three gods, as some have intimated that we do...
Michael Shackleton
Where Did the Teaching of the Holy Trinity Come From?
The Holy Trinity is a mystery to the human intelligence yet it is an article of our Christian faith. I know the three divine persons are mentioned...
Memories of Cardinal Owen McCann
It has been thirty years since the death of South Africa’s first cardinal. Our Advisory Editor Michael Shackleton looks back on his time as His Eminence Owen...
Ok, What are Sacraments and Sacramentals?
Question: What is the difference between sacraments and sacramentals? Answer: The seven sacraments of the Church are liturgical celebrations. They are visible signs and instruments instituted by...
What is Divine Mercy Sunday?
Our parish celebrated the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday for the first time. We found, however, that there is a lot of confusion about...
Why is the Crucifixion Narrative Read on Palm Sunday Also?
Why do we read the Passion of the Lord at the Palm Sunday Mass? I can understand the reason for reading it on Good Friday but Palm...
A Time to Reflect on Ash
Lent, the season of repentance is the time to reflect seriously on the words used when the ashes stain our foreheads, namely, that we come from the dust of the earth and will go back there
Is Purgatory Real?
Question: What exactly is purgatory? Has the teaching of it fallen out of favour? And if purgatory exists, what happens there? Answer: Even in Old Testament times,...
Vestments: The Layers of Cloth on a Priest at Mass
The citizens of ancient Rome were accustomed to wearing a white towel-like cloth around their necks or over the shoulder. Known as a sudarium, its purpose was to wipe away the perspiration that bothered them, especially in the extreme heat of a Roman summer.
Why Do We Do Penance?
In Confession, the priest gave me a penance of the Stations of the Cross, which I did. What is the purpose of the penance when I know...
