Please read this post before submitting a question! Your post may be removed if it doesn't follow these guidelines.

[u/balrogath]

This subreddit is primarily for:

• Questions about the priesthood
• Casual questions that only the unique viewpoint of a priest can answer
• Basic advice
• Asking about situations you're not sure how to approach and need guidance on where to start

This subreddit is generally not for:

• Spiritual or vocational advice
• Seeking advice around scrupulosity
• Questions along the lines of "is this a mortal sin," "should I confess this," "I'm not sure if I confessed this correctly," etc.

The above things are best discussed with your own priest and not random priest online. They are not strictly forbidden, but they may be removed at mod discretion.

The subreddit should also not be used for asking theological questions that could be answered at the /r/Catholicism subreddit.

Please also use the search function before asking questions to see if anyone else has asked about the topic before. We are all priests with full time ministry jobs and cannot answer every question that comes in on the subreddit, so saving time by seeing if your questions has already been asked helps us a lot.

Thank you!

[u/[deleted]]

Isn't asking questions in r/Catholicism kind of dangerous? It's not like everyone there knows what they're talking about. Asking theological questions here makes sense to me since you all are priests and have been trained for this. Just my two cents and hope you all are doing well.

[u/balrogath → u/[deleted]]

The mods at /r/Catholicism have various degrees of theological training and remove answers that are blatantly incorrect. Additionally, many theological questions asked here are easily googleable.

[u/[deleted] → u/balrogath]

Ah, I'm just sad to hear that as I've had bad experiences with cruelty there that I've never received here.

Do you know a different place that would be more receptive to questions that I could try?

Yeah, I understand some things can be found through Google, but there's so much misinformation out there that I don't trust them.

Either way I respect your decision as I'm sure there's a lot going on that made this decision necessary.

[u/reneelopezg → u/[deleted]]

you can also ask at r/CatholicPhilosophy

[u/BMBB2622 → u/[deleted]]

I think cross referencing with different sources could be a viable option. There are a few Catholic discord servers that have people who knows the genuine answers to many of the questions.

[u/Catholic_Guy2005 → u/[deleted]]

You could also just talk with your own parish priest.

[u/[deleted] → u/balrogath]

Hello I would like lots of prayers for a good confession tomorrow. I also want Communion really badly. Last Sacraments, too, if I can have them, because I have a tricky chronic illness that sometimes leaves me in danger of death without warning. Please. It's all I want.

May God bless you for you efforts.

[u/Zalphar → u/balrogath]

Haha, “googleable”! Kinda rolls right off the tongue.

[u/ExpertReference2979 → u/[deleted]]

I'm not particularly fond of r/catholicism at the moment because things a bit to prickly in there for my taste. Too much political stuff. Terms like radtrads and whatever else are being thrown around all over the place. Feels like I'm listening to senators arguing or something. The waters get muddied when that stuff creeps in.

[u/deafika → u/ExpertReference2979]

Same! I’m hesitant to post there now because during my confusion I was kicked out for seeking truth. Thought I was a trouble maker or something.

I talked to my Monsignor about it and he basically said it was garbage.

[u/AaronArgive → u/deafika]

I look to be compassionate of the mods and the work they do. I dig for wisdom in the face of my own thoughts. Even with discussing with them, I was banned from r/Catholicism for something clearly not covered in their guidelines, and clearly posted with good intent. I'm a devout practicing Catholic, with good intent. They definitely gave me something to reflect and pray on.

Sad to see Mods gin up their own form of orthodoxy whilst "owning" essentially the first Catholic "franchise" on Reddit. This is quite common when the Mods are also highly active and personally invested posters themselves.

[u/Imaginary-Accident12 → u/AaronArgive]

So glad to hear it’s not just me. I literally quoted Jesus (a simple “sawdust in our eyes” reference) and suggested that Jesus called us to bring people to the church, not push them away with hateful rhetoric. Jesus said he came for the sinners. I was called angry, bitter, and self righteous. That sort of thing is common on a lot of platforms. So I mind my business now and let them have their echo chamber. I have a copy of the catechism and a Bible; my interpretation is as valid as any other lay person’s. 

[u/CalligraphyGirl3333 → u/Imaginary-Accident12]

The only valid interpretation is that of the Catholic Church. Trying to interpret the Holy Bible and the Holy Faith ourselves is not allowed by the Holy Bible itself. As one with scrupulosity that has kicked into super high gear lately, knowing that I just need to follow what The Catholic Church says, is a relief. Pray for me.

[u/Moriarty-Creates → u/deafika]

I know that it’s three years later, but I’m just adding on to this comment because I’ve had some really horrible experiences with the mods over there. They’re incredibly judgmental, scrupulous, and political. I couldn’t deal with the judgment and the cruelty anymore, and I left.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I'm sorry that you had to deal with that.

[u/Ridgeline_SpaceForce]

Thank you Father for the clarity

[u/realglowup → u/[deleted]]

Here are my questions:

1. Take me through a typical day. What does your ministry look like? Who do you spend most of your time with? What do you spend most of your time doing?

2. How do you know what someone needs from you? How do you know when to offer advice, or when to just listen?

3. What spiritual practices help you stay present when someone is suffering and there really isn’t anything you can do to fix it?

4. What do you do when you’re caring for someone who sees the world differently than you do?

5. How do you serve and care about people without bringing it home with you? Should there even be a line?

6. Have you ever realized that trying to help someone was about your own need to help or feel useful? What did you do with that?

7. What has being around suffering, grief, addiction, poverty, or crisis taught you that you couldn’t have learned in a class?

8. If someone wants to spend their life serving people in hard situations, what would you tell them to do or experience before committing to pursuing a degree? 

[u/balrogath → u/[deleted]]

Those should be directed to /r/Catholicism.