Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about our parish:
1. How can I get involved?
2. How can I have a Mass said?
3. How can I rent the parish hall?
4. How do I register to become a member of the parish?
5. What grade is Communion?
6. What grade is Confirmation?
7. Do I need a Confirmation name?
8. What are the Confirmation sponsor guidelines?
9. What are the marriage guidelines?
10. How do I register for Religious Education?
11. How do I register for Youth Group?
12. Why is there a charge for religious education?
13. Where can I check schedules for lectors, eucharistic ministers, soup kitchen, etc?
Questions about our faith:
1. What proof is there that God exists?
2. Why do Catholics believe that their church is the one true Church?
3. Why do Catholics worship Mary to such a great degree?
4. Why do Catholics believe the Pope is infallible?
5. Why do Catholics believe Holy Communion is the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ? Why don't they believe that Christ is only present symbolically?
6. Why should I go to Mass every week?
7. If God loves us, why do bad things happen to good people?
8. What is Purgatory?
9. What is a sacrament?
10. Why do Catholics confess their sins to priests?
11. Why can't priests marry?
12. Why is ordination to the priesthood reserved only to men?
13. Why does the Catholic Church believe in abstaining from sex before marriage?
14. Why does the Catholic Church oppose the use of artificial birth control?
15. Why does the Catholic Church oppose abortion?
16. What the Catholic Church's view on homosexuality?
Additional information available in What We Believe
Questions about our parish:
top 1. How can I get involved?
We are always looking for people to help and welcome everyone to be an active participant! Check out our ministries and organizations and feel free to give any of the coordinators a call. You can also see a complete list of all our volunteer activities and ways to enrich your faith.
top 2. How can I have a Mass said?
To have a mass said, visit Carolyn Doody in the parish office.
top 3. How can I rent the parish hall?
To rent any space in our parish facility, contact Carolyn Doody at 203-227-1341.
top 4. How do I register to become a member of the parish?
To become a registered parishioner, visit the Parish Office or contact Carolyn Doody, Administrative Assistant, at 203-227-1341and she will send you a simple form to complete.
top 5. What grade is First Communion?
Communion is a two-year program. It starts in first grade and continues in second grade with the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion. Contact Cindi Seide, Coordinator of Religious Ed, at 203-226-9474 for further information.
top 6. What grade is Confirmation?
Confirmation is a three year program staring in seventh grade and ending in ninth grade where the sacrament if conferred. Call Karen Cornell, Director of Youth Ministry, at 203-227-8353 for further information.
top 7. Do I need a Confirmation name?
A confirmation name is optional. Your baptismal name may be used.
top
Confirmation sponsors must be a practicing Catholic (attends Mass every Sunday), be 17 years old and submit a sponsor certificate from their pastor. This is someone who will be helping and training the candidate, so they need to be dedicated to the Catholic faith.
top 9. What are the marriage guidelines?
In order to be married at St. Francis, the couple must contact the pastor one year before they want to get married to meet with him and participate in PreCana classes or engaged encounter. Contact one of the priests of the parish at 203-227-1341 for further information and to schedule your appointment.
top 10. How do I register for Religious Education?
To register for religious ed, you must first be registered as a parishioner of St. Francis Parish. Once registered, contact Cindi Seide, Coordinator of Religious Ed at 203-226-9474 for details.
top 11. How do I register for Youth Group?
To register for Youth Group, you must first be registered as a parishioner of St. Francis Parish. Once registered, then contact Karen Cornell, Director of Youth Ministry at 203-227-8353 for details.
top 12. Why is there a charge for religious education?
There are expenses associated with religious education - salaries, overhead (electricity, heat, air conditioning), maintenance costs, books, supplies, etc. Ideally, our Sunday offertory collection should cover the total cost of these expenses, but our weekly offertory collections do not cover our overall parish expenses. The tuition covers about half of the Religious Ed cost; the other half is subsidized by the parish.
top 13. Where can I check schedules for Lectors, Eucharistic ministers, soup kitchen, etc?
An updated complete list of schedules is usually available in the Ministries section of our website or by calling the ministry coordinator. Information for Lectors, Eucharistic ministers, etc can be found in the Worship Ministry section, while soup kitchen can be found in the Social Action and Concerns Ministry.
Questions about our faith:
top 1. What proof is there that God exists?
Everything has a cause; nothing can bring itself into existence. Obviously there is a long chain of causes in the universe, but ultimately there must be a first cause, an uncaused cause. To start anything, something greater must have created it. a creator. Then there is the evidence of divine revelation - where God has revealed Himself by voice and apparition and by His miracles. Scriptures are full of such accounts and in modern times we have witnessed miracles such as Fatima and Lourdes. And lastly, there is the evidence of human intuition. Psychologists have long known that every human being - the atheist included - intuitively seeks God's help in times of great calamity and instinctively pleads for God's mercy when death is imminent.
top 2. Why do Catholics believe that their church is the one true Church?
Catholics believe that theirs is the one true Church of Jesus Christ because theirs is the only Christian Church that goes back in history to its founder, Jesus Christ.
top 3. Why are Catholics so devoted to Mary?
Catholics are fully aware that Mary was human and therefore not entitled to the honors reserved to God alone. What many non-Catholics mistake for adoration is a very profound love. As Christians, we are called to model Christ and his behavior, including his deep love and veneration for his mother. Catholics do feel that Mary is entitled to exaltation because, in choosing her as the mother of Jesus, God exalted her- more than any other person before or since. Catholics know that the glory they give Mary, they actually give to Jesus. just as Mary magnified God, not herself, when Elizabeth blessed her.
top 4. Why do Catholics believe the Pope is infallible?
Jesus appointed Peter the first Pope who would then select his descendent with the help of the Holy Spirit to help make that decision. The doctrine of papal infallibility does not mean the pope is always right in all his personal teachings. Catholics are aware that, despite his great learning, the pope is a human being and therefore liable to commit human error. The doctrine simply means that the Pope is divinely protected from error when, acting in his official capacity as chief of the Catholic fold, he makes a decision which is binding on the conscience of Catholics. In other words, his infallibility is limited to his specialty - the faith of Jesus Christ.
top 5. Why do Catholics believe Holy Communion is the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ? Why don't they believe that Christ is only present symbolically?
Holy Communion is the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ because that is what Christ said, "This is my body.This is my blood" (Matt:26:26-28, Luke 22:19-10 and Mark 14:22-24). Jesus did not say it was a symbol. The grace and power of Christ that enables us to go out and do His work cannot be conferred from a symbol.
top 6. Why should I go to Mass every week?
The heart of our faith is a relationship of love with Jesus Christ. Going to Mass regularly is an expression of our love for Jesus, who gives to us 24/7. This love means we want to be nourished by his body and blood in the Eucharist and helps us keep His commandments. Although Saturday is the Sabbath for the Jews, the early Christians changed it to Sunday to commemorate Jesus' rising from the dead on Sunday.
top 7. If God loves us, why do bad things happen?
God doesn't cause accidents or tragedies. God allows things to happen because he has given us free will. He doesn't control us. As people exercise that free will and make choices, there are consequences to their actions that can hurt us. God allows for the natural course of events to occur - he does not cause them, he simply permits them.
top 8. What is Purgatory?
Christians have always believed in the existence of a place between heaven and hell where souls go to be punished for lesser sins and to repay the debt for sins that have been forgiven. Purgatory is a place for the cleansing of the soul. Metaphorically, if you were working out and were dirty and came home to a surprise party, you would want to take a shower to cleanse yourself to be prepared to meet your guests. Because God is so perfect and we come to him with human sins, we need to prepare ourselves before meeting Him. Purgatory provides that cleansing before meeting God.
top 9. What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is an "outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace" (holiness) to the soul. That is, a divinely prescribed ceremony of the Church in which the words and action combine to form a sign of divine grace. We are a physical people and a spiritual people and a sacrament bridges our physical and spiritual sides. Christ is always present in sacraments. Even if you "don't feel like being there" (as many people say about Reconciliation), you will always encounter Christ spiritually in sacraments. No matter how we feel, he is always there to meet us.
top 10. Why do Catholics confess their sins to priests?
Catholics confess their sins to God. The priest is there as a channel for Jesus' grace and forgiveness. To the apostles, the first priests of His church, Christ said, "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain they are retained." (John 20:21-223). When Catholics confess their sins to a priest they are actually confessing their sins to God, for God hears their confessions and it is He who, in the final analysis, does the forgiving. The sacrament of reconciliation also gives us special graces, helping us to go on and not sin again. Verbally expressing sins is different than just thinking about them and in reconciliation, we can know we are forgiven.
top 11. Why can't priests marry?
Celibacy is viewed as a better example and model of Jesus' priesthood. Catholic priests are married to the church and its people. If they are married, they cannot give 100% of their attention to the church. Without these obligations, they are free to relocate as the church needs them, be more objective in counseling (eg, their own married problems will not be projected), require (and receive) only minimal salaries and they are examples of sacrifice and self-control.
top 12. Why is ordination to the priesthood reserved only to men?
The church's teaching that only men can be ordained to the ministerial priesthood arises from identity to the example of the Lord as witnessed by the New Testament and to the constant tradition of the Eastern and Western churches. The church considers this constant and universal tradition to be in accordance with God's plan and to constitute a permanent norm. Jesus chose only men as members of the twelve. This example was followed in the apostolic community; and by means of a Tradition of practice, the church acquired a certainty about this norm. The issue of the possibility of ordaining women was first raised in the second century and has been raised and addressed by theologians down to the present day.
top 13. Why does the Catholic Church believe in abstaining from sex before marriage?
God created sexual intimacy and it is wonderful and the most intimate expression of human love. He chose the sexual act as the means by which humans (with an invaluable soul) are created. But when sex is used indiscriminately, it can be a source of diseases, unwed pregnancies, broken hearts, hardened hearts and low self-esteem. True love is based on sacrifice and fidelity. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and we need to exercise self-control in our lives. If you are not faithful to God's laws, what evidence is there that you can be faithful to each other? Is it really love if a couple is willing to put each other at risk for early pregnancy, devastating diseases and emotional stress? Sexual intimacy is a wonderful gift from God that needs to be part of a lifelong commitment that is blessed by God and open to having children.
top 14. Why does the Catholic Church oppose the use of artificial birth control?
The Catholic Church opposes any form of artificial birth control (Natural Family Planning is accepted) because it takes God out of the marital act. One of the most awesome gifts God gave us is the ability to generate new life in His image. We are co-creators of that process with Him. Contraception deliberately thwarts this God-given gift. Additionally, the birth control pill can cause spontaneous abortion, where a woman becomes pregnant and abort the baby without even knowing it has occurred. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a morally acceptable means to avoid pregnancy by restricting sexual intercourse to the infertile times of a woman's cycle. People who practice NFP feel especially blessed because they are doing God's will and their relationship is never in the dark but exists in the light of God's blessing. NFP is NOT the same as "rhythm" - it is far more scientific and proven more effective.
top 15. Why does the Catholic Church oppose abortion?
The Catholic Church views abortion as the taking of an innocent human life. A baby is a separate human life distinct from his or her mother. Each child has its own genetic identity, its own heartbeat, brain waves, eyes, ears, mouth, etc. Of course women have rights over their own bodies (just as men do), but these rights are limited when they affect other people's bodies. Abortion directly involves two bodies - the mother's and the unborn child's.
top 16. What is the Catholic Church's view on homosexuality?
Jesus loves everyone and everyone deserves love and respect. Jesus tells us to love the sinner but not the sin. The church does not say that a homosexual orientation is a sin, but the sexual activity is because sexual acts are intended by God for husbands and wives joined in the sacrament of marriage, not unmarried persons, whether the same or opposite sex.