r/AskAPriest

I'm just wondering whether priests have certain rules to follow when socialising. Do you typically socialise only with family and other priests, or do you typically socialise with the lay community?

Would it be acceptable to go for a coffee with a friend that isn't a priest? Are you expected to stay away from places like bars or sports stadiums outside of priestly duties? Did you feel some distance grow between you and the friends you already had during/after seminary and ordination?

Please delete if not appropriate, this is something I have been genuinely curious about for a while.

Most infertility doctors do procedures that are greatly against Catholic teaching (IVF, Egg freezing, surrogacy, etc.). Can I still go to such doctors to obtain fertility testing and consultation so long as I don’t actually get any procedures that violate our faith? I tried to go through “mycatholicdoctor“ but had a bad experience. It seems like so many faith based doctors don’t take insurance either.

Good day to you, brothers and sisters...

I'm a 44-year old Egyptian expat who's living in Kuwait, and who would very much love to convert to Catholic Christianity.

I've finish an online OCIA/ RCIA course offered by the "Online Catholic School" back in January of this year, 2026 - and I thought that they would set me up with the local church here in Kuwait; since I was asked to enter all of my info including phone number. But it turned out that this service is available only within the US. This online school does not offer it overseas and internationally.

I tried emailing the local Catholic Church in Kuwait by myself, and they replied saying that they're forbidden from converting anybody within the whole Arabian area by law.

I tried to contact Catholic churches in the Philippines (Since it's one of the easy countries to get a visitor visa to as an Egyptian), and they wouldn't answer my emails as well.

I went to Bangkok, Thailand for a short 10-day visit 2 weeks ago (I know; Thailand is not Catholic, but it was the only country I could travel to with that war going on in the Gulf area nowadays) and they do have a Catholic Cathedral there which I went to (On a Monday - Just my luck) - and nobody was there at all. It was totally empty. I was told that English-speaking priests only show up on Sundays. I wasn't going to be able to meet with one because I was leaving.

I've booked a flight to Manila in the Philippines next October (The Philippines is a major Catholic country, and they do speak English), and I started emailing church there, but still - no one is answering at all.

I don't know what to do and I'm out of ideas. I'm keen on continuing and finishing this by getting into a church and get baptized, but how? Every road is blocked, and I can't get any church to talk to me.

The only ones who are kind enough to answer my email are evangelical organizations, but they do not have any resources or contacts outside of the US.

Can you help me? Any ideas? Have you encountered my scenario before?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Mohamed (Adam).

Hi Fathers,
Do any of you try to say all three daytime hours? If you recite all three, which one is your favorite? If you only say one, which one do you find yourself doing most often?

For context I still consider myself a Catholic and believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. However I struggle with some of the views of the Catholic Church and because of that I don’t feel comfortable attending mass. I have spoken with a priest about some of my questions but in person can be hard to say you disagree with them to their face.

I don’t believe it’s wrong to be gay or to commit homosexual acts anymore than it is to have sex within a marriage without the intention of a child. The way my priest described it was that God calls for marriage to be a union between man and woman so homosexuality doesn’t fit in this. I don’t know what to do with this information though. Because I don’t believe God would reject gay people or consider their acts sinful if it is rooted in love.

So my question is how can I come back to the church when I wholeheartedly disagree with this principle? There are other ones but this is a big one that has bothered me for a long time and I feel like it is keeping me away from church because I don’t want to go to place that condemns something I don’t think is wrong.

If SSPX priests can validly consecrate the Eucharist because they are validly ordained, but (assuming they lack faculties) cannot validly absolve sins in confession, doesn’t that create a difficult situation for the faithful?

Suppose someone goes to an SSPX priest for confession, is sincerely repentant, believes they have been absolved, and then receives Communion at an SSPX Mass. If the confession was objectively invalid, wouldn’t that mean they are still in mortal sin and are objectively receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

I am an attorney and I am very interested in canon law. I recently have begun thinking about attending a Masters in Canon Law program at KU Leuven that would require me to go to Belgium for four weeks per year. That would be a huge commitment for me, since I have a full time practice and would be away from family. Also the only “practitioners” I have ever seen of family law were priests, so it does not seem like I would be able to put the licentiae to use.

So I’m wondering, do you think it would be worthwhile for a layperson to study canon law? Do you think there are opportunities (even if volunteer) for a layperson to put a canon law education to use?

For example you yourself were the one to give last confession and apostolic pardon. I ask because I wonder how a priest goes about knowing they have the rights to forgive sins and pardon temporal punishments, and care for families afterwords.

I imagine yall are tired of SSPX questions so please forgive one more.

The SSPX obviously consecrated Bishops without the Papal Mandate. I understand this means their consecration is valid but not licit. Is it still proper to consider them bishops? If they were to reject SSPX and come back into communion with Rome would they still hold the rank of bishop? Could they have faculties revoked so they only had the powers of a priest? Could they be granted a proper see?

Добрый день. Я уже долгое время думаю о принятии решения вступить в католицизм. Прежде чем говорить мне что истина в православии и тд(по опыту из комментариев в тик токе)хочу сказать, что я изначально крещеная в православной церкви.Я туда не ходила долгое время, не считая детства (и то только по праздникам или на чьи-то похороны). В осознанном возрасте я пришла туда в 16 лет,мне сейчас 17, и стояла там на пасху всю ночь. Мне не понравилось.И я в принципе много с чем не согласна в православии, с чем согласна в католичестве. Так что да, я знаю о чем говорю и сейчас не намерена объяснять что к чему.

Я пока не проходила катехизацию, да что уж говорить, я была в соборе один раз и то только на концерте,но именно этот поход дал мне сильный толчок в своем решении. Я хочу сначала сходить на исповедь, объяснить священнику почему я приняла такое решение, и тд. Проблема в том, что я ни разу в жизни не исповедовалась. Вообще.И я не знаю что мне говорить и что делать.

Поэтому, если среди вас есть друзья католики, прошу, спросите их пожалуйста, что делать и как поступить. Или если вы сам католик и видите этот пост, напишите пожалуйста сюда, я буду рада любой помощи 💕

Доброго дня или вечера!

Well, a couple questions regarding the “current events” of the day 😆

1. What are the reactions of you and your fellow brother priests to the consecrations today?

2. Obviously, you are all in communion with Rome, but are there any points that the SSPX raises that you’d particularly agree with, or, at the very least, points that make you think, “Hm, they have a point.”

3. How should a Catholic act who sees this move of defiance as (obviously) extremely schismatic, but also thinks the Church has occassionally become too conforming to modernist ways?

Thanks!

hello Fathers! It’s rare that I see a votive Mass, but since we are in Ordinary Time, I was wondering if you ever offer votive Masses in lieu of the normal weekday Mass, and if so, what your favorites are. Do you think most priests would be open to offering weekday votive Masses of particular kinds or for particular occasions on request?

Have any of you ever been gifted a stole or vestments? I’m at a museum and inspired by the medieval vestments and it got me thinking - would I be allowed to make and gift a stole for my parish priest?

Hello All,

If a catholic church is not nearby, what churches can catholics attend if it is not possible to go to a catholic church?

Good Afternoon Fathers,

I studied philosophy in undergrad and in graduate school, and I was wondering what kind of philosophical training was involved in priestly formation. I know it’s required, but beyond that I don’t really know anything about how it plays out in practice. What are the works read, ideas studied, and figures taught to seminarians? Is there a standard curriculum that’s mandated across seminaries or is that determined on an institution by institution basis? Thank you in advance for your time

Particularly for someone possibly entering hospice next week. She already had an anointing in March but want her to get to heaven.

I am a newly converted as of the Easter Vigil.

I need to go to confession, but I know that I won't be absolved due to living with someone I'm not married to. I don't have a solution on the horizon i.e. marriage.

I know that it's impossible for me to receive absolution it would be sacriligious, I get that. I resent my situation and wish it were different. It's just my reality of converting after being in a relationship for almost a decade with someone who isn't Catholic.

Given that I would not receive absolution, what is typically done in this case? I know that I'm not worthy of the Eucharist at this time, but I also don't feel very worthy of the sacrament of confession at this time either.

With the consecration of the new SSPX Bishops I have seen a lot of people saying things about the excommunications. I see some saying all of the SSPX parishioners and clergy is excommunicated and some saying just the Bishops are. So who is right?

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Many priests, brothers, and sisters serve in countries other than the ones where they were born. In what language do you pray, celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, and do similar things? Do you use a foreign language only when you are not alone, or do you eventually try to always use the foreign language over time? I’m asking because I am an emigrant, and I still cannot manage to memorize most of the texts in the new language, although I speak it quite fluently. Maybe you have some advice for me except telling your personal experience? Thx!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ALL THE WAY