April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ASK HIM ANYTHING
Priest evaluates time as 'Question Box' columnist
Seven months later, he finds himself flooded with up to 10 questions a week for the "Question Box" feature, which is supplied by Catholic News Service to diocesan newspapers nationwide.
Every Thursday, Father Doyle carves a few hours out of his busy life as diocesan chancellor for communications and pastor of Mater Christi parish in Albany to research and write the column (known in some markets as "Question Corner").
The questions that make the cut usually appeal to a wide audience, Father Doyle told The Evangelist. Recent topics have included the reasons for the new translation of the Roman Missal, how to help a friend who's angry at God, outdoor weddings, pre-nuptial agreements and baptizing a child whose parents don't attend church.
Some Catholics question canon law, while others seek advice on pastoral issues.
Some questions are even too intimate or singular to address in a column, Father Doyle said.
"A number of questions I get are personal questions of spiritual guidance," he explained. "In many situations, it's more helpful if you can talk personally to a priest where you can have a dialogue."
He recalled one reader who sought advice for a peculiar problem: The person could speak in tongues, but complained that the experience was accompanied by incontinence.
Other quirky queries abound:
• "Will my cat go to heaven with me?" one reader asked.
• "Can you sin once you're in heaven?" asked another.
• "My husband's dying words were, 'I have to go now, Mozart.' What does that mean?" another wondered.
Father Doyle starts a column by outlining his answer and then turns to the internet and three books: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law and the Bible. If necessary, he calls experts.
"I can't imagine what it must have been like before [the internet]," he said, recalling his predecessor, Rev. John Dietzen, a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., who penned the Q-and-A column for more than 35 years.
Both Father Doyle's pastoral and writing experience - he served as assistant editor and editor of The Evangelist for 14 years, then as chief of Catholic News Service's Rome bureau and director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops before returning to ministry in the Albany Diocese - separate him from others with access to the internet.
"A person who knew the right keywords could probably do the same thing," Father Doyle said. "Some [questioners] feel more comforted by a priest."
Some queries are more difficult to answer than others: "Some require a fair amount of research," said the columnist, offering the example of the Church's position on Freemasonry and the history of the practice of fasting before communion.
Recently, he was asked why the Church spends money on building projects when poor people need help. It was spurred by the multimillion-dollar purchase of the Crystal Cathedral by the Diocese of Orange in California. (That column will appear in an upcoming issue.)
"I sympathize with that question," Father Doyle said, explaining that the cathedral will be a pastoral center for the 10th largest diocese in the U.S. "The Church has different ministries. What the Church tries to do is strike a balance."
Father Doyle receives a few responses a week to his columns. Some readers thank him; others disagree with his answers on topics like permitting a Church blessing at an outdoor wedding.
"A couple of canonists wrote in to say you can't have two weddings," Father Doyle said.
But he still enjoys the experience. Readers ask "very authentic questions," he said. "There's a certain depth to them. They learn when the questions are answered.
"Personally, it forces me to take time to write, which I like to do. I hope to continue it far into the future."
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