Let’s be honest. Can any of you, Catholic or non-Catholic, truthfully admit that you’ve never pondered some of the peculiar things the Catholic Church does? Kathy Cogan knows you have, too. That’s why she’s so enthusiastic about her latest comedy piece, “Vatican II: What the Hell Happened?”

Cogan, who wrote, coproduced and stars in this one-woman comedic act, brings to light the many modifications and questions that came about with the Catholic Church’s change from Vatican I to Vatican II in the 1960s.

“What Vatican II did was change practically every tradition that we celebrated in the Catholic Church,” Cogan says. “For instance, Mass was no longer said in Latin — it had to be said in English; women didn’t have to wear hats in church anymore; you could eat meat on Fridays.”

In 1966, Cogan, a native of West Orange, N.J, was 6 years old and right on the edge of making her first communion. She can clearly remember being stuck in the middle of the confusing and abrupt switch.

“Between 1962 and 1965, all these traditions got changed, and the biggest issue was the Catholic Church never told you why,” Cogan says.

“One Sunday, you’re in Mass and it’s Latin and the priest isn’t facing you, and, the next Sunday, you walk in and there’s folk guitars and tambourines during the Alleluia, the Mass is in English and the priest is telling you go have a burger on Friday! It’s, like, what the hell happened?”

“Vatican II: What the Hell Happened?” is Cogan’s attempt to explain these sudden changes. In the comedy act, Cogan plays Margaret Mary O’Malley, the choir director for St. Nicholas Church. Because the lease is up on the land, the church is being threatened to be torn down and replaced by the evil SuperMart. Margaret Mary rallies support for the church by recounting stories of her own upbringing in the Catholic Church.

Cogan says the story is autobiographical, and the comical tales she shares come directly from her past experiences in the church. She also says when growing up she had her share of embarrassing moments during mass. One incident, in particular, is fresh in her mind.

“Getting the giggles,” Cogan says.

“We used to receive communion at the altar kneeling down, and you’d get the giggles up there because you would turn and you would watch. … It would always be an old lady, and the way she would stick out her tongue to receive communion. By the time the priest got to you, you couldn’t stick your tongue out because you were just laughing so hard! You know there’s two places you don’t get the giggles: church and a hospital.”

The title of this comedic act was inspired by Cogan’s Irish grandfather, who, she says, did not handle the change very well. Cogan says her family took her grandfather to the newly structured Mass, and, when he walked out of church, all he could say was, “I don’t know what the hell happened.”

Although the material is based on happenings in the Catholic Church, Cogan says Catholics are not the only ones who will find the stories humorous.

“It’s so informative,” Cogan says. “Margaret Mary describes everything. You don’t have to be of any religion just to laugh at it, because it’s a lot of human stuff — just something that could happen to you personally.”

What: “Vatican II: What the Hell Happened?”

Where: Civic Center’s Stoner Studio Theater, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines

When: Dec. 3 through Dec. 26

Times vary, check Web site

Cost: $27.50 – $32.50