Ask a Franciscan
The Bible As God’s Self-Revelation
My adult nephew recently asked me: “How do I know that the Bible is the Word of God and not simply a collection of human writings? How do I know that the people who decided what belongs in the Bible didn’t simply include what they wanted?”
How Much of the Mass Must I Attend?
To fulfill the Sunday obligation to attend Mass, how long or for what parts must you be present? What is the penitential rite? Must you be present for that? When may you leave and still fulfill the obligation?
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Why Do We Need Low-gluten Hosts?
I don’t understand why someone who has celiac disease and is, therefore, allergic to gluten needs a low-gluten host. The bread at Mass changes substantially into the Body of Christ.
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What Is the Secular Franciscan Order?
Even though I have long known that there are Franciscan sisters, brothers, and priests, a friend recently told me about a group that is completely new to me: the Secular Franciscan Order.
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Are Catholic Schools the Answer?
Why do so many graduates of Catholic schools become agnostics or atheists or join other churches?
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Missing Mass on Sunday
As an 80-year-old Catholic, I was taught that missing Mass through your own fault is a mortal sin that, if unconfessed and unabsolved, could send you to hell forever. I know friends and other Catholics who are good people but ...
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What about Limbo?
Question about limbo: Are souls in a state of eternal happiness outside heaven or do they go to hell forever? I pray for my granddaughter’s soul.
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