Ask a Franciscan
What Is Americanism?
Is Americanism a heresy? If so, what does it mean? The person who introduced me to this term was not very clear about its meaning.
Disposing of Religious Articles
After my sister died last year, my niece cleaned up the apartment and gave me several religious statues and pictures. Is it a sin if I donate these things to someone else? Although I already have enough religious articles, I ...
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Order of Melchizedek
I recently attended the ordination of a Catholic priest. One of the prayers spoke of him as being ordained “according to the order of Melchizedek.” Who was this person and why is he mentioned in the ordination ceremony?
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Who Is St. John of Avila?
During Pope Benedict XVI’s August 2011 visit to Madrid for World Youth Day, he told seminarians gathered at that city’s Almudena Cathedral that he would declare St. John of Avila the 34th Doctor of the Church. Who is this saint ...
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Did Jesus Have Siblings?
If St. James is Jesus’ brother, would James not also be God’s son? Were Mary and Joseph the parents of James?
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Where Should the Tabernacle Go?
Most members of our large Catholic community have been trying to rescue Our Lord from a tabernacle on a side altar. Some churches have kept the tabernacle where it belongs: in the center of the main altar.
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Did the Church Make Up Purgatory?
My middle-aged daughter recently told me that there is no purgatory, that the Catholic Church made that up.
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