Ask a Franciscan

I am developing a scruple over how an inheritance from my mother was divided. I hope that I did not do anything wrong. Please help me put my mind at rest.

According to one of my friends, the rules for celebrating Mass state that drums cannot be used with other musical instruments or with singers. Is that true?

Most new saints are either priests or women who belonged to religious communities. Which of the most recent saints is a wife and a mother?

In 1 Samuel 28:8-18, Saul asks the witch of Endor to conjure up the prophet Samuel. When she does, Samuel appears and tells Saul that he will lose a battle against the Philistines the following day. Did Samuel really appear?

I cannot begin to express my outrage regarding the abuse of God’s name and Jesus’ name on television and in the theater. The media seem indifferent toward blasphemy.

In your column, you wrote, “The person for whom the Mass is offered does not receive all its benefits.” Except for not receiving the Eucharist, what benefit is not received by that person? Is there some percentage at work here? ...