Ask a Franciscan
Can Second Cousins Marry?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
A niece of my husband has become very close to one of her second cousins. They and some family members are questioning if they are too closely related to marry one another. Are they?
Must I Take All Medications Prescribed?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
My wife and I are in our early 70s and each of us has quite a few medical problems. If we stopped taking all our medications and stopped going to our many doctors, we would shorten our lives. Would the ...
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Give Up Something Else for Lent?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
The Church decided that Catholics could eat meat on Fridays outside Lent. As I remember, there was a slight catch: We were to give up something else.
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Can People Who Choose Cremation Go to Heaven?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
My aunt says that her parish priest told her that God will not raise at the Last Judgment anyone who has chosen to be cremated. Is that true? If so, why?
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When Couples Divorce
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
What happens when a couple divorces? One person may not want a divorce but is unable to stop it in a state where there is a nofault divorce law.
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What Is the Curse of Ham?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
What can you tell me about the curse that Noah placed on his son Ham? What about Ham’s brothers, Shem and Japheth? Where is this story in the Bible?
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How Many People Have Received the Stigmata?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
May 9, 2020
Who besides St. Francis of Assisi and St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina have received the stigmata, the marks of Christ’s five wounds? Have any women received the stigmata?
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