Ask a Franciscan

Man walking on a road

‘I Am Consumed with Guilt and Sorrow’

Q. I am feeling very guilty. I was driving my car and accidentally hit a man with my side mirror. I never saw him, and I don’t know if he stepped in front of me or not. The only reason I know he was hit was my side mirror flipped in, and I heard the snap. I immediately pulled over and asked the man if he was OK. 

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Rosary on a bible

My Problem with the Rosary

I was raised Catholic but drifted away in my early 20s. I came back in my late 20s, very much influenced by a man who prayed the rosary with great devotion. Unfortunately, he eventually betrayed me, lied to me, and ...
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Four people reading sheet music and singing

Can We Sing the Our Father?

Why can’t we sing the Our Father at Mass? When I asked our parish organist, the response was that our parish was told not to do this.
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What Was That ‘Good News’?

In Luke 9:6, we read that the 12 apostles "went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. " What was that "good news "? The Gospels were not yet written. Similarly, what did St. Paul ...
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How Can I Forgive Him?

My neighbor of many years was recently arrested for viewing child pornography. I've known him and his beautiful family since they moved into our neighborhood; I had considered him a pillar of the community.
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Purgatory Seems Unnecessary

As Catholics, we believe that faith and works are needed to get to heaven. If Jesus died for our sins, why is purgatory needed? Didn't he already repair what was needed? Catholics don't regard faith and works as though they ...
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graves

Will My Husband Know Me in Heaven?

I believe and hope to be with my loved ones someday in heaven. Will my husband, who died almost two years ago, know me and still love me? How will he look? If I have hurt anyone in my lifetime, ...
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Ask a Franciscan

Do you have a question for Father Pat McCloskey, OFM? The author of St. Anthony Messenger's popular "Ask a Franciscan" column in ready to answer your toughest questions!

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