Ask a Franciscan

I have noticed that many paintings of Saint Jerome include a lion lying at his feet. In other paintings there is a skull. I have noticed similar images in paintings of other saints. I am intrigued by these symbols. What ...

How is the patron saint of an occupation, a country, or a group of people decided? Specifically, how did St. Nicholas come to be the patron saint of brides, grooms, children, bakers, and pawnbrokers?

In our missalette for the Solemnity of the Epiphany the prayer over the gifts, the bread and wine, speaks of them as symbolizing Christ. But don’t most priests say they are really the body and blood of Jesus Christ?

How can marriage possibly be a sacrament? Yes, Jesus attended a wedding feast, spoke of the Kingdom of God in terms of a wedding banquet, and used the Genesis creation story to support the idea of union.

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.

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?