St. Francis and the Eucharist
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 24, 2026
What did the Eucharist mean to St. Francis? How did he express his devotion to it?
Posts from:
Pat McCloskey, OFM
Pat McCloskey, OFM, is the Franciscan advisor for St. Anthony Messenger and the writer of its "Ask a Franciscan" column.
How Can a Mass Be Offered for a Single Person?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 21, 2026
If every sacrifice of the Mass is offered for the Church, how can people request individual intentions?
Why Two Judgments?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 20, 2026
In parochial school, I learned that there is a particular judgment when a person dies and that there will also be a general judgment at the end of the world. Why?
Can a Catholic Marry a Lutheran?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 19, 2026
Will this marriage be recognized by the Catholic Church? Can a Catholic priest give a blessing?
Why Is the Pope Called the ‘Supreme Pontiff’?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 18, 2026
According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, the definition for the pope is “supreme pontiff.” Why is that?
Sharing Communion Is Rarely Permitted
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 17, 2026
May a Catholic give or invite a non-Catholic to receive holy Communion? Wouldn’t that promote our efforts toward ecumenism?
Who Informed the Biblical Writers?
Pat McCloskey, OFM
August 14, 2026
How did the gentlemen who gathered together to write the Bible do so? Where did their information come from? The holy Bible is beautifully written. When was it written? How did they know all the details?
Ultimately, God inspired them to convey the unique divine self-revelation that we find in the Bible. We need to accept the Bible on its own terms. We may mistakenly think of it as entirely eyewitness accounts in which the biblical writers act like court reporters, giving us a verbatim account.