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.

Facing Up to Systemic Racism

Pat McCloskey, OFM October 20, 2026

What do I tell the students in my CCD class when they ask me what the Catholic Church says about systemic racism?

Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?

Pat McCloskey, OFM October 19, 2026

Can a Catholic be pro-choice? I am a practicing Catholic who is very pro-life. I know several Catholic women who are pro-choice. I’m an old man who thinks this is a contradiction.

For the past few years, from midnight Christmas through Epiphany, the director of music in our parish has elected to use “Angels We Have Heard on High” instead of the Gloria. What is proper in this regard?

Skylark perching in a flowering rapeseed field.

The Larks of Assisi

Pat McCloskey, OFM October 15, 2026

Francis had a special affection for larks; he considered their brown feathers a sign of their closeness to God, of their humility.

Casual Sex on TV

Pat McCloskey, OFM October 15, 2026

Q: Many TV shows include sexual remarks or people sleeping with people to whom they are not married. I don’t watch much television, but I do enjoy several hospital-based programs that have good plots but frequently include these situations, which are becoming more and more common.
Is it a serious sin for me to watch such programs? Do I need to confess such viewing?

Red, White, and Green Martyrs?

Pat McCloskey, OFM October 14, 2026

In the book How the Irish Saved Civilization (Doubleday), Thomas Cahill talks about both green and white martyrdom. According to Cahill, Ireland was unique in that Christianity was introduced there without bloodshed (red martyrdom).