Pat McCloskey, OFM

Most new saints are either priests or women who belonged to religious communities. Which of the most recent saints is a wife and a mother?

In 1 Samuel 28:8-18, Saul asks the witch of Endor to conjure up the prophet Samuel. When she does, Samuel appears and tells Saul that he will lose a battle against the Philistines the following day. Did Samuel really appear?

I cannot begin to express my outrage regarding the abuse of God’s name and Jesus’ name on television and in the theater. The media seem indifferent toward blasphemy.

In your column, you wrote, “The person for whom the Mass is offered does not receive all its benefits.” Except for not receiving the Eucharist, what benefit is not received by that person? Is there some percentage at work here? How are the benefits divided up?

As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, what happens when a couple divorces? One spouse may not want a divorce but cannot stop it in states that have a no-fault law.

In the Nicene Creed, we pray that Jesus “rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures.” In the Apostles’ Creed, we say, “On the third day he [Jesus] rose again.” Don’t these expressions suggest that Jesus has previously risen from the dead? Is that true?