-- Father Theodore Heck, believed to be the oldest Benedictine monk in the world, died Wednesday at the age of 108, his abbey in Indiana announced. Born in Iowa in 1901, Heck was less than a month shy of celebrating his 80th anniversary as a priest.
Father Theodore Heck remained active in daily life at Saint Meinrad until recently.
1 of 2 Heck was a monk at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana for 86 years, Archabbot Justin DuVall said.
His main calling was as a teacher, DuVall said, adding that Heck had taught "thousands" of students in his career.
The liberal "mainstream" media is going to hate this :) They want you to think that everyone supports abortion.
A new poll conducted by Pew Research finds the support for legal abortions has dropped to its lowest level in 15 years.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults, finds President Barack Obama's abortion advocay could be sparking a shift to the pro-life side of the abortion debate.
The Pew poll found 46 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%) and 44 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%).
That two point margin in favor of abortion is the lowest margin since 1995 as Pew, and other polling firms, have been asking the same polling question of Americans across the country every year.
I don't think that there's any doubt that Obama will continue to help the abortion industry.
At an April 29 press conference marking the conclusion of his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama said that passage of the Freedom of Choice Act was not his “highest legislative priority.” During the presidential campaign, Obama had vowed that “the first thing I’d do as president is, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.”
The president was asked at the press conference:
In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame. And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your position on abortion. As a candidate, you vowed that one of the very things you wanted to do was sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which, as you know, would eliminate federal, state and local restrictions on abortion. And at one point in the campaign when asked about abortion and life, you said that it was above -- quote, "above my pay grade." Now that you've been president for 100 days, obviously, your pay grade is a little higher than when you were a senator. Do you still hope that Congress quickly sends you the Freedom of Choice Act so you can sign it?
He responded:
You know, the-- my view on-- on abortion, I think, has been very consistent. I think abortion is a moral issue and an ethical issue. That was a 'yes or no' question Barry :)
St. Pius V, who was born in 1504, joined the Dominicans at the age of fourteen; he was sixty-two when he was elected Pope. His reign, though short, was one of the most fruitful of the sixteenth century. To Protestantism, which had proclaimed the Reformation, St. Pius replied by applying the decrees of the Council of Trent for the reform of the Church. He played a great part in the return of the clergy to ecclesiastical discipline. Against Islam, which threatened the West, he succeeded in forming a coalition of Christian forces: and by public prayers, organized everywhere at his request, he was instrumental in obtaining the decisive victory of Lepanto in 1571. He died the following year on May 1. We also owe to St. Pius the reformation of the liturgical books of the Roman rite.
Addressing liturgical matters amid concerns of a swine flu outbreak, Bishop of Dallas Kevin J. Farrell has advised his diocese’s pastors to consider suspending the reception of the Holy Eucharist under both species and to take other steps to respond to possible health dangers. The first reported death in the U.S. from swine flu came on Tuesday, when a 23-month-old boy visiting from Mexico died in Houston.
Bishop Farrell’s April 28 letter said awareness has increased about “the potential danger of the possibility of a serious epidemic of ‘swine flu’ for which there is no vaccination.” To assist in preventing the spread of a possible epidemic, he asked that pastors consider modifications to the distribution of the Eucharist and also ensure that Eucharistic Ministers use proper hygiene before distributing the Eucharist at Masses.
He also advised that pastors tell parishioners to be attentive to public health announcements.
The bishop further asked that pastors offer prayers for those afflicted by the illness and for public health officials addressing the possible threat.
A recap of Obama's first 100 days. Not too impressive from a pro-life perspective, but what else would we expect?
President Barack Obama marks his first 100 days in the White House today and his record is replete with aggressive promotion of abortion and attacks on pro-life advocates. Obama has used tax dollars to pay for abortion and embryonic stem cell research and stacked his administration with abortion advocates.
The president's litany of anti-life decisions began immediately after his election in November, when he selected a long-time abortion advocate as his White House chief of staff.
Obama began fulfilling his promises to abortion advocates during his first week in office when he overturned the Mexico City Policy that prevented forcing taxpayers to fund groups that promote and perform abortions in other countries.
Instead of urging Americans to honor and respect the dignity and worth of human life as other presidents have done, Obama used the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision to celebrate the 50 million abortions that have been done since then.
"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live." Pope John Paul II
“Abysmal” Catholic apathy must be overcome to oppose those who are “fiercely determined” to impose homosexual “marriage,”, "impose" is the right word. They can't win at the ballot box because most people oppose it. So they try to use the judiciary to force their agenda on society.Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island Thomas J. Tobin has warned. Reasserting Catholic teaching on sexual morality, he also said that same-sex “marriage” will endanger religious freedom.
Writing in his April 23 column in The Rhode Island Catholic, Bishop Tobin spoke of a “relentless” political march towards homosexual marriage, with New England leading the way. “The supporters of gay marriage in Rhode Island are well-organized and well-funded. They’re fiercely determined to impose their politically correct agenda on all the citizens of the state – human history, culture and moral principles not-withstanding. Anyone who opposes them is quickly labeled a bigot,” the bishop observed. Or a terrorist, according to Janet Napolitano :)
Catherine, the youngest of twenty-five children, was born in Siena on March 25, 1347. During her youth she had to contend with great difficulties on the part of her parents. They were planning marriage for their favorite daughter; but Catherine, who at the age of seven had already taken a vow of virginity, refused. To break her resistance, her beautiful golden brown tresses were shorn to the very skin and she was forced to do the most menial tasks. Undone by her patience, mother and father finally relented and their child entered the Third Order of St. Dominic. Unbelievable were her austerities, her miracles, her ecstasies. The reputation of her sanctity soon spread abroad; thousands came to see her, to be converted by her. The priests associated with her, having received extraordinary faculties of absolution, were unable to accommodate the crowds of penitents. She was a helper and a consoler in every need. As time went on, her influence reached out to secular and ecclesiastical matters. She made peace between worldly princes. The heads of Church and State bowed to her words. She weaned Italy away from an anti-pope, and made cardinals and princes promise allegiance to the rightful pontiff. She journeyed to Avignon and persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. Even though she barely reached the age of thirty-three her accomplishments place her among the great women of the Middle Ages. The virgin Catherine was espoused to Christ by a precious nuptial ring which, although visible only to her, always remained on her finger.
Such irony... a major pro-abort as Secretary of health and Human Services, while abortion does great damage to women.
Despite opposition from pro-life advocates concerned about Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ extensive support of abortion, her nomination as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 65-31.
Sebelius garnered five more votes than the 60 needed in the 100-seat Senate. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said the “potential pandemic” of swine flu made the confirmation “essential.” Other Democrats pointed to the need for healthcare reform as a justification for the action.
Some Republicans and pro-life advocates had opposed Gov. Sebelius’ nomination, citing her support for abortion and her ties to notorious late-term Kansas abortionist Dr. George Tiller. She initially claimed to have received $12,450 from Tiller between 1994 and 2001. On April 14, she reported that she had actually received $39,600.
Fellow Kansans Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, as expected, voted for Gov. Sebelius. His decision to support her nomination was another source of controversy in the debate. What a disappointment Brownback is.
The good news is that we now have one less liberal in the Republican party.
The bad news is that Obama now has a filibuster-proof Senate.
Veteran GOP Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania intends to announce Tuesday he will switch political parties and run in the Democratic primary in 2010. Republican voters had sent him to the Senate five times. But faced with the prospect of a strong challenge from conservative Pat Toomey in the GOP primary and the state trending Democratic, Specter jumped ship.
"I deeply regret that I will be disappointing many friends and supporters," Specter said in prepared remarks to be delivered at a news conference on Tuesday.
"I can understand their disappointment," he continued. "I am also disappointed that so many in the party I have worked for for more than four decades do not want me to be their candidate. It is very painful on both sides."
You go Girl! Great to see someone in Hollywood who is not afraid to be pro-life. (even if Janet Napolitano wants to classify us pro-lifers as terrorists :)
It’s no secret that the majority of Hollywood stars are strong advocates for a woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to terminate a pregnancy, however former "Sports Illustrated" supermodel-turned-entrepreneur-turned-author Kathy Ireland has gone against the grain of the glitterati and spoken out against abortion.
"My entire life I was pro-choice — who was I to tell another woman what she could or couldn’t do with her body? But when I was 18, I became a Christian and I dove into the medical books, I dove into science," Ireland told Tarts while promoting her insightful new book "Real Solutions for Busy Mom: Your Guide to Success and Sanity."
"What I read was astounding and I learned that at the moment of conception a new life comes into being. The complete genetic blueprint is there, the DNA is determined, the blood type is determined, the sex is determined, the unique set of fingerprints that nobody has had or ever will have is already there."
Unfortunately, We have some deluded women who think that they can 'play priest'. Fortunately, Cardinal Rigali knows how to deal with this.
Saying it was “most unfortunate” that the “invalid ceremony” took place within his archdiocese, Archbishop of Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali has said that those who participated in a “pseudo-Ordination” of two women on Sunday have been automatically excommunicated by their act.
Cardinal Rigali said those who presented themselves for supposed ordination as well as those who “falsely claim” to ordain them have been excommunicated. On Sunday a self-professed bishop from South Africa named Patricia Fresen and a female bishop from Maryland led a ceremony in a Christian chapel inside Congregation Mishkan Shalom, a Reconstructionist Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The cardinal explained Catholic teaching in a statement, saying the ceremony is “in violation of the constant teaching of the Church, based on Scripture and Sacred Tradition.” And speaking of the teaching of the Church:
1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination." The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.
On April 18, 1841, a band of native warriors entered the hut of Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides islands near New Zealand. They clubbed the missionary to death and cut up his body with hatchets. Two years later, the whole island was Catholic. St. Peter Chanel's death bears witness to the ancient axiom that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians." He is the first martyr from Oceania, that part of the world spread over the south Pacific, and he came there as the fulfillment of a dream he had had as a boy.
Peter was born in 1803 in the diocese of Belley, France. At the age of seven, he was a shepherd boy, but the local parish priest, recognizing something unusual in the boy, convinced his parents to let him study, in a little school the priest had started. From there Peter went on to the seminary, where it was said of him: "He had a heart of gold with the simple faith of a child, and he led the life of an angel."
He was ordained a priest and assigned to a parish at Crozet. In three years he had transformed the parish. In 1831, he joined the newly founded Society of Mary, since he had long dreamed of being a missionary; but for five years he was assigned to teach at the seminary in Belley. Finally, in 1836, his dream was realized, and he was sent with other Marists to the islands of the Pacific. He had to suffer great hardships, disappointments, frustration, and almost complete failure as well as the opposition of the local chieftain. The work seemed hopeless: only a few had been baptized, and the chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. Then, when the chief's son asked for baptism, the chief was so angry that he sent warriors to kill the missionary.
Peter's violent death brought about the conversion of the island, and the people of Futuna remain Catholic to this day. Peter Chanel was beatified in 1889 and canonized in 1954.
Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City prayed to Our Lady of Guadalupe and canceled Masses in the archdiocese April 26 due to an outbreak of swine flu.
The decision to cancel Masses followed instructions from the local health secretariat that all large gatherings be canceled as authorities raced to contain an epidemic that threatened to spread well beyond Mexico. By midday April 27, more than 100 Mexicans had died and more than 1,000 were sick in the Mexican capital. The United States had confirmed 40 cases in five states, and six cases had been confirmed in two Canadian provinces.
Atta girl Mary Ann! I've been expecting this since the whole Notre Dame disgrace began, and she didn't disappoint. I think Fr. Jenkins could learn something from faithful Catholics like her.
Mary Ann Glendon has announced that she will not accept the Laetare Medal-- the highest honor conferred by the University of Notre Dame-- at this year's commencement exercises.
Glendon-- the Harvard Law professor who recently stepped down from her post as US ambassador to the Holy See-- has indicated that she decided to decline the Laetare Medal because of her concerns about the commencement address that will be delivered by President Barack Obama. In an April 27 letter to Father John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, she wrote that a prospect "that once seemed so delightful has been complicated" by the Obama appearance and by Notre Dame's response to criticism from the American bishops.
On Sunday at around noon, following the proclamation of five new saints in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI told the crowds in the square that he hopes the examples of the new saints will help everyone run towards “the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.”
Before praying the Regina Coeli, the Pope greeted all those who came to render homage to the saints, acknowledging the presence of the delegation from the Italian government and one from the Sovereign Order of Malta.
The Holy Father said that he hopes the canonizations, in this Pauline Year, will help all to run with more joy toward “the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.”
Here's that 'common ground' that Obama keeps talking about.
The pro-aborts claim to be 'for women', and here's their chance to prove it. This bill truly helps pregnant women and gives them alternatives to the injury of an abortion, in addition to saving babies.
Cardinal Justin Rigali, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has written a letter to U.S. Representatives encouraging them to co-sponsor the Pregnant Women Support Act (PWSA) which has recently been reintroduced in the House. The bill would provide money to pregnancy support centers, more options for prenatal care and services to protect women from domestic violence.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bill (H.R. 2035) was reintroduced on Wednesday by Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN).
While acknowledging that there are "disagreements on abortion and the rights of the unborn," the cardinal noted that "there are some statements that almost everyone can endorse" such as that steps must be taken "to reduce abortions" in the U.S.
Following reports that economic hardship has resulted in more women having abortions, Rigali stated that "no woman should ever have to undergo an abortion because she feels she has no other choice or because alternatives were unavailable or not made known to her."
Louis's life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the Church.Totus tuus(completely yours) was Louis's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla chose it as his episcopal motto. Born in the Breton village of Montfort, close to Rennes (France), as an adult Louis identified himself by the place of his Baptism instead of his family name, Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1700.
Soon he began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply, sometimes getting him into trouble with Church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of people back to the faith, Father Louis recommended frequent, even daily, Holy Communion (not the custom then!) and imitation of the Virgin Mary's ongoing acceptance of God's will for her life.
Louis founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary (for priests and brothers) and the Daughters of Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick. His book, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, has become a classic explanation of Marian devotion.
Louis died in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, where a basilica has been erected in his honor. He was canonized in 1947.
Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) is a Washington, D.C. newspaper reporter. He happens to be old friends with Congressman Stephen Collins (Affleck), whose assistant/mistress is killed in an 'accident' which is quickly determined to be a murder. They also reveal early on that Cal had a past relationship with Stephen's wife Ann. Cal's boss Cameron assigns him and a newer reporter, Della, to the story. I thought one of the best aspects of the movie was the way Cal and Della work together on the story; the way he takes her under his wing. It is not an easy investigation, because there are many people who don't want the truth to be discovered. Like most good murder mysteries, this movie does a good job of transferring the blame and making it more difficult to figure out who is the guilty party.
Content warnings: some cursing, and a couple of murder scenes. Not appropriate for younger kids, and they might have some difficulty following it.
I'm not a big Russell Crowe fan, but he was good in this.
Every Sunday at my Parish, we say the Rosary for Life before Mass. The couple that leads it are Bob and his wife Beth. Because I help them lead it, today Bob gave me the one-decade Rosary of the Unborn. (He also said he is going to get me the full 5-decade Rosary of the Unborn :) Each bead has a little unborn baby, and each Hail Mary that is said on it saves an unborn baby from abortion. I like it so much that I wanted to share it here on the blog. If you also like it, you can order either at the site below.
Move over Georgetown and Notre Dame, Xavier University wants to join the list of 'supposed to be Catholic' universities who ignore Church teachings.
Archbishop of New Orleans Alfred Hughes, reiterating his “disappointment” with Xavier University of Louisiana, has said that he will not attend the school’s commencement exercises, saying pro-abortion rights strategist Donna Brazile’s appearance as its spring 2009 commencement speaker contradicts support for those “in their mother’s wombs.” Archbishop Hughes expressed his objections in an April 22 letter to Dr. Norman C. Francis, President of Xavier University, writing:
“It is with regret that I make the decision not to participate in the Commencement Exercises this year at Xavier University in light of the university’s decision to invite Ms. Donna Brazile to be the Commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree. Ms. Brazile has a public record in support of keeping abortion legal.”
He cited the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) 2004 document “Catholics in Political Life,” which said Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.”
John Mark, later known simply as Mark, was a Jew by birth. He was the son of that Mary who was proprietress of the Cenacle or "upper room" which served as the meeting place for the first Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). He was still a youth at the time of the Savior's death. In his description of the young man who was present when Jesus was seized and who fled from the rabble leaving behind his "linen cloth," the second Evangelist might possibly have stamped the mark of his own identity. During the years that followed, the rapidly maturing youth witnessed the growth of the infant Church in his mother's Upper Room and became acquainted with its traditions. This knowledge he put to excellent use when compiling his Gospel. Later, we find Mark acting as a companion to his cousin Barnabas and Saul on their return journey to Antioch and on their first missionary journey. But Mark was too immature for the hardships of this type of work and therefore left them at Perge in Pamphylia to return home.
As the two apostles were preparing for their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take his cousin with him. Paul, however, objected. Thereupon the two cousins undertook a missionary journey to Cyprus. Time healed the strained relations between Paul and Mark, and during the former's first Roman captivity (61-63), Mark rendered Paul valuable service (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24), and the Apostle learned to appreciate him. When in chains the second time Paul requested Mark's presence (2 Tim. 4:11).
An intimate friendship existed between Mark and Peter; he played the role of Peter's companion, disciple, and interpreter. According to the common patristic opinion, Mark was present at Peter's preaching in Rome and wrote his Gospel under the influence of the prince of the apostles. This explains why incidents which involve Peter are described with telling detail (e.g., the great day at Capharnaum, 1:14f)). Little is known of Mark's later life. It is certain that he died a martyr's death as bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. His relics were transferred from Alexandria to Venice, where a worthy tomb was erected in St. Mark's Cathedral.
The Gospel of St. Mark, the shortest of the four, is, above all, a Roman Gospel. It originated in Rome and is addressed to Roman, or shall we say, to Western Christianity. Another high merit is its chronological presentation of the life of Christ. For we should be deeply interested in the historical sequence of the events in our blessed Savior's life.
Furthermore, Mark was a skilled painter of word pictures. With one stroke he frequently enhances a familiar scene, shedding upon it new light. His Gospel is the "Gospel of Peter," for he wrote it under the direction and with the aid of the prince of the apostles. "The Evangelist Mark is represented as a lion because he begins his Gospel in the wilderness, `The voice of one crying in the desert: Make ready the way of the Lord,' or because he presents the Lord as the unconquered King."
I couldn't agree more, Joe. That's why I oppose abortion. Why do you support it?
Vice President Joe Biden, a strong abortion proponent, said that there is "no excuse" to harm a child during an awards ceremony at the Law Center of the Jesuit-run Georgetown University yesterday.
The vice-president's appearance at the university had been condemned by pro-life Catholics, who argued that the event violated a directive from the U.S. bishops that pro-abortion politicians should not be honored by Catholic institutions. Tell Notre Dame that :)
Good idea Michael. Let's hope that Brownback wakes up and stops supporting her.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele today challenged President Obama to withdraw his nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services, pretty ironic, given how much abortion injures women. until straightforward answers be given regarding her ties to the abortion industry. Steele's statement came the same day Republican senators blocked Sebelius' confirmation vote, and the same day the Kansas governor vetoed yet another state law that would have restricted late-term abortions.
"Significant questions remain about Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' evolving relationship with a late-term abortion doctor as well as about her position on the practice of late-term abortions," said Steele in a press release today. "The Senate should not vote, nor should Gov. Sebelius be confirmed, until these questions are answered fully and completely."
Steele pointed out that Gov. Sebelius "has not been forthcoming" about her financial relationship with Kansas late-term abortionist George Tiller.
Fidelis has been called the "protomartyr of the Capuchin Order and of the Propaganda in Rome." He was born in 1577, became a renowned lawyer. But feeling that this profession endangered the salvation of his soul, he decided to join the Capuchin Order and employ his extraordinary gift of eloquence in urging the faithful to lead holy lives and in bringing heretics back to the true faith. An ardent admirer of the founder of his Order, he was a great friend of poverty. Severe with himself, he was most considerate towards others, "embracing them like a mother does her children." When the Austrian army was stricken by plague, he cared for the spiritual and bodily needs of the soldiers in such a manner that he was honored with the title, "Father of the Fatherland." His devotion toward the Mother of God was truly remarkable. Trusting in her intercession and that of other saints, he often begged God for the grace of sacrificing his life in vindication of the Catholic faith. The occasion came when he was appointed to lead the mission for the conversion of Grisons (in Switzerland); heroically he suffered a martyr's death and sanctified with his blood the first-fruits of martyrdom in the Capuchin Order (1622).
John Kerry is a CINO, but he is right in this situation. There is no way the Vatican will accept a pro-abort ambassador. And Barry's problem is, that's the only type of Catholic he knows....pro-abort dissenters.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is one of the most prominent pro-abortion Catholic politicians in the United States.
But even Kerry thinks President Barack Obama ought to appoint a U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See who shares the Church’s pro-life convictions.
Some media reports — subsequently denied by the Vatican — have claimed that Caroline Kennedy and some other prominent pro-abortion Democrats were rejected as potential ambassadors by the Vatican because of their support for abortion rights.
The diplomatic post at the Vatican remains empty, apparently because of the difficulty the White House has had in finding a suitable candidate.
"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live." Pope John Paul II
She may have lost the contest, but many people consider Carrie a winner for not being afraid to stand by her principles. And the liberal media continues to attack her for daring to disagree with the gay agenda.
As the verbal assault against Carrie Prejean has continued, her integrity and character have continued to shine.
Donald Trump, the co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization who some reports indicate recruited controversial gay activist and celebrity blogger Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. as a judge, told the Today Show that the honest answer given by the contestant “probably did cost her the crown.” The incident has generated an extraordinary response and the parties involved have been ever present in the Media, exhibiting very different characters and agendas.
In an interview with Fox News, Carrie Prejean said “Out of all the topics I studied up on, I dreaded that one; I prayed I would not be asked about gay marriage… If I had any other question, I know I would have won."
Miss California is a Christian. She is a student at San Diego Christian College, an evangelical Protestant school. The College is very proud of her, covering her appearance and 1st runner up victory on their website. They should be proud. She answered with the kind of integrity and honestly which speaks of what Pope Benedict XVI has called a “moral coherence”. She was unafraid of defending true marriage in the face of an obviously loaded question from a self avowed homosexual activist with an agenda beyond the beauty contest, knowing that it may cost her a victory.
"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live." Pope John Paul II
The Connecticut Bishops really have their hands full; it appears that Connecticut has become somewhat of a bellwether state for secularists and anti-Catholics to practice their efforts to attack the Church and the family. First, we had the legislation attempting to restructure the Church, then there was the radical assisted suicide bill, and now we have this attack on the family.
The Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Church and the Family Institute of Connecticut have begun a campaign in Connecticut to secure religious freedom exemptions to a bill implementing the state Supreme Court’s 2008 decision which mandated the recognition of same-sex “marriages.” The campaign includes automated phone calls, television and newspaper ads, and bishops’ statements, the Hartford Courant reports.
"We're facing another attack on our religious liberty," said a letter written by Bishop of Norwich Michael Cote. "It's very serious and has to be stopped now."
Campaign leaders cited concerns about the bill’s repeal of a provision protecting children from “government indoctrination in sexual lifestyles.” Further, they warned the bill could help compel wedding photographers, justices of the peace and marriage therapists to participate in same-sex “marriage” ceremonies and related activities against their consciences.
The leaders are asking the state legislature to create a religious liberties exception when it codifies the court’s decision.
How can anyone call abortion, which kills babies and injures women, "reproductive health"?
Oh yeah...we're talking about Hillary, the #2 pro-abort, after Obama.
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about whether the Obama administration is seeking to weaken or overturn pro-life laws and policies in other countries. Secretary Clinton responded to his questions, affirming that the U.S. government’s definition of reproductive health includes access to abortion.
Rep. Smith began his comments by criticizing Secretary Clinton’s reception of the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood in Houston in March. Secretary Clinton said she was in “awe” of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and claimed her “life and leadership” was “one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race.”
The Saint of the Day is St. George. It is also St. Adalbert, but I posted him on April 22 because American Catholic had him then.
Veneration of St. George comes to us from the east, probably from Palestine where he was held in high honor as a martyr. Regarded as the patron of Christian armies he is venerated under this title by the Latins as well as by the Greeks.
St. George is venerated by the Eastern Church among her "great martyrs" and "standard-bearers." He belonged to the Roman army; he was arrested and, probably, beheaded under Diocletian, c. 304. He is the patron of England, since 800. St. George is one of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers." Many legends are attached to Saint George. The most famous is the one in The Golden Legend. There was a dragon that lived in a lake near Silena, Libya. Not even armies could defeat this creature, and he terrorized flocks and the people. St. George was passing through and upon hearing about a princess was about to be eaten, he went to battle against the serpent, and killed it with one blow with his lance. Then with his great preaching, George converted the people. He distributed his reward to the poor, then left the area.
They can't get a tattoo without parental consent, but they can get the abortion pill, which causes an embryo (LIFE) to be aborted.
The Food and Drug Administration, reversing field, will now let 17-year-olds get the 'morning-after' birth control pill without a doctor's prescription, a government health official said Wednesday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agency will announce that it is complying with a federal judge's order that overturns a Bush administration policy. The official was not authorized to speak publicly before the FDA announcement, expected later Wednesday.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled in a New York lawsuit that Bush administration appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to allow over-the-counter access to these pills only for women 18 and older. Korman ordered the agency to let 17-year-olds get the medication, and separately to evaluate whether all age restrictions should be lifted.
Plan B is emergency contraception that contains a high dose of birth control drugs and will not interfere with an established pregnancy. Religious conservatives say it's the equivalent of an abortion pill because it can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.
The battle over access to Plan B has dragged on for the better part of a decade, through the tenure of three FDA commissioners. Among many in the medical community, it came to symbolize the decline of science at the agency. Top FDA managers refused to go along with the recommendations of scientific staff and outside advisers that the drug be made available over-the-counter with no age restrictions. story here
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released data on members of the ordination class of 2009. A remarkable 55% who responded to a survey were on the dean’s list in college, while 11% were college valedictorian or salutatorian.
One quarter of this year’s ordinands are foreign born. Mirroring worldwide vocation trends, a disproportionately high number are Asian Catholics, while a disproportionately low number are Hispanics. Disproportionately high numbers attended Catholic elementary school, Catholic high school, and Catholic college, while 10% are converts-- with the average age of conversion being 21.
Fr. Jenkins sounds so proud of his dissent, and the division that he is causing.
I really hope he loses his job.
University of Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins heaped fuel on the fire yesterday by gushing that President Obama's highly controversial platform at the school's commencement would be a "tremendous event" for Notre Dame.
"We are very proud and honored to welcome the first African-American President of the United States in a few weeks as our commencement speaker," said Fr. Jenkins at a town hall meeting celebrating 60 years of black student-athletes at Notre Dame, according to the South Bend Tribune. Obama will also be receiving an honorary law degree from the school during the May 17 commencement exercises.
Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League, has accused promoters of the movie “Angels & Demons” of “trying to have it both ways” by first claiming the movie’s “pernicious lies” about Catholics are fiction, but then promoting its premise as based in fact.
He said that the actions echo the tactic used to promote the movie’s predecessor, “The Da Vinci Code.” Donohue and Ron Howard, director of “Angels & Demons,” exchanged arguments about whether the new movie based upon a Dan Brown book is anti-Catholic.
Claiming that the makers of the movie “do not hide their animus against all things Catholic,” Donohue charged that the movie’s trailer “lies” when it says the Catholic Church ordered a massacre to silence the Illuminati, an occult secret society featured in the movie.
Opposition to the Good News of Jesus did not discourage Adalbert, who is now remembered with great honor in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Germany. Born to a noble family in Bohemia, he received part of his education from St. Adalbert of Magdeburg. At the age of 27 he was chosen as bishop of Prague. Those who resisted his program of clerical reform forced him into exile eight years later.
In time the people of Prague requested his return as their bishop. Within a short time, however, he was exiled again after excommunicating those who violated the right of sanctuary by dragging a woman accused of adultery from a church and murdering her.
After a short ministry in Hungary, he went to preach the Good News to people living near the Baltic Sea. He and two companions were martyred by pagan priests in that region. Adalbert's body was immediately ransomed and buried in Gniezno cathedral (Poland). In the mid-11th century his body was moved to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
It seems that Notre Dame is not the only "supposed to be Catholic" university that likes to honor pro-aborts. Considering that Georgetown was willing to cover-up the name of Jesus to accommodate Obama, this comes as no surprise.
Georgetown University could find itself as the latest Catholic college to upset pro-life Catholics(by definition, that should include ALL Catholics) as it plans to present a legal award to pro-abortion Vice President Joe Biden. It could join the University of Notre Dame, which has invited President Barack Obama to give commencement, in the doghouse.
Tomorrow, Georgetown University Law Center will host an event honoring Biden with the “Legal Momentum Hero Award."
One pro-life group that monitors Catholic educational institutions says the award would be presented in direct violation of the U.S. bishops’ 2004 policy against such honors to pro-abortion politicians.
And again I say "big deal". It is a disgrace that none of these 42, especially D'Arcy, is able to stop this embarrassment. It is totally appropriate that Jenkins be replaced because of the division he is causing.
Nine more bishops have publicly acknowledged their disapproval of the University of Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama to speak and receive an honorary law degree at the school's commencement exercises May 17.
Bishop Paul Coakley of the diocese of Salina, KS, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) today that he has written a personal letter to Father Jenkins expressing his "deep disappointment" at the invitation.
Citing his grave concern over the President's support for anti-life policies, Bishop Coakley told LSN that he reminded University president Fr. John Jenkins of the USCCB directive that forbids Catholic schools from honoring those whose positions contradict the teachings of the Church.
"The University's invitation undermines the Catholic identity and mission of the institution," said Coakley.
The bishops who have so far expressed disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation to Obama (in alphabetical order) are:
1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN 2. Bishop Samuel Aquila - Fargo, ND 3. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX 4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito - Palm Beach, FL 5. Bishop Leonard Blair - Toledo, OH 6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN 7. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL 8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE 9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK 10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX 11. Bishop Paul Coakley - Salina, KS 12. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX 13. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY 14. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL 15. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA 16. Bishop Robert Finn - Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO 17. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB 18. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger - Evansville, IN 19. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX 20. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN 21. Archbishop Alfred Hughs - New Orleans, LA 22. Bishop Joseph Latino - Jackson, MS 23. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI 24. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT 25. Bishop George Lucas - Springfield, IL 26. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL 27. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA 28. Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison, WI 29. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH 30. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ 31. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA 32. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN 33. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD 34. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ 35. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk - Cincinnati, OH 36. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg, PA 37. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI 38. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK 39. Bishop Richard Stika - Knoxville, TN 40. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR 41. Bishop Robert Vasa - Baker, OR 42. Bishop Thomas Wenski - Orlando, FL
Why is it that pro-aborts always try to hide just how pro-abort they are?
When she failed to disclose to a Senate committee voting on her nomination for Health Secretary tomorrow that she received tens of thousands of dollars from an abortion practitioner, Kathleen Sebelius called it an "oversight." Now, one pro-life group says that can't be true.
Sebelius wrongly claimed she received three times less money from late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller than she originally told Congress.
"There was an oversight in the initial answer provided to the committee," HHS spokesman Nick Papas told the Associated Press last week in response.
Some people don't understand why pro-lifers oppose embryonic stem-cell research. To sum it up, embryonic stem-cell research destroys life, and has shown NO results. On the other hand, adult stem-cell research has shown much promise, and no one has to die. Here, Rep. Chris Smith warns us of the 'Frankenstein' mentality of embryonic stem-cell research.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Friday announced its request for public comment on draft guidelines concerning human embryonic stem cell research. One pro-life congressman warned that the proposal could lead to “clone and kill” cell harvesting, and that the research cheapens human life.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) responded to the announcement in a Friday statement, saying human embryo-destroying stem cell research is “not only unethical, unworkable, and unreliable, it is now demonstrably unnecessary.”
He pointed to “a mountain of evidence” on the promise of adult stem cell research, naming a recent Journal of the American Medical Association report on progress in a therapy allowing diabetes patients to move off insulin for a period of time.
“Instead of directing NIH to fund noncontroversial treatments that are truly the common ground in this national debate, President Obama has directed NIH to fund embryo destructive research that is increasingly being treated as old science in light of alternative stem cell breakthroughs,” Rep. Smith charged.
-- Father Theodore Heck, believed to be the oldest Benedictine monk in the world, died Wednesday at the age of 108, his abbey in Indiana announced. Born in Iowa in 1901, Heck was less than a month shy of celebrating his 80th anniversary as a priest.
