U.S. Marshal Edward Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck are investigating a hospital for the criminally insane at Shutter Island. It is fortress-like, because they house the "worst of the worst" offenders, whom are believed to be incurable. Dr. Cawley (Kingsley) tries various types of therapy to bring them back without resorting to more extreme treatments. (This takes place around 1952, so he is trying to avoid lobotomies). They are looking for an escaped inmate named Rachel who drowned her 3 children. She is initially the primary focus of the investigation.
I liked the way the story was told. It is important to remember that not everything is as it seems. Look for a BIG turn toward the end which explains what is happening.
Content warnings: a few scenes with blood and a some with bad language.
And I wish we had more Bishops like him who did their job.
Following a period of relative silence since his installation last year, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan eagerly took an opportunity to set forth Church teaching on controversial points, including the forbidding of public honors for pro-abortion politicians, in a recent interview with NY1. The bishop also asserted that his outspokenness on such issues was simply part of his job as shepherd and teacher of the faith.
When NY1 News reporter Roma Torre asked whether a pro-abortion Catholic should be invited to a "Catholic event" such as the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Dolan's response was unequivocal.
"Actually, Roma, I don't think we should invite anybody that would take a stance [in favor of] abortion, because this is not a Catholic issue," he replied.
The archbishop later clarified that his answer pertained to giving public honors to such persons.
"In our mind, being opposed to abortion, is a civil rights issue, it's a natural law issue, it's not a Catholic issue," Dolan continued. "We'd be uncomfortable in anybody that would, say, promote a stand that would be for bigotry, or against civil rights, because that's contrary not only to the teaching of the Church but to what we would call civil rights and the natural law."
In his fourth and most likely final book on Mother Angelica, noted author and EWTN news anchor Raymond Arroyo highlights some of the devotions and prayers of the 86-year-old nun, many of which are borne from her personal sufferings.
In an exclusive interview with CNA, Arroyo spoke about his motivation behind writing the new book and detailed some of the lesser known facts surrounding Mother Angelica's early life, including her painful disability and being raised in an impoverished, broken home. Mother Angelica, he said, is “no stranger to pain.”
“The Prayers and Personal Devotions of Mother Angelica,” is set to be released on March 2 and contains not only meditations and prayers written by Mother Angelica but traditional favorites of hers as well. According to Arroyo, readers will be able to “'listen in' on her private, and very human, conversations with God.”
Explaining how he came up with idea for his latest book, Arroyo said, “When I read these prayers, both those composed by her and the time tested variety, I thought: people should really see this. Taken as a whole these prayers give readers a marvelous example of how we are to approach God. And if anyone knows how to speak to God and listen to His promptings, it is Mother Angelica. It's a real treasure of a book.”
Maria Caridad Brader was born in Kaltburn, Switzerland, in 1860. Raised in a pious family, she was very intelligent, and received the best education her parents could provide. There were high expectations for her continued study, but instead she joined the Franciscan convent in 1880, made final vows two years later, and worked as a teacher.
When it became possible for cloistered nuns to work as missionaries, Sr. Caridad volunteered to be one of the first six sisters to work in Ecuador in 1888. There she served as a teacher and catechist. In 1893, she was transferred to Colombia.
To prepare additional missionaries, she founded the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Tuquerres, Colombia, in 1893. She served as its superior general until 1919 and then again from 1928 to 1940.
Her congregation emphasized good education for the sisters and their students, and deep prayer lives for everyone.
Sr. Caridad died Feb. 27, 1943 in Pasto, Colombia. Her grave immediately became a site for pilgrimage and popular devotion. Sr. Caridad was beatified by Pope John Paul II in March 2003.
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), who is Catholic, twice declined to say whether presidential adviser Harry Knox should resign for claiming that the Pope is "hurting people in the name of Jesus" because he opposes condom use as an apparent means to curtail HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Chris Smith is a VERY strong voice for the unborn.
In a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, Congressman Chris Smith confronted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a speech in which he blasted the administration's support for abortion around the world, saying that this promotes violence against "the most persecuted and at risk minority in the world" - the unborn child.
Smith, co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, expressed disappointment that "unplanned pregnancy" in the Global Health Initiative Consultation Document "seems to be relegated to the status of a disease — juxtaposed between HIV and tropical disease."
"Pregnancy is not a disease. The child in the womb is neither a tumor nor a parasite to be destroyed," Smith told the former First Lady.
"I respectfully ask that the administration consider that for many of us, all abortion — legal or illegal — is violence against children and poses significant, often underappreciated risks to women and even to children later born to post-abortive women," said Smith.
"Madame Secretary, the term ‘safe abortion’ is the ultimate oxymoron," he continued. "Child dismemberment, forced premature explosion from the womb by chemicals like misoprostol, deliberate child starvation by RU486, can never, ever be construed to be benign, compassionate or safe. UN Millennium Development Goal #4 seeks to reduce child mortality.
President Barack Obama brushed aside pro-life concerns about health care reform legislation during a bipartisan summit devoted to the topic. Bipartisan? What a joke. It was nothing but an effort to 'sell' Obamacare.
“The Stupak-Pitts amendment-- which reflects the will of the American people on the issue of federal funding of abortion-- is supported by a bipartisan majority in the House, but was excluded from the president's proposal,” said Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), a Catholic who serves as House minority leader.
“Pro-life Democrats in the House have already pledged to vote against this provision,” he added. “Health care reform should be an opportunity to protect human life, not end it.”
“John, you know,” the president responded, “the challenge I have here, and this has happened periodically, is every so often we have a pretty good conversation trying to get on some specifics, and then we go back to, you know, the standard talking points that the Democrats and Republicans have had for the last year. And that doesn't drive us to an agreement on issues.” Being pro-life and not wanting to pay for abortion is a 'talking point'? LOL classic Barry!
Less than a year after dethroned Miss California USA Carrie Prejean stirred up controversy with her remarks against gay marriage, a similar war of words is brewing in Beverly Hills.
Beverly Hills Mayor Nancy Krasne said Wednesday she is outraged over a Miss California USA contestant who is claiming to represent the city in the upcoming pageant and who spoke out against same-sex marriage in recent media interviews.
Krasne said in a statement that 23-year-old Lauren Ashley does not live in Beverly Hills or represent the city in any capacity. Krasne said she was shocked to see statements made by a beauty pageant contestant under the name of Beverly Hills, "which has a long history of tolerance and respect." Except when you disagree with their 'agenda'.
Ashley recently told Fox News and other media outlets that same-sex marriage goes against God and the Bible.
Keith Lewis, a K2 Productions stage director for the Miss California USA pageant, told the Los Angeles Times that contestants choose the area they represent and Ashley chose to compete as Miss Beverly Hills in November 2010.
1660 The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament
St. Alexander was named bishop of Alexandria in 313 and was a champion of orthodox Catholic teaching. He dedicated his ministry to fighting against the Arian heresy which claimed that Jesus was not truly God and that there was a time when the Son, the second person of the Trinity, did not exist.
The bishop was gentle with the Arians and was exemplary in the pastoral approach he took with them for a long period before finally excommunicating Arius at a meeting of his clergy in 321.The excommunication was confirmed at a local synod in Alexandria. His epistle on the Arian heresy has survived and remains an important part of ecclesiastical literature.
It is assumed that St. Alexander also drew up the acts of the first General Council of Nicaea in 325, where Arianism was formally condemned. He died in Alexandria two years after his return from the council.
St. Alexander was also famous for his charity to the poor and his doctrine on life.
CINO Pelosi is lying. There IS massive abortion funding in Obamacare.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mislead participants at the White House health care summit today by making the false statement that the Senate health care bill she, President Barack Obama and Democrats are pushing through Congress contains no abortion funding.
Pelosi's comments came in response to pro-life House Republican Leader John Boehner telling President Barack Obama that Americans don't want to be forced to finance abortions under the government-run health care bill.
“I think it’s really important to note, though, and I want the record to show, because two statements were made here that were not factual in relationship to these bills,' Pelosi claimed.
"My colleague, Leader Boehner, the law of the land is there is no public funding of abortion and there is no public funding of abortion in these bills and I don't want our listeners or viewers to get the wrong impression from what you said," Pelosi asserted. She's Lying.
However, the Senate bill that is the basis of the reconciliation push in Congress contains massive abortion funding and has other pro-abortion problems.
I love the pro-life stories that have come out of this Olympics.
Russia's biathlon relay team revealed the secret to their success following their gold medal victory on Tuesday, reports AFP.
“Go ahead and have babies -- and get better in sports,” said Russian anchor Olga Zaitseva, 31, in a word of advice to the French and German teams, who won silver and bronze respectively.
Zaitseva told AFP that having her son, Alexander, who was born in 2007, helped her become a better athlete. "My child is my greatest happiness and he is my best little gold medal," she said. "It has made me calmer.”
The four-member Russian team boasted three mothers, and Zaitseva's advice was echoed by the two other mothers.
"No medal compares to having a child," said Anna Boulygina, 30. "I think children are the main thing women are designed to do. Having a family is an enormous help to me and it is due to their support that I am able to achieve this result, so the answer is yes, it helps."
There's some controversy around the new Missle Defense Agency logo. Some people see it as a combination of Obama's campaign logo and the Muslim crescent moon(with the star).
Given the recent scandal of the CCHD supporting anti-Catholic groups, I think this is a prudent decision.
That's what the Diocese of Green Bay is doing this year with the annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Normally on the fourth Sunday of Lent parishes in the Diocese of Green Bay take up a collection titled The World's Poor, which benefits three outreach ministries: Peter's Pence (work of the Holy Father), Catholic Relief Services (U.S. bishops' disaster relief aid) and CCHD.
This year, however, donations to The World's Poor will be shared between Peter's Pence and Catholic Relief Services only.
"There have been some questions about programs that have received funding from CCHD," says Fr. John Doerfler, vicar general and chancellor for the Diocese of Green Bay. "That, along with the enormous post-earthquake needs in Haiti, we decided this is an appropriate time to give additional support to Catholic Relief Services while we analyze the situation with CCHD."
In recent months, some local and national Catholic groups and individuals have claimed that CCHD grants in many states have provided funding to groups that promote principles that are contrary to the Catholic Church's teachings. In response, the CCHD subcommittee (which is part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development) has been investigating claims.
In an Oct. 2, 2009, letter to all U.S. bishops, CCHD Subcommittee Chairman Bishop Roger P. Morin wrote that "the CCHD Subcommittee and staff take seriously any allegation that groups we fund are not in compliance with Catholic teaching or are participating in partisan political activity. We immediately investigate each allegation in consultation with the local diocese and, if the allegations are confirmed, discontinue funding immediately. We are always examining ways to strengthen and improve our monitoring efforts to ensure that all of the 250 current grantees comply with CCHD criteria. This is an ongoing process, involving both local dioceses and national CCHD and national staff."
Well deserved...Santorum is one of my pro-life heroes.
Citing the “outstanding” pro-life and pro-family witness of former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and his wife Karen, the Franciscan University of Steubenville has announced it will bestow the 2010 Poverello Medal upon the couple.
The medal, the university’s highest non-academic honor, will be presented by university president Fr. Terence Henry, TOR, at a formal reception on March 11 at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
Fr. Henry said the Santorums have dedicated themselves to the pro-life cause and have stood up for “the sanctity and dignity of the human person.”
“They are true pro-life heroes, and Franciscan University is happy to honor them, especially during this time of increasing attacks on the weakest and most vulnerable in our society. Their witness as a pro-life couple inspires us all to keep fighting the good fight.”
Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 and served in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007.
A Franciscan University press release reported that he authored legislation that outlawed partial-birth abortion and led successful efforts to pass the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and the Combating Autism Act.
He also led efforts to help the fight against AIDS in Africa and to secure religious liberty and the rights of women in totalitarian regimes.
It is not right that the people have not beeen allowed to vote on this issue. That's because in every state where the people have voted on it, they have clearly indicated that they DON'T want same-sex 'marriage'. So it's being forced on society.
Opponents of a Washington, D.C. same-sex “marriage” law are appealing a court order that denied a motion to prevent the law from going into effect.
The attorneys filing the appeal represent registered voters such as Bishop Harry Jackson, the senior pastor of Hope Christian Church, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) reports. Opponents of the law say that 59 percent of registered voters in the District want to vote on the new City Council law that changes the legal definition of marriage.
“The people have a right to have the final say on any law regarding marriage passed by the D.C. Council. The D.C. Charter makes that right clear, and officials should not be ignoring the right of the people to vote for or against the new definition of marriage fabricated by the council,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks.
Nimocks said the redefinition of marriage should not go into effect “until voters have the opportunity to vote on a critical matter that affects everyone in the District.”
Jackson and seven other registered voters filed a referendum with the Board of Elections and Ethics to secure a vote. The board rejected the proposed referendum, saying it violated the District’s human rights laws.
The attorneys appealing the case are from the ADF and Stand4MarriageDC.
The law will take effect on March 3 unless Congress disapproves it or the appellate court grants the motion to stop it from taking effect.
Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani lived a serene and quiet life of faith after a tumultuous youth. She was born in Naples, Italy, Dec. 29, 1806, and was baptized Maria Teresa.
Her father was an alcoholic and her mother abandoned the marriage, leaving Maria Teresa with her husband’s mother. After her grandmother’s death the 10-year-old was sent to a boarding school until she was 17. In 1821, due to his involvement in the uprising in Naples, her father was deported to Malta where he held the title Baron of Frigenuini.
In 1825, Maria Teresa and her mother moved to Rabat, where her father was living, but they never lived together. Maria Teresa declined several marriage proposals, preferring to lead a quiet life of prayer. She joined the Benedictine Community in St. Peter’s Monastery in 1828, and took the name Maria Adeodata. She made solemn profession two years later.
Her fellow nuns and many people outside the cloister benefited from her acts of charity and saintly life. She looked after the chapel and was a porter, which kept her close to the poor who came seeking help. She wrote various works. The most famous is “The mystical garden of the soul that loves Jesus and Mary”, which is a collection of her personal reflections written between 1835 and 1843.
Maria Adeodata suffered from heart trouble. On Feb. 25, 1855, at the age of 48 and in bad health, she dragged herself to the chapel for mass, against her nurse’s advice. After receiving Communion she had to be carried back to bed, where she died soon afterwards. She had a simple funeral and was buried in the monastery’s crypt the following day.
Why would Barry want to expand embryonic stem cell research when it destroys life and has shown NO results?
Last Friday the National Institutes of Health announced that they were proposing a "technical change" in their Guidelines for destruction of human embryos, a.k.a. Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
The change would allow use of younger human embryos in experiments. As published today in the Federal Register, the change in definition for embryonic stem cells would be:
For the purpose of these Guidelines, “human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)” are cells that are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst stage human embryos pluripotent cells that are derived from early stage human embryos, up to and including the blastocyst stage, are capable of dividing without differentiating for a prolonged period in culture, and are known to develop into cells and tissues of the three primary germ layers.
You cansubmit comments on this proposed change. Note that the deadline for comments is 11:59pm EST on March 24, 2010 (a 30-day comment period.) Apparently NIH doesn’t want to read a lot of critiques–comments are limited to 6,000 characters, including spaces. It remains to be seen whether NIH will ignore the majority of comments as it did for the initial guidelines.
This expands the unethical use of human embryos, and creates additional incentives to cannibalize more embryos. Stating that the guidelines are "ethical" simply puts a veneer on unethical practices; they are simply providing a recipe for human embryo destruction so that taxpayers funds can be used to reward the scientists.
I feel that Stupak has been the most consistent pro-life voice from the Democrats in regard to healthcare.
Pro-life Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) released a statement on Tuesday morning, calling President Obama's latest health care proposal “unacceptable” on the issue of abortion.
Rep. Stupak, who has been outspokenly opposed to abortion during his political tenure, said on Feb. 23 that he “was pleased to see that President Obama’s health care proposal did not include several of the sweetheart deals provided to select states in the Senate bill.”
“Unfortunately, the President's proposal encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion,” the Michigan representative stated. “The Senate language is a significant departure from current law and is unacceptable,” he added.
“While the President has laid out a health care proposal that brings us closer to resolving our differences, there is still work to be done before Congress can pass comprehensive health care reform.”
Rep. Stupak stepped into the national political spotlight when he introduced an amendment to the House health care reform bill that maintained the Hyde Amendment ban on using federal funds to pay for abortions. The Stupak Amendment passed in the House by a vote of 240-194 last November.
President Obama's health care proposal comes at a time when congressional leaders are still divided on the issue. The recent election of Republican Senator Scott Brown to an historically Democratic seat in Massachusetts has added to the complexity of the situation and has caused some to claim it unlikely that there are enough votes to pass health care reform legislation in either the House or the Senate as it currently stands.
Speaking before a crowd of 12,000 at Brigham Young University, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago delivered an address on “Catholics and Latter-day Saints: Partners in the Defense of Religious Freedom.”
“I'm personally grateful that after 180 years of living mostly apart from one another, Catholics and Latter-day Saints have come to see one another as trustworthy partners in the defense of shared moral principles,” said the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, citing the defense of marriage and family life, conscience protection of health-care professionals, and anti-pornography and anti-poverty.
Lamenting the “quasi-fascist tactics” and “thuggery” against supporters of traditional marriage, Cardinal George emphasized that religious freedom includes “the right to exercise influence in the public square.”
Blessed Thomas Mary Fusco was beatified in 2001 as a model of holiness for priests. He was dedicated to his priestly ministry, preaching spiritual retreats and missions, teaching catechism to youth and organizing prayer evenings for young people and adults at the parish. He had a deep devotion to the crucified Christ throughout his life and worked to build the devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus among the faithful.
He was born Dec. 1, 1831, in Pagani, Italy, the seventh of eight children. Orphaned by the age of 10, his uncle, a priest, took charge of his education.
Since 1839, the year of the canonization of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Thomas Maria had dreamed of the priesthood. He entered the seminary in 1847 and was ordained in 1855. In 1862 he opened a school of moral theology in his home to train priests for the ministry of confession. That same year he founded the priestly Society of the Catholic Apostolate for missions among the faithful.
In 1873, deeply moved by the plight of an orphaned street girl, Fr. Thomas Maria founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood. Many orphanages sprung from his travels throughout Southern Italy.
Fr. Thomas Maria died of liver disease Feb. 24, 1891 at the age of 59.
Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was John Paul II’s personal secretary for 40 years, told participants at a Colombian conference that the late-Pope's beatification process “is practically finished.”
In Colombia, where Cardinal Dziwisz traveled to participate in a conference on the legacy of John Paul II, the cardinal remarked that the beatification process of the pilgrim Pope “is practically finished.”
“In order for the beatification to take place, it is important that the Church recognizes a miracle in which he has interceded. There is a case that is currently being investigated and it is of the miraculous healing of a French nun suffering from Parkinson’s.”
Regarding the date of the beatification, the cardinal said, “It is not known, but his tomb is visited by thousands who thank him for favors.”
“Not only do Christians want to see him made a saint, but Jews and Muslims as well.”
Thus far during this 40 Days for life campaign (which only began last Wednesday), 45 lives have already been saved from abortion!
Here are just a few of those miraculous stories:
Louisville, Kentucky:
On the first day of the 40 Days for Life campaign, three mothers changed their minds!
Tammy in Louisville said the abortion center staffers "were so mad they came out and started yelling at us. We give all the glory to our Lord Jesus Christ."
One woman had been given a coupon for a free ultrasound at the pro-life pregnancy center across the street. She went inside the abortion facility -- but only stayed five minutes before leaving and going to the pro-life center, where she used that coupon.
"She saw the 4-D ultrasound and changed her mind," Tammy said. "What a blessing!"
Reno, Nevada:
A young woman had scheduled an abortion appointment, fully intending to go through with it. Carol Marie said, "when she heard there were other options available, she took the time to investigate for herself and realized we were correct."
The woman left the facility and returned later -- not for an abortion, but for a refund.
The staff saw her hugging prayer volunteers as she was approaching the door, so they refused to let her in. They made her wait in her car while they processed her refund.
"Praise God that we had the opportunity to be there," said Carol Marie.
Planned Parenthood, who claims to be "for women" does even more damage to women by covering up statutory rape.
New undercover video footage shows the tenth Planned Parenthood abortion center across the nation engaged in covering up a potential case of sexual abuse of a minor. The video shows staff at a Wisconsin facility counseling a purportedly 14-year-old girl to not divulge how a 31-year-old man impregnated her.
The video also shows Planned Parenthood staff coaching the girl on how to obtain an abortion without her parent's consent -- in violation of Wisconsin state law.
The new video is the latest from Live Action, a group of college students dedicated to exposing illegal and unethical practices at Planned Parenthood abortion centers. Their investigative work has exposed Planned Parenthood facilities in five other states resulting in firing staff, attempts to cut Planned Parenthood government funding, and investigations from the state health department.
After hearing the girl is allegedly 14 and her boyfriend is "much older," the new video shows the Planned Parenthood counselor saying whether the statutory rape will be reported to authorities "depends on the person you're disclosing that information to."
Pope Benedict appointed a replacement today for the diocese left vacant by the unexpected resignation of Bishop Joseph Martino last August. Msgr. Joseph C. Bambera was chosen by the Holy Father to lead the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania as its 10th bishop.
The bishop-elect is currently the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas parish at Archbald and of St. Mary of Czestochowa parish at Eynon. With the Diocese of Scranton vacant, Msgr. Bambera served as a delegate to Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philidelpia and helped run the daily operations of the diocese.
Bishop Martino retired at the age of 63 last year following what some called a contentious tenure at the helm of the Scranton diocese.
Though the bishop cited “crippling physical fatigue” as his primary reason for stepping down, he also stated in a press conference last Aug. 31 that disunity and a lack of “clear consensus” among the clergy about his “way of governance” were also to blame for his resignation. Bishop Martino was known as a staunch pro-life advocate and for his critiques of Sen. Bob Casey Jr., whom he urged to be more outspoken against abortion.
The Vatican announced today that Pope Benedict appointed Fr. Terry LaValley of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y. as its 14th bishop. Fr. LaValley has served as the diocesan administrator since the see was vacated by Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, when he was assigned to lead the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y.
Bishop-elect LaValley grew up and was educated in New York state, though he left to serve a six-year tour of duty with the United States Navy before entering the seminary in 1983. Just five years later, Bishop-elect LaValley had earned a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained a priest. In 1994, he graduated from St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with degrees in canon law.
Over the years, Bishop-elect LaValley has held numerous positions in the diocese, such as Adjutant Judicial Vicar, Episcopal Vicar for Diocesan Services and Chancellor of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, pastor of St. Raphael’s Church, and rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral, culminating in his recent tenure as diocesan administrator.
He will continue to function as the diocese's administrator until his installation as bishop.
Bishop-elect LaValley will be ordained a bishop at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Friday, April 30.
The Diocese of Ogdensburg itself is comprised of 116,000 Catholics. The diocese is served by 119 priests, 127 religious and 62 permanent deacons.
I heard this on Catholic Connection this morning and it is so beautiful I just had to share it. It is especially appropriate for the Year of the Priest. I am dedicating this to a Priest friend of mine who is going through a rough time right now.
The Saint of the Day for February 23 is St. Polycarp.
Polycarp had known those who had known Jesus, and was a disciple of St. John the Apostle, who had converted him around the year 80 AD. He taught, says his own pupil Irenaeus of Lyons, the things that he learned from the Apostles, which the Church hands down, which are true. Irenaeus, who as a young boy knew Polycarp, praised his gravity, holiness, and majesty of countenance. He had lived near Jerusalem and was proud of his early associations with the Apostles.
Polycarp became bishop of Smyrna and held the see for about 70 years. He was a staunch defender of orthodoxy and an energetic opponent of heresy, especially Marcionism and Valentinianism (the most influential of the Gnostic sects). Toward the end of his life he visited Pope St. Anicetus in Rome and, when they could not agree on a date for Easter, decided each would observe his own date. To testify his respect and ensure that the bonds of charity were unbroken, Anicetus invited Polycarp to celebrate the Eucharist in the papal chapel on this occasion. Polycarp suffered martyrdom with 12 others of his flock around the year 156.
Excerpted from St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr by Fr. Paul Haffner (Inside the Vatican, February 2004)
Among the select few from apostolic times about whom we have some historical information is Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and one of the most glorious martyrs of Christian antiquity. His life and death are attested by the authentic "Acts" of his martyrdom (no similar account is older), as well as by other contemporary writings. It moves us deeply when, for example, we find in St. Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, the passage in which he reminisces:
"The memory of that time when as a youth I was with Polycarp in Asia Minor is as fresh in my mind as the present. Even now I could point to the place where he sat and taught, and describe his coming and going, his every action, his outward appearance, and his manner of discourse to the people. It seems as though I still heard him tell of his association with the apostle John and with others who saw the Lord, and as though he were still relating to me their words and what he heard from them about the Lord and His miracles. . . ."
On the day of his death (February 23) the Martyrology recounts with deep reverence:
"At Smyrna, the death of St. Polycarp. He was a disciple of the holy apostle John, who consecrated him bishop of that city; and there he acted as the primate of all Asia Minor. Later, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, he was brought before the tribunal of the proconsul; and when all the people in the amphitheater cried out against him, he was handed over to be burned to death. But since the fire caused him no harm, he was put to death by the sword. Thus he gained the crown of martyrdom. With him, twelve other Christians, who came from Philadelphia, met death by martyrdom in the same city."
Barry and the Dems are determined to force Obamacare down our throats.
President Barack Obama has proposed changes he thinks should be included in the changes made to the Senate health care bill as Democrats move ahead with their plan to railroad the bill thorough Congress via reconciliation. However, Obama does not propose any changes to the massive abortion funding.
The current Senate bill contains massive abortion funding that could force taxpayers to fund hundreds of thousands of abortions and it has other pro-abortion problems.
But the new Obama health care proposal, unveiled today in advance of the White House health care summit, leaves intact that Senate language funding abortions.
It opens the door for Rep. Bart Stupak, whose amendment stopped abortion funding in the House version of the bill that will be tossed aside, to gather a group of 10-12 pro-life Democrats who voted for the House bill to oppose the Senate version.
The Obama plan also violates his pledge to Congress and the American people that his version of health care reform would not force taxpayers to fund abortions. He keeps lying about this, He keeps denying the massive abortion funding that is included.
In a September nationally-televised speech to Congress, Obama sought to clear up projections from pro-life advocates that his health care plan would fund abortions.
"One more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions," Obama claimed.
Under the Senate health care bill that will be the main bill Obama and Democrats push through Congress, there is no ban on abortion funding. Wile some states can opt out of funding abortions under the plan, taxpayers in other states will be forced to pay for them.
In a speech on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) earned a standing ovation when he said the United States has a moral obligation to the unborn, and that the time has come to stop funding Planned Parenthood with money from pro-life American taxpayers.
“The largest abortion provider in America should not be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title 10,” Pence said. “The time has come to defund any and all funding to Planned Parenthood of America.”
The moment came near the end of Pence’s remarks after he claimed that President Barack Obama and his administration are “managing the decline of America,” rather than reversing that decline.
In a speech on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) earned a standing ovation when he said the United States has a moral obligation to the unborn, and that the time has come to stop funding Planned Parenthood with money from pro-life American taxpayers.
“The largest abortion provider in America should not be the largest recipient of federal funding under Title 10,” Pence said. “The time has come to defund any and all funding to Planned Parenthood of America.”
The moment came near the end of Pence’s remarks after he claimed that President Barack Obama and his administration are “managing the decline of America,” rather than reversing that decline.
I just received this via email and wanted to pass it on.
Oprah is pushing it.
The name of the book is Conversations with God.. James Dobson talked about this book twice this week. It is devastating. Parents, churches and Christian schools need to be aware of it. Please pass this information on to church/e-mail addresses, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends.
Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in movie theaters, on the Internet, and the music they listen to, but also be alert regarding the books they read..
Two particular books are, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch. They sound harmless enough by their titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and they make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover or title."
The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" His answer is that she was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences.
Another girls poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?"
His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong."
Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive.. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged." Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God.
The winning performance of moguls skier Alexandre Bilodeau on Sunday sent a ripple of excitement through Canada as the world watched the young Canadian become the first ever to win Olympic gold on home turf. But for the newly-dubbed "Alexandre the Great," the real celebration was at the bottom of the course - where he embraced brother Frederic, who suffers from cerebral palsy and whom Bilodeau affectionately calls "my inspiration."
The elder of the two, Frederic stood up from his wheelchair and cheered, grinning widely in front of cameras, as his brother crossed the finish line. His parents quickly wheeled Frederic out, shouting all the way, to meet Alexandre.
When asked later how much of the gold medal belonged to Frederic, the skier replied, "A lot!" - and began to choke up.
"It's really getting me right now - my brother is my inspiration, growing up with handicapped people puts everything back in perspective, and he taught me so many things in life," he said.
"He's the happiest man … and he's always the happiest man."
Bilodeau said, "If I have the chance to train, I'll take it. Even if it's raining, I'll take it. He doesn't even have that chance," he said. "He has all the right to complain. And he never complains."
Please visit the site below and sign the petition.
Bishop Peter J. Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh have issued a joint alert due to their concern about some proposed wording for a public school textbook on civic and economics.
The proposed text asserts that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized abortion and struck down state and federal laws that regulated and limited access to abortion, is an example of how the Supreme Court has upheld rights against oppressive government.
The implication of this proposed text is that opposition to Roe v. Wade is wrong.
Saturday morning on the artificial turf of the Knights of Columbus soccer field at the Pontifical Oratory of St. Peter, the Pontifical North American College of Rome's soccer team emerged victorious as they played against the formidable Brazilian College. This was the first game of many to be played as part in the 2010 Clericus Cup, a joint Church and Center for Italian Sport-sponsored tournament between 16 teams representing seminaries all over the world.
Stalwart defenses characterized game play and as the end of the match approached, both teams remained scoreless. However, with five minutes to play, the "North American Martyrs" struck gold with a header from close range. The goal was celebrated raucously by more than 20 other priests and seminarians from the NAC in attendance, including those dressed as Captain America, Uncle Sam and Batman, who gave their boys a decided home field advantage with cheers and chants throughout the match.
Despite the momentary advantage, however, the game was far from over as the obviously exhausted Brazilians were able to muster up a final effort with less than a minute to go. They knocked one in and knotted up the score at 1-1.
Tied at the end of regulation, referees called for a shoot-out to break the deadlock. In the intense exchange of penalty kicks that ensued, the Americans managed to tally up three goals to the Brazilians' two, with a fifth and final Brazilian opportunity remaining to tie up the count and send the game into a second shoot-out. Taking the end of the match into his own hands, the U.S. goalie came up with an enormous third save and sealed the victory.
When asked what this win meant for the NAC, Carmelo, a second-year seminarian in Theology, said that "it was just another victory, but more than anything, it's being able to come out here and have a good time with the other guys and make friends with the guys from the other colleges and seminaries here in Rome."
The Catholic Church’s membership in the United States grew at the “robust” rate of about 1.5 percent in 2008, according to National Council of Churches’ (NCC) new 2010 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.
A slight loss in Catholic membership in the U.S. was reported in the 2009 Yearbook, but the NCC said the latest figure shows “robust growth.” The figures come from 2008 statistics. The growth outpaces the estimated U.S. population growth rate in 2008, listed as 0.9 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook.
There are now an estimated 68.1 million Catholics in the United States.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose members are known as Mormons, grew 1.7 percent to almost 5.9 million members. The Assemblies of God grew 1.3 percent to about 2.9 million.
Other denominations lost membership. The Presbyterian Church (USA) shrank 3.3 percent and now has about 2.9 million members. American Baptist Churches in the USA decreased two percent to 1.4 million, while the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost 1.9 percent of its membership, which now stands at 4.7 million.
The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination after Catholics, lost 0.24 percent of its membership and now stands at 16.2 million. It also declined in membership in the year prior.
Membership figures reported in the 2010 Yearbook were collected by the churches in 2008 and reported to the Yearbook in 2009. Eleven of the 25 largest churches did not report updated figures.
Since early times, the Roman Church has had a special commemoration of the primatial authority of St. Peter. As witness one of the most renowned of the Apostolic Fathers, the Roman See has always held a peculiar place in the affection and obedience of orthodox believers because of its "presiding in love" and service over all the Churches of God.
"We shall find in the Gospel that Jesus Christ, willing to begin the mystery of unity in His Church, among all His disciples chose twelve; but that, willing to consummate the mystery of unity in the same Church, among the twelve He chose one. He called His disciples, said the Gospel; here are all; and among them He chose twelve. Here is the first separation, and the Apostles chosen. And these are the names of the twelve Apostles: the first, Simon, who is called Peter. [Mt. 10, 1-2] Here, in a second separation, St. Peter is set at the head, and called for that reason by the name of Peter, 'which Jesus Christ,' says St. Mark, 'had given him,' in order to prepare, as you will see, the work which He was proposing to raise all His building on that stone.
"All this is yet but a beginning of the mystery of unity. Jesus Christ, in beginning it, still spoke to many: Go, preach; I send you [see Mt. 28, 19]. Now, when He would put the last hand to the mystery of unity, He speaks no longer to many: He marks out Peter personally, and by the new name which He has given him. It is One who speaks to one: Jesus Christ the Son of God to Simon son of Jonas; Jesus Christ, who is the true Stone, strong of Himself, to Simon, who is only the stone by the strength which Jesus Christ imparts to him. It is to him that Christ speaks, and in speaking acts on him, and stamps upon him His own immovableness. And I, He says, say to you, you are Peter; and, He adds, upon this rock I will build my Church, and, He concludes, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Mt. 16, 18] To prepare him for that honor Jesus Christ, who knows that faith in Himself is the foundation of His Church, inspires Peter with a faith worthy to be the foundation of that admirable building. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. [Mt. 16, 16] By that bold preaching of the faith he draws to himself the inviolable promise which makes him the foundation of the Church.
"It was, then, clearly the design of Jesus Christ to put first in one alone, what afterwards He meant to put in several; but the sequence does not reverse the beginning, nor the first lose his place. That first word, Whatsoever you shall bind, said to one alone, has already ranged under his power each one of those to whom shall be said, Whatsoever you shall remit; for the promises of Jesus Christ, as well as His gift, are without repentance; and what is once given indefinitely and universally is irrevocable. Besides, that power given to several carries its restriction in its division, while power given to one alone, and over all, and without exception, carries with it plenitude, and, not having to be divided with any other, it has no bounds save those which its terms convey."
Francisco, 11, and Jacinta, 10, are the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the history of the Church. The brother and sister, who tended to their families’ sheep with their cousin Lucia Santo in the fields of Fatima, Portugal, witnessed the apparitions of Mary, now commonly known as Our Lady of Fatima.
During the first apparition, which took place May 13, 1917, Our Lady asked the three children to say the Rosary and to make sacrifices, offering them for the conversion of sinners. The children did, praying often, giving their lunch to beggars and going without food themselves. They offered up their daily crosses and even refrained from drinking water on hot days.
In October 1918, Francisco and Jacinta became seriously ill with the Spanish flu. Our Lady appeared to them and said she would to take them to heaven soon.
Bed-ridden, Francisco requested his first Communion. The following day, Francisco died, April 14, 1919. Jacinta suffered a long illness as well. She was eventually transferred to a Lisbon hospital and operated for an abscess in her chest, but her health did not improve. She died Feb. 20, 1920.
Pope John Paul II beatified Francisco and Jacinta May 13, 2000, on the 83rd anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, teaching us that even young children can become saints.
