U.S. Homosexual Activist Website Provides List of 'Gay Friendly' Catholic Parishes
This from LifeSite:

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A homosexual activist website has produced a state by state listing of 'gay friendly' Catholic parishes. Faithful Catholics who have seen the site suggest that it may make a good starting point for bishops concerned with dissent among their priests.

Here are those listed for Missouri:

Missouri
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception --Kansas City
St. Cronan's, St. Margaret of Scotland --St. Louis

Link to article.



- posted by LRS @ 9:03 PM   

 
Swiss Bishops Reject Call for Women's Ordination
How long did it take them to come up with this? This story was circulating late last year, as I recall. The Holy Father stated that this issue was closed for discussion 10 years ago. I know, some things take time to be understood in the proper context!

According to the bishops' conference, Paula Beck, author of the initiative promoted by the synod, has been the cause of schismatic conduct and has committed a serious infraction of the constitution of the local Church. She has exhorted the ecclesial communities to "go against the bishops."

The bishops' conference has asked the synod to explain Beck's public positions.

It sounds as if it has already been perfectly explained. It was posted all over the net some time ago. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, as an infallible teaching of the Church, requires firm and definitive assent. The Catechism says something about this in # 2089:

Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."

Today has really been an exercise in the virtue of patience and charity!

Story is here at Zenit.
- posted by LRS @ 8:25 PM   

 
Kerry Planning on Playing the Martyr
Yes, aides for John Kerry say he is no different than the vast majority of "practicing American Catholics." Well, of course there may be some truth in this statement - primarily because most "Catholics" may not be aware of the Church's teachings or, perhaps they may actually refuse to assent to them - because they are too hard to accept!

But that's not all:

...According to other sources inside the Kerry camp, aides are attempting to identify a Catholic diocese, and perhaps even a specific priest and church, where Kerry could attend a Mass with reporters present, and be turned away at the altar attempting to receive communion.

They should not have to look very hard - Our own Archbishop Burke has stated that he would refuse Kerry if he presented himself for Holy Communion. He should come here to St Louis and display his hypocrisy and play the 'martyr'...How low can this man sink? Satan must be very proud!

[Full Article]
- posted by LRS @ 8:08 PM   

 
A way for Bishops to get tough with Kerry?
Diogenes has proffered a surprisingly brilliant way to entice the Bishops to come down firmly on John Kerry:

Spread a rumor that Kerry regularly attends a Latin Mass.

See the post here.



- posted by LRS @ 8:03 PM   

 
French Cardinal denounces "The Passion"
This is almost too much...you'll have to read the article.

It is hard to say who has been tougher on Gibson and his film, the secular film critics or the Roman Catholic Church.
"His 'Passion' seems to be based on an apocryphal Gospel according to the Saint Marquis de Sade," the left-wing newspaper Liberation wrote. "His faith is the Shi'ite version of Christianity, his religion soaked in blood and pain."

Paris Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was born Jewish and converted as a teenager, denounced the film's violence as the opposite of Jesus's message of love and compassion.

"The Gospel is not The Gallic Wars or Napoleon's Memoires," he said last week. Love of God, he said, "is not measured in liters of hemoglobin and spilled blood."

Let us not dwell on the fact that God became Man so that He might take on all sin and suffer and die for our redemption. Let's pretend that none of this did in fact happen.

Lord, please grant me patience in order that I will not denounce people like this!


- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
It's time to depose this heretic bishop...

Controversial S. African bishop speaks out in Hub
By Eric Convey
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
A soft-spoken South African Catholic bishop who made headlines worldwide by endorsing the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS in his homeland said the church would benefit from moving away from its hierarchical ways.

The Catholic church, said Bishop Kevin Dowling, should be ``about building the compassionate, caring, people-centered church.''

That means developing rules based on what the faithful believe they need rather than imposing rules from above, he said. ``We've got to continue the process of building a more people-centered and community-centered theology.''

Dowling, in a Herald interview before an appearance that was part Boston College's Church in the 21st Century Project, endorses condom use despite official Catholic teaching against it.

Catholics, he said, should ``keep on creating and re-creating a church which gives people the experience of this love-filled, compassion-filled God who is present in the human condition in order that it be transformed.''

``That is what I believe the church in Boston needs to do for its own people as we have to do in Rustenberg in South Africa.

This man has rejected both Christ and His Church. He wants to build his 'new' church in his own image. The faithful need to be rid of this heretic!
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
American Life League urges archbishop to ban Kerry
...in its statement issued Tuesday, the American Life League asked Archbishop O’Malley to go one step further and “to consider the example of Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, who used Church law to officially bar certain pro-abortion Catholics from receiving Communion.”

This needs to be done immediately especially considering that he made a special trip to Washington to vote against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

- posted by LRS @ 6:34 AM   

 
NRB calls for legal consistency in abuse cases
Members of the National Review Board--the watchdog group commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops--are calling for uniform regulations that would protect priests' legal rights.
- posted by LRS @ 5:23 AM   

 
Coming soon: Long-awaited Vatican document on liturgical abuse
From Catholic News Service:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A long-awaited Vatican document on liturgical abuse has been signed by Pope John Paul II and is expected to be published after Easter.

The latest reports indictated that this was to be released on Holy Thursday...Now we might now see this until after Easter.

Almost as much as the content, the tone of the draft document alarmed some liturgists in Rome, including several who work with the Vatican on papal liturgies.

Servite Father Silvano Maggiani, president of the Association of Professors of Liturgy, read a message expressing the liturgists' fear that the liturgical reform movement opened by Vatican II was being closed down.

He also wrote that it would go against Vatican II to try and return to a "schism ... between lay faithful and ordained ministers."

There was a schism between the laity and the priests prior to Vatican II? Who is this guy and where does he come up with this? Maybe it's a translation problem?

Whatever the final form, the document takes aim at liturgical abuse, and it was written at the specific request of the pope. When he asked for its preparation almost a year ago, the pope said he wanted it to include "prescriptions of a juridical nature" regarding church rules for the celebration of Mass and adoration of the Eucharist.

Perhaps the delay is that the "prescriptions of a juridical nature" have to be removed so as not to offend the sensibilities of those who prefer the "do it yourself" Mass?
- posted by LRS @ 6:59 AM   

 
Homosexual Reporter for Nat'l Catholic Reporter Disrupts Mass

CANTON, Mass. - A gay man interrupted a church Mass on Sunday when he told congregants he objected to a video opposing same-sex marriage that was shown moments earlier.

Chuck Colbert created a brief disturbance when he stood up after the eight-minute video, identified himself as a Catholic and said he objected to the video, said the Rev. Michael Doyle of St. John the Evangelist church.

"I just found it to be such a scurrilous, scandalous piece of misinformation," Colbert said. "For me to sit there and take it is out of the question."

Some people can't stand the truth...

"My life is very similar to the people in there," Colbert told New England Cable News outside the church. "I want to be married, I have a wonderful partner, we're building a life together, it in no way threatens anyone else."

Building a life together?

"He's not even a member of that parish," he (Archdiocese spokesman the Rev. Christopher Coyne) said. "He doesn't even worship in Canton. He was obviously alerted and decided to disrupt that Mass."

Colbert acknowledged he was alerted about the video, but that he's free to attend any Mass.

"I wanted to see how it was presented," he said. "I've never seen anything like that."

Of course he hasn't seen anything like it before. When one lives in the dark, one usually avoids the light of truth. How sad this is for the parishioners who had to go through this. How sad for this man who chooses to be shackled by the Evil One. May God have mercy on him!
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
John Kerry, Bible Scholar and Preacher?
Yes! He can add this to his CV now, in addition to that of supporter of the murder of innocent unborn children.

Sen. John Kerry brought his presidential campaign to a St. Louis church Sunday, mixing preaching with politics, and Scripture with soul.
...
Kerry's aim was to appeal to the largely African-American crowd - generally loyal to the Democratic Party...

Of course...those who suffer the most from the scourges of abortion.

Kerry, D-Mass., departed from his prepared text when he took to the lectern. He praised the worshippers: "Thank you for telling the truth here. And as the Bible also tells us, the truth shall set you free."

Unfortunately, one who is enslaved by sin will be unable to understand what is meant by true freedom. But, I suppose it sounds good.

"The Scriptures say, 'What does it profit my brother if someone says he has faith, but does not have works,'" Kerry continued. "When we look at what is happening in America today, 'Where are the works?' For it is also written, 'The doers of the word are no hearers only.'"

Yes, and they also say "Thou shall not murder", and "He who hears you, hears Me and the One Who sent Me."

Perhaps, now that he has become a biblical expert, and since he claims to be "Catholic", some of the local parishes may want to invite him to conduct Bible Studies or something?

Story here.



- posted by LRS @ 6:32 AM   

 
Kerry won't be bossed around by the Pope (or by Jesus, either)
No puppet of Pope, Kerry says
By DEREK ROSEDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

John Kerry says he is a proud, churchgoing Catholic, but the former altar boy insists he won't be bossed around by the Pope.

Hmmm, there is the first clue in the word "proud". So proud, in fact, that he is rejecting the authority of the Holy Father, huh? In effect, then, he is saying, in union with Satan, "I will not serve!" What a guy! A born leader!

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said last month he would refuse to give Kerry Communion if he went to his church.

Kerry was in St. Louis yesterday but sidestepped the issue by praying and speaking at a Baptist church, New Northside Missionary. He cited Scripture and an African proverb, "When you pray, move your feet."

A good, practicing Catholic, eh? Didn't go to Mass? I'll bet he did not want to be refuse Holy Communion here in St. Louis, publicly.

I suppose he doesn't recall our Blessed Mother's advise, "Do whatever He tells you!"?
- posted by LRS @ 6:04 AM   

 
More Problems at St. Stanislaus
The meeting at St. Stanislaus yesterday, from the account in the paper, must have really been something to see.

Surely there is more to this story than what we know. There is something else about the group of people who are running the parish as well. The story relates this:

Some church members have also investigated the option of hiring their own priest from the Internet at www.rentapriest.com if they lose their priest.

Now this really speaks volumes! Any Catholic who would actually consider an action such as this, is certainly in need of help.

It would certainly be nice to be able to get the details of what this controversy is really about and why it has come to the attention of the Archdiocese. And why has it been allowed to continue for so long?

Full story here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:45 AM   

 
"Same Sex" Unions starting in St. Louis?
This was in Sunday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Two women wed in county church in union of politics and tradition
By Aisha Sultan
Of the Post-Dispatch
03/28/2004At the solemn moment before the rings were exchanged Saturday afternoon, the minister performing the wedding ceremony misspoke.

He described the rings as symbols of enduring love which the couple entered as "husband and wife," to which the crowd of about 200 guests burst into laughter.

"Excuse me - life partner," said the Rev. Daniel O'Connell. "I guess my ceremony needs an update."

O'Connell performed a wedding ceremony at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood for two women - Lesley Proud, 55, and Sally Nelson, 50, of Creve Coeur. While the ceremony has no legal standing, the couple said they wanted to open it to the public to raise support for gay marriages.

This is an affront to a civilized society - but then, it may be a stretch to call our society civilized. As a society, in general, we have rejected the fundamental precepts of our Creator and continue to murder His unborn little ones. This is nothing more than the fruit which comes from our rejection of the Divine Law and the natural moral law.
- posted by LRS @ 5:03 AM   

 
St. Louis archdiocesan agencies told to cut expenses, balance budgets
From Catholic News Service:

ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- The Archdiocese of St. Louis has launched a cost-cutting effort, asking agencies and offices to reduce expenses to balance their budgets. Deacon Frank Chauvin, chief financial officer of the archdiocese, said operating costs have risen. "We have to take a hard look at where we are and decide what if any (costs) we can eliminate without eliminating some of the services we provide," he said. Deacon Chauvin noted that salaries have risen slightly to stay competitive in the labor market. He added that "our health care insurance has increased significantly (and) our property insurance, liability insurance and so forth have increased."

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Lay Eucharistic Conference, Saturday, March 27 ...
Archbishop Raymond Burke will address the papal encyclical, 'Ecclesia de Eucharista' as the keynote speaker of the archdiocesan Lay Eucharistic Conference. The day begins with Mass at 9:00 a.m. and concludes with Benediction at 2:15 p.m.

Location: St. Raymond Maronite Catholic Church

- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
American Life League to track Kerry's movements, warn local bishops
From Lifesite:

The group plans to track Kerry's movements and warn local bishops of his approach with the following: "Warning! This pro-abortion senator is coming to your diocese, and may attempt to desecrate the Holy Eucharist while reporters take his picture."

It would be an act of great charity, courage and unity if all U.S. Bishops would follow Archbishop Burke's lead and state categorically and unanonymously that John Kerry may not receive Holy Communion in their dioceses.

Too much to ask for?
- posted by LRS @ 7:10 AM   

 
Relics of Crucifixion coming to St. Louis-April 3 & 4
From Catholic Citizens of Illinois:

Venerated relics of Christ's Passion - from pieces of the cross, to replicas of the nails believed to have been used 2000 years ago to crucify Jesus - will be put on rare public display next month during Easter.

The relics will be shown at the Cathedral in St. Louis on Palm Sunday, April 4, and at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., from April 4-18.

"As the recent success of films on the final days of Christ's life show, people of faith still feel a deep connection to his death after 2000 years, and we hope that allowing people to see these relics will make that connection even stronger," said Andrew Walther, vice president of the Apostolate for Holy Relics, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that is organizing the events.

Last year, over 140,000 people reportedly attended nationwide displays, organized by AHR, of a 16th century relic of St. Juan Diego.

"For those who cannot visit the relic shrines in Rome, or the Holy Land itself, this is as close as many people will come to artifacts associated with the crucifixion," Walther said. "We hope that people will come away from viewing these relics with an increased faith and personal connection to Christ’s loving sacrifice."

Added AHR President Thomas Serafin: "We are grateful to Archbishop Burke and the Archdiocese of St. Louis and to the John Paul II Cultural Center for providing venues in which these rare and moving items can shown to the American public for the first time in recent memory."

The most celebrated relic of Christ's Passion, of course, is the Shroud of Turin -- the reputed burial cloth of Jesus Christ. The current edition of WND's monthly Whistleblower magazine features an in-depth look at the Shroud, and the latest scientific and historical evidence of its authenticity.

See the Archdiocesan Web Site here for more information

More info:
On Saturday, April 3, and Sunday, April 4, as part of the observance of Palm (Passion) Sunday and the opening of Holy Week, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis will host a display of relics of Christ’s Passion. Arranged with the cooperation of the Apostolate for Holy Relics, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving Christian relics and promoting their devotional veneration, the display at the Cathedral Basilica will include relics of the True Cross, the Column of the Flagellation, the Crown of Thorns, the Burial Shroud, the Table of the Last Supper, and St. Longinus (traditionally held to be the centurion who thrust the lance into Christ’s side, and who subsequently converted to Christianity and was martyred). Also included in the collection are an effigy of the Veil of Veronica and a replica of a nail used in the Crucifixion, both issued by the Vatican. The relics will be displayed beginning on April 3, following 8 a.m. Mass and continuing until the conclusion of 5 p.m. Mass; and again on April 4, also following 8 a.m. Mass. The display will conclude on Sunday evening with a 7:30 p.m celebration of Evening Prayer, at which Archbishop Burke will preside and preach, and which will include a procession with and veneration of the relics. All are warmly invited and encouraged to take advantage of this rare opportunity to encounter and meditate on the mystery of Christ’s Passion, through the Church’s tradition of holy relics.

Location: Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, 4431 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108


- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Weak Sense of Sin Seen Undermining Use of Confession
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 25, 2004 (Zenit.org).-

Disuse of the sacrament of reconciliation is due to the crisis of the sense of sin, said an organizer of a course given by the Holy See to young priests.

The intense course on the "internal forum," questions of conscience, that priests are involved with, especially in the sacrament of penance, is being held through Saturday by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
...
"In an age of profound changes, it is not difficult to see that the sacrament of penance has suffered an obfuscation in practice in recent times," the priest said on Vatican Radio.

"A first aspect that catches the attention is the weakening of the sense of sin. The weakened consciousness of sin runs the risk of leading the penitent to simply externalize his state of spirit instead of acknowledging his own sin," Father Girotti said.

Full Article.

- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
Watch this clip...
Thanks to Carol McKinley at Magisterial Fidelity who posted this link on her site, "Grab a cup of coffee, take 8 minutes and listen to what will happen should sexual anarchists obtain the civil right to create races through deviant sexual activity."

Video here.



- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
From jail, St. Louis priest seeks information on victim
I missed this the other day, somehow...

The Rev. Bryan Kuchar has asked supporters and parishioners at Assumption Catholic Church in south St. Louis County to provide character references in his efforts to block the church's attempt to remove him as a clergyman.

Continuing to maintain that he is not a sexual offender, Kuchar has hired Bertrand to fight his removal. He said in the letter that he expects he will never be returned to public ministry here because of the publicity surrounding his case.

Of course, it is the PUBLICITY that will keep him from returning to ministry - not the fact the he was convicted of a crime.

In a recent meeting with the victim's mother, Stika said, Archbishop Raymond Burke "made it clear that Kuchar is not coming back as a priest in this diocese."

Full Story here.


- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
Meeting Notes from St. Louis VOTF Conference, March 13
VOTF-St Louis Conference, March 13

Before I post my transcribed notes, I need to say a couple of things. I arrived about 8:45 to register and noticed that they had a table set up for "walk-ins" - so much for the pre-registration requirement.

The vast majority of the people there were well past retirement age it seemed to me. Very few young people, and by young, I mean below the age of 40. There was, perhaps, roughly 150 people there based on the number of occupied chairs.

I saw Mr. Robert Schutzius, who wrote a rather scathing letter to the editor to the Post-Dispatch critical of Archbishop Burke.

I noticed 6 priests at the meeting: 5 wearing a roman collar and 1 in civies. (Msgr. Telthorst, Fr. Robeson, Fr. Lydon, others unknown). I'm not certain if there were more there or not.

Below are the transcripts of my notes from the day's meeting:
Any comments of mine in the transcription will be in [brackets].
----------------------------------------------------------------
The meeting was opened with comments by Ken Parker, Professor of Theological Studies at St. Louis University.

There was a "Gathering" Prayer to begin the meeting with "Voices of Survivors" (Statements of survivors read by others, I assume not victims), Songs, and prayers complete with a sort of 'danced movement' (actually arm/hand gestures) because "it (danced prayer) is part of our culture".
-----------------------
After the prayer service, Don Manson and his wife? (of VOTF-Mid Missouri, Jefferson City) spoke first. They related how they had started a VOTF-type group (PVMM-Parish Voice Mid Missouri) in the Diocese of Jefferson City in 2002. They encountered difficulties in getting the priests to come to their meetings and getting permission to meet on parish grounds. They were told by the bishop that he would not force any priest to provide accommodations for them.

By March 2003, the Diocesan newspaper would never print the letters of articles nor did they receive a response why. Participation in the group dwindled from 20 to about 12.

They are now considering doing an op/ed piece in the local papers in an attempt to encourage more involvement.

Their view of the issues:
Childrens Safety Programs
Children leaving the Church after Confirmation
Lack of Vocations
Lack of open discussion regarding "alternative" vocations (married & women priests)
The Loss of the "Best" Catholics, because of their 'frustration' with the Church over these and other issues.
[I was curious what he meant by 'best' Catholics?]

The last issue, which evoked a positive response from the crowd, was "How do we go about changing the Church, when there is active suppression of dissent by Church authority?

----------------------------
Mike Pollard-VOTFSL

We are moved by the 'spirit'.
There is a need to add more people to leadership in the group.
We are ready to act.
We need to remember the vision of Vatican II.

----------------------
Fr. Donald Cozzens [wearing suit, not clerical clothes]

There is frustration and discouragement among the faithful.

He discussed the John Jay Study and the National Review Board (NRB)Report. He indicated that he was interviewed by the NRB at Bob Bennett's office and said it was like a friendly deposition with several lawyers present.

The message for Bp. Gregory - It isn't history! (from National Catholic Reporter editorial)

He said there is a systemic structural crisis in the Church today and he quotes Peggy Steinfels of Commonweal.

The NRB has done much to liberate the laity, continuing the liberation of the laity started by Vatican II. He believes they (NRB) will do more to liberate the laity.

Things will be different now because there is an 'educated' laity. [See later statements on feudal system]

The NRB report blamed bishops and seminaries, specifically 2 aspects of seminaries: admissions and formation.

Today there is more psychological testing than ever. What is needed are more leaders and preachers. He related the story of an Annapolis graduate who became a candidate for the priesthood and who stated that the psych testing in the seminary was so much more than that at the academy.

Many candidates for the priesthood do not have the charism of celibacy. There needs to be a discussion of celibacy and of married priests. Especially considering that the Church allows married ministers of other faiths to enter the Church and become priests.

There is a problem with zero tolerance for priests but none for bishops. We should be looking at a zero risk policy instead.

Celibacy is a key to the crisis. Need to address the resistance to the removal of celibacy. It's easier for the hierarchy to control celibate priests than married priests.
In the reports, deacons have a much lower incidence or abuse (because married).

Quoted part of a poem by a monk, Kilean McDonald?, which include the phrase "large betrayals, small treasons", about a group of monks standing around a grave burying one of their own.

All of us are in denial to some extent, including the Church. The Church is not healthy.

Also quoted MASH's Fr. Francis Mulcahey, "We all are experts at not facing things."

Quoted stats on the number of priestless parishes, etc.

Many Catholics are uncomfortable with the Church. (read some verses from Lamentations & Jeremiah) "Rachel mourns her children."

Was especially grateful to Bishop John Heaps? of Australia for his expounding on the real meaning of Vatican II.

Asks the question about which we must think: Why are structures of the Church they way they are?

Our vision of the Church - what should it be?

Critics of VOTF have not taken to heart the spirit & teachings of Vatican II.

Pius X once said that "the laity is to docily follow their pastors." Look where we are now.

The Holy Spirit has been loosed in the world. The spirit cannot be stifled or quieted.

We are witnessing the unraveling the last feudal system. Explained how the feudal system worked....The linchpin to bring down this feudal system is LOYALTY.

Feudal systems only work when the serfs (us) are uneducated. Our education is our freedom from serfdom.

The dioceses are fiefdoms (parishes, also). Look at the titles used: Excellency, eminence, grace, monsignor [this drew laughs].

Under the old ordination ritual during one part he was required to say "adsum" (I am present). Laity should start saying "adsum" - I am here, I am present!.

Our loyalty should be to the Gospel and our conscience. Touted Walter Burkhardt?, theologian and writer for "America" magazine.
---------------------------
Questions Asked/Statements given before lunch.

Vocations - where are they. Why male only, why no married allowed?

Structural changes needed-Will I, as a woman be listened to if I go to the chancery?

Will women ever be ordained? Ans. Perhaps to the diaconate, theologians are looking into it, no reason why not, there were women deacons in the early church.

Why does the Church have such narrow teachings on sexuality? Ans. The Church is schizophrenic about sex...this will need more theological work as well.

Does VOTF support the Pro-Life position and why don't we hear more from them about it?

Need to apply pressure and begin revolution - maybe the first step is the ordaining of deacons wives, since they have gone thru all the training as the husband....

Why does VOTF not attract young people, generally?

Why isn't this room overflowing with people? Ans. It's the vision of VOTF that's important right now...then quotes something from Hans Kung.

Why is ordination even necessary?

What about financial accountability? Where is the money going? Not for schools, etc? Ans. New book by David Gibson will address this...it will be next crisis in the Church.

Why can we not have the Church as it was in early America with John Carroll & John England...why is Americanism heresy? Ans. Read Anthony Pavadano, quoted something about the early Church in America is a good model.

Need for democracy in the Church.

There is the liberating power of speech for structural changes in the Church. The role of women is a "tilting/turning" point.

Bob Schutzius asks something like, Because of the lack of the Eucharist in so many places, can we call our bishops "TRAITORS"....Ans. Not recommended, too confrontational...Question, How about with a small "t"?

Why doesn't someone tell the people how the bible stories are not true but come from ancient pagan myths and legends?

We men need to understand the great feminine spiritual consciousness both in women and also in us.

What's new in seminaries today? Ans...Dialoguing, some seminaries are open for lay education as well (about 50%); this help seminarians prepare for the real world interfacing with people.

There needs to be a call for a rethinking on contraception by the Church, to remove the ban on contraception.

One problem with not allowing women in the priesthood, girls feel inadequate - they don;t feel as important as men.

Another praises the feminist movement and what it has done to bring the Church into the 20th/21st century...The train is on a roll and cannot be stopped!

We need to get back to living and doing in the spirit of Vatican II [from one of the musicians, maybe in his 30's]

Cozzens indicated that he had several 'hysterical' comments on his book in 2000.
-----------Lunch Break----------------

My General Comments.

After having attended my first VOTF meeting, I can only express my profound grief for these people. While professing to be Catholic, they are far removed from the Church in a spiritual sense, even though they may have some of the outward appearances of being practicing Catholics. They have a grossly distorted view of the Church. They are defiant and proud. Their understanding of Vatican II is irreconcilable with the actual documents of the council. One must believe that they have not read any of the documents of Vatican II.

My reason for going was to ask questions of the presenters to challenge them to see the truth. While I was reworking my questions for the Q&A, perhaps 20 or more people had lined up already to ask questions or make comments and there was not nearly enough time for all the people before the break. I waited to see what would happen all the while hoping to have an opportunity to ask a couple of key questions which most would not want to hear.

While watching them and listening to their 'issues' with the Church, I began to see them in a different light. I saw these people as, perhaps, truly lost. Maybe this was due to what they had been taught after Vatican II by others who were confused. The poor souls are bewildered. Many no longer know the truth. Some, I'm certain know the truth but reject it because of pride and arrogance, putting thier 'wisdom' before that of Christ and His Church. I felt so sorry for them and prayed that they might be reconciled to God. They are in great need of prayer and conversion. Their minds are clouded and disoriented.

I cannot diminish the fact that what this group proposes is clearly demonic. The faithful need to be made aware that this and other such groups are clearly a grave danger to the Mystical Body of Christ. The movement is bent on destroying the Church. But I believe many have been duped, seduced by the father of lies, just as Eve in the Garden...

I could not stay past 12:30 as I had other committments. I bid goodbye to the 2 priests with whom I shared a table for lunch, saying to each, "May God bless you." One of these priests admitted to being homosexual. Both priests said that the percentage of homosexuals in the priesthood was extremely high and very few of the laity even have an inkling of this. I told them that I would keep them in my prayers.

I believe that this group (& others like it) will die out or abandon Catholicism, eventually. The sad part is that many souls may be lost if we do not pray for their conversions and educate the faithful about groups like this. And a few in these groups may want nothing to do with God's grace. I'm certain that some of them could be rescued from the clutches of Satan with our continued prayers. May God have mercy on all of us!


- posted by LRS @ 6:34 AM   

 
Why the '60s Went Wrong - Russell Shaw on the Church in the U.S.

Russell Shaw was press secretary for the U.S. bishops' conference from 1969-1987. He is the author of 16 books, most recently, "Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone by Name," published last year by Our Sunday Visitor.

Shaw's unique understanding of the workings of the bishops' conference and long experience as a Catholic writer and journalist position him as an authoritative commentator on the crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States today.

In Rome recently for a week of lectures, Shaw candidly shared with a group of Vatican journalists his views on "squishiness" in some American seminaries, the Vatican's "uncollegiality," and the future of Catholicism in the United States.

I asked Shaw about the underlying causes of the sex abuse scandal.

Full Zenit article here.

And don't forget, Russell Shaw will be in St. Charles on April 27 (Details here.)

- posted by LRS @ 9:31 PM   

 
Massachusetts Supreme Court rules incest okay for stepparents
Boston, Mar. 25 (CWNews.com) - The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which last year legalized same-sex "marriage", has this week decided that incest is not illegal when it involves a stepparent. The judges ruled 4-3 that incest applies only to blood relatives or to children by adoption.

LInk at Catholic World News


- posted by LRS @ 12:15 PM   

 
Theologians, historian explore decline in confessions
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been two weeks since my last confession. ..." With that ritual formula once familiar to all Catholics, Boston College historian James O'Toole opened a daylong symposium on how the sacrament of penance has changed and how its chief form, individual auricular confession, has almost disappeared from American Catholic consciousness in the last 40 years. The symposium was held March 19 at The Catholic University of America. Historian Leslie Tentler of the university's Center for American Catholic Studies coordinated and moderated the event. O'Toole contrasted a New York City parish in 1896-97, where the seven priests on staff heard 78,000 confessions a year, with the typical parish today, where the bulletin may list a half-hour or 15-minute weekly time for confessions, or perhaps offer them "anytime by appointment."

Full article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:27 AM   

 
Archbishop Foley - Mass needs some Latin
Code: ZE04032422
Date: 2004-03-24
Archbishop Foley Fond of Latin

LONDON, MARCH 24, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications would like to see some Latin back into the Mass.

Archbishop John Foley made his comments in an interview with Briefing, the relaunched official journal of the Catholic bishops' conferences of England and Wales, and Scotland.

He was present at the Second Vatican Council as a young priest and reporter for Philadelphia's diocesan newspaper. He says that some intentions of the Council Fathers have been implemented properly, and some have not.

"There have been abuses in some areas ... for example, some of the liturgical abuses where people inaccurately interpreted documents, causing confusion and resentment," he told Briefing.

Archbishop Foley still celebrates the Mass in Latin sometimes, and even speaks Latin with some non-English-speaking bishops. The universal nature of the language impresses him.

"That's why I think it is important to be able to train people to participate in Mass in Latin, especially the sung part," he said.

"Ironically, when people did not travel very much, Mass was in Latin," he added. "Now that they travel a lot and want to be able to understand and identify with what's going on; [they can't because] they don't speak the local language."

- posted by LRS @ 5:22 AM   

 
John Carroll University.....compares Cardinal Newman Society to Taliban
Here are some excerpts:

The Cardinal Newman Society is, according to Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski, “the Catholic police.”

(University President Rev. Edward Glynn) added, “I do not respect the Cardinal Newman Society’s leadership.”

In reaction to the society’s actions, (chair of the Communications Department Sister Mary Ann) Flannery said, “I think the Cardinal Newman Society is the closest organization in the Catholic Church to the Taliban.

Certainly there is a problem. JCU pretends to be a Catholic university, and the Cardinal Newman Society calls them to account.

Most Catholic universities have apostacized.

Full Story here.


- posted by LRS @ 8:04 PM   

 
Kerry's photo op Mass
On Dom Bettenelli's site :

He showed up in his ski clothes, to the annoyance of parishioners. He also received Communion to the annoyance of all Catholics in good standing. But it’s his staff person’s attitude that takes the cake:

"It was just a media-op,” says a Kerry advance staffer. “We set it up with some reporters that we knew were going to be there."

The only reason to go to Mass was to have his picture taken? How depraved is this man?!

Link to Dom's site & article here.


- posted by LRS @ 5:05 PM   

 
Archbishop Weakland debuts own Web site
From Catholic News Service....

Archbishop Weakland debuts own Web site with reflections, homilies

ST. FRANCIS, Wis. (CNS) -- After writing more than 1,000 messages to his flock through columns in the local Catholic newspaper during his almost quarter-century as Milwaukee's archbishop, it's no wonder that now-retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland continues to communicate with Catholics. Archbishop Weakland, who resides and maintains an office at the archdiocese's Cousins Center, began a personal Web site in early January. The Web site, www.archbishopweakland.com, features personal reflections, commentary on current events, cultural comments, including thoughts on books, music and movies, and audio recordings of past Sunday homilies given by Archbishop Weakland. A couple months into the project, the archbishop admitted maintaining the site and keeping the copy fresh is more work than he anticipated, but he remains excited about the opportunity to share his thoughts in writing.

Don't forget to bookmark this one! (No, I am not serious!)
Link is here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:33 AM   

 
Is Gary Wills for real?
God in the Hands of Angry Sinners
By Garry Wills
The Passion of the Christ
a film directed by Mel Gibson

If you relish the sight of a healthy male body being systematically demolished, beyond the farthest reach of plausible endurance, The Passion of the Christ is your movie. It is not simply the scourging scene that is at issue, though that deals out an unspecified number of stripes—more than sixty and still counting, half of them inflicted by whips that have been made into multiple-hook tearing instruments. Even earlier, at the arrest of Jesus, he is chained, beaten over and over, thrown off a bridge to crash below. He arrives at his first legal hearing already mauled and with one eye closed behind swollen bruises. From then on, he is never moved or stopped without spontaneous blows and kicks and shoves from all kinds of bystanders wanting to get in on the fun. On the way to execution, he is whipped while fainting under the cross. A soldier says to lay off or he'll never make it. But the crowd just keeps whipping and beating him all the rest of the way.

My wife and I had to stop glancing furtively at each other for fear we would burst out laughing. It had gone beyond sadism into the comic surreal, like an apocalyptic version of Swinburne's The Whipping Papers. At one of several points where Gibson is following the mystical visions of an anti-Semitic Bavarian nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich, he has Mary swab away at the lakes of blood sluiced out of Jesus by the scourging.
...
The alliances formed around the movie are interesting. Gibson has been supported not only by Legionaries of Christ but by members of Opus Dei, an equally conservative Catholic group. Although Gibson does not recognize the validity of the postconciliar Church or the current papacy, those two Catholic groups tried to manipulate a papal endorsement for the film—this despite the fact that Gibson violates almost all the guidelines concerning performances of the Passion issued in 1988 by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops....

For fear they would burst out laughing?

Anyone who would find something to laugh about regarding this film must be extremely sick and perverted. Those who think the suffering and death of Jesus, as portrayed in the film, is funny must be in league with the demonic. I pity this man and those like him.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Bishop Vigneron Refuses to Run VOTF Ad in Diocesan Paper

As publisher of the Catholic Voice, Bishop Allen Vigneron of the Oakland Diocese rejected running an ad and notification item for the one-day University of San Francisco seminar, "Imaging the Future Church."

"My judgment was based on the meeting I had with the local VOTF leadership," Vigneron wrote to Peter Davey, the group's East Bay chairman. "At that time, I was informed that the VOTF has decided to withhold affirmation from some elements of authentic magisterial teaching, for example, the impossibility of ordaining women to the priesthood."

Davey responded to the bishop in a March 3 letter, writing that the group did not advocate for those changes. He added that he hopes the bishop will support events such as the San Francisco seminar that, he said, are intended to create a better understanding of the church.

An ad did run in the Jesuit publication America.

Right....The group does not advocate women priests...And pigs fly....!

It is not surprising, either, that 'America' would run the ad...

Full story here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:24 AM   

 
Judge allows doctor testimony on fetal pain
From Catholic World News

New York, Mar. 23 (CWNews.com) - A federal judge has decided that a doctor who says unborn children can feel pain during an abortion will be allowed to testify in a legal defense of a new federal law banning partial-birth abortion.

US District Judge Richard Casey ruled last week that Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand may testify as a government witness in the trial set to begin later this month. The National Abortion Federation had tried to argue that his testimony was irrelevant.

Casey said the doctor's testimony will help him evaluate Congress' findings while debating the law that the abortion procedure is "brutal and inhumane" and that "the child will fully experience the pain associated with piercing his or her skull and sucking out his or her brain." Anand has conducted research on the pain felt by unborn children and newborns and has concluded that children feel pain at the 20th week of pregnancy.

We thank you, Lord, for enlightening the mind of this judge. Please grant him the grace to have the strength to conform his will to Yours in this matter.


- posted by LRS @ 9:41 PM   

 
Q&A on Washing Feet, Emptying Holy Water, etc.
Zenit Liturgy Question & Answer
Code: ZE04032321
Date: 2004-03-23
Washing of Women's Feet on Holy Thursday?
And More on Preparing the Corporal

ROME, MARCH 23, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.

Question 1: Is it proper to have holy water receptacles empty from Ash Wednesday on, through all of Lent? -- F.D., Scandia, Minnesota

Q-2: I have learned today about the Washing of the Feet ceremony at Mass in my parish on Holy Thursday. To take the place of the Twelve Apostles, we are to have six gentlemen and six ladies. I would welcome your comments about this innovation. -- M.R., Melbourne, Australia

Q-3: Each year I find it increasingly difficult to perform the washing of parishioners' feet at the celebration of the Lord's Supper because of stiffness in my knee joints which make it almost impossible to get back up on my feet when moving from one parishioner to the next. Is it permissible to delegate this function to an older server? -- C.D., Archdiocese of New York

Q-4: For the adoration of the cross on Good Friday, can we use a crucifix (with Jesus' body on it) or should we look for a plain cross? -- F.M., Antique, Philippines

Answer 1: The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments recently responded to a similar question (3/14/03: Prot. N. 569/00/L) giving a clear answer: "This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:

"1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee this innovation, which in addition to being 'praeter legem' is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.

"2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the sacraments is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The 'fast' and 'abstinence' which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church.

"The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday)."

A-2: The rubrics for Holy Thursday clearly state that the priest washes the feet of men ("viri") in order to recall Christ's action toward his apostles. Any modification of this rite would require permission from the Holy See.

It is certainly true that in Christ (God) there is neither male nor female and that all disciples are equal before the Lord. But this reality need not be expressed in every rite, especially one that is so tied up to the concrete historical circumstances of the Last Supper.

A-3: The rite of the washing of feet is not obligatory and may be legitimately omitted. However, this is usually not pastorally advisable.

While the rite may not be delegated to a non-priest, a concelebrant may substitute the main celebrant for a good reason.

The rubrics describing this rite are limited to the essentials (selected men sit in a suitable place) and so allow for practical adaptations to the realities of place, time and circumstances.

Thus, taking the example of our Holy Father, as he has grown older, and less able to bend over, the seats of those whose feet he washed were first elevated so that he could continue to perform the rite. But in the last year or so he has been substituted by a cardinal.

Thus, if possible, the seats used by those whose feet are to be washed should be elevated, so that an elderly priest need not stoop too much.

If this solution is not feasible, I do not think it is contrary to the overall sense of the rite to find other practical solutions resulting in a similar effect, provided the rite be carried out with decorum.

A-4: The use of the crucifix, a cross with the figure of Christ crucified, is obligatory for the Good Friday celebrations of the Adoration of the Cross.

This is made clear by the rubrics which, in one form of the rite, describe how this cross may be progressively unveiled, showing first the top of the cross but not the face, then the right arm, and finally the entire body.

After this celebration on Good Friday afternoon, and until the Easter Vigil, Catholics genuflect before the crucifix; they would not do so before a simple cross.

This liturgical situation is different from the pious practice of the Way of the Cross, where widespread custom prefers the use of a simple cross rather than a crucifix. This is the practice followed in the Holy Father's widely televised Good Friday "Via Crucis" at the Colosseum.

More here...


- posted by LRS @ 9:24 PM   

 
A USCCB Employee No More?
This was brought up some time ago, and Deal Hudson of Crisis Magazine informed his e-letter subscribers of a change of status of Ono Ekeh.

You probably remember my telling you about Ono Ekeh, an employee at
the Bishops' Conference who also happened to be the founder of an
Internet forum called "Catholics for Kerry." I pointed out what I
thought seemed pretty obvious... that having a paid employee for the
USCCB leading a public campaign for presidential-hopeful John Kerry
-- a rabidly pro-abortion "Catholic" -- sent a dangerous message to
Catholics about their responsibility regarding life issues.

Well, it appears that the Bishops' Conference agreed. We've learned
from several sources that Ekeh is no longer an employee of the
conference. Whether he was fired or allowed to resign is unclear
(their comically unhelpful office of human resources refused all
comment).

Either way, it appears that the bishops were unaware of Ekeh's side
project and were none too happy when it came to light. I applaud the
bishops for taking this stand -- they've sent a clear message
regarding their commitment to life and the responsibility of lay
Catholics to do the same. This is a very good start.

At least it's a start. Still, I believe a major cleansing is needed.

This having been said, however, if one looks at the USCCB Web Site here, Mr. Ono Ekeh is still listed as Program Coordinator for African American Catholics.


- posted by LRS @ 5:18 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke sends clear message to Polish parish
Burke makes demands clear to parish
By Aisha Sultan
Of the Post-Dispatch
03/21/2004

Archbishop Raymond Burke sent a clear message this weekend to an independent Polish church in St. Louis: Follow church law or cease to exist as a Catholic church.

Many parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church north of downtown received the letter Saturday from the archbishop outlining the reasons the church must hand over control of approximately $9 million in assets and its finances. Currently, the church is run as a civil corporation with a lay board of directors.

"It is simply not right that a parish call itself Catholic and be so recognized by Church authority, and, at the same time, be under the exclusive direction of a civil corporation, in which the parish priest ... is considered to be just one of several members," Burke's letter stated. "The parish priest ... has the responsibility to direct all of the pastoral activity in the parish."

Full story.

- posted by LRS @ 6:05 AM   

 
Outspoken Critic of Archbishop Burke and Church Under Fire
Dan Maguire, a Pro-Death supporter of the murder of innocent children is a professor at Marquette University in Wisconsin. He has been an outspoken and oft-quoted critic of Archbishop Burke.

See the full story here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:44 AM   

 
Global Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination on Mar 24
Catholic Action Network is holding a "global" day of prayer at the St. Louis Cathedral this Wednesday Night. I wonder if they invited Archbishop Burke?

Their notice states:

Wednesday, March 24th: Global Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination

--6pm: Candlelight Vigil at Cathedral Basilica
--6:30pm: Potluck strategic planning for future events, programs and speakers at 1077 S. Newstead

Please Join Us !

I assume it is open to all. Anyone want to go there an pray for them? Take pictures? Hand out copies of "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis"?
- posted by LRS @ 9:14 PM   

 
Pope Declares Feeding Tube Removal Immoral
Pope Declares Feeding Tube Removal Immoral
By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press Writer
March 20, 2004, 11:34 AM EST

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II said Saturday the removal of feeding tubes from people in vegetative states was immoral, and that no judgment on their quality of life could justify such "euthanasia by omission."

John Paul made the comments to participants of a Vatican conference on the ethical dilemmas of dealing with incapacitated patients, entering into a debate that has sparked court battles in the United States and elsewhere.

The pope said even the medical terminology used to describe people in so-called "persistent vegetative states" was degrading to them. He said no matter how sick a person was, "he is and will always be a man, never becoming a 'vegetable' or 'animal.'"
. . .
Providing food and water to such patients should be considered natural, ordinary and proportional care -- not artificial medical intervention, the pope told members of the conference, which was organized by the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations and the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Vatican advisory body.

"As such, it is morally obligatory," to continue such care, he said.

Since no one knows when a patient in a vegetative state might awaken, "the evaluation of the probability, founded on scarce hope of recovery after the vegetative state has lasted for more than a year, cannot ethically justify the abandonment or the interruption of minimal care for the patient, including food and water," he said.

Similarly, he said that someone else's evaluation of the patient's quality of life in such a state couldn't justify letting them die of hunger or thirst.

"If this is knowingly and deliberately carried out, this would result in a true euthanasia by omission," he said.

Full story here.



- posted by LRS @ 8:43 PM   

 
John Jay Investigator Refutes David Clohessy's Letter to the Post
The Post Dispatch printed a letter to the editor on March 15, titled "Archbishop Burke is Off-Base on Abuse".

It seems that the only one who was off-base here was the person who penned the letter, David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Karen Terry, Principal Investigator and James Levine, Administrative Coordinator, respond to Clohessy's incorrect statement in a folloe up letter to the Post.

He (Clohessy) states that the John Jay study only included "credible allegations" of abuse and excluded "3000 priests who have since died and were not investigated." This information is incorrect.

It's certainly nice to know the facts.

Full article here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:30 AM   

 
St Cronan's, Catholic Action Network, Dissent & Archbishop Burke
While reading the bulletin of St. Cronan's for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 21, I came across this interesting article on page 2.

The Holy Families Committee of St. Cronan’s was formed in response to the Vatican’s position toward gays and lesbians in the Catholic church. The Holy Families Committee, in conjunction with Catholic Action Network (CAN), is sponsoring an Issues and Inspiration presentation on Saturday, April 3rd at Adams School (1311 Tower Grove Ave.) from 9:00—11:00 a.m. The presentation will focus on the Vatican document, “Considerations Regarding Proposal to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons”. Please feel free to invite anyone who is interested in discussing this document and our response to it. Childcare will NOT be provided. We look forward to seeing you there.

One wonders just how the teaching of the Church will be maligned and distorted and rejected at this 'presentation'?

Why would I say such a thing? Take a look at the Catholic Action Network website and you will notice that on Wednesday, March 24, they are having a "Global" Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination with a candlelight vigil at the Cathedral Basilica at 6:00pm. Surely this St. Louis based unCatholic group can rouse a "global" response for women's ordination which is contrary to the infallible teaching of the Church.

I'm wondering how many of those who attended the recent VOTF conference will be at these meetings?

They have also included additional information on Archbishop Burke, presumably as a condemnation of his other works and efforts in promoting authentic Catholic doctrine when they conclude by saying "Well, that should give you the gist of things."

Here is what they posted about our wonderful Archbishop:

Raymond L. Burke:The spiritual moderator of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins.

He is involved with the Call to Holiness conference with Mitch Pacwa and Cardinal Lopez Trujillo.

He has publicly opposed the withdrawal of hydration and nutrition in the Schiavo case in Florida, saying *"It is never permissible to remove food and water to cause death"

*He is the national director of the Marian Catechist association, founded by John Hardon, SJ. "The Marian Catechist Apostolate helps you develop a spiritual life that prepares you for your consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while at the same time, it helps to prepare you, doctrinally, to pass on this tremendous gift of the Faith, with confidence, through the home-study courses." "Do whatever He tells you"! (Marian Catechist motto) from the Marian Catechist web page:http://www.mariancatechist.com

He has given talks to the Wanderer Forum Foundation and has been sponsored by Catholics United for the Faith (Milwaukee, December 6-7, 2002). See also http://www.thewandererpress.com/a8-01-02.htm

He is on the advisory board of the Cardinal Newman Society, along with Bishop Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Bishop Doran of Rockford, Archbishop Donoghue of Atlanta, and Archbishop Meyers
of Newark. The mission of the Cardinal Newman Society is to promote Catholic identity in higher education, especially through the implementation of /Ex Corde Ecclesiae/ (http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/about_us1.htm)

He has addressed the national convention of Catholics United for the Faith in their "Church Teaches Forum", along with " His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze, His Eminence Edouard Cardinal
Gagnon, Bishop Thomas Doran, Bishop Raymond Burke, and Fr. Edmund McCaffrey(http://www.cuf.org/cufevents.htm)"

According to the National Catholic Register, Bishop Burke was one of the eight signers of a letter calling for a plenary council to address the clergy sex-abuse scandal : "The bishops' letter says the plenary council would center on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and post-conciliar Magisterium on the life of bishops and priests, on sexual morality in general and on celibate chastity as an authentic form of human sexuality. It also would affirm the means by which the Church has told pastors they can live a virtuous life, including daily celebration of Mass, frequent confession and obedient submission to Church teaching. (http://www.ncregister.com/Register_News/082202ple.htm)

Well, that should give you the gist of things.

http://www.calltoholiness.com/photo/bishop_burke.htm

It's no wonder they are upset! Archbishop Burke is not a moral relativist. He is not a dissenter of Catholic faith and morals. He is not someone who would support their agenda of destroying the Church. How sad! How pitiably sad for them! We can pray our prayers of thanksgiving that our Lord has seen fit to bless us with a shepherd and spiritual father like Archbishop Burke who proclaims the truth of Christ to us in union with the Holy Father. We have so much for which to be thankful!
- posted by LRS @ 6:12 AM   

 
Vice-Mayor of Phoenix Criticizes Bishop Olmsted for permitting Latin Mass
What we have here is another uninformed individual who has probably never read the documents of Vatican II and who, as it appears in the article, is more concerned about himself rather than the wishes and desires of the Church. Some excerpts:

...permitting or encouraging Latin masses is part of a misguided trend to go back in time to the romanticized church of the 1940's and 1950's. Today's Catholic Church is not the fictional movie church of Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman or Barry Fitzgerald. We don't speak Latin to each other. I greet people with "hello" and not "salve".

There was a reason that the Second Vatican Council called for services to be held in the vernacular.

Here is the first clue he is ignorant of "Sacrosanctum Concilium".

...Sadly, some in the church today would prefer to reverse many of the Vatican II reforms.

Conservative groups such as Opus Dei have infiltrated the clergy in many communities and are subtly wielding power to influence many of these changes. Such groups would be much happier if all priests wore cassocks and birettas and all nuns returned to wearing habits and living in convents, instead of actively participating in community affairs and in encouraging social justice.

This past year, we have seen a de-emphasis in the role of the laity in Mass services, with lesser roles for lectors and Eucharistic ministers and an emphasis on the roles of priests and deacons. Where is this all leading? Will the next papal bull require women to again wear hats in church?

What happened to the "spirit of Vatican II"? I dare say, most never knew what it was to begin with.

Full article here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
Hans Küng tells why Jesuit college rejected young Wojtyla
This is classic:

Küng said Wojtyla´s studies had focused on the neo-scholastic theology of St Thomas Aquinas. He was admitted to the Dominicans´ Angelicum University after ordination in 1946.

"I think it’s a fact that Karol Wojtyla does not know enough modern exegesis, history of dogmas, modern theology," he said. "He has a very traditional neo-scholastic training, but I think that these are his limits, and I do not see why we cannot speak openly about that."

This coming from a man who has, for all intents and purposes, rejected the Church.

Full article here.

- posted by LRS @ 5:56 AM   

 
Latin Masses to be allowed after 25 years

Latin Masses to be allowed after 25 years
Michael Clancy
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 17, 2004 12:00 AM

Latin, the ancient language of the Catholic Church, will be allowed in Diocese
of Phoenix churches for the first time in at least 25 years.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, reversing 20 years of diocesan policy, announced the
change to priests at a meeting earlier this month. A committee will report today
on details.

Olmsted said he will institute the Tridentine Mass to promote reconciliation
with individuals who prefer the service, to comply with Pope John Paul II's
wishes to resume the Latin rite, and to invite back those who left the church
after Latin Masses were dropped.

It is likely that the Latin service will be held in a limited number of
churches. The modern English-language Mass would continue to dominate in the
diocese.

"The decision in no way casts doubt upon the validity" of the current service,
instituted during and after the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, Olmsted
said.

A leader of a dissident church praised the decision.

"This is a step in the right direction," said the Rev. Joseph Pfeiffer, pastor
of Our Lady of Sorrows in south Phoenix, which is not recognized by the diocese.
But the church must return completely to the old ways, he said, before his
congregation will feel comfortable with the Catholics.

Mass in Latin was the norm for the church throughout history, and Latin remains
the church's official language. The pope approved the resumption of Latin Mass
in 1984, but former Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien never allowed them.

No link yet...passed on via email.

*** Updated *** Link is here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:46 AM   

 
St Thomas Aquinas and the Passion
DE PASSIONE CHRISTI
James V. Schall, S. J.
Georgetown University, DC 20057-1200
St Thomas asks in Question 46, a. 3, which asks, "whether there was some more convenient or apt way to free the human race than through the Passion of Christ?"

Now Aquinas, surprisingly perhaps, does not deny that our redemption could have been effected otherwise. By a simple act of His will, per solam Dei voluntatem, the Father could have liberated us, Thomas tells us. But when God does not act in the way we would have Him act, this difference gives us occasion to wonder if there is not more to it than meets our eyes. God does not just redeem us in a way that has nothing to do with us, or with our understanding of what is going on.

- posted by LRS @ 6:11 AM   

 
Catholic Answers-READERS SOUND OFF ON THE VOTER'S GUIDE
Karl Keating takes some heat for the Catholic Answers Voter's Guide. This should come as no surprise as many are still confused on basic, primary, fundamental issues affecting our country.

KARL KEATING'S E-LETTER
March 16, 2004
TOPIC: READERS SOUND OFF ON THE VOTER'S GUIDE

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:

As I note at the end of each E-Letter, I'm not in a position to answer (let alone solicit!) comments. Writing this E-Letter is not my full-time job, and I want to keep it that way.

Still, many people reply to what I write here, and I read each e-mail that comes in. A very few I answer myself, and a few others I forward to our staff apologists. The majority of the messages I just read and try to learn from.

The February 24 E-Letter was mainly about Catholic Answers' "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics." Let me share with you a few of the comments I received.

NOT INCLUSIVE ENOUGH

David Ewing had these comments:

"While I am adamantly opposed to all the mortal sins you listed, I cannot in good conscience vote for the current administration and/or their cronies & subordinates. Whereas they do hold to Church teaching in their moral/sexual positions, they completely ignore--if not repudiate--teaching about helping one's fellow man, the environment, international cooperation, etc. Why not give any emphasis at all to those important issues, Karl? Are they of no import? Or are you, when it comes to politics, just a right-wing Fundamentalist with a rosary?"

Before I answer Mr. Ewing (I respond to his last question at the end of this E-Letter), let me present comments from others readers who have opinions similar to his.

Bob Storch wrote:

"Your simplistic five 'non-negotiable' Catholic issues is not smart voting. ... The right to life extends beyond the womb. Where do candidates stand on the death penalty? The right to life extends to the quality of life. Where do candidates stand on education and health care? The right to life extends to the dignity of work. Where do candidates stand on jobs, trade, and taxes? ... Narrowing the voting process to a simplistic five-issue check-off is not smart."

Lynn Norris said "ditto":

"Your assertion that 'serious' Catholics should vote for a candidate based solely on any one of the five issues outlined (important though they are) is truly frightening. There are numerous critical moral issues that require conscientious examination and evaluation by people of faith when deciding who should get their vote. ... Your suggestion that some Catholics are voting 'dumb' based only on the five issues on the list is offensive to 'serious' Catholics."

Ronald J. Jebaily said pretty much the same thing:

"This time you have gone over the top. Single-issue voters are dumb by definition, and Catholics who vote only on a candidate's pro-life v. pro-choice position are dumber still, because we are raised on the whole of the Church's social teaching. It is the fallacy of our time that abortion is the last remaining sin. Our Catholic faith should inform our complete value structure so that we can make effective political choices with regard to all the issues facing us, including abortion."

Each of these four correspondents labors under one or more misunderstandings.

1. The "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" doesn't tell the reader which candidates to vote for but which to vote against: Candidates who are wrong on any of the five "non-negotiables" should be eliminated from consideration. Then choose from among the remaining candidates based on other issues. No matter how good he may be on "jobs, trade, and taxes," a candidate who favors homicide (which is what four of the five non-negotiables are) shouldn't get your vote.

2. So far as I know, no candidates for any offices are running on platforms that favor racism, which is why that issue wasn't included among the non-negotiables. But assume there were such candidates. Would you argue that it would be permissible to vote for them, on the theory that they might be right on all the issues except race?

Of course not. You would say their pro-racist position should exclude them from consideration, since racism is a vile thing. As vile as racism is, the killing of innocent people in such things as human cloning and euthanasia is worse.

By crossing off our lists the racist and the candidate who supports any of the five non-negotiables, we don't become one-issue voters, because we go on to take into account other, lesser issues. What we accomplish with this methodology is to declare that some things are beyond the pale and that candidates who want to vie for our votes need to qualify themselves minimally by passing a certain threshold.

3. Issues such as education, health care, the environment, jobs, trade, and taxes are all important--but on them Catholics are permitted a wide liberty. On the five non-negotiables, there is only one possible position for a conscientious Catholic to take: complete opposition. The Church mandates no such uniformity on these other issues.

Consider taxes. How should the tax code be structured? Should we stick with the current system, should we go back to much steeper rates, or should we change to a flat rate for everyone? There is no "Catholic position" here, since any of those systems can qualify under Catholic principles. You may argue in favor of soaking the rich, and I may argue in favor of doing away with income taxes entirely (or the other way around), and neither of us exceeds the bounds of Catholic principles.

Consider jobs. Should we institute government-created jobs, as was done during the Depression? Should we foster jobs by lowering corporate tax rates? Should we give tax breaks to small businesses to help them get off the ground? Any of those positions may be advocated by a Catholic--or opposed by a Catholic. Again, the Church doesn't mandate a particular arrangement--this is true even though particular prelates may argue for one solution or another.

Consider education. Should more money be spent on public schools? Should less? Should some arrangement, such as vouchers or tax credits, be made available for private, including religious, schools? Should home economics classes be scrapped? Should the phonics system be used? Again, a Catholic is free to support or to oppose any of these positions. There is no Catholic party line. Nothing in the creeds tells us whether "Huckleberry Finn" should be assigned reading or whether students should be mandated to attend physical education classes.

4. The voter's guide did not give any "emphasis" (to use Mr. Ewing's word) to these other issues because they aren't black-and-white the way the five non-negotiables are. They are at a different level morally.

No one ever claimed that "abortion is the last remaining sin," to use Mr. Jebaily's phrase. But abortion is such a heinous sin that people advocating it should forfeit our votes. If a candidate is wrong on such a basic issue, what trust can be put in his judgment when it comes to a lesser matter, such as what tariff rate, if any, should be applied to sugar? We would not reward a racist with our vote, so why should we reward someone who is wrong on abortion or the other non-negotiables?

5. The complainants seem to operate from a "seamless garment" approach, but that approach, over the last two decades, failed to advance the Church's teaching on the lesser issues while giving nominally-Catholic politicians "cover" to do nothing at all on the non-negotiables. In theory the "seamless garment" sounds great. In practice it has been a failure.

The fact is that issues are not all on the same level morally. Whether a child dies through abortion is more important than whether a child gets a free school lunch. Moreover, there is an official Catholic position on abortion, but there is not one on free school lunches. One can favor or oppose a school lunch program and be considered a good Catholic, but one can't favor abortion and be so considered.

6. Finally, to answer Mr. Ewing's most pressing question: No, when it comes to politics, I am not "just a right-wing Fundamentalist with a rosary." I am a Catholic with a rosary.

NAMING NAMES

Nancy Weiland had a different complaint:

"You state you will not 'name names.' I feel very strongly that in order to bring about change, you cannot be vague or oblique. Most people need to be hit over the head before they truly understand the message and what's at stake, and in order to do that, you really must 'name names'!"

Tracey Kelly went much further:

"Man, oh man. ... I stopped reading 'cause I was getting really disgusted. ... I don't care what reasons you chose not to mention specifically what politicians or parties were against very basic Catholic and Christian principles ... the bottom line is the same. ... If you don't have the guts, how can you be an example for those you are trying to persuade? I'm sick."

Perk up, friend! No need to get ill over this. Let's think things through.

Our voter's guide makes it clear that the principles it conveys should be applied to all political races, not just those at the national level. Catholic voters should demand the same accountability from candidates who are running for state and local offices as they do from those running for national office. After all, those running for lesser offices, if successful, will be running for greater offices in the future.

In this election year thousands of offices are up for grabs, and tens of thousands of names are appearing on ballots. The "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" is only ten pages long. To "name names" fully, we would need to print not a booklet but a phone book. That's not in our budget.

Maybe my correspondents are thinking chiefly in terms of a few national races. Would there have been room to evaluate the candidates, say, for president and maybe a few senatorial races?

Sure, but that would leave readers with the false impression that they have done their duty when they have applied the five non-negotiables to those races. We wouldn't want that to happen. We want readers to hold all candidates, no matter how obscure the offices, to the same standards, for the reasons given in the guide itself.

WHY WASN'T CAPITAL PUNISHMENT LISTED?

Chris Harris smelled a plot:

"I'm rather disappointed in your litmus test (oops, voting guide) for
several reasons, but foremost: It appears to me that you purposely omitted capital punishment from your list of non-negotiable issues, expressly so the person who is currently President of the United States (who is very much pro death penalty) will pass your litmus test! Please tell me this is not so!"

Okay: It is not so. There was no effort to fashion a list that would allow a particular politician to "pass" or to get off easy.

As I discussed in the March 2 issue of the E-Letter, contrary to what many people think, the Church does not demand opposition to capital punishment--so, yes, we "purposefully omitted capital punishment" from the "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics," but for a very good reason.

Mr. Harris is at liberty to oppose the use of the death penalty and to oppose candidates who support it. Other Catholics are at liberty to support the use of the death penalty and to support candidates who support it. Capital punishment just isn't something that qualifies as a non-negotiable issue, no matter how strongly a particular person may feel about it.

PRO MULTIS or PRO OMNIS?

Jackie Gere had a question but not a complaint:

"I wanted to let you know that I love the voter's guide. I ordered 100 to distribute. I do have a question on the title. Why isn't it a voter's guide for all Catholics? Would you please explain why you chose to put the word 'serious' in the title? I anticipate that as I distribute the guides I may get questions on this."

Whew! I appreciate getting off the hot seat for a moment. Here are the reasons:

1. The only Catholics who will apply their faith in the voting booth are, almost by definition, serious people.

2. "Voter's Guide for Catholics" sounds bland. The title sounds better, maybe even a little intriguing, with "Serious" in it.

3. The title flatters the potential reader by implying that he is serious. This makes it more likely that he will read--and use--the guide. (Imagine the effect on the booklet's distribution if the title had been "Voter's Guide for Airhead Catholics.")

Until next time,

Karl

- posted by LRS @ 5:40 PM   

 
What are Catholics Saying about "The Passion of the Christ"?
This is good.

The Catholic League has a list of notable quotes from a number of Catholics, primarily Bishops.

Well worth the read.
- posted by LRS @ 5:13 AM   

 
New rules on the Eucharist
New rules on the Eucharist
By Luke Coppen

The Vatican will publish strict new norms on the Eucharist next month,
permanently changing the way Mass is celebrated throughout the world.

The Pope has authorised the publication of the norms on Holy Thursday, April 8, a year after his landmark encyclical on the Eucharist.

The final draft of the document, which is now being translated from Latin, will be a carefully edited version of the draft text leaked last September. The draft, which discouraged the reception of communion in both kinds and limited the role of altar girls, provoked an angry reaction from bishops in the English-speaking world.

After intensive episcopal lobbying, the Vatican is understood to have simplified the document and moderated some of the more controversial proscriptions.

The Catholic Herald has learned that the new norms will address some of the most divisive liturgical issues in the Catholic Church today. A source close to the Vatican said the document was part of a drive to "solemnise" the celebration of Mass and to counter a perceived lack of reverence for the Eucharist among Catholics.

It is also likely to challenge the view that the Second Vatican Council gave local bishops the authority to adapt the liturgy. It will also emphasise that Rome must guarantee the universality of the Mass.

- posted by LRS @ 12:18 PM   

 
"THE PASSION," AS SEEN BY A WOMAN RELIGIOUS
Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz on 3 Key Moments

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, MARCH 15, 2004 (Zenit.org).- As a special ZENIT feature, a woman religious offers her view on key parts of the film "The Passion of the Christ." * * *

Three Moments of "The Passion of the Christ"

By Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

Viewing "The Passion of the Christ" affects each person in an individual manner. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the film's portrayal of the last 12 hours of Christ's life on earth, the majority of this depiction of these most sacred hours is rooted in the various Evangelists' accounts found in Scripture.

As a woman religious, I viewed "The Passion" through the eyes of my own feminine nature and the spousal vigilance proper to one whose freely made avowal of the evangelical counsels identifies me as "sponsa Christi." Through such eyes, I have chosen three scenes which have become as the heartbeat of my reflections.

From the opening scenes, I realized that I could not identify with Christ as such. That identification would be more fitting for a priest, who, as "alter Christus," finds his likeness in the God-Man, Jesus Christ.

For me, Jim Caviezel's portrayal of Christ elicited tears wrung from the heart which, I soon understood, was beating as one with Mother Mary's and with all the women portrayed in the film: Mary Magdalene, Veronica, Claudia, the weeping women.

1st: "All Things New"

I watched Christ, I walked with him, I desired to wipe the dirt (which as a woman so bothered me) plastered with ever increasing thickness upon his holy face.

My admiration of Christ's Mother grew as, deep within my own being, I reacted to the bloodthirsty crowds which swirled in mad frenzy throughout the film in their physical and mental brutality toward Christ.

I felt my own body lean toward the screen and had to hold myself back to prevent the release my heart sought. I wanted to shout Simon's later words: "Stop! Haven't you done enough? Stop!"

But she, the Mother, did not; neither did he, the Son and innocent victim. Rather, when the Mother, following the manly logic of John's directions, was able to approach her Son, she tenderly said, "I am here!" And he responded by gifting her (and us) with the secret of obtaining the strength necessary for propitious redemptive suffering: "See, Mother, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5).

St. Louis de Montfort must have rejoiced anew in heaven at this poignant scene culled from the spiritual reflection of Mel Gibson. Can we not summarize the Marian entrustment which John Paul II's coat of arms has displayed to the world for a quarter of a century now as the simple suggestion, "Through the Mother to the Son"?

Perhaps the greatest moment of a mother's love is known when her resolute strength emboldens her children for a suffering the world cannot understand but one rooted, by the redemptive value it offers, in the opened heart of the Christ.

2nd: His Presence

A personal spousal moment for me was epitomized when the Mother was wildly running through the streets in search of her bound and already brutally beaten Son.

Upon crossing over the ground which hid his physical presence from her eyes, as he was held in the dungeon below on that fateful night, she instantly knew his presence; and, bending down, she touched her cheek, her heart, to the ground.

Jesus, too, knew his Mother's closeness and, as the cameras fell below the dust to the hollowed and dirty tabernacle below, the viewer is able to catch Jesus reaching out his hand in an invisible embrace with the woman he loves. The One whom "the rocks like wax melt before his glance" (Judith 16:15) was separated from his Mother, but they still knew a oneness beyond the things of this world.

Similarly, as "sponsa Christi," I am not gifted with the marvelous sensible affects a bride comes to know in her husband. Therefore, the interior communication is heightened, and through this I know Christ's presence with me: each morning in Eucharistic adoration with my community, in each holy Communion, and by reaching out to each person my Spouse sends me.

Through my embrace of all people, regardless of their individual strengths and weaknesses, I know the touch of my Spouse and that touch spiritually fructifies our union as I, with him, behold all humanity as my spiritual children.

3rd: The Pietà, and priests

The third moment which I wish to point out is that immortalized by Michelangelo's famed Pietà. The Son lies in the lap of the Mother once again. Though the Man of Sorrows is now dead, I cannot view this scene as anything but Hope Personified.

As a woman and as a religious sister, this scene calls me to carry, support and love each individual priest whom the Almighty Father places within the radius of my heart's care; ultimately, all priests.

As the wife is made, by holy marriage, the helpmate of her husband, I, a religious sister, become, by virtue of my vocation, the helpmate par excellence of each priest.

When the priest is young, healthy and dynamic, my love is there to prayerfully support him, as Mary supported her Son, oftentimes from what might appear to others as afar.

When the priest must carry his cross for the salvation of the world, I wish to accompany him in my role as co-martyr for the fecundity of the children of God.

And when he appears broken, spent, given, I wish that it be my heart -- through my prayers, sacrifices and support -- upon which he might find peaceful rest. Without him, I have no Eucharistic Spouse; with him, the Church is given Christ until the end of time.

In his role at daily Mass, the priest shows me, again, what it means to be Mary: at the birth in Bethlehem, during her Son's public life of preaching and healing, in the silence of unitive prayer, and, finally, in receiving his Body when Calvary is completed.

With "alter Christus," the religious woman as bride awaits the promised resurrection even as she hears a familiar voice within assuring her: "Mother, behold I make all things new."

Would I advise everyone to experience this movie, even those who have no Christian background? My answer is "yes" without hesitation.

All persons are made in the likeness of God and thus are "imago Dei." The Angelic (Dominican) Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, assures us: "The light of your face, Lord, is signed upon us" ("Summa Theologiae," I-II, q. 91, a.2). The Apostle John gives us a one-word name for God: "Love."

We were made by Love; for Love; and to receive and give this Love who is God.

I submit this movie has the power to resonate in all hearts because it is the greatest Love story. With faith, one can only fall back in adoration ... knowing here is a Man who loves me.

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
The Pill made same-sex nuptials inevitable.
Save Marriage? It's Too Late.
The Pill made same-sex nuptials inevitable.
BY DONALD SENSING
This article in the Wall Street Journal seems to get part of it right. Fr John Hardon said for years that contraception is one of the primary reasons our society has become so paganized and why this nation and others murder its own children.

No nation has ever survived after having gone down the path of contraception, abortion, infanticide. We are witnessing the implosion of a once great country. We and others have contracepted ourselves into oblivion!

The question that must be asked is why have so many of our bishops and priests been so silent about contraception, which, according to Fr. Hardon's calculations some time ago, result in more than 5 times the number of abortions as those performed in clinics, etc. That is, somewhere near 9 million deaths/murders actually occur in the US due to the pill and direct abortions. To be truly pro-life one must reject, not only the insideous evil of abortion, but also the gravely immoral act of contraception, as well.
- posted by LRS @ 1:00 AM   

 
England Bishops....Now....No Official Word on "The Passion"
LONDON, MARCH 12, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales has not made an official declaration about the film "The Passion of the Christ." A source cited in Thursday's dispatch was actually a reflection of the "personal declarations" of a press officer, the bishops' conference said. ZENIT regrets the error.

http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=50562
- posted by LRS @ 1:24 AM   

 
Awe Inspiring Church Architecture
Jeff Miller of "The Curt Jester" has a interesting take on some newly renovated church in Montrose CA recently dedicated by Cardinal Mahoney...Get a good look at the "crucifix"....
- posted by LRS @ 11:44 PM   

 
New Vatican effort to promote liturgical chant

Vatican, Mar. 12 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has published the first in a projected new series of works, entitled Liturgia Poliphonia, which will offer the musical scores from contemporary chants written for the Sistine Chapel choir.

In a preface to the first booklet of the series, Msgr. Piero Marini, the master of ceremonies for pontifical liturgies, explains that the new series intended to furnish a model to stimulate the widespread use and appreciation of chant in the liturgy.
. . .
Since Vatican II there has been a marked tension within the Church between the proponents of traditional chant and the advocates of a more "progressive" approach to traditional liturgy. This tension has given rise to some heated polemics, even among Vatican officials.

Pope John Paul has endorsed the Vatican II teaching, emphasizing that "it is only through Gregorian chant and the organ that liturgical music can play a properly dignified role in the celebration of the sacraments, and particularly the Mass." He made that comment in January 2001, on the 90th anniversary of the Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music.

Full Article here.



- posted by LRS @ 12:30 PM   

 
Goodbye, Father Joe and Father Mikey and Father Bob...

Are we too chummy with our priests? What does this say about our - or his - view of the priesthood?

Am I the only American Catholic who is embarrassed when I hear my fellow parishioners refer to my parish priest as Father Mikey? Or are there lots of us out there who are similarly uneasy about this casual and -- to me -- impudent custom?

Adoremus has a great article on this subject here.

I was raised this way, that is, to address priests by their last name. I was also raised to address our elders as Mr. or Mrs. Jones, or Smith, or whatever, as a sign of respect. Some still teach their children these type of manners. It would be great if all parents did likewise.


- posted by LRS @ 6:03 AM   

 
English Bishops Defend and Endorse "The Passion"

LONDON, MARCH 11, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have endorsed Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," calling the movie a "positive and faithful account of the Gospels."

The movie, which opened in America on Ash Wednesday, has become, according to the Hollywood daily Variety, "a cultural phenomenon." It has taken in about $224 million in its first two weeks of release. The film is scheduled for a nationwide release in Britain on March 26.

In a statement, the bishops' conference said it disagreed with the charge that "The Passion" was anti-Semitic, the Catholic Herald reported.

"We do not believe that the film portrays the Jewish people as collectively responsible for Christ's death," the statement said. "We disagree that the violence in the film is gratuitous."

Let's see the Phillipine bishops, now the English bishops...Did I miss the US Bishops?


- posted by LRS @ 11:21 PM   

 
PHILIPPINES-Bishops impressed by "The Passion": "Mel Gibson is like Mother Teresa"

Before coming to the movie theater, the bishops talked about the film, based on what they had read. "We were saying that Mel Gibson may be the best evangelizer of our times," Bishop Arguelles said. "So far the best evangelizer of our time is Mother Teresa. Now, they say, Gibson may beat out Mother Teresa because of the millions who have seen and will see the film in such a short time." (SE)

Full story here.

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Philippine Bishops Endorse ''The Passion"

MANILA, Philippines, MARCH 10, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Church leaders in the Philippines say they are endorsing ''The Passion of the Christ,'' dismissing criticism that the Mel Gibson film is anti-Semitic.

The film, which graphically depicts the passion and death of Jesus, was screened for the Philippine bishops' conference late Tuesday ahead of its public showing here, Agence France-Presse said.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales told reporters he believed Gibson intended to raise awareness about growing violence all over the world. ''I think I would recommend it to every Filipino to see it who believes in goodness and accepts the reality of evil,'' the archbishop said.

In the United States, "The Passion of the Christ" remained the top film for a second straight weekend, taking in $53.2 million and pushing its 12-day total to $213.9 million, the Associated Press said.

Apparently the Phillipine Bishops were not in touch with the USCCB or some of their 'concerned' brother bishops in the U.S.
- posted by LRS @ 2:10 AM   

 
Pax Christi to perform 2004 Election Monitoring in Florida
This just in!

Jimmy Carter made election monitoring famous. . .
Now, Pax Christi USA is getting in the business. Except they're going to Florida.

"As the 2004 presidential election season swings into full gear, we believe it is imperative that non-partisan organizations commit resources to ensuring that this election does not result in controversy similar to what we witnessed in 2000," said Dave Robinson, national coordinator of the Catholic peace and justice organization. "We want to make sure that the sanctity of every vote and the dignity of every voter is respected and upheld, especially for those who experienced such a high degree of disenfranchisement in the previous presidential election."
. . .
"This is all part of some politically motivated thing that tries to scare people to somehow think their vote is not going to count," said (Governor Jeb) Bush. "That's hogwash, hogwash."

"Assuring each citizen's right to vote is not hogwash," responded Robinson. "Having non-partisan election monitors from the international community is an essential component to assuring the integrity of the election process in Florida."

Copyright © 2003 The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company

Disenfranchisement? Because of pregnant chads? Please!
Is this what we have to look forward to?



What's wrong with Pax Christi, you may ask? Someone who is eminently more qualified than I should answer that question. Who? How about Dr. Arthur Hippler, the Director of the Office of Justice and Peace in the Diocese of La Crosse, formerly headed by Bishop Raymond Burke.

Dr. Hippler answers the question: "What's wrong with Pax Christi?" here.
It appears from a second article by Dr. Hippler here, that Pax Christi was not pleased with his first.

It seems a little disconcerting that, as stated by the National 'Catholic' Reporter, "Now, Pax Christi USA is getting in the business", especially considering that they, according to Dr. Hippler and others, have a difficulty presenting basic Catholic teaching truthfully, that is, without distortions.

- posted by LRS @ 12:11 PM   

 
Forced Abortion Legal in America
This is CRIMINAL!
May God have mercy on us and this country! This is from LifeSite.

The Population Research Institute has revealed that coerced abortion is a reality in America. A court ruled that a woman can be forced to submit to an abortion, if, in the opinion of the abortionist, the measure is necessary to "protect the health of the mother." The Jane Roe II vs. Aware Women Center for Choice, Inc. ruling was handed down in January.

The case arose when a young woman who entered an abortion clinic for an abortion changed her mind. The abortionist, William P. Egherman, who has committed over 10,000 abortions, instead of stopping the procedure, called in assistants to hold her down while he continued to dilate her cervix.

"My God, you're hurting me" the woman screamed. "You're killing me, I'll never be able to have babies... Stop!" Despite her pleas, Egherman went in with a forceps, an instrument in court he referred to as "the bear" and began prodding and pulling, and accidentally tore out a piece of her intestines. He advised the ambulance to go slow, without lights or siren, so as not to distress his other clients who were waiting for abortions. The hospital repaired the damage and removed the remains of a dead child.

Read it and weep for for these people and our society.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help, please pray for us!
- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
A Rebellion Brewing at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, St. Louis?
This is another Post Dispatch article by Aisha Sultan (who by the way has not acknowledged my letter) about a controversy in the Archdiocese.

There's a quiet rebellion brewing in a 123-year-old parish.

It's supported by an unlikely bunch of dissidents - faithful Catholics who are feuding with an even more unlikely foe - the Archdiocese of St. Louis. But the stakes are high for the parishioners at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, just northwest of downtown St. Louis.
. . .
The church stands somewhat apart from the archdiocese. It oversees its own finances and holds the eight acres of land and buildings on it in its own name. Now, the archdiocese wants the parish to turn over its funds and deed to the land. Church officials say canon law, the law of the Roman Catholic Church, requires the parish to comply.
. . .
Last week, Archbishop Raymond Burke met with them, and the board says the message was clear: Sign over your deed and turn over your funds or lose your priest. If the church loses its priest, it can no longer be used to celebrate Mass or perform weddings or funerals.

Given the history of the Post regarding the Catholic Church and Archbishop Burke, in particular, are we to believe this story? I, personally, would rather hear it from someone who is trustworthy and believable - that would be our pastoral shepherd, Archbishop Burke.
- posted by LRS @ 6:20 AM   

 
The Passion of Christ Cracks the Da Vinci Code
I received this early this morning:

There is a forum on The Passion (Mel Gibson) and The Davinci Code...with two guests, Fr. Mike Geisler, S.T.D, (an Opus Dei scripture scholar) and a guest named Linda Ruf, to separate fact from fiction.

It's called "The Passion of the Christ Cracks the Code"...on Friday, March 19 at 7:00PM at the Kirkwood Community Theater on
111 S. Geyer in Kirkwood, MO

Phone number: 314-822-5855

Fr. Giesler is also the author of Junia, a book of historical fiction about the life of a second-century Christian woman (Scepter, 2002).


- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
Philippines Losing Sense of Sin, Says Prelate

Cites Example of 32 Cohabiting Couples

MANILA, Philippines, MARCH 9, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Philippine Catholics have little understanding of repentance due to the loss of the sense of sin, warns the president of the country's episcopal conference.

"Repentance is difficult because today the sense of sin is disappearing from the conscience of Filipinos," Archbishop Fernando Capalla of Davao said in an editorial in the bulletin of the episcopal conference, according to AsiaNews.

He cited an incident that occurred last November. At a parish, 32 couples who had cohabited for years were being prepared for marriage. The pastor told them they should go to confession before their marriage, a ceremony that would be celebrated by the archbishop. The couples answered: "Father, we have no sins to confess."

Such ignorance of sin happens because of their "indifferent and weak conscience, so hardened as to no longer hear the interior voice of God," the archbishop said. The couples' reply is common "to many in our country and in the Church of today," he added.

"What has happened?" he asked. "Why do people say sin no longer exists? Why do they rarely go to confession? Why do so many receive the Body of Christ in holy Communion even in a state of mortal sin?"

The archbishop sees the loss of the sense of sin affecting the electoral campaign in the Philippines.

"The politicians make vain promises, buy the votes of the electorate; some even denigrate with lies the rival candidates," he said. "Yet, despite this, they go to church, attend Mass and go to Communion. But when they leave the Church, they fight against one another."

The causes and reasons are many, however, if it is anything like the widespread failure to help the faithful properly form their consciences by teaching them during homilies and such, one can understand why the people are in such a state of ignorance.

The Truth needs to be proclaimed clearly and with charity in order to help in the salvation of souls. Abandoning the truth or perpetuating lies and ambiguities with regard to sexual immorality is not only a disservice and offense to God, but it is also a terrible injustice to families and society.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Fr. Richard McBrien upset over Vatican Appointee

The Vatican yesterday tapped Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor who has been the leading legal expert for gay-marriage opponents on Beacon Hill, as the highest-ranking female adviser in the Catholic Church.

Pope John Paul II chose Glendon to lead the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which produces research to help the church establish its social policy. Glendon, a devout Catholic and longtime adviser to the pope, has made a name for herself as an articulate antiabortion scholar, and she was the first woman to lead a delegation of the Holy See, at the United Nations Women's Conference in Beijing in 1995.

But the Rev. Richard McBrien, a Notre Dame theologian, compared Glendon's selection to that of Clarence Thomas to the US Supreme Court. His conservative views have been sharply criticized by fellow blacks, and Glendon's views, he said, are also extreme and out of step with the constituency she is supposed to represent.

"Catholic women who know her would not see her as one of their own and would not see her as evidence of the Vatican's commitment to place women in high positions of visibility," McBrien said.

The full article can be found here.

And this coming from a man who claiming to be a priest and a theologian. Prayers and penances are needed for the conversion of his heart. Prayers are also needed for Mary Ann Glendon as she, no doubt, is subjected to more persecution from people such as Fr. McBrien.
- posted by LRS @ 6:05 AM   

 
A Petition to Mel Gibson to make a movie about St. Francis
An Open Letter and Respectful Petition to Mel Gibson




- posted by LRS @ 5:30 AM   

 
Supreme Court Rejects Boy Scouts' Appeal
From the Thomas More Law Center

Supreme Court’s Rejection of Boy Scouts Appeal Signals Disturbing Anti-Christian Trend in Federal Courts

ANN ARBOR, MI — The United States Supreme Court today rejected an appeal by the Boy Scouts of America, letting stand a Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision that held it was constitutionally permissible to exclude the Scouts from a state charitable program because the Scouts excluded avowed homosexuals from leadership positions. Homosexual activist organizations such as the Lambda Legal Defense Fund are allowed to participate in the state charitable campaign.

Less than two weeks ago, the Supreme Court held in the case of Davey v. Locke, that it was constitutionally permissible for the State of Washington to discriminate in its scholarship program against a Christian college student who majored in theology.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center expressed his disappointment. “The Court’s refusal to hear the Boy Scouts appeal, coming on the heels of its recent decision approving state discrimination against a Christian theology student, is evidence of a disturbing anti-Christian trend in the federal courts. It suggests that the Supreme Court has taken sides in the Culture War facing our nation.”

The Thomas More Law Center had filed amicus briefs in both cases. In the Boy Scouts case, the Law Center pointed out, “The Second Circuit’s opinion threatens not only the First Amendment right to expressive association, but also the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. This opinion adversely affects the First Amendment rights of the Boy Scouts, and it has far reaching implications that could threaten the constitutional rights of religious-based organizations that seek to promote and preserve their organizational values, particularly with regard to the issue of homosexuality.”

The Boy Scouts had participated in the Connecticut charitable program for over 30 years. The state program allows private groups such as the Boy Scouts to receive charitable donations through voluntary payroll deductions from State employees. State officials denied the Boy Scouts access to this government program because they claimed that the Scouts were violating state non-discrimination laws by excluding avowed homosexuals from positions of leadership.

Thompson had earlier criticized Connecticut for pandering to the homosexual agenda by punishing the Scouts for exercising their constitutional rights, “Permitting this decision [Second Circuit Court of Appeals] to stand would in effect allow governments to legally extort organizations and individuals to give up basic beliefs.”

- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
A report of a Fireside Chat with Cardinal George

His (Cardinal George's) most sobering comment concerned the status of the Church in twenty years. His foresees the Catholic Church being forced underground as in China (with less physical persecution).

He argued that for example, a woman sues the Church to be a priest saying it is her right. She gets five justices to agree that it is a right. The Church cannot argue legally from a sacramental standpoint, because Roe v. Wade changed the argument from institutional and community to individual rights, as such the Church must argue on the basis of rights, and here has no argument. The Five justices decree women's ordination, the result is two churches. One a state sponsored Catholic Church and the other an underground Catholic Church. His actual timeframe was ten years.

He finally closed with the need for a New Evangelization to reach out to the post-Christian World, Europe and America and bring them back. To do so, one must use both Faith (Bible and Tradition) and Reason. Again arguing that it is vitally important to the Faith.

This is a brief summary as best as I can remember, it was a powerful talk, he talked for 2.5 hours.

Full report is here.

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Mons. Robert Finn named Co-adjutor of Kansas City-St. Joseph
The news is here.
Plus three other new bishops were appointed in the U.S.

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Robert Joseph McManus, auxiliary of the diocese of Providence, U.S.A., as bishop of Worcester (area 3,966, population 762,207, Catholics 390,207, priests 373, religious 650), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Robert Joseph Cunningham, pastor of St. Louis Parish and diocesan administrator of the diocese of Buffalo, U.S.A. as bishop of Ogdensburg (area 31,161, population 462,000, Catholics 143,700, priests 143, permanent deacons 55, religious 175), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Buffalo in 1943 and was ordained a priest in 1969.

- Appointed Bishop Timothy Anthony McDonnell, auxiliary of the archdiocese of New York, U.S.A., as bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts (area 7,306, population 790,000, Catholics 251,311, religious 195, permanent deacons 58, religious 619), U.S.A.

- Appointed Msgr. Robert W. Finn, of the clergy of the archdiocese of St. Louis, and director of the diocesan magazine "St. Louis Review," as coadjutor bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph (area 39,946, population 1,394,054, Catholics 141,900, priests 204, permanent deacons 53, religious 437), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in St. Louis in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1979.

- Appointed Mary Ann Glendon, professor of law at Harvard University, Cambridge, U.S.A., as president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
NER:NEC:NA/./. VIS 040309 (240)

Our prayers are with Mons. Finn on his new assignment
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Milwaukee Archdiocese & Victims talks fail
Archbishop Dolan has 'inherited' an archdiocese in need of special prayers and grace. The victims contend that the talks broke down because Archbishop Dolan refuses to release the names of priests who molested children and young adults.

Please pray for him and for all the faithful so that healing will come to all the people, especially those who have been injured because of the many years of failure of proper episcopal oversight and leadership.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal has the story here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:52 AM   

 
Toronto archdiocese disciplines dissident priest
Toronto, Mar. 08 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - The Archdiocese of Toronto last week reported that it has suspended the faculties of Father Tim Ryan, the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society priest who, in August 2003, filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court of Canada in support of homosexual marriage.

Attention was brought to the affidavit when it appeared on LifeSiteNews.com on February 3. Father Ryan told the Toronto Star newspaper that he received a letter from the archdiocese announcing his suspension on February 12.

With the action, the archdiocese is sending a clear message about the sanctity of marriage and the seriousness with which the Church remains committed to truth. It said in a statement, "It is the clear teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that marriage is a life commitment between a man and a woman. Marriage is a social and personal relationship with both a public and a private dimension, having foundational importance in society."

It explained that Father Ryan's actions were "contrary to the clear teaching of the Church which ordained him, making him, like all priests, its representative." It continued, "Since he has contradicted the teaching of the Church, the Archdiocese of Toronto has suspended his faculties. This means that Father Ryan is no longer able to preach or celebrate Mass publicly in the Archdiocese."

Father Brian Clough, judicial vicar of the archdiocese, met with Father Ryan to explore his views. He concluded that Father Ryan's opinions were not consistent with the teachings of the Church. "The Archdiocese of Toronto does not want Father Ryan to be considered a priest in good standing who can use a pulpit to expound his personal views," said Father Clough.

The statement concludes: "A priest in good standing is entitled to be registered under the Marriage Act of Ontario to legally register marriages that he celebrates. Father Ryan was not registered under the Ontario Marriage Act and now would not qualify for registration. The Archdiocese has thus ensured that Father Ryan would not be able to try to act on his views by performing a civil marriage for a same-sex couple."

© Copyright 2004 Domus Enterprises. All rights reserved.

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters by Fr. Stephen F. Torraco, PhD
Fr. Torraco was recently on EWTN with Fr. Mitch Pacwa discussing the responsibilities of all people, especially Catholics, to have a well formed conscience when exercising one's duty to vote. Fr. Torraco answers 14 questions that may arise when dealing with the issue of voting as a Catholic.

The "Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters" is online here.

It is also available in booklet form from Leaflet Missal here.


- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Followup Letter to the Post-Dispatch....Again
To: Aisha Sultan
CC: Letters@post-dispatch.com

The first sentence of your report titled "Burke cites "hedonistic culture" as a factor in church's problems" on Februrary 27, states:

Archbishop Raymond Burke blamed society's "hedonistic culture" as the most significant cause of sexual abuse within the church...

No where in the rest of the article do you specifically and directly quote what the Archbishop said about this "hedonistic culture".

Can you please provide a direct quotation which substantiates your claim that Archbishop Burke stated that the "most significant cause" of sexual abuse within the Church is society's "hedonistic culture"?

Without some sort of substantiaton of the claim you make in your article, I'm afraid the readers of the Post-Dispatch are left no choice other than to question the veracity of your other statements, not only in this article but in other articles which you may write.

May God bless you,

- posted by LRS @ 6:20 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke Responds to the distortions of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The Post Dispatch, incapable of printing the truth when it comes to the Church, is taken to task again -this time by Archbishop Raymond Burke. The link is here, however, I will post the entire letter as printed in the Post. Because the source of this letter is the Post-Dispatch, we cannot be sure that Archbishop Burke's letter was printed in its entirety.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Editorial misstated facts, ignored efforts to address abuse
By RAYMOND L. BURKE
03/07/2004

I take strong exception to several statements made in the Feb. 29 editorial "Problem Priests: 'The Smoke of Satan.' " Three statements in particular must be corrected.

First, it stated that "one in every 25 American Catholic priests serving in the past five decades was a sexual predator." As I pointed out in my statement to the press on Feb. 27, the John Jay study did not distinguish between "credible" or "substantiated" and "unsubstantiated" allegations. As I also pointed out, a number of accusations go back several decades, and some have been made against priests who are deceased. In both cases, it is impossible to substantiate the accusations.

Certainly, there are false accusations. Therefore, it is wrong to state that all of the priests accused, in fact, were "sexual predators." That being said, the Church abhors even one act of child sexual abuse by a priest.

The editorial also stated that in Rome, "Church officials still regard the sex abuse question as an American preoccupation." Having served on a tribunal of the Holy See from September 1989, to February 1995, which dealt with such cases, I can assure you that the Holy See and Church law, in its long tradition, is committed to the discipline and eventual removal from priestly ministry of any person who commits such crimes. There is no naivete about the nature of the problem and its possible incidence in any nation or culture.

Lastly, I take great offense at the remark about Cardinal Justin Rigali, my predecessor. Since my arrival here, I have been deeply impressed with the thoroughness of the then-Archbishop Rigali in addressing the evil of child sexual abuse by the clergy. His efforts, which have all been designed to continue and develop, could not have addressed more fully the protection of our children and young people. Then-Archbishop Rigali and his staff, now my staff, always have been ready to meet with any individual or, in the case of a minor, with the parents, making an accusation of child sexual abuse or any form of sexual misconduct by a priest. He certainly developed a policy and procedures which protect fully the rights of alleged victims.

The Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke is archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis.

It seems to me from reading this letter to the Post that it appears to be incomplete. I suppose we will have to see if we can get clarification from Archbishop Burke about whether his letter was 'edited' by the Post or not.
- posted by LRS @ 6:17 AM   

 
And there's this..Mar 27 - Lay Eucharistic Conference with Archbishop Burke
The topic will be Exploring Ecclesia de Eucharistia, the recent Encyclical of Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Raymond Burke will be the speaker.

Details here...Reservations are REQUIRED.


- posted by LRS @ 7:42 PM   

 
Don't forget - Fr. Robert Levis (EWTN Web of Faith) here on March 20.
Father Robert Levis, Ph. D., will be speaking on "The Catechetical Crisis and What We Can Do About It" on March 20.

Details are here.

- posted by LRS @ 7:38 PM   

 
"I think everyone should have a gay child," says Audrey...
The St Louis Post Dispatch has printed a story today titled "The extraordinary journey of an ordinary St. Louis family"....that is a St. Louis "Catholic" family.
This is the story in a nutshell.

When their fifth child, Jane, came home from Mizzou 15 years ago and told her mother she is a lesbian, "I was devastated," said Audrey.

Audrey and Tom were so distraught, they were in a counselor's office that afternoon, and by evening they were sitting in a room full of total strangers -- a support group for family members of gays and lesbians.

Audrey cried at every one of those meetings for a year. She hoped it was a phase.

It took five years of reading, talking with other families and soul-searching for all of the family to not just accept Jane, but to change their minds on the bigger question: Is it wrong?

(The father) had cried with joy as he watched his daughter and her (lesbian) partner Chris wed by an Eden Seminary minister before 125 guests...(but the mother,) Audrey was appalled when Jane told her she is hoping to have a baby."

"I thought it would be the worst thing in the world," Audrey said. "I thought it would be cruel to the child."

Audrey has changed her mind on this, too. It may be too soon to hope, realistically, for marriage.

Five years to accept their daughter because of her disordered inclination? It seems that it may have taken five years to jettison the natural moral law regarding disordered acts rather than accepting their daughter. But then again, we must rely on what the author of the article says.

It is a difficult cross, as the Church teaches us, that people with homosexual inclinations must bear. And we must help them with our support, our prayers and penances. However, one is obliged, in true charity, to stand firm with the truth that homosexual acts are, objectively, gravely sinful.

This is even further compounded by the desire to raise a child in an environment which attempts to confirm that immorality is, in fact, moral, and that disorder is really order - Darkness has become light, evil has become good.




- posted by LRS @ 8:54 PM   

 
Bishops Receive Missal Texts; Translation Norms
I urge everyone to read this article from Adoremus...

Two signs of significant progress on the authentic reform of the Liturgy were revealed at the beginning of this year. First, a draft document on English translation was released in January by Vox Clara, the panel appointed to assist the Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW) with English-language texts for the Liturgy. Second, a draft of the Order of Mass produced by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) was sent to bishops in February -- signaling that new translations of the Mass may be in use a year from now.
. . .
A few examples of texts spoken by the congregation illustrate this greater fidelity to the Latin:

Latin
Dominus vobiscum. ­ Et cum spirituo tuo.
Sursum corda. ­ Habemus ad Dominum.
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. ­
Dignum et iustum est.

ICEL 1973
The Lord be with you. ­ And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. ­ We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. ­ It is right to give him thanks and praise.

ICEL 2004
The Lord be with you. ­ And with your spirit.
Let our hearts be lifted high. ­ We hold them before the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. ­ It is right and just.

The words and gestures of the Act of Penitence are restored to the greater solemnity of the original Latin Confiteor (which had never been changed). Catholics will now for the first time say in English, Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa:

I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned exceedingly, in my thoughts and in my words; in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (striking their breast, they say) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault...
. . .
...there are strong indications that the changes Catholics will soon experience will be welcomed by most for what they are -- a genuine recovery of the sacred dimension of Catholic worship that was sorely diminished by misguided flirtations with the "spirit of the age" that prevailed four decades ago. Obviously, the cultural phenomenon of "The Sixties" pervaded society and affected far more than Catholic worship. But, as William Ralph Inge, the Anglican dean of St. Paul's in London, once quipped, "He who marries the Spirit of the Age will soon find himself a widower".

- posted by LRS @ 12:35 PM   

 
Unsettling Facts Underlie The Statistics...The Wanderer
A new article from Paul Likoudis of The Wanderer

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Behind the statistics on the extent of clerical sex abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States over the past 50 years — gathered by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and interpreted by the U.S. bishops’ National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People — are a number of unsettling facts that raise more questions than the NRB report answered.

- posted by LRS @ 12:15 PM   

 
Please remember Carol McKinley & family in your prayers...
Carol McKinley, the woman who runs an excellent blog called "Magisterial Fidelity" in the Boston area and who keeps those of us outside Boston well informed on Church issues in the area, suffered the unexpected loss of her mother last night in a tragic car accident.

Please pray for her and her family in these hours of tremendous loss. For those who have lost a parent unexpectedly, you will understand how important this is. Pray that she and her family will be extraordinarily blessed with the grace to accept this loss and pray also for the repose of the soul of her mother.

Jesus, I trust in you!
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
RULES FOR THE ROAD TO PERFECTION

Don’t neglect a daily examination of conscience.

Do ask yourself if you have committed even the least offense against the will of God.

Don’t give in to worry, anxiety or the self-pity of discouragement.

Do frequent the sacraments.

Don’t neglect the spiritual or corporal works of mercy.

Do all things for the glory of God.

Do call on the name of Jesus saying, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

Copyright © 2003 The Real Presence Association, Inc.
Website: www.therealpresence.org
- posted by LRS @ 6:05 AM   

 
Radical Nun claims Bernardin supported Women Priests
The life that led to rebellion
March 5, 2004
Excerpted from "Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns,"
by Sun-Times reporter Cheryl L. Reed

For starters, there was the matter of her benefactor, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. While in Rome in 1994, Margaret and her friend Sister Donna Quinn met privately with Bernardin, who was attending a conference that the sisters were protesting.

"He smiled and said, 'I just want you to know that I am for the ordination of women.' He never said that publicly, but now I want to make it known. Later in the conversation, he looked up at the top window and said: 'It won't happen in this administration. But it will happen.' "

Bernardin, she said, had called the shelter his "secret church." A frequent visitor, Bernardin would walk through the shelter with kids clinging to him. Mothers waited in long lines to have him bless their non-Catholic children. Every Christmas, Bernardin wrote checks to the shelter from his private account, she said. When he died, his last check, she said, was inside an envelope labeled: For my secret church.

Bernardin was one of the few church leaders Margaret adored.

"The pope," she said, "despite all his talks to the contrary, despises women."

. . .

Since 1965, the number of nuns in this country has declined from 180,000 to just 73,000 today. Dozens of orders have closed; others are merging to survive.

Despite the prevailing myth that nuns are financially supported by the Catholic Church, most women's religious orders are independent entities, sanctioned by the Church but not dependent on it. Historically, nun orders have financed themselves through institutional works, such as running schools or hospitals.

Today, the majority of nuns do not wear habits. Many live in apartments separate from their convents. Modern nuns are employed in a variety of occupations, including psychologists, professors, lawyers, massage therapists, social workers, political activists and prison chaplains. Their salaries are deposited directly into the order's coffers and they are issued a monthly stipend in order to cover personal expenses.

Catholic sisters have more freedom today in the way they dress, the jobs they choose and even how they practice their spirituality. Because they work less and less under the direct auspices of the Catholic Church, they are freer to express their beliefs and allowed to incorporate other religions into their practices, such as Buddhism, as long as those practices don't conflict with Catholic tenets.

This entire story is so sad. It is yet another example of the loss of faith. Another example of pride giving way to disobedience. A complete rejection of humility and docility in conforming one's will to the will of God.

During this season of Lent, we should remind ourselves of the tremendous sacrifice of our Lord for our sins and transgressions and pray, do penance, and fast in order to accept His call for us to take up our crosses and follow Him. We must reject the temptations to pride and conform our wills to His.
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
Response to Critics of "The Passion of the Christ"
Numerous Positive Reviews and Stories Counter Raging Critics Who Don’t Want People to See The Passion of the Christ are available on LifeSite News.

* Positive Reports on ‘The Passion of the Christ’ Here*


- posted by LRS @ 1:00 AM   

 
Kofi Annan Calls Abortion Group “Shining Example” for World

At a gala event held in January, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan received an award from the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), a group working for worldwide abortion on demand for women and girls. Annan’s enthusiastic acceptance of the award raises renewed questions about the objectivity of Annan, and the UN secretariat in general, which is responsible for organizing major conferences on international social policy.

In his acceptance speech, the Secretary General lauded IWHC, saying that “I am moved that you have chosen to honour me this evening. Above all, I want to pay tribute to the International Women’s Health Coalition for the work it is doing around the globe. The IWHC and its partners provide indispensable leadership for the health and rights of girls and women worldwide. If there were more pioneers like you, the world would be a better place….You are a shining example.”

See the full story here at C-Fam.org

This is so disgusting! I am so repulsed by these the words and actions of this man and those whom he praises. One is prone to wonder what sort of deals have been contracted with the devil?
- posted by LRS @ 9:47 PM   

 
Prosecutor presents case against retired bishop to grand jury
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) A county prosecutor said Thursday he will present to a grand jury sex-abuse allegations against retired Springfield Bishop Thomas Dupre.

Dupre, 70, stepped down Feb. 11, citing health reasons. His retirement came a day after The Republican newspaper of Springfield confronted Dupre with allegations that decades earlier he had abused two boys while he was a parish priest.

[Full Story Here]

Please pray for this man, for his accusers and for the faithful of that diocese.

- posted by LRS @ 9:40 PM   

 
New, more accurate translation of the Mass
From Catholic World News

Sydney, Mar. 04 (CWNews.com)
A new English translation of the Ordinary of the Mass has earned a positive review from the chairman of a new committee of bishops charged with supervising such translations.

The new English translation responds to two new Vatican documents: the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal, which was released in 2002; and Liturgiam Authenticam, the instruction on proper translation of liturgical texts, which appeared in 2001.

Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, has indicated that the new translation-- which is now being circulated among the bishops of the English-speaking world for comments-- has earned generally favorable notice. "So far, so good," he told reporters in Australia. "In fact, excellent."

Cardinal Pell heads the Vox Clara committee, which was set up by the Vatican to provide guidance for liturgical translations into English. The cardinal reported that the committee "was delighted by the elegance of this translation and its fidelity to the Latin."

Among the most notable changes proposed in the new translation are:

The Creed begins with "I believe," rather than "We believe"-- in a simple and accurate translation of the Latin "Credo."

When the priest says to the congregation, "The Lord be with you," the response is now: "And with your spirit"-- again, a faithful translation of the Latin "Et cum spiritu tuo."

The use of "inclusive language" is generally avoided, so that masculine pronouns are more broadly used-- especially in cases where the pronoun might refer to Jesus or to God.

The English-speaking bishops have been asked to offer comments on the draft translation by May 15.

© Copyright 2004 Domus Enterprises. All rights reserved.

Great news...Perhaps we are on the way to "authentic" liturgical renewal?

- posted by LRS @ 7:30 AM   

 
St. Cloud priests want discussion of optional celibacy
I have not seen the letter yet.
This article may say enough, however.

Thirty-seven priests in the Diocese of St. Cloud are asking a national bishops organization to discuss optional celibacy for priests.

"This is not trying to be divisive, we're just wanting to have discussion take place for what we feel is the health of the church and the health of the priesthood," said the Rev. Ron Weyrens, a priest at the Church of St. Joseph in Waite Park.

It's still a concern for Weyrens, as is his belief that the call to the priesthood is not limited to celibate men.

"Married men, married women, celibate women, there are a lot of people being called," he said. "We're not really being open to who the spirit is sending us as priests."(my emphasis)

Now we may see the real crux of the issue for Weyrens. The priesthood needs to opened up to anyone who THINKS they have a calling. Pay no attention to the unchanging doctrine of the Church that only males may be ordained...Why no, let us be moved by the 'spirit'! Unfortunately, some are willing to be led by any 'spirit' unless, or course, it's the Holy Spirit!

Where did these priests receive their doctrinal formation? Or did they?
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Albany Bishop says critics want to go back to Pre-Vatican II Church
Hubbard denies claims that he protected gay priests, carried on romantic affairs.

"It is not just an attack upon myself," Hubbard said. "It is an agenda about the direction the church is moving and people want to turn back the clock and renounce the strides we made in ecumenism and religious liberty and liturgical reform and go back to the church of before the second Vatican Council.
...
When he became America's youngest bishop at 38 and took over his home diocese in 1977, he was in the vanguard of the church's liberal lurch since Vatican II in the 1960s. He helped lead the church into a more open institution with girl altar servers, more laity involvement including women lectors, and ministries to help gay Catholics, among other measures.
...
Brady says Hubbard as a standard bearer of this liberalism is "evil," engaged in "liturgical abuse," and heresy. He said Hubbard should be removed even if he is innocent of the gay sex claims, because he was one of the bishops that for decades refused to fire pedophile priests.

Sure, it's all about the direction the Church is going - not about rampant liturgical abuse, catechetical catastrophe, or failure to reject heretical positions.

[Full Article Here]
- posted by LRS @ 6:08 AM   

 
The St Louis Post Dispatch Editorial Criticizes Abp. Burke and the Church
One wonders if too much time has passed since the last criticisms of Archbishop Burke by the Post Dispatch?

The newest editorial can be viewed here.

One should know what the editor intends to do by his very first sentence which reads:

AMERICA HAS ALWAYS been a difficult fit for the Roman Catholic Church.

But let us continue to see where he wants to lead us:

Here is a country founded by Protestant sectarians who thought the Anglican church was a little too Roman, a country where religious pluralism is the law and individual rights are celebrated. Then there's the Church of Rome, the hierarchical "one true faith" where priests stand between God and man.
Now comes Raymond L. Burke, archbishop of St. Louis, to suggest that America's "hedonistic culture" — the individual pursuit of pleasure — is the most significant cause of the church's priest sexual abuse crisis. Bombarded by permissiveness, some priests not only ignore their vows of celibacy, but the laws governing the sexual abuse of children.

I have yet to see the source of this "quote", other than in the post referenced here. The article did not "quote" Archbishop Burke directly as saying this, but it is what we are led to believe when Aisha Sultan states:

Archbishop Raymond Burke blamed society's "hedonistic culture" as the most significant cause of sexual abuse within the church, while discussing two national reports released Friday that examine the scope and nature of the problem.

It appears to be a quite a stretch for the Post to editorialize on this unless some DIRECT quotes are given. Are we to accept what the Aisha Sultan says without some evidence or additional source material?

There is one and only one direct quote of the Archbishop in the original column, and it does not appear to support the claims of Aisha Sultan. But that's not all. In the newest attack, we continue by reading this:

Archbishop Burke has argued that the sex abuse crisis — and indeed, most of the church's problems — can be solved with return to traditional teachings.

Yes, what Archbishop Burke is saying is that a great number of the problems in the Church can be resolved by a return to : proper catechesis, fidelity to the Church's teachings, proper spritual development, a good prayer life, repentance for one's sins and transgressions, etc....But no, the Post disregards that, and like so many "Cafeteria" Catholics, believe the following, as they continue:

Conservatives, Archbishop Burke among them, were more comfortable when there was no such thing as "primacy of conscience" for Catholics. You went to Mass on Sunday, made your Easter obligation, ate fish on Friday, sent your kids (of which you had a lot, because the Rhythm Method didn't work) to the nuns for education and — this above all — obeyed the priest.

Apparently "primacy of conscience" for the Post Dispatch has nothing to do with whether one's conscience is properly formed or not....A person with a malformed conscience is, evidently, just as capable of making a proper and right moral decision as one who can clearly distinguish between right and wrong (one with a proplerly formed conscience).

It's shame we are unable to determine who wrote the article. It sounds to me as if our Lord is pricking his conscience a bit...As the writer of the editorial said:

Blaming things on "the culture" won't help. Accepting responsibility might.

From what I read and heard, the Bishop stated the influence of the culture is a factor in development of an individual, but I don't see where he lays 'blame' on the culture itself. But that aside, does Archbishop Burke need to accept responsibility for the actions or inactions of others?

We need to pray more often and with greater urgency for our "hedonistic culture"!



- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Rome Pilgrimage to Witness Archbishop Burke Receive the Pallium
Just received this email this morning from the Diocese of LaCrosse.

The Diocese of La Crosse is sponsoring a pilgrimage to Rome, June 25-July 2, 2004, to witness Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, a native of the Diocese of La Crosse and now Archbishop of St. Louis, receive the Pallium -- a sign of his office as Metropolitan Archbishop.

If you have never been to Rome, this is an exceptional opportunity to visit the religious landmarks of the Eternal City, as well as to participate in a Pontifical Mass with our Holy Father. Cost is $2,295 + air tax for double occupancy with air from Chicago.

Read the full description and download a registration form: http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/whats_new/pilgrimages.asp

Please feel free to forward this to any friends and family that may be interested. We welcome you and your friends to join us in this pilgrimage of faith.

For more information, contact:
Rose A. Hammes
Director of Communications and Public Relations
Diocese of La Crosse
rhammes@dioceseoflacrosse.com
(608) 791-2662


- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
The PASSION of the CHRIST in the Catholic Encyclopedia
This was sent me earlier by a kind and gentle Catholic woman working as a missionary proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for her contribution. Let us pray that those outside the US may be able to witness the movie, "The Passion", before Lent is over.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST IN THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA

After you see The Passion of The Christ, you'll probably have plenty of questions. Here's a list of Catholic Encyclopedia articles related to the film:

Agony, the struggle of Christ in the Garden

Annas the father-in-law of the high priest Caiphas

Anne Catherine Emmerich, whose visions helped give life to the film

Caiphas the high priest of the Jews

Character of Christ as manifested in his relation to God and men

Christology, the study of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Claudia, wife of Pilate and mentioned in our Pilate article; she later became Catholic

Crown of Thorns placed mockingly on Christ's head

Documents on Christ from ancient history

Eucharistic Sacrifice, the unbloody renewal of the bloody sacrifice of Christ

Four Gospels, the inerrant historical records of the life of Christ

Gethsemane, where the film's opening scene takes place

Golgotha or Calvary, where Christ was crucified

Herod Antipas the ruler of Galilee

Incarnation, the mystery and dogma of God made Flesh

Jerusalem the city in which the Passion of Christ occurred

Jesus Christ the redeemer of mankind

John the beloved disciple of Christ

Judas Iscariot the apostle who betrayed Christ

Latin, the language of the Church, and spoken in the film

Life of Christ in chronological order

Last Supper, the first Catholic Mass in history

Malchus, the servant whose ear was cut off by St. Peter

Mary the Mother of God

Mary Magdalene the penitent disciple

Passion of Christ as an object of devotion

Passion of Christ in the four gospels

Passion Plays, the medieval precursors to the film

Peter, who denied that he knew Christ, but became the first pope

Pharisees, a first-century faction of Judaism

Pontius Pilate the Roman governor who sentenced Our Lord to death

Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist

Redemption which was wrought by the Passion of Christ

Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

Sanhedrin, the council before which Christ was tried

Satan who was defeated by Christ in His Passion and Resurrection

Scourging, which Our Lord endured at the pillar

Temptation of Christ, who never succumbed

Veronica who wiped Our Lord's face with her veil

Way of the Cross, a prayer centered around the Passion

Zeal, the love of Christ in action

BUY THIS BOOK
A Guide to the Passion is simply the best book about The Passion of the Christ. Offering a scene-by-scene analysis from a Catholic perspective, the 100 questions and answers provide a powerful supplement to the film. Buy them in bulk and hand them out to others. The price ranges from $5.95 for one copy to $150 (75% off) for 100 copies.

THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA ON CD-ROM
The entire Catholic Encyclopedia is now available on CD-ROM. This massive reference work features more than 11,600 articles, all for only $29.95. Click here for more details.

- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
Lay Input in Selection of Bishops? From the National Review Board Report
This is from the New York Daily News...

Q. The report says there should be lay input in the selection of bishops.

A. It became very clear to us after two years of investigating and interviewing that some of the most important qualities of a bishop have got to be that they have to be pastors and shepherds of the flock. And that some bishops have gotten to be bishops because they'd gotten on a fast track in Rome. I think if more bishops had been real pastors, dealing with families and mothers and fathers, this would not have happened, because they would have appreciated the horror of what was happening.

It's one of the recommendations of the National Review Board...See page 135 of the report for details....Lord, Help us!
- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
Letter Writing Campaign in Support of Archbishop Burke
Voice of the Faithful-St Louis is having a 'conference' next weekend on 3/13 with Fr. Donald Cozzens as the keynote speaker. In a discussion it was noted that this appears to be the first time that preregistration is required and it may stem from the fact that last year, after faithful, orthodox Catholics began asking Fr. Richard McBrien and others legitimate questions during the Q&A period, the microphones were shut off. An account of what happened, entitled, "Where the Faithful Have No Voice" can be read here.

What follows is what was posted on a St Louis Catholic List in reponse to a another upcoming conference by Voice of the Faithful-St. Louis. I was given permission to post it here and on other sites. I have done some minor editing to it, but it is substantially the same.

The St. Louis Chapter of Voice of the Faithful had tried a letter writing campaign late last year to have a voice in the selection of our new archbishop to replace Justin Cardinal Rigali.

Here is the post:

The St. Louis affiliate of VOTF has a link to the following on their website. They have links to other articles and editorials about themselves too, and all of those have comments about how they have been misunderstood. There is no such comment about this column, so I conclude they see themselves as the columnist from National Catholic Reporter, Sr. Joan Chittister, sees them...

Voice of Faithful goes after biggest issue of all: authority


If you go to their website www.votfsl.org and click the little headline-crawl across the top, it will (mistakenly, I'm sure) take you to an old letter-writing campaign of theirs, where they say:

"with our input in his selection, the new Archbishop would immediately come
to us confident that he has the trust and backing of his people. Without our involvement in the selection process, he will need time to earn our trust and confidence."

as if Archbishop Burke needs the 'trust and confidence' of VOTF St. Louis. Here is a handy link to the page in question so you don't have to click on the crawl:

http://134.124.1.107/~fsl/upcoming.html

I think we should have our own letter-writing campaign. Let's tell the Apostolic Nuncio
Bishop Gabriel Montalvo and Archbishop Burke that he has our 'trust and backing' by virtue of his track-record in the Cold North, and that VOTF St. Louis is the tiny voice of a self-described faithful which doesn't speak for us. We should mention the VOTF
letter-writing campaign so everyone knows what we're responding to.

Let's get the campaign underway. There's the Credo Newsletter, the TFP America Needs Fatima group, the Latin Liturgy Association, and Women for Faith and Family. I bet we could publicize it on WRYT if we tried. We can encourage all these to get the campaign underway to coincide with Archbishop Burke's investure with the Pallium on June 29th. Everyone should compose a letter and have it ready to mail on June 1st. Can we get 500 letters mailed to Bishop Montalvo and the chancery?

t

----------------------------------------------
Here's a sample letter...
Remember, these letters should be mailed on or about June 1, for the best effect and impression AND we need to have HUNDREDS of people involved.

Most Rev. Bishop Gabriel Montalvo
Apostolic Nuncio
3339 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20008-7121

Your Excellency,

I am aware of a letter writing campaign undertaken by the self-described
"Voice of the Faithful" in St. Louis expressing concern about not being
consulted about Justin Cardinal Rigali's departure, and most especially
about Archbishop Raymond Burke's appointment. I would like to tell you about
other voices.

Many here in St. Louis are proud to have seen our former Archbishop honored
by the Church, and wish him continued success in his new posting. We
understand that Roman Catholics go when they are sent. We are reminded of
this tradition at the close of every Mass with the clever play on words:
"ite, Missa est".

Many, including myself, are grateful to the Holy Father for the appointment
of the courageously outspoken Archbishop Burke to St. Louis. Even without
our involvement in the selection process, Archbishop Burke can be confident
he has the has the trust and backing of many by virtue of his actions in
LaCrosse and here in St. Louis since his arrival.

Thank you for your work as the ambassador of Pope John Paull II to the Church
in the United States, and please do not be swayed by dissidents identifying new
"faith traditions". I am sure they are moved by a Spirit, but it isn't Holy.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

- posted by LRS @ 5:00 AM   

 
NYPD MONITORS “THE PASSION” FOR HATE CRIMES
This is from the Catholic League
and is available here.

The following letter by Catholic League president William Donohue was sent to New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly:

March 2, 2004

Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly
1 Police Plaza
New York, New York 10038

Dear Commissioner Kelly:

There is a story in the March 2 edition of the New York Post claiming that Hate Crimes Unit supervisor Dennis Blackman ordered 20 detectives to see “The Passion of the Christ” when it opened last week; some watched the movie during working hours.

Accordingly, I would like to know the answer to the following questions: a) Is it common practice for detectives of the NYPD to watch movies during working hours? b) What prompted the request? c) What criteria are used to assess whether this is a useful function for the police to provide? d) What is the purpose of such an exercise? e) What exactly would the police be empowered to do if they determined the film constituted hate speech?

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

William A. Donohue, Ph.D.
President

What a wonderful use of taxpayer dollars!
- posted by LRS @ 7:30 AM   

 
An update to the Catholic Charities Decision in California
I had forgotten to mention that the vote was 6 to 1. The sole dissenting vote was cast by Justice Janice Rogers Brown, writing that the Legislature's definition of a "religious employer" is too limiting if it excludes faith-based nonprofit groups like Catholic Charities.

If you recall, Justice Brown was nominated by President Bush last October to fill a vacancy on the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC. This nomination was met with fierce opposition by Democratic leadership not because she is black or a woman but because of her 'conservative' views. Ted Kennedy went so far as to call Bush's nominees "Neanderthals".

Many have wondered whether Catholic Charities is actually 'Catholic' at all. Numerous stories and articles abound about some of the chapters' failures to adhere to Catholic moral teaching. Certainly some are faithful to Christ and His Church. This fidelity may be due to episcopal leadership, but I can't say for sure.

One has to wonder, however, what kind of agenda is really being pushed, though. When one looks at the Catholic Resources links at Catholic Charities USA, for instance, one will find only three Catholic Resources:

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops/The United States Catholic Conference

The National Catholic Reporter

Salt of the Earth

Two of these links (National Catholic Reporter and Salt of the Earth) are given a "DANGER" rating by Catholic Culture (formerly PetersNet) for Fidelity.

Catholic Culture describes the "DANGER" rating as follows:

The site tends toward disobedience to ecclesiastical authority, schism or heresy. There is repeated emphasis on views which contradict or undermine either the teachings of the Church or her disciplinary authority.

The review for National Catholic Reporter is here.
And the review for Salt of the Earth is here.

But this is not all, and here, in The Mercury News, we find some truth in the claims that some Catholic Charities organizations do NOT adhere to the teachings of the Church.

``We aren't going to do anything different,'' said Maribel Andonian, the spokeswoman for Catholic Charities of San Jose.

Huh? That's because the San Jose group already was offering contraceptive prescription benefits before the 2000 state law. It was a matter of competitive edge, Andonian said. Not religious dogma. (my emphasis)
...
Catholics have differing viewpoints on contraception, evidenced by Catholics for Choice, which filed a brief siding with the state. Even the spokesman for Catholic Charities of California, Kevin Eckery, has acknowledged the differing views in the network.

Catholics can not have 'differing viewpoints' on artificial contraception if they wish to remain Catholics. And Catholics for Choice is not a Catholic group.

And where is the Bishop of San Jose in all of this? Isn't he busy teaching Catholics that the Gospels are "not historical accounts of the historical events that they narrate"?

This court ruling is an issue which will require bold action on the part of the Bishops of California.

Dr. David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical Association, reacting against the California decision, said,
"Faith-based organizations must retain the freedom to follow religious and ethical beliefs in matters regarding issues such as birth control.

"On one hand, they (the courts) fight laws that would allow faith-based organizations to restrict hiring to those who follow its religious teachings. Then on the other hand, as soon a faith-based organizations hires others, they say it's no longer a faith-based organization and loses religious and conscience freedoms.

"The hypocrisy is stunning, but not surprising, given abortion activists' drive to force their political agenda on everyone who disagrees with their views."
(Partial excerpt from Zenit)

- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
George Weigel on the National Review Board's Report
Code: ZE04030122
Date: 2004-03-01
George Weigel on the National Review Board's Report
"Framed Within a Genuinely Catholic and Ecclesial Sensibility"

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 1, 2004 (Zenit.org).- George Weigel thinks the U.S. bishops' National Review Board has turned out a report that is a "real service to the Church" as Catholics face the question of genuinely Catholic reform in light of the John Jay study of clerical sexual abuse.

The papal biographer and Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center shared his views with ZENIT in a recent e-mail.





- posted by LRS @ 8:20 PM   

 
California Supreme Court says Catholic Charities must provide contraception coverage

A Roman Catholic charitable organization must include birth control coverage in its health care plan for workers even though it is morally opposed to contraception, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The 6-1 ruling could reach far beyond the 183 full-time employees of Catholic Charities and affect thousands of workers at Catholic hospitals and other church-backed institutions throughout the state.

[Full Article here]
- posted by LRS @ 6:52 PM   

 
VOTF-SL Meeting, Fr. Donald Cozzens, and Fr. Groeschel's position
Fr Donald Cozzens will be speaking at Voice of the Faithful St Louis on Saturday, March 13.
Information is available at www.votfsl.org.
Enough information is available on VOTF to determine why many bishops have banned them from meeting on church property.

Fr Groeschel wrote an article discussing a book of Fr. Cozzens some time ago.
The full article by Fr. Benedict Groeschel can be found here at Catholic Culture.

I will add just a few excerpts below. Perhaps these could be considered as talking points or questions if there are opportunities to ask questions?
Excerpts:

His book reminds me of a visit I once paid to a progressive seminary. The librarian, a priest, boasted that 80% of the books had been written since 1965. He was less than amused when I told him that the place reminded me of a large pamphlet rack.
...
There are also eight pages on themes of Carl Jung. There are only two references, both of them rather negative, to John Paul II. Although the Pope has written extensively on the priesthood and the theology of love, chastity and sexuality, none of this monumental work is even alluded to.
...
There are four references and two pages of Andrew Greeley's thought but no mention at all of saints like Augustine, John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, Alphonsus Ligouri and John Eudes, who all wrote extensively on the priesthood.
...
Hans Kung and Richard McBrien each get several references but no mention of Avery Dulles' superb book The Priestly Office. De Lubac, Congar, Guardini and von Balthasar are all missing. They all wrote on the priesthood and shaped its identity since the Council and still inspire many.
...
His view of the priesthood is very much limited to what might be called progressive American Catholicism, an approach that has been co-terminus with the drastic reduction of the number of seminarians and the loss of vocations.
...
Fr. Cozzens does not appear to be adequately aware of the limitations of theories and he certainly seems to blow caution to the winds with the Oedipal theory of the priest's relationship to the bishop. This gets 20 pages, and again religious order priests are left out. I felt like singing, "I ain't got no daddy." Along with a fourth of the priests in the United States who are not diocesan priests, I still managed to be validly ordained without an Oedipal relationship to a bishop or abbot.
...
The point that needs to be emphasized and explained is that the particular psychological theories that Fr. Cozzens is using, those of Freud and Jung, are outmoded at the present time.
...
I categorically and emphatically reject (his) philosophical notion of transcendence as the Christian experience.
...
Fr. Cozzens, having given us a very inadequate description of transcendence, then takes up the other dimension of priestly development, namely — intimacy.
...
His thoughts on friendship and intimacy show a depth of pastoral experience and understanding, although the ghost of Sigmund Freud seems to be standing in the corner.
...
Now we come to a part of Fr. Cozzens' book that I totally agree with — his criticism of the pre-Council seminary. I think he is too kind in his assessment.
...
Fr. Cozzens falls into the trap of equating psychological maturity with spiritual growth. This is a semi-Pelagian idea, which has been so popular in recent years that it is accepted as a truism.
...

Finally we come to what is the most objectionable part of Fr. Cozzens's book. This is his discussion of what he calls "gay priests and seminarians." I object to the use of the word "gay" because it is a serious ambiguity. This cynical word was generated by the active homosexual community years ago in order to communicate the fact that people were not happy with this life-style. In the film The Boys in the Band there is a sarcastic remark — "Show me a happy homosexual and I will show you a gay corpse." Unfortunately, this word, which, if one is honest, means a life-style contrary to the teaching of the New Testament and the Church, is used here simply to mean homosexual, and not gay. Homosexual is a neutral word. A person could be homosexually oriented and a saint. A homosexual can lead a totally chaste life and many do. On the other hand, the word "gay" refers to the gay scene — an immoral subculture, one of many in our society. While Fr. Cozzens may not be using it that way, his use is entirely ambiguous.
...
I did not find any clear moral statement that the engagement in homosexual genital acts is wrong and morally unacceptable.

Again, the full article by Fr. Benedict Groeschel is at Catholic Culture here.

All of the above are quotes from Fr. Groeschel's article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM