This site is dedicated to promoting and defending the Catholic Faith, in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.
Items of note in the St. Louis Archdiocese are featured whenever possible. Please feel free to forward news topics of importance to us in the St. Louis Archdiocese.
That's nothing new...
Parishioners from St. Stanislaus Kostka church said this week that they are rejecting a proposal by the Archdiocese of St. Louis to end a dispute over control of their church.Source.
German spouses of area Irish should give themselves a pat on the back.This looks to be another good book by Fr. Faherty who has written over 30 books on the history of St. Louis and Catholicism.
The newest book by Jesuit Father William Barnaby Faherty was written in part, he said, because of their pull.
Archbishop Raymond Burke is preparing a response to an appeal filed with the Vatican by the St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish board of directors over proposed parish restructuring.
Archdiocesan officials last week also responded locally to an appeal filed with the Vatican by the Association of Catholic Elementary Educators (ACEE) stemming from its attempts to represent teachers. In a prepared statement, the archdiocese defended its past labor relations with teachers.
Pastoral Letter on Civic ResponsibilitySource.
During the time of my pilgrimage to Rome to receive the sacred pallium, at the end of June and beginning of July, I promised to write a pastoral letter to assist the faithful in the archdiocese in exercising their civic responsibility, especially the duty to vote, in accord with the moral law. A number of factors have kept me from finishing the writing of the pastoral letter until now. In the meantime, a number of reports in the secular media have raised serious questions about the Church’s teaching in the matter. Some of the reports have generated confusion and frustration. Be assured that I have wanted to complete the letter as soon as possible, in order to present clearly the Church’s teaching and to clear up confusion. I am happy to report to you that the pastoral letter should be issued on this coming Oct. 1, the memorial of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower.
When the pastoral letter is completed, it will first be published in the St. Louis Review. Aids for the reading and study of the pastoral letter also will be provided.
Please pray for me as I bring to completion the writing of the pastoral letter, so that it may truly serve well the consciences of the faithful in the archdiocese. Please pray that the pastoral letter may contribute to the building up of the life of our society, in accord with God’s law.
The Rev. Donald Wester, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, will be the featured speaker at 7:30 tonight at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 7717, Highway N, Dardenne Prairie.Source.
Wester's talk is titled "God's Love and Our Response." The event is sponsored by Inspiration Quest, an adult Christian learning series. A free-will offering will be taken. For child-care reservations, call 636-561-4269. Information: 636-561-6611.
Of course, they misunderstand Cardinal Ratzinger's use of the term "proportionate reasons"...
It says, in other words, that if a Catholic thinks a candidate's positions on other issues are more important [than abortion, euthanasia], a vote for that candidate is not considered a sin.Source.
I pity the people of his archdiocese...
While we all must constantly re-evaluate our liturgical practice and not allow it to become routine or careless, I have determined that there is no need to make any significant changes in our liturgical practice at this time.How nice it must be to be so perfect that one can ignore the Holy See...
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life (PFL) has called all Church leaders "who fail to point out the difference in seriousness between abortion and other issues" to "resign their positions." In the latest release from PFL, Fr. Pavone explains that the reason for his suggestion is that such Church leaders "obviously lack the most basic capacity for moral judgment."While this seems to be a laudable goal, I believe the purpose may be to shame those into examining their consciences. Why? Any Church leader (and we know who some of them are) who lacks the moral capacity to speak the truth about brutality of the crime of abortion and voting for those who support abortion certainly lacks the courage to resign his position.
Come to the Mission!
This was sent to me the other day.
Another Letter to the Editor (Post Dispatch)
To the editor:An excellent response to a previous Post Dispatch article.
At the end of his September 1 article. "Have pharisees taken over the Vatican" you identify John R. Stoeffler as president of a think tank dedicated to upholding principles of the U. S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Whether or not Mr. Stoeffler has the expertise expected of him in those two fields, he has neither knowledge of nor expertise in Catholic Church Canon Law and theology.
I respectfully suggest that Mr. Stoeffler continue to pursue his commendable efforts on behalf of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. They need all the help they can get. In justice, however, I suggest that he maintain silence about matters concerning which he displays only ignorance, on the basis of which he presumes to tender advice both unsolicited and unwarranted.
Edward A. Rohde
South County
The Rev. John Ssebitosi, pastor of churches in Valmeyer and Madonnaville, says the church's message translates from one continent to another.An interesting story in the Post Dispatch today about this priest from Uganda. There were two things, in particular, which I thought were interesting - that the Church is the same everywhere (universal) and how blessed we are.
The Rev. John Ssebitosi notices much that is different in Valmeyer and the United States from his native Uganda.
"The Catholic church is the same everywhere," he said. "Maybe some of the singing is different, because of the different cultures. The lessons (in Uganda) can be the same here."
"I've come to learn. To take back what I've learned to Uganda," he said, noting that he had heard stories about the United States but that his imagination hadn't prepared him for the reality of what he has seen.
"The development here is incredible," he said. "And the standard of living. You people are blessed."
A Washington state Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that same-sex couples not only have a constitutional right to marriage, but that, as a group, are a distinct, protected class or subset of society, akin to race or gender.Judicial activism at its best - which is to say, worst! Wayward judges attempting to enshrine evil as a right, vice as a virtue. Judges like this should be impeached.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO THE PRESSPressure, perhaps?
Release Date: September 8, 2004
Contact: Mark Adams 318-794-1170
BISHOPS CONFERENCE WITHDRAWS PRESIDENTIAL QUESTIONNAIRE
In a letter released to the US Bishops on Friday, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of Government Liaison announced they have withdrawn the Presidential Questionnaire which had been delivered weeks ago to the Bush and Kerry campaigns.
At this moment the press office of the USCCB has no statement prepared but we are told by diocesan sources that at least one of the campaigns did not return the questionnaire by deadline.
"We have been critical of the Presidential Questionnaire because it improperly equates doctrinal issues like abortion with judgment calls like the minimum wage," said Austin Ruse, President of the Culture of Life Foundation.
"We also welcome the fact that candidate Kerry will not be able to use the questionnaire to claim he is a faithful Catholic when we know he actively opposes Church teaching on fundamental issues."
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Meeting Aims to Promote "Liturgical Correctness"What a blessing it would be to be able to hear, once again, Gregorian chant instead of the stuff that we must endure today, in many places, that purports to be 'sacred music'. Am I the only one who is sick of guitars, bongos, drums, and pianos? Thirty five years worth of guitar music at Mass is too much - it's like being frozen in the 60's and 70's...If the Vatican II Council stated that Gregorian chant and the the organ hold pride of place, why are these things relegated to the dust bin?
A recent congress here highlighted Gregorian chant as a manifestation of the faith of modern men and women.
The Pope thanked them for their effort "in the field of sacred music, always attentive to the teachings of the magisterium. In this way, you offer a valid contribution to the application of the Second Vatican Council's liturgical reform."
Regarding its articles about Archbishop Burke.
Sin No MoreAnd there is this one:
A cheap shot:
Malcolm Gay's "Immaculate Deception" [August 25] reveals that the author cares less about the welfare of the victims of sexual abuse, but rather aims to promote his own agenda by unjustly attacking the actions and character of the Archbishop of St. Louis. Mr. Gay would serve his journalistic integrity better if he clearly stated and defended his position on contraception, abortion, euthanasia, for example, rather than taking cheap shots at those he regards as being on the "ecclesiastical fast track."
The current incumbent of the See of St. Louis is clearly a man of faith, conviction and moral principle. I personally disagree with the Archbishop on many issues, but what he says challenges the liberal status quo. As such, my suggestion must be that the issues themselves be debated, and that the use of the victims of sexual abuse as pawns in such debates remains a scandal.
Patrick J. O'Rourke
St. Louis
Good riddance to the disgruntled:I posted these letters in their entirety since it does not seem that they are archived at the RFT. The original articles are pathetic examples of journalism and are juvenile attacks on Archbishop Burke. I did not link to them then, and I will not link to them now. They are still posted on the site, if one wishes to see them.
In "Bishop Takes Queen," his sidebar to "Immaculate Deception," Malcolm Gay focuses more on Archbishop Raymond Burke than on Sister Julie Green. What is his point? How does Sister Green's supposed operation reflect negatively upon Archbishop Burke? I thought reporters were supposed to report the news and leave personal opinions out of it; clearly this writer has an agenda. Perhaps you are hard up for good, objective writers in St. Louis.
In regard to "Immaculate Deception," I found, as a former religious education director for a small parish in the La Crosse Diocese, then-Bishop Burke to be a sincere, authentic and prayerful man, even holy. It seems you have chosen to interview some disgruntled, renegade priests who weren't doing what they were ordained to do anyway. I say good riddance to those who won't obey the Magisterium.
Finally, the titles of the articles are clearly designed to stimulate readership but are crass. Where is the truth in reporting? I feel that this reporter is not interested in getting at the truth, but only to further his own views.
Archbishop Burke is a heroically courageous man. There are many of us in his former diocese that were sad to seem him go. St. Louis is blessed to have him as their shepherd.
Monica Kolars
River Falls, Wisconsin
Here are a couple of a recent letter to the editor:
Burke explainsI think it would be wise to determine just who is speaking with a "forked tongue" - I am certain that it is not the Archbishop.
In attempting to clarify his prior comments on the voting controversy he has created, Archbishop Raymond Burke seems to speaking with forked tongue.
In legalistic terminology, he defines voting decisions based on "proportionate reasons" and those based on "formal cooperation." A voting decision based on the former would allow a Catholic to vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights but based on the latter would, in the archbishop's words, result "in an intrinsically evil act."
However, in his final statement, he says, "It is difficult to imagine what that proportionate reason would be."
This implies to me that he does not believe conscientious Catholics could adopt the proportionate-reason defense in exercising their voting rights in the election. Consequently, it appears Catholics will continue to hear highly charged rhetoric from the pulpit on this issue until Election Day.
Rosalie M. Laune
New Haven
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Move over, Sen. Kerry. You have competition with another flip-flopper. Archbishop Raymond Burke now says it is OK for Catholics to vote for an abortion-rights candidate if his other moral issues outweigh the abortion-rights stance.It is amazing how some people fail to understand what is being said. It is a certainty that Archbishop Burke has not 'flip-flopped', despite the wishes of so many that he will.
Margaret L. Young
St. Louis
Campaign Life Catholic, told LifeSiteNews.com that Bishop Burke's position has remained consistent. Suresh Dominic, spokesman for the organization, explained to LifeSiteNews.com what proportionate reasons could be.This is exactly what must be stated loudly and clearly to Catholics who are confused on the issue!
"In North America, where abortion - the slaughter of the innocent and most helpless among us - is rampant, abortion is the central human rights concern and thus the overriding political concern in all elections.
"All who would vote for a pro-abortion politician would associate themselves with that atrocity.
"However, in a case where two pro-abortion politicians are vying for election, a pro-life Catholic may, in good conscience, vote for the politician who will give at least minimal protection to life such as the case where one of the pro-abortion politicians would support a partial-birth abortion ban."
The St. Louis diocese will release a document clarifying the moral position of Catholics who support pro-abortion politicians. This statement will include Burke's qualifications that the reasons a voter is supporting a candidate have to weigh more heavily than his or her support for the killing of the unborn. However, the damage to the Bishop's position will have been done by the time any official statement comes out. By Saturday, newspapers in Chicago, New York, Fort Worth, Seattle, Sioux City, London England and Taiwan had run the story and flashed headlines around the world that the Archbishop has 'flip-flopped' on his strong stand.This is, perhaps, the main reason to limit one's interviews with reporters from the Post-Dispatch.
"The threats that continue to arise against life are well known, especially against unborn life," the papal message continued.Not only is the Holy Father worried, but many others are as well. We are witnessing a complete disregard and disdain for life and the continued attack on all that is good. Pray for the Holy Father, and pray that those who advance the "culture of death" may be converted.
"I must call for reflection especially on the worrying spread of a 'culture of death' which leads large sectors of public opinion to justify some crimes against life in the name of the rights of individual liberty and, with this assumption, pretends its legitimization by the state," the Pope wrote.
The Bible mentions only four sins which cry out to God for vengeance. Considering the source and the emphasis, we have little choice but to examine our consciences on these points. A cursory examination will not do; we must cast off our cultural preconceptions to see beyond the obvious.Catholic Culture Article by Dr. Jeff Mirus
OPINION -- Last June Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a memorandum on “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion,” to assist the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops.This must be stressed over and over again - and explained to those who don't quite 'get it'.
Cardinal Ratzinger noted that (1) for a Catholic to vote for a candidate because the candidate favors abortion is so sinful as to render that Catholic unfit to receive Communion, but (2) voting for a pro-abortion candidate despite that candidate’s support of abortion is not sinful, if “proportionate reasons” justify voting for that candidate.
Unfortunately, Catholic News Service misreported that Cardinal Ratzinger “said it is not necessarily sinful for Catholics to vote for politicians who support abortion, as long as they are voting for that candidate for other reasons."
“Other reasons” do not suffice unless they are “proportionate reasons.”
Bishop Emeritus Rene Henry Gracida of Corpus Christi, Texas, issued a valuable statement explaining “proportionate reasons”:The explanation us here.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters, the blue-robed nuns who have educated legions of Catholic children in southeastern Michigan, donated $200 to Emily's List, which raises money for Democratic female candidates who support the right to have abortions.Source.
Despite the church's teachings against abortion, the IHMs made the donation in August 2003 to promote electing more women into office, said Sister Mary Katherine Hamilton, IHM vice president.
Paul Long, executive director of the Michigan Catholic Conference, denounced the IHM donation to Emily's List. He said there are other ways to advance women in politics, without "contributing to an organization that solely promotes the destruction of human life."
A sermon by Pope St Leo the Great
The blessedness of seeing God is justly promised to the pure of heart. For the eye that is unclean would not be able to see the brightness of the true light, and what would be happiness to clear minds would be a torment to those that are defiled. Therefore, let the mists of worldly vanities be dispelled, and the inner eye be cleansed of all the filth of wickedness, so that the soul’s gaze may feast serenely upon the great vision of God.
It is to the attainment of this goal that the next words refer: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. This blessedness, dearly beloved, does not derive from any casual agreement or from any and every kind of harmony, but it pertains to what the Apostle says: Be at peace before the Lord, and to the words of the prophet: Those who love your law shall enjoy abundant peace; for them it is no stumbling block. Even the most intimate bonds of friendship and the closest affinity of minds cannot truly lay claim to this peace if they are not in agreement with the will of God. Alliances based on evil desires, covenants of crime and pacts of vice – all lie outside the scope of this peace. Love of the world cannot be reconciled with love of God, and the man who does not separate himself from the children of this generation cannot join the company of the sons of God. But those who keep God ever in their hearts, and are anxious to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, never dissent from the eternal law as they speak the prayer of faith. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
These then are the peacemakers; they are bound together in holy harmony and are rightly given the heavenly title of sons of God, co-heirs with Christ. And this is the reward they will receive for their love of God and neighbour: when their struggle with all temptation is finally over, there will be no further adversities to suffer or scandal to fear; but they will rest in the peace of God undisturbed, through our Lord who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
Only marriage between a man and a woman can guarantee the survival of a society and its culture, and hence cannot be equated with same-sex unions, says John Paul II.Full Zenit article here.
"Any attempts to change the meaning of the word 'spouse' contradict right reason: legal guarantees, analogous to those granted to marriage, cannot be applied to unions between persons of the same sex without creating a false understanding of the nature of marriage," he added.
I was not aware that a list had been published on colleges and universities which have embraced the mandatum as required both by Canon Law and by "Ex Corde Ecclesia".
Liturgical abuses are not problems only in the US...
For Irish Catholics, the most common experience of this reluctance to obey the rules comes at Sunday Mass. An increasing number of priests have taken it on themselves to ignore official directions and make up their own personal liturgies.Article.
Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the Church has experienced a tidal wave of liturgical abuse, not infrequently inspired by professional liturgists determined to challenge Catholic tradition and teaching.
"Guitars. Love songs. Dance.
"Background music. A few cushions, maybe.''
It sounds more like a lap-dancing club.
Bishops survey of politicians reflects 'seamless garment' mentality that continues to pervade the 'modern' US Catholic hierarchyQuestionaire here.
...with a clear conscience."Source.
"No Catholic could ever vote for John Kerry because he is 100 percent pro-abortion whereas President Bush is not," he told NewsMax just before Bush's speech."
As you can see from this headline, the media is playing this out like there is no tomorrow.
Burke clarifies past remarks on voting.Of course there is no discussion of what constitutes "proportionate reasons". We are only told that "a Catholic could vote for an abortion rights politician without committing a grave sin after weighing all the moral issues a candidate stands for."
Published Saturday, September 4, 2004
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Archbishop Raymond Burke, who sparked a national debate on denying Holy Communion to abortion rights candidates, has given an opening to Catholics in his archdiocese who vote for such politicians.
In June, Burke said Catholics cannot vote for candidates or policies in support of abortion and be worthy to receive Communion.
He now says Catholics can at times vote for those who favor abortion rights without committing a grave sin or having to go to confession.
In clarifying his stance this week, Burke said he believes Catholics could vote for a politician who supports abortion rights as long as that’s not the reason they are voting for the candidate. Catholic voters also must believe the candidate’s stance on other moral issues outweighs the abortion rights stance.
A wide loopholeThis is precisely the confusion and dissatisfaction which can occur when a secular newspaper attempts to "clarify" Catholic theological or moral principles. Mr. Kneibert is not the only person who has been mislead and confused by the Post-Dispatch's recent article. We can only hope and pray that Archbishop Burke will issue his pastoral letter sooner rather than later now that this misrepresentation has occurred.
Pro-abortion Catholic voters and politicians must be breathing a sigh of relief after Archbishop Burke's clarification about how Catholics can support pro-abortion candidates, so long as they vote for them for other offsetting reasons.
What other reasons are more important? This is a loophole wide enough to accommodate a semi-trailer.
No politician will ever admit to being in favor of abortion. Politicians are all "personally opposed" to abortion, but with an all-important "but" attached. President Jimmy Carter invented the "personally opposed but" defense, and every pro-abortion politician has been using it ever since.
The archbishop's "clarification" is not a clarification at all, but an all-out retreat from his previous principled and courageous stand on this matter.
If this represents my church's official position on pro-abortion politicians and those who put them in office to support the culture of death, our bishops can cease issuing high-sounding guidelines on Catholics in public life. They are beginning to have a hollow ring to them.
F. Douglas Kneibert
Sedalia, Mo.
Burke clarifies position on votingAnybody who thinks the recent Post Article is a definitive statement from Archbishop Burke on voting and proportionality is confused. In a similar manner, anyone associated with a dissident group which rejects various teachings of the Church or which is opposed to the Church is devoid of a "well formed" conscience. It is an utter impossibility that the Holy Spirit would lead the Church in one direction while leading others in the opposite direction.
Archbishop Raymond Burke did not give St. Louis Catholics much credit for intelligence when he said that we were confused by what he meant to say in June about the sinfulness of voting the wrong way. We knew exactly what he meant to say.
His current backtracking - explained by calling it "remote material cooperation and if the reasons are really proportionate" - might sound good in La Crosse, Wis., but we call it "common sense" here.
Perhaps he is beginning to understand that we Catholics will act on our own well-formed consciences, whether he agrees or not. Welcome to St. Louis, Archbishop Burke.
Robert Schutzius
Secretary, Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church
Florissant
