Spirit of the Lenten Season by Fr. John Hardon

There are two guiding principles for the observance of Lent. During this season, the faithful are to grow in their love of Jesus Crucified, and they are to practice extra penance for their own and other people's sins. Both aspects of Lent deserve some explanation.

Love of Jesus Crucified. The spirit of Lent is the spirit of Christ Crucified. Therefore, whatever enables us to better understand Christ's Passion and Death, and deepens our responsive love for His great love toward us should be fostered during the Lenten season. Some recommendations:

Meditation on the Gospel narratives of Christ's Passion.

Spiritual reading of books like Goodier's Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Abbot Marmion's The Way of the Cross, Edward Leen's Why the Cross?, Fulton Sheen's Seven Words on the Cross.

Recitation of prayers like Soul of Christ Sanctify Me.

Besides making the daily Way of the Cross, encouraging others to make the Stations at least on Fridays during Lent.

Having some symbol of Christ's Passion, like the crucifix or picture of the crucifix within easy eye vision to remind us of the Passion at odd moments of the day.

Having some short aspiration which is recited (at least mentally) a few times during the day, like, "My Jesus Crucified," or "Heart of Jesus, obedient unto death, have mercy on us."

Occasionally reciting the Litany of the Precious Blood.

Spending some extra time before the Blessed Sacrament, asking Our Lord to grow in the understanding of His continued Passion now in the Church, which is His Mystical Body on earth!

Making an occasional entry into one's spiritual journal about, "How much the Passion of Christ means to me."

Reparation for Sin. In practicing penance, we should keep in mind that there are two levels of reparation we are to practice, for our own and other people's sins. We are to expiate the guilt incurred by failing in one's love for God. And we are to repair the harm done by disobeying the will of God.

On the first level, our penance should be the practice of a deeper and more generous love for God

By making acts of divine love.

By doing our ordinary work with more selfless love for God.

By putting our heart more sincerely into whatever we are doing, and periodically telling our Lord we are doing it out of love for Him.

By deciding before Lent, what form(s) of charity I will practice towards those with whom I live or work. There is no more pleasing love of God, as expiation, than the selfless love of others whom God puts into my daily life.

By going through the spiritual and corporal works or mercy, and selecting one or more on which I wish to concentrate during Lent, as my form of penance-as-love, offered to the loving but offended God.

On the second level, our penance should strive to endure some pain in order to expiate the sinful pleasure that is always the substance of sin. This can take on a variety of forms, and no two people are the same in this matter. The following are merely examples.

More frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance during Lent.

More frequent attendance at Mass.

Less time spent in eating, or eating less food, or getting up earlier than usual.

Sacrifice of some hours per week that would otherwise have been spent in watching television, listening to the radio, reading secular newspapers, magazines, or fiction.

Walking, instead of driving, and walking upstairs instead of using an elevator.

Doing without some delicacy at table, or not eating between meals.

Getting up promptly in the morning, and retiring in good time at night.

Answering letters or writing to persons who would appreciate hearing from us.

Gauging one's time in telephone conversation or conversation in general.

Copyright © 2000 Inter Mirifica

The Way of the Cross

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
THE WAY OF THE CROSS
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

During many centuries pious Christians went as pilgrims to Jerusalem, but when the Holy land was taken over by the Moslems these pilgrimages ceased. As a result, in many parts of Europe the custom arose of placing pictures in churches, representing the journey to Calvary. Probably the first to do this was Blessed Alvarez, a Dominican, at Cordova in Spain. About 1350 the Franciscans adopted the practice in Italy and even today the privilege of erecting the stations of the Cross belongs by apostolic indult to the Order of Friars Minor.

The stations are fourteen in number, although in the past, in different places, the number varied from eleven to sixteen. They may begin on either side of the church.

The devotion has always been highly indulgenced to a point where in 1931 Pius XI annulled the existing indulgences, which had become incalculable. Instead the following were decreed: (1) a plenary indulgence each time for all the faithful who, at least with contrite hearts, either singly or in groups, perform the Way of the Cross. To gain this plenary indulgence - -. No special prayers are prescribed, nor is it necessary to leave and reenter the church in order to gain it repeatedly; (2) another plenary indulgence for those who receive Holy Communion on the same day on which they have made the Way of the Cross, or within a month from the time when they have completed in ten times (3) a partial indulgence of ten years for each of the stations, in case, having begun the exercise, they failed for any reasonable cause to finish it.

A Station Crucifix is a crucifix specially blessed for the indulgences of the Way of the Cross by a priest having the faculty, with a single sign of the cross. The conditions for gaining the indulgences of the Way of The Cross with the crucifix so bless are: (1) Persons impeded from visiting the stations by other causes than sickness must hold the crucifix in their hands, or, if any reasonable cause, prevents this, must carry it with them in some way, and must moreover recite twenty Paters, Aves, and Glorias (fourteen for the stations, five for the five wounds, and one for the Intention of the Holy Father, (2) the sick who cannot visit the stations may of course gain the indulgences as above described, but if they are unable without grave inconvenience to fulfill those conditions they can gain all the indulgences of the Way of the Cross if with a loving and contrite heart they either kiss or even look at any crucifix which has been blessed for this purpose, and which is shown to them by a priest or by any other persons, and recite some short prayer or aspiration (even Mentally) in memory of the passion and death of our Lord.

In making the station only two things are required: to move from one to the other without notable interruption between them, and to meditate on the Passion.

It is not required, although certainly proper, to meditate on the particular mystery of the Passion represented by the station one is visiting. Neither is it necessary to say vocal prayers while making the stations, or after making them to pray for the intention of the Holy Father. If one cannot move about because of a crowd, or if the stations are being made publicly, it is sufficient to turn toward each station.

As a person walks from one station to the next, he first identifies the station and then says, "We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee because by Thy Holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world." And genuflecting while making that aspiration. At the Stations you may close with an Our Father and a Hail Mary and even adding, "may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen."

According to Benedict XIV, the Way of the Cross is one of he best means for converting sinners, stirring up fervor in the hearts of the lukewarm, and leading virtuous souls on to perfection.

Copyright © 2003 by Inter Mirifica

Read the rest of the article with the meditations on the Stations here.

A Spirit-led Lent

by Msgr. Charles M. Mangan

From Catholicexchange.com

Today is Ash Wednesday. The Church commences her forty days' pilgrimage that leads to Easter Sunday and the empty tomb. Some who write about Lent readily acknowledge that “these forty days” of prayer, self-denial and almsgiving, which should be seen as a unique opportunity to draw closer to the Lord, often inspire an irrational fear in the hearts of the faithful.

I admit that especially in the past, the mere thought of Lent evoked in me a sense of dread — even if not manifested exteriorly. Although Lent is not only dedicated to doing bodily penance, that element usually looms largest for many disciples of Jesus. Given that our human nature resists discipline, this may well be a factor in any reaction against Lent within us.

I have wondered on Ash Wednesday whether I can continue the Lenten discipline that I crafted. “Can I really go forty days without candy . . . Coca-Cola . . . dessert?

Those mortifications can be excellent. But I must remember that Lent isn’t about my anticipated feats designed to show how strong and persistent I am. Rather, Lent is about opening myself to Christ so that finally He can work in me as He has always wanted. Yes, I should devise a plan that includes more intense prayer, self-denial and acts of charity. Yet, I need to remain receptive to the Holy Spirit Who may be trying to lead me in another direction from the one I select.

Although I begin these six weeks somewhat intimidated by the prospect of how the unknown of human frailty may surface in me, within a few days I see what I had suspected: with God’s grace I can make a break with those extraneous things in my life.

And as Holy Week dawns, I will confess that there is so much in my life I can put aside. Lent always demonstrates to me that life needn’t be complicated and that I can live with much less.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (1090-1153), penned a prayer for Lent centuries ago that spoke of the confidence in the Lord that he desired. Such trust in God is what we need as we start Lent.

“Let me hold fast You, Lord, Whom the Angels themselves yearn to look upon. Wherever You go, I will follow You. If You pass through fire, I will not flinch; I fear no evil when You are with me. You carry my griefs, because You grieve for my sake. You passed through the narrow doorway from death to life, to make it wide enough for all to follow. Nothing can ever separate me from Your love.”

We need not be afraid. The Messiah Who invites us to walk with Him in His passion will accompany us to the grave where we will rise with Him.

Prayer . . . penance . . . charity . . . this is the path that Jesus chose almost 2,000 years ago. We take the identical way. The Father rewarded Christ for His fidelity. May we receive the same prize that the Risen Lord earned: victory over sin and death, which one day will blossom into everlasting peace in Heaven.

Cardinal Pell on "The Passion"

Code: ZE04022424
Date: 2004-02-24
Cardinal Pell on "The Passion"
"It Is Strong Meat"
SYDNEY, Australia, FEB. 24, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal George Pell wrote this commentary on the film "The Passion of the Christ." It appeared in the Sunday Telegraph and on the archdiocese's Web site.

Some excerpts:

The film is a contemporary masterpiece, artistically and technically. It is not absurd to compare it with the paintings of the Italian master Caravaggio, because of its beauty and drama. It is more genuinely spiritual, even more violent but less erotic than Caravaggio's canvases.

"The Passion" belongs to the turn of the 20th century, the cruellest in history, because of its violence which is explicit and continual. The scourging is worse than the crucifixion.

Those who are searching will be provoked to reflection. I have requested that all senior students in Catholic schools be invited to see the film...

It will help outsiders understand why there have been so many martyrs prepared to die for Christ, (more in the 20th century than any other) and why Christianity has such a profound influence in many different cultures after 2,000 years. The call to follow Christ is personal and primal. There was never any medieval morality play with an impact like this film's.

Generations of believers will see Mel Gibson's "The Passion" as a classic. But it is strong meat. Not for the faint hearted.

STATEMENT TO THE PRESS by Paul Likoudis

The death of my good friend and close collaborator for the past 13 years is devastating to me personally and completely unnecessary.

Do I blame Bishop Howard Hubbard for this tragedy?

Yes, I do. But there are other culprits and hosts of guilty bystanders.

Conservative Catholics take on church in Albany

It's amazing that the language used by reporters centers on the "political", such as conservative and liberal. Perhaps a more appropriate term in this case would be 'scandalized', or 'faithful', or even 'orthodox'. Why? Let's look at the first sentence of the article:

A tolerance of homosexuality, feminism and liberal doctrine has led to the scandals nationwide and claims of a gay den of priests led by the Albany bishop, said conservative Catholics on Sunday.
. . .
"(Stephen Brady's) quoted as saying he wants to take the diocese back," (Gerry) Ladouceur said. "The problem is he wants to take it back to the 15th century."

Interesting observation for someone so clueless. But why the 15th century and not the 1st or 2nd or 19th? Why not the 20th century which gave us so much good (evil) that we must celebrate and worship ourselves.

Although, I don't always agree with Brady's methods, I feel he and Paul Likoudis are performing a great service in Albany - much better than the service of the shepherd who has been there for so long, all the while leading souls to hell.

The Church in America, and maybe in other parts of the world, is split - it is painfully obvious to those who have eyes to see. There are those who have fashioned a new church in their own image, a church without sin, a church whose god is anything they want him/her/it to be. There can be no compromise with this 'new' church for it is of the devil himself. And far too many have been deceived and have gleefully embraced his deceptions and have drunk of his poison. The live in darkness and call it light.

Some of us want to take back our Church from the clutches of Satan and those who support him. We want the Truth to be faithfully handed on to our children (this is called catechesis). We want virtues to be esteemed rather than ridiculed. We want heresy exposed as a grievous offense to God and His people. We want sin and evil exposed to the light of day so that all may know that it leads to eternal damnation.

The Church is America is rather like Humpty Dumpty - it cannot be put back together again. But we have hope. Those who are remaining within the walls of the Church that Christ established on earth, are guaranteed the Truth - and if we accept and obey Jesus and His Church, we have nothing to fear and eternal happiness awaits us.

Here is the full article.

Another reason for a "Cleansing" at the USCCB

February 23, 2004
**********************************************
Dear Friend,

I know I just wrote to you on Friday, but I have an important follow-up to my last e-letter that I need to share with you right away.

First, a little history...

In the February issue of CRISIS, we ran an article on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) titled "Playing Politics: Inside the Bishops' Conference, Part II." In it, the author
explained that, when it comes to political issues, the conference as a whole acts like a group of pro-life Democrats. (If you haven't read the article yet, you can find it here:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/feature2.htm)

Amazingly enough, some people at the conference took objection to that characterization. Certainly not everyone there fits this description, they said. Well, I have to admit, they're right. Not everyone in the Conference is a pro-life Democrat.

Some are just plain Democrats.

A case in point is Ono Ekeh, the administrator of the "Catholics For Kerry" internet newsgroup. You see, when he's not working to get pro-abortion Democrat John Kerry elected president, he can be found at his other job: program coordinator for the Secretariat for African-American Catholics at the USCCB.

As you probably know, the USCCB itself takes a strong pro-life stance, saying that "the well-informed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political policy or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals," especially in regards to abortion.

So, how can an employee of the conference go directly against this clear mandate and publicly support a politician who has said repeatedly that he will approve only pro-abortion judges for the Supreme Court?

Journalist Tim Drake tipped me off to Ekeh and his position at the conference. While writing a story on John Kerry, Drake interviewed Ekeh about his support for the senator. When Drake asked about Ekeh's profession, Ekeh simply responded that he was "a small business owner." He made no mention of being employed by the bishops' conference.

It's no wonder -- on the "Catholics for Kerry" site, Ekeh has made several comments that directly challenge the Vatican, the bishops' conference, and even the president of the conference, Bishop Wilton Gregory himself. Not what you'd expect from someone in Gregory's employ.

Predictably, Ekeh goes to great (sometimes downright comical) lengths to justify support for a politician who blatantly rejects the Church's teaching on life issues. Ekeh explains that, instead of opposing abortion, Kerry will target poverty and thus help eliminate the dire financial circumstances that often drive women to abortion. In this way, Ekeh claims, "John Kerry's vision for America is a pro-life vision that will ultimately reduce the frequency of and need for abortions."

I wonder if John Kerry knows that his vision is "pro-life." After all, in my last e-letter I quoted Kerry saying that he wants to EXPAND abortion and make it MORE available, not eliminate poverty to reduce abortion rates. The "vision" Ekeh describes seems to be one he's invented himself.

But Ekeh doesn't end there. He even goes so far as to defend Kerry against the explicit directives from the Vatican and the USCCB that condemn political support for abortion and gay marriage.

With regards to the Vatican's comments on a politician's responsibility to support pro-life legislation, Ekeh boasts that "John Kerry has recently made it clear that he will not be taking orders from the Vatican and rightly so... Senator Kerry made a prudent decision in rejecting the Vatican's demands. Such a rejection does not mean a lack of respect for the Vatican or the Church's teachings. Rather, it highlights that the man understands that his obligations are primarily to the people his [sic] serves and not the Vatican."

He goes on to claim that the pope has never specifically commented on a politician's duty in this regard. Even the "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life" won't convince him, since it was written by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and not the pope himself. (Never mind that the pope gave the Note his complete support and clearly stands behind its message.)

Ekeh gets a bit personal when it comes to his boss, Bishop Gregory. He's especially offended by Gregory's comments regarding gay marriage, where the bishop rightly points out that a Catholic
legislator is in "formal cooperation" with sin if he "does not oppose" legislation in favor of gay unions. Ekeh sniffs that "This is getting as close to excommunication as they would dare in our day and age... This is no less then than a tool of manipulation or control. This is commensurate with how the Holy See controlled politics in the Middle Ages, they had the ultimate threat, the threat of excommunication."

Oh brother.

Look, it's one thing for a Catholic to be a pro-life Democrat -- that in itself is a perfectly legitimate position and consistent with our Catholic Faith. However, it's completely unacceptable to follow Ekeh and trade away our pro-life responsibilities.

As Kerry advances down the presidential campaign trail, and as other Catholics equivocate on his blatantly pro-abortion record, it will become more and more vital for the bishops to speak out. And for the members of the conference itself, the issue is getting a bit close to home.

Talk to you later this week,

Deal

--------------------------------------------------
It's truly shameful that this is allowed to continue. How disgusting!

The power and the glory of Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"

Gibson's Film
The power and the glory of Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"
Inside the Vatican
By: Robert Moynihan

Another excellent review. Some powerful excerpts:

I wept.

I wept for the implacable inevitability of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the ruin of his body, which, yes, is presented as the temple of God, but which reminded me of my own body, of my sons' bodies -- how many times I have bandaged their little, and not-so-little, cuts! -- of the bodies of soldiers and civilians being blown apart in Iraq... and in Israel... of the bodies of millions in the past century... of the bodies of those who suffered and died in the concentration camps...
. . .
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is splendid.

It is her sorrow that made me weep.
. . .
During the struggle in the garden to arrest Jesus, his eye is struck. From that moment until the end of the film -- except in flashbacks -- one eye is black and shut.

I hated that. I wanted to see his whole face more, both his eyes. I think: "I wish Mel had waited until the middle of the film to strike Jesus' eye..."

And then I think: "What a foolish thing to wish..."
. . .
During the scourging, I longed for a flashback, anything to bring us back to a time when things were good, when Jesus was living with his parents, or when he was preaching.
. . .
There is no doubt that there is a "eucharistic" dimension to this film, which makes it more profoundly "religious" or Christian -- but also Jewish, as I will explain in a minute -- than any other film about Christ's passion.

The film is "eucharistic" -- a depiction of the religious sacrifice which constitutes, in Catholic belief, the initiation of a new world, redeemed from sin, a world of eternal life.
. . .
In a few days, barring a cataclysm, the film will be in theaters, and millions will see it.

And millions will weep.

But that weeping will not be channeled into hatred of any group or groups; rather, it will be channeled into a renewed commitment to the central message of the man who is depicted suffering in this film: "Love one another."

Perhaps this movie will be an impetus for many to turn from a sinful world and a sinful life? Perhaps it will help us realize the importance of God's infinite merciful love? Maybe it will help us restore some sanity and virtue to our society?

Reports of Albany meeting yesterday concerning Hubbard & Fr Minkler

Roman Catholic Faithful, headed be Stephen Brady and Paul Likoudis of The Wanderer, held a meeting to discuss the investigation of the Diocese of Albany & Bishop Howard Hubbard.

The alleged letter of Fr. Minkler

Another view from the AP.

Bishop's foes, backers clash at forum (Times Union)

And let's not forget that the diocese is paying $770 per hour to an independent investigator to review allegations against Bishop Hubbard.


Things are really bad in this diocese and have been for a while, it seems. Michael Rose wrote an article in July 2003 which stated that Bishop Hubbard established a policy of recruiting, primarily, homosexuals for the priesthood.

How the people in that diocese must have suffered! I truly pray that the facts concerning Fr. Minkler's death come to light and that all of the wolves and Satan's minions in that diocese are brought to temporal justice and the diocese is purged of those responsible for the destruction of the faith and the loss of souls.

Transmission of Faith Depends on Catechesis, Says Pope

Says Parents and Educators Must Witness to What They Teach

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The future of the transmission of the faith and of the Church itself depends on catechesis, says John Paul II.

The Pope focused on catechesis in his address Friday to the bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Paris, whom he met at the conclusion of their five-yearly visit to Rome.

The Holy Father mentioned the process of secularization under way in French society, which shows that "a first proclamation of the Gospel" is "necessary" virtually everywhere.

This phenomenon, however, is counterbalanced by signs of hope, such as that of the numerous young people and adults who request baptism.

"May the calls of the people who want 'to see Jesus' and who knock on the door of the Church help you to bring about a new springtime of evangelization and catechesis," the Pope told the French bishops.

Catechists must know that on their work depends "the future of the transmission of the faith and its being put into action," the Pontiff added. "The visibility of the Church of tomorrow also depends on it to a great extent."

In his address, delivered after the greeting addressed to him on behalf of the bishops by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, the Holy Father offered fundamental guidelines for catechesis to become a genuine discovery of Christ.

Referring to the catechesis of children and young people, John Paul II said: "It is important to give them a religious and moral education of quality, which offers clear and solid elements of the faith that leads to an intense spiritual life, as a child is also 'capax Dei' [capable of God], as the Fathers of the Church said, to a sacramental life, and to a worthy and beautiful human life."

"For catechetical formation to become a solid nucleus of existence, it must be accompanied by regular religious practice," the Pope said. "How can the proposal made to children take root, and how can Christ transform their being and action from within, if they do not meet with him regularly?"

He continued: "Christian life cannot be based on a mere sociological attitude, nor on knowledge of some rudiments of the Christian message, which would not lead to participation in the life of the Church. It would be the sign that faith remains as something totally external to persons."

"Young people are particularly sensitive to consistency between people's words and their concrete lives," the Pope said. "How can young people become aware of the need to participate in Sunday Mass or of the practice of the sacrament of penance if their parents or teachers do not live such a religious and ecclesial life?"

The Holy Father added: "Daily witness is the seal of the authenticity of the teaching that is imparted."

[Zenit Link here]

This is exactly what the Marian Catechist Apostolate does. Read colums by Archbishop Burke and Fr. John Hardon here. You may even consider becoming a member of this vitally needed apostolate.

Atlanta Archbishop John Donoghue & "The Passion" movie

Diocesan Publication
Published: February 19, 2004

To the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, And to All People of Good Faith

Dear Friends in Christ,

On Wednesday February 25th, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of the Lenten Season for the year of our Lord, 2004. As good Catholics do every year, we will undertake during the ensuing forty days, special acts of penance, including, as our Lord has taught us, prayer, fasting, and the giving of alms. We do these things to clear our minds, and to dispose our souls to accept more readily, the gift that Jesus Christ, the Son of God has made us - His life and His death - His suffering, and His redemption of all mankind.

This year, there is a special event which can help to make this Lent unlike any before, and perhaps, change us permanently, in the way we visualize and attempt to share in the great love our Lord has shown us. This event is the release of the film, The Passion, conceived, produced and directed by Mel Gibson.

Last summer Mel Gibson brought his film to Atlanta, and shared it with a small number of local religious leaders. At that time, I was able to talk at length with Mr. Gibson privately, and I am completely convinced that his motive in making this film was entirely religious, and that it manifests what I consider to be his sincere faith and devotion. I am also impressed by the willingness with which he faced the monumental challenges of accurately depicting the Gospel events surrounding the Passion of our Lord, as well as his courage in answering the opposition which such a depiction has and will continue to provoke.

Mel Gibson's understanding has been enlightened by the understanding of the Church. Specifically, in his depiction of the capture, the trial and the condemnation of Jesus Christ, no one bears the blame exclusively - neither the Jews, nor the Romans, nor the Herodians. Our Lord's sufferings and death are the result of one thing, and one thing only - the presence of evil in the world as a result of sin, the weakness of men and women when overcome by the temptations of Satan. All people bear the blame for our Lord's suffering and death - all people should feel sorrow or contrition that Christ's innocence is the only worthy sacrifice to atone for our sinfulness. These are hard lessons for us to bear at the best of times, for we are so proud; and these are almost impossible lessons for our modern culture, which seems devoted to the complete denial of sin and evil. Mel Gibson's desire is to show that sin and evil do exist, that Satan is real, and that only by humbly participating in the merits gained by our Lord, only by seeing, by feeling and by sharing in His suffering and death do we gain the grace, the gift, of being made worthy again to share the company of God. This is a gift that Jesus Christ made to all men and women - His gift does not consider race or creed - His gift embraces all who embrace Him. The blame for His death is upon the heads of all the children of Adam and Eve. And if there is one who can be said to condemn Him, then it is the one whom Jesus called "a murderer from the beginning" - Satan.

I believe that all people should see this film. And as your bishop, I would urge all Catholics of the Archdiocese of Atlanta to see this film. But do not expect to view it objectively or without being changed. It will not leave you the same person you were before - you will never again not be able to picture the scope of our Lord's suffering, and the terrible price He paid in order to save us. And consequently, you will never again be able to think of yourself as being innocent, or only relatively involved in the events of His Passion. That is a result of the true artistry that Mel Gibson has brought to the production, along with the work of an amazing cast, and cinematography that elevates this film to a place among the greatest ever made. But most importantly, it is a result of Mel Gibson's faithful adherence to the words and the spirit of the Gospel.

One important caution must be given. This movie is not for children, and by that, I specifically mean children who have not yet achieved an age to understand the graphic violence that can be done by humans to other humans, and to themselves. It would be unwise for me to try and decide what age that might be - and it is a responsibility that I consider to be the inviolate privilege of mothers and fathers. To be safe, I would suggest that no children under high school age should see this film, unless their parents have seen it first, and give their consent. In any case, young people will need to rely upon the counsel of older men and women, as well as priests, and educators of the Church, in order to absorb the impact of this film.

Dear friends, the lesson of The Passion is terrible - and beautiful - to behold, but the truth of accepting and making this lesson a part of our own lives, is to gain deeper faith in the ultimate outcome of Christ's purpose in coming among mankind - His victory over death - our death - ".to give his life as a ransom for many." May this magnificent film, a gift from God, help us to learn what we need to know, and may our Lenten and Easter celebrations this year, bring us an abundance of contrition, repentance, and new-found hope in the power of Jesus Christ to save us, and give us eternal life.

Sincerely yours,

Most Reverend John F. Donoghue Archbishop of Atlanta

I did not have a web site to link to...This was emailed to me.

From war to abuse, Archbishop Burke speaks out

Today, the Post-Dispatch has published an interview with Archbishop Raymond Burke.

"Inside the Vatican," a national Catholic publication, recently named him among the top 10 people of the year, and its editor calls him the "arguably the fastest rising bishop in the U.S. hierarchy." Meanwhile, one of the nation's largest anti-abortion groups recently launched an ad campaign around him."

The Archbishbishop discusses the following:

Consolidation of area parishes and the pain associated with the reorganization,
(He's very aware of the pain this causes and is sympathetic to those affected and he has suffered much because of it as well)

Politicians, abortion, euthanasia, and the dignity of life & the common good,
(He will do the same here if necessary - It's not a policy of his, but he is following Church law.)

The death of his father when he was young, and the importance of his mother, family & faith,
(He has a passion for the education and care of children - this can be seen by the LaCrosse Religious Education curriculum he established)

The sex-abuse scandal,
(He wants to meet with victims and those making allegations, not with SNAP)

Racial tensions in the St. Louis area,
(He feels that this is one of the human difficulties to confront, and probably one of the toughest to deal with.)

His appetite for reading, especially history, biography, philosophy, and theology,
(Right now, he's reading about the life of Bishop DuBourg and the history of the archdiocese)

Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ",
(His response up to this point is positive and he plans to see it sometime during the first week of Lent.)

Just War Theory and the war in Iraq,
(He feels the war would fall under the auspices of the Just War theory-that it was not unjust considering the evil of the regime among other things.)

Catholics and their use of artificial contraception,
(It's an essential part of Catholic teaching, and those preparing for Marriage must understand and accept it)

The homosexual 'marriage' debate,
(He will address the subject because Catholics are asking themselves how the Church view this)

Homosexual orientation and the priesthood,
(Homosexuality is disordered. There is no place in the priesthood for those who are active sexually, either homosexual or heterosexual. Also those with an inclination toward homosexuality should not be admitted to the priesthood.)

The importance of family farms,
(Farming is at the very foundation of our well being in this country)

The Building of a shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe here?
(We have shrines around the area. He'll have to wait and see what the needs are)

All in all, this was a really decent article from the Post-Dispatch. I would recommend that everyone who is interested read it. You have to remember that in the Post, Pro-Life becomes 'anti-abortion', but this is the mindset of the secular media. And Archbishop Burke is truly a man of humiliy.

You can find it here.

Message drew sister to priest (Fr John Minkler)

The circumstances surrounding the death of Fr. Minkler are so strange and bizarre. I pray that the truth comes out soon. Please pray also for Fr. Minkler and his family.

Call prompted discovery of cleric who died amid Hubbard controversy
By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer First published: Saturday, February 21, 2004

Before he died, a priest embroiled in the controversy surrounding Bishop Howard Hubbard arranged for his sister to find him, according to a police report obtained by the Times Union. Patricia Minkler told Watervliet police that she went to the 2319 Seventh St. home of her brother, the Rev. John Minkler, on Sunday after getting a call from another Catholic priest.

She found her brother on the kitchen floor, face-down on a blanket, and called police at about 1:48 p.m. for help with an "attempted suicide," according to the police report. Firefighters at the scene determined that he was dead, the report said.

Minkler had died sometime between 4:30 p.m. Feb. 13, and when his body was found.

Prescription pills were found near Minkler, Albany County Coroner Herman Thomas said. Thomas is awaiting the results of toxicology tests before ruling on the cause of death. He has not disclosed the nature of the medication.

The death came days after Minkler was publicly identified as the author of a 1995 letter to then-New York Archbishop John O'Connor that accused Hubbard of homosexual behavior and theological transgressions.

On Feb. 13, Minkler signed a statement for the Albany Diocese disavowing authorship of the letter.

Minkler left a note near his body, but its contents have not been disclosed by Thomas, who is conducting an investigation into the death. District Attorney Paul Clyne said the note probably will not be made public.

Patricia Minkler said the Rev. Edward Sipperly, a retired priest from Clifton Park, told her that he had received a message on his answering machine from John Minkler asking that his sister be called to "respond to his address with her keys to the residence because he is ill," according to the police report.

Sipperly did not know the date or time of the message from John Minkler. The police report does not state when Sipperly contacted the sister.

A man answering the telephone at Sipperly's home Friday told a reporter that Sipperly wasn't there and hung up immediately. Several other calls to the residence were not answered.

Attempts to reach Patricia Minkler for comment were unsuccessful.

The last known contact with Minkler was with the Rev. Joseph Wilson, a Queens priest, who said Minkler was very upset that being identified as the letter's author could ruin him.

Albany Diocese spokesman Ken Goldfarb said Friday that Minkler told the diocese that Sipperly would help him with his duties as chaplain at the Stratton VA Medical Center.

Minkler was a chaplain there for 20 years, but VA spokeswoman Linda Blumenstock said Friday there is no record that Sipperly was a volunteer.

During the 1990s, Sipperly was pastor at St. Stanislaus Church in Amsterdam.

In 1986, he was bound, beaten and robbed while pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Green Island, where one of his assailants yanked a silver cross and chain from around his neck, spat in his face and said, "I hate your God, I hate your religion and I hate you."

Diogenes suggests a "Thought Experiment"

Imagine a large suburban high school whose faculty and administration (considered a unity for present purposes) devises a series of programs to deal with the problem of student drug dealers. After some months of very mixed results it happens that a faculty member himself is arrested for selling drugs; then another; then two more in quick succession.
. . .
Suppose that it was wholly unknown for the faculty to identify and expel one of its own for drug use. That in every single case the faculty drug dealers were discharged only after an arrest by police or after overwhelmingly disgraceful media exposure.
. . .
Now imagine this. Not only does the faculty give absolutely zero indication that there is a problem that needs fixing in its own ranks, but it continues to speak exclusively -- without exception -- of a problem "out there," among the students, and continues to speak of itself as the perfectly obvious body to effect the cure.

It doesn't make me feel any better at all.

Why does Archbishop Pilarczyk want this law repealed?

Archbishop Pilarczyk wrote a letter urging the repeal of the following law:

"The City of Cincinnati and its various Boards and Commissions may not enact, adopt, enforce or administer any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy which provides that homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual orientation, status, conduct, or relationship constitutes, entitles, or otherwise provides a person with the basis to have any claim of minority or protected status, quota preference or other preferential treatment. This provision of the City Charter shall in all respects be self-executing. Any ordinance, regulation, rule or policy enacted before this amendment is adopted that violates the foregoing prohibition shall be null and void and of no force or effect."

I am unable to see anything discriminatory in the above. It seems that it seeks to prevent homosexuals from having special "minority" privileges which certainly seems reasonable. What group will be next to apply for special treatment because of disordered inclinations?

This man and the people of Cincinnati need our prayers.

Cardinal George Encourages People To See Gibson's Film

Chicago's Cardinal George Encourages People to See Gibson's Film
On Friday, Feb. 13 while attending a general meeting of Deanery III and IV priests and others, Albert Judy, O.P. (St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, River Forest, Illlinois) asked Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I. about the upcoming film, The Passion of the Christ. Here is the transcription from a digital recording:

Question: Albert Judy, O.P.

Is the archdiocese, especially the office of evangelization and catechesis prepared to take the maximum advantage of the movie that's about to appear, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ? I think it is going to be an incredible opportunity...it would be a shame if we are not able to take advantage of this event.

Response: Cardinal George, O.M.I.:

I have not seen the whole film. I have seen a rough cut, and from a cinematic point of view it is masterfully done. The images are so forceful, so powerful, that your imagination is changed. You live with new images of the passion. At least I did since seeing those images, without yet seeing how they come together in a film.

There is a priest in the archdiocese who has a lot of experience in filmmaking, and he has sent out to the parishes all the information on the film and how to participate in viewing it. I have sent out the documents from Rome and the USCCB on how to read the Passion stories in the Gospels. I would encourage people to see the film.

I would then say something else. We should see it not only as Christian believers; we should try to watch it with the eyes of the Jewish people.

The history of anti-Semitism, a very sorrowful history, has made many Jews very sensitive to any recognition that even some Jews were involved in the death of Jesus. Obviously some Jews were involved in the death of Jesus. He had enemies among his own people. His apostle Judas betrayed him and some of the leaders of the people were against him. Read the Gospels. At the same time, all Jesus' friends were Jews, as were the first apostles and disciples - everybody was a Jew within this story, except the Romans who, in fact, killed him. They killed him in their own fashion - a terrible execution, torture. And all of that torture is attributed to the Romans in the film.

But the push to have him condemned is attributed to some of the Jewish leaders, even though the Romans are primarily responsible. Jesus had enemies among his own people. He also had friends and disciples among his own people. Jesus was a Jew. And you can hardly tell the story of Jesus' life, certainly not the story of his death, without saying that some Jews did this and some Jews did that.

That very telling creates fear in the hearts of many Jewish people today. We should be aware of that even as we watch this film as Christians and are moved by it. We should try to think how a Jew [would] watch this. That's part of living as a community: we internalize the reactions of others, whether they're Jews or atheists or Protestants or Hindus. We try to live together. We have to be ourselves as Christians with the right to say, "Jesus is Lord;" but we have to say it in such a way that others don't take fright. That's the challenge of this film. I hope you'll see it, and I hope it will not harm interfaith relations.

Dominican Life
© 2002-2004 All Rights Reserved

Fr. Donald Cozzens, Keynote Speaker at VOTF-St Louis

One week after the special Credo sponsored Lenten Retreat on March 5 & 6, VOTF-St Louis and Voice of the Faithful Mid-Missouri will present their "Conference on the Challenges in the Church" on March 13.

For more information see this.

I hope to attend to give a report on the goings on.
I'm curious what these people would do if they were outnumbered by the truly faithful Catholics in the archdiocese?

Thanks for your time...

This was sent to me earlier this evening and I thought I should share it.
-------------------------------------
Thanks for your time
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. in fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box? " Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There, inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.

Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

---------------------------------
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"

Who has not read the Catechism, or the Second Vatican Council documents?

PATRICK J. McGRATH is the Roman Catholic bishop of San Jose. He wrote this column for the Mercury News.

I do offer some reflections on underlying concerns that seem to be coming into focus in light of the Ash Wednesday release of ``The Passion.''

While the primary source material of the film is attributed to the four gospels, these sacred books are not historical accounts of the historical events that they narrate. They are theological reflections upon the events that form the core of Christian faith and belief. (Emphasis added by me)

But from the Catechism we read this:
#126 We can distinguish three stages in the formation of the Gospels:
1. The life and teaching of Jesus. The Church holds firmly that the four Gospels, "whose historicity she unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day when he was taken up."[99]

And the footnote #99 above directs us to the Second Vatican Council's Dei Verbum #19 which states:
Holy Mother Church has firmly and with absolute constancy held, and continues to hold, that the four Gospels just named, whose historical character the Church unhesitatingly asserts, faithfully hand on what Jesus Christ, while living among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation until the day He was taken up into heaven (see Acts 1:1).

I suppose one could also extract excerpts from Pascendi Dominici Gregis or Lamentabili Sane, both from Pope Pius X, but I suppose the Catechism and Dei Verbum are enough to begin the educational process for the San Jose bishop.

Kenneth Hulshof, Catholic, and Archbishop Burke

Another Post-Dispatch Letter to Editor writer has questions...

Hulshof silent on important issues

In a polished presentation, the congressman emphasized three points: that he and his wife were members of a certain Catholic church; that he opposed abortion; and that he opposed gun control. Not one word was devoted to any other issue.

Nothing, for example, on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education, environment, stem-cell research, women's rights, national defense, government funding of religious institutions, the exploding national debt (private and public) or the unconscionable gap in income and wealth between the top 2 percent and the bottom 20 percent of our nation's population.

Cynics would argue that the congressman was simply honoring the dictum that the easiest votes to get are single-issue voters. Nevertheless, his silence on the important issues comes in stark contrast to the themes he had chosen.

If Congressman Hulshof wishes to exploit his Catholic credentials, does he not have a corresponding obligation to all his constituents to identify clearly where he advocates policies which contradict the desires of the conservatives who control the Vatican? This question gains special relevance now that the archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond Burke, has decreed that Catholic lawmakers who support abortion rights, euthanasia or the death penalty shall not receive Communion until they publicly renounce such views.

I have yet to hear Archbishop Burke state that support for capital punishment precludes one from receiving Holy Communion. As a matter of fact, Dr. Arthur Hippler, Archbishops Burke's Director of Justice and Peace, in the Diocese of LaCrosse, has written extensively on this subject. The confusion of the letter writer might be cleared up by reading these articles. Also Archbishop Burke proposes that there is a disconnect of sorts when he says:

Our consistent stance on the dignity of all human life is not understood by some. Many understand our care for the poor and the marginalized, but they part company with us in our defense of innocent and defenseless life in the womb. They will stand with us against capital punishment, but not against procured abortion or euthanasia. *

Since the proper role of religion lies in being a critic of government and not as a participant in government, may we ask Hulshof two more questions?

The proper role of religion is to be a critic of government? Now we understand your dilemma. The role proper to religion is to offer praise and glory to God and to help mankind reach eternal happiness with God.

When religious leaders take advantage of the shield of our laws in order to oppose or endorse particular candidates, should not churches and church schools then forfeit their tax exemption as well as the ability of donors to deduct contributions from their income and estate taxes?

Another confusion in the mind of Mr. Meyer. The Catholic Church does not oppose nor endorse political candidates for office. The Church reminds the faithful of their duties with respect to the teachings of Christ, to be mindful of the responsibilities they have to participate wisely in choosing political leaders.

Since Archbishop Burke is following instructions from Rome, should he not register with our federal authorities as a foreign lobbyist?

Donald Meyer
Labadie

Finally, we reach the apex of Mr. Meyer's thinking. His view of Archbishop Burke as a 'patsy' of Rome, rather than as a successor of the Apostles, a disicple of Christ, and a shepherd of the faithful, is seriously flawed and is indicative of a warped view of reality.

Christ, have mercy on us!

* A Pastoral Letter to Christs's Faithful of the Diocese of LaCrosse
On the Dignity of Human Life and Civic Responsibility
The Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, Bishop of LaCrosse
November 23, 2003

Claire McCaskill and the Church

This is from an article in yesterday's Post-Dispatch:

In an interview, McCaskill, a Roman Catholic and a supporter of abortion rights, was asked about directives by bishops that public officials should adhere publicly to church teachings against abortion. St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has criticized the abortion-rights stand of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and said that if Kerry were to stand in his Communion line, he wouldn't give him the sacrament.

Last week, Archbishop James P. Keleher of the Kansas City, Kan., Diocese wrote Catholic institutions to say abortion-rights activists and politicians should not be invited to speak at those institutions.

McCaskill said she was disappointed that the church hierarchy had singled out one issue.

Some will say that the defense of innocent life is only one issue among many, that it is important but not fundamental. They are wrong. In the natural moral law, the good of life is the most fundamental good and the condition for the enjoyment of all other goods (cf. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics [November 1998], n. 5).*

"There's a lot of subject matter out there - birth control, the death penalty, euthanasia, social justice, and when you begin picking one topic and not talking about the other topics, I think that there is an issue of fairness in terms of the Catholic doctrine and how public officials are getting called to task," said McCaskill. "I'm hopeful that they pray about it, and I'm going to pray about it, and I hope that I still feel welcome in my church."

Catholics therefore cannot legitimately believe that, if they support programs for the poor and marginalized, this “makes up” for not being consistently prolife. “Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing and health care.... But being ‘right’ in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the ‘rightness’ of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community” (Living the Gospel of Life, n. 23).*

McCaskill is a member of St. Gerard Majella parish in Kirkwood. Asked if she could still go to Communion if she got a letter from Archbishop Burke on abortion, McCaskill said, "I'll be candid. I do not participate in Communion now because I have remarried and did not want to go through what I considered a less-than-honest process of annulling my previous marriage.

"I wasn't comfortable in saying things to get an annulment that I had to say because they weren't true. I participate at my parish and do not take Communion at the present time. So it doesn't impact me other than it's hurtful."

At least on the point of refraining from Holy Communion, I can agree with her. It is a sacrilege and a mortal sin, objectively speaking, to receive Holy Communion while in an adulterous relationship, which is what her situation is, and which she seems to understand, at least in principle. Living in adultery precludes one from receiving the Sacraments.

However, one should not lie or fabricate stories and conditions when applying for an annulment. If she received advice that lying is required in order to secure a decree of nullity, she has been misinformed and, hopefully, this person is not a representative of the Church.

* A Pastoral Letter to Christs's Faithful of the Diocese of LaCrosse
On the Dignity of Human Life and Civic Responsibility
The Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, Bishop of LaCrosse
November 23, 2003

Do these 'Liturgists' even know what the Catechism is?

Do they even know what the teachings of the Church are?
The Doctrinal Confusion of Liberal Liturgists

Apparently not....

The USCCB needs a good "cleansing"....

The only role the Bible says the Pharisees have in the passion of Jesus is, in one case they try to warn him that there's a plot against his life," said Eugene Fisher, the spokesman on interfaith relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.

To counter some of the hype around Gibson's film, Fisher's staff has been hurriedly distributing to Catholic clergy fresh copies of 40 years of Catholic statements combating anti-Semitism. A 1988 declaration by the American bishops offers point-by-point instruction for any accurate portrayal of Jesus' death, including that Pharisees "should not be depicted as party to the proceedings against Jesus."

This, I believe, is the same group that published "Reflections on Covenant and Mission" which is no longer on the USCCB website, probably due to the confusion it caused the faithful and for its complete misunderstanding of the Catholic Church's position.

Some one should clean the "Augean stables", so to speak. Perhaps they can keep those who would make a profession of faith and take the oath of fidelity?

FOES OF “THE PASSION” CRACKING UP

Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on the way some critics of “The Passion of the Christ” are behaving:

“With the opening of ‘The Passion of the Christ’ less than a week away, it is obvious that some of the film’s critics are cracking up. For example, gossip maven Liz Smith today echoes ADL chief Abe Foxman’s remark that Mel Gibson is a ‘true believer.’ Ex-priest John Dominic Crossan accuses Mel of ‘playing with dynamite,’ offering that the film is ‘dangerously irresponsible.’ Bart Charlow, director of the National Conference for Community and Justice, says Mel is ‘treading on ancient and dangerous grounds,’ adding that it may lead to ‘synagogue firebombings.’ Rabbi James Rudin of the American Jewish Committee is upset about a scene in which Jesus is hung over a bridge by chains; Rudin says this wasn’t in the New Testament. Abe Foxman says the movie betrays Vatican II and that the Church has ‘a responsibility to stand up to defend its own teaching.’ And several media talk-show hosts have grilled me about the propriety of young people seeing a movie with so much violence.

“The term ‘true believer’ was coined by philosopher Eric Hoffer to describe fanatics, both religious and secular. In other words, it accurately describes Mel’s most extreme critics. Those who are sounding the alarms over anti-Semitic violence are historically ignorant: the last time Jews were assaulted after the production of a Passion Play was in the Middle Ages. As for fidelity to the New Testament, Mel is not obligated to tailor his interpretation of the Bible according to someone else’s politically correct straightjacket. If they don’t like his version, they can always make their own. Moreover, it takes chutzpah for a non-Catholic to lecture the Church about defending its teachings, simply because he doesn’t like a movie the Church had nothing to do with. As for the violence, it is amazing to hear those who think it’s okay for a teenager to submit her unborn child to lethal violence—without parental consent—now worry whether she is able to endure a movie about the death of Jesus.

“These critics are cracking up. But their demagoguery is failing: they cannot stop the movie from being a blockbuster.”

Stations of the Cross, Immaculate Conception Parish

This is a letter that I wrote to my pastor, associate pastors, and deacons a couple of weeks ago. I now understand that the change is finalized and Stations will be moved from Friday evening to Wednesday evening so as to NOT "interfere" with the Fish Fry or a planned speaking series. As yet, I have received no response from the pastor - and I don't expect one. And I fully understand that there is no mandate or law requiring Stations on Fridays, etc.

*** Letter from Feb 9.
Last week, in a discussion with one of our deacons, I became aware of a recent decision by you, in consultation with others, to move our customary Friday Stations of the Cross to Wednesday evening. Are we to assume that this is being done so as not to interfere with the IQ Series talks that have scheduled for Friday evenings? Since I am unable to understand how praying the Stations on a Friday evening at 6:00pm or 6:30pm could possibly interfere with an event scheduled for 7:00pm or 7:30pm, could you or someone else explain the rationale behind this to me?

You, no doubt, are aware that the longstanding custom in our parish, our archdiocese and throughout the U.S., has always regarded Fridays as the most appropriate day to pray the Stations of the Cross, particularly during Lent. Not only is Friday a day of exceptional devotion and remembrance of Good Friday, it is also an obligatory day of penance, during which we are to practice fasting and abstinence, especially during the Lenten season. Shifting this time-honored Catholic devotional custom from Fridays to Wednesdays seems shamefully offensive in that it is a direct affront to the sensibilities of faithful Catholics who have traditionally viewed Fridays during Lent as a time of special prayer, grace, and conversion.

The Congregation of Divine Worship in its "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, Principles and Guidelines" (Dec. 2001), when discussing the Via Crucis and the link to the Veneration of the Cross, confirms this when it states:

Popular piety tends to anticipate the cultic veneration of the Cross. Throughout Lent, every Friday is observed, since very ancient times, as a commemoration of the Lord's Passion and the faithful easily direct their devotions towards the mystery of the Cross. (Emphasis added)

How, then, will the faithful of the parish properly observe Fridays if you move our Stations of the Cross devotions to Wednesday? Why would any pastor choose to disrupt that to which we have become accustomed over many decades? Why would we want to discard our Catholic heritage and pious practices and traditions which are so beneficial for growing closer to our Lord?

Regardless of your final decision in this matter, it remains a fact that the faithful may continue to practice this pious devotion privately in the Chapel on Fridays or any other day and, if properly disposed, to also merit a plenary indulgence since the Chapel contains "legitimately erected" stations. Some of the faithful may even opt to pray the Via Crucis at other parishes which have not arbitrarily abandoned a customary and venerable devotion for the sake of some perceived expediency or in the erroneous belief that more people may attend on Wednesday rather than Friday. If attendance is the issue, perhaps having Stations on two or more nights would be a better alternative.

Secondly, after having read the Enchiridion of Indulgences No.63 (1968) with regard to the Stations of the Cross and the requirements necessary for obtaining the plenary indulgence, I have a question whether the new church has Stations of the Cross that have been "legitimately erected". I am quite skeptical at this point that, 1) a plenary indulgence may be obtained by praying the Via Crucis in the new church which does not appear to have "legitimately erected" stations, and 2) whether the banners being used for stations are even permissible for this pious devotion.

The documentation that I have regarding this observation comes from three sources: Code of Canon Law #1169 (with commentary), Inter Oecumenici #77, and the Roman Ritual. All three of these sources indicate that the blessing and erecting of Stations of the Cross are reserved to a bishop. If the blessing of Stations is actually reserved to a bishop, then one must ask if one of our bishops actually blessed the banners that have been or are currently being used for stations in the church. If not, did Archbishop Rigali give permission to have these banners blessed by a priest rather than a bishop? If neither of these questions can be answered in the affirmative, then do we not have a slight problem here? It also appears from the relevant documents that stations should be permanent (erected), rather than seasonal articles that can be put up and taken down at will.

Lastly, in closing, if it is determined that we do not have "legitimately erected" stations in the new church, would it not be appropriate and fitting that the Stations of the Cross devotions be relocated back to the Chapel so that those who wish to obtain a plenary indulgence may do so?

If it is determined that we do, in fact, have "legitimately erected" stations in the new church, then the only issue remaining is that of moving the devotions from Friday to Wednesday. I would ask that you prayerfully consider the reasons for maintaining these devotions on Friday with the possibility of adding other days if that would seem advantageous.

I look forward to hearing from you about this and as always, all of you are in my daily prayers.
*** End of letter

To clear up any questions that may arise from those unfamiliar with Immaculate Conception Church in Dardenne, allow me to initally address some of those:

IQ Series
This is a attempt by the parish to invigorate the faith of parishioners and others by bringing in speakers who would give talks on some aspect of the faith. For the most part, these speakers give talks on Friday evening. Initially, one speaker a month was to be the goal. During this Lenten season, however, it looks like we will have a speaker on every Friday. It is unclear to me whether fidelity to Church teaching is a prerequisite to be invited to speak. These talks are scheduled to begin at 7:30pm. (Stations started at 6:00 or 6:30)

New Church
Our new church building looks like the typical modern church built today in most parts of the U.S., based on the mundane architectural minimalism of the 70's. There are no stations. We have one statue only, and that is of our Blessed Mother, off to the side in an alcove. We do, however, have a "monumental" cross (not crucifix) behind the altar which blocks the view of a small tabernacle which is a good distance away. The cross is a conglomeration of steel & glass, which is truly reminiscent of the 60's & 70's culture. It would be perfect for any Protestant church building. We will, once again, have 'banners' for Stations. Unfortunately, they are not tie-dyed.

Chapel (Old Church)
Our old church, which we have outgrown holds about 200-250 people. It was built in the late 1890's by the hard work and efforts of area Catholics doing all they could to built a worthy house for God, and it was extraordinarily simple yet beautiful until a "renovation" was done about 10-15 years ago. However, it could still be restored to its former beauty and it does, at least, have Stations. At it still retains nearly all of the statues which we had before the renovation.

Other
The parish, while I would not classify it as an hotbed for dissidence, nevertheless has its share of sanctioned liturgical abuses and other issues which have not yet been rectified. I have engaged in discussions defending:
the perpetual virginity of Mary,
the male only priesthood,
the sacrificial nature of the Holy Mass,
the real, true, substantial, and unique Presence of Christ in the Eucharist,
non-Catholics inability to receive Holy Communion, and so forth.

Hopefully, these things may change with the recent appointment of Archbishop Raymond Burke.

Vatican unconvinced by ADL's Foxman

Abraham H. Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League official, met Feb. 16 with U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Archbishop Foley told CNS he explained to Foxman, "I saw no anti-Semitism in the film."

"Mr. Foxman said he saw it with different eyes," the archbishop said.

Watching the film, Archbishop Foley said, "I found myself meditating deeply on the sinfulness of each one of us."

"I would hope people would accept the film as a meditation on our own culpability for Christ's suffering," the archbishop said.

[Full Story]

Bishop Bruskewitz is not participating in the farce.

In general, the USCCB has refused to address the fundamental cause for the "crisis" and have failed to address the issue of homosexuality. Bishop Bruskewitz tried to have this addressed at the Dallas meeting but ran into a 'brick wall', so to speak.

A San Diego and Riverside County newspaper article has referred to the good bishop as a "dissenter." The full article is here.

He has questioned the prudence of having people such as Leon Panetta on the National Review Board and has indicated, rightly so, that the faithful are scandalized by this.

Bishop Bruskewitz should be commended for his courage in refusing to be part of this charade. It has been opined before that this entire Child Protection program is likely to turn into another bureaucratic behemoth with the likes of Kathleen McChesney running the show and looking for ways to audit individual parishes.

Later on in the article, we witness more 'digs' at Bishop Bruskewitz, such as:

The diocese has long been known for its conservative bent. Girls, for example, are not allowed to serve at the altar, a practice that has become common around the country. Bruskewitz believes that having boys serve at the altar encourages vocations to the priesthood, Huber said.

Bruskewitz also welcomed to the diocese the U.S. branch of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, which built a seminary and began classes in 2000. The fraternity emphasizes the Latin rite Mass ---- the standard before the Second Vatican Council ---- in which the priest speaks Latin and faces away from the congregation.

In 1996, Bruskewitz threatened to excommunicate Lincoln Catholics who belong to certain groups that he considered perilous to the faith, including the Masons and church reform advocates Call to Action.

Jim McShane, a Call to Action member who was targeted by the bishop's excommunication threats, said Bruskewitz's noncompliance with the audit and survey are typical.

Interesting. The reporter notes that Bruskewitz leads a conservative diocese correctly stating that he does not permit altar girls, which is the prerogative of each bishop. It's a pity that more bishops do not adopt a similar stance.

But that's not all! He has even 'welcomed' the FSSP - which "speaks in Latin" and celebrates Holy Mass ad orientem and toward God rather than facing the people. And he even had the nerve to threaten excommunication to those who chose to leave the Church anyway. Is it any wonder why the Diocese of Lincoln has more vocations that it has room for those discerning a vocation to the priesthood? Why is there no 'priest shortage' there? Perhaps he saw enough while in the Milwaukee diocese under the 'leadership' of Rembert Weakland. Perhaps that's why he said one of the happiest moments of his life was seeing Milwaukee in his rearview mirror?

While the reporter cleverly attempts to demonize Bishop Bruskewitz by the appeal to Post Vatican II hysteria and permissiveness and by quoting a Call to Action member, those who know of Bishop Bruskewitz wil not be fooled by these kind of reports.

'The Passion' … for Its Author, Is a Mass

From Zenit, comes this wonderful review of "The Passion".

Vittorio Messori is the first journalist in history to publish a book-length interview with a pope, the multimillion-selling "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (1994), as well as numerous other works such as "The Ratzinger Report" (1987) and his best-selling "Ipotesi su Gesù" (The Jesus Hypothesis, 1976).

After seeing Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," he wrote the following article for the Italian daily Corriere della Sera and offered the piece to ZENIT for publication in other languages.
--------
Two women weep quietly, without sobbing; the monsignor in clergyman's dress who is next to me is very pale, his eyes closed; the young ecclesiastical secretary nervously fingers a rosary; a tentative, solitary start of applause quickly dies out in embarrassment.

For many, very long minutes, no one stands up, no one moves, no one speaks. So, what we were being told was true: "The Passion of The Christ" has struck us, it has worked in us, the first guinea pigs, the effect that Gibson wanted.

For what it's worth, I myself was disconcerted and speechless: For years I have examined one by one the Greek words with which the Evangelists recount those events; not one historical minutia of those 12 hours in Jerusalem is unknown to me. I have addressed it in a 400-page book that Gibson himself has taken into account. I know everything, or rather, I now discover that I thought I knew: everything changes if those words are translated into images of such power to transform in flesh and blood, striking signs of love and hatred.
--------
Gibson, a Catholic who loves the Tradition, is a strong champion of the doctrine confirmed by the Council of Trent: the Mass is "also" a fraternal meal but it is "above all" Jesus' sacrifice, the bloodless renewal of the passion. This is what matters, not the "understanding of the words," as the new liturgists wish, whose superficiality Mel mocks as it seems like blasphemy to him. The redemptive value of the actions and gestures that have their culmination on Calvary has no need of expressions that anyone can understand.

This film, for its author, is a Mass: Let it be, then, in an obscure language, as it was for so many centuries. If the mind does not understand, so much the better. What matters is that the heart understands that all that happened redeems us from sin and opens to us the doors of salvation. Precisely as the prophecy of Isaiah reminds us on the "Servant of Yahweh" which, taking up the whole screen, is the prologue of the entire film. The wonder, however, seems to me to be verified: After a while, one stops reading the subtitles to enter, without distractions, in the terrible and marvelous scenes -- that are sufficient in themselves.

[Full Article here]

CATHOLIC WATCHDOG GROUP TO CONDUCT MEETING OF ALBANY CATHOLICS

Just received....

Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc.Press Release

Contact: Stephen G. Brady
Phone: (217) 632-5920

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 PM EDT, February 18, 2004

CATHOLIC WATCHDOG GROUP TO CONDUCT MEETING OF ALBANY CATHOLICS

An international group of faithful Roman Catholics has scheduled a
public meeting in Albany to discuss its ongoing investigation of the
Albany Catholic Diocese.

Stephen G. Brady, president of the Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc.
(RCF) issued a statement on Wednesday that he will arrive in Albany
from RCF's headquarters in Petersburg, Illinois, on Saturday
evening, February 21. The meeting will take place at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel, Albany City Center, State & Lodge Streets, 10 Eyck Plaza,
Albany, NY 12207.

In 2001, Mr. Brady was entrusted by the recently-deceased Fr. John
Minkler with a confidential 1995 report of corruption in the Albany
diocese that Fr. Minkler had prepared for then-New York Cardinal
O'Connor. Fr. Minkler had been seeking RCF's assistance to
help bring about reformative changes in the Albany diocese. RCF was
contacted by Fr. Minkler the day before his body was discovered in his
Watervliet home.

Joining Mr. Brady at the meeting will be Paul Likoudis, news editor
of The Wanderer, a weekly Catholic newspaper. For over 15 years, Mr.
Likoudis has probed the link between the homosexual revolutionists who
came to power in the early 1960s and the moral downfall of the Roman
Catholic Church. Fr. Minkler had been informing Mr. Likoudis about
problems in the Albany diocese for the last 13 years. Mr. Likoudis
spoke with Fr. Minkler shortly after Father's Friday meeting with
chancery officials, just two days before his body was found.

RCF is a not-for-profit lay organization, with many religious
members, dedicated to promoting orthodox Catholic teaching and
fighting heterodoxy and corruption within the Catholic hierarchy.

-End-

No speeches in Catholic institutions by abortion rights advocates

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Archbishop James P. Keleher has asked Catholic institutions under his jurisdiction to stop inviting politicans or others who favor abortion rights to speak or take part in other presentations.

His statement was published in the archdiocesan newspaper on Friday, the day after Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, spoke at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth.

The governor, invited to speak as part of the school's Lincoln Lectureship series, talked about education and economic development. Anti-abortion advocates had been critical of the invitation for her to speak on the Catholic campus.

Hours before her speech, the governor and Keleher appeared together at a news conference to rally support for affordable housing. Asked then about the controversy over Sebelius being invited to speak on the campus, the archbishop declined to comment.

But the next day, in a statement published in The Leaven newspaper, Keleher said abortion is such an important issue that "it is imperative that our Catholic churches, schools and institutions make every effort not only to support the pro-life movement, but especially to ensure that the public understand our unequivocal stand on this issue."

The archbishop requested that no abortion-rights advocate or politician who espouses an abortion-rights stance be allowed to "address, give workshops, or otherwise make any presentation" at Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

"We must stand solidly behind the Gospel of Life," the statement said.

Keleher could not be reached for comment Monday, his office said.

When Sebelius took office a year ago, Keleher expressed displeasure with her abortion-rights stance, asking her to move an inauguration interfaith service from Topeka's Assumption Catholic Church. Sebelius, who attends the church, refused to move the service.

Information from: Journal-World
© 2004 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.kansascity.com

It's certainly a move in the right direction, however, this should have been the norm all along. Now it is time to address the 'Catholic' politicians who give scandal to faithful by there unrepentant support of abortion, just as Archbishop Burke has done.

An Email regarding Emily's List and Political Candidates

From a Email I received, we have this:

Please help me get the word out that Nancy Farmer, running against Senator Bond in Missouri's senate election, and Betty Castor, who is running in Florida's senate race, are on Emily's List.

In case you are unfamiliar with Emily's List, it is the financial powerhouse that gives volumes of money to the campaigns of candidates who meet three requirements: female, Democrat and unconditionally pro-abortion.

Women who have supported all pro-abortion legislation but voted to support a ban on partial-birth abortion were immediately scratched from the list because Emily's List tolerates no exceptions to their pro-abortion agenda (cloning, fetal tissue research, no parental notification for abortion and artificial contraception, no 24-hour waiting period for abortion, etc.).

If you want to know who else is on Emily's List, go to www.emilyslist.org and click on their candidate recommendations.

There is also a Susan B. Anthony List organization that provides funding to pro-life female candidates. Their website is: www.sba-list.org

Thank you so much for what you can do. May God bless each one of our efforts to elect men and women who will uphold the sovereignty and laws of God. I am thankful to Him for this precious right and obligation.

I certainly do not want this to be a political site, however, ALL who embrace the culture of death need to be exposed for what they are or what they wish to be, both Catholics and non-Catholics, alike. Anyone who denies the unborn the right to life does not deserve to represent the public - or more aptly, those fortunate enough to have NOT been aborted.

ADL Director asking Vatican to intervene in "The Passion"

Jewish leader visits Rome, discusses 'Passion' with Vatican officials

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The week before "The Passion of the Christ" was to open on U.S. movie screens, the U.S. director of the Anti-Defamation League asked for a Vatican statement that the film does not reflect Catholic belief about the role of the Jews in the death of Jesus.

As we all know there were no Jews in Jerusalem at that time. Just as there were no Romans. This is all just too much! Lord, have mercy on us!

Abraham H. Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League official, was in Rome Feb. 16-18 on his way to a European conference on anti-Semitism. He said he wanted to use the opportunity to express his concerns about Mel Gibson's film and to seek a Vatican statement about it. "I'm reaching out to the Catholic Church and saying, 'It's time for you to step up to the plate. Mr. Gibson is challenging your teaching,'" Foxman told Catholic News Service Feb. 17.

Mr. Foxman must be seeing and hearing things differently. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"He is marketing this film as the Gospel truth, the historic truth in a way contrary to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and church guidelines on the presentation of the Passion," Foxman said. Vatican II said that Jesus' passion "cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of today."

Mel Gibson has repeatedly stated that ALL of us bear responsibility - all of us are culpable...I suppose that Mr. Foxman wants to be excluded from all humanity?

Could it be that the next request will be to add some sort of warning to the Gospels - that these also might be a cause of some anti-semitic feelings?

Jesterware Presents: Missal Defense

Check it out.

It's what OCP song books are really good for.

And I missed his talk at ICD's 2002 Christmas Novena

The Rev. Jason Samuel was one of the speakers at the Christmas Novena at Immaculate Conception Church in December of 2002. He was not on the list of speakers for the 2003 Novena, however. We did have two other protestant ministers, though...What Catholic Christmas Novena would be complete with them?

Anyway, to the point...a couple of women at the parish pointed out this story in the Post-Dispatch to me.

I wonder if anyone in charge at ICD knows about this? Maybe I'll send them a copy.

V-Monologues & SLU

I wasn't able to verify whether SLU permitted the V-Monologues to go on as scheduled or not....I wrote a letter to Fr. Biondi but never received a response other than he did receive my email.

At least last year I received a 'rationalization' as to why they were not going to cancel it.

The Cardinal Newman Society indicated that it went on as scheduled. Shameful!

Priest in the Albany Diocese found dead

Feb. 16 - A priest in the middle of the sex abuse allegations made
against Bishop Howard Hubbard was found dead Sunday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4281634/

The death of an Albany priest is raising more questions than answers
tonight. His name recently surfaced in connection with the allegations
against Bishop Howard Hubbard.
http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=38EA058D-B665-4187-9D15-92EA8F92C528

Coming soon to parish near you...?

Group urges Catholics to bypass dioceses
Members of a support group (SNAP) for people abused by priests targeted three Metro East churches Sunday morning, passing out leaflets, which stated: "We are here today because your bishop has used your donations to fight against children and for child molesters."

Spirtual Warfare is here - ready or not.

"My friends and I had many conversations with other parishioners who wanted to learn more about the Catholic Church's position on same-sex marriage . . . and so we set up our booth to give educational materials to interested parishioners," Karl Wirth wrote in an e-mail to the Globe. Wirth, a high-tech worker and Harvard graduate, approached the pastor, Monsignor Dennis Sheehan, for permission to set up a table, and Sheehan agreed.

So far so good, right?

One outraged parishioner threw many of the fliers into the sacristy's trash and tore down some of the signs adorning a booth, before breaking down in tears. A second churchgoer, too upset to sit through services, went home and wrote an open letter that he distributed after Mass, calling the distribution of the flier "an injustice."

The parish council discussed the controversy at last Sunday's meeting, and plans to consider whether anyone should be allowed to promote a political cause in the church. But no decision was made.

Quoting the catechism, trying to enlighten people with the truths of our faith is now "politics"...Be happy when people revile you for following Christ...Pray for the Church which is under attack from within!

Another Confused Post-Dispatcher Reader

Today's Post-Dispatch has more letters to the editor regarding Abp. Burke's statement that he would deny Sen. Kerry Holy Communion. Here is the letter of the confused writer.

Archbishop Raymond Burke has said he would not administer communion to Catholic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. This was in response to our pope's call to protect the unborn. Pope John Paul II also has denounced the death penalty. So why doesn't the archbishop go a step further and refuse communion to those who support the death penalty?

And let's not forget that the pope also opposed the United States going to war with Iraq. Maybe we should also refuse communion to pro-war people?

I am upset that the archbishop has made this a political issue. I am a Catholic. I am pro-life. Pro-life means anti-death penalty as well as anti-abortion. It is hard for me to be totally Democratic or totally Republican. That is why our church should not be jumping into this fray.

If our church is going to denounce Kerry on the abortion issue, it also needs to denounce President George W. Bush for his support of the death penalty and for taking us into a pre-emptive war in Iraq.

Jenny Smith
Jefferson City

This letter sounds as if it came straight from the pages of the National Catholic Reporter from a couple of days ago...?

Poor Jenny Smith is so confused...unable to understand that there are those things which are intrinsically evil and always morally wrong. Perhaps her pastor or her bishop in Jefferson City can clarify the problems for her. This would be a great act of charity.

It is correct that the Holy Father has stated that the use of the death penalty should not be used if other means are availbable to protect society, however the Church grants, as she always has, that the prudential judgement of imposing punishment is a right and power of lawful temporal authority. Abortion is MURDER, Capital Punishment is not! The two are not morally equivalent, except perhaps in the mind of one who is confused.

Secondly, the statement that Archbishop Burke has made this a political issue is false. The refusal of the Sacrament of Holy Communion is not political. The refusal of Catholics to abide by and promote the natural moral law can be political, especially when unjust laws are promoted or defended.

The defense of innocent life is the most fundamental issue we face in this country. All other rights or issues are meaningless if the 'right' to life is really of no importance. It is impossible to enjoy other rights and privileges if one has been denied the most fundamental right to life. It is this fundamental right to life which accords all of us the subsequent ability to enjoy and participate in other rights, duties, pleasures, etc.

All of us have a duty to help those who are blinded and cannot see the truth. All of us can find ourselves in this situation - none of us are immune. However, when we understand and believe what the Church teaches, we must share that truth with others as an act of charity. We must practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. And we must pray the our Lord will enlighten the minds of those who are so confused and are unable to understand.

Our good Archbishop is trying to open the hearts of those who have refused the grace of God and persist in public scandal and who, by their own actions and speech, continue to lead others away from Christ and His Church. He follows the lead of the good shepherd. Please pray for him also as he endures these attacks.