July 16-17, The Church Teaches Forum-2004

The 2004 CHURCH TEACHES FORUM will be held on July 16th & 17th at the GALT HOUSE (4th Avenue & The River) in Louisville, Ky.

Scheduled Speakers are:

Edouard Cardinal Gagnon
President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family

Archbishop Raymond L Burke
Archbishop of St. Louis installed in St. Louis on January 26, 2004, the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's historic pastoral visit to the archdiocese.

Rev. Abbot Edmund McCaffrey
Former Abbot Ordinary of Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. A founder and Vice President of The Institute on Religious Life.

Rev Roger Arnsparger
Pastor, St. Barnabas Parish, Arden, NC

More information at Eternal Life.

Eternal Life has GREAT books and tapes of Fr. John Hardon and Marian Catechist study materials, as well.

Liturgical Dance Accessories

This is great!

If you are in need of:

Beautiful hand dyed silk streamers that add so much to the visual prayer experience, or

Ribbon streamers that are made of organza which float so gracefully when you dance, or

Liturgical dance workshops and fabric dying workshops in silk and cotton.

I can tell you where to go....I just saw it with my own eyes! A website for all of your "Liturgical Dance" needs!

I came across this looking at some search logs. Someone actually did a search for "Dardenne Liturgical Dance"...and what do I see.....a link for "Son Dance Ministries" by the same person who assists others at Immaculate Conception Church in introducing 'liturgical dance' in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.....Take a look around...Quite interesting!

But don't wait, get your "liturgical dance" paraphenalia now, before the Archbishop quashes this goofiness for good.

Would St Thomas Aquinas agree with this?

Below are some excerpts from an article this week in "The Tidings", the Los Angeles Archdiocesan newspaper.

As explained by Father McBrien, Aquinas "had insisted that if civil laws laid too heavy a burden on the 'multitude of imperfect people,' it would be impossible for such laws to be obeyed and this, in turn, could lead eventually to a disregard for all laws."

If civil laws are too restrictive or are unenforceable, then the passing of such laws invites people to disobey them. I suppose that if at this point in the year 2004 a law was passed by one of the states banning smoking entirely, that law would be unenforceable, and would invite disrespect for law in general.

Laws against abortion are also unenforceable, because there would still be a large number of abortions if abortion were to be criminalized. Furthermore, abortions require proper medical attention. Our society does not want to take away the legal right to proper medical attention for women choosing to have abortions. Still, there are many people in America who consider abortions to be homicides. (emphasis mine).

To support abortion rights as a politician is not to say that abortion is acceptable before the moral law. It is only to say that, legally, abortion is not a right that we are willing to take away from our citizens.

So is the distingushed philosophy professor saying that abortion may not really be murder????

Is he also suggesting that since laws will not be obeyed, we should, therefore, not have laws???

Abortion has been condemned for 2000 years of Christianity...Regardless of the US Supreme Court's usurpation of power and its 'interpretation' of the law notwithstanding, abortion is still evil and it is still a crime.

Unless I have misread this article, it seems that something is truly amiss on the Left Coast.

Tidings artice here.

The communion controversy, or 'almost beside the point'

This is a great article by Fr. Joseph Wilson.

The Bishop of Colorado Springs, Michael Sheridan, seems quite clear in saying that not only is Mr. Kerry barred from Holy Communion, those voting for him, and for politicians supporting abortion, should also understand that they are outside the communion of the Church, and that they are jeopardizing their salvation. Several other bishops have publicly stated that Catholics making public pro-abortion stances should not approach Holy Communion. Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal McCarrick, says that he is not comfortable with barring such a person from Holy Communion, and Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, says that Mr. Kerry is "welcome" to receive Communion. And there has raged in the Church, both pro and con, discussion about when a priest or Eucharistic Minister should refuse the Eucharist to a communicant.

Eucharistic discipline, it would seem, is now a matter of diocesan boundaries. I wouldn’t have thought, a month ago, that the bishops could have further messed up our situation as a Church. It just goes to show that I do not give them nearly enough credit.
...
What a peculiar sight we must present to our nation. Our bishops publicly contradicting each other on points of discipline, all the while everyone knows that masses of our people don’t even understand, let alone accept our teaching. And, as a Church, it all means so little to us that apparently we cannot bring ourselves to admit that we are in trouble. We’ve been robbing our own of their birthright, of that deep, and rich, and fruitful way of looking at all Reality in light of Him Who became one of us, and died for us, and loves us.

What a great many things we can find to distract us. Anything, apparently, anything to avoid having to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Article here.

Two Auxiliary Bishops Appointed by the Holy Father

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgrs. Thomas A. Donato, spiritual director of the Major Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in South Orange, U.S.A., and John W. Flesey, director of permanent formation for the clergy of the archdiocese of Newark, U.S.A., as auxiliary bishops of the same archdiocese (area 1,328, population 2,809,267, Catholics 1,319,558, priests 929, permanent deacons 198, religious 1,667), U.S.A. Bishop-elect Donato was born in 1940 in Jersey City, U.S.A., and was ordained a priest in 1965. Bishop-elect Flesey was born in 1942 Jersey City and was ordained in 1969. They succeed Bishops Charles J. McDonnell and David Arias, O.A.R. whose resignations from the office of auxiliary were accepted upon having reached the age limit.

Link.

Priest won't remove name from letter on gays [No Longer Silent]

From the East Valley Tribune [AZ] | May 20, 2004 | Lawn Griffiths

Retired reverend says policy based on old science

A retired priest has informed Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted that he will not withdraw his name from the "No Longer Silent Phoenix Declaration," a letter signed by Arizona clergy calling for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in religious and community life.

The decision puts the Rev. Andre Boulanger of Phoenix at odds with church teachings and subject to discipline.

In April, Olmsted , leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, ordered nine diocesan priests to remove their names from the letter developed by No Longer Silent/Clergy for Justice in January 2003 and signed by 120 pastors.

To date, seven of the priests, five from the East Valley, have withdrawn their names in obedience to the bishop. A Peoria priest is the only other diocesan signer on the letter.

In a letter dated May 16, Boulanger acknowledged two letters from Olmsted who asked that he withdraw his signature and support of the declaration.

"I have given the matter much thought and soulsearching in these past weeks," he said, and "in the end, I found it necessary, as a matter of conscience, not to withdraw my name."

Boulanger said that centuries of church documents that "refer to homosexuality as an intrinsic disorder, a pathological constitution, a perversion of nature, etc.," and "objectively sinful" are based on human science for 1,500 years ago and earlier. "The best science that we have to this date tells us that homosexuality is not a disorder or pathology, but that it is a variation of the human sexual expression," he said.

"The object of our faith is in the person of Jesus as he is known to us in the Gospels," Boulanger wrote. "Yet, as far as we can tell, Jesus never once mentioned homosexuality as an evil. If this matter is of such importance, does it not stand to reason that he would have said something?"

Olmsted and other bishops were at a retreat Wednesday and there was no immediate response to the letter.

Link.

Bishop Gerald Barbarito grateful to Voice of the Faithful

A fledgling but committed chapter began in the Diocese of Palm Beach about a year ago. The 35 to 40 members are hard at work encouraging lay people, embracing victims of sexual abuse and supporting priests, according to Peter Amann, a parishioner at St. Patrick Church in Palm Beach Gardens who acts as their president. They welcome new members to their banner: Keep the faith and change the church.

Amann and some fellow members met with Bishop Gerald Barbarito for the first time in April. They were warmly received.

"The bishop is very positive," said Diocesan Communications Director Jim Brosemer. "He is pleased with their commitment to the church and grateful for their support and dedication."

Link.

Bishop Nevins won't allow communion to be used as political ploy

Catholic politicians who support keeping abortion legal should have no trouble receiving Holy Communion around here.

Bishop John Nevins of the Diocese of Venice, which includes most of Southwest Florida, will not be endorsing candidates, presidential or otherwise, according to his spokeswoman, Gail McGrath.

Article here.

Arizona bishops: Communion OK for pro-choice politicians

The national debate over abortion rights between Catholic politicians and bishops, highlighted by the presidential candidacy of Sen. John Kerry, was joined on Thursday by two Arizona bishops who said they will not deny communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix said that instead of refusing to offer communion, he would attempt to use persuasion to educate politicians about church teachings.

"My job is to get to know the key people in the state and appeal to their consciences," he said.

Article here.

Informers not welcome in Munich, says cardinal.

I received this today from an email list:

From the Tablet's enewsletter:

Informers not welcome in Munich, says cardinal.

Anonymous informers intent on reporting liturgical abuses will labour in vain in the Archdiocese of Munich, Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, Archbishop of Munich, said in an open letter.

Blackening people's names, especially when the talebearer wishes to stay anonymous, will not get anyone anywhere in our archdiocese, Cardinal Wetter warned.

His comments follow the promulgation of the Vatican instruction on abuses in the liturgy, Redemptionis Sacramentum. The document had caused considerable anxiety in the archdiocese, he said. Some believed it encouraged Catholics to denounce practices they regarded as dubious.

But denunciation implied underhandedly maligning people for despicable reasons, something a Church document could not possibly encourage, the cardinal went on, adding that the Vatican instruction had merely confirmed every Catholic's right to complain to their bishop or to the Holy See about possible abuses.

In his archdiocese anyone who finds, or thinks they have found that a priest is guilty of liturgical abuse, must first of all talk to the priest concerned in person, Cardinal Wetter said. He quoted Matthew 18:15: "If another member of the Church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone."

People should only turn to their bishop if this was of no avail, he said.

Complaints would, moreover, only be listened to if the person lodging the complaint was prepared to reveal his or her name, and anonymous complaints would be considered null and void.

The cardinal said it was important to study the Vatican instruction carefully and objectively. It contained nothing new. It was therefore regrettable that some people thought it was an attempt to reduce the role of the laity at Mass.

One should always speak with the priest first, preferably with an initial or followup letter. Documentation is key. It also helps to maintain a log of some sort in order to properly discuss the facts without having to rely on one's memory. Remember, if one has no documentation of facts - one should not even attempt to report liturgical abuses to higher authority.

There is no link for this post.

Catholics and Political Responsibility

Helen Hull Hitchcock has several resources updated at this site at the Women for Faith and Family web site.

An excellent reference. She states:

On this page we have compiled important resources -- including timely quotes and helpful links -- as an informative aid for Catholics in discerning the issues involved, and in forming a basis for decisions to support candidates for office who work for legislation consistent with fundamental moral law consistent with Catholic teaching.

This is well worth bookmarking.

Archbishop Dolan cuts 23 archdiocesan jobs

Facing a $1 million deficit in the current budget, Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan has eliminated 23 jobs in his central administration offices for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

"But, I also owe you candor," his message says. "The major reason for our shortfall has been the anticipated costs associated with the clergy sexual abuse crisis."

His message notes the costs of these measures: the VIRTUS Program to prevent sexual abuse, which has been used to train 13,000 people; mediation for and outreach to people who were sexually abused by priests as minors, including the designing of a new system and the hiring of outside professionals; having attorneys defend lawsuits; providing therapy, counseling and support services for victims; and complying with church law requirements that offending priests removed from active ministry be provided with at least minimal support.

Additional training of 13,000 people because some priests and bishops failed miserably in their vow of chastity?

But then again, I had heard years ago that the many dissenters employed by the archdiocese were fearful of losing their jobs when Abp. Weakland was replaced, but then that is a different story.

Article here.

"Pro-Life" Litmus Tests or not....?

Abortion-rights advocates are standing by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry despite his comments in an interview that he would be open to nominating anti-abortion judges.

Kerry told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he would consider a judicial candidate who disagrees with his support of abortion rights as long as it doesn't lead to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal.

Kerry said he regrets his vote for Scalia, saying he didn't see at the time of the vote in 1986 ``such a level of ideology and partisanship'' that he now sees in the justice.

I have heard it said many times that one just can't fix stupid...I think I understand what that means. But what can one say about this? Does he even know what he is saying?


Article here.

Why Is Ignorance So Pervasive?

When a top Vatican official recently pronounced politicians who support abortion rights unfit to receive Communion — and several U.S. Roman Catholic bishops followed with similar statements — Carrie Sheehan of Seattle found herself increasingly uneasy about her church's involvement in secular politics.

"I'm appalled," said Sheehan, a 75-year-old Catholic who supports abortion rights and attends Mass weekly at the Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University. She thinks the bishops are essentially taking sides in the election. "Are they going to have decrees against Catholic politicians who vote against health care or for capital punishment?"

Sheehan, the pro-choice Seattleite, said she is troubled that some bishops would withhold something so central to Catholic faith — the Eucharist — to sanction political stances.

"To me, Communion is supposed to be the deepest symbol of our faith," Sheehan said. "It is the coming together into community. It is sacred. That they would remove me from the Communion of my church for holding political views formed in good conscience is appalling."

She suffers from the same 'affliction of the mind' as a pastor of a local Catholic Church here. These days, it seems, Holy Communion is not the real, true, and substantial Body and Blood of Jesus - it's the 'gathering' as a community...What a disgraceful lie that has spread throughout much of the Church in America!

It is difficult to understand how a 75 year old individual could be so confused UNLESS she is a mal-instructed convert or if she has been taught heresy by priests and others. God, please, help us!

Article is here.

PROBLEM PRIESTS: Priestly power struggle

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A HURRIED MEETING in Chicago on Monday appears to have papered over - for now - hostility between some American Catholic bishops and the lay advisory board the bishops appointed to help them deal with the problem of sex abuse by priests.

At the meeting in Chicago, Judge Burke and leaders of the bishops conference agreed to continue the audits this year. But the deal must be approved by the conference as a whole at a meeting in Denver next month, setting up a showdown between church moderates and conservatives.

Article here.

Vatican says wine must be put in chalices before consecration

Following up on its recent instruction on the Eucharist, the Vatican has ordered a change in U.S. liturgical norms.

It has ordered that any wine to be used for distributing Communion under both kinds be poured into the individual chalices during the preparation of the gifts, before it is consecrated.

It reversed a widespread custom, codified in U.S. norms approved in 2002, that called for distribution of the consecrated wine into the chalices at the time of the breaking of the bread, just before Communion.

Link.

48 House Catholics send warning to Bishops

Forty-eight Roman Catholic members of Congress have warned in a letter to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington that U.S. bishops will revive anti-Catholic bigotry and severely harm the church if they deny Communion to politicians who support abortion rights.

McCarrick's spokesman, Susan Gibbs, said he would not comment on the letter. She said the seven-member task force is "listening to many different voices" and will grant the 48 House members' request for a meeting. "They will be heard. It just hasn't been arranged yet," she said.

There is only one voice which we are to listen when it comes to our eternal salvation...
Article here.

Feast of the Ascension

The feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter Sunday*, commemorating the Ascension of Christ into Heaven and His completion of the work of our redemption. The liturgy on this day celebrates the entry of Christ into heaven with our human nature glorified, and the pledge of our glorification with Him. In the past, processions outside the church were held on this day to imitate Christ's leading the Apostles out of the city to the Mount of Olives, and to commemorate the entry of Christ into heaven.

* In some dioceses of the United States, this feast is celebrated on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. See local liturgical calendar.
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Court overturns judgment against Metro East priest

An appeals court said Tuesday that the Rev. Leo Hayes, a Metro East-area priest who also did real estate management work, and two associates do not have to pay a $650,000 judgment because the judge who awarded it had already dismissed the lawsuit on which it was based.

The ruling in St. Louis by the Missouri Court of Appeals wipes out the debt owed by Hayes, who is pastor of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Ava and other parishes in the Belleville Diocese.

Full Post Dispatch story here.

Q & A on Bishop Olmsted's suspension of Fr. John Cunningham

The Catholic Sun proudly presents this new Q&A feature designed to keep you, the readers, up to speed on matters that affect your faith.

This issue: The Catholic Sun responds to the many requests for information we’ve received regarding Fr. John Cunningham of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Gilbert.

Fr. Timothy Davern, judicial vicar for the Phoenix Diocese, responds.

Nice addition to the Catholic Sun, the Diocesan Newspaper. Answers straight from the diocese.

Link here.