Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Priest Tells Parishioners he was Sexually Abused, Plans to Resign

A friend of mine. He is a Benedictine. I remember having a discussion, one that turned heated where I suggested sending child abusing priests to monasteries as sort of a "penitentiary," Lawrence who was in a monastery at the time was horrified at this--I understand why even more now than I did back 12 years ago when we had the discussion.



Remember him in your prayers!



From AP Wire | 08/31/2004 | Priest tells parishioners he was sexually abused, plans to resign:



"It was anything but a standard homily - a Roman Catholic priest said he was sexually abused by a priest when he was a boy and will resign rather than undergo a church-ordered psychological assessment.



Parishioners at St. Brendan Catholic Church in this suburb northeast of Seattle were stunned by what they heard from the Rev. Lawrence Minder at three Masses on Saturday and Sunday.



'There was an audible gasp at the Sunday Mass, there was spontaneous crying at the Saturday Mass,' said Richard Foudray, 60. 'People were devastated.'



'My heart just broke when he said he had been raped,' said Kathleen Foudray, 58. 'When he told us he was resigning his position, I felt like I had a death in the family.'



According to churchgoers, Minder, 43, said a priest sexually abused him about 30 years ago and remained on assignment after he reported what had happened.



Minder said he would reject a request to undergo a psychological assessment that would be disclosed to the Archdiocese of Seattle and will resign instead, witnesses said."

Ex-Priest Who Interferred with Olympic Marathon Faces Other Charges

The Greeks let him walk...



From News 31st August 2004 | OneinFour.org:



"NEIL Horan is facing child sex abuse charges in London next month. He is due to appear at Woolwich Crown Court charged with two counts of indecency with a child under 16. Horan is currently on bail on those charges as he awaits trial on September 21 for the alleged offences.



Meanwhile, calls for Horan's Irish passport to be revoked are likely to prove fruitless. The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed yesterday that it does not have the power to revoke passports. A spokesperson said that the option of suspending or revoking someone's passport was a matter for the courts. "

Monday, August 30, 2004

Amy in the Indianapolis Star

From Best seller draws Christian fire:



"Fort Wayne's Amy Welborn is author of 'De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code,' published in April by Our Sunday Visitor.



The most egregious error in the novel, according to Welborn?

'Brown asserts that early Christians didn't believe in the divinity of Jesus,' she said.



Most scholars date the Gnostic Gospels from the middle second century A.D. or later, which is several generations after the canonical Gospels.



If the canonical Gospels contain historical details from the life and times of Jesus, and the Gnostic Gospels don't, and if the canonical Gospels appear to have been written earlier, then the canonical Gospels must be the authentic ones, or so the reasoning goes."

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Not What You Want to See When You Are Heading to Florida

A hurricane named Frances, already a category 4, heading for the same place we are this weekend.



Plymouth State Track Map and Positions Based on Tropical Prediction Center Data

A Persistent Rumor--Cheney Out?

McCain would be a popular choice.



From CBS News | Dan Rather's Convention Journal | August 29, 2004?09:32:44:



"Not much of it, really. Only a few people besides workmen inside the hall. Among the few who were there, the most popular topic of conversation was whether President Bush might surprise and announce during the convention that Vice President Cheney would not be running with him this year.



This rumor has swirled around a bit from time to time throughout the year, the chatter being that Mr. Bush would prefer to run with Sen. John McCain "

Friday, August 27, 2004

Terrorism Blamed for Russian Jet Disaster

Group claiming to be members of "peace" religion claim responsibility.



From My Way News:



"One of two Russian airliners that crashed nearly simultaneously was brought down by a terrorist act, officials said Friday, after finding traces of explosives in the plane's wreckage. An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in a Web statement.



The planes, with 90 people aboard, went down within 20 minutes of each other Tuesday night. In Washington, a Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is mounting evidence that both crashes were acts of terrorism.

Traces of the explosive hexogen were found in the remains of one of the planes, a Tu-154, security service spokesman Nikolai Zakharov said. No results from the investigation of the other crashed plane, a Tu-134, have been announced."

Thursday, August 26, 2004

I Wonder if She Experienced All Five Stages Before Dying?

From USATODAY.com - Kbler-Ross finds final comfort in 'Dying':



"Swiss-born psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, whose provocative books revolutionized how the living talk about death and advocated a belief in the afterlife, died Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., of natural causes. "

Small Press Regnery with a Big Hit

#1 on Amazon...





Prayer of Pope Before Mother of God of Kazan Icon

From Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:



"O blessed among all women, venerating your icon in this city marked by the blood of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Bishop of Rome unites himself spiritually to his brother in the episcopal ministry, who presides as patriarch over the Russian Orthodox Church. And he asks you, Holy Mother, to intercede so as to hasten the time of full unity between the East and West, of full communion among all Christians.



O glorious Virgin, Our Lady, Advocate, and Consoler, reconcile us with your Son, commend us to your Son, present us to your Son! Amen. "




AMEN!

PASSION OF CHRIST - WHAT NEXT MEL GIBSON POLL

Vote for the subject of Mel's next movie, St. Francis is my pick...PASSION OF CHRIST - WHAT NEXT MEL GIBSON POLL

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Great Paschal Quote

Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance, men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things.



We run heedlessly into the abyss after putting something in front of us to stop us from seeing it.




Pensees 133, 166

New Mass English Translation in 2006?

From NZCATHOLIC:



"Getting it right" is a top priority, said Bishop Denis Browne of the long-awaited new English translation of the Mass, which is now unlikely to be ready before 2006.



He had just returned from the meeting of the International Commission of English in the Liturgy (ICEL), held in Washington, DC, earlier this month.



Eleven bishops from English-speaking countries went through the whole text of the Order of the Mass and the four Eucharistic Prayers with the ICEL editorial committee, made up of Latin and Scripture scholars who had prepared the translation.



Although the bishops' work is not completed, "there is light at the end of the tunnel now", said Bishop Browne, who praised their work and the chairman, Bishop Mark Coleridge, an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne.

Russian Computer Expert Predicts Internet Terrorist Attack

Tomorrow...



From MOSNEWS:



Terrorists will paralyze the Internet on August 26, a Russian expert in antivirus programs said on Tuesday.



Speaking at a conference hosted by Russian Information Agency Novosti, Aleksandr Gostev from Kaspersky Labs said information on this terrorist attack was published on special websites. He did not elaborate.



First of all, the United States and Western Europe will suffer from the attack, Gostev was quoted by the agency as saying. The head of the labs, Yevgeny Kaspersky, reminded the audience that similar attacks had earlier paralyzed the Internet in South Korea. He added that it would be “impossible” to stop terrorist organizations if they “get down to business”.

Find cheap Gas Prices in Your City

GasBuddy.com - Find cheap gas prices in your city

A Site For All of Us Sinners

The Confraternity of Penitents



The Confraternity of Penitents is similar to a Catholic Third Order in that its members live a Rule of Life in their own homes. Saint Francis of Assisi originally gave this Rule of Life to medieval penitents. May the Holy Spirit guide you, as a little child of God, as you discern whether our Holy Lord is calling you to embrace a life of Catholic penance, conversion, prayer, and sacrament, for the glory of Almighty God, in love of Him and of all.

Russia's 8/24?

From CNSNews:



The near-simultaneous crashes of two Russian passenger planes shortly after taking off from the same airport late Tuesday prompted concerns of a possible terrorist attack, perhaps linked to forthcoming elections in Chechnya.



A Tupolev Tu-134 flying from Moscow to Volgograd crashed in the Tula region 90 miles south of Moscow around 11 p.m. local time, killing all 43 passengers and crew aboard, according to the Russian emergency ministry.



At almost exactly the same time, a Tu-154, a larger airliner, went missing on a flight from Moscow to a Black Sea resort. Its wreckage was later found in southern Russia's Rostov region.



The larger aircraft, operated by Siberia Airlines, departed from Moscow's Domodedovo airport 40 minutes before the other plane, a Volga-Avia Express flight, took off from the same location.



In a statement posted on its website, Siberia Airlines confirmed that its flight 1047, carrying 46 passengers and crew, had disappearing from radar screens at about 11 p.m. The wreckage had been located and "according to the available information, all passengers and flight crew members are dead."

Why Are People Who Visit Island Getting Sick?

From CNN:



The wide scope of an outbreak that sickened hundreds of travelers to a Lake Erie resort island will make it difficult to find a source for the illness, infectious disease experts said.



Some say they suffered nausea and diarrhea after traveling to South Bass Island in recent weeks, while some say they fell ill in early June.



Others never set foot on the quaint tourist getaway, only stopping nearby.



"It's not like you have 600 people who went to the same wedding, and they all had the coleslaw," said Brian Harrington, a professor of public health at the Medical College of Ohio.



The number of gastrointestinal illnesses rose again on Monday, with 750 people now saying they fell ill after visiting the island and the surrounding area. The island is about halfway between Toledo and Cleveland.




Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Wondering About Purgatory?

Came across this book while I was checking rankings, etc. Looks interesting...





Monday, August 23, 2004

Father Rob with a Terri Schiavo Update

Thrown Back

Pope Condemns Unethical Use of Science

From Newsday:



Pope John Paul II warned in a statement released Sunday that humanity's speedy progress in science and technology risks overlooking moral values, citing with particular concern experiments in human cloning.



The pontiff -- in a message written Aug. 6 but released Sunday for the start of a Church-organized meeting on the theme of progress -- insisted that advanced research must not become an end in itself.



"The results achieved in various fields of science and technology are considered and defended by many as a priori acceptable," he said. "In this way, one ends up expecting that what is technically possible is in itself also ethically good."



The pontiff continued: "There is no one who does not see the dramatic and distressing consequences of such pragmatism, which perceives truth and justice as something modeled around the work of man himself. It is sufficient, as one example among others, to consider man's attempt to appropriate the sources of life through experiments in human cloning."




Gmail Notifier

Those who began using the internet with AOL were used to be notified of new mail by a message. Most regular email accounts don't have that device, but now the free gmail service does:

Gmail Notifier

Friday, August 20, 2004

The Greatest Stock Car Driver Dies--Ollie Silva

#0



Watching him race was unlike anything I'd seen before or since. He turned me on to stock car racing way back in the day when he first started racing at the Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH. Unfortunately an accident there also ended his career. Remember him in your prayers.



From Vintage Northeast Modified Stock Cars:



Ollie Silva passed away after a long illness on Sunday August 15th at the VA Hospital in Manchester, N.H. Ollie has the distinction of being the first inductee into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame. Ollie won an estimated 500 features in 12 different states including California, Ohio and Florida. Starting racing in 1949, a serious accident at Monadnock Speedway ended his career in 1980. As adept in the Super Modifieds as he was in the Modifieds, Ollie had many victories behind the wheel of a Super Modified. During the running of the 1974 Hott Wheels 100 at the Waterford Speedbowl, Ollie lapped an All Star field of drivers twice in the most dominating performance ever at the Speedbowl.

"Those who live by the sword..." The Deal Hudson Drama

Yes, it is an attack. Yes, it is political. Yes, it is to be expected.



If Deal Hudson had been forthright about his past in his "confessions" none of this would be news. There is a lesson here for all of us.



Be honest about your own sinfulness before you pick up the stones to cast at another. You likely will be putting the stone down before you throw it.



Be humble like the Savior you claim to follow. About this piece of advice, nothing seems to make faithful people angrier.



Show your scars, be repentant, and in your weakness God's power will amaze you.



We are all tempted to imitate Peter in the Garden by pulling our sword and lopping off the ear of the Temple guard, rather than Jesus. And we are likely to flee when Jesus does the unthinkable and heals the ear that we just lopped off. But then who were we following in the first place?

Thursday, August 19, 2004

New York Times Identifies the "liberal" Publication About to Attack Deal Hudson

No surprise, it's the National Catholic Reporter.



From ."The New York Times :



"Mr. Hudson did not name the publication. Others who said they had been contacted by a newspaper doing an investigation said it was The National Catholic Reporter.



Thomas Roberts editor of The National Catholic Reporter declined to comment.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Romanian cleric in trouble for long sermon

From Ananova - Romanian cleric in trouble for long sermon



A Romanian orthodox priest is to live in seclusion for a month after delivering a five-hour funeral service.



Agapie Aurel Rusu has also been ordered to live on just bread and water for the month as a punishment.



The case of the long funeral service has also came under the attention of consumer protection authorities after complaints regarding the things he's alleged to have said during the service.



It's reported the priest wanted to get revenge on the 21-year-old dead man's relatives who had wanted another priest to officiate the funeral.

Interview with John Bishop About "There Are No Accidents"

From Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:



"The journalist who interviewed Father Benedict Groeschel before the Franciscan was hit by a car last January says that the recovering priest is still practicing what he preaches.



John Bishop is a British writer and television broadcaster who is working on a set of 12 interviews of notable Catholics from the United States Britain and Africa.



Recently he co-authored a book with Father Groeschel There Are No Accidents: In All Things Trust in God Our Sunday Visitor consisting of Bishop's interview with the founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal as part of his project and the latter's reflections from his hospital bed.



Bishop shared with ZENIT which of Father Groeschel's words give the greatest insight into his mind-set and faith in the Lord. "

(Liquid) Powder Forces Closure of Fort Wayne Airport

Local news reports that it was not a "white powder" but rather a clear liquid contained in an unmarked bottle, the shape of a wine bottle.



From FOXNews.com - U.S. World - Powder Forces Closure of Fort Wayne Airport:



"A white powder spilled from a bag being unloaded at the Fort Wayne Airport Wednesday morning making at least one airport worker ill and forcing the closure of the airport. The bag was being unloaded from an American Eagle flight from Chicago, airport spokeswoman Sandra Lux said. She said the bag belongs to a doctor from Beirut, Lebanon who was not on the flight. One worker became ill after coming in contact with the powder and two others complained of severe itching.The airport terminal was shut down and all fights were delayed after the 2 a.m. incident. Lux said that officials were attempting to contact the doctor and determine what the white powder is."

Monday, August 16, 2004

A Meditation on St. Bernadette from Father Benedict Groeschel

From 8/14/03:



"Ever since the Song of Bernadette, one of the great religious films, based on Franz Werfel's novel, opened in America, people have been familiar with this little girl who was desperately poor and to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared at Lourdes. Many of us developed an affection for this humble saint, although few of us knew much about her. Many people thought she looked like the actress who played her role in the movie. I've done a bit more research, and I learned that Bernadette was a kind of fresh kid from the streets. She lived, after all, in an abandoned prison, and although her family saw to it that the children received the sacraments, they were very poor indeed.



Bernadette died at the age of thirty-five of tuberculosis of the bone, which had apparently begun as rickets during her childhood caused by malnutrition. She was famous for her wit, which was a simple peasant shrewdness, quite capable of mimicking people who thought they were very important. She sometimes said crisp things to those in authority.



A monsignor once asked her, "Do you expect me to believe that the Blessed Virgin appeared to you?"



She answered, "No, I don't expect you believe it; it's my job just to tell you what she said."



A few years ago I visited the convent in Nevers where Bernadette lived out her life in a very austere religious community. Her body is now on view in a glass reliquary in the chapel, although originally she had been buried in the ground. It is a most impressive sight. A thin layer of wax covers her face because when her incorrupt body was taken from the grave, one of the sisters washed it with soap, which turned the skin dark. Bernadette has something to teach all of us. Who is important to God? To whom will God speak? On whom will He rely? The simple answer is, those who will faithfully give His message. Bernadette has something to teach all of us. Who is important to God? To whom will God speak? On whom will He rely? The simple answer is, those who will faithfully give His message. Bernadette never added anything to what she saw, she never interpreted it, she just said what Our Lady had told her to say.



When Bernadette was dying of the very painful tuberculosis of the bone, she was asked if she wanted to go to the spring at Lourdes, which was by that time immensely popular. She said no, the spring was not for her. Our Lady had told her years before, “I cannot promise you happiness in this world but eternal happiness in heaven.”



After she entered the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, Bernadette never returned to the shrine; she never sought a cure for herself, although many of the cures were of people with medical situations similar to her own. She remained a selfless person all her life. Why was she chosen? Which one of us can understand the depths of a simple soul? Who understands how even a child can be totally dedicated to God and chosen like the Blessed Mother to do His work?



As I am struggling with my mashed arm and other symptoms as a result of my accident, I can only think of Bernadette and the message she has to give. I would like to go to Lourdes, but I won’t. Like Bernadette, I don’t think the spring is for me. I don’t know why I think that, but I do.

"

Pope--"I have reached the end of my pilgrimage"

From Belfast Telegraph:



"The Pope, who on Saturday - the first of his two days at Lourdes - appeared briefly to lose his balance while kneeling down at Bernadette's cave, made a rare reference to his state of health at the start of the Rosary prayer. 'I feel with emotion that I have reached the end of my pilgrimage,' he said, and was seen to shed tears.



The Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls talked down the significance of the sentence. 'The Pope is showing his emotion over this pilgrimage to Lourdes which he has been looking forward to for a long time.''



But many see the Pope's visit to Lourdes - only his second trip outside Italy this year - as a symbolic farewell on Earth to the Virgin Mary whose hand he believes saved his life when a Turkish would-be assassin shot him in May 1981."

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Pope Struggles to Finish Homily

From My Way - News:



"The devout crowd of about 200,000 listened to his words from a field on the banks of the Gave River in the shadow of the basilica built over the grotto where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to the peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.



They cheered him like coaches for a struggling athlete when his words faltered and when he gasped for breath.



At one point he was heard to mutter softly in Polish: 'Help me,' and later said 'I have to finish.' An aide brought him some water in a white plastic cup and he finished his sermon."

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Sad News

From My Way News:



"The death toll from Hurricane Charley rose early Saturday, when a county official said there had a been 'significant loss of life' at a mobile home park and deputies were standing guard over stacks of bodies because the area was inaccessible to ambulances.



Wayne Sallade, Charlotte County's director of emergency management, said early Saturday that there were 'a number of fatalities' at the mobile home park, and that there were confirmed deaths in at least three other areas in the county.



The eye of the worst hurricane to hit Florida in a dozen years passed directly over Punta Gorda, a town of 15,000 which took a devastating hit Friday."

Friday, August 13, 2004

Hurricane Charley Now Category 4

Pray for the folks in Florida...



Expected to make landfall right about now.. from CNN.com - Dangerous Hurricane Charley now Category 4 - Aug 13, 2004:



"Hurricane Charley, now a powerful Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall in west Florida's Charlotte Harbor before 4 p.m. ET, the National Weather Service reports.



Hurricane Charley's winds had increased to 145 mph (233 kph), with higher gusts.



The storm was headed toward the Fort Myers-Port Charlotte area, after jogging slightly to the right, said Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.



Originally, Charley was expected to make landfall at Tampa to the north. "

Julia Child Dead at 91

The French Chef...



From CNN.com - Julia Child dead at 91 - Aug 13, 2004:



"Julia Child, who revolutionized cooking in the United States with her cooking school, cookbooks and television shows, has died, according to a statement from her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf. She was 91.



Child died at her home in Santa Barbara, California, according to the release.



Years before any television chef said 'bam,' Child was on public television instructing Americans in a warbling voice and a mischievous manner how to prepare everything from omelets to sweetbreads to coq au vin."

Girl's First Communion Invalidated

Not the first time this has come up. In fact we did a book on this a few years ago that argues quite convincingly why the matter of the Sacraments matters, I include a link to that book which deals with all the Sacraments including marriage (man and woman being the matter) and priesthood (a male being the matter).



It should be pointed out that the young girl could receive the Precious Blood and that she would be receiving the whole Christ...but these issues usually involve someone trying to make a point rather than any real search for the truth.



FromGirl's First Communion invalidated over wheat-free wafer - billingsgazette.com:



"A Monmouth County, N.J., woman is battling the Catholic Church after church officials invalidated her 8-year-old's First Communion because she received a wheat-free wafer, contrary to church tradition.



Liz Pelly-Waldman's daughter, Haley, suffers from a rare digestive disorder and can't consume the wheat wafer that Catholics believe becomes the body of Christ during Communion.

Pelly-Waldman initially asked her priest to allow Haley to eat bread made without gluten, which is a component of wheat.



But the priest refused. And when Pelly-Waldman found a priest who would serve Haley a gluten-free wafer, the Diocese of Trenton, N.J., stepped in and declared that the Communion was invalid. "






Thursday, August 12, 2004

New Bishop for Buffalo

It's official, here is an article speculating on it. Kimiec from Nashville was named today.



From Buffalo News - Diocese looks to Nashville prelate:



"The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo was preparing to announce the naming of a new bishop, perhaps as early as this morning, and speculation Wednesday centered on Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, the 68-year-old prelate of the Diocese of Nashville, Tenn.



Western New York Catholics have been waiting eight months for a successor to Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, who became archbishop of Hartford in December 2003.



Several other dioceses have been awaiting a new bishop, as well, but none is as large or has waited as long as the Buffalo Diocese.

Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz has been leading the diocese in the absence of what is known as the 'ordinary' bishop. "

Pope's Emissary Shuts Down Child Porn Seminary

From Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Pope's Emissary Shuts Down Child Porn Seminary:



"A papal emissary shut down an Austrian seminary amid a child porn investigation, saying that past procedures for selecting students for the programme were inadequate.



Cardinal Klaus Kueng said he regrets that the seminary had veered away from its mission of training young men to serve the Roman Catholic Church.



"I am closing the seminary right away," he said.



The Vatican inspector had promised a "brisk investigation" into the discovery of child porn at a Roman Catholic seminary and pledged to do whatever it takes to restore faith and credibility to Austria's scandalised church."

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Book Recommendation from Father Groeschel

Pertinent to this week's visit to Lourdes by the Pope.



From 8/11/2004:



"As I mentioned a few weeks ago, a remarkable book came into my hands recently called Healing Fire of Christ by Father Paul Glynn, published last year by Ignatius Press. It is reflections on modern miracles. Father Glynn has done his homework and researches and quotes not only many medical professionals who have studied the cures of Lourdes but also the critics and those who attack the miracles without ever having been there. The most famous of these was the French writer Emil Zola, but the attacks continue today."





Bin Laden Hints Major Assassination

Pray for the Pope and his visit to Lourdes this week.



From Bin Laden hints major assassination - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - August 11, 2004:



"U.S. intelligence officials say a high-profile political assassination, triggered by the public release of a new message from Osama bin Laden, will lead off the next major al Qaeda terrorist attack, The Washington Times has learned.



The assassination plan is among new details of al Qaeda plots disclosed by U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports who, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the killing could be carried out against a U.S. or foreign leader either in the United States or abroad. "

Controversial Islamic Scholar Coming to America

To teach at Notre Dame...



From Crosswalk.com - Controversial Islamic Scholar Coming to America:



"A Swiss-born Muslim scholar scheduled to begin teaching at a U.S. university next month is a controversial figure in Europe, where he is accused of anti-Semitism and advocating violence against women.



Tariq Ramadan plans to teach at Indiana's Notre Dame University, instructing students on Islam, conflict and peace building.



Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, the Egyptian founder of the radical Muslim Brotherhood.



With a perfect command of the language and a tailored western look, he is well-known in France, where disaffected Muslim youths listen to his speeches on Islamic pride. But some municipalities have barred him from speaking because he is considered a threat to public order."

Father Benedict Hard at Work Again

Will be on EWTN Live Tonight!



From CNS STORY: Father Groeschel slowed but working again after near-fatal accident:



"Father Benedict J. Groeschel, who hovered near death after a car hit him Jan. 11 in Orlando, Fla., is again walking and working.



The priest, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, walks more slowly and carries a cane for extra security. At daily Mass, he is usually a concelebrant rather than the celebrant. And an afternoon nap has become a new feature of his life.



'But I walked over a mile yesterday,' he said in an interview Aug. 9."

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Asking or Telling God?

From Sacred Miscellany:



"What are we asking for? Another liturgical ephiphany this morning during the "Prayer of the Faithful" I noticed that a great many of the prayers involved telling God what other people should do -- international leaders, local government officials, "our parish community" (whoever that's supposed to be), etc.



This was an unfortunate contrast to the litanies of the Eastern Church. There you ask for peace, good weather, foregivness of sins, a happy (and not too violent) death. You also ask God to watch over various people, but you don't get specific about how He should influence him. "




A side note...the editor of my book The Power of the Cross entered "faith community" to replace certian references I had to the church. I changed all of these back to my original. I despise the word "faith community" because it is totally horizontal. The Church Militant may be a faith community but part of the Church lives in glory. Those catechized in the past thirty years tend to view the church as just "us" and forget that the Body of Christ is made up of the Son of God among others both visible and invisible when we gather. Blame church architecture and design for cutting out two-thirds of the Church, who at least used to be there artistically to remind us that it isn't just about us!

Chicago and Newark Lead the Way with Priestly Ordinations

From News - Catholic News Agency:



"The largest numbers of ordinations in 2004 were in the archdioceses of Chicago and Newark, which each ordained 14 men. The Archdiocese of New York ordained 13.



Some smaller dioceses marked a significant increase in the number of ordinations. The Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, ordained five men, ranging in age from 29 to 54. The Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, ordained six, the largest group in 20 years. The Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, ordained seven, its largest number in 10 years."

Monday, August 9, 2004

Service Held at Chruch that Archbishop Forbids to Mass At

From The St. Louis Post Dispatch:



Karen Wilga was baptized in St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church more than 45 years ago. She married her husband, Vince, there in 1977 and watched her 25-year-old daughter Kristy exchange wedding vows there two summers ago.



Karen, 48, and Vince Wilga, 49, both of Florissant, are concerned the deadlocked dispute between the church and the St. Louis Archdiocese threatens the church's future as a place for their future grandchildren to worship.



"We just want our tradition to be here," Karen Wilga said. "Can you think of a better place to start your family? It's beautiful here."



On Sunday, the Wilgas joined an estimated 1,200 people from across the St. Louis area at a prayer service at the 102-year-old church, just northwest of downtown. The service replaced the church's regular Sunday Mass, halted by Archbishop Raymond Burke's withdrawal of the church's two priests last week.



The archdiocese says that St. Stanislaus' system of governance by a nonprofit lay board of directors is at odds with Catholic church laws. Many of the church's parishioners see Burke's move as a ploy for control over the church's $9 million in assets and property rights.



"It is strictly, strictly, money and power," said Ben Krauze, 64, of St. Louis, a church member for more than 50 years. "It's religious extortion."

Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Better known as Edith Stein.



"I even believe that the deeper one is drawn into God, the more one must 'go out of oneself'; that is, one must go to the world in order tp carry the divine life into it."




Terrorist Plot ?

Was Harris speaking out of turn? Makes me wonder why she would have dreamt up the Carmel, IN angle in Venice, FL? And what it makes me think about right away is the power outage that struck last year on August 14th that knocked power out in New York, Cleveland and Detroit...was that a successful terror attack that was kept secret?



Makes you wonder...



From the old home town newspaper The Lakeland Ledger atTerrorist Plot Claim Is Disputed | theledger.com:



"In making the statement during a speech to 600 people Monday night in Venice, Harris either shared a closely held secret or passed along second-hand information as fact.



A staff member of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees the nation's intelligence operations, said he had heard of no such plot.



And Indiana officials in the county where the power grid is located were at a loss to explain where the information originated.



'As the sheriff of this county, I would certainly be aware of such a threat,' Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter said. 'I have no information to corroborate any of that.'



In an interview Tuesday, Harris would not reveal the name of the mayor who told her about the threat or provide further details.



She said in the speech that a man of Middle Eastern heritage had been arrested in the plot and that explosives were found in his home in Carmel, a suburb north of Indianapolis.



Harris, a Republican from Longboat Key who is running for re-election, grew up in Bartow.



She said the case was an example of the nation's success in fighting terrorism."

Sunday, August 8, 2004

Seer Dies

One of her prophecies was about the year 2004. Perhaps she had a premonition of her own death...from Spirit Daily:



"Especially now we get the question about the year 2004, which has been mentioned, in a certain way, by Venezuelan seer Maria Esperanza. I'm not sure what she has told others, but I know what she has told me: that 2004 will be the beginning of a 'new light' from Heaven.



What that implies is anyone's guess, perhaps even Maria's.



I took it to mean that God is sending new insights to us and that these will arrive both supernaturally and through various events that in future years will lead to introspection."

Friday, August 6, 2004

Feast of the Transfiguration

One lesson to apply to your life from this mystery of light is to say to yourself, even in the most trying of moments, "it is good that we are here," all the while asking yourself why God has put you here, right now.

Thursday, August 5, 2004

Tonight on EWTN--Danny Abramowicz

On Life on the Rock at 8:00 Eastern...



He'll talk about Spiritual Workout of a Former Saint, the book that I worked on with him. Great book for men and women!







Wednesday, August 4, 2004

Joint Letter of Three Southern Bishops

"Worthy to Receive the Lamb"



From the Archdiocese of Atlanta site:



As bishops, we have the obligation to teach and guide the Catholic Faithful whom we shepherd in the Body of Christ. A fundamental teaching of our Church is respect for the sacred gift of life. This teaching flows from the Natural Law and from Divine Revelation.



Life is a gift bestowed upon us by God, a truth underscored by the commandment: "You shall not kill" (Deut 5: 17 ). The Old Testament also teaches us that human life in the womb is precious to God: "...I formed you in the womb..." (Jer 1: 5). The right to life is a value "which no individual, no majority and no State can ever create, modify or destroy, but must only acknowledge, respect and promote" (Pope John Paul II, Evangelium vitae, 71a). A law, therefore, which legitimizes the direct killing of innocent human beings through abortion is intrinsically unjust, since it is directly opposed to the natural law, to God's revealed commandments, and to the consequent right of every individual to possess life, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.



Catholics in political life have the responsibility to exemplify in their public service this teaching of the Church, and to work for the protection of all innocent life. There can be no contradiction between the values bestowed by Baptism and the Catholic Faith, and the public expression of those values. Catholic public officials who consistently support abortion on demand are cooperating with evil in a public manner. By supporting pro-abortion legislation they participate in manifest grave sin, a condition which excludes them from admission to Holy Communion as long as they persist in the pro-abortion stance (cf. Canon 915).




Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Amy in the LA Times

From In Spite of It All, St. Christopher Hangs In There:



"For young believers, the dichotomy between the historical man and his legend is neatly explained in a children's book, 'Loyola Kids Book of Saints,' which is sold in the cathedral gift shop.



In it, author Amy Wellborn writes, 'We don't know much about Christopher... but the stories we tell most often about Christopher [are] stories we've invented to help us figure out the best ways to serve God.' "

Coming in September--Order Now!

Monday, August 2, 2004

Horrible Tragedy the Result of Greed?

From ThisisLondon:



"Hundreds of people were left to die inside a blazing supermarket after security staff locked doors to prevent customers from running out without paying, it emerged today.



Initial reports suggested as many as 340 people were killed when the fire tore through a large shopping centre in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion after an industrial propane tank exploded.



Police have charged the store's owner Juan Pio Paiva and his son Daniel with homicide after they allegedly ordered security personnel to lock down every exit. Firefighters had to batter down the locked main entrance to the complex before they could reach hundreds of trapped shoppers. "

In New York-- Holland Tunnel Closed To Inbound Truck Traffic

From wnbc.com - News - Holland Tunnel Closed To Inbound Truck Traffic:



"The Holland Tunnel closed to commercial traffic heading to New York at 12:01 a.m. Monday, officials said Sunday evening.



The ban was "correlated to the warning about the downtown financial districts," said Tony Ciavolella, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.



He said commercial vehicles should use the Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge as alternative routes. The ban would definitely affect trucks, said Ciavolella, but it was not immediately clear whether commercial vans would be prohibited.



The ban was not slated to affect vehicles leaving New York City. No ending date for the ban was set."

Goward Supports Pope on Women

From The Australian: Goward supports Pope on women [August 02, 2004]:



"Pope John Paul II won unexpected praise from Australia's leading feminist bureaucrat yesterday, when Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward branded the new papal document on women 'a small step forward for man but a great step forward for womankind'.



The Vatican document celebrates sexual difference, attacks extreme feminism for promoting a conflict between the sexes and calls for 'a just valuing of the work of women within the family', so that mothers who work don't have to choose to 'relinquish their family life'. 'What I think the Pope is recognising is that if we don't help women to work and have children we are going to see a continuation of the decline in the fertility rate and in the happiness of women,' Ms Goward told Sky News.



'When the Pope says let's get on with it and support women in both those roles, I think the game's over.'



An advocate of paid maternity leave, Ms Goward said the papal document - a Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World - could even help reverse the falling birthrate.



'We love being different and we love having children,' Ms Goward said. "

Sunday, August 1, 2004

The Angry Reaction...

Over the Vatican Letter (see below)...



From Top News Article | Reuters.com:



"'This letter could easily have been written by an imam of al-Azhar,' she said referring to Sunni Islam's most respected institution of religious learning in Cairo.



'To be fair to the Catholic Church, no religion is a great friend of women,' she told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. 'They pay you a lot of compliments but when push comes to shove they ask you to stay in your place: wife, nurse, mother and grandmother.' "