Friday, October 29, 2004

The Messengers Of Hope

I'm guessing this is sponsored by a Republican group. I was sent the "What king of man?" link which you can view by going to this siteThe Messengers Of Hope. The presentation is very effective...

Vatican Intervenes with Parish In Minneapolis

Amy has mentioned this parish before that regularly has "guest speakers" preaching at Sunday Mass...St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Mpls., MN., USA

Thursday, October 28, 2004

John Kerry was an altar boy -- So was Adolf Hitler

From John Kerry was an altar boy -- so was Adolf Hitler:



"Presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry is urgently pressing uncatechised or 'dumbed down' Catholic voters to believe he is a faithful Catholic that best represents the Church's defined teachings. Nothing could be farther from the truth.



He woos the ignorant Catholics, laity, and clergy alike, by reminding them he was an altar boy. Adolf Hitler, a/k/a Adolf Schicklegruber, was also a Catholic altar boy, so this snippet of past religiosity tells us nothing of the man today -- except that Kerry certainly has come a long way from being an altar boy.



Furthermore, this 'Catholic' demagogue promises in the next sound bite that if elected he will assure that abortion remains legal in the U.S. for another generation."

Statue of Mary in Indiana Weeps

From Northwest Indiana News: nwitimes.com:



"'The statue was commissioned by a priest in the Diocese of Chicago, and when he retired he had a chapel in his home and the statue was there. He had invited a group of priest friends to dinner and after dinner they decided they would go say a prayer in the chapel,' she said.



'All of a sudden, they noticed the tears coming down from the eye of the Blessed Mother,' she said.



Badyniak said the statue has twice shed tears.




The Rev. Michael Weidman, who celebrated the evening's prayer service and benediction, said so many are drawn to the statue of the Virgin.



'Especially at a time like this, when there's so many things to pray for with the war in Iraq and elections, there's so many things that they want to ask the Blessed Mother to intercede on their behalf and offer her prayers along with ours,' Weidman said."

Six More Days, Turns into 666 for Kerry

From WorldNetDaily: Kerry tied to '666'?:



"During his presidential campaign in Iowa today, Democrat John Kerry was surrounded by a sea of handheld signs displaying the number six on them.



That caught the attention of WND reader Michael of Kaufman, Texas, who happened to record this evening broadcast of ABC's 'World News Tonight.'



'You can imagine my surprise, when they broadcast a video of John Kerry finishing a speech in Iowa to the acclaim of hundreds of people waving signs with the number six on them,' he said. 'The imagery of 666 appearing everywhere was too much to be ignored. I had to rewind my TIVO and shoot these photos of the TV screen.' "

I.R.S. Baloney....

Has anyone ever taken notice how these rules don't seem to apply to Churches that support Democrats? It seems of late that some Southern predominantly African-American Churches are free to host the most blatant political rallies...why is this?



From WorldNetDaily: IRS: Churches can't pray for Bush victory:



"In a letter of clarification requested by a traveling minister, the Internal Revenue Service has declared people gathered in tax-exempt churches can't pray for President Bush to win the election on Tuesday.



The ruling comes in response to a request by the Christian Defense Coalition, which is in the midst of a 15-day prayer tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the organization, had planned to lead in prayer for a Bush victory during evening services in each town. Though he had hoped to hold the services in churches, Mahoney says he has used American Legion halls, hotels and other venues pending a clarification from the IRS. "

Now Only the Cubs Remain Cursed!

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, World Champions! To all my native New Englanders, take pause and celebrate!



MSNBC - STOP CURSING ? RED SOX ARE CHAMPS

Bring Back the Fun to Florida Football

Even those who hate him, miss him.



From ESPN.com - NCF - Sources: Spurrier tells Florida he wants to talk:



"Steve Spurrier has told University of Florida officials that he is interested in discussing a possible return to coach the Gators, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Wednesday night.



In addition, Florida officials have now given Spurrier two weeks to determine if he wants the job, although no formal offer has been given and no details such as salary have been discussed, Mortensen reports.



Still, these are the most significant indications yet that the job is essentially Spurrier's if he wants it."

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Russ Hittinger Weighs In

From Mirror of Justice: Russ Hittinger Weighs In:



"Let's begin with an example that I don't think is inflammatory. The peoples of sub-Saharan Africa are victims of plague, poverty, genocide,

and anarchy. We know that these things would never be tolerated in developed countries; in fact, we would not tolerate them across our

borders. We also know that remedying the plight of these peoples is not very high on the policy list of the affluent democracies. Most men

and women of honest conscience wish that it were not the case. But mobilizing domestic and international politics is not so easy. Even

supposing good will on everyone's part, the practical means for remedying the situation are debatable, and the execution of policy will

be difficult. For one thing, there are other pressing issues domestically and internationally. At the end of the day, however, everyone knows that the Africans will come out at the bottom of the agenda."

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Most Vulnerable

I want to state rather publicly that I am not happy with the prospect of choosing between either Bush or Kerry. I disagreed with Bush on the Iraq war and took a lot of heat from it on this blog for siding Pope John Paul against the President.



But having said that what Kerry does and continues to do drives me nuts. Either you believe it or you don't and if you believe that abortion is ending an innocent life then it is exactly the unborn child who is the most vulnerable member of society and needs the voice of the powerful to stand up for them...something that Kerry seems incapable of seeing and I must conclude that he does not believe as he says he does. There is nothing religious about when life begins...it is a scientific fact, observable in ways that were not possible even fifty years ago. This isn't in question, what is in question is whether any human is allowed to terminate the life of another...this indeed is a judgment that must be made by the government that controls what is acceptable behavior in our society. Kerry lives in a democracy, no one has ever elected him to be a totalitarian leader. His vote has never been anymore than "his vote" but to hear him "his vote" is some other mythical beings vote.



I'll find it very hard to vote for anyone in this election.





From News - Catholic News Agency:



"In a campaign speech given in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win undecided Catholic voters, spoke of his faith and the way it influences his decisions, and of his relationship to the Church, saying 'I love my church. I respect the bishops, but I respectfully disagree.'



"I know there are some bishops who have suggested that as a public official I must cast votes or take positions on issues like a woman's right to choose or stem cell research that carry out the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church," he said.

'My task, as I see it," said Sen. Kerry, "is not to write every doctrine into law. That is not possible or right in a pluralistic society," he said. "But my faith does give me values to live by and to apply to the decisions that I make,' he added.



Quoting the Gospels, Kerry emphasized his concern for social issues, saying that the concern for the most vulnerable members of society "is a moral obligation that is at the heart of all -- all -- of our religious traditions.' "

Monday, October 25, 2004

Sounds Like He Might Be Coming Back

From OrlandoSentinel.com: Gators:



"After the word got around, former UF coach Steve Spurrier spoke with the Orlando Sentinel from the Heathrow Country Club golf course in Seminole County, where he is golfing today.



'I'll cross that bridge if it comes to that,' Spurrier said. 'One thing I've tried to do all this year is not be lingering around acting like I'm waiting for another guy's job. I don't believe that's the right way to do it. But now that he (Zook) doesn't have a job, I guess there will be some discussions. We'll see what happens.'"

Sounds Like He Might Be Coming Back

From OrlandoSentinel.com: Gators:



"After the word got around, former UF coach Steve Spurrier spoke with the Orlando Sentinel from the Heathrow Country Club golf course in Seminole County, where he is golfing today.



'I'll cross that bridge if it comes to that,' Spurrier said. 'One thing I've tried to do all this year is not be lingering around acting like I'm waiting for another guy's job. I don't believe that's the right way to do it. But now that he (Zook) doesn't have a job, I guess there will be some discussions. We'll see what happens.'"

Goodbye!

From Gators fire football coach Zook, his staff: South Florida Sun-Sentinel:



"Florida football coach Ron Zook and his staff have been fired, and a meeting has been scheduled with the players for 2:30 p.m. today to announce the news, wide receiver Andre Caldwell told the Orlando Sentinel Monday morning.



A press conference has been scheduled for later this afternoon, but no time or place has been announced by the university."

Zook Fired

From OrlandoSentinel.com: Gators:



"Florida coach Ron Zook has been fired, and a meeting has been scheduled with the players for 2:30 p.m. to announce the news, wide receiver Andre Caldwell told the Orlando Sentinel.



A press conference has been scheduled for later this afternoon, but no time or place has been announced.



'I'm shocked,' Caldwell said. 'I don't know what to think about it. I had a feeling, but I didn't think it was really going to happen.'



Zook will finish out the rest of the season, which includes four games against Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida State.



'We've just got to play for ourselves now,' Caldwell said. 'We've got to give it all we've got. It's time to just make ourselves better players.'"

More on Cardinal Hickey from Peter Robinson

From Peter Robinson on Cardinal Hickey on National Review Online:



"James Cardinal Hickey, who stepped down as archbishop of Washington in 2000, died Sunday morning at 84. Seldom eloquent, too self-effacing to convey a sense of gravitas or presence, Cardinal Hickey possessed a single attribute that made him a critical figure all the same: holiness. "


Sunday, October 24, 2004

Cardinal Hickey Dies (RIP)

From Cardinal James Hickey Dies at 84 (washingtonpost.com):



"Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, 84, a champion of orthodoxy in church dogma and a compassionate shepherd of the area's half million Roman Catholics while head of the Washington Archdiocese for 20 years, died this morning at a nursing home in Washington.



His health had been in decline for the past year."

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Liberal Priests Join Forces in Milwaukee

Funny they have an Orthodox (as in Eastern) priest pictured on their web site. I feel sorry for Archbishop Dolan who is a good and holy bishop, he doesn't deserve this but I guess it is predictable. The problem it is very clear to me with the Catholic Church in the United States is that many of the pastors who should be leading us in worship are following someone other than Christ and the Church he founded.

Friday, October 22, 2004

John Allen Receives a Mild Rebuke for His Speculation on Who the Vatican Supports for US President

From Cardinal Martino...



As reported in Allen's Word for Rome in NCR:



Your e-mail message, received here on 15 October, left me as confused as

the original article, published on 8 October. You wrote that your "analysis was

based on wide conversations with people at all levels, along with a reading of

the public record." And I have to wonder, "To whom did you speak, and what did

you glean from that 'public record?"



While I have made statements against the war in Iraq it would be

inappropriate for me, any member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

or any other official of the curia to make statements in favor or against any

particular political candidate.



I believe that your article did grave damage to the understanding of

your readers. They have been led to believe that certain offices and officials

within the Roman Curia have actually committed themselves to support one

candidate over the other. While I am certain that many have personal opinions

about particular candidates, these could never be an official reflection of or

interpreted as the position of all those who work within a certain congregation,

pontifical council or the Secretariat of State nor that of the offices

themselves.



To say that a particular office was more supportive of President Bush

or Senator Kerry is a sort of accusation that those working within an office

have taken sides in the partisan politics of the democratic process. Nothing

could be further from the truth, at least as far as this pontifical council is

concerned. At the same time, this pontifical council cannot and will not remain

silent in the face of positions taken or policies espoused by any politician or

political candidate, especially when those issues touch upon subjects that fall

within the competencies and responsibilities of the Council for Justice and

Peace.



As far as public statements are concerned, some issues may indeed

outweigh others. However, it must go without saying that the Pontifical Council

for Justice and Peace will never shrink from its responsibility to preach the

message of the Gospel or call attention to those situations in the world where

the tenants of justice and peace are violated.





A Site Devoted to A Bushism

Plays a snipet of Bush saying "I hear there's rumors on the Internets."



One of the most linked web sites on this day.

Another Setback for Terri Schiavo

From Times Against Humanity O tempora, o mores!:



"Reuters reports today that the Florida Supreme Court has refused to reconsider its 7-0 ruling overturning Terri's Law, a state statute supported by Gov. Jeb Bush that put a halt to the forced fatal starvation of Terri Schindler Schiavo by her unfaithful husband.



In a 4-3 opinion, the court rejected a request by Bush's attorneys to rehear the case. The court ruled unanimously last month against the hastily crafted law that prevented Michael Schiavo from withholding food and water from his wife, Terri. She has been on life support since suffering a heart attack in 1990.



It is not known what action Gov. Bush will take next to continue to protect Terri's life from Florida's killer courts. According to Bush spokeswoman Jill Bratina, 'Our lawyers are looking at the legal options before us. We will be looking to make a decision on our next step very soon,' possibly today."

Faith and Patriotism

Archbishop Chaput in the The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: Faith and Patriotism:



"The theologian Karl Barth once said, 'To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.'



That saying comes to mind as the election approaches and I hear more lectures about how Roman Catholics must not 'impose their beliefs on society' or warnings about the need for 'the separation of church and state.' These are two of the emptiest slogans in current American politics, intended to discourage serious debate. No one in mainstream American politics wants a theocracy. Nor does anyone doubt the importance of morality in public life. Therefore, we should recognize these slogans for what they are: frequently dishonest and ultimately dangerous sound bites.



Lawmaking inevitably involves some group imposing its beliefs on the rest of us. That's the nature of the democratic process. If we say that we 'ought' to do something, we are making a moral judgment. When our legislators turn that judgment into law, somebody's ought becomes a 'must' for the whole of society. This is not inherently dangerous; it's how pluralism works.



Democracy depends on people of conviction expressing their views, confidently and without embarrassment. This give-and-take is an American tradition, and religious believers play a vital role in it. We don't serve our country - in fact we weaken it intellectually - if we downplay our principles or fail to speak forcefully out of some misguided sense of good manners.



People who support permissive abortion laws have no qualms about imposing their views on society. Often working against popular opinion, they have tried to block any effort to change permissive abortion laws since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. That's fair. That's their right. But why should the rules of engagement be different for citizens who oppose those laws?

"

Elderly Alabama Monk Indicted in 1970 Rape

From al.com: NewsFlash - Elderly Alabama monk indicted in 1970 sexual assault:



Grand jurors indicted an 82-year-old monk in an alleged rape in 1970 that a would-be nun said occurred at St. Bernard's Abbey but wasn't reported for decades.

Benedictine monk Ignatius Kane was arrested Oct. 10 on a charge of first-degree rape.



Defense lawyer Rusty Turner said Kane is back at the abbey after being released from jail on $30,000 bond.



"We'll mount a vigorous defense and we believe he'll be exonerated," said Turner.



Kane had polio as a child and has been confined by health problems, including a stroke. Formerly the abbey librarian, Kane is now mostly bedridden.



Anne McInnis, 55, of Memphis, Tenn., said Kane raped her in the abbey library in 1970 at a retreat to consider whether she should become a nun. She told her story publicly in The Birmingham News last year but said she did not report the assault to anyone in 1970.


Thursday, October 21, 2004

Message for the 20th World Youth Day

From Message for the 20th World Youth Day:



"The Magi found Jesus at 'Beth-lehem' which means 'house of bread'. In the humble stable in Bethlehem on some straw lay the 'grain of wheat' who, by dying, would bring forth 'much fruit' (cf Jn 12:24). When speaking of Himself and His saving mission in the course of His public life, Jesus would later use the image of bread. He would say 'I am the bread of life', 'I am the bread which came down from heaven', 'the bread that I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh'. (Jn 6: 35.41.51)."

Check Out Ignatius Press' Online Magazine!

Ignatius Insight | www.ignatiusinsight.com

The Difference Between Pat Robertson and the Pope

One tells Bush not to go to war, the other tells him to prepare the American people for the loss of more American lives.



From CNN.com - No casualties? White House disputes Robertson comment - Oct 20, 2004:



"A White House spokesman denied Wednesday that President Bush told Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson that he did not expect casualties from the invasion of Iraq.



'The president never made such a comment,' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.



Senior Bush campaign adviser Karen Hughes, a longtime confidant of the president, said she was 'certain' Bush would not have said anything like that to Robertson.



'Perhaps he misunderstood, but I've never heard the president say any such thing,' Hughes said on CNN's 'Inside Politics.'"

New Bishop for Salina

From the Vatican Information Service:



Appointed Fr. Paul S. Coakley of the clergy of Wichita, U.S.A., and vice chancellor and administrator of the Church of the Magdalen, as bishop of Salina (area 69,087, population 325,112, Catholics 48,510, priests 80, religious 219), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born 1955 in Norfolk, U.S.A. and was ordained a priest in 1983. He succeeds Bishop George K. Fitzsimons whose resignation the Pope accepted upon having reached the age limit.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Ratzinger Book Review Offers Keen Insights Into Liturgical Reform

"Forgetting about God is the most imminent danger of our age."



From :



It is important, in this connection, to interpret the "substantial continuity" correctly. The author expressly warns us against the wrong path up which we might be led by a neo-scholastic sacramental theology which is disconnected from the living form of the Liturgy. On that basis, people might reduce the "substance" to the matter and form of the sacrament, and say: Bread and wine are the matter of the sacrament, the words of institution are its form. Only these two things are really necessary, everything else is changeable. At this point Modernists and Traditionalists are in agreement: As long as the material gifts are there, and the words of institution are spoken, then everything else is freely disposable. Many priests today, unfortunately, act in accordance with this motto; and the theories of many liturgists are unfortunately moving in the same direction. They want to overcome the limits of the rite, as being something fixed and immovable, and construct the products of their fantasy, which are supposedly 'pastoral,' around this remnant, this core which has been spared, and which is thus either relegated to the realm of magic, or loses any meaning whatever. The Liturgical Movement had in fact been attempting to overcome this reductionism, the product of an abstract sacramental theology, and to teach us to understand the Liturgy as a living network of tradition which had taken concrete form, which cannot be torn apart into little pieces, but has to be seen and experienced as a living whole. Anyone like myself, who was moved by this perception in the time of the Liturgical Movement on the eve of the Second Vatican Council, can only stand, deeply sorrowing, before the ruins of the very things they were concerned for.



I should like just briefly to comment on two more perceptions which appear in Dom Alcuin Reid's book. Archaeological enthusiasm and pastoral pragmatism -- which is in any case often a pastoral form of rationalism -- are both equally wrong. These two might be described as unholy twins. The first generation of liturgists were for the most part historians. Thus they were inclined to archaeological enthusiasm: They were trying to unearth the oldest form in its original purity; they regarded the liturgical books in current use, with the rites they offered, as the expression of the rampant proliferation through history of secondary growths which were the product of misunderstandings and of ignorance of the past. People were trying to reconstruct the oldest Roman Liturgy, and to cleanse it of all later additions. A great deal of this was right, and yet liturgical reform is something different from archaeological excavation, and not all the developments of a living thing have to be logical in accordance with a rationalistic or historical standard. This is also the reason why -- as the author quite rightly remarks -- the experts ought not to be allowed to have the last word in liturgical reform. Experts and pastors each have their own part to play (just as, in politics, specialists and decision-makers represent two different planes). The knowledge of the scholars is important, yet it cannot be directly transmuted into the decisions of the pastors, for pastors still have their own responsibilities in listening to the faithful, in accompanying with understanding those who perform the things that help us to celebrate the sacrament with faith today, and the things that do not. It was one of the weaknesses of the first phase of reform after the Council that to a great extent the specialists were listened to almost exclusively. A greater independence on the part of the pastors would have been desirable.



Because it is often all too obvious that historical knowledge cannot be elevated straight into the status of a new liturgical norm, this archaeological enthusiasm was very easily combined with pastoral pragmatism: People first of all decided to eliminate everything that was not recognised as original, and was thus not part of the "substance", and then supplemented the "archaeological remains," if these still seemed insufficient, in accordance with "pastoral insights." But what is "pastoral"? The judgements made about these questions by intellectual professors were often influenced by their rationalist presuppositions, and not infrequently missed the point of what really supports the life of the faithful. Thus it is that nowadays, after the Liturgy was extensively rationalised during the early phase of reform, people are eagerly seeking after forms of solemnity, looking for "mystical" atmosphere and for something of the sacred. Yet because -- necessarily, and more and more clearly -- people's judgements as to what is pastorally effective are widely divergent, the "pastoral" aspect has become the point at which "creativity" breaks in, destroying the unity of the Liturgy and very often confronting us with something deplorably banal. That is not to deny that the eucharistic Liturgy, and likewise the liturgy of the Word, is often celebrated reverently, and "beautifully" in the best sense, on the basis of people's faith. Yet since we are looking for the criteria of reform, we do also have to mention the dangers, which unfortunately in the last few decades have by no means remained just the imaginings of those traditionalists opposed to reform.



I should like to come back to the way that worship was presented, in a liturgical compendium, as a "project for reform," and thus as a workshop in which people are always busy at something. Different again, and yet related to this, is the suggestion by some Catholic liturgists that we should finally adapt the liturgical reform to the "anthropological turn" of modern times, and construct it in an anthropocentric style. If the Liturgy appears first of all as the workshop for our activity, then what is essential is being forgotten: God. For the Liturgy is not about us, but about God. Forgetting about God is the most imminent danger of our age. As against this, the Liturgy should be setting up a sign of God's presence. Yet what is happening, if the habit of forgetting about God makes itself at home in the Liturgy itself, and if in the Liturgy we are only thinking of ourselves? In any and every liturgical reform, and every liturgical celebration, the primacy of God should be kept in view first and foremost.




Balestrieri Responds to Vatican's Denial

From De Fide:



To All Concerned,



This opinion is free to be released to all, because it is the truth. I expect the truth to be spoken and taught high and low in all circumstances, even if the consequences are dire in defense of the Faith and Sacraments.



During the last week in August of this year, I went to Rome to consult a dozen experts, both inside and outside the Vatican, with the goal of building support both theoretically and practically for the case filed against Senator John F. Kerry, in as much as he was a baptized Catholic publicly and stridently professing heresy. "

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Confusion, as Usual

From Catholic News Service:



An official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said a California canon lawyer seeking a formal decree of heresy against Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Democratic presidential nominee, has misrepresented his contact with the Vatican office.



"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has had no contact with Mr. (Marc) Balestrieri," said Dominican Father Augustine DiNoia, undersecretary of the congregation.



"His claim that the private letter he received from (Dominican) Father Basil Cole is a Vatican response is completely without merit," Father DiNoia told Catholic News Service Oct. 19, declining to discuss the matter further.



Balestrieri is the head of De Fide, described on its Web site as an organization created "to deal with the burgeoning scandal of Catholic politicians supporting the 'right to choose' murder."



In an Oct. 15 interview on the Eternal Word Television Network and in an Oct. 18 statement posted on his Web site, Balestrieri said he had "received a written response prompted by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affirming that Catholic politicians who persist in supporting the right to abortion are 'automatically excommunicated.'"



He said Father Cole "was delegated" by Father DiNoia "to formally respond" to questions Balestrieri had sent the congregation.



Father DiNoia denied that Father Cole, a theologian who resides in Washington, was delegated in any way to address the questions on behalf of the congregation.



Father Cole's letter to Balestrieri, also posted on De Fide's Web site, begins by saying he had been asked by Father DiNoia "to respond unofficially" to Balestrieri's questions.



The priest concluded that "if a Catholic publicly and obstinately supports the civil right to abortion, knowing that the church teaches officially against that legislation, he or she commits that heresy envisioned by Canon 751 of the Code" of Canon Law.



Vatican officials contacted by CNS Oct. 19 said they did not agree with Father Cole's conclusion that Kerry has incurred excommunication.

Monday, October 18, 2004

What Would You Say to Kerry if Given the Chance?

Hopefully you would preach to him not for him.



From St. Mary's stop leaves residents excited, in 'awe' - chillicothegazette.com:



"Father Lawrence Hummer, of St. Mary's Church, criticized church officials who condemn Catholic politicians who speak out for abortion rights, calling on them to use patient persistence and bring them into the fold.

'It is the task of the church to convince and to encourage through all patience, by word and example, those who do not agree, not to ostracize them or treat them like lepers,' Hummer said.



'There are many people who think that the destruction of Iraqi life is as direct an assault on the sacred as is the taking of unborn life. There are many people who regard the death penalty as an admission of the smallness of our nature rather than evidence of our greatness.'

'God bless you. Win, will you?' Hummer told Kerry after mass ended. "

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Year of the Eucharist Begins Today!

From AsiaNews.it:



"This afternoon, the Pope will solemnly inaugurate the Year of the Eucharist, a "time of intense encounter with Christ" and "commitment to spreading His message of salvation".



Before the Angelus was recited, John Paul II spoke about the Year of the Eucharist. After the Marian prayer, he expressed his "deepest gratitude to those who wished me well and prayed for me on the anniversary of my election to the See of Saint Peter". He then commended his pontificate once again to Mary and asked for "Her constant help in making his Ministry in the Church rewarding".



The Pope, who was looking well, told the 30,000 people gathered in St Peter's Square that "in the Mexican city of Guadalajara the International Eucharistic Congress was coming to an end. For eight days," he said, "the Eucharist was celebrated and adored as the 'light and life of the new millennium: 'Light' because the presence of Christ 'Light of the world' radiates from the Eucharistic mystery; 'Life' because Jesus 'the Bread of Life' gave himself to us through the Eucharist."



The Pontiff added that "this afternoon I shall preside over a Eucharistic celebration in spiritual communion with the great summons in Guadalajara. This way I shall solemnly open the Year of the Eucharist scheduled to last until October 2005."




Happy 26th Anniversary to the Pope!

From Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Pope Thanks Followers on 26th Anniversary:



"John Paul marked the anniversary of his Oct. 16, 1978, election with morning Mass on Saturday in his private chapel. A day earlier, officials celebrated the occasion publicly with a performance by a Russian military chorus and orchestra.



Thousands of well-wishers showered the pontiff with greetings, many of them thanking him for speaking out against preventive war, his spokesman has said. In the run-up to the U.S.-led Iraq war, John Paul insisted repeatedly that dialogue was required to bring peace. "

Saturday, October 16, 2004

Friday, October 15, 2004

The Catholic Voting Project presents CafeteriaCatholics.com

Interesting site. There is a test that you can take to see who you side with the Bishops, President Bush or Senator Kerry...I was in agreement with the Bishops I'm proud to say which means that I agree with Bush on some issues and Kerry on others. The flash presentation is amusing.



Give it a look...The Catholic Voting Project presents CafeteriaCatholics.com

Google Desktop Search

Google for your computer...find email, word files, anything...



Google Desktop Search Download

Friday Humor

From a Friend who steadily supplies me with these:



A man goes to a party and has too much to drink. His friends plead with him to let them take him home. He says no -- he only lives less than a mile away. About two blocks from party, the police pull him over for weaving and ask him to get out of the car and walk the line. Just as he starts, the police radio blares out a notice of a robbery taking place in a house less than a block away.The police tell the party animal to stay put, they will be right back and they hop a fence and run down the street to the house just a block away.The guy waits and waits and finally decides to drive home.When he gets there, he tells his wife he is going to bed, and to tell anyone who might come looking for him that he has the flu and has been in bed all night.



A few hours later the police knock on the door. They ask if Mr. Joe B. is there and his wife says yes. They ask to see him and she replies that he is in bed with the flu and has been so

all day. The police have his driver's license. They ask to see his car and she asks why.They insist on seeing his car, so she takes them to the garage. She opens the garage door and looks in

. . . There sitting in the garage is the police car, with all its lights still flashing.True story, told by the driver at his first AA meeting in College Station, Texas.



Thursday, October 14, 2004

A Great Little Book to Catechize Your Child (and yourself) to Be Pro-life

And to foster a belief that God has placed an angel to watch over you.



From Sophia Press, you can read it online at Cover Page of Angel in the Waters

Spin from the "No Spin Zone"

O'Reilly Hit With Sex Harass Suit - October 13, 2004 The Details at Smoking Gun



He's counter suing.

New Bishops for Columbus, Grand Island and Harrisburg

From the Vatican Information Service:



- Appointed Bishop Frederick Francis Campell, auxiliary of St. Paul and Minneapolis, U.S.A., as bishop of Columbus (area 29,282, population 2,383,015, Catholics 236,042, priests 245, permanent deacons 76, religious 402), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop James Anthony Griffin whose resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Columbus was accepted in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.



- Appointed Msgr. William J. Dendinger, pastor of St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Omaha, U.S.A., as bishop of Grand Island (area 103,560, population 295,176, Catholics 54,549, priests 65, religious 98), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Coleridge, U.S.A. in 1939 and was ordained a priest in 1965. He succeeds Bishop Lawrence James McNamara whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese was accepted upon having reached the age limit.



- Appointed Fr. Kevin Carl Rhoades, rector of Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, U.S.A., as bishop of Harrisburg (area 19,839, population 2,027,835, Catholics 247,861, priests 161, permanent deacons 45, religious 500), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Mahanoy City, in the diocese of Allentown, U.S.A. in 1957 and was ordained a priest in 1983.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Great Quote from Pope's New Apostolic Letter

Probably because it was released in Italian this was missed:



"One who learns to say 'thank you' in the manner of the crucified Christ might

end up a martyr, but never as a persecutor."


Pope John Paul II Mane Nobiscum Domine

Liturgy of the Hours Apostolate

This site is perfect for those who don't know how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours from the book. They have done all the work for you, just open the file for the morning or evening prayer or the Office of Readings and pray...Liturgy of the Hours Apostolate

Looking for a Face Saving Excuse?

I think this story which has nothing to do with football signals the end for Coach Ron Zook's career at Florida...in fact it wouldn't surprise me if something is already in the works.



From UF athletic director calls Zook fracas 'unacceptable': South Florida Sun-Sentinel:



"Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley described a Sept. 16 incident involving coach Ron Zook and several fraternity members as 'unacceptable' on Tuesday.



According to a police report, Zook was present at a confrontation between several football players and members of Pi Kappa Phi, who were arguing about a fight that had occurred at 2 a.m. that morning."

Monday, October 11, 2004

Nuns Banned From Wearing Habits

From Telegraph | News | Teaching nuns hit by Muslim headscarf ban:



"Nuns who teach in state schools in the Black Forest region of Germany are to be banned from wearing their habits in the classroom in line with a judgment on Muslim headscarves, a federal court has ruled.



The federal administrative court decreed that it would be unjust if a law passed this year in the southern state of Baden Württemberg prohibiting Muslim women teachers from wearing headscarves did not also apply to Christian symbols.



"There can be no exception. Any form of religiously motivated clothing in certain regions is not in question," said the written ruling from the court in Leipzig, eastern Germany.



Nuns who form an active part of the teaching staff in the predominantly Roman Catholic state will in future have to change from their habits into ordinary clothing before they enter the classroom, according to today's edition of Spiegel magazine, which has published details of the ruling for the first time.
"

A Miracle at Final Mass

One of the Boston churches that is closing experiences a rather dramatic ending to the liturgy. What do you think?



From Boston.com / News / Local / A 'miracle' at final Mass:



After 99 years of feasts, funerals, weddings, and baptisms, parishioners who went to the final Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in East Boston yesterday declared that they had witnessed a miracle.



The church's statue of the Virgin Mary, which stood in front of the altar, tipped over suddenly and thudded to the floor after Mass, seemingly unmolested by human hands, parishioners said.



Trembling and weeping, they called it a sign from God protesting the Boston Archdiocese's decision to close their church, part of the lifeblood of the working-class, Italian-American neighborhood since 1905.



''This is a miracle!" Gerri Costa exclaimed after parishioners righted the 5-foot statue, which was missing a few pieces from its back. ''Miracles do happen, and this is a miracle. Viva La Madonna!"



The conclusion to the East Boston church's final Mass in Italian boiled with pain, anger, and hope, a tumult of emotions engulfing many parishes in the archdiocese as the process of closing 82 parishes continues.




Saturday, October 9, 2004

Amy in the Australian Press

From Maxwell Smart and the Holy Grail - Opinion - www.theage.com.au:



"Meanwhile The Da Vinci Code continues its astounding stranglehold at the top of the bestseller lists. It has even spawned its own industry of meta-commentary, with books such as Simon Cox's Cracking the Da Vinci Code, Darrell Bock's Breaking the Da Vinci Code and Dan Burstein's collection Secrets of the Code.



In addition, various Christian writers have set out to debunk Brown's portrait of the Catholic Church and the organisation Opus Dei, among them Amy Welborn in De-coding Da Vinci and Steve Kellmeyer in Fact and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code."

Now Its Matthew's Turn to Take Aim at Florida

Another drenching on the way...



From Yahoo! News - Tropical Storm Forms in Gulf of Mexico, Aims at Florida:



"Tropical Storm Matthew formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on Friday and was headed toward Florida, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said.



But there was some good news for a state hit by four deadly and devastating hurricanes since August: Matthew was not expected to strengthen significantly before crossing ashore over the Florida Panhandle on Monday. "

Friday, October 8, 2004

Father Benedict Groeschel Live

Now that Mother Angelica is no longer "live" and on the air, this will make a good addition to the EWTN network, plus Father Benedict is great when presenting the Faith before an audience (even if the audience is calling him in on the phone).



From EWTN Press Release:



"EWTN announces the upcoming launch of the newest addition to its live show lineup, Sunday Night: Live with Father Benedict Groeschel. This exciting new live call-in show is slated to debut only ten months after the accident, which seriously injured the very popular author, speaker, and EWTN series host.



The show will debut on Sunday, October 24th at 7PM Eastern Time and will air weekly in that time slot. Similar in format and tone to the classically popular Mother Angelica Live ?Family Night? program, Live with Father Benedict Groeschel offers the audience a chance to ?chat' with Fr. Benedict on both timely topics and eternal ones. Each week he?ll do a little teaching, a little preaching while at the same time taking phone calls, sharing experiences and addressing the concerns of his audience. As with Mother Angelica, Fr. Benedict brings to his program a unique perspective of what it is like to soldier on in the face of sorrow and suffering.



Doug Keck, EWTN's Senior Vice President of Programming, Production and Home Video, said, ?Everyone here at EWTN is excited about this project since we have wanted to produce a live show with Fr. Groeschel for some time, but his hectic travel schedule previously prohibited it from happening. Now in the aftermath of his accident, Fr. Benedict has turned to the EWTN TV and Radio Networks as the vehicle that will allow him to continue to ?travel? around the world, speaking to more people than ever before!?"

Pope to Release Book on Philosophy Next Year

From Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:



"John Paul II will release a new book, 'Memory and Identity: Conversation Between Millenniums,' next spring, says a Vatican spokesman.



Joaquin Navarro Valls, director of the Vatican press office, made the announcement Wednesday in Frankfurt, Germany.



The book will be published by the Italian publishing house Rizzoli, the Vatican Information Service confirmed today.



Rizzoli, which published the Pope's 'Opera Omnia Filosofica,' a volume of more than 1,000 pages, as well as other texts on literary criticism written by Karol Wojtyla, owns the world rights to the book. During the Frankfurt International Book Fair, now under way, there will be negotiations for its publication in other languages.



According to Navarro Valls, the book is a work on the philosophy of history in which the Pope considers topics such as modern democracy, liberty and human rights, the diverse concepts of nation, fatherland and the state, the more-than-functional relationship between nation and culture, the rights of man, and the relationship between church and state. "

New Apostolic Letter on the Eucharist Released

From the Vatican Information Service:



Pope John Paul's Apostolic Letter "Mane Nobiscum Domine" ("Stay with us, Lord"), addressed to the bishops, clergy and faithful of the Church on the occasion of the October 2004-October 2005 Year of the Eucharist, was presented today in the Holy See Press Office by Cardinal Francis Arinze. The Letter, in Italian and dated October 7, feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, has an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion.



The prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, recalled that the Holy Father announced the celebration of a Year of the Eucharist throughout the Church during Mass at St. John Lateran Basilica on the June 10, 2004 solemnity of Corpus Christi. Calling today's 30-page Letter "beautiful and incisive," the cardinal added that it "will help guide the Church to celebrate this special year with the greatest possible fruits."



Cardinal Arinze pointed out that "the underlying theme of the Apostolic Letter is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus." In fact, the Apostolic Letter starts: "'Stay with us, for it is towards evening'. This was the heartfelt invitation that the two disciples, walking towards Emmaus the very evening of the Resurrection, issued to the Wayfarer who had joined them along the road. Filled with sad thoughts, they could not imagine that that stranger was their very Master, by now risen."



"The Year of the Eucharist," he added, "will see the Church especially committed to living the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus continues to walk with us and to introduce us to the mysteries of God, opening us up to the deep meaning of Sacred Scriptures. At the summit of this encounter, Jesus breaks for us 'the bread of life'."



"Many times during his pontificate," said the cardinal, "John Paul II has invited the Church to reflect on the Eucharist, ... especially last year in the Encyclical 'Ecclesia de Eucharistia'. ... The Pope mentions two principal events that illuminate and spell out the beginning and the end of the year of the Eucharist: the 48th International Eucharistic Congress that will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico the week of October 10 to 17 and the 11th General Assembly of the Synod of bishops which will take place in the Vatican October 2-29, 2005."

Thursday, October 7, 2004

Pope Names New Austria Bishop

Its the Opus Dei Bishop who investigated and had seminary closed.



From Boston.com / News / World / Europe / Pope names new Austria bishop0:



"John Paul accepted the resignation of Bishop Kurt Krenn as head of the diocese of St. Poelten and named as his successor Bishop Klaus Kueng, who had been appointed by the Vatican to investigate the scandal.



The scandal rocked Austria's Roman Catholic Church and aggravated an exodus of Catholics from the church.



Krenn, who was in charge of the seminary, resigned last week amid an uproar over his handling of the affair.



Kueng, 64, has been serving as bishop of the diocese of Feldkirch in southwestern Austria. He is a member of the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei, which is admired by the pontiff.



He was named to investigate the scandal after the discovery of as many as 40,000 lurid images, including child pornography, on computers in the seminary.



Kueng closed down the seminary in August."

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Rodney Dangerfield Dead

From My Way News:



"Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating one-liners brought him stardom in clubs, television and movies and made his lament 'I don't get no respect' a catchphrase, died Tuesday. He was 82.



Dangerfield, who fell into a coma after undergoing heart surgery, died at 1:20 p.m., said publicist Kevin Sasaki. Dangerfield had a heart valve replaced Aug. 25 at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center.



Sasaki said in a statement that Dangerfield suffered a small stroke after the operation and developed infectious and abdominal complications. But in the past week he had emerged from the coma, the publicist said."

Israelis Force Down Lufthansa Jet

From BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israelis force down Lufthansa jet:



"Israeli jet fighters have forced an incoming Lufthansa airliner to land in Cyprus after a bomb alert that German officials had not considered serious.



'We wanted to fly to Tel Aviv but the Israeli authorities forced us to land in Larnaca,' said a Lufthansa official.



The flight from Frankfurt landed safely and security staff are searching it.



Three passenger jets - two from Greece to New York and one British Airways flight from Berlin - have been diverted after bomb hoaxes in the last 10 days. "

New Apostolic Letter on the Eucharist

To be released this Friday...



From the Vatican Information Serice:



On Friday, October 8, at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, will preside at a press conference for the presentation of the "Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father for the Year of the Eucharist."



Joining Cardinal Arinze will be Archbishops Domenico Sorrentino, secretary of the congregation and Piero Marini, master of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, and Msgr. Mauro Parmeggiani, prelate secretary of the vicariate of Rome.