Tuesday, January 13, 2004

The Strange Faith of Wesley Clark

This man is very confused...



From Crosswalk.com - weblogs:



Clark said that he would never appoint a pro-life judge to the federal bench, citing the judicial precedent of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as his rationale. From that start, Clark then proceeded to launch a radical vision that goes beyond anything ever articulated by a major presidential candidate to date. "Life begins with the mother's decision," Clark argued.



"At present, Clark remains a Roman Catholic--but attends a Presbyterian church. He told beliefnet.com, 'I'm spiritual. I'm religious. I'm a strong Christian and I'm a Catholic but I go to a Presbyterian Church. Occasionally I go to the Catholic church too. I take communion. I haven't transferred my membership or anything. My wife and I consider ourselves--she considers herself a Catholic.'"

Update on Father Groeschel

Keep praying, the news is better.



Father squeezed the hand of one of the priests at his bedside today. A procedure was done last night to try to relieve some of the bleeding in his head.



I learned the above from Father's secretary who phoned me this afternoon.



Most of the media has finally picked up the story (its amazing how slow they are). They pretty much are all running the same story that originally appeared in the Orlando Sentinel (I had wrote the new director there yesterday and told them what had happened in their backyard--got a response from them later in the day, saying they would look into it). What is interesting to me is that the story they told mentions one of the books that I worked with Father Groeschel on, namely "The Cross at Ground Zero." If you haven't read it yet (it has sold a ton of copies) it is well worth the read and besides dealing with the horrible events of 9/11 it deals with suffering in general and "where is God?" in the midst of it all.





Second Driver may Have Caused Groeschel Accident

From Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world:



"Police tell Spirit Daily the incident occurred at 9:43 p.m. as Father Groeschel was leaving a Chili's Restaurant with a carry-out bag. The accident was at the corner of Semoran Boulevard and Hazeltine National Drive about a mile north of the airport.



The priest was 'barely conscious' when police arrived, according to Detective Norris Butler, who said there is an investigation involving a second car that may have caused the accident. He said the car that actually hit Groeschel did not appear at fault. 'I can't give out more details because it is an ongoing investigation,' he said, leaving open the possibility that charges may be brought against the second driver."

The Situation with Father Groeschel

I have worked with Father Groeschel over the past five years and have known him as a friend and trusted spiritual advisor for over twenty years. Father's health has always been an issue over that period of time especially with regard to his heart.



The problem that he is having right now is that he takes a certain type of blood thinner medication that is preventing the medical staff from performing surgery on Father's head injuries where there seems to be some bleeding in the brain. Besides a broken arm and leg, Father also suffered broken ribs. Add to this, as I mentioned yesterday one of the C.F.R. brothers in New York told me that Father suffered a heart attack when he was struck and had to be resuscitated on the spot. The situation appears very grave and your prayers are needed.



While I was still recovering from the shock of hearing about Father's accident, I was opening my mail and found among the parcels received yesterday a large envelope from overseas. Contained within it was a letter that began--"Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. suggested that you might be interested in publishing this..." The "this" in question is a lengthy interview, book length, with Father on every topic imaginable. Reading it yesterday I was reminded of the greatness of this humble friar and the difference that he has made in the Church in the United States and beyond. He frequently talks about his own death in the interview--with joyous anticipation of meeting the Lord. There is another part of the interview where the English man interviewing Father, pesters him with questions, about how he came to start all the charitable enterprises that he has during his life. Father Groesechel repeats his answer a number of times..."No plans, be led."



I'm sure that is the situation right now for Father, as it has been through out his life. Whatever God wants, Father will be led in that direction.



My favorite Father Groeschel book:





Father Benedict News from The Orlando Sentinel

Nothing new here...



From OrlandoSentinel.com: Orange County News:



"The Rev. Benedict Groeschel, a nationally known Roman Catholic author and religious television personality, was in critical condition Monday after a traffic accident at Orlando International Airport.



The Franciscan priest was injured Sunday while walking to a restaurant, according to the Eternal Word Television Network, based in Irondale, Ala.



Groeschel, who is director of spiritual development for the Diocese of New York, was reported in critical condition, according to Joe Brown, a spokesman for Orlando Regional Medical Center. EWTN officials said Groeschel had suffered broken arms and legs, as well as head trauma. Brown, citing new federal privacy laws, said he could not confirm the nature of the injuries."

Monday, January 12, 2004

Deal Hudson on Father Groeschel

Dear Friend,



I'm afraid I have some very bad news. As you may have already heard,

Fr. Benedict Groeschel, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the

Renewal in New York City and long-time friend of CRISIS, was struck

by a car last night and is now in the hospital in critical

condition.



Details are still sketchy, but sources say that Fr. Groeschel was

walking to a restaurant in Orlando when he was hit by a car near the

Orlando International Airport. He's now in intensive care at the

Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical but stable condition.



We spoke with Fr. Groeschel's assistant this morning who confirmed

the news, saying that the situation didn't look good. "We need

nothing short of a miracle," she said.



At this point, the most important thing we can do is pray. The

Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is broadcasting a Holy Hour

for him this morning, and Fr. Groeschel's assistant requested that we

ask for prayers from St. Francis, the founder of the order, and St.

Augustine, who has been Fr. Groeschel's favorite all his life.



Father Groeschel is one of the most powerful voices for the Church

in this country and around the world. Not only that, but he's been

absolutely selfless in his generosity to numerous Catholic

apostolates, including this one. I know you don't need any

encouragement from me to pray for this truly holy man.



I'm very sorry for the bad news, but I knew you'd want to be kept

informed. I'll let you know as soon as we learn anything new.



Best,



Deal

Father Groeschel Update

I spoke with one of the C.F.R. brothers who told me that Father Groeschel was struck by a car while crossing the road at the Orlando airport. He sustained injuries to his head, arm and leg. He also suffered a heart attack and had to be resuscitated. I think he told me that Father currently is semi-conscious. He also said that Father had bleeding in his brain.



He said that the C.F.R. site will provide updates as they become available. Although as I write this there is nothing there yet.



He asked that we continue to pray for Father's recovery.



Update: The promised update information has been posted on the web site--although at this point it is pretty much the samething that has been reported here. Check back on their site for future updates.