Review of Virginia Cyr: God's Little Hobo

Great review...this is a book that everyone should read!





From Villages Daily Sun:



"She had every reason to be bitter toward life and angry with God.



Many people probably would have been.



But not Virginia Cyr.



Abandoned at age 4 after her mother discovered Virginia was afflicted with cerebral palsy, the wheelchair-bound youngster was placed in one foster home after another, followed by an orphanage and later, a nursing home.



Yet, Virginia was full of love, joy and deep faith despite her many moments of unbearable pain, fatigue and muscle spasms. In her quietest of times, she pored out her heart in daily "letters to Mary," the mother of Jesus. "...



To order your copy...



Virginia Cyr, God's Little Hobo

Catholic Music Director Accused of Murdering "Ex-Lover"

You have to read through a significant part of the story before you are told that the lover was another man...I wonder if part of the defense will be having to sing "I will raise him up..." over and over and believing that he could do it?



From Music director expected to post bail:



"Bond was set Wednesday at $100,000 for a former employee at St. Peter Catholic Church accused of slaying his ex-lover in New York, authorities said.



Michael Pavone, 58, of West Chicago, has pleaded innocent to murder and other offenses for allegedly stabbing and beating his former roommate nearly five years ago and then dumping the body in a Buffalo, N.Y., nature preserve.



Pavone, the former music director at the Geneva parish, was arrested Monday in New York, about one week after authorities said new evidence surfaced linking him to the crime."

New Book by Father Benedict

It is now public...will be available May 13th.



"There Are No Accidents: In All Things Trust in God"









To pre-order a copy

click here

Catholic Bestseller's List for This Month

#5 for Amy and I and #10 for Amy alone...



From CBPA Catholic Book Publishers Association:

"Paperback



1. A Guide to the Passion 100 Questions About Mel Gibson¹s The Passion of The Christ

Pinto, D¹Ambrosio, Shea, Thigpen, Allen, Ascension Press (193264542X)



2. Catechism of the Catholic Church

Doubleday (0385479670)

Our Sunday Visitor (0879739762)

USCCB Publishing (1574551108)



3. The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Paul Elie, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (0374529213)



4. Return of the Prodigal Son

Henri J. M. Nouwen, Doubleday (0385473079)



5. Praying the Rosary

Dubruiel & Welborn, Our Sunday Visitor (1592760376)



6. The Cathedral

Michael Downey, Liturgical Press (0814628923)



7. Life of the Beloved

Henri J. M. Nouwen, Crossroad (0824519868)



8. Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart

Cavins, Pinto, Armstrong, Ascension Press (0965922871)



9. Not By Bread Alone

Peter Feldmeier, Liturgical Press (0814627528)



10. De-coding DaVinci

Amy Welborn, Our Sunday Visitor (1592761011)"





To order your own copy of either book...

Passion Success Good for Therese Movie

From Leonardo Defilippis on Thérèse on National Review Online:



"The making of the movie has a story behind it just as interesting as The Passion's. In the four years since we started production, we've raised a multimillion-dollar budget from the donations of individuals. From substantial grants to flower sales organized by school children, from one family's donation of $25,000 in retirement savings to a widow's gift of $10,000 from her late husband's estate, there are hundreds of stories of ordinary people sacrificing to see this story told. Pope John Paul II himself saw Thérèse last summer, and has given his blessing not just to the film, but also to all who view it. The popularity of the film's website, www.theresemovie.com reflects the huge anticipation by followers of the saint for the release of Thérèse.



Why is Thérèse so popular, and why the flood of support for a film on her life? Thérèse Martin's short life as a 19th-century French nun might have been buried in obscurity if she hadn't written down her story and her spiritual philosophy before her premature death from tuberculosis at age 24. Her sister, who was also the mother superior of the monastery, asked her to write down her childhood reminiscences, and out of obedience Therese complied. What followed was not just a charming story of her early life, but also a clear explanation of her 'little way' to get to Heaven. This little book spread like wildfire throughout the world, because of the simple ideas that Saint Thérèse presented: how ordinary people can grow close to God through the day-to-day tasks in their lives. After her death in 1897, miracles attributed to the young nun's intercession began to be documented almost immediately, and the Carmelite nun was put on the fast track to sainthood and canonized in 1925. "

Patriarch Accepts Pope's Apology

Christus Resurrexit! Alleluia



From Patriarch accepts pope's apology over Constantinople:



"Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, has accepted an apology from Pope John Paul II for Roman Catholic involvement in the sacking of Constantinople 800 years ago.



During a visit to Greece in 2001, John Paul apologized for the attack on the city, today's Istanbul, which was looted by Catholic Crusaders. The apology had long been sought by Orthodox.



In a speech Tuesday - the 800th anniversary of the city's capture - Bartholomew formally accepted the apology.



'The spirit of reconciliation is stronger than hatred,' Bartholomew said during a liturgy, attended by Philippe Barbarin, the Archbishop of Lyon, France. 'We receive with gratitude and respect your cordial gesture for the tragic events of the Fourth Crusade.' "

Frances Kissling Agrees That Abortion is an Abominable Crime

I saw the latter part of this interview on Scarborough Country on Monday night but missed this part of it...



From MSNBC - 'Scarborough Country' for April 12:



"KISSLING: Oh, I thought we were going to talk about whether we were going to burn Kerry at the stake, never mind whether he should have received communion.

DONAHUE: Well, you have survived, haven't you? They didn't burn you yet.

BUCHANAN: Here it is, Francis from Vatican II: "Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception. Abortion is an abominable crime."

KISSLING: Right.