God's Little Hobo

From a reader:

I am writing in regards to the book "God's Little Hobo" by Virginia Cyr,

edited by Dr. Quentin Colgan and published by Our Sunday Visitor Books.



This book is a compilation of some of the "Letters to Mother" (Blessed

Mother Mary) that Virginia wrote during the last few years of her life has

touched me deeply. Abandoned by her mother at the age of four years, she spent

her life in foster homes and finally an orphanage. In the letters she confides

to our Blessed Mother Mary as a child would confide in her own earthly mother.

She tells Mary about her joys, trials, sufferings. She had such a close

relationship with Mary. Everything she owned and everything she did was always

"ours"....our chair, our room, our mail, our retreat. Virginia longed for her

very own "Nazareth" - a home with family who would be there for her - a place

where she felt wanted and loved. She suffered immense physical pain due to her

cerebral palsy but most people that knew her were unaware of just how much she

really suffered. She hid it so well. Her spirituality reminds me of St. Therese

the Little Flower of Jesus.



My prayer is that some day Virginia Cyr will

be canonized a Saint in our Catholic church. I have told numerous people about

Virginia and some are reading the book now.



This book has left me wanting to know more about Virginia Cyr. Dr. Quentin Colgan has a beautiful web site filled with information about Virginia. It would be wonderful to have more of her "Letters to Mother" published in another book.



I thank Dr. Colgan for introducing me and countless others to Virginia Cyr.



Thank you for publishing this awe inspiring book.

To view Virginia's book click on the link:

Anti-religious Post Election Commentary

Go to their site to read the list...



From CATHOLIC LEAGUE for Religious and Civil Rights:



"Last week Catholic League president William Donohue listed the anti-religious commentary that many cultural elites offered in the aftermath of the election. "

Arctic Melting Fast; May Swamp U.S. Coasts by 2099

Inland Florida land may be ocean front property in your children's lifetime!



From Arctic Melting Fast; May Swamp U.S. Coasts by 2099

Seven Signs of Hope for the Church

Tim Drake gives us Seven Signs of Hope for the Church

Here We Go Again - Arafat Is Dead, Palestinian Sources Say

Of course the Israelies have said that he's been dead, hooked up to life support for a number of days now. See previous posts.



From Yahoo! News - Arafat Is Dead, Palestinian Sources Say:



"'He is dead,' a senior political source close to Arafat told Reuters in Paris, where the 75-year-old leader has been lying in a coma at a French military hospital.

Asked to confirm Arafat's death, another official close to the president said: 'Yes, he is dead. There will be an announcement soon.'



None of the sources gave any details of the cause of death.



Officials in the West Bank said they had not been informed that Arafat was dead. "

Review of Surprised by Canon Law

From Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:

"Q: What are the basics of the code that Catholics need to know on a

daily basis?



Vere: There are several of basics, both in

terms of canonical rights and canonical responsibilities.



Yet Canon 213

provides a nice summary, stating: 'The Christian faithful have the right to

receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the

Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments.' In other words, all

Catholics have the right to sound teaching and the means with which to grow in

holiness. "

The book and another new book by Pete and Pat Madrid:

USATODAY.com - Church struggles with change

Major series of stories in the USA Today, today. Slant is inaccurate...fails to mention there are more Catholics even if there are fewer priests/parishes serving them. Also fails to note the true why of decline in Mass attendance, something that the Year of the Eucharist if properly implemented (and don't hold your breath on that happening) could bring about a great reform in the Mass.



On a side note that is relevant to this point: A whole generation of priests have been taught a confused theology of the Church. Ask any of them a simple question and you are bound to receive an overqualified answer that nuances everything to the point of saying almost nothing. Until this problem is remedied, I don't see how things are going to change.



For Example: All Souls becomes "memorial day" with no mention of praying for the dead, or keeping in mind our final end.



From USATODAY.com - Church struggles with change:

"Today there are fewer parishes and fewer priests than in 1990 and fewer of

the nation's 65 million Catholics in those pews. And there's no sign of

return."