Update on Father Groeschel

The last time I met with Father and had a lengthy conversation, he told me that Father Glenn was a beautiful writer. Indeed he is! Father the superior of the community called the "community servant" gives evidence of how he handles that position in his latest update.



Continue to pray, in the imagery of the Old Testament, to lift up the hands of Moses who has grown weak...



From The Franciscan Friars:



"Fr. Benedict appears to be 'the same' as yesterday - at least externally; sedated, in a sleep-like state and lightly assisted by a respirator. However, being 'the same' is actually good -- he hasn't lost any ground. The body is healing itself and this takes time - God willing, these are the first steps along a long road to recovery.



Tonight, between six and eight o'clock (EST) a well-know and highly esteemed trauma surgeon will be operating on his broken right arm. The mere fact that they have opted for surgery indicates a certain amount of 'strength in the system.' Doctors don't like taking chances if they don't have to. So, in short, we should see this as a positive sign. I imagine, based on the results of this somewhat 'minor' surgery, they will attempt to work on his right broken leg. The nurses told me everything has to be done in small doses -- sort of 'spoon feeding' an infant. The next spoonful depends on how well the baby consumes the first. Once again, these are the slow, preliminary steps Father has to take weeks, perhaps months before his feet touch the floor.



While there appears to be some semblance of stability in his condition, I believe the real concern is his heart. The heart may be considered the 'weak link' a chain which could not be called strong. He is elderly and has had some health problems in the past, now add the unexpected trauma of being hit by a car…. So, you see how much he needs our prayers. He's walking a very fine line, a 'tightrope,' a strong young man could walk away if he fell. So, our job is to extend our hands to the heavens and support him step-by-step. "

Shopping for Faith or Votes?

Great post about faith and politics over at Times Against Humanity Is Howard Dean a baptized Catholic?



Even if he's left, he's still in. Remember the Catholic faith is like the Hotel California...you can check out anytime you'd like, but you can never leave.

Update on Father Groeschel from His Superior

From Father Glenn Sudano, C.F.R.:



To clarify some of the details about the accident, I will tell you as much as I know at this time. Fr. Benedict had just completed a preaching engagement and was at the airport with his traveling companions, Fr. John Lynch and David Burns. Evidently, they were at an airport car rental. Fr. Benedict knew his two companions hadn't eaten, and knowing the long lines meant a long wait, he went to outside to find a place to buy a hamburger or something. This is where the facts are fuzzy. At some time and for some reason, he was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Perhaps it was dark, who knows, but this is all I know at this point.



Fr. Benedict was struck on his right side. The impact broke his right arm and leg in two places. He also received some injury to the head. Thank God, the ambulance arrived soon after and was brought to a nearby hospital which, thank God, has an expert trauma unit. This is where he is today and will slowly recover through your prayers.



I had the opportunity to speak to his attending physician who represents a small team of trauma specialists. At this time all his vital signs are "good." His arm and leg still needs to be operated on, but it's still too soon. They have to be very careful not to upset whatever "balance" he has at this point. The bleeding on the brain is not serious and his blood pressure Okay - at least right now. Last night they had to open him to see if there was any damage to his inside organs. Thank God, no problems there. There appeared to be an increase in acid accumulating in his system, yet it appears to be naturally lowering.

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."

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.

Father Groeschel Seriously Hurt

Hard to find out anything online about this. But supposedly Father Groeschel was hit by a car over the weekend and suffered two broken legs and has slipped into a coma. If you know anything further, please post in the comments.



Please pray for Father's recovery!



Update:

Spirit Daily is reporting the following:



Renowned TV priest Father Benedict Groeschel, author of numerous books and popular on the Catholic network EWTN, was hit by a car near Orlando International Airport Sunday night, according to sources in Alabama, where the network is based. He is in stable but critical condition at the intensive care unit at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Details remain unverified and sketchy but reports are that he had just arrived in Orlando and was walking to a place for food when he was struck, breaking a leg and arm. At latest reports he is partially conscious and awaiting surgery. We ask all to pray for this fine priest.



I would only add that my information came from the C.F.R. community--not sure where Michael Brown is getting his info from.



EWTN has added a similar posting to Spirit Daily's.

You Can Tell Dean is an Outsider

If he were a real New Englander, he'd know there was nothing rude about those remarks...



From Reuters News Article:



"The former Vermont governor had just finished his standard stump speech blasting President Bush for, among other things, his Iraq policy and his stewardship of the economy. He asked, as is his custom, for 'questions, comments or rude remarks in the New England tradition.'"

Who Makes the Coffee?

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.

The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get

our coffee."

The husband said, "You are in charge of the cooking around here and you should do it, because that is

your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."

Wife replies, "No you should do it, and besides it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."

Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and shows him at the top of several pages, that it

indeed says "Hebrews."

The Real Reason You're Overweight

It's not all that fat you eat, it's the lack concrete hitting your feet.



Study of Amish in Ontario...



From Old-Time Fitness in Old-Order Amish - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD:



"Even though they ate the high-fat, high-sugar diet typical of pre-World War II Americans -- meat, potatoes, gravy, eggs, garden vegetables, bread, pies, and cakes -- the Ontario Amish were remarkably fit. Only 4% were obese and only 26% were overweight.



How did they do it? Hard work -- and lots of foot power. Their weekly exercise was equivalent to that of long-distance runners. Men averaged 18,425 steps a day. Women averaged 14,196 daily steps.



'The Amish were able to show us just how far we've fallen in the last 150 years or so in terms of the amount of physical activity we typically perform,' Bassett says in a news release. 'Their lifestyle indicates that physical activity played a critical role in keeping our ancestors fit and healthy.' "

Baptism of the Lord

From Universalis: Office of Readings:



"Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him. The heavens like Paradise with its flaming sword, closed by Adam for himself and his descendants, are rent open. The Spirit comes to him as to an equal, bearing witness to his Godhead. A voice bears witness to him from heaven, his place of origin. The Spirit descends in bodily form like the dove that so long ago announced the ending of the flood and so gives honour to the body that is one with God.



Today let us do honour to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as now you have received - though not in its fullness - a ray of its splendour, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen." St Gregory Nazianzen

Should an Admitted Pedophile be Honored at a High School?

Amy graduated from this high school in Knoxville. Look for her to offer a more personal commentary upon this. The article is from the Palm Beach Post where O'Connell was bishop when the allegations were made public. He was the founding bishop of the Knoxville diocese and its a little harder to wipe him off the slates in a Stalinist style. But he doesn't have to be enshrined either...



From Place of honor for a pedophile:



"Leaders of the Knoxville diocese are choosing to ignore the disgraceful part of O'Connell's past and focus instead on the positive things he did as bishop there from 1988 to 1999. So they proudly display his pictures, keep his name alive and send him 'prayer bouquets' from church services. Months after his public confession, church leaders are doing much to rehabilitate his reputation.



Susan Vance thinks this is appalling. A former Dominican nun and parishioner at St. Mary's, Ms. Vance led the campaign to remove O'Connell's name from the life center building. She prevailed, but only after a yearlong struggle that brought her hate mail, nasty phone calls, scornful looks at Mass and the disdain of the new bishop, Joseph Kurtz.

'Only the church would allow a building to be named after a pedophile,' she says. 'You tell someone who's not Catholic this happened and they look at you as if you're kidding.'



Ms. Vance, whose son attends the high school, believes it is wrong to memorialize O'Connell's image. Her supporters include victims of sexual abuse and their advocates, as well as SNAP (Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests), which she has joined. The diocese's reasoning for keeping the pictures is that people should forgive, not cast the first stone, and remember the good.



'They do not understand the tremendous pain he caused his victims,' Ms. Vance said. 'Remembering him like this is another way to keep victims powerless. It is hurtful.'



A church that has used symbolic messages for centuries should recognize the consequences of enshrining pedophiles in the presence of children. The issue is less about forgiveness than it is about prevention. A young victim of abuse who looks at O'Connell's heroic portrait will wonder what good it would do to come forward and report crimes when criminals are revered. Who would listen?"

Bishops Propose Day to Remember Sex Abuse Victims

In Ireland...



From online.ie: news:



"The Catholic Church is reported to be planning a national day of atonement as a way of acknowledging and seeking forgiveness for the sins of the Church.



According to a report in today's Sunday Times newspaper, the Catholic Bishops are to publicly seek penance and offer a definitive apology for decades of clerical sexual abuse.



The plans for the day of atonement are at a very early stage and a number of options are being considered, including a televised ceremony and the creation of a 'healing garden'. "

Hooray for Archbishop Burke!

Hopefully, Archbishop Burke will do this in St. Louis as well. This clarification is needed badly in this country where a person's faith is often treated rather superficially as though a person could believe in the sanctity of life and then vote for anything that would extinguish it. It is my sincere prayer that all Catholics will be converted to be for life and that they will do everything within their realm of influence to change the laws of this country to reflect that stand.



This means voting for most of us...and if we vote for politicians who are not "representative" of our beliefs then we probably shouldn't be going to communion either.



From CNS STORY: BURKE-POLITICIANS Jan-8-2004 (840 words) xxxn:



"Archbishop Raymond L. Burke has formally notified Catholic lawmakers in the La Crosse Diocese that they cannot receive Communion if they continue to support procured abortion or euthanasia.



The four-paragraph canonical notification, published in the Jan. 8 edition of The Catholic Times, the La Crosse diocesan newspaper, called upon Catholic legislators in the diocese 'to uphold the natural and divine law regarding the inviolable dignity of all human life.'



'To fail to do so is a grave public sin and gives scandal to all the faithful,' it said."

Great Quote and Highly Recommended Read

First here is the quote in reference to the conversion of St. Paul when Christ asks "Why do you persecute me?":



"Christian conversion is always this question that Christ himself asks. Because of the simple fact that we live in a world whose structure is based on mimetic processes and victim mechanisms, from which we all profit without knowing it, we are all accessories to the Crucifixion, persecutors of Christ"



Rene Girard I See Satan Fall Like Lightning



This is a must read!!!

Miami Proposes Linking Ballpark to Orange Bowl

Interesting plan proposed to keep the Marlins in South Florida.







From Herald.com - Your Miami Everything Guide



Miami city leaders on Thursday proposed building a baseball-only stadium for the Florida Marlins at the site of the Orange Bowl that would adjoin the existing football facility along its northern flank.



Consultants working for the city said the cost of the two-in-one sports complex would run at least $375 million, including a major overhaul of the historic city-owned stadium, home to the University of Miami football team.



But the ballpark proposed by the city would not include a retractable roof -- a feature Marlins team officials have said is vital to the team's financial success in South Florida.

A Great Title

A book being published in the UK this May...



Get Off the Cross-Someone Else Needs the Wood: The Experiences of a Roamin' Catholic Priest



by Father Ken Deasy

3: The Dale Earnhardt Story

If you've seen The Junction Boys, you'll understand my comment "We're going to drive now..."



From Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage:



"3: The Dale Earnhardt Story," chronicling the life of the NASCAR star who died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, is scheduled to bow in late summer.



It will be ESPN's third original longform production, following 2002's "A Season on the Brink" and "The Junction Boys." Russell Mulcahy ("Skin") will direct. Casting is expected to be announced soon.



"It really is an inspirational story," said Rob Semiao, senior vp ESPN Original Entertainment. "We tried to capture the inner drive of who he is."



Tailing "Earnhardt" in various stages of development are "Hustle: The Pete Rose Story," which will examine the baseball star's gambling-related downfall; "Four Minutes," a tale of track star Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four-minute mile barrier; and "October Men," an adaptation of a book about the 1977-78 New York Yankees.

Out of the Pen for the Penultimate 'Sopranos' Season

From Out of the Pen for the Penultimate 'Sopranos' Season (washingtonpost.com):



"Mobsters let out of the slammer after paying their debt to society are the 'taking-off point' for the fifth and penultimate season of HBO's 'The Sopranos,' creator David Chase told eager critics at Winter TV Press Tour 2004 Thursday. "



"The show begins with what we call the Mafia Class of 2004 hitting the streets," Chase told critics via satellite from in front of the Arc de Triomphe. He got the idea after reading an article in the Newark Star-Ledger about the highly publicized RICO cases of the '80s, which put away a lot of mobsters who've now served their time.



Steve Buscemi, who has directed episodes of the series, has joined the cast as one such mobster, a cousin of Tony Soprano.

Zook's Contract Extended Two Years

Fairly unbelievable...



From Gator Football News @ Gatorzone.com:



University of Florida head coach Ron Zook has been given a two-year contract extension, Athletics Director Jeremy Foley announced Thursday.



"Coach Zook is building a solid base within our program," said Foley, who had the contract extension approved by new UF president Dr. Bernard Machen in a meeting earlier in the week. "His honest, hard-working approach has paid dividends in attracting quality student athletes that are laying the foundation for future success both on and off the field. Consistency and stability play a key role in the success of any organization and we want that in our program."

The Amazing Story of Cornelia Connelly

Whose cause for sainthood has been introduced.



Here is a story of intrigue. An American woman married to an episcopal priest, they both become Catholic. He decides he wants to be a priest--the bishop dictates that she then must live in a convent (even though she is five months pregnant), he later leaves the priesthood, wants her and the children back, she refuses, he takes the kids and leaves the faith behind, she becomes the foundress of a religous community.



In 1992, the Catholic Church proclaimed Cornelia as Venerable.



Check it out atCornelia Connelly, Foundress

Free Holy Card

Archbishop Fulton Sheen holy card with prayer for his intercession.



For details...Free Holy Card

More Dead in Iraq

From FOXNews.com - Top Stories - U.S. Black Hawk Crashes in Iraq; 8 Dead:



A U.S. Black Hawk helicopter (search) went down west of Baghdad on Thursday, killing all eight people on board, the U.S. military confirmed.



At least four of the victims were soldiers. It was the deadliest helicopter incident for Americans in Iraq since Nov. 15, when two Black Hawks collided under fire in Mosul, killing 17 soldiers.

UFO's Over Huntington

Strange, I hadn't heard anything about this locally (I work in Huntington).



From WorldNetDaily:



Cops baffled after sighting UFO: "Three police officers in Huntington, Ind., claim to have seen an Unidentified Flying Object the day after Christmas hovering over a Catholic church, and UFO investigators now are looking into the incident.



Officer Chip Olinger was warming up his car Dec. 26 about 2:30 p.m. when he reported seeing a circular object in the sky and radioed fellow officers Greg Hedrick and Randy Hoover, who also saw it, reported the Huntington Herald-Press.



The trio then watched the object move over a Catholic church and toward its steeple. The object reportedly was the size of a hot air balloon or trampoline. The cops say it stopped a few times, spun slowly, changed shapes and at one point turned orange. "

New Bookstore Opening in Fort Wayne

Good news for us locals.



From News Sentinel | 01/06/2004 | New bookstore opening in former Million Story Book Co. spot to feature screening room, cafe:



"The store, tentatively scheduled to open this summer, will replace the Million Story Book Co., which closed at the end of July 2003. But the new bookstore will be more than twice the size of the old, and will incorporate a full-service cafe, a screening room for children's and independent films, and a 6,000-square-foot children's section.



Peter Bobeck, son of Covington Plaza developer Duane Bobeck, is the originator of the new-concept store, which will take his middle name and be known as Mitchell Books. The younger Bobeck moved back to Fort Wayne from Las Vegas in November to tackle the project."

Which Came First Christmas or the Pagan Holiday?

A surprising answer. Sorry, I didn't see this earlier.



From Calculating Christians by William J. Tighe:



"Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is perhaps interesting to know that the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest Christians to figure out the date of Jesus’ birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with pagan festivals.



Rather, the pagan festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Son” instituted by the Roman Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the “pagan origins of Christmas” is a myth without historical substance."

An Example of Another Way Bishop's are Named

Here we have a model that is still practiced by Eastern Catholics and could greatly benefit Latin Catholics:



From VIS:



Pope John Paul II



- Approved the election canonically carried out by the Synod of Bishops of the Church Armenian Catholic Church, which met in Bzommar, Lebanon from September 1-9, 2003, of Fr. Kricor-Okosdinos Coussa, pastor of Holy Cross

Parish in Alep, Syria and of Holy Martyrs Parish in Rakka, Syria, as bishop of the eparchy of Alexandria of the Armenians (Catholics 1,276, priests 1, religious 5), Egypt. The bishop-elect was born in Alep in 1953 was ordained

a priest in 1980.

Notice the number of priests he has under him, as well as laity!

New Co-adjutor for Kansas City

From the VIS:



Pope John Paul II



- Appointed Bishop Joseph F. Naumann, auxiliary of St. Louis, U.S.A. as coadjutor archbishop of the archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas (area 32,425, population 1,174,500, Catholics 197,752, priests 159, religious

756), U.S.A.



Notice the number of secular priests verss religious in this diocese, is that right?

Interesting Read, Novel by Cloistered Nun

What makes Amata Means Beloved most interesting is that the author herself is a cloistered religious. So this is not a story written by a clever researcher but rather a tale about what goes on behind the cloister walls written by someone who lives there.



One can imagine that not a few of the stories told about the sisters in the novel reflect the stories of the actual nuns living with Sister Mary Catharine in their Monastery in N.J.



The story is a quick read and a real page turner, plus here is a way to contribute to a community of nuns that are praying for you day and night...

How the New Bishop of Phoenix Spent His Christmas Eve

Praying Outside an Abortuary (Thanks to Pat Madrid at Envoy for linking to this story...see I told you they were orthodox over there).



From How the New Bishop of Phoenix Spent His Christmas Eve - Praying Outside an Abortuary:



"Only days after taking on his new position as the Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted, joined some 200 pro-lifers in praying outside a Planned Parenthood abortuary - on Christmas Eve. The Arizona public reported it as the bishop's first public non-liturgical act as the new bishop.



The bishop's participation, although kept quiet, swelled the numbers at the prayer rally to the largest in several years.



Commenting to the media on his presence at the prayer rally Bishop Olmsted said:

'Christmas is a celebration of God becoming one of us, entering fully into our human life, especially as an unborn child in his mother's womb. I am here to pray, not to protest. I am here to pray for the mother and the unborn child, especially those in difficult situations, that they get the help they need.'



In an especially powerful statement Bishop Olmsted said, 'This is Calvary, an innocent victim is dying here.'"

Make a Donation to Envoy Magazine

If you haven't picked up a copy or seen the great work that Envoy does in presenting the Faith in a way that is both orthodox and entertaining, check out there site. Give them a donation too...



Envoy - Make A Donation

Who Introduced a Quote by Mahatma Gandhi

By saying, "you know, he ran a gas station down in St. Louis"?



ABCNEWS.com ::



After being approached by The Associated Press to clarify the remarks, XXXXXX suggested in a statement late Monday that she never meant to fuel the stereotype often used as a comedic punch line that certain ethnic groups run America's gas stations.



First of all, yes she did.



Secondly, if you read the piece you find that unlike most people who would be crucified and their political careers ruined--she is given a pass.



Who is it?



Go to ABC News and find out.

Madonna and Child

Photo of Amy and Joseph taken outside of St. Procopius Abbey in suburban Chicago last month.

Rose's Confession Doesn't Change a Thing

From where they love him most, Pete Rose's confession wins no sympathy. If anything I think Cincinnati feels betrayed.



From Rose's confession doesn't change a thing:



However muddled Pete Rose's case has become, eligibility for the Hall of Fame is a different issue from eligibility to manage a team. Two years after his banishment, baseball adopted a special rule to make sure Rose, who holds 32 records from his playing career, could not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That's dubious, retroactive punishment. Rose was a great player on the field. His last chance to appear on the writers' ballot is December 2005. He belongs on that ballot. The traditional ticket to the Hall of Fame all along has been the vote by the baseball writers. The decision on whether Rose belongs in the Hall ought to be left up to the baseball writers.



His gambling will never erase what he did on the field. And putting him in the Hall will never erase the shame he brought on himself and the game he loved.

Memorial of Blessed Andre

Here is a link to the Shrine of St. Joseph that he founded which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year!



L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal

Where to Find Christ if You've Lost Him

From John Donne and our friends at the Bruderhof Communities - They Took My Lord Away by John Donne:



"To lose Christ may befall the most righteous person that is; but then he knows where he left him; he knows at what time he lost his way, and where to seek it again. Even Christ's imagined father and his true mother, Joseph and Mary, lost him, and lost him in the holy city at Jerusalem. They lost him and knew it not. They lost him and went a day's journey without him and thought him to be in the company. But as soon as they comprehended their error, they sought and they found him, when as his mother told him, his father and she had sought with a heavy heart.



Alas we may lose him at Jerusalem, even in his own house, even at this moment while we pretend to do him service. We may lose him by suffering our thoughts to look back with pleasure upon the sins which we have committed, or to look forward with greediness upon some sin that is now in our purpose and prosecution. We may lose him at Jerusalem, how much more, if our dwelling be a Babylon in confusion and mingling God and the world together, or if it be a Sodom, a wanton and intemperate misuse of God's benefits to us. We may think him in the company when he is not; we may mistake his house; we may take a conventicle for a Church; we may mistake his apparel, that is, the outward form of his worship; we may mistake the person, that is, associate ourselves to such as are no members of his body.



But if we do not return to our diligence to seek him, and seek him, and seek him with a heavy heart, though we began with a taking away - other men, other temptations took him away - yet we end in a casting away, we ourselves cast him away since we have been told where to find him and have not sought him. And let no one be afraid to seek or find him for fear of the loss of good company; faith is no sullen thing, it is not a melancholy, there is not so sociable a thing as the love of Christ Jesus.

"

'Passion' Follows the Scripture and Ancient Jewish Writings

Interesting defense of Mel Gibson's "The Passion" from the LA Times.



From Los Angeles Times: 'Passion' Follows the Scripture:



"It's unfair of Jewish critics to defame Gibson for saying what the Talmud and Maimonides say, and what many historians say. Oddly, one of the scholars who has most vigorously denounced Gibson — Paula Fredriksen, a professor of religious studies at Boston University — is the author of a meticulously researched book, 'Jesus of Nazareth,' that suggests it was the high priests who informed on Jesus to the Roman authorities.



Would it have been better if Gibson never undertook to make this movie in exactly the way he did? Maybe, but trying to intimidate him into fundamentally reworking it was never a realistic or worthy goal. The best option now is to acknowledge that other sources besides the Gospels confirm the involvement of Jewish leaders in Jesus' death and clear the anger from the air. Considering that Gibson's portrayal coincides closely with traditional Jewish belief, it seems that leaving him alone is the decent as well as the Jewish thing to do."

A Catholic Political Action Committee (PAC)

Led up by, who else, Tom Monaghan.



From Naples Daily News: News:



The Ave Maria PAC bills itself as "a Catholic response" to the pro-choice EMILY's List PAC. The nascent interest group models itself on the "heavy presence and many successes" of both The Christian Coalition and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, said Cella, 35, a former Senate staffer and Michigan campaign organizer.



The group's donors include political heavyweights such as Monaghan and his wife, Marjorie, who in each of the past three years donated $5,000 apiece, the maximum allowed individual contribution. Wellington Mara, owner of pro football's New York Giants, also donated the maximum amount in 2002 and 2003.



Chris Brennan, a 35-year-old New Jersey attorney, estimates he's donated several thousand dollars to Ave Maria List in recent years. The Seton Hall University Law School graduate said he became politically active primarily because of his strong anti-abortion views.



Yet he chose to contribute to Monaghan's group because while other PACs espouse similar views, Ave Maria List is both savvy and selective in how it spends, Brennan said.

Dean Under Fire for Vermont Yankee Security

I post this story because I used to fish very close to this power plant as a child. It is located about twelve miles from where I grew up in NH. The plant is built on the Conneticut River that divides NH and Vermont.



From My Way News:



"Security was so lax at Vermont Yankee that in August 2001, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staged a drill in which three mock terrorists gained access to the plant. The agency gave Vermont Yankee the worst security rating among the nation's 103 reactors.



The NRC has primary responsibility for safety at Vermont Yankee. But Vermont laws required an active state role by creating a panel to review security and performance and requiring plant operators to set aside money for the state to use in the event of a nuclear disaster.



Dean's campaign said Saturday it ultimately was the NRC's responsibility to ensure security at the plant, but that he badgered Vermont Yankee's operators and the NRC to make improvements during the 1990s. It noted the NRC's safety budget was cut in the 1990s.



'After September 11, Governor Dean decided the buck stops here in terms of security and personally ran this effort, creating a Cabinet-level agency,' spokesman Jay Carson said."

Catholic Almanac Turns 100

From toledoblade.com:



The 2004 edition marks the 100th anniversary of the publication, which began as St. Antony’s Almanac in 1904. The inaugural 64-page almanac included a calendar and feature articles on prayer and devotion, but its primary purpose was to foster knowledge and understanding of St. Anthony of Padua, the 13th century Portuguese preacher and first theologian of the Franciscan Order.



Our Sunday Visitor publishes the Almanac.

It Exists

www.BringSteveBack.com



www.BringSteveBack.com



The interesting thing, is there is a vote at the bottom of the page and right now 51% don't support him coming back.

Abuse Tracker Moves to NCR

The former Poynter.org site that has kept track of clergy abuse stories has now moved to the National Catholic Reporter's site.



Abuse Tracker

New Bishop for Greensburg, PA

Appointed Msgr. Lawrence E. Brandt, chancellor of the Curia of the diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania and pastor of St. Hedwig Parish, as bishop of Greensburg (area 8,632, population 680,152, Catholics 188,301, priests 212,

religious 410), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in 1939 in Charleston, West Virginia and was ordained a priest in 1969. He succeeds Bishop Anthony G. Bosco whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the

Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

Mike Bianchi's Take on Zook

As usual Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel says it best.



From OrlandoSentinel.com: Gators:



"Now that Zook has completed two years on the job, we know this much about his coaching ability: absolutely nothing. He can go 8-5 with a junior quarterback. He can go 8-5 with a freshman quarterback.



The only thing consistent about his teams has been their inconsistency. Florida fans have been on and off Zook's bandwagon so many times they don't know if it's coming or going. You build up Zook, he lets you down. You kick him when he's down, he gets back up. He teases fans, then torments them.



Fans were ready to crucify him after a home loss to Ole Miss in early October. They were ready to canonize him after he came back and beat three consecutive top-12 teams away from home. Then, like last year, the Gators faded miserably at the end. Zook's Gators have all the killer instinct of a pack of toy poodles.



Everything about Zook's teams has been inconsistent. Against Florida State, All-America tight end Ben Troupe was a key part of the offense. Against Iowa, Troupe never even touched the ball."

Happy and Holy New Year!

Here is hoping that each of you who reads this will be Blessed by God during this new year...

New Catholic Site

oremus home



Oremus is from the Latin mass and translates into English as "Let us Pray!"