Te Deum laudamus!

Photostory: Archbishop Vigneron Leads Pro-life Prayer Vigil in Detroit

2009-11-22T11:29:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan held it's fourth and final prayer vigil of 2009.

Holy Mass

It began with 7:30am Mass at St. Joan of Arc in St. Clair Shores, celebrated by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit. The parish children's choir had practiced for weeks to provide the music. On this Feast of the Presentation of Mary, the archbishop told the roughly 650-700 in attendance that Mary, "stands with us in our work to serve the gospel of life". At the conclusion of Mass, Archbishop Vigneron told the crowd how proud he was of the witness people were giving by coming to the Mass and vigil.

Rosary Procession

Following Mass, those who were able, commuted a few miles to St. Veronica's parish and assembled there for a Rosary procession under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the 8 Mile Road boulevard. This was believed to be the largest procession ever in the 10 year history of the local Helpers apostolate.

One count had it at 460, but another group handing out pro-life materials said that 475 bags were given out, and not every member of every family received one. Consensus was that the number in procession was closer to 550. The massive crowd prayed all 20 mysteries of the Rosary during the procession and while standing in front of two abortion clinics about a block apart from one another on either side of 8 mile. Before leaving each clinic, most went to their knees for a moment of silence. These are some of the most profound images of prayer in the slideshow below.

There was a group of young men from Brother Rice High School, easily identified by the banner they held. I'm told there was a group of young women there from Regina. If there were any other groups of students there, please give us a shout out in the comment box and talk about your experience.

Others who were in attendance are also encouraged to offer comments. Was it your first time? Will you come back in the future?

Adoration and Benediction

Following the procession, about 350-400 people went back to St. Joan of Arc where Monsignor Bugarin offered Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist and been on the altar in a monstrance following Mass until Benediction where some who could not go on the walk remained in adoration.

As an aside, at the conclusion of benediction, Monsignor Bugarin pointed out that a priest in residence at St. Joan of Arc, Fr. Gerry Bernier, who had just been hospitalized days earlier with double-pneumonia, was now on life support for therapeutic reasons. He asked for everyone's prayers. A page at Caring Bridge has been set up to allow people to follow his progress (scroll for latest updates). Please keep Fr. Gerry in your prayers.

Reception

After a long morning, the crowd assembled in a large meeting area where refreshements were offered. President of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan, Dan Goodnow, explained that this year there were some 800 "turns" as a result of the work of counselors and prayers warriors.

It's important to note that women who choose to have their babies are guided to organizations that can help them financially and materially before and after the birth of their babies. Some come back to those same sidewalk counselors and happily show off the baby that was saved on account of their work.

Volunteers Needed
Dan stressed the need for more volunteers. While these massive vigils are held four times yearly, the Helpers work is taking place daily and weekly. He stressed the need not only for sidewalk counselors but for more prayer warriors - people who pray on a regular basis for the success of sidewalk counselors. Prayer warriors also pray for those who come to the clinic seeking abortions, for family and friends of the women who may be coercing or persuading the women to have abortions, and for the workers inside the clinic. The key to all of this is genuine christian love for all involved, not anger or hatred.

The Helpers offers training for sidewalk counselors which is advised even for those volunteering in other capacities, such as prayer warrior.

Other volunteering opportunities include helping to distribute flyers for upcoming events at parishes and Catholic schools. Local bloggers and webmasters can get the word out, as well. People are needed for data entry, envelope stuffing, mailing and other administrative tasks. In fact, Dan said he could really use a personal secretary to help with his load. This is a man who does it all - sidewalk counseling, regular adoration, and administrative work, so it's no joke that he needs administrative assistants. Specifically, I'm told, he could use someone skilled in shorthand, transcription, and someone who can type fast.

Dan's request for a volunteer to develop a bona fide website for Helpers of God's Precious Infants had someone step forward. We will need people to put information into electronic form for him. Feel free to contact me on this if you can help.

Call Dan Goodnow for more info on training and volunteering at 313-530-4539. If you have difficulty reaching Dan, you can write me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com and I will try to get your request to someone within the organization.

Photos
You can start the slideshow from the beginning by placing your cursor over to the left on the filmstrip and an arrow should appear. You can also change the speed. I recommend "fast". There are other viewing options below the slideshow.

Below is a link to my Smugmug gallery on this event. Bloggers and webmasters are free to use the images, but I ask for a courtesy link back to this blogpost (permalink is found in title or timestamp). Images may be cropped, but not altered. For professional use in print, contact me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com.

Gallery of photos for Helpers vigil with Abp Vigneron

Related Posts:

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Photos are coming....Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer vigil with Abp Vigneron

2009-11-21T18:26:00.003-05:00

Photostory coming, along with a low-quality movie taken with a small hand-held camera of the crowd, the largest yet.

Stay tuned....probably some time tomorrow morning or early afternoon.

In the meanwhile, read the November 20, 2009 joint letter to the US Senate on health care reform by Bishop William F. Murphy Diocese of Rockville Centre (Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development), Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (Committee on Pro-life Activities), and Bishop John Wester (Committee on Migration)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

22,000 Youth in Massive Eucharistic Procession

2009-11-21T06:16:00.001-05:00

Catholic Key has the scoop! and many more pictures.

Cardinal DiNardo gave the keynote at today’s session of the National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City, while Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann led Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at Sprint Center. Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn then led 22,000 High School students through his See City from Sprint Center to the Kansas City Convention Center. At some point, I should probably explain why there is an Archbishop of Kansas City who isn’t the Bishop of Kansas City. Here are some pics – story later....

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

2009-11-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

The next prayer vigil with Helpers of God's Precious Infants will be led by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron on Saturday, November 21, 2009.

Helpers rotates it's Mass location so that others may experience a peaceful way of working to end the horror of abortion one soul at a time. You will also notice that those leading the vigils are leaders within the archdiocese. This is not a protest, but a prayer vigil.

Participants will begin with 7:30am Mass with the Archbishop at St. Joan of Arc at 22412 Overlake St. in St. Clair Shores. People will then meet at St. Veronica's in Eastpointe where they will be led in a Rosary procession about 6 blocks to the 8 Mile Road boulevard (see pictures below from past events). Following the vigil there will be Benediction back at St. Joan of Arc parish. A meeting with refreshments and update on how the day went will take place before it all ends, usually around 10:30/11:00.

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Condemned "apparition" in Cleveland is going into grand mal

2009-11-19T20:55:00.003-05:00

This is laughable. It reminds me of when Toto exposed Oz. Since the Bishop of Cleveland condemned the apparition claims associated with Holy Love Ministries as "not supernatural", the messages have been crashing the discernment meter. Here's today's message.

I'm way past my bedtime. Lest our less catechized readers be scandalized by this message, please offer catechesis via combox which exposes the many errors in this message. I'll moderate comments when I can so please be patient. If several people point out the same errors, that's ok.

St. Thomas Aquinas says: "Praise be to Jesus."

"I spoke to you recently about 'blind' obedience. Today I'd like to explore with you the term itself - 'blind' obedience."

"Blind means without vision, as you know. 'Blind' obedience, then, means the soul obeys without insight, as to the why or as to the consequences of his actions. He obeys out of supposed respect for title or authority he is under. Sadly, today much authority is compromised on a human level for love of money, power and control. 'Blind' obedience does not take this human factor into account."

"In the Church itself, the Pope is infallible, but no one else. This is where human error comes into play. People often do not realize that they have a choice. They do not realize that not everything is infallible. They do not realize the graces they are missing for themselves and the world through 'blind' obedience."

"I have come today so that the world might see again the joys of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and open their hearts to the Truth of Holy Love."

The seizure started yesterday after days of tremors (click to enlarge)

See my original post from yesterday: Condemned Apparition Goes Spastic

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Condemned "Apparition" Goes Spastic

2009-11-18T17:21:00.025-05:00

UPDATED Nov 18, 2009 @10:00pm (scroll down - jabs at the bishop)
UPDATED Nov 18, 2009 @10:50pm (scroll down - the "apparition" is about to start spinning it's head)
UPDATED Nov 18, 2009 @11:00pm (scroll down - purity of water and the meltdown)

Talk about fruits....

Last week I shared the decree issued on November 11th, 2009 by Bishop Lennon of Cleveland in which the alleged apparitions associated with "Holy Love Ministries" was condemned. The bishop stated that the Holy See had directed him to make a definitive decision. The Holy See does not get involved with these things, unless for example - events transcend diocesan boundaries, as it has with Medjugorje. Holy Mother Church drives decision making down to the lowest level - the local Ordinary. The local bishop's decision, becomes the decision of the Church.

I was curious as to how the "apparition" itself would respond to being condemned as "not supernatural" (constat de non supernaturalitate), but figured I would wait a few days. Sure enough - the "apparition" associated with Holy Love is having a major spasm. Here is the "message" from November 13th:

'Jesus is here with His Heart exposed. He says: 'I am your Jesus, born Incarnate. My brothers and sisters, tonight confusion may have entered your hearts concerning certain statements from the diocese. I have come to ask you some questions to help you to think like citizens of Heaven, not of earth. Does it not say in Scripture, 'You should not stifle the Spirit' (1Thess 5:19). Did I not state in Scripture, 'Where two or more are gathered in prayer, there I am in their midst (Mt 18:20). My brothers and sisters, you must not place OFFICE and AUTHORITY and TITLE above the TRUTH. Tonight I am blessing you with My Blessing of Divine Love.''

Run! Run very fast if you are involved with this, in the other direction.

Matt C. Abbott just wrote on this. He quotes excerpts from some of the hate-email received by Wendy Cukierski (after she informed readers at her website of the decree). Needless to say, they came bearing their fruits (we'll color it for the occasion):

'You disgust me and you are sick people. Jesus is Holy love. It's about love.'

'You'll be sorry.'

'Get your facts straight. The bishop doesn't know everything.'

'Take me off your mailing list because you are not the kind of people who are loving to print things like that.'

'We will no longer continue to visit your apostolate since you chose to point out the bishop's decree. Obedience to God before the bishop!'

One woman wrote a comment which I promptly rejected in which she defended Holy Love by asking what was so wrong about praying a Rosary. Well, there is nothing wrong with praying a Rosary, and the bishop is not telling people not to pray a Rosary. Rather, he is admonishing people not to pray their Rosary at Holy Love Ministries. I would ask those who insist on disobeying him, why they would not want to pray their Rosary in Church, before the Blessed Sacrament. Now there is a Miracle! Our Lady is always pleased when we are led to her Son through our prayers.

People wonder why the Church doesn't just leave these apparition sites alone, even if they are not authentic. After all, people pray Rosaries there, they convert, they head to confession, and go to Mass (all the while crediting their life's changes to the "apparition" rather than to the Sacraments).

Here's the simple answer. You are seeing the consequence of it in the aftermath of the condemnation of the apparitions associated with Holy Love. In a word: Schism. That's right. People become their own pope and their own magisterium. It's based not on faith and reason, but on feelings and experiences. Instead of giving their fiat, they are in essentially saying, "non serviam".

He who hears you hears Me (Luke 10:16). That's what Our Lord told the apostles. The Bishop of Cleveland is an apostolic successor, whose lineage can be traced all the way back to the first Apostles. Unfortunately, supporters of Holy Love who reject the Bishop's decree hear only themselves.

This is why Holy Mother Church exhorts us to use caution when it comes to any private revelation not approved. There is a real danger of getting attached to it, so much so, that if a negative decision comes down, it is too difficult to give up. This is precisely why the Angel of Darkness will appear as an "angel of light" (2 Cor 11:14). Why would he show himself as the monster that he is when it would drive people to run the other way? Rather, it is to his benefit to appear beautiful (all the while flawed in some way as he can never be perfect). He likes people to convert and go to confession, and use the Sacraments if he knows that he has those people in his pocket when the Church condemns the associated events.

This is not to say that the alleged apparitions of Holy Love are demonic. The bishop does not tell us whether they are believed to be of demonic origin or a fraud. However, engaging in fraud, and associating with fraud, especially while rejecting a decree by the bishop, and thumbing one's nose at him is a good way to open the door to satanic influence.

I strongly believe we are going to see a chain of definitive decisions coming forth from many dioceses in the coming months and years to bring about closure. It's time for, "Apparitions Anonymous"

Please pray for those who have rejected the decree, and for those currently assessing their position. May God grace them with humility and obedience - the virtues exemplified in Our Lady.

UPDATE November 18, 2009 @10:00pm:

Here is the message for November 14th, 2009 which again attacks the bishop all the while trying to lure followers away from Church (my emphases in bold; comments bracketed in red - and I don't have time to take each sentence apart, as I should):

I see a great Flame [I'll bet] - that I have come to know as the Heart of the Father - rise up behind the Eucharist. God the Father says: "I Am the Eternal Now." As He speaks, the Flame seems to pulsate.

"I have come to issue forth this Decree of Truth [Bishop issues a decree condemning the "apparition" as not supernatural and the "apparition" issues it's own decree]. The Holy Spirit is alive and well here at this apparition site. Indeed, Heaven and, I Myself, have taken possession of this property [like I said, run quickly away from this place]. No one can prove otherwise no matter his distinction in the world." [That was a jab at the bishop. In other words -a pretty clear, "non serviam"].

"My Beloved Son, His Immaculate Mother and a multitude of angels and saints appear here and give witness to the Truth. Do not despise the Spirit of Truth that heals hearts and opens the way to salvation and personal holiness through these Messages [and "we don't want to lose the cash from our operations, so please don't go away now that the bishop has condemned it"]. Do not deny the Truth out of envy or pride [and Truth is with the Church, not outside of it]. To do so is to place your soul in jeopardy." [by following condemned "apparitions" which cause you to break communion with your bishop - the apostolic successor of your diocese].

"Just as I, The Eternal Father, have inspired this Mission, so through the Spirit of Truth, I inspire souls to continue in their prayer effort here. Let no one discourage you [jab at the bishop again] or tell you in falsehood you are not allowed to come here." [now it accuses the bishop of lying]

"I, your Eternal Father, call you here. * This Mission stands for the truth of the gospel message of love. The error is in hearts that oppose the gospel and the graces which support it here." [opposing the bishop on a matter in which he has jurisdiction is opposing the gospel (Luke 10:16)]

"Just as I made the tongues of all those who detract against this Ministry [I suppose the manufacturer of this message - the one who is worried about lost income, is speaking about folks like me, along with the bishop], I also created the tongues, the souls and spirits, of those who come here to pray despite man's dictates and opposition [oh, whichever "spirit" this is talking, didn't create any tongues, but it may indeed be moving the tongues of those creating this bunk]. Listen to Me. I need every prayer." [you need every prayer alright]

UPDATE November 18 2009 @ 10:50pm

Here we go, the "apparition" should start spinning it's head any time now....here is today's "message". Now it suggests that the bishop is Satan.

St. Catherine of Siena says: "Praise be to Jesus."

"Please realize that Satan is actively opposing this Ministry [actually, it's beginning to look like Satan is driving this bus, however - with some forms of fraud, Satan can ride comfortably in the bench seat at the back]. He is trying to transform belief in the truth of these Messages into a forbidden act of disobedience [He who hears you, hears me (Luke 10:16 - again)]. Do not be tricked, but realize that Heaven is offering abundant graces and [poisonous & forbidden] fruits here to those who will open their hearts."

This is not harmless stuff people. It opens the doors to the demonic, if it hasn't already.

Edit November 18th, 2009 @11:00pm:

That's it. I can't take anymore. With his decree of condemnation, the bishop has essentially poured pure water over something evil and we are witnessing a meltdown.

Further reading:

Holy Love Ministries - Maureen Sweeney-Kyle at Maranatha Spring (Apparition Deceptions)

Condemned apparition in Cleveland is going into grand mal (Te Deum)

"Adorot Te Devote" analyzes the 11-13-2009 "message".

1978 Criteria for Discernment of Apparitions (Theotokos)

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USCCB Plenary Session News....

2009-11-17T21:24:00.004-05:00

EDIT: Forgive my many typos - it's been a long day. I'm too tired to fix 'em.

The bishops were discussing and voting on a number of things - all very important, yet it was the session on the liturgical translations that was most popular with viewers. More on that in a moment....

First, some are wondering who ended up as head of the USCCB's Committee on Divine Worship. The two bishops on the ballot were Archbishop Vigneron and Bishop Gregory Aymond. He edged out Archbishop Vigneron by a mere 16 votes. I was delighted to see Bishop Robert Carlson, formerly of Saginaw and now of St. Louis won by a very narrow margin to head the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, Vocations (Burbidge 114, Carlson 118). Bishop Burbidge is like the new kid on the block, but netted an awful lot of votes. He's fine bishop too from all that I have read online.

The numbers I was observing in the lower left hand corner of the video feed had the numbers up around 300-400 much of yesterday. I checked in before heading off to work this afternnoon in the late morning and there again, the numbers were around 400. But, those numbers skyrocketed in the late afternoon to around 1000 as the most anticipated part of the session took place: Voting on the Roman Missal - Third Edition to be sent to Rome.

In the meanwhile, I will draw your attention to a couple of posts that focused on actual discussions:

Fr. Z captures very well what happened around the late in the day on a motion put forth by Bishop Donald Trautman that would have resulted in yet another delay. It was intense. See: Liturgical translation drama at the USCCB. Is it finally over? In the same post, Fr. Z talks about how Telecare dropped the feed right at the moment the crucial votes were coming in. It was like watching a "Hail Mary" pass go off into the end zone and losing the signal as the ball is thrown. He learned about it as I did, through a text feed.

The feed I got was coming from Rocco Palmo who is an American correspondent for that bitter pill - the UK Tablet. Rocco was typing fast and furious with far more texts than what Fr. Z was seeing with USCCB Media on Twitter. That brings me to the next set of posts worth looking at. Rocco has saved his text in a scroll box so you can see some of the exchanges that were taking place. He has one post for the morning session and another for the afternoon session (this covers some of the discussion and voting on the letter on marriage which passed by by 5 votes 180-45, and on liturgical translations that passed 5 for 5).

Here's hoping these On Demand feeds work. If you don't get it now, try at another time when viewers are not peaking. I got in momentarily to copy an embed link for the afternoon session (I hope), but then it locked up and said there were too many viewers. I only saw 50 in the lower left hand corner so apparently they dropped the number who could view these feeds.

There's so much more to say, and simply no time to blog on it. So I leave you with these. The first is a study that was presented to the bishops:

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EWTN's response on not providing Telecare feed on USCCB Meeting

2009-11-17T17:14:00.001-05:00

Rocco Palmo over at Whispers texted in the following from the USCCB meeting:

....as so many of you have asked, just spoke with Michael Warsaw -- president of EWTN, who's here with the crew... in a nutshell, Warsaw said that, as was its right, the conference transferred its coverage contract to Telecare and that, on seeing the latter's plans, the 'Bama-based outlet ultimately decided to just run a preview and wrap-up on their own instead of gavel-to-gavel. (EWTN had been running the cameras and the feed here for some two decades.) Apparently, the transfer call was communicated to the network quite late in the game -- word around says mid-to-late October... and, well, that's your story; Arroyo & Co. will run their wrap on The World Over, Friday night at 8. Tuesday November 17, 2009 5:05

There is so much to say about the USCCB's session on the liturgy. So many people were trying to watch via the web, that the darn thing crashed at some crucial moments.

I'll try to provide some very quoteworthy things, and link you to some articles and blogposts by others later.

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News of Cardinal Schonborn's visit to Medjugorje was not intended for internet

2009-11-16T17:27:00.001-05:00

Some sources - initially Kath.net, were reporting that Cardinal Schonborn of Vienna, Austria, was headed to Medjugorje for about a month around December 8 through early January (perhaps this was misunderstood and he was intending to make a brief stop during those dates).

It turns out that this information was not intended to be public according to the Cardinal's secretary. Rather, it was suppose to be a personal and private visit. CNA reports:

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn will visit Medjugorje, the small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina where six young people have allegedly been witnesses of apparitions from the Virgin Mary. But according to the Archdiocese of Vienna, the trip is “completely private” and does not imply a statement from the cardinal on the veracity of the apparitions.

“It was supposed to be a completely private visit, it was not supposed to go out to the internet,” Fr. Johannes Fürnkranz, personal secretary to the Archbishop of Vienna, explained to CNA.

The cardinal's visit was supposed to be absolutely personal and not public, but since it has been leaked, I can only confirm that it will take place. There is no statement whatsoever involved (in the visit),” Fr. Fürnkranz told CNA.

Did they really think a high-profile person visiting Medjugorje could be kept quiet?

The CNA article goes on to give some background on where things stand right now. This was interesting:

Speaking on background, an official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told CNA that the Roman dicastery remains behind the bishops of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“The local bishops have the ultimate authority on this matter, and their arguments against the alleged apparitions are doctrinally solid,” the official said. [and, I believe the credibility of the bishops of Mostar will be redeemed - - soon]

Asked if Medjugorje should not be judged by its fruits of many conversions and vocations to the Church, the official responded: “It is not the duty of this Dicastery to make a pastoral assessment [fruits-focused], but a doctrinal one [events-focused]. But regarding the argument, it can equally be argued that God can write straight with crooked lines, just as it has been proven in several previous occasions with patently false apparitions.”

What is doctrinally solid? Read the Bishop's 3-part statement recently issued

Read the entire article at CNA: Cardinal Schönborn’s visit to Medjugorje 'not a statement,' spokesman says

I'm closing comments on this because it is not going to be productive.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Bishop's Meeting in Baltimore Underway - Live Feed

2009-11-16T13:45:00.001-05:00

You can catch the live feed on the bishop's conference meeting here. It runs until 6:00pm, but I'm not sure we will see coverage during that entire time.

Disclaimer: Opinions of commentators on Telecare do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this blog when it comes to liturgical matters:

Removed Video Feed because it was self-initiating and causing problems.

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Audio: Patrick Madrid fields a call on Medjugorje on EWTN's Open Line

2009-11-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

I am fortunate that in my line of work, I can listen to podcasts on my iPod. I subscribe to many Catholic podcasts and it fills up my day with everything from apologetics to talk on Scripture, and current events.

One of the shows to which I listen is EWTN's Open Line series. Patrick Madrid has the microphone on Thursdays. A couple of Thursdays ago, I heard him field a question on Medjguorje. I am glad to see that he has uploaded that particular clip on to his own blog. It's only about 5 minutes worth of audio. Do listen to his response:

Go to Patrick's blogpost and listen to: A caller to my "Open Line" radio show asks me about the "good fruits" of Medjugorje

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

A Tall Tale by Amy Sullivan of TIME magazine in "A Tale of Two Priests"

2009-11-16T10:07:00.000-05:00

A recent article in TIME magazine by Amy Sullivan - a Tale of Two Priests, pits Cardinal Sean O'Malley against Archbishop Raymond Burke (coming from a secular magazine you can imagine how +Burke was villified).

Not surprisingly, key Catholics who were quoted/named in the article by Sullivan have released public statements rebuking distortions which altered their true positions.

On November 7th, in "TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral" at LSN:

Noted Princeton Professor Robert P. George says he is "not pleased" with TIME's Amy Sullivan's "selective" use of a quotation from him in her article "A Tale of Two Priests." As well, contrary to the impression given in Sullivan's article, George opposed the way the Kennedy funeral was done and strongly supports Archbishop Burke's emphasis that Canon 915 requires that pro-abortion politicians be denied communion...

[snip]

...George had given Sullivan additional relevant quotes for the story that in his opinion should have been included, especially regarding his views on Cardinal O'Malley's participation in the Kennedy funeral and other comments on Archbishops Burke's statement. He told LSN:

Here is what she did not include in the article, but readers should, I think, have been told: I said that I thought Archbishop Burke was right to deny pro-abortion politicians communion pursuant to Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law. I also said that I thought Cardinal O'Malley made an error of judgment in permitting a large public funeral for Teddy Kennedy and personally participating in it. The error was precisely in failing to see the scandal that would be given. I am disappointed that she omitted these points and mentioned only my surprise at learning (from her) that Archbishop Burke has taken the position that Kennedy should not have been given a Catholic funeral at all -- even a private one.

George says that at the time he was not aware that Burke had made the statement and that "it goes a step beyond where I would go on this issue." "At the same time," he adds "I did not suggest that the Archbishop’s position was unreasonable; and I acknowledged that it is certainly not my call to make. I am not a bishop or a canon lawyer. Raymond Burke is both."

Yesterday, Robert Royal at The Catholic Thing had this to say (my emphases in bold):

I'm told by reliable people that there are readers of The Catholic Thing still struggling with mainstream-media addictions. If so, some of you may have been surprised to find your humble editor-in-chief named in a recent Time magazine article by Amy Sullivan as allegedly having said that the Church’s funeral for Senator Edward Kennedy was a scandal “on a par” with the priestly pedophilia scandal. I never said any such thing, of course, as any fair reader can see here, and I find the equating of the two scandals both absurd and repugnant. I’ve demanded a correction from Time and will take legal action if one is not forthcoming.

But Ms. Sullivan was never really interested in accurate reporting. She brought me into the story merely to show that even other traditional Catholics, such as Princeton’s Robert George, disagree with a position I don’t hold. Professor George and I are old friends and have communicated to clarify this issue. His remarks, he has publicly confirmed, were deliberately taken out of context, which – for once – I myself would have preferred, since the view ascribed to me was made up from whole cloth. The manufactured disagreement between the two of us, however, was not the main point. Rather, Ms. Sullivan, who has done similar stories in the past few months, used the two of us as parallel proof for “A Tale of Two Priests,” which is to say the alleged feud between Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley (compassionate because he attended the Kennedy funeral) and (that evil conservative now resident in Rome) Archbishop Raymond Burke, who takes a harder line about Catholics who present grave and longstanding public scandal.

Continue reading Robert Royal's analysis of Amy Sullivan's article, and how some within the mainstream media can be anything but objective.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Obama will remove abortion funding ban from health-care bill

2009-11-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Steven Ertelt for this report:

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Top Obama advisor David Axelrod on Sunday confirmed what pro-life advocates already suspected would happen. He said President Barack Obama will work with congressional Democrats to remove the abortion funding ban the House approved in its version of the government-run health care bill.

Axelrod says that, because the Stupak amendment allegedly goes beyond the status quo under the Hyde amendment (which bans abortion funding under Medicaid), Obama will make sure the amendment is yanked during the conference committee.

That's the part of the legislative process that will occur if and when the Senate approves its own health care bill, which will likely start debate with abortion funding.

"The president has said repeatedly, and he said in his speech to Congress, that he doesn't believe that this bill should change the status quo as it relates to the issue of abortion," Axelrod said today on CNN's State of the Union program.

"This shouldn't be a debate about abortion. And he's going to work with Senate and the House to try and ensure that at the end of the day, the status quo is not changed," he added. "I believe that there are discussions ongoing to how to adjust it accordingly."

Axelrod said that an agreement with ruling Democrats in Congress to remove the ban on taxpayer funding of abortions "can and will be worked through before it reaches his desk."

Axelrod's comments come after Obama's own remarks which made it appear he would favor removing or weakening the Stupak amendment.

"I laid out a very simple principle, which is this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill," Obama told ABC News last week. "And we're not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions."

Obama appeared to side with abortion advocates who claim the Stupak amendment in the health care bill somehow changes the current status quo on government abortion funding.

“There needs to be some more work before we get to the point where we're not changing the status quo” on abortion, Obama added. “And that’s the goal.”

Obama also sided with pro-abortion groups in saying he wanted to make sure “we're not restricting women’s insurance choices,” because he had promised that “if you're happy and satisfied with the insurance that you have, it’s not going to change.”

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, chided Obama for his comments.

"The only thing that will prevent the health care bill from being 'an abortion bill' is precisely the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, as the House of Representatives recognized by a 46-vote margin," he said.

"The phoniness of Obama's claim that he has been trying to preserve the 'status quo' on abortion policy should be evident to any observer by now. In reality, the White House and top Democratic congressional leaders have been working hard to create a national federal government health plan that would fund abortion on demand, just as Obama promised Planned Parenthood," Johnson added.

Further Reading:

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Magister: Great Roman polyphony returns to St. Peters

2009-11-16T05:36:00.000-05:00

I have not had a chance to read this, but wanted to point you to what I think will be a great read on sacred music. It is by Sandro Magister, the distinguished Italian journalist who offers his blogpostings in English.

Sandro Magister summarizes thus:

Great Roman Polyphony Returns to Saint Peter's

Not in a concert, but in a Mass. It will be conducted by Domenico Bartolucci, the most brilliant interpreter of Palestrina's music alive today. He was removed as head of the Sistine Chapel choir twelve years ago, but now, with Pope Benedict, has finally been rehabilitated

Click the title to read the full blogpost.
See other articles by Sandro Magister at his english homepage.

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Recall Notice: Maker of human beings recalls all units

2009-11-16T05:22:00.000-05:00

This is a fantastic little piece written by Msgr. Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington. I'll get you started here, but you'll have to follow the link to see the rest:

The maker of all humans beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units (code named Adam and Eve) resulting in the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed “Sorrow Inducing Non-morality (S.I.N.). Some of the symptoms include:

1.Loss of direction
2.Foul vocal emissions
3.Amnesia of Origin
4.Lack of peace and joy
5....[continued reading Recall Notice]

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"Holy Love Ministries" condemned as not supernatural by Bishop of Cleveland

2009-11-13T21:18:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Richard Chonak at Catholic Light, my attention was turned to a decree which just appeared on the Diocese of Cleveland website on "Holy Love Ministries". I wrote just a couple weeks ago on "Holy Love" in my post on unapproved private revelations. In less than 5 minutes, I had found a caution on the diocesan website.

A condemnation has just been released. First, the bishop's letter (forgive any typos - I had to manually add all of this):

1150/2009
November 11, 2009

A group known by the name of "Holy Love Ministries" and also the "Missionary Servants of Holy Love" has been active in the Cleveland area for several years. Earlier names associated with this group have been the "Our Lady Protectress of the Faith Movement", "Project Mercy" and "Mary's House of Prayer." They continue to seek funds to develop their center and support their effort.

At the request of the Holy See, I have been asked to examine and make a judgment on the activities of Holy Love Ministries. After consultation with a respected theological expert, and after attempts at dialogue with the leadership of Holy Love Ministries proved unsuccesseful, for the good of the Christian faithful, I issue the accompanying decree.

I ask pastors, administrators, and parish life coordinators to make the decree known in a manner appropriate for your parishes.

Sincerely yours in Christ

+Richard Lennon
Bishop of Cleveland

1148/2009
11 November 2009
DECREE

In the Name of God

To the Laity and the Clergy of the Diocese of Cleveland

In light of my responsibility for the promotion and protection of ecclesial life within the Diocese of Cleveland (cc. 387, 392, 223, §2); and

Having been directed by the Holy See to act definitively in the matter of the alleged apparitions to Maureen Sweeney Kyle; and

Having reviewed the theological content of the alleged apparitions and locutions to Maureen Sweeney Kyle and having consulted an expert in this matter (c. 747, §2);

I, Richard G. Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland, hereby

Declared that the alleged apparitions and locutions to Maureen Sweeney Kyle are not supernatural in origin.
Forbid members of the clergy of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction to celebrate the sacraments on the site of Holy Love Ministries. (cc. 835, §1; 838, §4).
Admonish the faithful of the Diocese of Cleveland to cease gathering for any religious, liturgical, spiritual, or devotional purpose on the site of Holy Love Ministries. (cc. 212, §§1, 3; 214).
Declare that the Confraternity of the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary is not an approved association of the Christian faithful in the Diocese of Cleveland and may not legitimately use the name "Catholic" or represent itself as a Catholic group (c. 216).
This decree takes effect immediately.

Given at the Chancery of the Diocese of Cleveland on this 11th day of November in the year of Our Lord 2009

+Richard G. Lennon
Bishop of Cleveland

More background on Holy Love Ministries

I think we are going to see a string of these around the world, where questionable apparitions have been without resolution for a significant period of years. What I find interesting is that the bishop acknowledges having been asked by the Holy See to wrap it up, so to speak. How many other bishops are getting the same kind of request on specific cases?

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In the News...

2009-11-13T20:31:00.001-05:00

40 Hours Devotion is underway at Assumption Grotto.

Please take some time out Saturday and Sunday to spend with Our Lord in Adoration. Closing ceremony at 3:00pm, followed by a pot luck dinner.

There is just so much going on, but no time to keep up with it.

Late-breaking: new bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend soon? (AmP)
Huffington Post: Catholic Church 'Inexplicably Evil Organization' (Sancte Pater)
Why priests should be 'ecclesiastical professionals' (Russell Shaw)
Unwritten story: New VA & NJ governors are strong Catholics (AmP)
WaPo Idiocy (Fr. Z)
Hey L.A. Times! You owe a correction and apology! (Fr. Z)
American Bishops find their voice, liberals throw a nutty (Fr Z)
REVIEW: Christmas CD by Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles (Fr. Z)

And more....

And then, there is this:

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40 Hours Correction

2009-11-12T07:13:00.003-05:00

EDIT 10:00pm Friday - - I'm not sure what time it starts. The parish website says 6:00am. The parish bulletin says, following the 7:30am Mass.

I think I'll just go to work in the morning and plan on getting there ahead of the 7:00pm Mass for a holy hour. It's Friday - - c'mon down to the Grotto for adoration and Mass!

Original Post: I mistakenly posted it begins at 6 PM. it begins at 6 AM tomorrow.

Forty Hours Devotion begins on Friday at 6:00pm; concludes 3:00pm Sunday

2009-11-12T06:21:00.000-05:00

The annual 40 Hours Devotion starts tomorrow at 6:00pm. From the Grotto website:

The 40 Hours Devotion remembers the forty-hour period from our Lord's burial until His resurrection. The Forty Hours Devotion nurtures the love of the faithful for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Friday, November 13th - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Benediction at 8:30 p.m.

Masses: 6:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m. (Tridentine) & 7:00 p.m. (Blessed Sacrament is veiled during the Masses)
Saturday, November 14th - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Benediction at 8:30 p.m.

Masses: 6:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m. (Tridentine) & 4:00 p.m. (Blessed Sacrament is veiled during the Masses)
Sunday, November 15th - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:00 a.m.

Masses: 6:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. (Tridentine Mass) & 12:00 Noon

(Blessed Sacrament is veiled during the Masses)

Closing Ceremony: 3:00 p.m. with Procession, Litany & Benediction

“POT LUCK”- Reception in the gym, after the closing ceremony. We invite everyone participating in the closing of the Forty Hours to stay for the Pot Luck. Please bring a dish to pass. To have all the food groups represented, please consider these suggestions for foods to bring. We have limited oven space. If you have food warmers or crock pots for hot food, please cook hot foods in them so we can plug them in to keep warm until serving time. If you do not have a food warmer consider bringing a cold dish.

Please make an effort to come to Assumption Grotto for this devotion, so rarely offered today. It is slowly gaining notice with other parishes adding it. There are many things to pray for: The conversion of sinners, the poor souls in purgatory - especially in November, and for our priests and bishops. While petition of such things is noble, a prayer of adoration is most pleasing to Our God. This means - come and love Him in the Eucharist, solely for His sake.
Won't you come and spend an hour with Him?

The closing ceremony is quite grand. It may be inconvenient to give up a chunk of your Sunday, but consider how much God has given for us. It's not what we receive in such devotions and we cannot base it on feelings. Rather, we give our time to God unconditionally in adoration.

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Bishop Tobin and his effort to end yet another Kennedy scandal

2009-11-12T05:44:00.000-05:00

You might recall back in late October that Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-Rhode Island) said, "the Catholic Church is fanning ‘flames of dissent and discord’ by opposing health bill over abortion funding" in a video interview with Cybercast News Service.

Bishop Tobin, Kennedy's ordinary, didn't waste any time rebuking him over the matter and demanding an apology for his distorted attack (see same link above).

On October 29th, Kennedy said, ""The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic."

Again, Bishop Tobin responded promptly with a strong open letter in the diocesan paper explaining what it means to be Catholic, then asking whether Kennedy meets even the most basic requirements. The bishop concluded with an invitation (emphases mine in bold):

Your letter also says that your faith “acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.” Absolutely true. But in confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” – as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.

Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category – it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.

Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance. It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.

On November 2nd, Kennedy agreed to meet with the bishop on Thursday. The bishop's office announced on November 10th that the meeting was postponed indefinitely by mutual agreement.

I'm sure we have not heard the last on this.

One of the best opinions I've read on this whole affair is that of Canon Lawyer Ed Peters. Go read: Rep. Patrick Kennedy should thank God he has such a bishop...

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A reader's rant and my response

2009-11-10T22:35:00.005-05:00

Ordinarily, I reject comments with the kind of tone found in that which is addressed here in this post. I simply don't have time to address so many things in one sitting, but decided to share this one. Perhaps some readers would like to chime in too. Please use the catechism and other Church documents, where applicable to help with your response. I will publish comments that are civil and helpful.

This comment was originally intended for a post on the recent House vote for "Pelosi-care", but I elected to post it here. His comment is in dull blue and yellow highlighting; my comments (when inline), are bracketed in red.

"Dean" writes:

"I suppose anything that disagrees with you or offers an alternative view of the Catholic faith would be considered a personal attack or an anti-Catholic message?"

Dean, there is no such thing as an "alternate view" of the Catholic faith. There is one Catholic faith. You and I must seek to understand the mind of the Church. Consider, that on any given polarizing issue, there could be 10 different views. Can all 10 be God's "view"? It is His view that we must try to understand and the Church has been given the power, by Christ, to assist us in this regard (Luke 10:16). Holy Mother Church has 2000 years worth of experience - experience guided by the Holy Spirit. How do I know this?

"The rules/tradition/God-and-politics Catholics have little time for the social justice Catholics, but where would Jesus be standing?"

There is no such thing as this kind of Catholic or that kind of Catholic. There are Catholics and there are those who profess to be Catholics who want to make a designer religion out of Catholicism. Where is Jesus standing? He is standing for Truth because He is Truth. Authentic social justice aligns itself fully with Truth.

Easy to rant on about the poor, sweet unborn babies and disregard all the thousands of people that need serious and systematic health care-- some of those are even pregnant mothers who are getting no prenatal care thanks to you who want to leave them suffer. 'Get a job!' say the pious types like you.

It is disingenuous to suggest that people who care about the unborn, have little or no regard for the less fortunate among the born. It is also a bad stereo-type of pro-life people, most of whom I know are generous with their time and money on many charitable fronts.

Are you aware of how many girls/women are forced or coerced into murdering their unborn child? What about the psychological damage in girls who are forced to abort their babies? Some of these girls are being treated as mere objects by those who impregnate them. Social justice should comprehend this, should it not?

Please do volunteer some of your time at a crisis pregnancy center where you will see ordinary Catholics assisting poor women to bring their babies to term, and following up with care after they are born. What may not be readily visible when you volunteer at such a center are the funds pouring in from Catholics and other christians to pay for the medical care and material needs of the mothers and their babies. A donation you give to a crisis pregnancy center can help offset the cost of prenatal care for a poor mother.

Unborn fetuses are also a much easier sell than death row occupants. I never see any mention of the death penalty on your blog (134 posts on pro-life and not one on the death penalty, which the Holy See also opposes...).

I have been against the death penalty since 14 years of age. For me, salvation of everyone is important, even for those who commit heinous crimes. While some people are indeed driven to seek forgiveness on their deathbed, I believe it is better to throw away the key and give that person the rest of his or her natural life to convert to God. There are some prisoners who have committed horrific crimes who will find their way into heaven through repentance and conversion before some who have gone to church every Sunday or worked with the poor 16 hours/day.

This having been said, the death penalty and abortion are on two different planes. Abortion, which deprives the unborn of the fundamental right to life is always and everywhere, evil. The unborn baby is ensouled at the moment of conception, yet this soul is deprived of the Sacrament of Baptism. God, in His infinite mercy has plans for these souls which is unknown to us but, the fact remains that they were not given the opportunity to know, love, and serve God - their Creator.

Catechesis on the death penalty is different (from the CCC):

Hence, there are conditions in which the Church permits the death penalty. Reasonable people can disagree on what is meant by "effectively defending human lives....", but they cannot disagree on any part of abortion being an intrinsic evil.

2267 Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

We also cannot compare the 1.2+ million per year aborted here in the US to the handful of prisoners executed on a yearly basis.

Like most of the right-wing zealots, you prattle on about gays, innocent baby lambs, and Barack HUSSEIN Obama-- the anti-Christ (?!?) I like how you say you'll be respectful, unlike the anti-Bush crowd, and then insist on using his full name so as to highlight the Arab middle name. It is a shame that you claim to adore Jesus-- and I believe you do love him-- but can't see the most obvious thing about the Christian faith: it's about social justice-- getting us to turn the other cheek and make peace with one another. How are you helping to forward such peace when so much of your blog is political invective?

Let's put the "Barack Hussein Obama" in perspective from this post when he won the presidency - a time when many news sources also used his full name - a common practice at such a moment (i.e. George Herbert Walker Bush): President Barack Obama

In context, I said,

"Hence, Barack Hussein Obama is my president and as such, will receive my deepest prayers for his success on economic, world and domestic issues, and his conversion on culture of death issues. Jesus commanded us to love and it is with Christian love that conversions happen."

With regards to the blogpost on Obama and anti-christ, it was in reference to the illinois state lottery which yielded the numbers 6-6-6 on November 5, 2008 - the day following the election. Having received so many emails from people on this issue, I wanted to point readers to the catechesis of a solid priest who, in his final analysis said:

Back to Obama. Given everything I have said above, can we consider Obama the Anti-Christ? No. There is no "the Anti-Christ."

This having been said, it is clear that my blogposts have been skimmed, and things taken out of context.

Lastly on this part of your paragraph, I have spoken on people with same sex attraction or those with homosexual tendencies in the context of the Catholic faith, as taught by the Church. Titles and other quotes should not be confused for my own words. I have often referred people with SSA to the Courage Apostolate, which is Church sanctioned because it teaches a path of purity - the same path that all must follow outside of sacramental marriage to stay in God's graces. God loves everyone unconditionally. The way we love Him back is to follow His commandments.

Forgive them Father, they know not what they do. THAT is at the heart of our faith. Forgive. Don't sanctimoniously pass judgement and offer advice that forwards divisive agendas. Wouldn't we do better to focus ourselves on how we can truly serve others and better the human condition than to instead ponder how we can make the Church more turgid and formal and less welcoming?

You say not to pass judgment. Yet, your comment as posted is loaded with judgment. You suggest that my advice is divisive. Unity must subsist in Truth. Those who have the mind of the Church, who defend Church teaching are not causing division. Rather, those who advance distortions of Church teaching, or who seek to mold Catholicism into their own liking, are the sowers of disunity and division.

Further, the Church welcomes everyone, but people make themselves feel unwelcome when they reject God's love and mercy. People reject God's love when they choose to define Catholicism on their own terms, rather than accepting what has been passed on to us through Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium. We need to seek to understand the mind of the Church through God's grace, not expect the Church to mind us. We all suffer from human fallen nature and difficulties in life. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have all that makes us feel good? But, is it not a point of Christianity to follow Christ, right to the Holy Cross? What is this Cross for each of us, if it is not to bear those needs and wants which counter Catholic teaching, with patience and persistence? Christ fell many times, but he didn't stop moving forward to His death - death on a Cross.

Latin masses do not bring me closer to God. If they work for you, GREAT. Go to your church and enjoy. But why assert that your preference must be best for everyone else?

I go Mass to give God unconditional worship. This means that I give him glory and adoration interiorly during the Mass, regardless of the language. I have assisted at Masses in a multitude of languages, some of which I did not understand. However, this does not change the efficacy of being in the Presence of the Sacrifice, which is what the Mass is.

With regards to what I blog on, please consider that this IS my personal weblog. And, there are many other blogs out there which do not focus on the extraordinary form liturgy. That is the beauty of reading many Catholic blogs is that there is diversity through the many (for those, of course, that do not promote things that are contrary to the faith).

And, finally - "Dean" concludes:

I know this will never be posted, and that's fine. But maybe it'll cause you to think a bit about your sanctimonious approach/tone [I think the pot is calling the kettle black here]. The Catholic Church is a big and diverse church [but not diversity of faith and morals, as is sometimes believed], and that's why I love it. I like that it encompasses a great deal of diversity but is still intact and continuous for over 2000 years. People like you will push us to a fissure [No. disunity is brought on by pushing "charity" without truth]. Maybe that doesn't bother you, but if it doesn't, I would again venture to say that you have missed the cornerstone point of the Gospels.

Mark 7
5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" 6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'[b] 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

Dean, I'll leave you with the words of Our Lord further down in the same chapter:

20* And he said, "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, 22* coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

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Breaking: Apostolic Constitution ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS Released

2009-11-09T06:09:00.003-05:00

The anticipated Apostolic Constitution now has a name: Anglicanorum Coetibus. It was released by the Holy See a few moments ago. This link will take you right to the Holy See's website:

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS PROVIDING FOR PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH , 09.11.2009

UPDATE: Commentaries from around the web

England, Anglicans and the Prophecy of St. Edward the Confessor (Patrick Madrid)
Apostolic Constitution: ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS (Fr. Z)
From Anglicanorum Coetibus (Fr. Dwight Longenecker)

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Pelosi-care passes in the House 220-215 with Stupak Amendment in tow....for now

2009-11-08T06:46:00.004-05:00

USCCB Advertisement (PDF)

UPDATE 1: Pro-life organizations celebrate Stupak amendment, warns of existing risks on health care bill

While the Stupak Amendment (Bart Stupak, D-Mi), which carried along components of the Hyde Amendment prohibiting government funds in programs for abortions, there is no guarantee that when it reaches the Senate, it will be included.

This is a complex issue. LifeSiteNews.com has been doing an excellent job of sifting through all of this complexity, very quickly, even posting this past Saturday when they do not normally do so. I highly recommend tracking it through them, but there are some other sources to follow, as well. LifeNews.com is another source worth following.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has been issuing frequent statements. Here was a message sent to the US House of Representatives on November 6th, ahead of the vote for the Stupak Amendment. The USCCB also has a webpage dedicated to Health Care Reform. The conference has explained it's position many times:

a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity
access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of immigrants
pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and variety of options
restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers

Tom Peters - the American Papist, has also been blogging on this issue. In this post, Tom examines how the mainstream media distorted the US Bishop's position, perhaps fooling some into thinking the bishops actually endorsed the healthcare bill itself. Rather, it was the Stupak Amendment they were backing.

Another site I check daily (and often more than once daily), is NewAdvent.org. Kevin Knight receives links from people on a variety of hot topics. If there is breaking news somewhere in the Church, chances are, you will find it at New Advent.

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Year for Priests Presentation

2009-11-05T22:20:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled on a most beautiful presentation in the Year for Priests. It is on the website of the Order of Canon's Regular of the Holy Cross - the order for the priests who help out at Assumption Grotto and some other metro Detroit parishes. Some of the priests known to us are down at the Institute teaching so you will enjoy seeing the pictures. Bishop Athanasius Schneider, ORC, who recently spoke at the Call to Holiness, is a graduate.

The Institutum Sapientiae (Institute of Wisdom) is an institute of higher learning in philosophy and theology under the direction of the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross in Anápolis, Brazil. According to its statutes, which were definitively approved by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Institutes on November 16, 2007, the Institute is specifically for the formation of candidates for the priesthood. It can also offer formation for members of religious institutes in classes separate from those given to the seminarians.

The Institute has been forming priests for the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, the diocese of Anápolis as well as other religious communities and dioceses of Brazil since 1984 (see attachment 1). Priests who have received formation in the Institute are now serving the Church in countries all over the world, including the United States, Mexico, Columbia, India, the Philippines, Germany, Italy and Austria

Go view the presentation in this Year for Priests and pass the link along!

Homepage for the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross

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Ft. Hood Shooting Rampage....

2009-11-05T18:17:00.000-05:00

Please pray for those who died in the shooting rampage at Ft. Hood (12 as of this posting), and for the many injured. Please also pray for the grieving families.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

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