50th Anniversary of Cardinal Wuerl and the Catholic Standard

The Catholic Standard, the paper of the Archdiocese of Washington, ran a special on the 50th anniversary of Cardinal Wuerl's ordination to the priesthood.  It was a very glossy production, with lots of advertisements, congratulating the Cardinal and articles on him and about him.  

However, there seems to have been an omission from all of the articles about the successes.  And that is, the closing/merging of a number of Catholic elementary schools, including one just last June. 

How do others know us? An Observation from a Mormon.

First, I have been remiss in posting on a regular basis, but as with everything, our lives do change.  So, let me wish you a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

So, on to the posting...

Not to long ago, I invited my next door neighbor out to dinner, as I had no dinner plans and he was alone.  His wife and children were visiting her parents, and he was running out of the meals she had prepared for him.  So, my offer came at an opportune time for him.  And, he is a Mormon, which is the central point of this story. 

So, as we sat down for dinner, the conversation turned to our different faiths, as it usually does.  There is no "you are wrong about this" as my fundamentalist Christian neighbor down the block tells me about Catholic baptism, the Pope, etc. 


It is just a time to ask some questions, such as "How does one become a Mormon Bishop?" or "What is the difference between a Cardinal and Bishop in the Catholic Church?"  

During this dinner, over pizza, he made a comment that it seems the Catholic Church in the Washington DC area does a lot of advertising about Catholic Cemeteries. 

Is this what we are to be known for in the Archdiocese of Washington?

A point that I made on this blog a long time ago! 

The Catholic Surprise

Catholics, on the other hand, were plus-2 for Obama in 2012 and plus-7 for Trump this year. Evangelicals helped Trump in states he was mostly going to win anyway. Catholics? Now we’re talking about Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. And that was the election. It nearly didn’t happen. 

Trump’s outreach people were tone-deaf about Catholic voters. They were putting their eggs in baskets marked Evangelicals, African-Americans and Hispanics. Catholics were of secondary importance.

 But one Catholic leader, Deal Hudson, didn’t believe this, and he single-handedly organized a big-name Catholic Advisory Committee, a conference call with state campaign directors, a conference call between Trump and Catholic leaders, a tweet and video from Trump when Mother Teresa was canonized and an interview with Trump on the Catholic EWTN television network.

For more, go to: http://nypost.com/2016/12/19/catholic-surprise-another-way-trump-is-remaking-the-gop/

He Came Down.

H/T to The Deacon's Bench.

Rest in Peace Fr. Casimir Peterson

Father Casimir M. Peterson, a priest who attracted international attention for using detective skills in uncovering a long-forgotten Marian crown of jewels, died Dec. 4.  He was 95 

 He was pastor of St. Lawrence in Jessup from 1968 to 1971, then served as pastor of Holy Family in Randallstown for four years. With the permission of Archbishop William D. Borders, he was chaplain to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., from 1975 to 1988, when he retired. 

See more at: http://www.catholicreview.org/article/news/local-news/father-casimir-peterson-known-for-detective-work-and-ministry-to-mentally-ill-dies

Is Pope Francis Selling Out the Church in China?

The more and more I learn of this Pope, and see his actions, I almost wonder if he attempting to make the Roman Catholic Church in the image of the Anglican Church. 

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The most senior Chinese Catholic has slammed a potential rapprochement between the Vatican and Beijing, saying it would be “betraying Jesus Christ”, amid a thaw in more than six decades of bitter relations.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 84-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong, has been an outspoken critic, saying any agreement where Beijing would have a hand in approving clergy would be “a surrender”. 

For more, go here (you may need to copy and paste): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/28/pope-china-vatican-deal-would-betray-christ-says-former-hong-kong-bishop