Protect Pro-Life Centers in Montgomery County Maryland

Do you live in Montgomery County Maryland? Are you Catholic? Then this is of importance to you. (This is a modified version of an email from the Maryland Catholic Conference.)

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The Montgomery County Council is about to pass a resolution that would target pregnancy resource centers, which are pro-life charities that provide both material and emotional support to pregnant women in need, so that they may have healthy pregnancies and children. The resolution would force pregnancy resource centers to tell clients upon first contract that they do not give medical advice and that the women should consult another medical provider before making a decision about her pregnancy. Failure to comply would result in a hefty daily fine.

The resolution singles out these centers because of their pro-life mission. No such requirement is made of any abortion clinics. This resolution is part of a campaign by pro-abortion groups to discredit the good work of pro-life charities. (My comment: This effort is being led by Duchy Trachtenberg, who was in a leadership position of the local NOW chapter and has been a HUGE supporter of pro-abortion and pro-homosexual issues.)

Your assistance is needed to ensure that pregnant women continue to receive support from these competent, compassionate centers. Please call the following members of the Montgomery County Council as soon as possible:

Council President Phil Andrews 240-777-7906
Council VP Roger Berliner 240-777-7828
Councilman Marc Elrich 240-777-7966
Councilwoman Valerie Ervin 240-777-7960
Councilwoman Nancy Floreen 240-777-7959
Councilman Mike Knapp 240-777-7955
Councilman George Leventhal 240-777-7811
Councilwoman Nancy Navarro 240-777-7968
Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg 240-777-7964

To send an email to them, go to www.mdcathcon.org

Happy Thanksgiving!

In this time of high unemployment, Catholic education in this Archdiocese in turmoil, and the Church under attack in many areas, there are still things to be thankful for.

Take a moment to THANK GOD for those things.

And now, for a little humor, sent to me (and many others) from Melvin.

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A cat died and went to Heaven. God met her at the gates and said, 'You have been a good cat all these years. Anything you want is yours for the asking.'

The cat thought for a minute and then said, 'All my life I lived on a farm and slept on hard wooden floors. I would like a real fluffy pillow to sleep on.'

God said, 'Say no more.' Instantly the cat had a huge fluffy pillow.

A few days later, six mice were killed in an accident and they all went to Heaven together. God met the mice at the gates with the same offer that He made to the cat.

The mice said, 'Well, we have had to run all of our lives: from cats, dogs, and even people with brooms! If we could just have some little roller skates, we would not have to run again.' God answered, 'It is done.' All the mice had beautiful little roller skates.

About a week later, God decided to check on the cat.. He found her sound asleep on her fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, 'Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?'

The cat replied, 'Oh, it is WONDERFUL. I have never been so happy in my life. The pillow is so fluffy, and those little Meals on Wheels you have been sending over are delicious!'

Recall Notice (A Little Humor)

The Maker of all human 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 reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality, " or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some of the symptoms include:

1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.


The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.


Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness

9. Self control

(these are the "Fruits of the Holy Spirit")

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus.


DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Paradise so as to prevent contamination of that facility.


Thank you for your attention!


GOD


P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by 'Knee mail'.


Because I AM

Are you a Graduate St.Jude Elementary School?

The folks over at St. Jude's are really trying hard to ensure that they reduce any debt and stay open for many years to come. I applaud them for it.

An email was forwarded to me regarding the current situation.

I will not reproduce it here but they are looking to contact as many alumni as possible. Even if you are a parent or even grandparent of a graduate, and are interested in helping, please contact Trish Young at pappyandtrish@juno.com.

Thank you.

Reminder, DO NOT GIVE TO CCHD Collection Sunday!

First, I would like to take this opportunity to ask everyone who may read this blog to keep in mind the parishioners, parents and students at the various schools we have discussed over the last week or so. For them, it is a very hard time. A time of shock. A time of disbelief. And for some, it may even shake their faith in the Church.

So, I would ask everyone, if you remember, to please offer up the Sunday Mass for them.

Again, this Sunday is CCHD Sunday and it is time again to send a message to the Conference of Bishops that we will no longer fund non-Catholic organizations, especially those who work against us.

In the past, I have asked you to take the funds that you would give to CCHD and not to spend it on adult beverages or the movies, but to give it to a good Catholic Charity. This year, give it to the nearest Catholic School and ask that it be used for a family who is having a tough time paying the tuition.

Seven Schools in "Consultation"

Melvin's wife, Irma, came by and dropped off her copy of the Catholic Standard.

According to the Standard (and it wasn't the cover story even), there are SEVEN schools in "consultations" due to the declining enrollment and financial challenges. Now, we can't say there is a possibility of closing or merger because what you read on the blogs are rumors, as Superintendent Patricia Weitzel-O'Neill told the St. Catherine audience the other night.

The schools are:

• St. Hugh of Grenoble (Greenbelt)
• St. Jerome (Hyattsville)
• St. Mark the Evangelist (Hyattsville)
• St. Michael (Ridge)
• St. Michael the Archangel (Silver Spring)
• St. Jude (Rockville)
• St. Catherine Laboure (Wheaton)

How many of these will be around after June? St. Jude's will probably be around, given the fact that St.Catherine is just a couple of miles down the road. St. Michael the Archangel may have their students go to Our Lady of Sorrows in the People's Republic of Takoma Park or one of the other nearby schools. The schools in Hyattsville and St. Hugh may be merged into one. Maybe that is the Trinity?

If your child goes to a school with low enrollment, you had better be prepared for one of these "consultations" next year. My source tells me that there are as many as "seven" on the list for "consultations" for next year.

Correction: One of my readers pointed out that Our Lady of Sorrows was taken over by Christo Rey. He/she is correct.

Update: This story now appears on the Catholic Standard website, in case you decide not to get a paper copy.

The Meetings at St.Jude and St. Catherine

So, here is what I can tell you about the meeting on Tuesday night at St. Jude's from my sources:

1. Fr. Hines stated that no decision has been made regarding the school. Personally, I believe that statement because there is nothing in writing. However, the general feeling was that this was a done deal -- St. Jude's would merge with St. Catherine's -- especially from the fact that later in the meeting the participants were told that the school would remain open.
2. A representative of the Archdiocese was there by the name of Tom. Unfortunately, neither could tell me if it was Tom Duffy or Tom Burnford (Sec. of Education). My sources felt he was quite standoffish. He stated that the Archdiocese cannot assist the school but will help though the tuition assistance program, which has increased from $2mil. to $4mil. (This was reported in the Catholic Standard a while back.)
3. The school was in debt of $400,000 due to the difference between tuition ($6150) and actual cost per student ($7700). My question is: Did this happen overnight or was this a couple of years in the making. It seems hard for me to believe that this suddenly took place overnight. And, if this was taking place over the last few years, then why did the audits of the archdiocese not pick this up? Or did they not conduct audits?
4. Tom was asked why the Archdiocese did not help to market Catholic schools more? His response was (are you ready for this!) it was the responsibility of each school to be responsible for this; the Archdiocese will do what it can. Now, have you noticed how much marketing is done for Catholic Cemeteries. I hear radio spots on a regular basis on WMAL. When was the last time you heard a radio spot for Catholic elementary schools. Probably never.
5. St. Jude's went from an apx. 500 student body to apx. 240 today. In my opinion, the economy is not the main reason. The main reason is that a new elementary school was built just up the road. The families that would have gone to St. Jude's are now going there. Each year it adds an additional grade. Why did the Archdiocese allow this to happen? The only reason I can figure is that the school opened with not funds from the Archdiocese. It was all raised within the parish.
6. The Archdiocese will eliminate the reduction in tuition for siblings unless they apply for tuition assistance to the Archdiocese. If the school wants to do it, fine.

Overall, both felt that this meeting was one that was really just to say "We met, we informed, and you figure it out." Typical of the last two rounds of closings.

I did not get much of a chance to speak with my contact at St. Catherine's but the Superintendent of Schools, Patricia Weitzel-O'Neill was in attendance to represent the Archdiocese. The school is in the red by a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

Well, it seems that the Superintendent made it very clear that those in attendance should not believe anything on the blogs since they were all rumors.

So, let me close with this to the Superintendent. If you believe that anything on this blog is incorrect, they you, Ms. Gibbs or any representative from the Archdiocese are more than welcome to send me a note at awashingtondccatholic@gmail.com. I will publish your comments verbatim.

However, I did send a note to Ms. Gibbs requesting comment about St. Catherine's early last week but was told that there would be no response to anonymous emails. You did have your chance to put the rumors to rest.

UPDATE (5am): I have heard this from two separate people, that the third school is St. Michael's in Silver Spring. The enrollment has been low for a while. This some have speculated is the third school to close in Montgomery County and may be the source for the idea of Trinity.

Additional Schools on the Block?

Rumor has it that there is a meeting tonight (Wednesday) to discuss the future status of St. Leo Elementary and St. Joseph Elementary in Beltsville.

I have not had any confirmation on this but if anyone out there can verify, love to hear from you.

St.Jude and St.Catherine

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend either meeting last night. I had, as they say, a previous dinner engagement.

By now, the parishioners will basically know how much they wil need to raise, how long they have to do it, and all of the other deadlines.

I will be asking my sources about the meetings. However, if anyone would like to write and share their take on the meeting, please feel free to do so at awashingtondccatholic@gmail.com.

Let me know who the representative from the Archdiocese was and what was his/her "solution" to the matter.

I look foward to hearing from you and will post information from my sources over the next few days.

Meeting at St. Jude's on Tuesday About Merger

There will be a meeting at St. Jude's about the merger on Tuesday night at 7:30pm in the Thaddeus Room.

It seems that over the weekend, all of the parents were notified that a meeting would take place with Fr. Hines via snail mail.

The Archbishop and Archdiocese have moved faster on this than I even expected!

Time to Shut Down CCHD!

Well folks, the CCHD collection is next week. And you know what to do: DON'T GIVE.

The Catholic Standard has a number of articles on organizations which help the those who are less fortunately. The Archdiocese has circulated fliers and letters.

You would think that after the ACORN scandal and the latest scandal involving three additional organizations, they would have learned. Nope.

You can tell the radical leftists in the Church are running scared. They are pushing for support of CCHD. I guess they are worried that this will dry up one more source for the Alinsky style organziations.

Why does the Catholic Church give to secular organizations, who further their own non-Catholic agendas?

I have been talking about this for over a year. Click here if you wish to see all of my posts.

So, whether you drop a flier in the basket protesting this collection, or even an acorn, that is okay.

The best way is not to give.

However, take that money you would have dropped in the basket and give it to a pro-life organization. Anyone that will uphold our Catholic beliefs.

Possible Closing of Another Catholic School?

I have heard through the grapevine a few minutes ago that a meeting took place at St. Jude's in Montgomery County. It seems that at this meeting a representative of the Archdiocese has told the school that they will merge with St. Catherine Laboure and be called Trinity.

Has anyone heard this? Was anyone at the meeting? Can anyone verify that this took place?

Archdiocese Stands Tall on Gay Marriage Issue

Well, I thought that I would never see this day, but the Archdiocese is really standing its' ground on the gay marriage issue in DC. It has basically told the DC Council (who seems to see this as a threat), that they will begin to shut down their various services to the homeless, if the legislation forces them to basically recognize gay marriage, as part of their various services. For more information, click here.

Considering the fact that the Archdiocese pumps in $10 million donated by Catholics, and countless hours, to help the homeless, I think that the DC Council may want to reconsider their actions.

However, since they seem hell bent on doing this, I am challenging the the gay community to put your money where your mouth is. If you believe so strongly in your cause, raise over $10 million dollars per year from your own pocket (not from the taxpayer) and donate 1000s of hours to help care for the homeless in the District.

Either put up of shut up.

For more on this, The Foundry, American Papist and Marriage Matters.

Church Draws the Line Over DC Gay Marriage Law

From WMAL:

(Washington, DC) -- The Catholic Church says it'll end all social service programs it runs for the city if the bill legalizing same sex marriage is passed as it's currently written.

Currently, the bill would not require any religious organization to perform or make any accommodations for same-sex weddings if it doesn't want to. But they would have to obey city laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington says it will not continue working with the city if it is forced to accept conditions it finds morally disagreeable.

The church tells the Post the DC Council is ignoring the right of religious freedom. The archdiocese is not a dominant provider in any social service, but its work helps 68 thousand city residents, including a third of Washington's homeless population.


In addition, it seems that Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) attempted to add some language to protect religious groups from having to rent facilities, etc., to events that were deemed objectionable to their faith. This seems to have been shot down.

Pro-Life Centers are Under Attack in the Archdiocese of Washington

If you read my posting on Sunday, you would have noted that the County Council of the People's Republic of Montgomery County is going after Crisis Pregnancy Centers?

According to Duchy Trachtenberg (D) these centers provide false and misleading statements because they don't cover abortions. Mmmm...I wonder if she will require the Planned Parenthood Clinics and all those who provide abortions to cover the various studies that have been done linking abortions with depression, emotional problems with those born after an abortion, etc.

Our colleagues over at Restore DC Catholicism describe the radical anti-Catholic nature of the Montgomery County Council. Take some time and write to them.

If you don't think that this is a back handed attack on the Church, then you really need to wake up.

Message to All Veterans

We remember you and we thank you!

I especially remember my father, who served in World War II.

Thank you.

The Financial Situation of the Archdiocese

If you read the Catholic Standard for the last two weeks, it featured major stories on the financial state of the Archdiocese. In both articles (and I do not have the articles in front of me, so this is from memory), the financial situation is not good. Over $2,000,000 in cuts will need to be made.

This past weekend, the homilies (in at least two parishes that I know of), focused on giving not of simply from your excess but as much as you can -- even when it hurts a bit.

Based on the past communication/marketing campaigns of the Archdiocese, this probably is a lead-in not only the various cuts that will come (including the closing of schools, as I see it) but an even bigger push to increase giving.

Did your parish priest talk about finances this weekend -- either directly or indirectly?

What do you think about this?

Have you thought about the amount you will give next year? Will it increase, decrease or stay the same?

From the "See I Told You" File

From The Hill:

A House Democrat leader said Monday she's “confident” controversial language on abortion will be stripped from a final healthcare bill.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the Democrats’ chief deputy whip in the House, said that she and other pro-abortion rights lawmakers would work to strip the amendment included in the House health bill that bars federal funding from going to subsidize abortions.

“I am confident that when it comes back from the conference committee that that language won't be there,” Wasserman Schultz said during an appearance on MSNBC. “And I think we're all going to be working very hard, particularly the pro-choice members, to make sure that's the case.”

Read the rest right here.

So many things...not certain what to write about...

1. The USCCB basically sold us out. Do they really believe that the Most Merciful, Lord High Barack Obama will keep his word to keep abortion out of the health care bill.

2. Archbishop Wuerl seemed to keep the health care issue of of parishes for the last two weeks. Guess it is one way of keeping Catholics from fighting it.

3. MoCo is looking to put more pressure on pro-life clinics.

4. MoCo is looking to make all contracts with the county provide benefits to gay partners.

5. SOAR had their dinner last night. Wonder if the Archbishop was in attendance to honor the pro-abortionists.

6. The Archdiocese is in serious financial shape.

Update on Possible School Closing

I have received the following email. I have published it as written.

To the author, thank you for writing.

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Dear Washington DC Catholic,

I am a parishioner of St. Catherine Laboure church and a very-involved parent at St. Catherine Laboure school. I am writing to let you know that our pastor, Father Salah, did not request that SCL school be closed. As you stated in your blog, any request for closure would have to be a recommendation stemming from "extensive discussions with the Archdiocese." What has been requested by the pastor is a consultation with the Archdiocese. The fact that a consultation has been requested does not mean that it is a given that the outcome will be a recommendation for school closure or consolidation. It is my understanding that this consultation will look at not only financial viability, but also the academic performance, Catholic identity, accessibility, and affordability of the school. It will also involve the parents and parishioners. This will be our time to show what we have to offer, why we are different, where we excel, and plans we have for achieving financial stability.

The rumor that Father Salah is requesting that the school be closed likely stems from the fact that he has mentioned school closure/consolidation in private and public meetings as a possible outcome when parishes/schools have financial difficulties. He has not--and cannot until the consultation is completed--requested this to the Archdiocese. My biggest concern at this time is that parents will hear things like this (i.e., the pastor recommended the school be closed) and give up (apply to other schools for next year, stop supporting the school financially, stop volunteering), making the rumors a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In addition, I'd like to point out that to my knowledge our enrollment is roughly equal to that of other schools in the area and that the financial debt of the parish, while large, is not the largest in the ADW. I only point this out to say that these statistics are not necessarily a reflection of our parish/school individually, but of the current economic times and the status of Catholic school enrollment in general.

I have read many of your posts on Catholic education and I agree with you that the new trend of moving towards multi-parish regional schools will ultimately dilute Catholic education as a whole, as well as be detrimental to the sense of parish community. I am determined to maintain a positive attitude and encouraging all other SCL parents to do the same, so that we can put 100% into putting our best face forward during this consultation process. I hope that you will consider clarifying in your blog that the pastor of SCL School has not requested that the school be closed, and I ask that you keep us in your prayers.

Thank you.

Possible Catholic School Closing

I have received word, from a pretty reliable source, that a request has been made by the pastor of St. Catherine Laboure Church in Wheaton, MD to close the school. A second source has stated that things were not very good (financially) but did not come out and mention the closing. However, he/she hinted at it.

In order to close a school, the pastor is required to make the request, per the new policies approved earlier this year. (On a side note, I think that this is done to shield the Archdiocese from charges that they are closing the school. I can see it now "We did not request the closing. The Pastor did.")

Now, I would assume that any request for closing was made after extensive discussions with the Archdiocese. It was probably determined that there was little chance that enrollment would go up (enrollment is below 260 circa 2007) and the costs outstripped the resources of the parish and the archdiocese (there is a fairly decent sized six figure deficit which needs to be closed).

From my understanding, some parishioners are aware of this but not everyone and it has not been announced officially.

The Archdiocese was asked to comment on this but has not provided any at the time of posting. Should anyone from the Archdiocese wish to comment on this, I will publish the response as is.

UPDATE (11:58am): From the Communications Director of the Archdiocese of Washington at apx. 9:25am:

I’m sorry, but we cannot respond to anonymous emails, as I’m sure you can understand.
Susan Gibbs
Archdiocese of Washington

URGENT: HELP STOP THE HEALTH CARE TRAIN WRECK DEBACLE!

Because of the seriousness of the issue below, I am postponing my story on education in the Archdiocese till later in the week. Thanks for understanding.

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If you are Catholic and believe that abortion is immoral, that the government should not fund abortions and that Catholics in the health care field should not be forced to either quit their jobs or help commit murder, then you need to help stop the health care bill.

From American Papist:

it is believed that Pelosi will bring her health care bill to a vote in the House of Representatives this week. I am strongly against this bill and so are the US bishops. Please visit usccb.org/action to contact your representatives demanding they VOTE NO on it!

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Update (7:30am): Congratulations to the supporters of True Marriage in Maine. You defeated the gay marriage proposal, even though you were outspent almost 2 to 1. Maybe that is why homosexuals are fighting so hard not to put it to a vote in DC. Maybe they know that they cannot win by the ballot box.

Help Stop Nancy Pelosi and the Health Care Disaster!

Because of the seriousness of the issue below, I am postponing my story on education in the Archdiocese till later in the week. Thanks for understanding.

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If you are Catholic and believe that abortion is immoral, that the government should not fund abortions and that Catholics in the health care field should not be forced to either quit their jobs or help commit murder, then you need to help stop the health care bill.

From American Papist:

it is believed that Pelosi will bring her health care bill to a vote in the House of Representatives this week. I am strongly against this bill and so are the US bishops. Please visit usccb.org/action to contact your representatives demanding they VOTE NO on it!

Working on a Story...

Working on a story regarding the Archdiocese education system.

Will hopefully post my findings tomorrow.

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Meanwhile, please boycott the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) collection this month. They have funded ACORN in the past and are funding similiar groups today. We don't need more of that this year -- or any year.