Guess who visited Berryville Recently?

Why, it was none other than Cardinal McCarrick!

https://www.virginiatrappists.org/2012/12/cardinal-takes-retreat-at-holy-cross-abbey/


H/T to Melvin!  Hey Melvin, have a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord." 

~ Luke 2:11

Tidings of Great Joy: Revealing God’s Plan for the Incarnation

For Immediate Release

Contact: Deacon Sabatino Carnazzo, Executive Director

Institute of Catholic Culture: director@instituteofcatholicculture.org

703-504-8733

 

Annandale, VA (December 11, 2012)—The Institute of Catholic Culture invites you to join Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS, President of Christendom College (Front Royal, VA), this Saturday evening, December 15 at Holy Spirit Church in Annandale, Virginia.

Dr. O’Donnell’s lecture will consider how God's plan of redemption, from the moment of the fall of Adam and Eve, was never frustrated, and how he prepared the Greek, Roman and Jewish world for the coming of Christ.

Dr. O’Donnell is the first layman to receive both his licentiate and doctoral degrees in Ascetical and Mystical Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. Dr. O’Donnell has taught at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California and at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. He is a Knight Grand Cross iof the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Family. Additionally, he is the author of Heart of the Redeemer and Swords Around the Cross: The Nine Years War. He has filmed many programs for the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), including Glory of the Papacy and The Path to Rome: Saint Paul’s Captivity Epistles.

Join the Institute of Catholic Culture and Dr. O’Donnell for this evening study of God’s plan for the Incarnation. The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. in the school hall at Holy Spirit Church, 8800 Braddock Rd., Annandale, Virginia. Free admission, and no reservations required. For more information, please visit www.InstituteofCatholicCulture.org or call 540-635-7155.

When will we stop funding Non-Catholic Groups?

Note that Ralph McCloud, who was given an award by this Archdiocese, is once again at the center of making what I call, poor decisions. He seems to take at face value what one of these organizations tell him. Maybe it is time for him to go.

++++++++++++++++++++++++



WASHINGTON, D.C., December 10, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A coalition of Catholic organizations is charging that one of the largest recipient of funds from the U.S. Bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program lied to the bishops about its activities to keep the Catholic money flowing.

The Gamaliel Foundation, which received $799,500 in grants last year from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development through 21 local affiliates, was a founding member of a coalition called the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) that advocates for legal recognition of same-sex “families.”

But CCHD guidelines stipulate that grantees may not join coalitions that advocate against Catholic teaching “as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda.”

For more, go here: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/community-organizing-group-lying-to-u.s.-bishops-to-retain-grants

Ethics Phone Line Established in Archdiocese

The Archdiocese of Washington has established a toll free number for anyone suspecting anything illegal taking place in any of their institutions, such as parishes, schools and offices.

If you suspect any thing improper going on, you may call, toll free at 1-855-290-3381.

For example, if you suspect any sort of:

• accounting irregularities
• theft or fraud, such as funds, supplies, etc.
• embezzlement
• falsifying parish records, contracts, etc.
• kick-backs or other improper dealings with vendors
• conflicts of interest

The phone line is NOT run by the Archdiocese but by an outside firm specializing in handling these matters. 

When you call, you will be asked to briefly describe the situation (who, what, when where, etc.).  They will ask you a series of clarifying questions to ensure that they understand the problem/issue.  You will be given a number, which is the unique identifier for this case, should you need to call back.  They will also ask you how to get a hold of you, regarding this matter, if they need more information.

All of these matters are kept confidential by the vendor, EthicsPoint.  Having used this sort of service before, not with the Archdiocese, it is confidential and a good service. 

Of course, it is important that you think carefully when you call.  Make certain you are clear on the matter. 

If Miss Mary, who is 80 years old, takes a copy of the Catholic Standard and does not leave a donation, it is not what I would consider theft. 

If there is liturgical dancing during the Mass or the priest invites a lay person to give the homily, that is not what this line is for (but maybe it should). 

If Mr. Newbie is running a private business from the parish rectory, you should call. 

If someone is taking $50 from the 9am Sunday Mass loose change donation every Sunday, so that he/she has a little spending money for the week, you should call.

If you are not certain, call.  They can tell you if this falls under their contract with the Archdiocese, or should be reported some other way. 

Now, I find it interesting that this has been established.  Usually, this sort of thing in instituted when there has been an problem with theft or some other crime and/or people were reluctant to report it (or did not know whom to report it too).  Please note that I have not heard anything regarding why this has taken place nor have any information.



 

The Most "Open Minded" Are Really the BIGGEST HATERS

As many of you know, I try to focus on items that affect the Archdiocese of Washington from the view of the guy/gal in the pew. 

It was announced that the Pope would have a Twitter Account.  Now, I have looked into a Twitter Account both as part of getting the message of this blog out or even for my business.  However, I have not really found a compelling reason at this time.

However, once again, it is important to point out that those who claim to be the most open minded, most tolerant are really the most hateful and mean spirited.

If you think that the Pope is incorrect, then debate the ideas (within the 140 character limit).  If not, then you are not even worth the time it took to write their rants on Twitter.

I wonder if these twitter postings can be considered a hate crime?

To read all about it, go here: 
http://twitchy.com/2012/12/03/shameful-pope-benedict-xvi-joins-twitter-vile-hate-starts-before-his-first-tweet/

 

Catholic charities must always act in accordance with Catholic teaching

CCHD please take note!

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ROME, November 30, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a surprise move, Pope Benedict XVI this morning issued a formal legislative document instructing Catholic charitable organisations that they must act in complete compliance with Catholic teaching. The Vatican rumour mill failed to predict the appearance today of the pope’s Motu Proprio, a special letter written and promulgated on Pope Benedict’s personal initiative, that lays out specific legislation on how Catholic charities must be governed.

Benedict issued the Motu Proprio, “De Caritate Ministranda,” on the Church’s charitable activities after strongly hinting in recent years at his deep concern at the secularising and outright anti-Catholic trends growing within officially recognised, and lay-funded, Catholic charitable agencies.

The document, using the formal legal language reserved for the Sovereign Pontiff when creating binding legislation for the whole Church, specifies that Catholic charitable organizations “should not limit themselves merely to collecting and distributing funds,” but exist to further Catholic religious objectives by exercising “a valuable educational function within the Christian community”.

For more, go to LifeSite News: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-pope-decrees-catholic-charities-must-always-act-in-accordance-with

Letting sick infants/babies die...

Depending upon who you listen to, this is not only taking place now in the US (although on a much smaller scale), but how long before it takes hold in the US under ObamaCare.

 

Sick children are being discharged from NHS hospitals to die at home or in hospices on controversial ‘death pathways’.

 

Until now, end of life regime the Liverpool Care Pathway was thought to have involved only elderly and terminally-ill adults.

 

But the Mail can reveal the practice of withdrawing food and fluid by tube is being used on young patients as well as severely disabled newborn babies.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2240075/Now-sick-babies-death-pathway-Doctors-haunting-testimony-reveals-children-end-life-plan.html#ixzz2DiyiPa4i

This is what we are up against, under the guise of "BULLYING"

Folks, with the election (with a certain amount of faud) of Obama and the passing of Gay Marriage in Maryland, we will see attacks on the Church multiply.  If you think it is bad now, it will only get worse, something which I have stated for the last few years but have been told that I am wrong.

____________________

Nov. 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A leading pro-family group has released a telling exposé charging that Dan Savage, the founder of the massively popular ‘It Gets Better’ homosexual anti-bullying campaign, is himself the country’s “bully-in-chief.”

Savage writes the syndicated sex column Savage Love, where, in his own words, he “traffics the skeeziest sex practices known to man.”

He is famous for his campaign defaming Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rick Santorum by using a technique known as “Google-bombing” to associate his name on the search engine with a grotesque aspect of sodomy.

In the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign, Savage encouraged people to produce their own short video message to homosexual teens, and won support from celebrities and politicians, including President Obama.

By endorsing the campaign, said Savage, Obama was telling “queer kids” that “there’s something wrong with your parents, there’s something wrong with your preachers, … and f—- those people.”

The short video, by the Family Research Council, compiles examples of Savage’s vicious and obscene attacks on Christians and conservatives, including teens.

In case the links do not work:  http://youtu.be/n98V4XuFLrk

The Magdala Apostolate: Educating the Women Disciples of the Lord

McLean, VA (November 20, 2012): Recognizing the dramatic decline of women religious teachers in Catholic schools over the past few decades, the Institute of Catholic Culture is launching the Magdala Apostolate, an outreach project dedicated to providing sound doctrinal formation—both initial and ongoing—for women religious and novices. This is in response to the Church’s call for a new evangelization. It is also inherent in the mission of the Institute of Catholic Culture: to offer educational programs structured upon classical liberal arts.
 
Over a generation ago, faithful religious sisters were dedicated to teaching the orthodox faith to the next generation. However, the presence of teaching nuns has declined by more than 90 percent since 1965. This has resulted in a catechetical crisis in the Catholic classrooms.
 
While theologians may debate why this decline has occurred, one fact does emerge: the direct correlation between the decline in quality of the education that these women received in formation and their rapid decline in numbers. According to a recent release from the Vatican: “The formation programs among several communities…did not have significant doctrinal content…..”
 
In response to the Church’s directives to use new media techniques to communicate the saving truths of the Catholic Faith, the Magdala Apostolate will employ the latest in web conferencing tools to create a virtual classroom setting where students (the sisters) and professors can communicate in a live educational setting.
 
Note that Magdala is the Galilean hometown of Mary Magdalen, one of the women who faithfully followed Christ and ministered to him. Today, the historic reputation of Saint Mary of Magdala, like the reputation of our devoted sisters, is under attack. What we do know, however, about Saint Mary Magdalene from Sacred Scripture reveals that she was healed by our Lord, and that she, along with other women, faithfully followed him and the Apostles and “provided for them out of their own means.”


For more information about this important apostolate and to make contributions to its continuance, please contact the Institute of Catholic Culture at its website: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org

Wishing each of you a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Sign the Petition..if you wish...

One of my readers put together a petition on Change.org asking the USCCB to excommunicate politicians who are unfaithful to the teachings of the Church.

Altough many automatically excommunicate themselves by their actions, I think that if we get enough signatures, we can maybe really raise the issue because THIS WILL COME FROM THE FAITHFUL and not simply a couple of bloggers. 

Maybe this will give some bishops the courage to speak out even more.


Sign it! Share it!  Let's start a trend!

http://www.change.org/petitions/united-states-conference-of-catholic-bishops-excommunicate-politicians-who-go-against-catholic-teaching

When will we ever learn...

When will we ever learn.  Instead of hiring those who are true to the faith, we keep subverting ourselves.  We go rid of the guy responsible for the Social Justice mess in the USCCB and now we get this.

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An organization of Catholic donors has chosen Alexia K. Kelley, an Obama policy advisor with connections to abortion-supporting politicians and a controversial advocacy group, as its new president and CEO.  She is now the President of the Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA

Kelley, who holds a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School, had previously worked for several years at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, an anti-poverty initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

She later co-founded and served as the executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a social justice advocacy organization.
The group - which has since closed its office and shifted its presence to the internet - was criticized by numerous bishops for causing confusion about the priority of moral issues by downplaying the importance of fundamental concerns like abortion, while giving heavy weight to issues such as the environment.
Kelly was a religious advisor for the 2004 presidential campaign of Catholic senator John Kerry, whose support for abortion raised controversy.
She also advocated heavily for the confirmation of pro-abortion Catholic Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

To read the entire story, go to Catholic News Agency.
 

I am still alive...

Sorry I have not posted for a while.  Things have been busy at work and at home.  Home also includes helping some relatives who were affected by Sandy.  (I guess that makes me pro-life.)

So, I am hoping to post more soon.

God Bless.

Question 6 - Broken Promises

 

Don't Redefine Marriage

The institution of marriage is under attack by many different forces in our culture today. But it is the basic foundation of our society. To further damage it will cause increased cultural erosion. Redefining marriage is not the answer during these hard times. Rededication to marriage and family is.

And keep in mind that we don't need to redefine marriage to give same-sex couples legal rights and benefits. Indeed, in the state of Maryland, same-sex couples already receive benefits, such as hospital visitation, medical and end-of-life decision making, state health benefits, tax breaks and many more.

Advocates of same-sex marriage have attempted to take ownership of some of the key language in this debate. I have heard that this about "love" — but you can love and commit to whomever you want until death do you part; the government is not involved in issues of love. Or, it's about "equality" — but right now, everyone has the same rights under the law, and it says everyone can marry one person from the opposite sex. Or it's been called a "civil rights" issue — but this would be laughable if it wasn't so offensive to the struggles that African-Americans endured in this country. And lastly, "discrimination" — but the government does not discriminate against same-sex couples when promoting the natural definition of marriage; it differentiates certain behaviors. There is a huge difference.

For the full article, click here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-question6-birk-20121026,0,848696,print.story


And remember, VOTE NO on QUESTION 4!

Dissent Again At Holy Trinity! Is Hyattsville paying attention?

"Bishops may be unhappy about the contraception mandate, but they have only 200 votes in this election," was the view expressed by Father Reese.

After an article in the parish bulletin praising President Obama for Obamacare, and which made no mention of the mandates which go against our faith, Fr. Reese speaks about how the Bishops are just looking for an excuse to oppose Obamacare.  He even suggest that they should be very happy with the mandate and exceptions.

Hyattsville, maybe it is time to strip Fr. Reese of his faculties in the Archdiocese! Maybe it is time to put their foot down about Holy Trinity. 

This sort of stuff has really got to stop. I mean you guys had no problem w/ Fr. Marcel, why are you not doing it with Fr. Reese.

For the complete story, please go to Catholic Online: http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=48260

Don't be fooled on Question 6

You keep hearing about all of the so called "protections" that will be provided by those who support Question 6. 

Don't believe it. 

Look at Canada. 

Look at what happens when the definition of marriage is changed to those who oppose it. 

Take a look at this video. 

http://youtu.be/YC0QIM2Babs

And while you are in the voting booth next week, remember to vote AGAINST Question 4.

A Message from Dr. Alveda King on Question 6

Dr. King says:

We did not define marriage and we cannot redefine it. Marriage by definition is a holy union between one man and one woman.

Gay and Lesbian couples already have rights under Maryland law – like priority hospital visitation, sharing property, tax exemptions, adoption and the list goes on. It is possible to be tolerant of gay and lesbian rights without redefining marriage, God’s holy union.



REMEMBER: ALSO VOTE NO ON QUESTION 4 - The Nightmare Act.

Why True Marriage Matters: Vote Against MD Question 6

Catholics for Common Sense - A Potemkin Village

Man, the Obamacons are becoming more desperate each and every day, and the crew over at Catholycs for Obama blog are doing everything to protect THE ONE.

So the Kathleen and crew have proudly announced that "Catholycs for Common Sense" have endorsed THE ONE, THE MOST MERCIFUL ONE.

So, who are these Catholycs for Common Sense.

Well, they have a webpage (only one page - looks like a simple powerpoint image) with an email address.  We know they have a spokesman, a Michael McGonigle.  But that is it.

• No listing of a Board of Directors.
• No listing of Officers.
• No listing of massive amounts of names of Catholyc supporters.

So, what does this all mean.

They are doing whatever they can to put up a Potemkin Village to fool you.  Doesn't cost much to do and maybe they can fool a couple of more people.

Don't be fooled.

Vote Against Maryland Question 6

Well it seems that Gallaudet University is either too ashamed of what they did, are proud of what they have done and want to keep it under wraps.

Don't believe those who say that if we allow homosexual marriage, your rights will be protected.  Look at what happened to the diversity officer at Gallaudet.  You rights of free speech will be denied.

This is happening in Canada and is starting to take place here.

 

Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine

October 28 (Reston, Virginia): As Catholics celebrate the start of the Year of Faith as decreed by Pope Benedict XVI, the release of the movie, Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine, will hearten the faithful: God awaits us all, saint and sinner alike. Recently released nationwide, the film is being shown at Reston’s Bow Tie Cinema in Reston Town Center. On October 28, the 2 p.m. showing of Restless Heart (PG-13) is being sponsored by St. Veronica Catholic Church with discounted tickets available at the parish office.

Portraying the life of one of Christianity’s most beloved Saints, the Restless Heart traces how St. Augustine of Hippo struggled through life searching for eternal truths. Set in the era when the Roman Empire began its descent, about 400 A.D., the film portrays the life of St. Augustine of Hippo from his days as a reckless and dissolute youth who became a gifted orator. Born in Algeria in 354 A.D., Augustine was raised as a Christian but soon succumbed to the lure of a profligate life style. He eventually converted to Manicheaism, a philosophy of moral dualism, St. Augustine entered his middle years continued in his immoral ways while bathed in riches and power. Throughout these years, his mother, St. Monica, prayed continually for his true conversion to Christianity.

St. Augustine’s life changed forever when he was called to serve at court in Milan, with the specific goal of opposing the then Bishop Ambrose. Rather than confronting the Bishop, St. Augustine became his follower, and taking to heart his philosophical and religious discourses, converted eventually to Christianity. Finally fully familiar with Christian doctrines, St. Augustine set out to serve Jesus Christ with total conviction, eventually becoming the Bishop of Hippo in 430 A.D.

The Holy Father himself has described St. Augustine as a man impassioned with finding truth. "St. Augustine was a man driven by a tireless desire to find the truth, to find out what life is, to know how to live, to know man. And precisely because of his passion for the human being, he necessarily sought God, because it is only in the light of God that the greatness of the human being and the beauty of the adventure of being human can fully appear."

To purchase tickets for the special showing, contact St. Veronica, 703-773-2000. Tickets cost $10 each, and may be picked up at the parish office, 3460 Centreville Rd., Chantilly every weekday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the church vestibule every evening until the 28th. Tickets are also available after the 5 p.m. Mass on the 27th and the morning of the 28th. Hurry: these will sell out quickly.

"A New Pentacost is Called For," Says Cardinal Wuerl

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2012 / 11:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Mixing old with new, a progress report on the synod of bishops on the New Evangelization was delivered in Latin, the ancient language of the Church.

“Many Synod Fathers called for a new Pentecost … of seeing the action of the Church today, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, as a reflection of the energy in the early Church when the apostles set out to bring the first disciples to the Lord,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., said late in the afternoon on Oct. 17.

For the complete story, go here: CNA/EWTN News

HHS Mandate and Little Sisters of the Poor

Many us in the Archdiocese, know the Little Sisters of the Poor because of the Jeanne Jugen Residence fin Northwest DC.   In fact, I wrote about the famous visitor they had one year. 


We know that they do wonderful work, but are very quiet about it.  They are one of many shining examples of Pro-Life work!

So, what does the HHS mandate do to them?  They can either violate their faith or pay hefty fines.  And, you would be surprised by the vast amount of money they would have to shell out, just for one small residence.  

For the complete interview, go to the National Catholic Register.

H/T to the Curt Jester.

USCCB Responds to Vice President Biden

Last night, the following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees:

"With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact."

This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain "religious employers." That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to "Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital," or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.

HHS has proposed an additional "accommodation" for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as "non-exempt." That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation "to pay for contraception" and "to be a vehicle to get contraception." They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients.

They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.

USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate

For the full Statement, go here:  http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-163.cfm

Joe Biden, Mario the Pious and Social Justice

Well folks, after watching the debate last night, there are a couple of things..
 
1.  He talks about Social Justice and yet, a man with his means only donated a couple of hundred  dollars to charity.  I guess that Social Justice begins with YOUR money and not his.
 
2.  As expected, he used the Mario the Pious defense:  "I am opposed but..."  Either you are your faith, or not on right to life issues.  Let's be clear and frank about this (or his he going to laugh about it).  This was made famous by Mario Cuomo in the 1980s, as he looked to obtain a national office.   
 
And on a separate note, the catholycs for obama crowd are so SHAMELESS that they have a photo of Joe Biden with Mother Theresa, as if Mother Teresa would support him.   Remember what Mother Teresa said in regards to abortion: 
 
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
 
"Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants."
 
National Prayer Breakfast in Washington attended by the President and the First Lady. "What is taking place in America," she said, "is a war against the child. And if we accept that the mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another."
 
"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters"
And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign."

VOTE NO ON MD BALLOT QUESTION 4 and QUESTION 6!

A Tsunami of Secularism - Is it Too Late to Stop?

The 2012 Synod of Bishops on evangelization began its second day with a call for the Catholic Church to roll back the “tsunami of secularism” that has swept over modern society in recent decades.

“It is almost as if this tsunami, this wave has washed across everything we lived by and simply took most of it away,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. told CNA on Oct 8.

For more, go her: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/evangelization-synod-aims-to-reverse-tsunami-of-secularism/

++++++++++

Remember, Vote NO on Question 4 and Question 6 this Election Day.

Speaking as One Catholic to Another during this Election

BTW, I endorse this message.

Don't Redefine Marriage

http://www.marylandmarriagealliance.org

Catholic Voters Guide - Form a Good Conscience

Dissent Comes to Holy Trinity (Again)

Although Holy Trinity no longer advertises VOTF meetings (but they are still listed as the "sponsor" of the VOTF chapter in DC), it would seem to me that they are attempting to pick up the slack given that St. Al's is no longer operating.

On Oct. 6th, Sr. Simone Campbell will be speaking there on social justice. 

Yes, this is the same Sr. Campbell who did the "nuns on the bus" tour (who sponsored it, I would like to know), spoke at the Democrat Convention to criticise Rep. Paul Ryan and is willing to give her opinion on a number of other issues, but when it comes to abortion, she has none.

Here is the question asked of her by The Weekly Standard (Sept. 5, 2012):


TWS: On the legal question, do you think there should be penalties against abortion doctors? I mean, should it be illegal to perform abortions?
CAMPBELL: That’s beyond my pay grade. I don’t know.

You don't know?  Give me a break.

It is really shameful that a Catholic Church would give her any platform on which to speak. 

Hey, Hyattsville, did you know this?

The Wind of Change Comes to USCCB - Thanks Be To God!

When John Carr retired from the staff of the US bishops’ conference, after helping to shape the bishops’ statements on political issues for more then 25 years, we wondered whether his departure signaled a shift in USCCB policy. Today we have our answer: Yes, it does.  Jonathan J. Reyes, who will be taking Carr’s post in December, will be coming to Washington from Denver, where he was head of Catholic Charities. His work there, and especially his involvement in projects like “Christ in the City,” testify to his belief that Christian charitable work is inseparable from evangelization. In other words he sees charitable work as a witness to faith, not a call for government support.

The resumés of these two men provide a vivid contrast. Whereas John Carr was hired by the Carter administration, and worked for the White House Conference on Families. Reyes was hired by Archbishop Chaput, and worked for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Carr sat on the board of the leftist Center for Community Change; Reyes is co-founder of the Augustine Institute. Carr will be taking a post at Harvard’s Kennedy School; Reyes is a former vice-president of Christendom College.

To read it all, go to Phil Lawler's On the News Column at Catholic Culture.Org. 

(thanks to the Curt Jester)

Ken from Greenbelt - A Life Saved from Rape

Pillar of Truth: The Church & the Modern Moral Cris

 Presenter: His Excellency Paul S. Loverde, DD, Bishop of Arlington

Time: Tuesday, September 18  @ 7:30 p.m. EST

 Location: St. James Catholic Church – Heller Hall

 Address: 905 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046

Do you know of a fairly conservative parish?

A reader has lamented the fact that his/her parish is simply driving him/her crazy.  In looking at the parish website, I can see some reasons why.

Can anyone recommend a good traditional pastor/parish in MoCo or PG County?  How about readers from the Diocese of Baltimore?

Thanks!!!

No tears shed for St. Aloysius

Normally, when I hear about the closing of a Catholic church, it saddens me. And that was the way I thought when I saw the headline in The Washington comPost (Sept. 9, 2012). But my thoughts changed, as I read the article a few times.

My reading reminded me of my my previous posts and the one time, of my recent visit.  In fact, the closing is actually a good thing and may be part of the very slow revival of a faithful Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Washington.

So, we have the comment by a L. Tydings (of the People's Republic of Takoma Park), which leads many of us to believe that if you were a dissenter (pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, etc.), you were not only welcome but your views were respected and honored.

And the comment by Teddi Ann Galligan (DC) complaining about the church's stance of married and women priests. All I can say is; Hey lady, blame the fact that the Jesuits cannot attract young men to their order. Having seen them in action over the last few years, makes me wonder about their upholding of the faith, and could be one reason why men are not flocking to their order. Also, it was up to the Jesuits (although Cardinal Wuerl could have done something, if he wished) who refused to have it staffed by other orders or even to turn it over to the Archdiocese. Don't blame the Catholic Church. Look to the Jesuit's on this one Teddi Ann.

St. Al's was always a bed of dissent. It seemed to look the other way on homosexual relationships and was considered to be a very gay friendly church. It recently hosted a retreat by dissident Bishop Gumbleton (ret.). And, from the altar a parishioner was asking others to support the Occupy protesters.

So, I do not shed a tear for the closing of St. Al's.

September 11th

There are a couple of important happenings this week in the Archdiocese.  One is the preparations for the Synod.  (Did you get invited?) 

Second, is the letter from Cardinarl Wuerl to the Seminarians of the Archdiocese.  Here is an excerpt:

Your need to be well grounded in authentic Catholic teaching is important, first for your own participation in the great living, teaching tradition of the Church. One reason why you are required to take so many courses in Catholic teaching, history and philosophy is so that you are not only aware of the immense gift of the great Catholic tradition, but that you are also well prepared to access it, understand it, appropriate it and share it. Your formation should introduce you to the thought of the Fathers of the Church, the saints over centuries, the wisdom of Church Councils and the constant teaching found particularly in the Papal Magisterium.

There is also a pastoral reason for your initiation into and appreciation of the received teaching of the Church. You will, God willing your ordination, be ministering to many who have, unfortunately, been instructed in their college/university experience to accept what can be described as Catholic teaching/theology done within the “hermeneutic of discontinuity.” For reference to this term, we can turn to the address of Pope Benedict XVI to the Roman Curia December 22, 2005.

Essentially the hermeneutic of discontinuity is a defective lens through which Catholic teaching is seen. This perspective tends to accept as a starting point a rupture between the Church’s teaching prior to the Second Vatican Council and anything that follows on the Council. Our Holy Father pointed out the disruptive and harmful qualities of the acceptance of discontinuity in the life of the Church. Teachings that were never accepted as a part of Christ’s Gospel are announced now as new teaching in the “spirit” of the Council. He also noted that the hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture has “frequently availed itself of the sympathies of the mass media, and also one trend of modern theology.”

This mentality that evaluates Church teaching through the perspective of discontinuity permeated the teaching faculties of a number of Catholic schools. Thus, there are many who do not know well the Church’s intellectual tradition and the reasons for her teaching, especially her moral and social justice teaching. To them you will need to be a voice of invitation, re-proposing Christ, his Church and his teaching.


http://www.dcpriest.org/meet-us/news/801-cardinal-wuerl-writes-letter-to-seminarians-on-intellectual-formation

DeMatha Football Players Kicked Off Team

From NBC...

Five DeMatha High School football players have been removed from the team after apparently hiring three prostitutes last weekend.

Two have been withdrawn from the school, Erika Gonzalez reports, and two more are facing expulsion.

A parent said that some of the boys had sexual intercourse with the prostitutes after hiring them over the internet. They apparently brought the women to a hotel room early Saturday morning after a win in North Carolina.

More here.

Catholic Humor for a Friday...

This is the story of the blonde flying in a two-seater airplane with just the pilot.

He has a heart attack and dies. She, frantic, calls out a May Day.
"May Day! May Day! Help me! Help me! My pilot had a heart attack and is
dead. And I don't know how to fly. Help me! Please help me!"

She hears a voice over the radio saying:

"This is Air Traffic Control and I head you loud and clear. I will talk you
through this and get back on the ground. I've had a lot of experience with
this kind of problem. Now just take a deep breath. Everything will be fine!
Now give me your height and position"

She says, "I'm 5'4" and I support Obama."

"O.K." says the voice on the radio....

 "Repeat after me: Our Father. .  Who art in Heaven. . . .."

A Little Humor for a Friday

A professor - an atheist - was teaching a college class and he told the class that he was going to prove that there is no a God.
He said, "God if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!"

Ten minutes went by. He kept taunting God, saying, "Here I am God, I'm still waiting"

He got down to the last couple of minutes and a BIG 240 pound football player happened to walk by the door and heard about what the professor said.

The football player walked in the classroom and in the last minute, he walked up, hit the professor full force, and sent him flying off the platform.

The professor got up, obviously shaken and said, "Where did you come from, and why did you do that?"

The football player replied, "God was busy. He sent me."

Today is...NATIONAL EMPTY CHAIR DAY