No Mom, she's just my roommate, housing assigned her to me.

In case there had been any remaining doubt, I guess that I am officially a neanderthal. Hearing that Georgetown University, a Jesuit school, is considering "gender blind housing" for incoming students, I have apparently been caught simply napping at the station as the cultural express blazed through town.
One Georgetown student opined that such a change would be beneficial to the community as, "It would be helpful to the many people on campus who have friends of the opposite sex and who have different sexual orientations." I don't think I would have had the courage to try to sell that one to my parents.

Not quite "Man bites dog" -- but it is unusual

I am somewhat surprised to hear that a bishop actually exercised his authority and demanded an apology from a priest who had determined that he and not the pope, bishops, or magisterium should determine what is appropriate.
Fr. Larry McNally, pastor of Ascension Parish in Oak Park apparently was held to account for his pandering to secular news agencies and a segment of his parish in issuing a call for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church in spite of two-thousand years of practice and consistent teachings on the subject throughout the years. Bishop John Manz apparently demanded a public apology which has been made. I may doubt the sincerity of the apology, but I am thankful to Bishop Manz for asking for it. (story here)

Quote for today...

From Msgr. Charles Pope in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. speaking on the need for the laity to assume greater responsibility for spreading the faith:

It is simple to say the priests should do something, but it is also a fact that shepherds don't have sheep; sheep have sheep.

h/t to Greg Kandra

Under persecution -- stay or go?

A curious disconnect between the first reading for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary time for year C which was proclaimed at Mass yesterday and the report of a Syrian Orthodox Archbishop in London encouraging Iraqi Christians to abandon their homes (story here) in the face of the "ethnic cleansing" being perpetrated on the community.
The Reading taken from 2 Maccabees 7 is the one in which a mother encourages her seven sons her sons to remain faithful to the Lord to the point of death under torture. It is tough to imagine a mother able to take such a stance, yet lest we consign the possibility of such sacrifice to the pages of history perhaps we should take into account the example of the parishioners of Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church who gathered together for Mass just one week after Islamic militants attacked that congregation and left 58 people dead. This suffering community gathered again yesterday and offered prayers for their persecutors as well as for the victims. (story here). Iraq's top Catholic prelate, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, has encouraged the country's remaining 1.5million Christians to stay.
The Syrian Archbishop demonstrates a loving concern for Christians in Iraq and offers sage counsel. The Cardinal and the Catholic community of Our Lady of Salvation church are inspiring in their reliance upon God for protection. I can only prayerfully consider what choice I might be led to make under similar circumstances and ponder if there is a point at which courage and faith become foolhardiness.
Meanwhile in the United States perhaps 25% of those who describe themselves as Catholic managed to find time to worship God this weekend. As Americans we tend to value things according to their relative cost and too readily fail to recognize the treasures we have.

More names added to the list of All Saints...

As I prepared to leave the house this morning to head toward church for Mass in observance of All Saints Day, I was saddened to hear of the death (martyrdom) of Catholics in Baghdad. (story here) The Church is being assailed by a secular culture here in the United States, but at least to date we are being spared the level of persecution that is rampant in places such as Iraq, Sudan and many other nations in which Christians and particularly Catholics live with a target on their backs.
We are called to be saints. Indeed, scripture tells us that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. The crucifix serves as a reminder of that calling. A head crowned not with glory but with thorns in a mockery of kingship. The hands that set the stars in the heavens pinned to the tree in impotence, arms spread wide in love and in the emptying of self. A heart pierced and pouring out blood marking the very earth in the same manner that the blood of lambs marked the homes of those to be saved in Egypt.
I doubt that many of the 52 slain in Baghdad anticipated how close they would come to the cross as they gathered to worship. May those who paid with their lives for the faith we often take for granted inherit the promise of the kingdom and serve as an example for us as we remember all the saints this day.

Didn't see this coming...

Interesting to read that in Britain, Mohammed (under various spellings) now tops the list of the most popular name for boys with Oliver, Jack and Harry next in order. Bet you didn't expect that, did you Nigel? (story here)

Whatchu lookin' at...

I'm still processing my reactions to an experiment we tried last Saturday following the conclusion of a conference focused on the lessons of the Fathers of the Church.
The conference featuring Mike Aquilina, Rod Bennett and Carl Sommer was impressive in itself and provided much material for thought and reflection. But the thing that is sticking with me is the experience of celebrating the vigil Mass for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time according to the ordinary form (novus ordo) but facing ad orientem, that is toward the east or the same direction as the congregation for the offertory and consecration.
Predictably, although we had made people aware we would be trying this and have no plans to implement it as standard practice, some had their feathers ruffled. To those who said, "You had your back to me!" I replied, "No, I was facing God just as you were." Of those who protested that Vatican II mandated that the priest face the people, I ask "Where is that found in liturgical instructions." Not only is such an instruction not in the documents, a careful reading indicates that the assumption is that the priest would be normally facing away from the people.
Liturgical nitpicking aside, what I found remarkable in this experiment was the sense that, when the prayers were directed to God and we were all facing the same way, that prayer was being offered as from one congregation to our creator and not to one another. I experienced a heightened sense of reverence. In short, I felt a retention of those characteristics that make the Mass of Vatican II so approachable and engaging and a re-emphasis on that sense of wonder characteristic of the extraordinary form of the Mass. We retained the community identity and enhanced the realization of the Mass as sacrifice.
In theater the actors face and perform for the people, but in liturgy the only audience is our heavenly Father. This simple change of orientation eliminated any sense of performance and re-focused me on prayer.

Dolan does it again...

Is there a churchman who speaks the truth more clearly, concisely and boldly than Archbishop Dolan of New York? Once again he has had the audacity to use his blog to point out to the New York Times their obvious bias. (posting here)

In an era in which too many of our catholic leaders are willing to repeat Kevin Bacon's line from Animal House, "Thank you sir... may I please have another?", it is refreshing to hear someone say, "Enough already!"

Do you believe in God? Well then, how about Calvin Klein?

My good friend Deacon Richard Hudzik drew my attention to a study done by a Duke University marketing professor and colleagues in New York and Tel Aviv. Their paper, "Brands: The Opiate of Non-Religious Masses?," appears currently online in the journal Marketing Science. (story here)
The study revealed that the brand name logo on a laptop or a shirt pocket may do the same thing for some people that a pendant of a crucifix or Star of David does for others. Put another way, those who have no religion tend to place greater emphasis on brand names, or perhaps worship at the altar of consumerism. The more religious the individual, the less the brand name seems to matter.
Interesting food for thought.

Faith requires action

Issuing a call for Filipinos to take a stand against a proposed Reproductive Health Act that would lead to wide spread government distribution of artificial birth control devices Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, Philippines, president of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines made the following statement.

“We think faith is only believing, forgetting the important point which is doing what we believe. Remember that through faith, impossible things become possible. We don’t have to be complacent. Our problem is that we always want the easy way out."

(story here and here.)

Can he still call himself a football player?

Fr. George Koeune has written the following for his parish bulletin to encourage parents to examine their attitudes toward Sunday Mass attendance. I doubt it will make any notable impact, but perhaps some will think about it. I do enjoy the manner in which he makes his point across and his willingness to bring up the Sunday obligation when so many priests and deacons are hesitant to challenge their parishioners.

A Football Player

A football player decided not to review any of the plays in the play book the coach had given him. The football player decided it was not worth his time to learn any more details involving the intricacies of the game. The football player then decided that he did not need to practice. After all, the practices were very repetitive, somewhat boring, and he wanted more entertainment and less structure.

The football player stopped exercising. A little while later he stopped going to the weekly games. Eventually, he went to the football stadium only for the yearly homecoming games. Before long, the football player stopped going even on those days. Weeks turned into months, months turned into years, and the football player never went to the stadium to see any games. The football player spent a lot of his free time criticizing the coaches and the rules of the game.

The football player was often heard saying: “I don’t need to be on a team. I don’t care for organized sports.” The football player never exercised. He never practiced. He never tried to learn anything new about the game. Yet, he still considered himself to be a football player. He also believed that he would do just fine if he were to step onto the playing field tomorrow.

After reading all of this, do you think he would really be a good football player? Do you think it is accurate to even call him a football player? He does not practice, he does not continue to learn, he does not exercise. He may consider himself a player, but what kind of a player will he be when he takes the field?

Yours in Christ, Fr. George

We have got to do better!!

I have spent more that a few hours over the past several weeks in conversations with pastors, priests, deacons, catechists, religious education instructors and parents about the lamentable state of catechetics among American Catholics today. It appears that our evaluation of the level of religious ignorance is not overstated according to a survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
It was particularly disturbing to hear that forty percent of Catholics have no understanding of the real presence and that atheists and agnostics are more knowledgeable about religion in general.
The only bright side that I see to this study lies in its potential to serve as a wake up call forcing those of us who are called to teach the faith to re-examine our efforts. What we have been doing is not working. We have too many "cultural Catholics" who think they have rejected the faith when they have no idea of what the faith really is.
Can we tear it all down and start over?

Evil??? ...I find that comforting

Noted atheist Christopher Hitchens engaged in a debate with self-described secular Jewish agnostic David Berlinski in Birmingham, Alabama on September 7. Hosted by the Fixed Point Foundation, the debate premise was "Atheism Poisons Everything," a spin off of the subtitle of Hitchens' book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.
The debate was recorded for broadcast on C-Span and can be seen here.
From a quick scan of blogs reviewing the exchange, I would surmise that most people heard what they wanted and believe that their position triumphed. I have not yet listened to the full exchange, but was particularly intrigued by one segment reported in the Washington Times.

When asked which of Jesus’ teachings he believed to be evil, Hitchens responded that the “concept of vicarious redemption is a disgusting and immoral doctrine.” He went on to say that the “moral rot of Christianity is vicarious forgiveness.”

In essence, I am hearing Hitchens find the mystery of the Cross as the greatest evil. Most Christians seem to regard John 3:16 which tells us, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life," as the scripture that best defines the Christ experience and the ultimate statement of God's love for us. That Mr. Hitchens finds this thought so repugnant is great fodder for contemplation.

I was just stupid... what's their excuse?

Back in my college days, during the "sloppy agape" days of Catholic Liturgy of the early 1970's, one of the more popular Masses for the dormitory residents on campus at the Jesuit University I attended was the 11:00 pm Mass offered in the student union on Sunday nights. A main reason for the popularity of this Mass was the availability of coffee and donuts following the service. It was then no surprise that this service soon became regularly referred to as the Coffee and Donut Magic Show.
I've often felt contrite about my referring to the unbloodied re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary in such a disrespectful manner. But I was young and stupid -- at least the former condition has changed.
However there is a noted lack of contrition on the part of the organizers for the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK who came up with their "helpful terms" in the official booklet to be used for the papal Masses. The Vicar of Christ is described as analagous to a "headline act" and the liturgy itself as a "gig". (story here)
I'm sure Fr. Dalton, the beloved pastor of my youth, would have had a suitable dope slap ready for me had I dared used such terms -- but then, he had standards.

So affirming... so saddening

I spent a part of last night at the Chicago Catholic Campaign for Human Development Awards Event which honored the 2010 recipients of grants from the CCHD in support of their work addressing the roots of poverty. Both community and parish based programs benefit from these grants and these programs represent initiatives directed toward:

Access to Justice: enabling low-income persons and communities to have access to justice to legally protect their human and statutory rights;
Community and Economic Development: community organizing efforts, economic development, job development and employment training;
Human Development: programs that build up human dignity in individuals and social capital in disadvantaged communities, especially through education, thereby attacking root causes of poverty;
Life and Family Initiatives: projects and programs that defend human dignity, life and authentic human communities.

I was in attendance because of my involvement with Emmaus Ministries one of the grant recipients this year. It was enlightening and affirming to hear of the amount of work being done by so many grass roots organization engaged in initiatives including immigrant aid, violence prevention, worker rights, pregnancy assistance, defense of life, racial justice, family wellness and much more.
As representatives of the individual organizations responded to Fr. Rocky Hoffman's questions about their work, a common theme became evident. Each organization expressed a goal of bringing hope to the hopeless; a hope consists in a knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ. One could not help but feel energized by this sense of shared mission manifesting itself in so many different ways.
Perhaps that is why I was so saddened to learn that Planned Parenthood and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) hijacked a World Youth Conference to not only railroad their anti-life agenda, but to silence as "infiltrators" those who would promote abstinence education. (story here) Particularly disturbing is manner in which Planned Parenthood and UNFPA have evidently targeted the Girl Scouts to shape the minds of young girls into an acceptance of a "sexual rights" agenda that demeans women by placing sole emphasis on their sexual activity and ignoring their intellectual, moral, or spiritual development.
Will they ever come to realize that the human person consists of much more than just genitalia?

Words do have meaning...

The thought strikes me that we no longer reverence language. Certainly many appreciate the marvelous way in which masters such as a Shakespeare can give new life to ordinary words, or how a poet such as a Dickinson, Browning or Yeats in their poetry can elevate language to the level of art. Nevertheless, it appears that we are all too ready to sit by as words are co-opted and contorted to express concepts that are counter to their actual meaning.
Witness how supporters describe the "ella drug" which was recently approved by the FDA. Supporters choose to describe this drug as contraceptive when in actuality the drug begins working days after conception. This is the "morning after" pill designed to be taken up to 120 hours (five days) after intercourse. The very description of the effects of this drug make it evident that it is an abortifacient, not a contraceptive. But the creative use of language makes it appear much more benign. (information here)
Perhaps we will get to the point that we allow infanticide to be termed "post-natal contraception."

Let's celebrate youth by exterminating some of them!

George Orwell grows in my estimation with each passing year. ZENIT reports today on the observation made by L'Osservatore Romano that the International year of youth that the United Nations began this month is becoming a forum to promote abortion.

"On UNFPA's Web page are several U.N. initiatives [...] oriented to the promotion of universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, language that, as is known, makes reference to contraception and abortion, as well as to the promotion of brazen sexual education," the Vatican newspaper explains.

"Distressing as well," the paper adds, is the fact that "in the provisional documents published before the preparatory conference that is being held in Leon, Mexico, from Aug. 23-27, no mention is made of the Convention for the Rights of Children."

"This document is certainly not perfect, but it stresses the basic rights and duties of parents to educate and raise their children," the article notes. Meanwhile in the draft statement of the preparatory conference, no mention is made of the terms "child" and "parents."

The Vatican daily characterized this report as manifesting a "radical conception of youthful autonomy, which seeks to break all bonds between parents and children."

"[T]o strike the heart of the family does not help young people," the article affirmed.

In opposition to this trend, L'Osservatore Romano suggested taking into account the Magna Carta of Values, presented at the United Nations on Aug. 13 by the World Youth Parliament.

Magna Carta of Values at World Youth Parliament site: www.wyparliament.org/index/

Unity lost when the Bishop is rejected...

The continuing saga of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in St. Louis seems no closer to coming to an end. A story in the New York Times last week gives an update and overview on the long running dispute between a renegade congregation and the local ordinary. This entire episode serves to reinforce the importance of maintaining unity with the bishop in the local church.

The controversy, involving the control of the temporal goods of the parish, centered on whether the property and monetary assets would be controlled by a pastor appointed by the archbishop, which is the canonical norm, or by a lay board of directors. The controversy began under Cardinal John J. Glennon and continued under Cardinal Joseph Ritter, Archbishop John L. May, Cardinal Justin Rigali and continued under Archbishop Emeritus Raymond Leo Burke.

After Archbishop Burke removed the priests from the parish, the lay board sought their own priest and convinced Fr. Marek Bozek to leave his diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau without the permission of his ordinary. Fr. Bozek incurred excommunication for creating a schism and was laicized. The lay board members also incurred the penalty of excommunication.

But the story keeps getting better. After the Vatican upheld the actions of Archbishop Burke in announcing the excommunications and in suppressing the parish, the members of the lay board reconciled themselves fully to the Catholic Church. However, Mr. (formerly Fr.) Bozek installed a new lay board and continues to hold services.

It seems that Fr. Bozek has an agenda of his own in calling for the ordination of women to the priesthood, dropping of celibacy, and opening priesthood to practicing homosexuals. Most of the former parishioners have left St. Stan's, but Bozek apparently has attracted a sufficient number of new "progressive" congregants that a proposed settlement with the Archdiocese was rejected by a vote of 257 to 185. It should be noted that those former parishioners who chose to not support the now laicized Bozek and went to other Catholic Churches, were not allowed to vote.

One can follow the rather dizzying trail of this story on the web site of the Archdiocese and the numerous statements and articles archived thereon. (link here) It is a sad and painful tale that is still unfolding. Pray for the people of St. Stanislaus Kostka.

No free market for monks...

It strikes me as strange that Benedictine monks would have to go to federal court in order to be allowed to sell the caskets that they make, but that is apparently the case in Louisiana. (story here)
I am familiar with caskets made by other monastic communities such as at St. Meinrad, Indiana, the Trappists at New Melleray, Iowa, and by the Benedictines monks of the Holy Cross in Chicago (www.monsterycaskets.com). I have admired the simple elegance of these caskets when I have seen them used in services and have appreciated that these represent a reasonably priced option for families who are often taken advantage of during a time of grief.
It seems that funeral directors in Louisiana were willing to act as a clearing house for sale of the caskets, but they wanted to buy the caskets for half of the $1,500 to $2,000 charged by the monks and then tack on $1,000 for their effort. I fail to see what interest that State of Louisiana has in requiring that caskets be sold only by licensed funeral directors -- particularly as their laws do not require that a casket be purchased at all. Perhaps it is just the interest of the legislators who wish to benefit from the financial support of the funeral industry.

Now let us continue to go forward...

I was pleased to see that attorney William McMurry who has made a living pursuing sexual abuse charges against priests has decided to drop his lawsuit against the Vatican and the Pope. I acknowledge that Mr. McMurry has helped bring a modicum of justice to some legitimate victims but have felt that he was over zealous at times in his quest for clients.
Now that we are saved the distraction of this particular law suit, there is an opportunity to increase the efforts we are putting forth in seeking assistance for victims and in assuring that policies and procedures are in effect at each of our parishes and schools to prevent future instances of abuse.
The problem of child sexual abuse is a societal problem and not merely a Catholic issue. I am proud of the steps that have been taken by dioceses across the nation in recent years to educate people about the issue of sexual abuse, to provide them with the tools to become more effective protectors of children and to assure the safety of children in our churches and schools. We now have a chance to step up those efforts and provide a model for public schools and institutions whose issues with the same problem has long been ignored.

Excommunicate her? Don't bother, she has already left.

Judge Sheila O'Brien published an op ed piece in today's Chicago Tribune which definitely caught my attention. (article here). In short, she lambastes the Catholic Church with unsubstantiated allegations, manufactured arguments, and ad hominem arguments. When she states, "We have waited for the civil authorities to empanel grand juries and bring indictments, but that has not happened," I wonder why as a sitting judge she hasn't done anything? She accuses the Church of protecting pedophiles but fails to cite a single instance. She claims the "hierarchy" will not open their books so they can see where the money goes, so I assume she has never reviewed the reports issued by the Archdiocese in which she resides which are available on line and published in the Archdiocesan paper.
Her piece is entitled, "Excommunicate me please!" I can only assume she lacks the courage of her apparent convictions.

Homily for 18th Sunday of Ordinary time

Marian Anderson (born Feb. 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. — died April 8, 1993, Portland, Ore.) U.S. singer. She was immediately recognized for the beauty of her voice and her artistry at her New York City debut in 1924, but the fact that she was black made a concert or opera career in the U.S. impossible. Her London debut in 1930 and tours of Scandinavia established her in Europe, where she worked exclusively until 1935. When she was denied use of Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to sing at the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert was broadcast to great acclaim. Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, the first performance there by a black singer, took place in 1955, when she was in her late 50s.

The concert impresario Sol Hurok once remarked that Marian Anderson had not simply grown great, she had grown great simply:

"A few years ago a reporter interviewed Marian and asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. I was in her dressing room at the time and was curious to hear the answer.

"I knew she had many big moments to choose from. There was the night Toscanini told her that hers was the finest voice of the century. There was the private concert she gave at the White House for the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. She had received the $10,000 Bok Award as the person who had done the most for her home town, Philadelphia. To top it all, there was that Easter Sunday in Washington when she stood beneath the Lincoln statue and sang for a crowd of 75,000, which included Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and most members of Congress."

Which of those moments did Anderson choose? "None of them," Hurok recalled. "Miss Anderson told the reporter that the greatest moment of her life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to take in washing anymore."

I spent a day and a half last weekend at a seminar at Cardinal Stritch retreat house in Mundelein. The object of the seminar was to discuss the presentation of the Church’s position on same sex union in a manner that is both true and charitable.

Coleen Kelly Mast, one of the hosts of "The Doctor is In" on Ave Maria radio, in speaking on traditional marriage made a very telling distinction that, I believe, ties in well with the Scriptures today. She made the point that the ultimate goal of marriage is fulfillment for the individuals. That fulfillment comes from seeking the good of the other; it is a fruitful, mutual, self-giving. By contrast, same sex unions are by nature unfruitful and have the less lofty goal of gratification rather than fulfillment.

The thought of the distinction between gratification and fulfillment has remained with me for much of the past week. We live in a culture that constantly tells us to seek gratification, yet we long for fulfillment. The advertising industry is based upon implanting the thought in our minds that our lives are incomplete. They create false needs and then offer products designed to satisfy those needs.

We have become a nation of addicts seeking satisfaction, seeking gratification in the things of the world. As junkies seek heroin or cocaine, or alcoholics seek booze for momentary gratification, we are taught to seek money, power, prestige, possessions to satisfy our own needs.

Yet, like the junkie and the alcoholic, we never have enough. There is always the larger salary, the bigger home, the more luxurious car, the more exotic vacation, the newer video game that holds the promise of gratification. But none of these offer fulfillment.

You see, gratification is directed to the self and is sought outside the self. Fulfillment is directed toward others and toward God and is to be sought within ourselves and within our relationships.

Like Marian Anderson, we find our greatest moment, our fulfillment not in personal achievement, but in living for others. As Christians we judge our success not by the square footage of our homes, the number or cost of our automobiles, the balances in our bank or investment accounts, but rather in how closely we conform to the image of Christ.

As Christians, how do we measure our success? We look into the mirror and ask how closely we resemble the figure on the cross. As Paul said, “Stop lying to one another… You have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” So we are to seek what is above.

John Paul II put it this way in his address to the youth of the world gathered in Rome in 2000:

It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness, he is waiting for you when nothing else satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity…..

That is why we come here today and every Sunday. We come not for the gratification of hearing some preacher, beautiful music or elaborate pageantry. We come for the fulfillment of uniting ourselves with Jesus Christ. We come here to receive that to which we aspire. By nourishing ourselves with the body of Christ, may we conform ourselves more closely to Him and strive for the wealth that will last forever.

For in the end, we take with us only that which we have given away.

the homily as delivered in in mp3 format at http://chickoleary.com/homilies/8-1-10%20Chick%2018th%20Sun%20Ord.mp3

This looks good... but,.........

I'm too much of a cynic to trust the University of Illinois, however I am encouraged to see that they have invited Prof. Ken Howell to teach there again in the fall. But now he will be paid by the University and not by the Diocese of Springfield as was previously the case. On the surface it looks good... but I've been around the block before.
(story here)

Shuffle off this mortal coil in comfort and style

There is the old joke about the beggar who stood outside church each Sunday. Each week one congregant made a point to give the beggar $10. But one Sunday he handed the man a single five-dollar bill.
"What's the matter?" the beggar asked, "You usually give me $10!"
"I'm having a tough year," his benefactor responded.
"You're having a tough time," the beggar echoed, "so why should I suffer?"
I suspect that Dr. Stuart Weisberg could identify with the thinking of the beggar. Dr. Weisberg is a psychiatrist operating in Portland, Oregon who is opening a "Dignity House" to take advantage of the financial opportunities created by Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act."
Dr. Weisberg will be offering a range of services to those who wish end their lives including options such as media relations, a professionally edited video documenting the grand event, music, beautician services, catering, and even an option to spend three hours with Dr. Weisberg and his "therapy dog" for only $1200. (fee schedule here)
I'm sure the good doctor is simply concerned with allowing suffering people to find peace, and if he can pocket about $5,000 per head so much the better.

An interesting journey

I have been following news stories about Ken Howell, the adjunct professor at the University of Illinois fired for expressing the Catholic Church's teaching in a course on Catholicism and modern Catholic thought. (I know, it sounds ridiculous but there you have it)
Yesterday in searching for news stories updating the case, I ran across an article published in the Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette giving background on professor Howell. I was surprised to learn that he is a former Presbyterian minister who came into the Catholic Church in 1995 and that part of his journey came from an appreciation of the concept of redemptive suffering so valued in Catholicism. I came away with even great respect for professor Howell.
The story can be found here.

When I say "Body of Christ," you respond "arf!"

The late Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI both demonstrated a commitment to ecumenism in an effort to restore unity to the Body of Christ that is the Church. I laud their efforts however I stop short of wishing for the inter-communion evidenced by at least one Toronto Anglican minister (story here). Perhaps I am simply anti-canite (to coin a Seinfeldesque term) intolerant of those who share communion with man's best friend.

Honesty... the best policy

I won't comment on the morals of either of the principals involved in this story, but the implications of an individual being convicted of "Rape by deception" are most intriguing. For the "players" out there you might want to think twice before you answer the question, "Will you respect me in the morning?", or "Gee, are you really a neurosurgeon?"
(story here)

What's a good confessional worth?

In Austria it was determined that the auctioning of items used in dispensing the sacraments was not appropriate. Unfortunately in the US a similar item might be listed as "Like New -- Never been used!"

VIENNA — Some Catholics may well sweat in the confessional as they admit to things they shouldn't have done. But Vienna's archdiocese has ruled that the box-like structure where believers confess their sins cannot be turned into a sauna.

Bidding on a confessional described on eBay as ideal for conversion into a one-person sauna, a small bar or a children's playhouse was ended when the archdiocese stepped in.

Archdiocese spokesman Erich Leitenberger told the daily Salzburger Nachrichten that auctioning "objects that were used for dispensing the sacraments is not acceptable."

Confessionals "should not be converted into saunas or bars," he was quoted Tuesday as saying. Leitenberger did not return calls to the AP.

The confessional was offered for auction by a Vienna church undergoing renovations.

Curiously, the highest reported amount offered by one of the 40 bidders before the item was yanked from the internet Monday was 666.66 euros.

The number 666 is commonly associated with the Antichrist — or the devil.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The Claude Newman story

Yesterday a St. Lambert parishioner who took note of my surname inquired whether I had a relation who had been a priest in the Society of the Divine Word. Though I am unrelated to the Fr. O'Leary she was thinking of, she thought I might appreciate the story with which he is connected. At her suggestion I googled for the story of the conversion of Claude Newman. I followed her suggestion and was glad I did. This is too good not to share.

The True Account of Prisoner Claude Newman (1944) by John Vennari, from the March 2001 issue of “Catholic Family News.”

[Edited by Catholic Dispatch]

The following true story of Claude Newman took place in Mississippi in 1944. The account was told by Father O’Leary, a priest from Mississippi, who was directly involved with the events. He has left for posterity an audio recording it.

Mary the teacher

Claude Newman was a negro man who worked the fields for a landowner. He had married when he was 17 years old to a woman of the same age. One day, two years later, he was out plowing the fields. Another worker ran to tell Claude that his wife was screaming from the house. Immediately Claude ran into his house and found a man attacking his wife. Claude saw red, grabbed an axe and split the man’s head open. When they rolled the man over, they discovered that it was the favorite employee of the landowner for whom Claude worked. Claude was arrested. He was later sentenced for murder and condemned to die in the electric chair.

While he was in jail awaiting execution, he shared a cell-block of some sort with four other prisoners. One night, the five men were sitting around talking and they ran out of conversation. Claude noticed a medal on a string around another prisoner’s neck. He asked what it was, and the Catholic boy told him that it was a medal. Claude said, “What is a medal?” The Catholic boy could not explain what a medal was or what its purpose was. At that point, and in anger, the Catholic boy snatched the medal from his own neck and threw it on the floor at Claude’s feet with a curse and a cuss, telling him to take the thing.

Claude picked up the medal, and with permission from the prison attendants, placed it on a string around his own neck. To him it was simply a trinket, but he wanted to wear it.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

During the night, sleeping on top of his cot, he was awakened with a touch on his wrist. And there stood, as Claude told the priest later, the most beautiful woman that God ever created. At first he was very frightened. The Lady calmed down Claude, and then said to him, “If you would like Me to be your Mother, and you would like to be My child, send for a priest of the Catholic Church.” With that She disappeared.

Claude immediately became terrified, and started to scream, “a ghost, a ghost”, and fled to the cell of one of the other prisoners. He then started screaming that he wanted a Catholic priest.

Father O’Leary , the priest who tells the story, was called first thing the next morning. He arrived and found Claude who told him of what had happened the night before. Then Claude, along with the other four men in his cell-block, asked for religious instruction, for catechism.

Initially, Father O’Leary had difficulty believing the story. The other prisoners told the priest that everything in the story was true; but of course, they neither saw nor heard the vision of the Lady.

Father O’Leary promised to teach them catechism, as they had requested. He went back to his parish, told the rector what had happened, and returned to the prison the next day to give instruction.

It was then that the priest learned that Claude Newman could neither read nor write at all. The only way he could tell if a book was right-side-up was if the book contained a picture. Claude had never been to school. And his ignorance of religion was even more profound. He knew nothing at all about religion. He did not know who Jesus was. He did not know anything except that there was a God.

Claude began receiving instructions, and the other prisoners helped him with his studies. After a few days, two of the religious Sisters from Father O’Leary’s parish-school obtained permission from the warden to come to the prison. They wanted to meet Claude, and they also wanted to visit the women in the prison. On another floor of the prison, the Sisters then started to teach some of the women-prisoners catechism as well.

Several weeks passed, and it came time when Father O’Leary was going to give instructions about the Sacrament of Confession. The Sisters too sat in on the class. The priest said to the prisoners, “Okay, boys, today I’m going to teach you about the Sacrament of Confession.”

Claude said, “Oh, I know about that!”

“The Lady told me,” said Claude, “that when we go to confession we are kneeling down not before a priest, but we’re kneeling down by the Cross of Her Son. And that when we are truly sorry for our sins, and we confess our sins, the Blood He shed flows down over us and washes us free from all sins.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

Father O’Leary and the Sisters sat stunned with their mouths wide open. Claude thought they were angry and said, “Oh don’t be angry, don’t be angry, I didn’t mean to blurt it out.”

The priest said, “We’re not angry. We’re just amazed. You have seen Her again?”

Claude said, “Come around the cell-block away from the others.”

When they were alone, Claude said to the priest, “She told me that if you doubted me or showed hesitancy, I was to remind you that lying in a ditch in Holland, in 1940, you made a vow to Her which She’s still waiting for you to keep.” And, Father O’Leary recalls, “Claude told me exactly what the vow was.”

This convinced Father O’Leary that Claude was telling the truth about his visions of Our Lady.

They then returned to the catechism class on Confession. And Claude kept telling the other prisoners, “You should not be afraid to go to confession. You’re really telling God your sins, not this priest, or any priest. We’re telling God our sins.” Then Claude said, “You know, the Lady said [that Confession is] something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God and God talks back to us through the priest.”

About a week later, Father O’Leary was preparing to teach the class about the Blessed Sacrament. The Sisters were present for this too. Claude indicated that the Lady had also taught him about Holy Communion, and he asked if he could tell the priest what She said. The priest agreed immediately. Claude related, “The Lady told me that in Communion, I will only see what looks like a piece of bread. But She told me that THAT is really and truly Her Son. And that He will be with me just for a few moments as He was with Her before He was born in Bethlehem. And that I should spend my time like She did, in all Her time with Him, in loving Him, adoring Him, thanking Him, praising Him and asking Him for blessings. I shouldn’t be bothered by anybody else or anything else. But I should spend those few minutes with Him.”

Eventually they finished the instructions, Claude was received into the Catholic Church, and the time came for Claude to be executed. He was to be executed at five minutes after twelve, midnight.

The sheriff asked him, “Claude, you have the privilege of a last request. What do you want?”

“Well,” said Claude, “you’re all shook up. The jailer is all shook up. But you don’t understand. I’m not going to die. Just this body. I’m going to be with Her. So, can I have a party?”

“What do you mean?”, asked the sheriff.

“A Party!” said Claude. “Will you give Father permission to bring in some cakes and ice cream and will you allow the prisoners on the second floor to be turned loose in the main room so that we can all be together and have a party?”

“Somebody might attack Father,” cautioned the warden.

Claude turned to the men who were standing by and said, “Oh no, they won’t. Will you fellas?”

So, the priest visited a wealthy patron of the parish, and she supplied the ice cream and cake. They had their party.

Afterwards, because Claude had requested it, they made a Holy Hour. The priest had brought prayer books from the Church and they all said together the Stations of the Cross, and a had a Holy Hour, without the Blessed Sacrament.

Afterwards, the men were put back in their cells. The priest went to the chapel to get the Blessed Sacrament so that he could give Claude Holy Communion.

Father O’Leary returned to Claude’s cell. Claude knelt on one side of the bars, the priest knelt on the other, and they prayer together as the clock ticked toward Claude’s execution.

Fifteen minutes before the execution, the sheriff came running up the stairs shouting, “Reprieve, Reprieve, the Governor has given a two-week reprieve!” Claude had not been aware that the sheriff and the District Attorney were trying to get a stay of execution for Claude to save his life. When Claude found out, he started to cry.

The priest and the sheriff thought it was a reaction of joy because he was not going to be executed. But Claude said, “Oh you men don’t know. And Father, you don’t know. If you ever looked into Her face, and looked into Her eyes, you wouldn’t want to live another day.”

Claude then said, “What have I done wrong these past weeks that God would refuse me my going home?” And the priest said that Claude sobbed as one who was brokenhearted.

The sheriff left the room. The priest remained and gave Claude Holy Communion. Claude eventually quieted down. Then Claude said, “Why? Why must I still remain here for two weeks?”

The priest had a sudden idea.

He reminded Claude about a prisoner in the jail who hated Claude intensely. This prisoner had led a horribly immoral life, and he too was sent to be executed.

The priest said, “Maybe Our Blessed Mother wants you to offer this denial of being with Her for his conversion.” The priest continued, “Why don’t you offer to God every moment you are separated from Her for this prisoner so that he will not be separated from God for all eternity.”

Claude agreed, and asked the priest to teach him the words to make the offering. The priest complied. At the time, the only two people who knew about this offering were Claude and Father O’Leary.

The next day, Claude said to the priest, “That prisoner hated me before, but Oh! Father, how he hates me now!” The priest said, “Well, that’s a good sign.”

Two weeks later, Claude was executed.

Father O’Leary remarked, “I’ve never seen anyone go to his death as joyfully and happily. Even the official witnesses and the newspaper reporters were amazed. They said they couldn’t understand how anyone could go and sit in the electric chair actually beaming with happiness.”

His last words to Father O’Leary were, “Father, I will remember you. And whenever you have a request, ask me, and I will ask Her.”

Two months later, the white man, who had hated Claude, was to be executed. Father O’Leary said, “This man was the filthiest, most immoral person I had ever come across.” His hatred for God, for everything spiritual,” said the priest, “defied description.”

Just before his execution, the county doctor pleaded with this man to at least kneel down and say the Our Father before the sheriff would come for him.

The prisoner spat in the doctor’s face.

When he was strapped into the electric chair, the sheriff said to him, “If you have something to say, say it now.”

The condemned man started to blaspheme.

All of a sudden the condemned man stopped, and his eyes became fixed on the corner of the room, and his face turned to one of absolute horror.

He screamed.

Turning to the sheriff, he then said, “Sheriff, get me a priest!”

Now, Father O’Leary had been in the room because the law required a clergyman to be present at executions. The priest, however, had hidden himself behind some reporters because the condemned man had threatened to curse God if he saw a clergyman at all.

Father O’Leary immediately went to the condemned man. The room was cleared of everyone else, and the priest heard the man’s confession. The man said he had been a Catholic, but turned away from his religion when he was 18 because of his immoral life.

When everyone returned to the room, the sheriff asked the priest, “What made him change his mind?”

“I don’t know ” said Father O’Leary, “I didn’t ask him.”

The sheriff said, “Well, I’ll never sleep if I don’t.”

The Sheriff turned to the condemned man and asked, “Son, what changed your mind?”

The prisoner responded, “Remember that black man ­ Claude – who I hated so much? Well he’s standing there [he pointed], over in that corner. And behind him with one hand on each shoulder is the Blessed Mother. And Claude said to me, ‘I offered my death in union with Christ on the Cross for your salvation. She has obtained for you this gift, to see your place in Hell if you do not repent.’ I was shown my place in Hell, and that’s when I screamed.”

This, then, is the power of Our Lady.

We see many parallels between these facts of Claude Newman story and the Message of Fatima in 1917. There is the emphasis on:

Sacramental Confession,
Holy Communion,
Making sacrifices for Sinners,
the vision of Hell.
“Many souls go to Hell” said Our Lady of Fatima, “because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.”

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Icon of “Mary the Teacher” © Copyright 2004 Brother Claude Lane, OSB Mount Angel Abbey

I am grateful to Br Claude in addition for the following footnote:

The promise Fr. O’Leary made to Our Lady in 1940 from a ditch in Holland (the proof Claude gave the priest that Our Lady really was appearing to him) was this: that when he could, he would build a church in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception. He did just that in 1947. He had been transferred to Clarkesdale, Mississippi in 1945 when a group Black Catholic laymen asked to have a church built there. The Bishop of Natchez had been sent $5000 by Archbishop Cushing of Boston for the “Negro missions.” The church is still there today.

One more for the "George Orwell was an optimist" file

Do you recall in the debate over the University of Notre Dame's decision to present an honorary doctorate to President Obama that many of the defenders of that decision argued that universities are places for the frank exchange of ideas, places where differences can be expressed, explored and discussed?
Well, maybe not so much. Witness the University of Illinois' decision to fire adjunct professor Ken Howell for teaching the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality in a course on modern Catholic thought. The rationale -- this was hate speech.
(story here)

Forgiveness and the one who lived

I was out at University of St. Mary of the Lake last week for a scripture seminar. As I went around the lake on the grounds of the campus my mind wandered back to a tragic auto accident that occurred there several years back. Two young seminarians were killed when the car driven by a third seminarian crashed into some trees. The three young men had been out for pizza and some drinks and were traveling well in excess of the posted speed limit.
One of the seminarians killed was Matty Molnar whom I had met about five months prior to that accident. I recalled how impressive Matty was -- an accomplished musician, a warm and engaging individual, and a devout Christian. He would serve the Church well. Alas, he never got the chance.
As I recalled that tragic accident, I wondered what happened to that third seminarian. I knew he pleaded guilty to charges from the accident and left the seminary. Whatever became of the one who lived?
Today I see a posting on The Deacon's Bench that references an article which answers that question. This is a story of loss, of reconciliation and of the power of forgiveness.
God is good!

Hyundai pulls ad

In response to objections voiced by Catholics, Hyundai has reportedly pulled the "Wedding" commercial which I was not alone in finding offensive. While I applaud their quick response, I am still amazed no one in their marketing department or advertising agency had the awareness to foresee the problem.
Perhaps that is why Sam Gustin, in his report on this in Daily Finance, presents the speculation that the marketing plan might have been to elicit outrage in order to ensure "viral value" for the internet video of the commercial. (story here)

This well sell a lot of Hyundais... but not to me.

Hyundai apologists will certainly say that they are not mocking Catholic liturgy, merely using this to demonstrate the rabid loyalty of their customers. However, I believe that they are complicit in using the mockery of others in an attempt to sell vehicles.



Maybe this is part of a series of commercials and the next one shows a muezzin calling people to prayer from a minaret and then chanting in Arabic, "There is no God but God, and soccer is his game!" while people face Mecca and prostrate themselves.
But somehow I think that is not the case.

Quote of the day....

It is a "...particularly regrettable irony that the one person in all of occupied Europe who did more than anyone else to halt the dreadful crime and alleviate its consequences is today made the scapegoat for the failures of others."
Jewish Holocaust scholar Jeno Levai speaking of Pope Pius XII. (story on Zenit)

Here is a commentary I didn't expect to see...

For men of my generation, Raquel Welch was the icon for the sexuality of the '60's and '70's.
For that reason I was surprised to see this quote on The Deacon's Bench

if an aging sex symbol like me starts waving the red flag of caution over how low moral standards have plummeted, you know it's gotta be pretty bad. In fact, it's precisely because of the sexy image I've had that it's important for me to speak up and say: Come on girls! Time to pull up our socks! We're capable of so much better.

Her full commentary is on CNN (here)

There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on...

An Islamic cleric asserts that "...attractive women who wear makeup, snub traditional Islamic attire and dress 'inappropriately' incite extramarital sex, which causes more earthquakes." (story here)
Well, back in the day -- i.e. before I promised celibacy -- I acknowledge that a comely lass could easily turn my head, cause my heart to skip a beat, or perhaps even set my knees to a knockin'. But I don't think I ever met the one that could rock my world in the way this cleric envisions.
Perhaps I don't get around enough.

Just tell the truth and own up to your bias...

You have to admire Archbishop Dolan for his forthrightness and willingness to speak the truth even when that involves stepping on toes.
Witness this post on his blog.

Putting the record straight

It seems the presiding judge for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in the trial of the late Rev. Lawrence Murphy is dismayed at the lack of competence and professionalism exhibited by reporters of the New York Times in reporting on this matter and their apparent haste to find a means to implicate Pope Benedict in the (mis)handling of this case.
Had the NYT been interested in accurate reporting it seems to me that someone would have tried to contact those intimately involved in the case -- especially when they are quoting those persons.
Fr. Thomas Brundage's article in the Catholic Anchor is quite illuminating.


h/t The Deacon's Bench

Who caused the delay?

It seems that the retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland, former head of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in an interview with the BBC stated that he thought it took the Vatican took too long to address the child sexual abuse case of the late Rev. Lawrence Murphy who was accused of abusing many of his charges during his time running a school for the deaf in Milwaukee in the 1950's, '60's and '70's. (story here)
This is in regards to the 2-year span between the time that Archbishop Weakland sent a letter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1996 and the recommendation in 1998 by the Congregation to not pursue canonical proceedings against Murphy who was not in public ministry, had no allegations of misbehavior in the intervening 25 years, and was in poor health. Indeed, Murphy died a few months later.
Isn't it disingenuous of the former Archbishop to make a claim of an unwarranted delay on the part of the Vatican in responding to his letter, when he had been Archbishop of Milwaukee since 1977, or about 19 years before he got around to sending the letter in the first place?

Divide and conquer

It seems that the White House was instrumental in orchestrating a public statement by a group of 55 religious women in support of the administration's proposed health care bill in a break with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. (story here)
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs disclosed that President Barack Obama actively promoted the Catholic Health Association's public break with the American Catholic bishops to support his health care legislation.
This group purported to represent 59,000 religious women in the US. However Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, president of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious which represents over 100 congregations of women religious was quick to step up to affirm their opposition to the legislation as currently proposed and support for the USCCB in their stance. (story here)
It is amazing how elusive and malleable truth can be in the hands of experts.

Someone you should know...

The Archdiocese of Chicago made this announcement yesterday:
"Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, has announced that Fr. Augustus Tolton’s cause for sainthood is being introduced in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Cardinal has appointed Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, as the Postulator for the cause of Fr. Tolton. Bishop Perry will be responsible for making Fr. Tolton better known and encouraging prayer to him."
The introduction of Fr. Tolton's cause for sainthood will allow many who had never heard of him to come to an appreciation of this pioneer of the American church who died entirely too young.
A bit of his story can be found here.

"How'd ya like to try my s'mores...."

OK, so maybe I'm just an old frustrated prude, but the following piece I found disturbing. It seems that the objectification of women is now encouraged to begin at least by age 10, and that the satisfaction of one's own animal desires trumps any sense of personal responsibility. Unnerving at the very least.

Planned Parenthood tells Girl Scouts to “talk dirty”

The World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides hosted a panel this week where Planned Parenthood was allowed to hand out a brochure encouraging girls to “talk dirty” to their sex partners, to engage in aberrant sex, and claiming there is no right or wrong way to have sex. The no-parents-invited Girl Scout panel was a part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

The brochure, published by International Planned Parenthood Association and entitled “Healthy, Happy and Hot,” says that young people living with HIV have the “right to sexual pleasure” and “have the right to decide if, when and how to disclose their HIV status.” It goes on to say that laws requiring young people to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners “violate the rights of people living with HIV by forcing them to disclose or face the possibility of criminal charges,” and tells them to complain about any agency that tells them they should not have sex, and to shop around for a place where they feel more respected.

According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:

The Girl Scouts…have been co-moderating a young women’s caucus that included an “Intergenerational Conversation” side event on “universal access” and “reproductive health.” One recent Girl Scout project “aims at securing the right of women, men and adolescents aged between ten and twenty-five, to better reproductive and sexual health.”

(full story here)

A case of impaired vision

As if the United States wasn't crazy enough, Zenit reports this case out of Poland. The lady claimed her pregnancy affected her eyesight, perhaps as in blinding her to the humanity of her child.

Polish Catholic Paper Punished for Abortion View

Loses Appeal in What's Seen as Freedom of Speech Battle

ROME, MARCH 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic weekly published by the Archdiocese of Katovice has lost an appeal and is being obliged to pay compensation and apologize to a woman who has become a symbolic figure for the pro-abortion campaign in Poland.

A statement from the "Gosc Niedzielny" reacted to the Friday decision confirming that "we consider this sentence unjust and limiting of the freedom of speech. Once again 'Gosc Niedzielny' must ask for pardon for words it has never written."

The newspaper said the appeals court decision is a "dangerous precedent" by which courts can interpret the context and general message of newspaper articles.

"This implies not only a serious limitation of the freedom of speech, but also a serious limitation of the right of Catholics to take part in the public debate," it added.

The case regards the situation of Alicja Tysiac, a mother of three who sought to abort her third child on the grounds that the pregnancy affected her eyesight.

In Poland, abortion is illegal except for cases in which the mother's life is in danger, the baby is seriously malformed, or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

Tysiac was unable to get approval to abort her child (who was born in 2000) and took the case to the European Court of Human Rights. The court found in her favor in 2007, obliging the Polish government to pay €25,000 (now about $34,000) in damages.

This led the "Gosc Niedzielny" to lament that "we are living in a world where a mother is granted an award for the fact that she very much wanted to kill her child, but was forbidden to do so."

The editorial also compares abortion to the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps.

Monsignor Jozef Kloch, spokesman of the Polish episcopate, commented on the appeals court ruling, saying: "This verdict makes us see how the pro-abortion lobby intends to stealthily introduce in Poland abortion by request."

Does this make sense to you?

Consider this, Illinois is facing an almost $13 billion budget shortfall next year. The total budget is about $56 billion, but half of that is earmarked for federal programs, dedicated road funds and other things that can't be touched. The state's regular working budget is about $26 billion — which means that, without major new revenue, about half of it would have to be cut to get it in balance.

Against that backdrop Illinois legislators who are part of the pro-abortion lobby are resurrecting the "Reproductive Health and Access Act" (HB6205), which is essentially the same FOCA bill rejected a year ago, in an effort to make sure the state makes funds available to kill the unborn. (OK, so my choice of language may be a bit polemical, but I grow angry at those who sit back and, under the innocent sounding description "choice" try to ingrain the right of one person to choose that another person should die.) At a time when the state's working budget exceeds revenue to fund it by 100%, this bill's sponsors want to not only fund abortions but also in vitro fertilization for those who are on Medicaid.

Even if I were not revolted by the thought that some people are so quick to designate some lives as undeserving of life, when I can't meet half of my existing bills, I would not be in a rush to pay for services that go to fund organizations such as Planned Parenthood which profit from the business of death especially while targeting specific racial and economic groups. But then, that's just me.

Social Justice = Communism??!!

Glen Beck is definitely the guy I turn to for reasoned insight and compassion. Look at the America Magazine take on his pronouncement to "...look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes." (story here)
Whatta guy!

Turning the other cheek is tough...

A lot of people think I'm either too sensitive or paranoid re: attacks on the church today. But just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get me.
In the news today, more than 500 Christians were murdered by the Muslim Fulani ethnic group in Nigeria where the Catholic Church has been under persecution for years. (story here) A few months back I had the opportunity to share some time with a young priest from Nigeria who related several stories that I found hard to understand in this day and age. Persecution is alive and well.
In another story on Saturday I read of the Muslim journalists who apologized after having boasted that they had desecrated the by receiving and spitting out a communion wafer in Malaysia. The apology claims that any insult was unintentional and resulting from ignorance. (story here)
I'm sure the Christian response will be a bit more moderate that might be expected of the Muslim community had the tables been turned.
At least in the United States persecution of the Church tends to be more limited to attempts on the part of politicians and secular society to marginalize Christians or to deny Catholic bishops the right to weigh in on moral issues in the public sphere.

Have you had your "Death Cookie" today?

The Deacon's Bench carries the story of the Baptist church in Tennessee publishing a pamphlet which in addition to describing the pope as the anti-christ, refers to the eucharist as a "death cookie." (link here)
I often wonder how these "Bible Believing" groups manage to skip over so much of the Bible and contort themselves to creatively interpret John 6.

Time sure flies...

Apparently the magnitude 8.8 quake that rocked Chile last week shifted Earth's axis re-distributing the planet's mass and shortening the day by 1.26 microseconds. (story here) Here I thought the days seemed shorter just because I'm older.

Got time for a "quickie'?

Fr. Michael Kenny of Galway has garnered attention for the number of worshippers flocking to his "quickie" Mass. (story here) To attract people who have to go to work, Fr. Kenny moved his Mass time from 9 am to 7:30 am and limits the duration of the Mass to 15 minutes.
I definitely have mixed feelings about this. While I laud initiatives that succeed in getting people to address their spiritual life, I can't help but recall that two of my favorite saints -- St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) and St. John Vianney -- were noted for Masses that ran great lengths of time causing people to enter more fully into the mystery of the Eucharist.
Getting crowds is a good thing, but are we merely putting our schedules first and expecting God to adapt, thereby avoiding the metanoia required to adjust our lives to Him?

A little black spot on your head today...

Greg Kandra has this on "The Deacon's Bench" but it is too good not to share on Ash Wednesday.

I guess it's just funnier if they are Catholic...

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League makes an interesting point between how sexual abusers in public schools are treated far differently from those in the Catholic Church.

Good Script for ComediansThere is no end to the comedians who like to rip the Catholic Church for the sexual abuse scandal, but precious few seem to have any interest in the contribution that the public school industry has made to this problem. That’s too bad, because there is plenty of script available.

Take New York City, for instance. The New York Post reported on Feb. 9 that Alan Rosenfeld has been charged with ogling girls as young as 13, but still manages to keep his job. Though he hasn’t worked since 2001—he is assigned to what they call a “rubber room”—he has managed to receive $700,000 in salary.

Rosenfeld is not alone. There are more than 600 educators who are being bankrolled by the taxpayers for doing nothing: they, too, occupy a seat in the “rubber room.” One teacher, Francisco Olivares, allegedly impregnated a 16-year old when he began teaching 32 years ago. He still collects $94,000 a year.

Why is this happening? Because of the teachers unions and antiquated laws that give them cover.

This story never ends, yet the Bill Mahers of this world never open their mouths when it comes to teachers and their unions. Even though conditions in the priesthood have improved markedly, while the sexual abuse scandal continues to grow among the ranks of teachers, it’s still priests the so-called comedians go after.

And some wonder why the Catholic League, which fights anti-Catholicism, is busier than ever.

Which organization is more likely the culprit?

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has issued a report entitled Stand and deliver - sex, health and young people in the 21st century. In that report "young people" are defined as those between 10 and 25 years of age. As might be expected, IPPF targets the Catholic Church (along with Islamic madrasas) as imposing "..barriers that prevent young people, particularly, from obtaining information and services related to sex and reproduction."
IPPF likes to point to growing rates of teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS infection as evidence of the failure of religious groups reliance upon teachings of abstinence and chastity. They fail to note that the growth of these problems more directly coincides with a secular society treating sex as mere recreation.
Does not the growth of the problems of promiscuity, teen pregnancy and STD infection rates more closely mirror the growth in influence organizations such as IPPF have had on society?
It appears to me the problem stems not from the degree of sanctity with which religious institutions regard human sexuality, but rather the low esteem in which it appears to be held in secular society as encouraged by the ilk of IPPF. They treat sex as something which could be substituted for Coca-Cola in the old ad campaign "Have a Coke and a smile."

But everybody knows it won't work...

For years those who have argued for sexual abstinence education have been roundly mocked as being out of touch with reality. Such education could not work and would only lead to the growing spread of teen pregnancy and STD's (and that doesn't stand for Doctorate of Sacred Theology).
There must be a sense of vindication to be found then in the article published in the Los Angeles Times reporting on a study showing that abstinence education might be effective.

George Orwell couldn't have thought this up...

As Margaret Hamilton is famous for saying, "Oh, what a world... what a world!"
My friend Deacon Richard Hudzik made me aware of curricular guidelines drafted by North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction strongly encouraging students to view pro-life legislation as an example of “oppressive government” akin to laws that permitted segregated public schools and allowed for the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II. (story here)
I can't help but opine that, given a choice, babies might prefer internment or "separate but equal" facilities over death. Are educators in North Carolina equally concerned by the oppressive government when it comes to laws against possession, use and distribution of narcotics; or laws labeling as "child abuse" what some parents view simply as discipline?
Oh!, what a world!

Women's groups protest life ad

Isn't it curious that various U.S. women's groups feel threatened that a mother and son would be provided a platform to opine that life is a good thing? (story here)

It seems that they think that issue is "controversial". However, I note that those complaining tend to be alive themselves. Don't they have the courage of their apparent convictions?

Renewed in service...

The Order of Deacons was restored as a permanent order in the Catholic Church as a result of the second Vatican Council. Though the order of deacons has been part of the structure of the church from the Apostolic era (see Acts VI), it had primarily been relegated to simple transitional status -- a milepost along the path to priesthood -- in the Latin Church since the middle ages.
In the 40 years since the council, the restored diaconate, particularly in the United States where it has come into broadest use, has had the unique challenge or opportunity of defining its role in the modern church. The liturgical functions of deacons are very well defined. However, as living icons of Christ the servant, deacons are called to be engaged with the world as the voice for the poor and marginalized and as the local bishop's eyes and ears. Those roles tend to play out in as many varied ways as there are deacons, and frequently individual deacons find the majority of their ministry ends up being conducted far removed from a parish setting and apart from their connections with their brother deacons.
This is part of the reason that I found the Deacon Convocation of the Archdiocese of Chicago on January 23-24, 2010 such a special event. For one thing, the convocation brought together nearly 400 deacons plus about 300 deacon's wives for what may have been the largest ever gathering of deacons in the United States. More important was the palpable level of energy shared among those so actively engaged in prayer, service and evangelization.
The deacons present varied widely in age, race, language, experience, income level and national origin. The diaconate mirrors the diversity of the universal church. These men and their wives all share a love of Christ, His Church and His people.
There were deacons who run soup kitchens and homeless shelters; others are involved in immigrant rights, others in prison ministry. Among the groups specifically ministered to by deacons are infants, the elderly, men, women, teens, the mentally ill, the physically and sexually abused, the unemployed, widows and orphans. Their work directly touches the lives of people not only in Chicago, but throughout the United States and the world. They are involved in programs to provide clothing, housing, employment, job skills, education, legal assistance, nutrition, medical care, tax assistance, addiction recovery, grief counseling and much more. Most frequently these deacons work as individual ministers even when they function within or as part of large organizations.
The convocation allowed for the opportunity for all those present to re-engage as a community of ministers motivated by a shared desire to witness to Jesus as servant. I left this weekend humbled by the love and service rendered by my brother deacons, and re-energized in my own ministry. Indeed, God is good!

Some of the best... and then there is the other side

Disasters often have a way of bringing out the best in people, unfortunately sometimes they allow strange things to crawl out from the woodwork. Witness some of the response to the earthquake in Haiti. I am aware of many good people who reacted immediately with an outpouring of financial support and prayers.
Then there is that intellectual light of the age, Pat Robertson, who shared with the world his knowledge that the earthquake was simply the inevitable result of the pact that Haitians made with the devil to free themselves from French colonization. No to be outdone, Rush Limbaugh also weighed in on the situation with the level of compassion I have come to expect of him.
There is also the gentleman who came into the rectory office demanding to know what the Catholic Church is doing to help. He asked the question but did not really want to hear the reply. He got aggravated when told that, in addition to a general call for prayers (as Catholics our first option is generally to go to the Lord in prayer), Catholic Relief Services immediately committed $5 million to relief efforts, the bishops have asked that special collections be held this weekend to aid the effort, and that multiple Catholic organizations do not have to go down to Haiti because they have been there all along ministering to the people of that impoverished country, or as Archbishop Dolan of New York put it, "We don't have to parachute in. We're there anyway. We're on the scene. We know the terrain. We've got the trucks. We've got the supplies."

The gentleman left in a snit after being asked, "And what are you doing?"