SANCTE PATER

Mitt Romney: Jesus Will Reign in Missouri and Jerusalem

2012-01-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Mitt Romney believes that Jesus will reign in Missouri and Jerusalem. Set to start at 15:33:

And on abortion, "the (LDS / Mormon) church does not say that a member of our church has to be opposed to allowing (abortion) choice in society.." - Mitt Romney

Sarah Palin: Cannibals in GOP Establishment Employ Tactics of the Left

2012-01-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

We have witnessed something very disturbing this week. The Republican establishment which fought Ronald Reagan in the 1970s and which continues to fight the grassroots Tea Party movement today has adopted the tactics of the left in using the media and the politics of personal destruction to attack an opponent.

We will look back on this week and realize that something changed. I have given numerous interviews wherein I espoused the benefits of thorough vetting during aggressive contested primary elections, but this week’s tactics aren’t what I meant. Those who claim allegiance to Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment should stop and think about where we are today. Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, the fathers of the modern conservative movement, would be ashamed of us in this primary. Let me make clear that I have no problem with the routine rough and tumble of a heated campaign. As I said at the first Tea Party convention two years ago, I am in favor of contested primaries and healthy, pointed debate. They help focus candidates and the electorate. I have fought in tough and heated contested primaries myself. But what we have seen in Florida this week is beyond the pale. It was unprecedented in GOP primaries. I’ve seen it before – heck, I lived it before – but not in a GOP primary race.

I am sadly too familiar with these tactics because they were used against the GOP ticket in 2008. The left seeks to single someone out and destroy his or her record and reputation and family using the media as a channel to dump handpicked and half-baked campaign opposition research on the public. The difference in 2008 was that I was largely unknown to the American public, so they had no way of differentiating between the lies and the truth. All of it came at them at once as “facts” about me. But Newt Gingrich is known to us – both the good and the bad.

We know that Newt fought in the trenches during the Reagan Revolution. As Rush Limbaugh pointed out, Newt was among a handful of Republican Congressman who would regularly take to the House floor to defend Reagan at a time when conservatives didn’t have Fox News or talk radio or conservative blogs to give any balance to the liberal mainstream media. Newt actually came at Reagan’s administration “from the right” to remind Americans that freer markets and tougher national defense would win our future. But this week a few handpicked and selectively edited comments which Newt made during his 40-year career were used to claim that Newt was somehow anti-Reagan, and isn’t conservative enough to go against the accepted moderate in the primary race. (I know, it makes no sense, and the GOP establishment hopes you won’t stop and think about this nonsense. Mark Levin and others have shown the ridiculousness of this.) To add insult to injury, this “anti-Reagan” claim was made by a candidate who admitted to not even supporting or voting for Reagan. He actually was against the Reagan movement, donated to liberal candidates, and said he didn’t want to go back to the Reagan days. You can’t change history. We know that Newt Gingrich brought the Reagan Revolution into the 1990s. We know it because none other than Nancy Reagan herself announced this when she presented Newt with an award, telling us, “The dramatic movement of 1995 is an outgrowth of a much earlier crusade that goes back half a century. Barry Goldwater handed the torch to Ronnie, and in turn Ronnie turned that torch over to Newt and the Republican members of Congress to keep that dream alive.” As Rush and others pointed out, if Nancy Reagan had ever thought that Newt was in any way an opponent of her beloved husband, she would never have even appeared on a stage with him, let alone presented him with an award and said such kind things about him. Nor would Reagan’s son, Michael Reagan, have chosen to endorse Newt in this primary race. There are no two greater keepers of the Reagan legacy than Nancy and Michael Reagan. What we saw with this ridiculous opposition dump on Newt was nothing short of Stanlin-esque re-writing of history. It was Alinsky tactics at their worst.

But this whole thing isn’t really about Newt Gingrich vs. Mitt Romney. It is about the GOP establishment vs. the Tea Party grassroots and independent Americans who are sick of the politics of personal destruction used now by both parties’ operatives with a complicit media egging it on. In fact, the establishment has been just as dismissive of Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Newt is an imperfect vessel for Tea Party support, but in South Carolina the Tea Party chose to get behind him instead of the old guard’s choice. In response, the GOP establishment voices denounced South Carolinian voters with the same vitriol we usually see from the left when they spew hatred at everyday Americans “bitterly clinging” to their faith and their Second Amendment rights. The Tea Party was once again told to sit down and shut up and listen to the “wisdom” of their betters. We were reminded of the litany of Tea Party endorsed candidates in 2010 that didn’t win. Well, here’s a little newsflash to the establishment: without the Tea Party there would have been no historic 2010 victory at all.
I spoke up before the South Carolina primary to urge voters there to keep this primary going because I have great concern about the GOP establishment trying to anoint a candidate without the blessing of the grassroots and all the needed energy and resources we as commonsense constitutional conservatives could bring to the general election in order to defeat President Obama. Now, I respect Governor Romney and his success. But there are serious concerns about his record and whether as a politician he consistently applied conservative principles and how this impacts the agenda moving forward. The questions need answers now. That is why this primary should not be rushed to an end. We need to vet this. Pundits in the Beltway are gleefully proclaiming that this primary race is over after Florida, despite 46 states still not having chimed in. Well, perhaps it’s possible that it will come to a speedy end in just four days; but with these questions left unanswered, it will not have come to a satisfactory conclusion. Without this necessary vetting process, the unanswered question of Governor Romney’s conservative bona fides and the unanswered and false attacks on Newt Gingrich will hang in the air to demoralize many in the electorate. The Tea Party grassroots will certainly feel disenfranchised and disenchanted with the perceived orchestrated outcome from self-proclaimed movers and shakers trying to sew this all up. And, trust me, during the general election, Governor Romney’s statements and record in the private sector will be relentlessly parsed over by the opposition in excruciating detail to frighten off swing voters. This is why we need a fair primary that is not prematurely cut short by the GOP establishment using Alinsky tactics to kneecap Governor Romney’s chief rival.

As I said in my speech in Iowa last September, the challenge of this election is not simply to replace President Obama. The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with. It’s not enough to just change up the uniform. If we don’t change the team and the game plan, we won’t save our country. We truly need sudden and relentless reform in Washington to defend our republic, though it’s becoming clearer that the old guard wants anything but that. That is why we should all be concerned by the tactics employed by the establishment this week. We will not save our country by becoming like the left. And I question whether the GOP establishment would ever employ the same harsh tactics they used on Newt against Obama. I didn’t see it in 2008. Many of these same characters sat on their thumbs in ‘08 and let Obama escape unvetted. Oddly, they’re now using every available microscope and endoscope – along with rewriting history – in attempts to character assassinate anyone challenging their chosen one in their own party’s primary. So, one must ask, who are they really running against?

- Sarah Palin

Take A Look Inside The Soviet Union's Gigantic Nuclear Equipped Ekranoplane

2012-01-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

By Robert Johnson

(Business Insider) In the thick of the Cold War, the Soviet Union built an immense vessel to carry their troops across the seas and into Western Europe.

Equipped with nuclear warheads and able to blast across the sea at 340 mph, the Lun-class Ekranoplane; part plane, part boat, and part hovercraft — is a Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV).

A GEV takes advantage of an aeronautical effect that allows it to lift off with an immense amount of weight, but limits its flight to 16 feet above the waves. Its altitude can never be greater than the length of the wings.

Think of a large seabird, like a pelican, cruising inches from the water and not needing to flap its wings.
The only complete Ekranoplane now sits on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

While there is talk of refitting the Lun-class and getting the GEV back in the fleet, it's now rusting away, and was spotted by aviation blogger Igor113 who posted these pictures to his blog.

PRAYER REQUEST: Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro

2012-01-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

From Father John Zuhlsdorf:

A long-time acquaintance, Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro, needs your prayers. He is ill with cancer. He underwent a surgical procedure recently and, as I understand, it didn’t go so well.

Msgr. Barreiro has been in the trenches promoting the Extraordinary Form for very long time. He is also heading up Human Life International’s office in Rome. Great credentials, those.

Mark Levin comes to Gingrich’s defense

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

Newt ramps up rhetoric

2012-01-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

THERESA CAMPBELL | Staff Writer

(The Daily Commercial) Newt Gingrich lashed out Mitt Romney in Mount Dora Thursday, saying the former Massachusetts governor is guilty of lies, desperation and hypocrisy that should make "every American angry."

Speaking at the Lakeside Inn before a crowd of about 1,000, the former House speaker said Romney is being fueled by Washington lobbyists and special interest money, as evident by all of the negative advertising hitting the airwaves in Florida.

"I am running for president to represent you, not to represent the Washington lobbyists, not to represent Goldman Sachs, not to represent the people who have been ruining this country," Gingrich said. "And I need your help."

Accompanied by his wife Callista, the North Lake Tea Party-endorsed candidate received cheers as he vowed to shake up the Washington establishment.

"Remember, the Republican establishment is just as much as the Democratic establishment, and they are just as determined to stop us," Gingrich said.

"This is a campaign, for the very nature of the Republican party and the very opportunity for citizen conservatism, to defeat the power of money and to prove that people matter more than Wall Street and that people matter more than all the big companies that are throwing the cash under one man's (ads) that are false."

The volume of attack ads airing in the Sunshine State are similar to those that badly hurt Gingrich in Iowa.
"We were drowned in a sea of mud in Iowa," he said. "Mud paid for with special-interests money, money paid for by lobbyists in Washington and a candidate who was willing to say anything and do anything because he is so desperate to be president that he doesn't think that the truth matters.

"But, I'm here as a citizen. I frankly don't care what the Washington establishment thinks of me, because I intend to change them."

Gingrich has sharpened his criticism on his opponent after tax returns showed Romney held investments in Cayman Islands, the government-backed mortgage company Freddie Mac, and other entities.

"He owns a Goldman Sachs subsidiary, which is foreclosing on Floridians," Gingrich said.

Acknowledging a man in the crowd wearing a "I really miss Reagan" T-shirt, Gingrich said he felt the same way and shared with the crowd his close ties with the former president.

"Michael Reagan has endorsed me," Gingrich said of the son of President Ronald Reagan. "In 1995, at the Goldwater Institute, Nancy Reagan said that Ronald Reagan's torch had been passed to me as speaker of the House and that I was carrying the values he believed in."

Gingrich talked about his opponent's flip-flopping.

"During that entire period, Mitt Romney was a money-making Independent," Gingrich said. "He had no interest in politics; he wasn't involved in helping save the country."

He added that in 1992, Romney gave money to the Democrats running for Congress, and voted in the Democratic presidential primary for Paul Tsongas, "the most liberal candidate."

"This is a man (Romney) who questions my credentials as a Reagan aide?" Gingrich said. "This is the kind of gall they have to think we're so stupid and we're so timid? That we'll let somebody who voted for Paul Tsongas. In 1994, (Tsongas) was running to the U.S. Senate to the left of Teddy Kennedy. Do you know how hard it is to run to the left of Teddy Kennedy?"

Gingrich stressed his overall mission is to beat President Obama, and to focus on economic growth and job creation. He told the crowd he was involved in creating jobs with Reagan in the 1980s, during a period of "16 million jobs, lower taxes, less regulation."

The Republican contender noted for his strong debate skills, questions his opponent's ability to debate President Obama.

"I don't think Gov. Romney could last in a debate with Barack Obama," Gingrich said. "We need a solid conservative who can stand there and look straight in the eyes of the president and say 'Mr. President, you are wrong and your policies are fake."

Several in audience responded by chanting in unison: "Taxed enough already."

"I promise you," Gingrich added, "I am going to fight every day to the end until we win this nomination."

The Associated Press contributed material to this report.

Link

Father Altier's Fundamentals of Catholicism - 23 Hours of Audio

2012-01-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Father Robert Altier

From www.fatheraltier.excerptsofinri.com

MP3 Files

1.God: Unity & Trinity Part 1	13. Grace & Divine Life Part 1
2 God: Unity & Trinity Part 2	14. Grace & Divine Life Part 2
3. Creation & Original Sin Part 1	15. Sacraments Part 1
4. Creation & Original Sin Part 2	16. Sacraments Part 2
5. Jesus Christ: God & Man Part 1	17. The Eucharist Part 1
6. Jesus Christ: God & Man Part 2	18. The Eucharist Part 1
7. Mother Mary Part 1	19. Confession Part 1
8. Mother Mary Part 2	20. C onfession Part 2
9. The Church Part 1	21. Marriage
10. The Church Part 2	22. Holy Orders - Morality Part 1
11. Divine Revelation Part 1	23. Morality Part 2
12. Divine Revelation Part 2

Links:

McDonald’s is forced to stop using ‘pink slime’ in its burger recipe

2012-01-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

TV chef was disgusted to discover ammonium hydroxide was being used by McDonald's to convert fatty beef offcuts into a beef filler for burgers

'Why would any sensible human being want to put ammonia-filled meat into their children's mouths? asked Jamie Oliver

McDonald's denies its hand had been forced by TV campaign

By Jill Reilly
(Mail Online) After years of trying to break America, Jamie Oliver has finally made his mark by persuading one of the biggest U.S fast food chains in the world to change their burger recipe.

McDonald's have altered the ingredients after the Naked Chef forced them to remove a processed food type that he labelled 'pink slime'.

The food activist was shocked when he learned that ammonium hydroxide was being used by McDonald's to convert fatty beef offcuts into a beef filler for its burgers in the USA.

The filler product made headlines after he denounced it on his show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

'Basically, we’re taking a product that would be sold at the cheapest form for dogs and after this process we can give it to humans' said the TV chef.

Jamie showed American audiences the raw 'pink slime' produced in the ammonium hydroxide process used by producers named Beef Products Inc (BPI).

'Pink slime' has never been used in McDonald's beef patties in the UK and Ireland which source their meat from farmers within the two countries.

Now after months of campaigning on his hit US television show McDonald's have admitted defeat and the fast food giant has abandoned the beef filler from its burger patties.

US Department of Agriculture microbiologist Geral Zirnstein agreed with Jamie that ammonium hydroxide agent should be banned.... (continued)

Link

New questions, challenges confront Episcopal-turned-Catholic leader

2012-01-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

Father Jeffrey N. Steenson gives the homily during Mass Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore Jan. 22. (CNS/Nancy Phelan Wiechec)

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien
Catholic News Service

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- Father Jeffrey N. Steenson is finding that there are a lot of new roads to travel and new questions to resolve since his Jan. 1 appointment as head of the Houston-based Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for former Anglicans who want to become Catholics.

The former Episcopal bishop of the Rio Grande, who was ordained a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.M., in February 2009, was to be installed in his new post Feb. 12. Also in February, a class of about 40 former Episcopal priests will begin an intensive, Internet-based course of studies to become Catholic priests within the ordinariate.

Father Steenson and his wife, Debra, have three grown children and a grandson. Because he is married, he will not be ordained a bishop, but he will become a full voting member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He spoke to Catholic News Service during a busy day Jan. 22 at Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore, where he celebrated Mass, received a group of parishioners into the Catholic Church, performed a baptism and led an evensong service.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the ordinariate and yourself in the next months or years?

A: We have to create a set of norms to govern it -- I'm not a canon lawyer, but the canon lawyers call it particular law. None of that exists yet so that's what we've been working overtime on for the last month, just to try and create that. So there's the practical question of getting the legal and business structure set up, and I've noticed that there are so many questions about the ordinariate -- about what it is, what its mission is -- that it's easy for people to misunderstand or draw wrong conclusions. Like, the Episcopalians shouldn't think we're sheep stealing because we could never contact an Episcopalian directly. The Catholic Church wonders, "Will you fit in or will you just be a separate entity?" So we have to show that we're going to keep our patrimony, our identity intact but we're a fully functioning part of the Catholic Church and we have deep respect for the ecumenical protocols whenever there are these awkward situations coming up. So I would say this is very, very difficult. (Laughs) God is really going to have to watch over us in all this.

Q: Are there special challenges to governing a church jurisdiction that covers so large a geographical area?

A: I'm sure there are going to be many, and it's primarily going to be for the clergy to be able to build relationships with each other. We're going to be virtual in so many respects. We're going to really depend on technology to keep communication open. Our formation program for the clergy is going to be run via a really high-tech Internet system that will allow real-time, two-way communications, which I'm told has never been attempted before in any kind of a theological exercise. So that will be hard, and I'm concerned that a small group -- I mean, this church (Mount Calvary) is not going to have any problems -- but a small group that is out in the middle of nowhere doesn't feel isolated and forgotten. So we will have to work really hard on that.

Q: It seems to me that there would be something to learn from the Eastern Catholic jurisdictions in the United States on that. Have you been contacted with them about how they ...

A: I've talked to some of them. I've listened to many of the stories that have been told about their difficulties over the years. But in a way the Catholic Church today is in such a different place than it was in the early part of the 20th century. I've felt only a great sense of welcome from the Catholic bishops. And I hope -- I don't know how to put it, because I don't know enough about the history of Eastern Catholicism to be able to speak very knowledgably about it -- but I don't want to see us living too separated of an existence from the Latin rite. For good theological and historical reasons too because that's where we came from. Whereas the Eastern-rite Catholics, they have a ritual identity that goes way, way, way back. And for Anglicans, I mean we're specifically not a ritual church; we're not recognized as a separate rite but we're part of the regular Roman rite using our Anglican patrimony.

Q: Has the formation of the ordinariate given a new impetus or prompted a renewed interest in joining the Catholic Church among new groups of Episcopalians?

A: Oh yes, there has been. Probably maybe 30 extra priests have contacted us at some level. It's not an easy journey, even the ordinariate, because the priest really has to be willing to make the journey to the Catholic Church and not just escape from his own. So it requires commitment and a lot of prayer to think through and a lot of sacrifices have to be made. And it's very hard to start all over again. So I do expect that it will grow, but my goal has been that as we form these guys they will be able to stand equally with their Latin Catholic counterparts, that they'll be as well formed and be able to function in the priesthood at the same level.

Q: Why is the ordinariate needed when individual Episcopalians and even married Episcopal priests have been able to join the Catholic Church through other routes for years?

A: When the apostolic constitution was published, there was an explanation written by (Jesuit) Father (Gianfranco) Ghirlanda, who's the canon lawyer at the Gregorian University, that's kind of the official commentary on it. And he answered that question by saying that the reason for the ordinariate is to guarantee the existence of the liturgical identity and patrimony. So whereas in the pastoral provision for an individual converting, they just kind of merge into the local Catholic culture, we're expected to keep this patrimony, these traditions alive, because the pope said there is something precious about them that is worthy to be shared with the rest of the Catholic Church. So Father Ghirlanda said the ordinariate is to guarantee the freedom to keep this liturgy alive. I mean liturgy in the broadest sense of the word -- the music, all that constitutes the Anglican tradition.

Q: Why is the process different for groups of Anglicans than for individuals who want to become Catholic?

A: Of course if it is an individual layperson they go through RCIA in their own parish. If it is an individual clergy person or priest, they would go through the pastoral provision which is administered by Bishop Kevin Vann in Fort Worth. And that will continue. The pastoral provision basically uses the same program of priestly formation that exists for the seminaries, only it's kind of tailored to an individual, so it's whatever Father So and So needs in order to do it. The way that has worked up to now is that the faculty of the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Seton Hall have provided the formation. They kind of evaluate where candidates are and tell them what they need. But for the ordinariate we'll be doing that on our own this spring and practically speaking the process is accelerated. ... It starts at the beginning of February and it goes into May, so it's basically one semester of intense work. Some people can't believe that that's possible, that you can make a priest that fast, but the Vatican has approved this process and asked for it to be expedited in this way because the assumption is that the clergymen coming in have already received pastoral, spiritual and human formation through their Anglican training, and we're just trying to address the differences in the intellectual formation, in the theology. So the formation program for the priests is essentially a comparative reading of the Catechism of the Catholic Church -- where does it differ from the Anglican theological tradition -- and to address those differences.

Q: Some people have said it's not really fair, because married Catholic priests can't come back. How would you respond to that?

A: It's kind of easy actually. That would be to compare apples and oranges. When we became priests in the Anglican Church, we became priests in an ecclesial tradition that permitted married clergy. So the Holy See is simply recognizing that and allowing us ... it's an ancient principle from the early church. Whatever stage of life you are in when you come into the ministry, that's where you stay. So if a man came as a celibate, he would be required to maintain that discipline. If one came as a married man, he would be expected to be a good husband. And if he should ever be widowed, then he would embrace the discipline of celibacy. It's not a new rule, it's basically the old Eastern discipline about married clergy. So, I don't want it to sound critical, but for those Catholic priests who left to get married and then want to come back again, that's a whole totally different question for them. And I don't think it is comparable to what the ordinariate is about.

Q: As the only married member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, what do you hope to bring to the discussions at national bishops' meetings and in the committees to which you are appointed?

A: (Laughs) I can't even imagine. Well I was taught, in my days in the Episcopal House of Bishops, in those early days you were taught to be there, to be square and to keep your mouth shut. And I think I will have a lot to learn and I don't anticipate doing much talking. But a lot of relationship building, I think. I've been to two meetings of the bishops now and it's amazing to me that a business meeting is a business meeting, no matter what communion it's in. So some of it is pretty tedious. I think one of the differences I see, though, is that the unity that exists among the Catholic bishops is far greater than what I see among the Episcopal bishops. I was quite taken by that, you felt that there was just a greater consensus on important things. Plus the USCCB has (Cardinal-designate Timothy M.) Dolan -- I have never seen a man run a meeting so effectively as him. I'm astonished by how good he is. I've never seen anything like it, at any level.

Q: Are there any particular issues that you plan to bring to the attention of the bishops because of your unique role?

A: What we're going to need from the Catholic bishops is their cooperation and help with a lot of the practicalities, such as insurance, health insurance, all those things that we can't (do alone). It's impossible to actually go out and create a national health plan for the clergy. So in many of the practicalities, we hope that we can partner with the local dioceses. I also would like to see the men, the priests of the ordinariate, spend a lot of time with their counterparts in the Latin dioceses in terms of clergy meetings and gatherings, priests' conferences. My goal -- I don't know if it is going to be possible -- would be to see every priest in the ordinariate also have faculties in the local diocese. I know that is a grand goal to have. Because when Cardinal (William J.) Levada opened this up, that first press conference he had, ... he used the word "integration," not "absorption," because the idea is not to just be absorbed and lose your identity but to deeply integrate with the local diocese and so I would guess in terms of my relationships with the bishops, it's going to be aimed in that direction. And I want the men, my priests to have, one of the great joys of the priesthood is the fellowship with other priests. One of the surpassing joys of the priesthood is the life you get to share with other priests. And I don't want them to miss out on that.

Q: Have you had an opportunity to meet the Holy Father? Will you be participating in the "ad limina" visits to Rome by the U.S. bishops this year?

A: Sometime in the next five years I am going to do one. I have met the Holy Father but not as Pope Benedict. I met him as Cardinal Ratzinger in 1993 and I actually read a paper for him on this subject, receiving Anglicans. So I haven't met him since then. Since I've been a Catholic, I went to many papal things during that year. I met Cardinal (Tarcisio) Bertone, that was my principal high contact, and Cardinal Levada of course, but I haven't met the Holy Father as Holy Father. I can't wait.

Q: If you had the opportunity, what would you say to the Holy Father?

A: Thank you, first of all. This wouldn't have happened without him. This was not an idea that developed in one of the dicasteries of the Curia. This came right from the top and he had to convince a lot of people. So I feel that Pope Benedict put himself out on the line on this, and I want to be sure we don't let the Holy Father's words fall to the ground. I want him to be proud of us and see that we are making a fruitful contribution to the church.

And the other thing I'd like to do if I could see him is to thank him for his Christology book that he wrote. It's sort of a life-changer for me -- "Jesus of Nazareth" 1 and 2. I'm a utility infielder at the seminary, in other words they throw me classes to teach when no one else can do it and last year I was given Christology. So the seminarians and I just read Pope Benedict, and it was an astonishing experience to do that. I think we all walked away from that experience in something of an awe for Benedict as a theologian. I'd like to thank him for that too. As a theologian I would say that in "Jesus of Nazareth" part 2, his chapter on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is probably the most extraordinary piece of theology of our time. It's astonishingly adventuresome. I mean, he opens up doors that, I don't know, it just took my breath away. That's probably more than your readers would be interested in, but I would vote that chapter on Gethsemane as one of the most amazing pieces of theology done in our time.

Q: Two of your sons have special needs.

A: Yes, our two boys have Asperger's syndrome. They're adults now. One of them lives with us; he's employed by Walgreens, which has a phenomenal program for disabled adults. I'm amazed at Walgreens. That's Eric. And our other son, John, lives in Seattle, on his own, and he's a software engineer for Amazon.com. And we hold him up in prayer, more than once a day, to have our little boy out there on his own. ... We moved him out in July, so about half a year now. He loves his work there. He talks about Uncle Jeff, you know, the head of Amazon. He's been a very good employer. And then our daughter Kristina, she's a pediatric doctor in Traverse City, Mich., with her husband and our grandson, Peter. We're very proud of him.

None of our children has come into the Catholic Church yet. All of them are very, very interested and I think the boys will come in relatively soon. ... Our children are all very strong Christians. Eric I think belongs to every young adult group in Houston, from Catholic to Baptist. He gets his social outreach through that; he's welcomed by Christian groups.

Q: In light of the March for Life tomorrow, I know there are a lot of challenges with special-needs kids but also a lot of gifts that you get from them. I was wondering if you could talk about that a little bit.

A: I remember when we got the diagnosis on Eric that he was autistic. It was obviously a pretty life-changing experience for us. And it was a Catholic nun, my first patristics teacher, she just appeared on the doorstep in Oxford -- Sister Agnes Cunningham, her name is, an amazing woman, she's the first woman president of the Catholic Theological Society of America -- and we were so down in the dumps about it and she walked in the door and said how God had chosen us for something special. And it was a total 180-degree attitude readjustment moment for us. And for parents that have special-needs kids, it's obviously very painful and difficult, but God never asks us to do something without giving us even more blessings. I just think if people offer up these challenges to God, they'll be astonished at what comes back.

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Fr. Pavone permitted to attend March for Life: Interview on latest developments

2012-01-26T01:03:00.000-08:00

by Kathleen Gilbert

WASHINGTON, January 25, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Many pro-lifers at the March for Life this year caught a glimpse of one prominent pro-life leader they might not have been expected to see.

Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life was sighted leading a crowd of post-abortive witnesses with Silent No More through the freezing rain on Capitol Hill Monday, and met with LifeSiteNews.com the following day to give an update on his situation with his Ordinary, Bishop Patrick Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo.

Bishops Zurek’s abrupt statement ordering Pavone to suspend his active ministry outside the diocese, citing unspecified questions surrounding Priest for Life’s financial integrity, shook the pro-life movement in September.

Pavone told LSN that the matter “has been placed in the hands of Rome” to help clear up confusion between the two parties, including exactly what the suspension order entails. Pavone said that Bishop Zurek has clarified that the priest is “not in prison” and is free to travel.

“He’s asked me to only exercise ministry in the Amarillo diocese. Part of what we’re asking from Rome is to help clarify exactly what the expectations are, because there is a lot of confusion here as to what I am and am not allowed to do,” he said. Pavone noted that he continues to seek a mediator that would be agreeable to both parties.

The priest, who oversees the national Silent No More Awareness campaign as well as the post-abortive ministry Rachel’s Vineyard, emphasized that both he and Priests for Life have been “fully cooperative” with the bishop’s requests thus far, including the transfer of all requested paperwork, and that no charges have been leveled against himself or his organization.

Zurek told his brother bishops last year that he was suspending Fr. Pavone’s ministry outside the diocese based on “the result of deep concerns regarding his stewardship of the finances” of Priests for Life. Pavone obeyed the order to return to Amarillo and where he took up residence at a convent and announced that he had begun the process of appealing the decision to the Vatican.

Pavone said he expected feedback from Rome “relatively soon” to assist both parties advance the mission of the Church and the pro-life cause. “We’re all on the same page when it comes to that,” he said.

Link

Newt Gingrich Super PAC: Meet the Men Who Gave us ObamaCare

2012-01-25T04:39:00.000-08:00

From Allah Pundit via Free Republic:

"Philip Klein calls it the best anti-RomneyCare ad of the cycle. I agree. And thanks to the largesse of Newt’s billionaire buddy Sheldon Adelson, this one’s going on the air in Florida with a $6 million ad buy — so huge that WaPo political blogger Aaron Blake calls it “game-changing.” In fact, despite Newt’s post-South Carolina windfall of campaign cash, it sounds like his Super PAC will be doing the heavy organizational lifting from now on..."

Vote Newt Song

2012-01-25T00:35:00.001-08:00

Abortion safer than giving birth: study (unless you're a baby!)

2012-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

(Reuters Health) - Getting a legal abortion is much safer than giving birth, suggests a new U.S. study published Monday.

Researchers found that women were about 14 times more likely to die during or after giving birth to a live baby than to die from complications of an abortion.

Experts say the findings, though not unexpected, contradict some state laws that suggest abortions are high-risk procedures.

The message is that getting an abortion and giving birth are both safe, said Dr. Anne Davis, who studies obstetrics and gynecology at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and wasn't involved in the new study.

"We wouldn't tell people, 'Don't have a baby because it's safer to have an abortion' -- that's ridiculous," she told Reuters Health. "We're trying to help women who are having all reproductive experiences know what to expect."
An induced abortion -- like any other medical procedure -- requires getting informed consent from the woman, said Dr. Bryna Harwood, an ob-gyn from the University of Illinois in Chicago who also didn't participate in the new research.

That means women understand and acknowledge the risks of their different options.

What makes it complicated, Harwood added, is when the law interferes and requires doctors to state information that isn't always balanced or medically sound -- usually exaggerating the risk of abortion...

Read More at Free Republic

FOX News Disses Charles Kauthammer After Newt Wins South Carolina

2012-01-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

Romney ducks Gingrich at Ham House

2012-01-21T20:10:00.000-08:00

By Cameron Joseph

(The Hill) GREENVILLE, S.C. — Mitt Romney made a quick, early stop at Tommy’s Ham House on Saturday morning, moving up his appearance to avoid overlapping with Newt Gingrich.

The two had accidentally double-booked the popular restaurant at 10:45 a.m. — Gingrich had called ahead to let the restaurant know he was coming, while Romney initially had not...

“I have a question — where’s Mitt? I thought he was going to stay and maybe we’d have a little debate here this morning,” he said as the crowd cheered and a few supporters made clucking chicken noises....

Link

Speaker Newt Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary

2012-01-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Michael Reagan Endorses Newt Gingrich

2012-01-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

By Brian Bolduc

(National Review) Michael Reagan, son of the 40th president, released this statement today in support of Newt Gingrich:

I am endorsing Newt Gingrich for President and here’s why:

Newt understands that we must reject and fundamentally change the course that Barack Obama has set for America.

Newt is our only chance in 2012 to contrast a Reagan conservative with Obama’s European’ styled socialism.

Newt exemplifies the conservative principles my father championed.

Strong national defense, lower taxes and smaller government.

In the 90’s Newt’s leadership brought us the Contract with America which changed Washington.

I’m confident Newt can do it again.

We cannot afford a candidate backed by the same Washington insiders who repeatedly tried to undermine my father and the Reagan revolution.

It’s time to choose.

Do we go forward with bold ideas or continue with failed policies?

So I ask my fellow Republicans and conservatives to join me in supporting Newt Gingrich for president.

Link

Governor Rick Perry Endorses Newt Gingrich

2012-01-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

CIA's Facebook Program Dramatically Cut Agency's Costs

2012-01-20T13:06:00.001-08:00

Newt Destroys John King, Media Over Ex-Wife Question To Thunderous Standing Ovation

2012-01-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

Newt owns Juan Williams for race-baiting question

2012-01-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

From The Right Scoop

Colbert Super PAC Attacks Mitt Romney

2012-01-16T00:43:00.000-08:00

'I'll sue Church of England if it bars me from being bishop,' says gay dean

2012-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

By Jonathan Petre

(Mail Online) A controversial gay dean has threatened to take the Church of England to court after he was blocked from becoming a bishop.

The Very Rev Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans, has instructed an eminent employment lawyer to complain to Church officials after being rejected for the role of Bishop of Southwark.

Sources say the dean, one of the most contentious figures in the Church, believes he could sue officials under the Equality Act 2010, which bans discrimination on the grounds of sexuality. Such a case could create a damaging new rift within the CoE.

Dr John was at the centre of a storm in 2003 when forced to step down as Bishop of Reading by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams after it became known that he was in a gay, though celibate, relationship. The furore fuelled a bitter civil war within the Anglican Church that has dominated Dr Williams’s decade in office.

The dean was again a cause of infighting in 2010 when he was a candidate for Bishop of Southwark. A respected theologian and former canon at Southwark Cathedral, he had strong backing from senior Church liberals and it was said even David Cameron was supportive.

But the Crown Nominations Commission, whose members are responsible for selecting bishops and include Dr Williams, appointed another candidate. Dr John was said to be furious and his supporters’ anger was stoked by a memo by another member of the commission, the late Dean of Southwark Colin Slee, claiming Dr Williams was one of those who tried to ‘wreck’ Dr John’s chances.

Challenge: Gay dean Dr Jeffrey John has said he will take action against the Church

Dr John has instructed Alison Downie, partner and head of employment at London lawyers Goodman Derrick, to write to the Commission to suggest it risks breaching gay equality laws if it is blocking the dean over his homosexuality.

Ms Downie previously acted for a gay youth worker who successfully sued the Church in 2008 after the Bishop of Hereford Anthony Priddis refused him a job.

It is understood there has been a lengthy correspondence between Ms Downie and Church lawyers in an attempt to resolve the dispute. No legal action has been launched but it is thought Dr John has not ruled out the possibility, although one source said Dr John suggested he would drop his legal threat if he felt he would not be ruled out for future posts.

Church lawyers published new guidelines last summer which said that under the Equality Act, candidates cannot be barred from senior Church posts because they are gay as long as they do not have sex. The guidance added that candidates could be blocked if they were regarded as divisive because their views or behaviour had angered a significant number of their flock.

Ms Downie refused to comment last night. A Church spokesman also refused to comment.

Link

Complete Civil War submarine unveiled for first time

2012-01-14T02:59:00.000-08:00

By Harriet McLeod

NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Confederate Civil War vessel H.L. Hunley, the world's first successful combat submarine when it sank a Union ship in 1864, was unveiled in full and unobstructed for the first time on Thursday, capping a decade of careful preservation.

"No one alive has ever seen the Hunley complete. We're going to see it today," said engineer John King as a crane at a Charleston conservation laboratory slowly lifted a massive steel truss covering the top of the submarine.

About 20 engineers and scientists applauded as they caught the first glimpse of the intact 42-foot-long narrow iron cylinder, which was raised from the ocean floor near Charleston more than a decade ago. The public will see the same view but in a water tank to keep it from rusting.

"It's like looking at the sub for the first time. It's like the end of a long night," said Paul Mardikian, senior conservator since 1999 of the project to raise, excavate and conserve the Hunley.

In the summer of 2000, an expedition led by adventurer Clive Cussler raised the Hunley and delivered it to the conservatory on Charleston's old Navy base, where it sat in a 90,000-gallon tank of fresh water to leech salt out of its iron hull.

On weekdays, scientists drain the tank and work on the sub. On weekends, tourists who before this week could only see an obstructed view of the vessel in the water tank, now will be able to see it unimpeded.

Considered the Confederacy's stealth weapon, the Hunley sank the Union warship Housatonic in winter 1864, and then disappeared with all eight Confederate sailors inside.

The narrow, top-secret "torpedo fish," built in Mobile, Alabama by Horace Hunley from cast iron and wrought iron with a hand-cranked propeller, arrived in Charleston in 1863 while the city was under siege by Union troops and ships.

In the ensuing few months, it sank twice after sea trial accidents, killing 13 crew members including Horace Hunley, who was steering.

"There are historical references that the bodies of one crew had to be cut into pieces to remove them from the submarine," Mardikian told Reuters. "There was forensic evidence when they found the bones (between 1993 and 2004 in a Confederate graveyard beneath a football stadium in Charleston) that that was true."

The Confederate Navy hauled the sub up twice, recovered the bodies of the crew, and planned a winter attack.

On the night of February 17, 1864, its captain and seven crew left Sullivan's Island near Charleston, and hand-powered the sub to the Union warship four miles offshore. From a metal spar on its bow, the Hunley planted a 135-pound torpedo in the hull of the ship, which burned and sank.

Some historians say that the submarine showed a mission-accomplished lantern signal from its hatch to troops back on shore before it disappeared.

Mardikian has the lantern, which archaeologists found in the submarine more than a century later, in his laboratory.

Scientists removed 10 tons of sediment from the submarine, along with the bones, skulls and even brain matter of the crew members, Mardikian told Reuters. They also found fabric and sailors' personal belongings.

Facial reconstructions were made of each member of the third and final crew. They are displayed along with other artifacts in a museum near the submarine. In a nearby vault is a bent gold coin that archaeologists also found in the submarine. It was carried by the sub's captain, Lieutenant George Dixon, for good luck after it stopped a bullet from entering his leg during the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.

"The submarine was a perfect time capsule of everything inside," said Ben Rennison, one of three maritime archaeologists on the project.

The Hunley Project is a partnership among the South Carolina Hunley Commission, Clemson University Restoration Institute, the Naval Historical Center and the nonprofit Friends of the Hunley. The nonprofit group raised and spent $22 million on the project through 2010, a spokeswoman told Reuters.

The next phase of the project will be to remove corrosion on the iron hull and reveal the submarine's skin, preserve it with chemicals, and eventually display it in open air, Mardikian said.

Scientists have found the vessel to be a more sophisticated feat of engineering than historians had thought, said Michael Drews, director of Clemson's Warren Lasch Conservation Center.

"It has the ballast tanks fore and aft, the dive planes were counterbalanced, the propeller was shrouded," Drews said. "It's just got all of the elements that the modern submarines have, updated."

There were previous submarines, Drews said, but the Hunley, designed to sail in the open ocean and built for warfare, was cutting-edge technology at the time.

"Dixon's mission was to attack and sink an enemy ship and he did," Drews said. "At that particular time, the mindset of naval warfare was, basically, big ships sink little ships. Little ships do not sink big ships. And the Hunley turned that upside down."

(Editing by Greg McCune)

Link

Priest Holes

2012-01-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

From Christine at Laudem Gloriae:

Under the reign of "Good Queen Bess", a law was passed prohibiting the celebration of Mass, on pain of extradition. On a second offense, the guilty priest would be sentenced to a year in prison, and on the third offense, jailed for life. In some cases, the offending priest would be put to death, usually by hanging, drawing, and quartering. Another law was passed that punished with death any Catholic who should convert a Protestant.

It was during this time that the Jesuit priest and martyr Nicholas Owen was called on to design and build priest holes in all the great Catholic manses in England. He spent the greater part of his life doing so.
With incomparable skill, he knew how to conduct priests to a place of safety along subterranean passages, to hide them between walls and bury them in impenetrable recesses, and to entangle them in labyrinths and a thousand windings. But what was much more difficult of accomplishment, he so disguised the entrances to these as to make them most unlike what they really were. Moreover, he kept these places so close a secret with himself that he would never disclose to another the place of concealment of any Catholic. He alone was both their architect and their builder, working at them with inexhaustible industry and labour, for generally the thickest walls had to be broken into and large stones excavated, requiring stronger arms than were attached to a body so diminutive as to give him the nickname of 'Little John,' and by this his skill many priests were preserved from the prey of persecutors. Nor is it easy to find anyone who had not often been indebted for his life to Owen's hiding-places.
--Fr. Tanner, Vita et Mors

Fr. Owen was caught and tortured on the rack. Asked to reveal all the hiding places he had built, he refused, and died in the midst of his torments.

Some of the following were built by Fr. Owen, while others' origins are unknown.

Harvington Hall

A false fireplace leads into the attic...

To see more click here

Witches in Massachusetts Hold Seance to End Tim Tebow's Season

2012-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Dec. 11, 2011: Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) prays in the end zone before the start of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday - AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

(Fox News) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may not need the help, but some witches are planning to cast a spell to put an end to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s miraculous season.

Witches Lorelei and Lori Bruno were scheduled to hold a seance at noon today – Friday the 13th – at Haven Crow Corner in Salem, Mass. to fix a win for the Pats.

“I’m going to raise the energy of the universe and send out all the good mojo,” Lorelei told the Boston Herald. “Lori will call in the Angels.”

The good witches won’t hex Tebow, as it’s “not their way,” but plan on setting up an altar with a hand-sewn Brady puppet and mojo bags filled with herbs and stones for every Patriots team member.

At the altar, the witches will chant, “Tom Brady will see what he needs to see, be where he needs to be and will take the Patriots to another victory.”

Hunky QB Brady, married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, is a bigger draw for the witches of Salem than another recent marquee recipient of their spells, Charlie Sheen.

“You know, when we had our spiritual intervention for Charlie Sheen last year, we had a hard time getting all the girls to come,” laughed Lorelei. “But when we told them this Circle was for Tom Brady, oh, everybody will be there!”

“We want the true champion to come out on Saturday night,” Bruno added. “But since we live in Patriot Land, it’s red, white and blue and make the dream come true!”

Link

Planned Parenthood: Seeing a Baby Before Abortion is Abhorrent

2012-01-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Katie Pavlich
News Editor, Townhall

The taxpayer funded abortion factory Planned Parenthood making millions in profits by preying on women, specifically minorities and teenagers, seems to think a woman seeing her baby before making the ultimate decision to end her pregnancy is an "abhorrent" standard. The classification comes after a federal appeals court upheld a law that requires doctors to give women considering an abortion an ultrasound and full information before performing the procedure.

Writing for the court, Chief Judge Edith Jones was frank about the other side’s failure “to demonstrate constitutional flaws with the law,” which requires women to have a sonogram 24 hours before an abortion. Judge Jones said the state has “legitimate interests in protecting the potential life within her.”

“Denying her up-to-date medical information,” Jones wrote, “is more of an abuse to her ability to decide than providing the information.”

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the Fifth Circuit ruling “sets an abhorrent precedent” as other states prepared to consider similar laws to help women receive factual information about their baby and his or her development before making a life or death decision to have an abortion.

But why is Cecile Richards so against giving women ultrasounds?

What Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council finds abhorrent is Richards’ reaction to the ruling.

“Her organization recognizes that the biggest weapon in the abortion debate is the ultrasound machine,” Perkins said. “For thousands of women, this window into the womb is the only persuasion they need to reconsider abortion. And, as Richards’s group has proved, pro-abortion activists will do everything in their power to stop mothers from recognizing the personhood of their unborn babies.”

“This is a country where Americans can’t even play paintball without signing a paper acknowledging the risks. How does it possibly make sense to let women undergo a major surgical procedure without giving them all the facts?” he said. “The media may be calling it a victory for pro-lifers, but in this case, women and their babies are the real winners. While Texans still have the right to “choose,” at least they’ll finally know what they’re choosing.”

Perkins is right, ultrasounds decrease the chance of a woman having an abortion significantly. Abortion is big business for Planned Parenthood and the acceptance of a child in the womb as life, viewable through an ultrasound, threatens them. Not to mention it is really disgusting the president of a taxpayer funded organization, views a mother's ability to see and hear her baby's beating heart before choosing to take it away as "abhorrent."

Ultrasounds are the single easiest way to prevent abortion. You can donate here to make sure crisis pregnancy centers have the equipment they need to save babies.

Link

Dublin's tearful farewell to Dr Pepper

2012-01-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

Credit: Josh Stephen / WFAA

(WFAA) DUBLIN, Texas — Dublin Dr Pepper is no more.

The Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company has sold its rights to produce the iconic beverage in a settlement over a long-running feud.

The plant opened more than a century ago, filling containers with Dr Pepper made with pure cane sugar. But the oldest Dr Pepper bottler in the world has now produced its final "pick me up."

The development is cutting deep, stripping the very identity of this small Erath County town 75 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

It is the conclusion of a lawsuit pitting Plano-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group and its most famous bottling plant — a 120-year-old facility that started building a brand that later defined this community.

"Every town wants to find something that's uniquely theirs, and Dr Pepper was uniquely ours," said Jeff Kloster, vice-president of Dublin Bottling Works.

Dublin was one of only a few facilities that produced Dr Pepper using the original cane sugar formula. It's been operated by the same family for four generations... (continued)

Read More Here

Creative Destruction: When Mitt Romney Came to Town - Full Video

2012-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Click the above image or here to see the film

Mitt Romney. Was he a job creator or a corporate raider?

That's the question this film answers.

And it’s not pretty.

Mitt Romney was not a capitalist during his reign at Bain. He was a predatory corporate raider. His firm didn't seek to create value. Instead, like a scavenger, Romney looked for businesses he could pick apart. Indeed, he represented the worst possible kind of predator, operating within the law but well outside the bounds of what most real capitalists consider ethical.

He is exhibit number one the left wants to use in the coming election to give capitalism a bad name.

He and his friends at Bain were bad guys. Any real capitalists should disavow Romney's ‘creative destruction’ model that made him wealthy at the expense of thousands of American jobs.

Mitt Romney and his cronies pioneered ‘deindustrialization,’ a process by which they searched out vulnerable companies, took them over, loaded them with debt, and collected obscene fees while doing so. He sent jobs overseas or killed them altogether, and then picked apart the remains - including pension funds - before the companies went bankrupt.

Some might call that the free market. Most of us think its just plain wrong.

If you wonder why America has lost so many manufacturing jobs overseas, look no further than Mitt Romney – the King of Bain.

Think you know Mitt?

Think again . . .

Pope Benedict XVI Meets Endangered Cuban Crocodile

2012-01-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

(Osservatore Romano, HO/Associated Press) - In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, an employee of Rome’s Zoo holding a small Cuban crocodile meets with Pope Benedict XVI during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012.

h/t to Fr. Z

A headline which invites speculation

Supreme Court delivers a knockout punch to the White House (Ministerial Exemption)

2012-01-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

By Peter Johnson Jr.

(Fox News) Wednesday the United States Supreme Court delivered a knockout blow to the White House in the cause of religious liberty.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for a unanimous court swatted away the government’s claim that the Lutheran Church did not have the right to fire a “minister of religion” who, after six years of Lutheran religious training had been commissioned as a minister, upon election by her congregation.

The fired minister -- who also taught secular subjects -- claimed discrimination in employment. The Obama administration, always looking for opportunities to undermine the bedrock of First Amendment religious liberty, eagerly agreed.

There was just one big problem standing in the way of the government's plan: the U.S. Constitution. For a long time American courts have recognized the existence of a "ministerial exemption" which keeps government’s hands off the employment relationship between a religious institution and its ministers or clergy.

Here, in this case, the Department of Justice had the nerve to not only challenge the exemption’s application but also its very existence.

But, Chief Justice Roberts pushed back hard, telling the government essentially to butt out:

“Requiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister, or punishing a church for failing to do so, intrudes upon more than a mere employment decision. Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs. By imposing an unwanted minister, the state infringes the free exercise clause, which protects a religious group’s right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments. According the state the power to determine which individuals will minister to the faithful also violates the establishment clause, which prohibits government involvement in such ecclesiastical decisions.”

Citing well-known legal precedent dating as far back as Reconstruction, the court made it clear that it is not up to the government to contradict a faith’s determination as to who should -- and should not -- be performing religious functions...

Read More Here

St. Bede the Venerable Parish, Holland, Pennsylvania - Before and After

2012-01-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

By Shawn Tribe at New Liturgical Movement

Following upon Matthew's piece yesterday, another of our readers send in a "before" and "after", this time, St. Bede the Venerable parish in Holland, Pennsylvania. The work was executed by Duncan Stroik.

As a point of note, what might appear to be a ciborium placed over the tabernacle instead of the altar is in fact a type of reredos structure.

In addition, the outer structure has also been tackled:.... (continued)

See More Here

Why would a nice priest go to hell?

2012-01-11T04:03:00.000-08:00

By Father George David Byers

If I’m not mistaken, this is the photo that was taken of the three Fatima children just after the vision of souls falling into hell like snowflakes shown to them by our Lady of the Rosary, as our Lady of Fatima called herself. The eyes tell the story, as does the clutching of the rosary beads. We know what happens to snowflakes when they get near fire, don’t we? We don’t want anyone going to hell, do we?..

....And so, why would a nice priest – a consensus builder, always prompt with the sacraments (at least Mass, at least on weekends), and always there for meetings, even for the committee arrangement of this or that spiritual or corporal work of mercy, just pack off and go to hell, condemned by our Lord, when all along he thought — and everyone else thought — he was just, well, such a nice priest?

He would go to hell most likely for being so very nice instead of being charitable in all truth. An exam of conscience is in order. One of these days I’ll have to publish a more comprehensive list.

Did I lead people astray in the confessional or in answers to questions outside the confessional, telling them that such and such grave sin was no sin at all, just to be nice? Did I offer them “internal forum solutions” when these are not solutions at all, and only keep people in their sin? Did I absolve them even though they did not at all want to repent and try to change their lives with the grace of our Lord? Did I neglect offering the sacrament of reconciliation?... (continued)

Read More Here

It's a Free Country - The Vortex With Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV

2012-01-11T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and welcome to The Vortex where lies and falsehoods are trapped and
exposed. I’m Michael Voris.

Republican presidential hopeful Senator Rick Santorum has ruffled the feathers of the liberal religious establishment .. in this case .. the Jewish anti-defamation league .. also known as the ADL.

In one of the purest pieces of hypocrisy you are likely to read in the arena where politics and religion cross over .. the ADL has issued a press release telling Santorum to shut up about his religion .. which by the way is Roman Catholicism.

The statement says in part .. "religious appeals to voters are simply unacceptable and un-American." First of all, says who? Abe Foxman of the ADL? Who appointed him the arbiter of what can be said by political candidates?

Secondly .. he never seemed to get all upset when candidate Obama was tromping across the country and speaking in every protestant church who would let him in.

He never seemed to get upset when the Clintons were barnstorming across the United
States and speaking to every inner-city black Church congregation who would welcome
them.

In fact .. Clinton spent soooo much time speaking before church crowds in the inner city, that he was nicknamed “the first black president”.

So where Foxman comes off saying its un-American and unacceptable is quite the
mystery. Perhaps he means its un-American and unacceptable when an actual
BELIEVING traditional Christian .. in this case .. Catholic says it.

BTW – Am I allowed to say “catholic”? Just sayin’!

Anyway .. this is the default position of the liberal political class .. of which the Jewish Anti-Defamation League is a prominent cheerleader and card-carrying member .. despite their claims to be .. um .. non-partisan.

Just a 5 second scroll through their homepage will reveal that they have come down
squarely on the side of every liberal political position known to man .. from partial birth abortion .. to “regular” abortion to individuals of the same gender engaging in sex with one another and demanding it be called marriage.

Yep ..nary a cause célèbre of the perverted political agenda goes by without the ADL
right there with their smug self-righteous pronunciations on what’s allowed to be said and what’s not.

And of course .. if someone challenges their stance on something .. the liberal elite PR machine kicks into high gear and the dreaded .. conversation ending .. charge of anti- Semitism is leveled against all opposition .. much the same as the charge of racism is leveled against opponents of Obama’s.

Well .. while we are on the topic of all these “isms” .. sure seems to me that the ADL is guilty of propagating the foul social illness of anti-Catholicism. After all .. Rick Santorum is Catholic .. loud and proud about it as a matter of fact .. and he committed the political heresy of using the name Jesus NOT in connection with the liberal agenda.

After years of having quite successfully hijacked Jesus for their own political purposes .. liberals simply cannot stand to see Him spoken about in actual TRUTHFUL terms .. such as his calling out of sin and evil and the consequences of a political and cultural order not conformed to His Divine Will.

Expect more of this condescending bluster as the campaign rolls along. We’ve attached a link to their press release on this page.

GOD Love You.

I’m Michael Voris.

SNAP Protects Child Molesters

2012-01-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

(Catholic League) The weekly St. Louis alternative newspaper, Riverfront Times, published an exchange today between reporter Nicholas Phillips and David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Clohessy is quoted as saying the following about St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson: “Archbishop Carlson and his brother Catholic bishops have hired, hidden, transferred, defended and enabled child molesters. SNAP hasn’t. Carlson and his colleagues have ignored and concealed their crimes. SNAP hasn’t.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

I will leave it to Archbishop Carlson’s lawyers to respond to Clohessy, but I cannot allow the SNAP director to lie about his own personal involvement in the cover-up of a known child molester.

In the 1990s, David Clohessy knew about his brother Kevin’s sexually predatory behavior and never called the cops. Yet he has the audacity to condemn others for not doing what he manifestly refused to do when he learned that his brother, a priest, was abusing young men. The SNAP director said at the time, “he’s my brother; he’s an abuser. Do I treat him like my brother?” Well, Mr. Clean, accused priests are the brothers of their bishop, so what would you say to both parties?

Dr. Steve Taylor is a psychiatrist who is sitting in prison for downloading child pornography from his computer. He is well known to SNAP—he was one of their go-to shrinks for years. Indeed, the convict is so well loved by SNAP that the founder of the organization, Barbara Blaine, intervened on his behalf and wrote to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners pleading with them to cut Taylor some slack.

In other words, SNAP has hired, hidden, defended, enabled, ignored and concealed the crimes of child molesters.

Link:

SNAP PROTECTS CHILD MOLESTERS

Grandpa the spider monkey picks Speaker Newt Gingrich to win N.H. primary

2012-01-10T01:59:00.000-08:00

Staten Island simian has no taste for front-runner Mitt Romney

By Barry Paddock / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The psychic spider monkey at the Staten Island Zoo picked Newt Gingrich as the top banana in New Hampshire’s Republican primary, even though he’s languishing in the polls.

And the soothsaying simian completely rejected front-runner Mitt Romney in Monday’s electoral challenge set up by the Daily News...

The 40-year-old monkey has a good record when it comes to athletics: he picked the Super Bowl champions and six of nine U.S. Open tennis winners.

When he entered the rain-forest exhibit on Monday, he was confronted with six bananas nestled in hay, each one bearing the name of a GOP candidate.

Without hesitation, he lunged for the Gingrich banana, then grabbed the Jon Huntsman banana in his other hand.

But the former House Speaker held more sway than the ex-Utah governor over Grandpa. He gobbled up Newt first — then picked up the Rick Santorum banana.

Next went the Rick Perry banana before he finally developed an appetite for Huntsman.

Romney’s win at the Iowa caucus and his first-place finish in the latest polls didn’t mean a thing to Grandpa.

His banana was eaten by a female companion — just like the one for Ron Paul, who is running a distant second in the New Hampshire polls.

Link

Archdiocese of Detroit, Michael Voris and RealCatholicTV - UPDATE

2012-01-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Father Zuhlsdorf brings us this update from Life Site News:

"There is a development in the case of the Archdiocese of Detroit v the use of “Catholic” by Real Catholic TV and Michael Voris.

You will recall that the Archdiocese has required Mr. Voris and Real Catholic TV not to use the word “Catholic” in the name of their venture. On the other hand, Mr. Voris and Real Catholic TV think the Archdiocese doesn’t have the proper standing to make such a requirement. Real Catholic TV seems to have more to do with the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend than it does with the Archdiocese of Detroit. We have several posts here on this blog, including some commentary by the canonist Prof. Peters."

Today I read at Life Site News this following with my emphases:

Archdiocesan canon lawyers differ on asking RealCatholicTV.com to drop ‘Catholic’ name
by John-Henry Westen

January 9, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canon lawyers at two American dioceses disagree over the question of jurisdiction in the case of Michael Voris and RealCatholicTV, who were recently asked by the Archdiocese of Detroit to stop using the name “Catholic” in their work.
[...]While the questions asked by most pertain to why the action was taken, the issue being discussed by canon lawyers is where jurisdiction over RealCatholicTV.com lies – with the Archdiocese of Detroit, where Michael Voris, the star of the show, lives and works, or in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, where the owner and financier of RealCatholicTV.com, Marc Brammer, resides.

Fr. Mark Gurtner, Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana spoke with LifeSiteNews, acknowledging that the diocese did know of Mr. Brammer’s enterprise of RealCatholicTV.com. When asked if the diocese had any complaints about RealCatholicTV.com, Gurner replied, “No, as far as I know there’s nothing.”

Speaking as a canon lawyer and not an official of the diocese, Gurtner also said he believes the jurisdiction of the case resides with the Indiana diocese....

Read More Here

"What will happen to Catholics and others . . . ?"

2012-01-09T01:21:00.000-08:00

By Robert George

(Mirror of Justice) One of my superstar former students, writing about his experience at one of our nation's premier law schools, sent me a note after reading my MOJ post on marriage, religious liberty, and the "grand bargain." Here is the text, with names removed to protect the innocent:

I had a first-hand experience with this reality in law school. One of my constitutional law professors taught the section of our course relating to same-sex marriage under the "inevitability" banner. I met with him in office hours later to talk to him about something else, but I brought up a question that I have been wrestling with: if the SSM advocates are right and opposition to SSM becomes analogous to racism in our society, what will happen to Catholics and others whose views on SSM cannot and will not change? Are they to be excluded from public office, political and judicial appointments, or places of trust and responsibility within private institutions (e.g., law firm partnerships)? I posed the question to him because I was curious to hear his response, since he is generally a kind and reasonable person who seemed open to other viewpoints.

His response was very disappointing, and it shook my confidence in him. He responded to me by saying something along the lines of: "Well, they [Catholics and others] will either have to change their views or be treated in the same way that white supremacists and the segregationist Senators were treated. They were excluded from the judiciary entirely for decades because of the South's views on race."

He evinced no sympathy for the traditional marriage position or those who hold it. They were to be relegated to the ash heap of history. He said all of this to me knowing full well (because I had foolishly just told him) that I was a Catholic who opposed SSM.

Is anyone prepared to say that the view expressed by the professor is merely a fringe opinion in the contemporary academy? Is anyone prepared to say that it is the view of only a small minority, or a minority at all, in what University of Virginia sociologist Jonathan Haidt calls the liberal tribal-moral community of contemporary academia?.... (continued)

Read More at Mirror of Justice

North Korea: Kim Jong-eun on a Tank

2012-01-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

From chosun.com via TigerLikesRooster:

Link

Fr. Gordon MacRae: New Year’s Resolutions, and a Remembrance From East of Eden

2012-01-08T03:57:00.000-08:00

By Fr. Gordon J. MacRae

(These Stone Walls) In my “Hits and Misses for 2011” last week, I wrote of my New Year’s Resolution to learn patience. I am still patiently waiting for that to happen. But there are some other unfinished resolutions as well. My final post of 2010 was “Spread This Around: My New Year’s Resolution About Gossip.” In it, I wrote the following:

“I resolve in 2011 to make myself a better person by not setting into motion news based on rumor, innuendo, and half-truths. If I have news to tell, I will first check its truthfulness, and then check my motivation for passing it along.”

There were lots of comments. One reader told a story about a woman who confessed her tendency to spread gossip. For her penance, she was asked to bring a feather pillow to the roof of her house that night, cut it open, and let its contents fly away upon the wind. Then the next morning she was to go out and collect the feathers. “That’s impossible,” she protested. “My point exactly,” said the priest.

It’s a potent story, but don’t be misled by it into a presupposition that women are more likely than men to be purveyors of gossip. It isn’t so, and priests, among men, are also not exempt.

But the last half of my resolution for last year – to check my motivation for passing news along – proved to be the biggest challenge. Like everyone else, I am capable of self-delusion. If I am saying something about a person I dislike, I don’t always want to know my motivation. If I do know it, I don’t always want to see it. If I do see it, I don’t always want to face it. If I do face it, I seldom want anyone else to know about it. My own confessor – a priest from New York who is likely reading this post and plans a visit to me next week – tells me “Welcome to the human race!” I see his point, but I still want to repeat last year’s resolution. I want to know my motivations and admit them more clearly.

When I sin, I want to know that I have sinned, and why. It is spiritually self-defeating to simply dismiss sin with a trite, “God understands the human condition, and smiles upon us.” Fortunately, I have a confessor who never does that. Sometimes I imagine his frown on the face of Christ, and it motivates me to try harder. I think the most important part of “My New Year’s Resolution About Gossip” last year was this:

“I have come to know in a very personal way the harm that a rumor can cause, and I never want to be the source of such harm for others. I have come to know that a Church that reflects mercy and justice begins right here in my own heart and soul, and I invite anyone who agrees with that to join me in my resolution.”

The invitation remains open, and I fully expect I’ll be repeating it again this time next year – if not for your sake, then for my own.

AND A RESOLUTION ABOUT LOSS

When I was ordained a priest on June 5, 1982, I received a gift from one of my childhood friends who then died shortly after I was ordained. It was a framed reproduction of Fra Angelico’s magnificent painting, “The Annunciation,” and it was one of my great treasures. I had a central spot for it on the wall in all the places I’ve lived since then, except this one.

As I described in my All Souls Day post, “The Holy Longing,” however, every material thing I’ve ever owned and treasured became lost when another good friend died suddenly while I was in prison. This happens to many prisoners over time. After I grieved at the sudden loss of too many good friends, I also came to grips with the cold, hard fact that every material thing I’ve ever owned and treasured in this world is gone after 17 years in prison.

Losing everything causes a radical reorientation of all priorities, something for which I beg the Lord daily that none of you will ever need to learn firsthand. I remember once having a New Year’s resolution that I would try to be more “detached” from my meager possessions. Be careful what you ask for! Detachment, when forced by the circumstances of an unchosen life, can be heartbreaking.... (continued)

Newt Rips Media For Bias & Bigotry Against the Church

2012-01-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

“I just want to raise a point about the news media bias,” Gingrich said after a rhetorical skirmish about gay marriage. “You don’t hear the opposite question asked.

“Should the Catholic Church be forced to close its adoption services in Massachusetts because it won’t accept gay couples, which is exactly what the state has done? Should the Catholic Church be driven out of providing charitable services in the District of Columbia because it won’t give in to secular bigotry? Should the Catholic Church find itself discriminated against by the Obama administration on key delivery of services because of the bias and the bigotry of the administration?”

“The bigotry question goes both ways,” Gingrich added. “And there’s a lot more anti-Christian bigotry today than there is concerning the other side. And none of it gets covered by the news media.”

When Mitt Romney Came to Town

2012-01-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

WhenMittRomneyCametoTown.com

Vision of Saint Gertrude

2012-01-05T23:37:00.000-08:00

The Vision of Saint Gertrude with Saint Augustine and the Holy Trinity

Attributed to Arredondo, Isidoro (Spanish painter, 1653-1702)

The Mystery of His Love

Mitt Romney's RINO Austerity Economics Make Him Least Electable

2012-01-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

By Peter Ferrara

(Forbes) In 1980, George H.W. Bush was making much the same argument against Ronald Reagan that Mitt Romney is making this year.  Bush argued that he was the most electable against hapless Jimmy Carter.  The big money Republican establishment was behind Bush because they feared that Reagan was too radical to win, and would carry the entire party down to historic defeat, like Goldwater did.

Reagan even lost Iowa to Bush on that argument.  But Reagan carried forward the pro-growth economic message that ultimately swept him to the nomination, and then to landslide victory in the fall, his coattails handing the Republicans control of the Senate, and effective control of the House.

After two Reagan landslide wins, it took George Bush just one term to trash the Reagan coalition, crawling out of town in 1992 with just 38% of the vote, barely better than Alf Landon in 1936.

Romney assured Massachusetts voters running for the Senate in 1994 that he did not want to go back Reaganomics.  He was one of the few Republicans that year to refuse to sign on to Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America.  He was also one of the few Republicans to lose that year.

True enough, even today he is promising not to take America back to pro-growth Reaganomics.  Cowed by President Obama’s class warfare rhetoric, Romney promises to eliminate taxes on capital gains, interest, and dividends, only for middle income Americans.  He says he would do that because they were the one’s most hurt by the recession, not the wealthy.

But effective tax policy does not distribute tax cuts based on who “needs” a tax cut the most.  That is Obama neo-socialist class rhetoric.  Effective tax policy enacts tax cuts that will do the most to promote economic growth and prosperity.

That is what Reagan did in cutting tax rates across the board for everybody, including the wealthy who have the most resources to invest.  That is what the middle class and working people actually need most, cutting tax rates that will promote their jobs, higher wages and personal prosperity.  But Romney the establishment businessman does not seem to understand this, and certainly feels, like the Bush I Republicans, that he cannot explain or defend this to the public.

On monetary policy, Romney again thinks like an establishment, country club, Republican businessman.  He thinks devaluing the dollar against the Chinese currency is the key to restoring growth to America.  But that cheap dollar policy actually only discourages the investment in America essential to getting the economy booming, as investors fear lower returns from a declining dollar, inflation, and the boom and bust cycles that such policies cause.  Reagan favored a strong dollar policy that slayed an historic inflation, and drew skyrocketing investment capital to America from around the world, resulting in an historic, 25 year, economic boom.

With Mitt Romney as the nominee, the Republican Washington Establishment will be back in charge.  Given those advisors, I predict the first thing President Romney would do is agree to the same budget deal that President Bush did in 1990.  In that deal, Bush agreed to permanent tax increases that are still with us.  But the economy declined into recession as a result, so revenues actually declined as a percent of GDP as well.

In return, Bush was supposed to get spending cuts.  But spending actually rose as a percent of GDP.  As a result the deficit soared after that 1990 budget deal as well, from $221 billion in 1990, to $269 billion in 1991, to $290 billion in 1992.  No wonder the voters booted him out.

Today, Romney cheerleader and former Bush White House Chief of Staff John Sununu is lambasting Gingrich in New Hampshire for leading a House Republican revolt against that budget deal. Sununu was the genius who brought us liberal Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who denied conservatives the Supreme Court majority they had earned at the ballot box.  But the rejection of Bush’s failed budget deal by his own House Republicans was the defining moment that led to the historic Republican takeover of Congress in 1994, after still another tax increase to balance the budget in 1993.

That tax increase failed as well.  The new Republican majorities in 1995 were greeted with a Clinton 1996 budget that still projected $200 billion deficits indefinitely into the future.  That was confirmed by CBO with a projection of $2.7 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years.

Those Republican Congressional majorities then balanced the budget the supply side way, cutting tax rates, on investment, and cutting spending.  They adopted the largest capital gains tax cut in history, reducing the rate by nearly 30%, from 28% to 20%.  Despite that cut, actual capital gains revenues soared $84 billion higher for 1997 to 2000 than projected before the rate cut.

Total federal discretionary spending, as well as the subcategory of non-defense discretionary spending, declined from 1995 to 1996 in actual nominal dollars.  In constant dollars, adjusted for inflation, the decline was 5.4%.  By 2000, total federal discretionary spending was still about the same as it was in 1995 in constant dollars.  As a percent of GDP, federal discretionary spending was slashed by 17.5% in just 4 years, from 1995 to 1999.  Total federal spending relative to GDP declined from 1995 to 2000 by 12.5%, a reduction in the federal government relative to the economy of about one-eighth in just 5 short years.

This was accomplished not just by reducing discretionary spending, but through fundamental structural reforms of some programs, such as the old AFDC program.  The Gingrich Congress succeeded in block granting that program back to the states, after further showdowns and vetoes from Clinton.

Those block grants replaced the old federal matching funding formula with fixed finite funding that left the states responsible for 100% of increased spending, but gaining 100% from any savings.  With those radically reversed incentives, within a few years two thirds of those on the old AFDC program went to work, ultimately saving taxpayers 50% from where spending was heading under prior trends.  But the poor going to work benefitted as well, with documented income increases of 25%.

This is a model for further entitlement reform today.  Gingrich also led his Republicans to adopt a phaseout of Depression era farm subsidy programs through Freedom to Farm, which was later unfortunately reversed under Speaker Hastert and President George W. Bush after Gingrich left.

The result of these policies was balanced budgets sooner than expected.  The $200 billion annual federal deficits, which had prevailed for over 15 years, were transformed into record breaking surpluses by 1998, peaking at $236 billion by 2000.  Over 4 years, the national debt held by the public was reduced by a record $560 billion in surpluses.  When Gingrich left office, instead of CBO projections of $2.7 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years, CBO projected surpluses of $2.3 trillion over the next 10 years, a positive turnaround of $5 trillion.

This is what we need again today.  But that is not what we will get from Romney’s establishment Republicans, who like the Bourbons of France, forget nothing, and learn nothing.

Since 1896, only Republicans who have campaigned on a pro-growth platform have been elected.  Mitt Romney, instead of being the most electable, is firmly in the tradition of Thomas Dewey, Jerry Ford, Bob Dole, and John McCain.

Link

Time to Get Serious

2012-01-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

Medjugorje - Diocese of Mostar-Duvno Responds To Claims in New Book

2012-01-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

Since the late bishop Pavao Žanić is mentioned in numerous pages of the book “The Mystery of Medjugorje” (MM), and not in a complimentary way, it is our duty, for the love of truth and out of respect for Bishop Pavao, who was a bishop in Herzegovina for 23 years, to respond to such arbitrary claims and insinuations. But, as an introduction, another topic:

The first untruth: The journalist Ivković writes: “The day the seers met with the Gospa for the first time, June 25...” (MM, p. 120)...

Read More

Mitt Romney on Abortion

2012-01-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Mark Twain

2012-01-04T22:49:00.000-08:00

“The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right."

A matter of equity and justice - On the case of RealCatholicTV

2012-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

From New Catholic at RORATE CÆLI:

[For background: Archdiocese: 'Real Catholic TV' does not speak for Church]

Code of Canon Law, Can. 216: "Since they participate in the mission of the Church, all the Christian faithful have the right to promote or sustain apostolic action even by their own undertakings, according to their own state and condition. Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name Catholic without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority."
_________________________________

Dr. E. Peters (via Fr. J. Zuhlsdorf) is right on the simplest interpretation of the Canon: "The plain text of this canon [Can. 216] unquestionably puts the burden on those behind an undertaking to secure consent from the competent ecclesiastical authority before claiming the name 'Catholic' for their project(s)."

However, even if ignoring the significant aspect of who has actual canonical competence in this case (or in any case involving online media based in several different canonical jurisdictions), he passes over one very, very relevant point, which is important in Canon Law as in Common or Civil Law: Law and Justice must walk hand in hand. That is particularly relevant in Ecclesiastical Law since one expects a heightened sense of moral considerations in its application. Therefore, while it is true that the burden is on the side of "those behind an undertaking", there are burdens of justice on the side of the "competent ecclesiastical authority": if he wishes to proclaim loudly that A "cannot use the name Catholic", he must in justice do the same with every single enterprise within his jurisdiction, be it B or C or U... , which must be under constant examination for whether they "deserve" to use or keep using the title "Catholic".

In this, as in most cases involving serious Catholics in the past decades, what irks people, even if they somehow do not know how to express it, is precisely this: the injustice in the application of the law by dioceses or even by Higher Authority. There is nothing in law more prone to abuse than an apparently "clear" or "plain" law, precisely because it demands great care in its application, that is not supposed to be simply uniform, but must be equitably just for all. Do all remember how the "clear" and "plain" "abrogation" of the Traditional Mass was defended by most Canonists for decades, and how abuses became norms in the Pauline Mass, while the Traditional Mass was persecuted with no quarter?...

Is stating that something that "claims the title 'Catholic' does not have canonical authorization to do so" a regular action of the Archdiocese of Detroit? Or does the Canon apply only to one particular enterprise? (continued)

Read More Here

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala Fathered Two Children, Resigns

2012-01-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

From Rocco Palmo:

Meanwhile, in a surprise move, B16 has accepted the early resignation of LA Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, who turned 60 last September.

While rumors of unspecified Roman concerns over Zavala have circulated for some time, and have intensified over recent months, Catholic News Service reported this morning via Twitter that the bishop submitted his resignation after he confessed to having fathered two children.

In a letter to the Los Angeles church released early this morning, Archbishop José Gomez wrote that the auxiliary "informed [him] in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state."

Since sending his resignation to Benedict shortly thereafter, Zavala "has not been in ministry and will be living privately," the archbishop said. Gomez added that the LA church has offered to assist the teens with "spiritual outreach" as well as their college costs.

While the Irish church was rocked by the 1992 revelation of a son fathered by Bishop Eamon Casey of Galway from a relationship two decades earlier with an American divorceé, and the sitting Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo likewise admitted conceiving a child during his decade as a bishop, today's disclosure is believed to be without precedent on the part of a US prelate.

Named by Blessed John Paul II at age 43 to assist Cardinal Roger Mahony in the nation's largest diocese, the Mexican-born Zavala -- until now the senior auxiliary of the 5 million-member LA fold -- had been in the final year of his term as Chair of Communications for the US bishops.

The longtime bishop-president of the Stateside branch of Pax Christi, he previously made national headlines for advocating a more progressive stance on church teaching in the public square during the 2008 elections, and with a high-profile speech that lambasted "blogs" that "engage in attacks and hurtful, judgmental language... assume the role of Magisterium and judge others in the church" during the 2010 Catholic Press Convention in New Orleans.

Reacting to the news, all one longtime friend of Zavala's among the Angeleno crowd could say was, "I'm numb."

Here below, the fulltext of Gomez's letter detailing the situation, sent this morning to the LA church's clergy and staff:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I have some sad and difficult information to share with you. Bishop Gabino Zavala, auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, informed me in early December that he is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state.

Bishop Zavala also told me that he submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome, which was accepted. Since that time, he has not been in ministry and will be living privately.

The Archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs. The family's identity is not known to the public, and I wish to respect their right to privacy.

Let us pray for all those impacted by this situation and for each other as we reflect on this letter.

May the Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, grant you peace.

Most Reverend José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

Link

Mark Levin: Virginia Ballot Fiasco is Intentional, to Help Mitt Romney

2012-01-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

From The Right Scoop:

"Mark Levin, being a disenfranchised Virginian, weighed in on the Virginia ballot fiasco, saying that the compliance rules were changed a month ago and that it is not the fault of the candidates. In fact, he believes the rules were changed to help shove Romney down our throats."

Ashton Kutcher Caught Canoodling With Ancient Disc Made Of Pure Evil

2012-01-03T03:46:00.001-08:00

Delaware - First Civil Union Takes Place in Trinity Episcopal Church

2012-01-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

KASEY JONES Associated Press

January 1, 2012 (WPVI) -- More than 400 people witnessed the first same-sex civil union in Delaware on New Year's Day, a ceremony one guest called "absolutely beautiful."

Lawyers Lisa Goodman and Drewry Fennell were joined in the union by the Rev. Patricia Downing, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington, where the afternoon ceremony took place.

"Everything went perfect, I couldn't be happier, everything was flawless," said Ken Boulden Jr., New Castle County Clerk of the Peace. Boulden opened his office on Sunday so that Goodman and Fennell and seven other couples could get their licenses the first day they were available. Boulden was a guest at the Goodman-Fennell ceremony.

Calling the event a "lovefest," Boulden said the good weather meant even heaven smiled down upon the couple. "It was a great way to begin the new year," he said.

Downing said she had known Goodman and Fennell for about four years and the couple crafted a service to reflect their relationship. "I'm full of pride and joy and extremely happy and excited that this could happen in Delaware," she said...

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., read the sermon and Delaware Lt. Gov. Matt Denns read scripture at the ceremony.

Goodman said that when the congregation gave the couple a standing ovation after the union was pronounced, "I was afraid to turn around because I was afraid I might cry..."

Link

Cuccinelli reconsiders changing 2012 Virginia ballot

2012-01-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

By Lauren King
The Virginian-Pilot

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is reconsidering a call for emergency legislation to allow more Republican presidential candidates on Virginia’s primary ballot.

On Saturday, he said Virginians should be able to have their chose of the full field of presidential primary contenders, instead of the two who qualified for the March 6 primary. Of the four Republicans who filed petitions in Virginia, only former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas made the ballot.

Today, he said in a statement that he still feels strongly that Virginia should change its ballot access requirements.

“However, after working through different scenarios with Republican and Democratic leaders to attempt to make changes in time for the 2012 Presidential election, my concern grows that we cannot find a way to make such changes fair to the Romney and Paul campaigns that qualified even with Virginia’s burdensome system,” he said in the statement. “A further critical factor that I must consider is that changing the rules midstream is inconsistent with respecting and preserving the rule of law – something I am particularly sensitive to as Virginia’s attorney general...”

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling applauded Cuccinelli's decision to reconsider his call for ballot access changes this year, saying it would have been unfair to Romney and Paul who successfully complied with Virginia's requirements and qualified to be on the ballot.

"Going forward, I would also encourage Attorney General Cuccinelli to avoid making public statements that criticize our state election laws while his office is defending the State Board of Elections in a lawsuit that has been brought against them by Governor Perry and certain other presidential candidates," the statement from Bolling's office said. "I am concerned that such public comments could be used against the Commonwealth in our effort to defend these lawsuits, and I am confident that the Attorney General would not want to do anything that could jeopardize his office's ability to win this case."

Link

Ninety floors... and counting: The breathtaking views from One World Trade Center (and there's still 14 storeys to go)

2012-01-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

By Louise Boyle

(Mail Online) When it is completed, it will be the tallest building in Manhattan and one of incredible poignancy for New York City.

One World Trade Center reached its 90th floor this week - with just 14 more floors to go until the top. The structure can now be seen from all five boroughs of the city.

Stunning pictures showed how the area has been reborn since the 9/11 attacks more than a decade ago where almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the worst ever terrorist attack on American soil.

Read More

Ordinariate of the Chair of Peter for Anglicans / Episcopalians Seeking to Enter Into Full Communion With the Catholic Church

2012-01-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

From Fr. Z at WDTPRS:

"The Anglicans/Episcopalians-to-be-Catholics have their own Personal Ordinariate today.

Let there be sung Non nobis and Te Deum.

It is called the Ordinariate of the Chair of Peter!

As widely predicted Fr. Jeffrey Steenson is the new Ordinary... (continued)

Marriages dissolved, sexual relationships banned among FLDS faithful

2011-12-30T23:38:00.000-08:00

(KSL) HILDALE — As the year comes to an end and the followers of Warren Jeffs await the apocalypse he has predicted, they're living under a challenging edict: they're forbidden to have sex until Jeffs is sprung from a Texas prison.

"He has predicted that the walls in the prison where he's at will fall and crumble," said Joni Holm, who has many relatives in the polygamous FLDS faith.

According to Holm, Fundamentalist LDS Church members also face their faith's most severe punishment, excommunication, if they conceive a child.

It's one of the strangest edicts in a season full of them. Jeffs has issued a stream of revelations, prophecies and orders to his congregation in the border community of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.

Right now they have all been told that they are not to live as husband and wife. They can live in the same house, but they are not to have sexual relationships until Warren comes out and re-seals them.
–Joni Holm, relative of FLDS members

The recent edicts from Jeffs' prison cell seem to be having two contradictory effects: Many are leaving the FLDS faith in disgust, and those who stay are reported to be increasingly devoted to a man who is serving a lifetime sentence for raping underage girls.

According to numerous critics and outside observers, the imprisoned FLDS leader has sometimes acted through his brother Lyle and other times has spoken directly to his congregation over the phone from prison. He recently banned many of the things his followers enjoy: bicycles, ATVs, trampolines, even children's toys. But the sex edict reaches into the bedrooms of all his devoted followers.

According to Holm, Jeffs declared all existing marriages to be void.

"Right now they have all been told that they are not to live as husband and wife," Holm said. "They can live in the same house, but they are not to have sexual relationships until Warren comes out and 're-seals' them."

The sex ban was the last straw for Holm's brother-in-law. She said he left the FLDS fold three weeks ago after spending 39 years — his entire life — in the FLDS community.

Social service organizations are reporting a surge of people departing the FLDS group, although exact numbers are unavailable. Holm thinks about 100 members have left in recent weeks from the community of 10,000.

"They're leaving," Holm said. "Groups of them are coming out. We're getting families that are coming out now. It's only going to get worse."

She has helped such "refugees" for years, offering a place for them to live temporarily as they try to establish lives outside the FLDS community. Mike Leetham, coordinator of Utah's Safety Net organization, said there is currently a shortage of "host homes" for people trying to leave the group.

Holm said her brother-in-law confirmed reports that faithful members are meeting almost daily and being re-baptized. But they won't be considered married until Jeffs gets out of prison to personally "re-seal" them.

"Until then, they are not have any sexual relationships," Holm said. "It is now considered adultery."

If FLDS members have sex on the sly, any resulting children will be considered "sons of perdition," according to Holm's brother-in-law, and the parents will be instantly excommunicated.

The sex ban will be lifted only if Jeffs' latest prophecy comes true: an apocalypse that will bring down the prison walls and broil the human race.

"They believe that they'll still roam on the Earth," Holm said, "but the rest of us will be burned."

In recent weeks, FLDS members have reportedly faced intense, personal interviews with Lyle Jeffs to prove their loyalty and have been ordered to pay large financial assessments. Some members have been excommunicated. The process seems to be aimed at winnowing the FLDS down to Jeffs' most faithful followers.

Texas officials are investigating whether Jeffs violated his prison phone privileges by calling his congregation.

Link

Pets With Newt

2011-12-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the many supporters and volunteers “with Newt” who bring their pets to our campaign rallies and events, we’ve launched “Pets with Newt”!

Are you a pet owner with Newt? Share a picture of you and your “pet with Newt” today...

See Pets With Newt

Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” on Drinking Glasses

2011-12-29T15:41:00.001-08:00

Dueling Jingle Bells

2011-12-29T15:37:00.001-08:00

Virginia GOP to Require Loyalty Oath in Presidential Primary

2011-12-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

(Richmond Times-Dispatch) RICHMOND, Va. -- The state Republican Party will require voters to sign a loyalty oath in order to participate in the March 6 presidential primary.

Anyone who wants to vote must sign a form at the polling place pledging to support the eventual Republican nominee for president. Anyone who refuses to sign the pledge will be barred from voting...

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RealCatholicTV Phone Conversation: "Have you been suppressed?"

2011-12-29T07:12:00.000-08:00

From RealCatholicTV's Facebook Page:

Actual transcript of a recent telephone conversation : "Have you been suppressed?" "Not to the best of my knowledge, but it's never happened to me before so I wouldn't know what it feels like."

This posting silence for the octave of Christmas or thereabouts was and is and remains a planned thing over the vacation (many of our staff are traveling to see their families, who they do not see very much over the year etc.)

We have not been suppressed. At least, I don't think so . . .

For now, feast your eyes upon this - Fr Eduard Perrone, priest of the Order of Melchizedek, scholar, gentleman, composer, confessor, model for all young men, speaks about the mind-bending awesomeness of the Mass at the CTH conference 2009.

Watch Video

New York Times: Southern Food is Undignified

2011-12-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

By Todd Starne

(FOX News & Commentary) The New York Times has declared down home Southern cooking undignified in a story that heaped praise on a new generation of Southern chefs while denigrating fried chicken, Cracker Barrel restaurants and the Queen of Southern Food — Paula Deen.

The food snobs at the Times attacked Miss Paula in the second sentence of their lengthy diatribe – calling her a “so-called queen of Southern food, who cooks with canned fruit and Crisco.”

The Times bemoaned the “hayseed image” of Southern cooking while praising “a new generation of chefs who have pushed Southern cooking into the vanguard of world cuisine.”

Their headline proclaimed – “Vanquishing the Colonel – Farmers work with chefs to restore Southern cuisine’s dignity.”

You can read the entire story by clicking here.

“Today, purists believe, Southern cooking is too often represented by its worst elements: feedlot hams, cheap fried chicken and chains like Cracker Barrel,” the Times whined.

Perhaps The New York Times should consider first restoring its own dignity before launching a crusade against shrimp and grits.

It seems to me that the “so-called” queen of Southern cooking should fly up to New York City and take a cast iron skillet to the backside of the “so-called” newspaper that printed such nonsense.

But Miss Paula is a genteel Southern lady and would probably just shake her head and say, “Oh Lord, y’all.”

So as a proud son of the South, I believe it is my duty to defend the honor of our skillet fried chicken, our ham hocks and our sweet potato pies. Nobody speaks ill of butter and gets away with it.

For the record, I happen to have a Cracker Barrel rocking chair in my office at the Fox News Corner of the World – along with several copies of Paula Deen’s cookbooks. That being said – I’m really not quite sure why The New York Times felt compelled to launch a broadside against the traditional cuisine of the Southern states.

I’ll take a Cracker Barrel Meat Loaf sandwich and a slice of their Double Chocolate Fudge Coca Cola Cake any day of the week — over the slop they serve at those five-star New York City restaurants.

Does The Old Gray Lady really want to pick a food fight with Alabama or Mississippi? There’s a reason why the Magnolia State is the plumpest in the nation — it’s called banana pudding.

In New York City, they eat boiled animal tongues. In the South we use our tongues for licking our fingers.

Southerners eat buttermilk biscuits and sip frosty glasses of sweet tea. New Yorkers nosh bagels and drink seltzer water.

New Yorkers eat fermented soy and tuna tartar – while folks in Tennessee eat fried catfish – with tarter sauce.

As an expatriated Southerner living in Brooklyn, I’ve come to realize that this quest to redefine Southern cuisine has taken root in the Big Apple. Chefs who couldn’t succeed in Dixie have moved north to ply their trade. It’s a movement called, “New Southern Cuisine.”

To be fair, I decided to visit one of those so-called “New Southern Cuisine” restaurants the other day. To their credit, they served sweet tea. But that’s about the only southern thing in the building.

The first item on the menu was “Black-eyed Pea Hummus.”

I threw up a little inside my mouth.

The waiter brought my iced tea and suggested I try something they called “Arugula Smear.”

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to eat it or wipe it.

I paid for my sweet tea, went home and whipped up a batch of Miss Paula’s macaroni and cheese. And as I sat down at my table, I prayed this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, thank you for butter. Amen.”

So let this column be a warning to my fellow Southerners. Take up your cast iron skillets and prepare to defend our kitchens from the Yankee invaders. And let our rally cry be heard from the beaches of Biloxi to the mountains of Gatlinburg – the only good chicken is a fried chicken.

So praise the Lord and pass the biscuits.

Link

Prayers for Judith Anne

2011-12-28T18:32:00.000-08:00

Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 5:14:58 PM by Chantillie

(If I've posted this to the wrong area, Please feel free to move this!)

Judith Anne was admitted to the hospital the day after Christmas having suffered a serious stroke....

(Admins: I was uncertain where to post this to, and apologize if I've placed it wrong~ Please, feel free to move this to where it needs to be)

I have not met any of you, but I am Judith Anne's daughter, Annie- I knew of some of you from the many times she talked with me about discussions here, friends, and some very feisty debates~ I KNOW she would want me to let you guys know whats happened in the past few days-

The morning after Christmas, mom my had a pretty bad headache. She's had issues with allergies off and on, so nothing was thought of it and she decided to lay down and take a nap. She woke about an hour later with out the use of the left side of her body- I called the ambulance and she was brought to the E.R.

Information has been back and forth during the past 36 hours on exactly what her condition was. However, at the last consult with her doctor, things have worsened to an extent that there is no longer a "getting better."

Her first stroke affected the right middle portion of her brain, as well as caused her to have a heart attack.

Both arteries in her neck are completely blocked. The first CT (when she arrived at the hosp.) compared to the CT done today showed considerable expansion of damage along with an additional stroke affecting the left side of her brain. Her heart is only working at about 20%. There are additional factors that is simply too much to get into now, but needless to say we are going to follow her standing wishes in the request of no outstanding measures to keep her body alive as well as a DNR. At this point, there is no way to stop the progression of damage, and she is not waking nor responding in any fashion to outside stimuli. We're hoping for a few days more just so family can come down and have their chance to say goodbyes~ Prayers are desperately appreciated! in all honesty, at this point I don't know what to do....Gods hand is over us, and He IS with us! A priest was able to go in yesterday afternoon to offer the anointing of the sick as well as administer last rights (again, something she felt strongly about if there were ever a chance she would be in a possible life threatening situation)~

I hate to be passing on such sad news, but I knew she would want you guys to know~

1 posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 5:15:04 PM by Chantillie

Link

These Stone Walls at Year’s End: Father Gordon MacRae's Hits and Misses for 2011

2011-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

By Father Gordon J. MacRae

In an Advent post, “Down the Nights and Down the Days,” I described the challenges we face to offer Mass in a prison cell, and I described the obstacles we had to overcome in another post, “The Sacrifice of the Mass.”

The new translation has itself been a challenge, and I stumble here and there. I used to be able to pray the entire Roman Canon by memory at Mass. Now I have to consult the Roman Missal for every word and phrase. But it’s beautifully written, and a far more faithful translation of the Latin Mass. It is worth the effort to learn the new translation.

I read a recent criticism of the translation in a letter to the editor in a recent issue of Our Sunday Visitor. The letter writer found the new translation to be “pompous” and failing to reflect our “intimacy with God in familiar terms.” I could not disagree more. Perhaps prison has helped me reflect on the nature of my relationship with God. I speak to my friends as equals. I speak to God as my Savior, my Redeemer, my Hope and my reason for not giving up. Restoring some reverence to that dialogue is a very good thing. Not all agree, but I feel I owe a little deference to the Church on this one. I sometimes miss the old and familiar, but only because it’s old and familiar, not because it’s correct....

...My biggest hit of 2011 goes to Suzanne, Charlene, and Leo. They are my digital eyes and ears and hands, and without them TSW could not exist and function. But you, our readers, are also a “Hit.” I apologize that when you write letters, I cannot always write back in a timely manner. Many of you sent cards at Christmas, but I had none to send back to you. I want you to know that your cards are posted on my wall. No, not my Facebook wall, my cell wall. You have transformed these stone walls into a vivid display of good tidings, and I thank you.

One of my Scotish countrymen, the great poet, Robert Burns, began a collection of 100 songs in 1792 that he entitled, Select Collection of Original Scotish Airs. One song in this collection was “Auld Lang Syne,” which, if you can shed enough of the Scotish accent, is actually entitled “Old Long Since.” It’s a song celebrating “The Good Old Days,” which every generation forgets are the ones we are in now. I’m not sure how the song became a tradition on New Year’s Eve, but it’s a reminder never to forget home, family, and the friends who walk with us along the way. Here it is:

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of Auld Lang Syne?
For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,
For Auld Lang Syne;
We’ll take a cup o’kindness yet
For Auld Lang Syne.
And here’s a hand, my trusty friend,
And gives a hand o’thine;
We’ll take a cup o’kindness yet
For Auld Lang Syne.”

Read More At These Stone Walls

Cheetah the chimp from 1930s Tarzan flicks dies

2011-12-28T04:35:00.000-08:00

PALM HARBOR, Florida (AP) — Cheetah, the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s, has died at age 80 a Florida animal sanctuary said.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure.

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She said he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Based on the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Tarzan stories, which have spawned scores of books and films over the years, chronicle the adventures of a man who was raised by apes in Africa.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan films, which starred American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb said Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.

Cobb said Cheetah wasn't a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest said that when the chimp didn't like what was going on, he would throw feces.

Cheetah the chimp from 1930s Tarzan flicks dies

Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War

2011-12-25T17:36:00.000-08:00

By RANDALL STROSS

(The New York Times) LAST year, Christmas was the biggest single day for e-book sales by HarperCollins. And indications are that this year’s Christmas Day total will be even higher, given the extremely strong sales of e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. Amazon announced on Dec. 15 that it had sold one million of its Kindles in each of the three previous weeks.

But we can also guess that the number of visitors to the e-book sections of public libraries’ Web sites is about to set a record, too.

And that is a source of great worry for publishers. In their eyes, borrowing an e-book from a library has been too easy. Worried that people will click to borrow an e-book from a library rather than click to buy it, almost all major publishers in the United States now block libraries’ access to the e-book form of either all of their titles or their most recently published ones.

Borrowing a printed book from the library imposes an inconvenience upon its patrons. “You have to walk or drive to the library, then walk or drive back to return it,” says Maja Thomas, a senior vice president of the Hachettte Book Group, in charge of its digital division.

And print copies don’t last forever; eventually, the ones that are much in demand will have to be replaced. “Selling one copy that could be lent out an infinite number of times with no friction is not a sustainable business model for us,” Ms. Thomas says. Hachette stopped making its e-books available to libraries in 2009...

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Ave Maria - Jewel

2011-12-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

Yule log VIDEO: 24 hours of the Christmas holiday Yule log

2011-12-24T22:48:00.000-08:00

NY Daily News

100,000 Wanted to Facebook "Like" Newt Gingrich Onto Virginia Ballot

2011-12-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

Posted on Saturday, December 24, 2011 9:49:29 PM by Jim Robinson

I just started a new facebook page as a place for grassroots conservatives to urge Virginia to allow the leading Republican contender for the presidency onto the Virginia ballot. Gingrich is the Republican leader nationwide and in Virginia! It's absolutely ludicrous, if not criminal, for Virginia to deny the conservative base and tea party favorite a spot on the ballot while they promote their elite ruling class RINO!

Do not allow Virginia to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of conservative grassroots voters who would mark their ballots for Newt Gingrich! Adding insult to injury, they don't even allow write-ins on their ballots!
It truly is a one man election (disregarding the Ron Paul nutcake). You can vote for anyone you wish in Virginia as long as his name is Mitt Romney.

We need to write or call the Republican Party of Virginia to register our outrage and if you are a facebook user, please visit and "Like" the "Newt Gingrich on Virginia Ballot" page.

Thank you all very much, and Merry Christmas!!

Michael Voris : Archdiocese of Detroit Refuses to Meet With Him

2011-12-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

by John-Henry Westen

DETROIT, Michigan, December 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - For many years faithful Catholics have wished that bishops would take strong action to correct the myriad of Catholic persons and entities who, while claiming to be Catholic, act against the faith, especially regarding issues of Catholic morality.

Catholic pro-abortion politicians, Catholic hospitals that perform clandestine abortions and sterilizations; Catholic universities that constantly violate the faith in many ways, Catholic newspapers and magazines that have been challenging Church teachings and authority for years, all come to mind. Now, today, news broke that the Archdiocese of Detroit has called on someone to stop using the name ‘Catholic’ - but it’s not someone who is fighting against the morals or faith of the Catholic Church at all. It is in fact an individual who has devoted the last several years to vigorously defending and promoting authentic Catholic principles – Michael Voris, known best for his hosting of The Vortex on the website RealCatholicTV.com.

In a press release issued December 15 and signed by Communications officer Joe Kohn, the Archdiocese of Detroit states: “The Archdiocese has informed Mr. Voris and Real Catholic TV, RealCatholicTV.com, that it does not regard them as being authorized to use the word ‘Catholic’ to identify or promote their public activities.”

Of note there are prominent ‘Catholic’ entities and even Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit directly flouting Church teaching without a comparable reprimand from the Archdiocese. One such entity is a group of priests of the Archdiocese who are publicly in favor of women’s ordination to the priesthood and against the Church’s teaching prohibiting contraception. The group is called “Elephants in the living room.”

There is however an interesting twist to this story. Michael Voris, while he may be the star of RealCatholicTV’s programming, is not the owner of the website. The owner is Marc Brammer who lives in South Bend Indiana in the diocese of Bishop Kevin Rhoades.

Brammer told LifeSiteNews, “I own RealCatholicTV.com. I contracted with Michael Voris to produce video content for that website and I pay him for it. It is a business relationship between me and Michael. If all of a sudden now there’s this tussle over the use of the word ‘Catholic’ I’ll deal with it through competent ecclesial authority.”

Brammer noted that he had received a letter from the Archdiocese of Detroit acknowledging him as the owner of the website. He responded to that letter with a request for a meeting with the Archdiocese. He received no response. Brammer has not been asked by his bishop, Fort Wayne-South Bend Bishop Kevin Rhoades to cease using the word Catholic.

A LifeSiteNews request for an interview with the Archdiocese of Detroit was not returned, and the voice message noted that the office was on holiday till after Christmas.

The press release from the Archdiocese of Detroit notes, “The Church encourages the Christian faithful to promote or sustain a variety of apostolic undertakings but, nevertheless, prohibits any such undertaking from claiming the name Catholic without the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority.”

The release adds, “For some time, the Archdiocese of Detroit has been in communication with Mr. Michael Voris and his media partner at Real Catholic TV regarding their prominent use of the word ‘Catholic’ in identifying and promoting their public activities disseminated from the enterprise’s production facility in Ferndale, Michigan.”

Voris says that communication was only one way – directives from the Archdiocese and refusal to meet with Voris or Brammer to discuss the matter. Voris told LifeSiteNews that he has requested a meeting with Archdiocesan officials seven times to discuss the matter, but each time he has been ignored or rebuffed.

According to its minutes, Elephants in the living room (the group of priests which publicly holds positions counter to Catholic teachings on women priests and contraception), met with Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron on February 1, 2011.

Voris notes that his conflict with the Archdiocese of Detroit has more to do with its staffers than with the Archbishop. Previous to his work for RealCatholicTV, Voris launched St. Michael’s Media and had various offers to air programs he produced, talks he was to give and television shows he was to be featured on canceled through the efforts of staff at the Archdiocese. “They have waged a quiet war since the very first time we set foot into the public realm,” he said.

In response to the press release demand from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Voris told LifeSiteNews, “I don’t have ownership over the name of the organization. It’s not my organization. The headquarters are outside of the diocese.” He concluded, “It’s the wrong person, and the wrong outfit asking the wrong person the wrong question.”

Brammer is to give a formal response to the Archdiocese after Christmas which will be aired on RealCatholicTV.

NOTE: See

Composing Effective Communications in Response to LifeSiteNews Reports

Contact Information:

Archbishop Allen Vigneron
Chancery Building, Archdiocese of Detroit
1234 Washington Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48226
Email: infodesk@aod.org
Phone: (313) 237-5800
Fax: (313) 237-4644

Archdiocese of Detroit asks Michael Voris to stop using the name ‘Catholic’

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra

2011-12-23T13:39:00.001-08:00

Do You Hear What I Hear? - Bing Crosby

2011-12-23T13:37:00.001-08:00

The Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby

2011-12-23T13:33:00.001-08:00

Little Drummer Boy - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

2011-12-23T13:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas Auld Lang Syne - Bobby Darin

2011-12-23T13:25:00.001-08:00

Let it Snow! - Dean Martin

2011-12-23T13:23:00.001-08:00

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - Enya

2011-12-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

I Saw Three Ships - Sting

2011-12-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

Cupcake Deemed 'Security Threat,' Confiscated By TSA

2011-12-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

TSA: Frosting Too 'Gel-Like,' Posed Risk

(WCVB) BOSTON -- A Peabody woman says a cupcake she tried to take on a flight with her sparked a potential security threat this week.

Rebecca Hains says she was going through security at the airport in Las Vegas when a TSA agent pulled her aside and said the cupcake frosting was “gel-like” enough to constitute a security risk.

She said she was able to pass through Logan International Airport security with two cupcakes, but she was stopped on the way back when she tried to return with one of them."In general, cakes and pies are allowed in carry-on luggage," said TSA spokesperson James Fotenos, adding they were looking into why this cupcake was confiscated.

Hains said she had received the cupcakes as a gift and after eating one on the trip out west, decided to save the other for the flight back.Hains contacted the cupcake company, Wicked Good Cupcakes of Cohasset, which said it will ship her a new batch free of charge.

“Apparently we're a tasty, terrorist threat. I guess we were also amazed at what can pass through security in one airport, but not in another,” said Brian Vilagie of Wicked Good Cupcakes.

Link

Fr. Kenneth Smits' Skullduggery on the New Translation of the Roman Missal

2011-12-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

From Carol at The Tenth Crusade:

Grab yourself a nice glass of wine, put your feet up on the couch. You've going to really love this former seminary professor skullduggery new translations of the Roman Missal. It's even better than NoNoMen's It's Looming Like a Root Canal.

As a former professor of liturgy at St. Francis Seminary who trained many of the priests of Milwaukee Archdiocese, I deplore the English translation of the Roman Missal that has been foisted upon American Catholics.

By a very slavish translation of Latin, these texts have brought us as close as possible to the way Romans prayed between 500 and 1000 A.D., together with the social and cultural baggage of that time. The spiritual universe of those Roman times is there, along with an almost groveling approach to God and an overriding preoccupation with getting to heaven, rather than the Gospel emphasis upon discipleship, loving our neighbor and service...

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Romney says no to Gingrich debate

2011-12-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

BETHLEHEM, N.H. (AP) - Mitt Romney is telling The Associated Press that he won't agree to debate Newt Gingrich one on one.

The former Massachusetts governor says in an AP interview that he's not declining his rival's debate challenge because he's afraid to square off against Gingrich, as the former House speaker has implied. Rather, Romney says he doesn't want to define the contest as a "two-man race." And he says that debating Gingrich alone would be disrespectful to other candidates.

Romney also is continuing to distance himself from the Washington standoff over the payroll tax-cut extension.

He suggests it's not the place of presidential candidates to weigh in. And he says that doing so would simply complicate the situation - not help it, making an implied reference to John McCain shutting down his campaign in fall 2008 during the Wall Street bailout crisis...

Link

Romney Says He Will Continue Obama's Policy of Having Homosexuals in Military

2011-12-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

(CNSNews.com) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, says he has no plans to reverse the Obama administration’s repeal of the ban on homosexuals serving in the U.S. military

In an editorial meeting in early November with the Des Moines Register, which endorsed him for the Iowa caucuses pending on Jan. 3, Romney was asked, “How do you feel about gays serving openly in the military?”

Romney said, “That’s already occurred. I’m not planning on reversing that at this stage.”

The reporter followed up, “But you’re comfortable with it?”

Romney answered, “I was not comfortable with making the change during a period of conflict, by virtue of the complicating features of a new program in the middle of two wars going on. But those wars are winding down, and moving to that direction at this stage no longer presents that problem.”

In October 2010, the Republican leadership in both the House and Senate said they would oppose any attempt by President Barack Obama and the Democrats to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The policy had been in place since 1993 and prohibited homosexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military.

Despite strong opposition from congressional Republicans, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010” passed in the then-Democrat controlled House (and Senate) and was signed into law by President Obama on Dec. 22, 2010.

When Obama signed the repeal three days before Christmas, he said, “You know, I am just overwhelmed. This is a very good day. And I want to thank all of you, especially the people on this stage, but each and every one of you who have been working so hard on this, members of my staff who worked so hard on this. I couldn’t be prouder.”

As CNSNews.com has reported, America’s first president, George Washignton, as the leader of the Continental Army, approved the dismissal of a soldier for “attempting to commit sodomy” with “abhorrence and detestation of such infamous crimes,” on Mar. 10, 1778.

Link

Gabriel's Message - Sting

2011-12-21T22:10:00.001-08:00

Apocalyptic Prophecies of Hildegard of Bingen, the Next Doctor of the Church

2011-12-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

By Brian Kopp

(The Gregorian Rite) Earlier this fall, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Venerable Elena Aiello, bringing to light her little known prophecies, which have strong parallels to those of both Our Lady of Akita as well as statements Pope JPII and Cardinal Ratzinger made in the past regarding the Third Secret of Fatima. (See this earlier blog post for a summary of the parallels: For fourth anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, Pope draws attention to little known prophecies of Venerable Elena Aiello)

Now, Pope Benedict XVI is drawing attention to St. Hildegard of Bingen, by declaring her a Doctor of the Church.

In addition to her many accomplishments, St. Hildegard is also known for a number of apocalyptic prophecies:

THE MINOR CHASTISEMENT

"The time is coming when princes and peoples will reject the authority of the Pope. Some countries will prefer their own Church rulers to the Pope. The German Empire will be divided. Church property will be secularised. Priests will be persecuted. After the birth of Antichrist heretics will preach their false doctrines undisturbed, resulting in Christians having doubts about their holy Catholic faith."

At that period when antichrist shall be born, there will be many wars and right order shall be destroyed on earth. Heresy will be rampant and the heretics will preach their errors openly without restraint. Even among Christians doubt and scepticism will be entertained concerning the beliefs of Catholicism

"Toward the end of the world, mankind will be purified through sufferings. This will be true especially of the clergy, who will be robbed of all property. When the clergy has adopted a simple manner of living, conditions will improve.

At this time as a punishment for their sins Christians especially will attempt armed resistance to those who at that time are persecuting them, sensing no concern for the death of their bodies.

"A powerful wind will rise in the North carrying heavy fog and the densest dust by divine command and it will fill their throats and eyes so they will cease their savagery and be stricken with great fear.

Then within the Christian people the Holy Godhead will accomplish signs and wonders as if accomplished them at the time of Moses with the pillar of cloud and as Michael the archangel did when he fought the heathen for the sake of the Christians. Because of Michael's help Gods faithful children will march under his protection. They will decimate their foes and achieve victory through Gods power As a result of this a large number of heathens will join Christians in true faith and they will say The God of the Christians is true God because such wondrous works have been accomplished among the Christians .

After that there will be so few men left that seven women will fight for one man, that they will say to the man: "Marry me to take the disgrace from me." For in those days it will be a disgrace for a woman to be without child, as it was by the Jews in the Old Testament.

"Before the Comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scoured with want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent by an earthquake, storm and tidal waves will be devastated. It will be divided, and in great part submerged. That nation will also have many misfortunes at sea, and lose its colonies in the east through a Tiger and a Lion.

The Comet by its tremendous pressure, will force much out of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. [After the] great Comet, the great nation will be devastated by earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water, causing much want and plagues. The ocean will also flood many other countries, so that all coastal cities will live in fear, with many destroyed. All sea coast cities will be fearful and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed and even those who escape will die from a horrible disease.

For in none of these cities does a person live according to the laws of God. "Peace will return to Europe when the white flower again takes possession of the throne of France.

(See http://www.unitypublishing.com/aug24_98.html for the White Flower)

During this time of peace the people will be forbidden to carry weapons and iron will be used solely for making agricultural implements and tools. Also during this period the soil will be very productive and many Jews, heathens and heretics will join the Church.

"Peace will return when the Lily ascends the Throne again. The land will be very productive . During this time weapons will be forbidden. Iron will only be used for agricultural tools. In this period the land will be very productive. Jews, heathen and heretics will join the church.

The throne of the last catholic Empire will crumble and the sceptre will fall out of the hand of him who sits on the throne. The Great Monarch by this time will be a very old man. All justice will cease and will be trodden under foot. The latter times will be more evil and corrupt in the eyes of God. Children of God will be persecuted by the most hateful means in the eyes of God. Almost immediately after the death of the Monarch comes antichrist

(Note: This in my opinion is the peace promised by Fatima - Richard Salbato)

ANTICHRIST

When the great ruler (the Great Monarch who is to rule Europe after the collapse of Communism) exterminates the Turks almost entirely, one of the remaining Mohammadans will be converted, become a priest bishop and cardinal, and when the new pope is elected (immediately before Antichrist) this cardinal will kill the pope before he is crowned, through jealousy, wishing to be pope himself; then when the other cardinals elect the next pope,

(Note by Richard Salbato - this will be the last pope on earth - Peter the Second)

this cardinal will proclaim himself Anti-pope, and two-thirds of the Christians will go with him. He, as well as Anti-christ, are descendants of the tribe of Dan... (continued)

Read More Here

Link:

The Apocalyptic Prophecies of Hildegard of Bingen, the Next Doctor of the Church

Pope visits Rome jail, decries overcrowding

2011-12-19T00:25:00.000-08:00

By Philip Pullella

ROME | Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:31am EST

(Reuters) - Pope Benedict brought tears to the eyes of hardened criminals Sunday, telling them in a visit to one of Italy's toughest prisons that overcrowding was a "double sentence" and whatever their offence, it could not erase their dignity.

His Christmas visit to Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome took place two days after Italy's new government announced extraordinary measures to improve prison conditions.

The 84-year-old pope appeared in good form, reading an address to inmates and delivering unscripted answers to their questions for about half an hour. He greeted a number of them personally in the prison's church.

"I know that overcrowding and degradation in prison can make detention even more bitter," he told representatives of several hundred inmates of the prison, which has 500 more inmates than the 1,240 it was built to hold.

"Prisoners are human beings who are worthy, despite their crime, of being treated with respect and dignity," he said.

He said overcrowding and poor conditions were tantamount to serving "a double sentence" and that authorities should do everything possible to improve the situation.

New Justice Minister Paola Severino, who attended the meeting, announced on Friday a decree that would ease overcrowding by allowing many prisoners to serve the last 18 months of their sentences under house arrest.

Italy has some 68,000 inmates, 24,000 more than normal capacity, among the worst rates of overcrowding in Europe.

"A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION"

"I know that you live in a very difficult situation that often, instead of helping to renew your friendship with God and humanity, makes the situation worse," he told a prisoner named Rocco who asked him if politicians knew what prisoners endure.

He heard one African, Omar, speak of "our suffering and that of our families." Another African, Okai, asked: "Does God listen only to the rich?"

An Italian inmate named Federico complained that inmates who are HIV positive are looked at "ferociously."

The pope told him: "People speak ferociously even against the pope, but nonetheless we have to move on."
One prisoner read "The prayer from behind bars" which he had composed.

Alberto, an Italian inmate, told the pope he felt he was a new man who had paid his debt to society. He wanted to know why he could not go home to his 2-month-old daughter. He showed the pope a picture of the girl, named Gaia, and her mother.

Tears welled up in Alberto's eyes when the pope told him: "I am happy that you consider youself a new man and that you have a splendid daughter ... I pray and hope that you can soon embrace your daughter and wife and form a splendid family."

Severino, the justice minister, acknowledged in her address to the pope that he was visiting "a place of profound suffering" and that statistics could not do justice to the "terrible conditions of persons who keep their experiences, sufferings in their hearts."

There have been calls in Italy for the government to proclaim a general amnesty for those jailed for minor crimes and the pope heard the prisoners' views on this.

As he left the complex, they chanted "amnesty, amnesty, amnesty."

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Glory Be To God For Dappled Things

2011-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Vermilion Fly Catcher

By Bishop Rene Henry Gracida

I love all God’s creatures! Well, possibly with the exception of spiders and feral hogs; although I must admit that the little piglets are cute.

I love birds. Every winter for the past five years it has been a source of delight for me that a lone Vermillion Fly-Catcher has returned to Rancho Milagro and taken up residence by the duck pond where he/she darts skyward to snare an insect repeatedly throughout the day. He is beautiful to see and fascinating to watch his aerial aerobatics.

I started the duck pond in 1997. It is small, about 50 feet in diameter. Water trickles into it by gravity flow from my well water storage tank; just enough flow to compensate for evaporation. I built a fence around it to keep animals out, but, of course, the fence does not prevent owls and hawks from predation.

I started with four pair of Mallard ducklings I ordered from a hatchery. Over the course of that first year one by one winged predators took their toll. Finally I was left with only one male duck. He hung around for several months and then one day he disappeared and I assumed that a hawk or an owl had taken him also.

But I was wrong! He was gone about a month and then one day he reappeared with a wild female companion. The pair seemed happily in permanent residence on the pond. And then one day the male disappeared. I can only assume that an owl or a hawk took him. Then, even more amazing, the wild female remained on the pond even without a mate.

After a month of expecting the wild female to fly away I decided to buy her a mate. I located a man who had ducks and I bought a domesticated male Mallard and introduced him to the pond.

I am happy to report that they produced eleven little ducklings and now there are 13 Mallards. In addition, from time to time Teel, Black-bellied Mexican Whistling ducks and Coot drop in for a visit and stay for weeks at a time.

GLORY be to God for dappled things—

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

- Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89). Poems. 1918.

Pied Beauty

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20 years ordained a priest on 4 January 2012

2011-12-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

"I’ll have to remember that! It’s also the feast day of Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton. Did I think I would be a hermit on Holy Souls Mountain 20 years later? Well, no. But, believe me, I was already long thinking about becoming a hermit." - Father George David Byers

The day the tea party embraces Mitt Romney is the day the tea party accepts defeat

2011-12-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

Mitt Romney at a fund-raiser for the abortion provider Planned Parenthood

Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2011 2:08:08 PM by Jim Robinson

First there was the Reagan Revolution, then Newt's Republican Revolution, and now the Tea Party Revolution.

In each successive revolution, the lovers of liberty threw off a bit more of the yoke of the oppressive ruling class to reestablish some vital part of our God given liberty and freedom.

Pro-life, small government, big defense Ronald Reagan set and accomplished the goal of bringing down the socialist Soviet Union as a threat to the world and reestablished free America as the dominate superpower. He rescued America from the hapless Jimmy Carter who had dragged the nation down into to the depths of despair. Reagan taught us that our best years were indeed yet to come. He reinvigorated our economy by reducing government regulations and taxes and created a free market environment ripe for capitalism to flourish. A lover of life and freedom, he fought off the socialists and merchants of doom and death at every turn and sparked the beginning of the decades long Reagan Economy. He was a champion of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and he delivered us from evil.

Pro-life, small government, big defense Reaganite, Newt Gingrich, set and accomplished the major goal of wresting the congressional majority away from the socialist Democrats who had held it for forty years. His conservative Republican Revolution cut the taxes, cut the spending, cut the deficit, cut unemployment, blocked President Clinton's progressive agenda, blocked HillaryCare, reformed welfare, defended life, and balanced the budget four years running, ensuring that the Reagan Economy flourished and stretched throughout his term and beyond.

Mitt Romney set goals of protecting and sustaining abortion as safe and legal in America. He sought to be more radical than Ted Kennedy in respects to "gay rights." He swore to defend Massachusetts' strict gun-control laws that "kept us safe" and promised not to chip away at them. He set and accomplished the goal of bringing big government healthcare solutions to his state and mandating that all formerly free citizens must purchase a government approved product or suffer a tax penalty. He loves mandates against the people.

He stated that he was an independent during Reagan-Bush and he was not returning to Reagan-Bush. And he didn't. Instead, he delivered taxpayer funded abortion, gay marriage, gun-control, socialized healthcare, busted budgets, ruined economy, liberal activist judges and a destroyed Republican label.

Romney was and is demonstrably per record an anti-Reagan, pro-big government, pro-abortion, pro-gay agenda, pro-gun-control, anti-liberty, pro-socialist healthcare, mandate-loving, liberal judge appointing, budget busting progressive.

He is without a doubt the exact opposite of Reagan, Gingrich, the Reagan Revolution, the Republican Revolution and the Tea Party Revolution.

If the Tea Party now embraces Romney, it will have accepted defeat and surrendered to the ruling class.

There is a reason why the elite establishment GOPers are pushing the anti-Reagan Romney and rejecting the pro-life, Reaganite Newt Gingrich. And I guarantee you, it's not in the best interest of the Tea Party or the Liberty we seek.

Not on my watch!! No Romney, no way!!

Rebellion is brewing!!

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2012 Iowa GOP Caucus

2011-12-17T10:53:00.001-08:00

Unexplained shower of apples falls from sky over town

2011-12-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

By Eric Pfeiffer

(Yahoo News) More than 100 apples mysteriously rained down upon a small British town on Monday night. The still-unexplained apple shower left 20 yards of city streets and car windshields covered in the cascading fruit just after the daily rush hour.

The news immediately brought up comparisons to biblical tales of raining frogs and whether such reported freaks of nature actually occurred. In this instance, no one has officially confirmed when, how or if the apple storm truly took place as described.

However, Jim Dale, senior meteorologist from the British Weather Services, told the London Telegraph: "The weather we have at the moment is very volatile and we probably have more to come. Essentially these events are caused when a vortex of air, kind of like a mini tornado, lifts things off the ground rising up into the atmosphere until the air around it causes them to fall to earth again."

Dr Lisa Jardine-Wright, a physicist at the Cavendish Laboratory, based at Cambridge University, told the BBC, "Cars and houses have been swept up by tornadoes, so apples are well within the realms of possibility. A tornado which has swept through an orchard will be strong enough to 'suck up' small objects like a vacuum [cleaner]. These small objects would then be deposited back to earth as 'rain' when the whirlwind loses its energy."

Nevertheless, witnesses report that the weather in Coundon in Coventry was reported to be stable and calm at the time of the alleged apple shower. Coventry residents have offered several competing explanations for the event, including a passing plane, roving teenage pranksters--and, yes, witches.

But regardless of the ultimate explanation, the apple storm is no stranger other confirmed, highly unusual forms of precipitation. The BBC offers a roster of pertinent examples:

Frog falls were recorded in Llanddewi, Powys, in 1996 and two years later in Croydon, south London. In 2000, hundreds of dead silver sprats fell out of the sky during a rainstorm in the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth.

There have also been maggot downpours--in Acapulco in 1967 and during a yachting event at the 1976 Olympic Games.

On the sliding scale of inconveniences, an apple storm seems more palatable than maggots. Though, depending on the state of the apples, it's possible that some areas could have experienced both brands of offbeat precipitation at once.

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Investigation concludes on alleged Fulton Sheen miracle

2011-12-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Bauman

Peoria, Ill., Dec 13, 2011 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Dec. 11 Mass in Peoria, Ill. marked the official conclusion of an investigation tribunal into an alleged miracle that many attribute to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Since Sept. 7, the tribunal has looked into the alleged miraculous healing of James Fulton Engstrom – a one-year-old born without a pulse last year – whose parents credit his survival to the late archbishop.

The Mass, open to members of the public, was held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where Archbishop Sheen was as an altar server when he as a boy.

Official tribunal documents were sealed at the Mass by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria and Monsignor Stanley Deptula. Msgr. Deptula is the executive director of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, which is the official promoter of the archbishop’s cause for sainthood.

The documents will now be shipped to the Vatican for consideration.

If the alleged miracle is approved by the Pope, U.S. Catholics could witness the first ever beatification on American soil in the Diocese of Peoria, said the foundation.

On Sept. 16, 2010, Bonnie Engstrom and her husband Travis prayed fervently to Archbishop Sheen after she delivered a stillborn son.

The baby, whom they named James Fulton after the archbishop, had no pulse for 61 minutes after he was born.

As doctors prepared to declare the time of death, however, his heart started beating. Although the physicians predicted serious medical problems, James Fulton is now a happy, healthy one-year-old.

In addition to serving as an auxiliary bishop of New York and bishop of Rochester, Archbishop Sheen was best known for his weekly radio broadcast, “The Catholic Hour,” and his later weekly television program, “Life is Worth Living.”

The archbishop died in 1979 and his cause for sainthood was opened in 2002.

A second approved miracle will be necessary before Archbishop Sheen – currently called a Servant of God – will be declared a saint.

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