Pie Fight

Excommunication For Women Claiming Ordination

St. Louis , Mar. 14, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has formally announced the excommunication of three women who participated in a ceremony that they described as ordination to the Catholic priesthood.

In defiance of warnings from the archbishop, two Missouri women-- Rose Marie Hudson and Elsie McGrath-- claimed ordination during a November 11 ceremony performed at a Jewish synagogue. A German woman who claims to be a bishop, Patricia Fresen, led the ceremony. Since that time, Hudson and McGrath have been serving as "pastors" of a group based in a Unitarian church.

All three women are excommunicated, the St. Louis archdiocese announced. The disciplinary action against Fresen was taken by Archbishop Burke because the offense-- the imitation of a sacrament-- was committed in St. Louis under his jurisdiction.

The penalties of excommunication apply throughout the world; the women cannot receive the sacraments unless they are reconciled.

Archbishop Burke revealed that he had warned the women against participating in the "ordination" ceremony, and subsequently issued repeated invitations for each woman to meet with him and repair the damage done by their public actions. The women have refused to accept his authority.

"Because they participated in the attempted ordination, Church law requires me to publicly declare the excommunication," announced the archbishop, who is an acknowledged authority on canon law. He explained that the Church does not have the authority to ordain women as priests, that Pope John Paul II (bio - news) solemnly reaffirmed the teaching, and that the teaching "is to be held definitvely by all the faithful."

"The situation is sad for the whole Church," Archbishop Burke said, urging the faithful to pray that the women will be reconciled.

• Excommunication For Women Claiming Ordination

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Archbishop formally seeks dismissal of excommunicated priest in St. Louis

The Associated Press - March 8, 2008

ST. LOUIS: Archbishop Raymond Burke has recommended the removal of an excommunicated priest at the center of a dispute over a Polish-heritage Roman Catholic church, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Burke formally declared that Rev. Marek Bozek, pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, is improperly representing himself as a Catholic priest and should be removed from the priesthood, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on its Web site.

The Post-Dispatch said Burke made formal his recommendations after Bozek refused to meet with him Wednesday to discuss their long-running dispute. The archdiocese released the text of Burke's decree in Friday's edition of the local Catholic weekly newspaper, the St. Louis Review.

Burke and St. Stanislaus' lay board have long been at odds over control of the assets of the north St. Louis church. The lay board appointed Bozek in December 2005 in defiance of the archbishop, and that month Burke declared the lay board and Bozek to be excommunicated.

In January 2006, Burke also stripped the parish of its standing as a Roman Catholic church. The matter is under appeal at the Vatican.

Bozek is under fire for allegedly breaking with the church and for participating in an ordination ceremony for two Catholic women in November.... (more)
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From St. Louis Catholic:

Statement Regarding New Members of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation Board

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke has issued the following statement regarding Stanley Rozanski and Bronsalaa (Bernice) Krauze:

As Archbishop of St. Louis, it is my responsibility to safeguard the unity of the Catholic Church and protect the souls of the faithful.

I have communicated with both Mr. Rozanski and Ms. Krauze that the Board of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation is in schism, the parish had been suppressed, and that if they joined the board, they would be knowingly joining a sect that held and professed views outside the communion of the Catholic Church. Because they joined the board knowing this information, they excommunicated themselves from the Catholic Church. Church law requires me to publicly declare the excommunication.

The situation of Mr. Rozanski and Ms. Krause is sad for the whole Church. It is cause of great concern for me as archbishop. Please join me in praying that both will be reconciled with the Church and that the great harm which has been caused to the Church, with the help of God’s grace, will be healed.

Questions and Answers Regarding New Members of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation Board

Q. What is the latest development?

A. Archbishop Burke has declared excommunicated the most recent Board members of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation, Mr. Rozanski and Ms. Krauze.

Q. What does it mean to be excommunicated?

A. Excommunication is knowingly and willingly placing oneself outside the full communion of the Catholic Church. A person excommunicates himself/herself. When the archbishop declares an excommunication, its purpose is meant to be healing, and a call for the person to reconsider the action and reconcile with the Catholic Church.

Q. Were the new Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation Board members given any warning by the archbishop, and, if so, what kind of warning?

A. The archbishop wrote to each party three times asking them to refrain from joining the Board at Saint Stanislaus because: the Board was in schism, the parish had been suppressed, and they would be knowingly joining a church that held and professed views outside the communion of the Catholic Church.

Q. What is schism?

A. Schism occurs when a baptized Catholic withdraws from unity with the pope or the local bishop and the faithful under him. They will not be allowed to go to Confession.

Q. How does a priest prevent them from obtaining absolution in the confessional if the priest doesn't know it is they who are confessing?

A. They should refrain from presenting themselves in Confession. A priest is only to deny them absolution if he is certain that they have been excommunicated and have not sought repentance.

Q. What happens to a priest if he unknowingly administers Holy Communion to them?

A. Nothing; no one can be held liable if an excommunicated person attempts to receive the Eucharist, and the status of the person is unknown to the minister. Q. What happens to a priest if he knowing administers Holy Communion?

A. He is liable to just penalties for his offense, as Church law forbids giving Communion to one who is under the penalty of excommunication or interdict.

Q. How is the Archdiocese of St. Louis going to monitor this?

A. No one is monitoring this. It is simply expected of a priest or minister of the Church.

Q. Should they be in grave danger of death, can Last Rites be administered to them by a priest in good standing? If so, are they then allowed to be buried as a Catholic in good standing?

A. If they truly are contrite about their offense and wish to be reconciled, then after the reconciliation, the priest could administer the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. If they are not contrite, then he can not, because they remain obstinate in their offense. The same option would hold true concerning a request for a Funeral Mass and burial in sacred ground.

Q. If one is excommunicated, does that mean the person is going to hell?

A. We believe that is not a question for us, but for God.

Q. Why doesn't the archbishop look the other way?

A. The archbishop, as the chief shepherd of the Church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, has the responsibility to make sure that people are not mislead by false teachings. He is to protect the people and make sure that scandal does not lead them astray. He also has to uphold the true teachings and practices of the Catholic Faith.

Q. Why does the Archdiocese of St. Louis have to make this public?

A. Because the persons involved have committed the canonical crime of schism. At three separate times, Archbishop Burke formally called them to withdraw from their schism, but they have refused to do so. They have lost membership in the Roman Catholic Church and have become members of a sect. The Church is obliged to make public the fact of their status, lest the faithful be confused and even led into the error of joining them in schism.

Q. Aren't excommunications more divisive than uniting?

A. Excommunication is more than a penalty for past actions; it's really an urgent call to reform one's conduct in the future. Excommunication is classified as a "medicinal penalty" by the Church precisely because its main purpose is to bring about reform in the individual. Having certain actions punished by excommunication demonstrates that certain actions are gravely wrong in themselves and cause deep harm both to their perpetrators and to others. The hope of this excommunication, and all excommunications, is that the parties will be awakened to their offenses and seek to return to full communion in the Church.

• Declaration of Excommunication of Stanley Adam Rozanski and Bronsalaa Anna Krauze (264.63 Kb PDF file)
• Statement Regarding New Members of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation Board

"God Bless You, Sister"

"...We learned good manners, grammar, history, science, art, music, geography, spelling, etc. And we were in church not only every Sunday for Mass but also once a month if not more for school Masses and devotions (like the Rosary and Benediction).

Once the nuns stopped looking like nuns, many of them stopped speaking and acting like nuns, hence vocations began to drop geometrically. Vocations shrinked in those dioceses where they were most incognito. Traditional communities like the Nashville Dominicans Nuns and the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, who kept the habit and who continue to teach, continue to have vocations and they greatly influence a lot of people over a long period of time. Too often, the local parish school has one nun or sister as principal and one or two more as teachers. While MANY wonderful lay women teach for peanuts in parochial schools, it is not the same as having a total or at least a predominant staff of nuns teaching in every grade..."

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Young People: Be Bearers of the Joy of the Holy Spirit

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican Basilica Benedict XVI presided at a penitential liturgy with young people from Rome in preparation for the 23rd World Youth Day. The Day is due to be held in Sydney, Australia from 15 to 20 July on the theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses".

"At the roots of being Christian", the Holy Father told the young people, "is an encounter with an event, with a Person. This opens a new horizon and, with it, a decisive sense of direction". In order "to favour this encounter you are preparing to open your hearts to God, confessing your sins and - by the action of the Holy Spirit and through the ministry of the Church - receiving forgiveness and peace.

"Thus", he added, "we make room in ourselves for the presence of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity which is the 'soul' and the 'vital breath' of Christian life. The Spirit helps us to grow 'in an understanding of Jesus that becomes ever deeper and more joyful and, at the same time, to put the Gospel into practice'", he said...

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What Spice Are You?

You Are Cayenne Pepper

You are very over the top and a bit overwhelming. You have a fiery personality, and you can give anyone a good jolt. You can easily take things up a couple notches, no matter what crowd you're running with.

What Spice Are You?

EWTN to Televise upcoming FSSP Ordinations by Cardinal Hoyos in Lincoln, Nebraska

Lincoln, Nebraska - In a phone conversation with Father Josef M. Bisig, FSSP, Rector at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Una Voce Carmel has confirmed today that EWTN will televise the FSSP ordinations at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ, Lincoln, Nebraska at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 30, 2008.

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"Summorum Pontificum" in the Seminary

Cardinal Rigali on Introducing Seminarians to the 1962 Missal

By Annamarie Adkins

PHILADELPHIA, MARCH 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Since Benedict XVI has said that the Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII should be available to those who prefer it, seminarians should be taught to say it, says Cardinal Justin Rigali.

The Pope clarified in his apostolic letter "Summorum Pontificum" that there are two forms of the liturgy in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church: ordinary and extraordinary.

To learn what some bishops are doing to implement the document in seminaries, ZENIT spoke with Cardinal Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, about his plans to introduce seminarians at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to the extraordinary form of the Mass.

Cardinal Rigali also suggested why priests already in active ministry should become familiar with the Missal of 1962.

Q: What practical steps are being taken to incorporate "Summorum Pontificum" into the life and curriculum of the seminary?

Cardinal Rigali: First there will be a lecture offered on the "motu proprio" that elucidates the theology underlying the 1962 missal so that the seminarians are afforded a clear understanding of the "motu proprio" and the Holy Father's pastoral concern for the faithful who have a deep love for the Tridentine liturgy.

Since nearly all of the seminarians at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary have grown up attending Mass according to the "Novus Ordo" -- Missal of Paul VI -- it is important to offer an exposition of the Mass according to the 1962 missal -- Missal of Blessed John XXIII.

Further, seminary course work in theology, liturgy and Church history will cover and expound upon the Holy Father's initiative. It will be helpful for them to see the continuity between the two expressions, but will also afford the opportunity to address the changes that took place in the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council.

Sometime in the spring semester, after the lecture, Holy Mass according to the extraordinary form will be celebrated once for the entire St. Charles Borromeo Seminary community. This will demonstrate to the seminarians the liturgically correct manner in which the extraordinary form of the Mass is to be celebrated.

Q: What about "Summorum Pontificum" has led you to support the incorporation of that document into the life of St. Charles Borromeo seminary? Are you foreseeing a greater demand for the traditional form of the Mass in the future?

Cardinal Rigali: The Holy Father has indicated that the Mass according to the extraordinary form as well as celebration of the sacraments should be available to the faithful when there is a genuine pastoral need.

Many of our clergy have never celebrated Mass or administered the sacraments according to the 1962 missal and the other liturgical texts. In order to provide for the pastoral needs, should they arise, the current seminarians should have the opportunity to be properly educated as to the rituals involved and the theology that underlies these forms.

At present I do not foresee a great demand for celebrations according to the extraordinary form of the Mass. In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia the requests we have received are very few. Most Catholics today find spiritual satisfaction in the Mass as celebrated using the Missal of Paul VI, and this remains the ordinary form of the celebration.

This being said, we are blessed to have two parishes in different areas of the archdiocese that celebrate Mass in the extraordinary form, who had already for some time been offering Mass with the Tridentine Missal by grant of the necessary indult. I am grateful that these parishes provide for the spiritual and pastoral needs of those faithful who prefer the extraordinary form.

Q: Some analysts of "Summorum Pontificum" have said that it is primarily directed at priests, and is a gift to them. What is your view?

Cardinal Rigali: The "motu proprio" is issued by the Holy Father for all Catholics.

With regard to priests, any statement from the Holy Father on the liturgy or any change in the liturgical forms or formula afford the priests an opportunity for thought and reflection on the mysteries they celebrate in the liturgy.

Many priests find in these opportunities a renewed sense of awe and appreciation for the liturgy and an opportunity for recommitment to celebrate these liturgies in a more reflective, reverent and respectful manner.

In this sense, "Summorum Pontificum" is a gift to all priests, because it encourages them, through the sacred liturgy, to draw all people into a deeper communion of holiness with the Lord.

Q: Seminaries are in the business of formation, particularly liturgical formation. What formative effect do you believe learning and celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass will have upon seminarians?

Cardinal Rigali: Studying about and learning the Mass according to the 1962 Missal will afford the seminarians an opportunity to experience the continuity between the older and newer forms.

So much of our faith is based on continuity and tradition, handing on of the faith from one generation to the next. Sometimes the rituals change and develop but at the core they remain the same.

Benedict XVI stated in his letter to the bishops that accompanied the "motu proprio," "There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be of all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches that have developed in the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."

The liturgical training St. Charles Borromeo seminarians receive forms them in reverence and holiness, which in turn will serve the faithful to whom they will minister once they are ordained.

Q: Will saying Mass according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII affect the way a priest says the "Novus Ordo" Mass?

Cardinal Rigali: Any priest who is unfamiliar with the extraordinary form, or who has not celebrated the liturgy according to this form for some time, will probably, and quite naturally, reflect on the manner in which he celebrates Mass according to the "Novus Ordo."

Such a reflection is positive because it cannot help but lead to a more reverent and worthy celebration of the liturgy.

Q: What can priests do to incorporate "Summorum Pontificum" into their own priestly ministry?

Cardinal Rigali: St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is offering a course for priests who wish to be educated and trained in the proper celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII to ensure competence in the Latin language and the rubrics of the extraordinary form.

Prior to engaging a "practicum" experience, the theology behind the liturgy and the "motu proprio" will be studied. I have encouraged any priest who may wish to learn to celebrate this liturgy to seek such educational opportunities so that the liturgy may be celebrated in a prayerful and reverent manner.

• "Summorum Pontificum" in the Seminary

L.A. Religious Education Congress

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Singed by the Hands of Souls in Purgatory

From The Crescat:

"...Located in the back of the Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio in Rome, the tiny Museum of the Souls in Purgatory is a collection of bibles, prayer books, tabletops, and articles of clothing said to have been singed by the hands of souls in purgatory. The scorched handprints collected in this museum are believed to be the product of souls begging their earth-bound loved ones to pray harder."

Chaplet of All Souls (from Our Lady's Tears):

"Let us never forget all the poor souls in purgatory who suffer without rest, without the slightest respite and who depend so very much on our charity! Have mercy upon them, think of them often. Offer up small sacrifices, accept all sufferings and humiliations on their behalf. I urge you to print off this simple prayer and say it, if even once! Your reward will be great in Heaven. May the Lord say to us all "I was in prison and you visited me. Come, enter into the joy prepared by my Father!"

This devotion is prayed using the Marian Rosary of 59 beads.

On the Crucifix: Psalm "Out of the Depths."

On the Our Father beads: Our Father.

On the decade beads: "O good Jesus,have mercy on the souls in purgatory or (mention name)and grant to them eternal rest.

First decade: "I offer You, my Saviour, this first decade for the souls of all of my relatives,through the Precious Blood which You shed for them in Your Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Second decade: "I offer You, my Saviour,this second decade for the souls of all those who have shown me kindness, through the Precious Blood which You shed for them in Your Scourging. O good Jesus,have mercy on them!"

Third decade: "I offer You, my Saviour, this third decade for the souls of those whom I have at any time offended, or scandalized through the Precious Blood which You shed for them in carrying Your Cross to Calvary.O good Jesus,have mercy on them!"

Fourth decade: "I offer You, my Saviour, this fourth decade for the souls of my friends, companions and benefactors through the Precious Blood which You poured forth upon the Cross, and through the sorrows which Mary, our tender Mother, endured at the foot of the Cross. O good Jesus, have mercy on them!"

Fifth decade: "I offer You, my Saviour,this fifth decade for the soul of my father and/or Mother and/or relative. I offer You, for this soul so dear to me, the Precious Blood and the sacred water from Your Heart, pierced by the lance. O good Jesus, open to this soul the gate of heaven, and grant me the grace to be reunited with them forever in the bosom of Your goodness."

Final prayer: "O good Jesus, have mercy on the soul or souls in purgatory or (mention name)and grant to them eternal rest. May eternal light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen+"

• Our Lady's Tears

Pain of Pope for Death of Archbishop of Mossul

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a telegram to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq, for the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who was kidnapped on 29 February.

In his telegram the Pope expresses his closeness "to the Chaldean Church and to the entire Christian community", reaffirming his "condemnation for an act of inhuman violence which offends the dignity of human beings and seriously damages the cause of the fraternal coexistence of the beloved Iraqi people".

Benedict XVI gives assurances of his prayers for the archbishop "who was kidnapped just after he had completed the Way of the Cross" and invokes the Lord's mercy "that this tragic event may serve to build a future of peace in the martyred land of Iraq".

Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. also released the following declaration today:

"We had all continued to hope and pray for his release, something the Pope had requested on a number of occasions in his appeals.

"Unfortunately the most senseless and unjustified violence continues to be inflicted on the Iraqi people, and especially on the small Christian community to which the Pope and all of us are particularly close in prayer and solidarity at this moment of great suffering.

"It is to be hoped that this tragic event may once more - and more powerfully - underline the responsibility of everyone, and especially of the international community, for the pacification of so troubled a country".

• Pain of Pope For Death of Archbishop of Mossul

Polish Priest-Cosmologist Wins Prestigious Templeton Prize

By Mark Pattison
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Father Michal Heller, 72, a Polish priest-cosmologist and a onetime associate of Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, the future pope, was named March 12 as the winner of the Templeton Prize.

The prize, the world's largest annual monetary award given to an individual, is worth 820,000 pounds sterling (US$1.65 million). The award is given for progress toward research or discoveries about spiritual realities.

Father Heller, a philosophy professor at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Krakow, Poland, was honored for 40-plus years of work developing "sharply focused and strikingly original concepts on the origin and cause of the universe," according to the announcement on the prize.

The priest, who for much of his life worked under the strictures of communism, is an international figure among cosmologists and physicists. He has written more than 30 books and nearly 400 papers on such topics as the unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics. But he also has, through a "theology of science," placed the Christian view of the universe "within a broader cosmological context."

Father Heller said he would use the prize money to create the Copernicus Center to further research and education in science and theology as an academic discipline. The center would be run in conjunction with the Pontifical Academy of Theology and the Jagiellonian University, Poland's oldest university, established in 1364.

"My hope is that it will start operating a year from now," Father Heller said in a March 10 telephone interview with Catholic News Service from New York City, where he accepted the prize two days later at the Church Center for the United Nations.

"In Poland we are accustomed to doing something with nothing. ... Under communism we did everything illegally without money," he said.

As a young boy, Father Heller had an aversion to school.

"I did not like it, but I did not hate it," he told CNS. "I was always an individualist and in school you must conform to general rules of behavior, which was something painful to me. I liked to study, I liked to be taught, but I did not like to be one of many. But on the other hand, I liked my friends when they came to my house after the classes. We had a terrific time."

Father Heller, like the then-Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, who would become Pope John Paul II, found ways to challenge communist rule in Poland. After the communists expelled the theology faculty from the Academy of Theology, Father Heller helped organize an underground theology school that "was not legal, but not quite illegal," he said.

When the future pope was a young priest, he added, "he liked to ski in the mountains. Some of his ski companions were young Krakow physicists. They would start discussing some matters of science, philosophy and religion, and they continued talking about these things in private houses. When he became bishop of Krakow, he continued those discussions between scientists and philosophers."

Archbishop Wojtyla later was able to give the Academy of Theology more protection from communist interference by getting the Vatican to designate it as a pontifical academy.

The priest said Pope John Paul "grasped a little bit of the scientific mentality, and that was an extraordinary thing for a pope."

The pontiff invited Father Heller to give a talk at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

Father Heller said he prepared remarks on elemental formations, recalling that he told the pope: "Biological evolution is just one fiber of this process. As you know, our mechanical elements were formed, some of them in the first minute after the big bang, in very hot and high-density conditions. Hydrogen or helium were formed at that time. Other chemical elements were produced in the interior of the heavy stars. But in order to produce carbon, we need three or four generations of stars."

"If you look at your own hand," Father Heller told CNS, "it is composed out of atoms which participate in the life of three or four generations of stars. We are really made out of gases, or if you use a biblical metaphor, out of the clay of the universe."

Although he was visiting the United States for only the third time, this time to accept the Templeton Prize, Father Heller is familiar with the intermittent controversy in U.S. academic circles on teaching Darwinian evolution versus teaching intelligent design, or creationism, because he said the debate crops up from time to time in Poland.

Father Heller said intelligent design advocates contend "there is an opposition between God, who is the creator of everything, and the theory of evolution, which explains that random events, chance events, play an important role in the evolutionary process. They claim that we must assume (it is) intelligent design, and not chance, that shapes the outcome."

"My point of view is that it is a grave, serious theological error -- I underline that grave, serious theological error. It revives old Manichean heresies that claim that there are two major, great principles -- the principle of God which is good, and the principle of evil -- and they are fighting with each other," he said, that "God is one side, and chance is regarded as a rival of God."

But "God is also the God of chance events," he said. "From what our point of view is, chance -- from God's point of view, is ... his structuring of the universe."

As an example, Father Heller said, "birth is a chance event, but people ascribe that to God. People have much better theology than adherents of intelligent design. The chance event is just a part of God's plan."

• Polish Priest-Cosmologist Wins Prestigious Templeton Prize

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos to Celebrate Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form

Father Z. received this e-mail:

"Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos to Celebrate Pontifical High Mass in the Traditional Latin Rite in Westminster Cathedral, Saturday 14 June 2008

The Latin Mass Society is proud to announce that Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission in Rome and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, has accepted its invitation to celebrate a Pontifical High Mass in the Traditional Latin Rite (the Extraordinary Form) in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 14 June at 2.00 pm.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos is one of Pope Benedict XVI’s closest collaborators and is charged with oversight of the Vatican’s relations with the religious communities and laity committed to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite..."

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School Clears Kids in Contraband Candy Caper

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- School officials have decided to go light on an eighth-grader caught with contraband candy in New Haven, Connecticut.

Michael Sheridan originally was suspended and loss his class vice president post after buying a bag of candy.

Michael Sheridan, an eighth-grade honors student who was suspended for a day, barred from attending an honors dinner and stripped of his title as class vice president after he was caught with a bag of Skittles candy in school will get his student council post back, school officials said.

Superintendent Reginald Mayo said in a statement late Wednesday that he and principal Eleanor Turner met with student Michael's parents and that Turner decided to clear the boy's record and restore him to his student council post.

Michael was disciplined after he was caught buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. The classmate's suspension also will be expunged, school officials said...

• School Clears Kids in Contraband Candy Caper

Pope Explains Influence of Boethius, Cassidorus

Vatican, Mar. 12, 2008 (CWNews.com) - At his regular weekly public audience on March 12, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) continued his series of talks on the early Church fathers, with short talks on Boethius and Cassiodorus.

Speaking first about Boethius, the Pope recalled that the philosopher was born into a noble family in 480, and pursued philosophical studies avidly while serving as a public official. Boethius, he said, made one of the early efforts to bring classical Greek and Roman philosophy into accord with Christian revelation. "Precisely for this reason," the Pope observed, "Boethius has been called the last great representative of ancient Roman culture and the first of the mediaeval intellectuals."

The victim of a political plot, Boethius was jailed and eventually executed. During his imprisonment he wrote his greatest work, The Consolation of Philosophy, explaining that in times of trouble and in the face of injustice, the truth "is the true medicine of the soul." True happiness can come only from within the individual's soul, Boethius taught, and "God remains the supreme good toward which all human beings tend, even without knowing it."

Pope Benedict reflected on the absurdity and injustice of the situation faced by those who, like Boethius, suffer and die "for no other reason than their political and religious ideals." Boethius, he said, saw the link between his suffering and that of the unjustly condemned Christ.

Next the Holy Father spoke about Marcus Aurelius Cassiodorus, a contemporary of Boethius, who was also deeply involved with the cultural life of his time. Cassiodorus was dedicated to "recovering, conserving, and handing down the immense cultural patrimony of the ancients," and founded a monastic community devoted to that cuase.

Cassiodorus, the Pope said, recognized that the ultimate aim of monastic life is contemplation of God. However he added the idea that "the 'profane' tools of culture" can help the believer to gain new insights into the message of the Gospel.

That idea is particularly important to the modern world, Pope Benedict said. At a time of cultural clashes, he said, we should learn from Cassiodorus the importance of preserving a cultural patrimony and transmitting the moral content of the Christian tradition.

• Pope Explains Influence of Boethius, Cassidorus
  

Another Souper Candidate?

[Note: I believe that this article is from 2003 - V.]

by Dan Coyne

During the Great Irish Potato Famine in the mid-1800's, anti-Catholic zealots would occasionally bring large kettles of soup to Irish villages. The soup was free, but there was a catch. Before a starving Irishman could have even a sip of the soup, he would first have to renounce his Catholic faith.

So strong was the Catholic faith in Ireland at the time that many starved to death rather than selling their souls. However, a few did drink the soup. They became known as "soupers" – a derisive label that would stick to their families for generations.

Today, we are witnessing a similar real-life morality play. Only this one doesn't involve Irish farmers starving for food. This one involves ambitious politicians starving for power. The soup these politicians are being asked to drink is a concoction brewed up by the radical feminists and abortion profiteers who now control the Democratic Party. The reward for drinking this soup of death is the right to run for president as a Democrat.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Teddy Kennedy was among those first in line for a taste of the soup. In a 1971 letter, the then pro-life Teddy Kennedy wrote, "The legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old." By 1980, Teddy had sipped the soup and was running for President as an outspoken supporter of abortion.

Likewise Jesse Jackson, before deciding to run for president, called abortion "black genocide." In 1977, Jackson wrote an article for National Right to Life News that said: "It takes three to make a baby: a man, a woman and the Holy Spirit. What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person and what kind of a society will we have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually?" By 1988, Jackson had also sipped the soup and was running for President as an outspoken supporter of abortion.

Al Gore and Dick Gephardt are two more former pro-lifers who indulged in the soup and discarded their support for the unborn in preparation for a run for the presidency. And of course, few have gulped down the soup of death with the gusto of Bill Clinton, a man well known for his insatiable appetites. In a 1986 letter to Arkansas Right to Life, Clinton wrote: "I am opposed to abortion and to government funding of abortions. We should not spend state funds on abortions because so many people believe abortion is wrong." As we all know, Clinton went on to become the most radically pro-abortion President in our nation's history.

56-year-old Congressman Dennis Kucinich appears to be the latest addition to the Democratic Souper Club. Over a long political career, Kucinich maintained a near perfect pro-life voting record. As recently as last May, Kucinich press secretary, Kathie Scarrah, stated: "He absolutely believes in the sanctity of life and that life begins at conception." Then Kucinich began to think about running for President. It was time for some soup.

Less than a week after announcing his decision to explore the possibility of running for president, Kucinich wrote a letter to his local newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, wherein he publicly renounced his long held pro-life position: "I don't believe in abortion; few do. I do, however, believe in choice." In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Kucinich goes even further; not ruling out his support for publicly funded free abortions for poor women. "I am going to continue to take a thoughtful approach, and that doesn't preclude the poor from having the government support their right to choose." Amazingly, Kucinich has been trying to make the argument that his position on this fundamental issue has not really changed. "The position I'm taking now is an expansion; it's not a reversal," Kucinich told Tim Russert on Meet the Press.

So let's get this straight. Less than a year ago, Kucinich believed that life begins at conception and that this unborn life is sacred. Now that he is running for president, Kucinich believes that the 51% of Americans who believe that abortion is homicide should be compelled to pay for free abortions for poor women. So much for "choice," Americans, you are going to pay for other people's free abortions even if you think they are committing homicide.

To confound matters further, Kucinich also says he wants to promote policies that will reduce the number of abortions. But of course, free abortions for poor women are not going to decrease the number of abortions. What's next? Free cigarettes for the poor in an effort to reduce smoking? In truth, if Kucinich seriously wanted to promote life while leaving Roe v Wade in place, there is much that could be done. Indeed, what would be necessary is a government funded educational campaign unprecedented in size and scope.

This campaign would use the latest and best medical evidence and technological advancements to call for tolerance, compassion, and mercy toward the least of our brothers and sisters, the unborn. Focused on fetology and the humanity of the unborn, such a campaign would include public service announcements on television and radio as well as billboards throughout the country with a particular focus on inner city neighborhoods where the abortion rate is at epidemic proportions. This information would also be brought into classrooms across the country.

We know that up to ninety percent of women considering abortion choose life if they are permitted to view the child on an ultrasound. Bring these ultrasound videos into our public schools and make our unborn children the stars of scientific and factual public service announcements.

An ambitious public education campaign focused on the humanity of the unborn child is the least we should expect from a committed progressive like Kucinich, who has not yet renounced his belief that life begins at conception. But sadly, Kucinich is no longer permitted to promote life. Instead, he strictly abides by Democratic protocol and uses the callous euphemism "choice" to describe the mass destruction of what he believes to be sacred human lives. He has suddenly and not unexpectedly stopped mentioning that life is sacred and begins at conception.

There will come a day in history when our society as a whole awakens and unanimously recognizes the horror of abortion. When that day comes, historians will look back at our time trying to figure out how such a national tragedy could have occurred. These historians will read our newspapers, pour over our correspondence, view our news programs, and examine our voting records. And just as today's historians look back at Nazi Germany concerned solely as to whether or not individuals bravely fought for life or silently consented to a regime of death, historians in the future will be solely concerned with whether or not we spoke up for our unborn brothers and sisters or silently consented to a Culture of Death.

As life-affirming generations in the future look back at us, few will be treated more harshly than the modern soupers. Highly educated, outspoken, and passionate, they could have made a difference. They knew the truth. And, for a short time, they were willing to speak out for the unborn. But then the price got too high. They became cowards. Starved for power, they each drank the soup of death. May God have mercy on their souls.

• Another Souper Candidate?
  

Experts: Indictments Loom For Spitzer

Disgraced Former Governor Could Face Myriad Of Charges

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Eliot Spitzer's resignation Wednesday spares him and the state the spectacle of an impeachment, but what about an indictment?

It was a rare and unequivocal declaration by U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia: "There is no agreement between this office and Gov. Eliot Spitzer, relating to his resignation or any other matter."

And in Spitzer's own words:

"Over the course of my public life, I've insisted, I think correctly, that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct."

But what conduct? And what form will that responsibility take? Legal observers say there's a good chance the governor will be indicted.

"To move funds from one place to the other, to hide the source of the money … it's still going to be money laundering," said John Jay College School of Criminology professor Joseph King.

Experts say "Client 9" could face the following charges:

* Money laundering for trying to conceal the source and recipient of financial transactions.
* Tax evasion, if he was a knowing party to an all-cash business that wasn't filing taxes.
* Violation of the Mann Act for paying for the trip from New York to D.C. by the call girl known as "Kristen."
* Misuse of state resources, if he used his state-issued credit card for hotels or meals with prostitutes as well as if he was being protected by State Troopers during his dalliances.
* And finally, soliciting prostitution.

There's also the question of whether Spitzer used campaign funds for these trysts, which opens up a whole other litany of charges from fraud to federal election violations....

• Experts: Indictments Loom For Spitzer
• "It's Now a War Between Us," Eliot Spitzer Told Me. "I will be Coming After You."

Catholic Bishop Accused of Religious 'Fundamentalism' for Ordering a Crucifix in Every Classroom

A Roman Catholic bishop will be forced to explain himself to MPs today over fears that he is imposing religious "fundamentalism" on children.

Patrick O'Donoghue, the Bishop of Lancaster, will be questioned over his ban on what he calls "values-free" sex education in Catholic schools in his diocese and his order to put up crucifixes in every classroom.

His summons to appear before the House of Commons select committee on children, schools and families follows a 66-page document he produced last year which angered some MPs because of its strict line on sexual morality.

In the document, called Fit for Mission?, Bishop O'Donoghue wrote: "The secular view on sex outside marriage, artificial contraception, sexually transmitted disease, including HIV and Aids, and abortion, may not be presented as neutral information...."

More

Quote

"When He who is Living Truth is treated like opinion to be manipulated, blood flows down the cross of calvary but not down the bodies of martyrs." - Fr. Renzo di Lorenzo

• Jesuit General Congregation: vote to reaffirm "its own total adhesion to Catholic doctrine"
• The Trilogy of Renzo di Lorenzo

• Bad taste? Maybe not...
  

Elliot Mess

He needs an intervention, NOW.

• Spitzer Got Tripped Up by Laws He Enforced

Urgent Papal Appeal for Mideast Peace

Vatican, Mar. 10, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) renewed his plea for peace in the Middle East during his Angelus audience on Sunday, March 9.

"Over the last few days, violence and horror have once again bloodied the Holy Land, nourishing the spiral of destruction and death which seems to have no end," the Pope said. He appealed to the faithful to redouble their prayers for peace and express his sympathy for the victims of the latest round of violence.

The Holy Father urged both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to "support Israeli and Palestinian authorities in their intention to continue building, through negotiation, a peaceful and just future for their peoples." He exhorted all parties to "abandon the paths of hatred and revenge."

Turning to Iraq, the Pope mentioned his mounting concern about the welfare of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho, whose condition remained unknown 10 days after he was abducted after leaving the cathedral in Mosul. He expressed his concern, too, for the many people in Iraq "who continue to be subject to blind and meaningless violence which is certainly contrary to the wishes of God."

• Urgent Papal Appeal for Mideast Peace
  

Swissmiss Passed the "Jeopardy!" Game Show Pre-Test!

Congratulations! This confirms that my "Smartest Catholic Blog" vote was well spent! If you haven't voted yet, please consider her blog.

• St. Monica's Kneeler

Great Show on EWTN: Feasts & Seasons of the Church

Holy Saturday Cookies

This is a special activity for the evening of Holy Saturday

Before you start, turn the oven on HIGH like gas mark 6 or 400+. This is crucial: it must be done as you all gather, and cannot be left until later.

Now assemble the ingredients.

Three egg whites
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of vinegar
1 cup of sugar
A little salt
1 cup of hazelnuts or almonds
A Bible

Put the nuts in a stout plastic bag (or two bags, on inside the other), and let the children beat them with wooden spoons. Explain that Jesus was beaten by Roman soldiers. Read John 19: 1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put one teaspoonful into the mixing-bowl. Read John 19: 28-30, and explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the Cross, he was offered vinegar to drink.

Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life for us. Read John 10: 10-11.

Give each child a taste of salt. Sprinkle a pinch of salt into the mixing bowl. Explain that this represents the salt tears shed by Christ’s followers as he was taken up to Calvary. Read Luke 23:27.

Add the sugar to the mixture. Explain that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to belong to him. Read Psalm 34: 8 and John 3:16.

Whip up the egg white mixture until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the white colour represents purity in the eyes of God of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3: 1-3.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop the mixture in teaspoons on to a well-greased baking tray. Explain that the rocky mounds represent the stone tomb in which Jesus was laid. Read Matthew 27: 65-66.

Put the whole batch into the oven. Have the children seal the doors with some sticking-plaster (adhesive tape used to secure bandages, available at the pharmacy).

NOW TURN THE OVEN OFF! And go to bed. Explain that Jesus died on the Cross and His body was laid in the tomb. Read John 16: 20 and 22. Explain that all the disciples were filled with sorrow and were desolate.

On Easter morning when the oven is opened, and the seals are broken give everyone a cookie and take a bite. Inside the cookies are hollow! Just as the tomb was empty Easter morning! Christ rose from the dead! Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Alleluia

• Feasts & Seasons of the Church
• Joanna Bogle's blog: 'Auntie Joanna Writes'
  

Catholic Parish Votes on Whether to Seek Charges Against LDS Missionaries

SAN LUIS, Colo. (AP) - Members of the Sangre de Cristo parish of the Roman Catholic Church voted to pursue criminal charges against three Mormon missionaries who allegedly vandalized a shrine and committed sacrilegious acts in the church.

The Pueblo Chieftain reported that church members saw photos on the Web showing the Mormons in the shrine. Although the incidents occurred in 2006, they only came to the attention of the parish when they were seen on the Internet site "Photobucket."

Alonzo Payne, a parishioner and lawyer, said he was asking the Costilla County Sheriff to pursue charges on behalf of the parish.

Sheriff's Corporal Scott Powell told the Pueblo Chieftain the men, who were not identified, could face up to six charges, including felonies for criminal mischief and conspiracy.

President Robert Fotheringham of the Colorado Springs Mission, in charge of the LDS church's missionary program in parts of four states, and whose region includes the San Luis Valley, declined to release names of the missionaries. He confirmed the three missionaries seen in the photos, which have been removed from the Internet, were Mormon missionaries. He said they would be disciplined, though he declined to go into detail.

He said the church did not condone the acts.

• Catholic parish votes on whether to seek charges against LDS missionaries

Hat tip to Father R.