Monthly Archives: May 2012

Sex-selection abortion ban wins strong House majority, but fails to clear 2/3 hurdle [to override the expected Obama veto] by The Editors www.lifesitenews.com/news/sex-selection-abortion-ban-wins-strong-house-majority-but-fails-to-clear-2 WASHINGTON, May 31, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A bill to outlaw abortions based on a child’s gender received a strong majority of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday but failed to gain the two-thirds margin of support needed [to Read more [...]

U.S. Bishops: Catholics should prepare for civil disobedience to HHS mandate by Christine Dhanagom www.lifesitenews.com/news/u.s.-bishops-catholics-should-prepare-for-civil-disobedience-to-hhs-mandate May 31, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Catholics in the United States should be prepared to engage in civil disobedience if the HHS mandate requiring employers to pay for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs is not rescinded, says a new document from the United States Read more [...]

Striking down DOMA a ‘results-driven, outcome-oriented decision,’ critics say by Ben Johnson www.lifesitenews.com/news/striking-down-doma-a-results-driven-outcome-oriented-decision-critics-say BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, May 31, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – A federal court ruled part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional today in a decision critics called illogical and extreme, setting up another battle over the definition of marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court. A Read more [...]

The six ways homosexual activists manipulate public opinion by Brian Clowes www.lifesitenews.com/news/the-six-ways-homosexual-activists-manipulate-public-opinion May 31, 2012 (HLIWorldWatch.org) – Anyone who is concerned about the influence of the homosexual agenda on reshaping traditional values must become intimately familiar with the major tactics that homophiles commonly employ in order to anticipate them and respond in charity and truth. Homophile strategists are very adept Read more [...]

Some [Canadian] Catholic schools already ‘emboldened’ by Bill 13 to promote homosexuality: pro-family group by The Editors www.lifesitenews.com/news/some-catholic-schools-already-emboldened-by-bill-13-to-promote-homosexualit ONTARIO, May 31, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An Ontario Catholic pro-family group is warning that while the Ontario government’s anti-bullying “Bill 13” is an unprecedented threat to religious freedom in the province, the effects of the bill are already Read more [...]

Martyrology-June 2nd Roman Martyrology-June 2nd- on this date in various years- At Rome, the birthday of the holy martyr Marcellinus, priest, and Peter, exorcist, who instructed in the faith many persons kept in prison. Under Diocletian, they were loaded with chains, and after enduring many torments, were beheaded by Judge Serenus, in a place which was then called the Black Forest, but which was in their honour afterwards known as the White Forest. Their bodies were buried in a crypt near St. Read more [...]

Martyrology-June 1st Roman Martyrology-June 1st- on this date in various years- At Rome, St. Juventius, martyr. At Autun, the Saints Reverian, bishop, and Paul, a priest, along with ten others, who were crowned with martyrdom under Emperor Aurelian. At Caesarea in Palestine, blessed Pamphilus, priest and martyr, a man of remarkable sanctity and learning, and great charity to the poor. In the persecution of Galerius Maximian, he was tortured for the faith of Christ, under Governor Urbanus, Read more [...]

Family as a safe asset in a precarious world and workplace by Bernardo Cervellera 5/31/12 www.asianews.it/news-en/Family-as-a-safe-asset-in-a-precarious-world-and-workplace-24906.html For the theological pastoral congress currently underway at the World Meeting of Families, the family and the workplace must urgently strike an alliance. In opposition to individualism, the experience and social doctrine of the Church emphasise the relational nature of man. Freely giving and meaning give Read more [...]

Milwaukee archdiocese paid abusive priests to accelerate laicization CWN – May 31, 2012 The Archdiocese of Milwaukee offered “a handful” of priests cash payouts to persuade them to leave the priesthood after they were implicated in sexual abuse. The payments of up to $20,000 were authorized by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is now the Archbishop of New York, while he was serving as head of the Milwaukee archdiocese. The payments were offered in order to encourage the priests to surrender Read more [...]

Chris Gillibrand Cathcon 31 May 2012 Link to original in English and   to German original Guidelines for “appearances” and “messages” published  The CDF published on 29 May Norms regarding the manner of proceeding in the discernment of presumed apparitions or revelations. They have formed since 1978 the standard by which the Church examines alleged apparitions. In Normae de modo procedendi in diiudicandis praesumptis apparitionibus ac reveationibus, it is noted that for “private revelations” Read more [...]

Words of Wisdom: The Book By Christopher Mirus | May 31, 2012 www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=970 University of Notre Dame Press, 2012. 368 pages. $45 ISBN 10: 0-268-02370-0 ISBN 13: 978-0-268-02370-6 There is no questioning the importance of Thomas Aquinas for the Catholic intellectual tradition. Nor can one question the difficulty of reading him, in translation, nearly 750 years after his death. Indeed, to read any author separated from oneself by massive cultural Read more [...]

French original: www.la-croix.com/Religion/Urbi-Orbi/France/Rome-demande-a-l-institut-du-Bon-Pasteur-de-mieux-integrer-Vatican-II-_NP_-2012-04-17-795546 Letter from the Secretary of the Ecclesia Dei Commission To the Institute of the Good Shepherd in France March 23, 2012 Conclusions of the Canonical Visit To the Institute of the Good Shepherd Generally speaking, it is necessary to develop the founding charisma of the Institute by thinking more on the future than on the past. Read more [...]

Obama has pushed Catholic voters too far, columnist argues CWN – May 31, 2012 Wall Street Journal columnist Daniel Henninger sees irony in the possibility that a Mormon (Mitt Romney) might be elected President because Catholic voters turn against Barack Obama, driven by the US bishops’ organized opposition to the contraceptive mandate. Henninger acknowledges that the sharp divisions among American Catholics could work against the bishops’ attempts to rally voters against the mandate. But Read more [...]

Boston archdiocese drops restrictions on parish property sale after ACLU objects CWN – May 31, 2012 The Archdiocese of Boston has agreed to go forward with the sale of a parish property without legal guarantees that the property will not be used to house clinics or laboratories engaging in abortion, euthanasia, or embryonic stem-cell research. The restrictions had originally been written into a purchase agreement for the sale of St. James Church in Wellesley, an affluent suburb of Boston. Read more [...]

Calm down, folks. This isn’t a Vatican crisis. By Phil Lawler | May 31, 2012 www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=315 Reuters says that the Vatileaks scandal is “the worst crisis in Pope Benedict’s pontificate”…”a scandal that has shaken the very centre of the Church.” Vatican Insider offers offers this melodramatic tidbit: “Somehow this is even worse than the storm caused by the Church paedophilia scandal,” said a priest who entered the Read more [...]

Book By Fordham Professor is Microcosm of What’s Wrong with Catholic Colleges blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/31/book-by-fordham-professor-is-microcosm-of-whats-wrong-with-catholic-colleges/ A new book by a Professor Emeritus at Fordham University [Hidden: Reflections on Gay Life, AIDS, and Spiritual Desire; by Richard Giannone] is an autobiographical account of his journey towards self acceptance of his sexual relationship with a former priest. And, of course, it’s published Read more [...]

File this under “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” George Weigel has a good article over at National Review about what a prophet Leo XIII was in his worries about Americanism and of how they are coming true today. Here’s the link: www.nationalreview.com/articles/301342/catholic-americanism-george-weigel

‘Catholic’ Premier Tells Cardinal He’s in Charge of All Toronto Schools, Including Catholic Posted By Brian Kelly On May 31, 2012 The Star.com: The provincial government — not the Catholic church — is the higher power when it comes to running Ontario schools, says Premier Dalton McGuinty. The reminder came a day after Cardinal Thomas Collins, archbishop of Toronto, accused the minority Liberal government [1] of making “religious freedom . . . a second-class right” with a Read more [...]

When the Catholic Faith Was Outlawed For Greater Glory offers a compelling depiction of a dark period of Mexican history. By Jim Graves Wednesday, May 30, 2012 www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1387/when_the_catholic_faith_was_outlawed.aspx Andy Garcia [as General Enrique Gorostieta, leader of the Cristeros] in For Greater Glory After decades of seeing their Church maligned in cinema, Catholic moviegoers have enjoyed a smattering of pro-Catholic movies in recent years. The latest Read more [...]

For society and the marketplace, family and children are the most important assets by Bernardo Cervellera 5/30/12 www.asianews.it/news-en/For-society-and-the-marketplace,-family-and-children-are-the-most-important-assets-24895.html The theological pastoral congress concludes its first day as the 7th World Meeting of Families got underway in Milan. The family is a social asset that favours personal growth, solidarity and the dignity of women. In presenting their papers, speakers criticise Read more [...]

Still no culprit for Kashmir Church fire. Fear among local Catholics by Nirmala Carvalho 5/31/12 www.asianews.it/news-en/Still-no-culprit-for-Kashmir-Church-fire.-Fear-among-local-Catholics-24900.html The police can not identify those responsible, despite the footage of security cameras. Brahmin Hindu convert to Catholicism: “The local community is left to itself, the church authorities must act.” Bishop of Jammu-Srinagar: “The situation is tense, but the Church in India strongly supports Read more [...]

Angrily? By Phil Lawler | May 30, 2012 www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=314 “Pope Benedict on Wednesday angrily denounced media coverage of a leaks scandal shaking the Roman Catholic Church, saying it presented a false image of the Holy See.” Thus runs the lead of a Reuters story today: www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-vatican-butlerangerurgentl5e8gu9po-20120530,0,1844327.story Yes, the Pope definitely said that the media reports were creating a Read more [...]

Utah bishop criticizes Maureen Dowd column CWN – May 31, 2012 Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City has criticized a recent Maureen Dowd column on the bishops’ reaction to the HHS mandate. “In an effort to make a case against the Church’s objection to the Health and Human Services mandate requiring most religious institutions to offer contraception within their health insurance policies, Dowd ignores complicated First Amendment issues and Church teaching to try to paint the Catholic Read more [...]

The Hunt for Thieves in the Vatican Stolen papers. Venom. Arrests. In the Roman curia, it’s war. The ouster of the president of the bank. The maneuvers of Cardinal Bertone. The pope’s false friends by Sandro Magister chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350256?eng=y ROME, May 31, 2012 – There’s method in this madness. Since the butler of His Holiness ended up in jail, the scene has suddenly changed. At center stage is no longer the dispute over the contents of the stolen papers. Read more [...]

queenofmartyrspress.blogspot.com/2012/05/ecclesia-dei-mass-obligation-not.html This is an FYI post… for the moment.

Howdy folks, I was hoping to get some useful insight here. In my home diocese of Buffalo, NY; the sucessor to His Excellency Bishop Kmiec has been named. He is the Most Rev. Richard J. Malone of Portland ME. I have found some things about His Excellency’s qualifications but I would like to know if anyone here has had personal experience with the Bishop or knows if he is “trad-friendly”

Obamacare Vote Has Double Domer in Predicament blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/30/obamacare-vote-has-double-domer-in-predicament/ Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn writes that the University of Notre Dame’s lawsuit puts Senate candidate Joe Donnelly—a “double Domer” with undergraduate and law degrees from Notre Dame—in an awkward predicament. As a member of the U.S. Congress, Donnelly, a Democrat who represented a district that includes Notre Dame, voted Read more [...]

Bishop Trautman: Reportedly Not Happy That Mercyhurst University Voluntarily Covers Contraception blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/30/bishop-trautman-reportedly-not-happy-that-mercyhurst-university-voluntarily-covers-contraception/ Although the Diocese of Erie is among the 43 Catholic plaintiffs suing the federal government because of the HHS contraception mandate, Mercyhurst University in Erie currently voluntarily offers such coverage. GoErie.com reports: [T]he type Read more [...]

Catholic Educator: Ex corde Ecclesiae “Troublesome” blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/30/catholic-educator-ex-corde-ecclesia-troublesome/ An emeritus professor at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., says that the Catholic Church is in “serious trouble” because of what he regards as bad leadership from the hierarchy and calls Ex corde Ecclesiae “particularly troublesome.” Michael True, who taught English at Assumption College and is a longtime peace activist, Read more [...]

[Glass Ceiling at USCCB Broken: Sister with Religious Name (Sister John Mary) and in Full Habit] (Nashville Dominican) Named Head of Education Office blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/30/nashville-dominican-named-head-of-usccb-education-office/ A Dominican Sister, a member of the St. Cecilia Congregration in Nashville, has been named executive director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Sister John Mary Fleming served Read more [...]

Some of the recent improvements. If you have any bug reports, feedback etc., post here. Upgraded the new site to a more robust (4g) linux setup. Email Subscription (subscribe by email link at top left) for “News” category. Gave editors (moderators Tim, Tom and ECS) more control over content and users. Installed a WYSIWYG for the comments box so commenters can customize text (bold, italic etc.) Installed a “preview” function for comments. Enabled a memberlist function for anyone with Read more [...]

The timing of this [the Orange diocese's purchase of the Crystal Cathedral] is wrong Twenty years from now it will not matter that the Orange diocese got a good deal 5/30/12 www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=23a982e9-6c80-46a0-8646-0b61dd1817d0 The following essay was written in the Spring, 2012 issue of Sacred Architecture by Duncan Stroik, a founding faculty member of Notre Dame’s classical program at the school of architecture. Stroik designed the chapel at Thomas Read more [...]

On the anniversary of the fall of Constantinople which falls today

Report here of heavy hacking attack on main church website

and the battle for control of the Vatican Bank plus other articles on Vatileaks.

The Tiresome Tale of Maureen Dowd By Dr. Jeff Mirus | May 29, 2012 www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=969 One tires of Maureen Dowd. But then one tires of her newspaper, the New York Times, too. Between the two of them, they cannot seem to analyze their way out of a paper bag. Why might this be? A case in point is Dowd’s analysis of the opposition of the American bishops to the HHS Mandate, which seeks to force everyone to share the cost of contraception, sterilization Read more [...]

Toronto Cardinal warns Ontario Liberal gov’t may force gay agenda into Catholic schools by John-Henry Westen www.lifesitenews.com/news/toronto-cardinal-warns-ontario-liberal-govt-may-force-gay-agenda-into-catho TORONTO, May 28, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a public statement yesterday on behalf of the Bishops of Ontario, Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins has warned that religious freedom is under threat in the province. The statement came in response to what the National Post reported Read more [...]

New archbishop of Denver: There’s ‘tremendous joy when you know you’ve saved an unborn child’ by Ben Johnson www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-archbishop-of-denver-theres-tremendous-joy-when-you-know-youve-saved-an DENVER, COLORADO, May 29, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – The archbishop-designate of Denver, the Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, has heartened the pro-life community with his long history of pro-life activism. Pope Benedict XVI selected the 61-year-old native Californian, Read more [...]

NY Times Scolds Catholics, Calls HHS Mandate Lawsuits a “Stunt” blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/29/ny-times-scolds-catholics-calls-hhs-mandate-lawsuits-a-stunt/ The New York Times has been unsympathetic to Catholic protests against the HHS mandate, so it was not surprising that the Times editorial board had nothing but nasty things to say about the lawsuits that recently were filed against HHS by 43 Catholic plaintiffs in a Sunday editorial. Thirteen Roman Catholic Read more [...]

Martyrology-May 31st Roman Martyrology-May 31st- on this date in various years- St. Angela Merici, virgin of the Third Order of St. Francis. She was the foundress of the Nuns of St. Ursula, and was called by her heavenly Spouse on the 27th of January in order to receive an incorruptible crown. At Rome, St. Petronilla, virgin, disciple of the blessed apostle Peter. She refused to marry Flaccus, a nobleman, and was granted three days for deliberation. She spent these days in fasting and in Read more [...]

Pilgrimage to Chartres video May 28, 2012 la Nouvelle République kitd.html5loader(“flash_epix_44cf54f5af5s”); Read more [...]

Democrat Commiteewoman Resigns from Party, Cites Her Catholic Faith BY Matthew Archbold Posted 5/28/12 www.ncregister.com/blog/matthew-archbold/democrat-commiteewoman-resigns-from-party-cites-her-catholic-faith Jo Ann Nardelli has been a Catholic Democrat her entire life. Her father was one before her. And she couldn’t imagine a day where that wouldn’t be true. But that day was Wednesday of last week. I read a story about Jo Ann leaving the Democratic Party and was interested Read more [...]

Mercy Sister Who Publicly Confronted Pope John Paul II Hasn’t Changed Her Tune blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/29/mercy-sister-who-publicly-confronted-pope-john-paul-ii-hasnt-changed-her-tune/ Mercy Sister Theresa Kane, now an associate professor at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, may have been one of the most famous nuns in the world in the 1980s. In her capacity as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious—the object of a recent Vatican investigation Read more [...]

Since when did a priest die for the OF Mass? Posted by Richard Collins at Tuesday, May 29, 2012 linenonthehedgerow.blogspot.com/2012/05/since-when-did-priest-die-for-of-mass.html I appreciate that, today, on a daily basis, priests and their flock members are being assassinated, murdered and persecuted. But these crimes are carried out almost entirely by Muslim fanatics who abhor anything Christian. They are dying for their faith, not for the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. Back Read more [...]

British doctors who refuse [to prescribe birth control to unmarried women or] to carry out sex-change surgery may be barred from practice CWN – May 29, 2012 British physicians who refuse to prescribe birth control to unmarried women or who refuse to carry out “gender reassignment” surgery would be guilty of discrimination and thus could be barred from practice under guidelines drafted by the General Medical Council. Auxiliary Bishop Tom Williams of Liverpool, chairman of the Bishops’ Read more [...]

Washington Post Profiles Georgetown President DiGioia blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org/2012/05/29/washington-post-profiles-georgetown-president-digioia/ Georgetown University’s invitation to pro-abortion rights HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak commencement day triggered a barrage of negative publicity and a statement calling the invitation “shocking” from the Archdiocese of Washington. But that same Sebelius invitation seems to have been the inspiration for a sympathetic Read more [...]

The Protest of Commencement Speaker Victoria Kennedy at BC Law School Carol McKinley The Tenth Crusade 5/29/12 throwthebumsoutin2010.blogspot.com/2012/05/protest-of-commencement-speaker.html Boston’s Operation Rescue and Catholic Action League joined to protest the violation of Church teaching on the selection of Victoria Kennedy as this year’s commencement speaker for B.C. Law school. Some great pictures HERE [ www.orboston.org/Email_news/email_news_0525_2012.htm ], and Read more [...]

Catholic Bishops to Investigate Moral Slide of Girl Scouts Organization Written by Dave Bohon 5/28/12 www.thenewamerican.com/culture/item/11532-catholic-bishops-launch-investigation-into-moral-slide-of-girl-scouts-organization The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has a gift for the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A (GSUSA) just in time for the organization’s one hundredth anniversary. The bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth has launched an investigation into Read more [...]

Sacropop music for priestly and religious vocations: Pop band release single in support of vocations drive By Marin Thomas on Monday, 28 May 2012 www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/05/28/pop-band-release-single-in-support-of-vocations-drive/ The band ooberfuse performed at World Youth Day last year An electro-pop band have released a single in support of the English and Welsh Church’s new vocations drive. Fr Christopher Jamison OSB, director of the National Office for Read more [...]

Union president: Church’s doctrines ‘not connected to my faith’ CWN – May 29, 2012 The president of the Service Employees International Union said in a recent newspaper interview that “I think of my Church as the Church of the people and not as the institutional hierarchy that has doctrines that are not connected to my faith.” “Growing up in a family of 10 and being raised Catholic were the two kind of foundational things that made me understand that, if I wanted to change the Read more [...]