Sunday, August 31, 2008

Brokaw: The Catholic Church "came after" Pelosi....

EDIT: Fr. Z has an excellent commentary on this

Thanks to an anonymous commenter who left a message about some dialogue on Meet the Press today. The comment appeared in my running list of bishops speaking out against Nancy Pelosi's errant explanation of Catholic teaching on when life begins. I found this at MSNBC (emphases mine in bold and my comments bracketed and in red):

MR. BROKAW: This is only anecdotal, Governor, but a number of them [women] have said to me already, "Hey, listen, this is not just about gender. This is a woman, for example, who is against abortion, she's pro-life, she is a member of the NRA. That's not my kind of candidate."

GOV. PAWLENTY: I think it's wonderful that she is a woman, but that isn't why Senator McCain picked her, and that isn't why she's on this ticket. She's on this ticket because he believes she's the right person in light of her experience, her judgment, her background, to be vice president. The fact that she happens to be a woman is somebody--is a, is a instance where she can bring some credibility, perhaps in speaking to that segment of the population, to the electorate.


MR. BROKAW: It was also important that she not be in favor of abortion or choice [He also could have and should have commented "It was also important that she be pro-life." But, the language chosen puts pro-life people in a negative light - a common tactic of pro-aborts.]

GOV. PAWLENTY: Well, I think Senator McCain said from day one he wants somebody that is with him on the ticket that reflects his priorities and values for the country, and he has spent an entire career being pro-life, so I don't think that comes as a surprise.

MR. BROKAW: We're still learning a good deal about her, and I know we will continue to. In the...

GOV. PAWLENTY: I would also say on that, Tom, if I could, you never hear Barack Obama getting asked whether he would pick a pro-life candidate for his ticket... [cha-ching!!!]

MR. BROKAW: Huh. [D'oh!]

GOV. PAWLENTY: ...or whether it was important to have a pro-choice candidate on the Democratic side. You notice that question never gets asked of the Democrats.

MR. BROKAW: [ok - pay attention here....] In the governors race--as a matter of fact, Nancy Pelosi and I talked about this just last week, and she got in a lot of trouble with the Catholic Church because he refused to say when life begins, and when I asked her about it, she then had her own explanation based on what she thought was church doctrine, and the church came after her [?!?!?!?]. So we have put that on the table, I just want to get that on the record if I can. [Came after her??? That's not what happened. The Church, through her bishops, went after the error, which is what is suppose to happen. It's their job to teach and Pelosi gave them the opportunity right on a silver platter (though they probably would rather avoid these kinds of opportunities because of how many people can be led into scandal by it)].


Here is the show from MSNBC. The interview with Gov. Plawenty, begins about 3:55 in - you can slide the bar down. That which appears in the transcript is at around 10:50. I recommnend just watching the whole thing to get the flavor interview. I haven't really watched Brokaw to know his style, but he seemed to be doing an awful lot of commentary. I do miss Tim Russert. I don't recall Russert interjecting commentary in the middle of his interviews, but rather asking a stream of questions and letting people speak for themselves.



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Blatant Bias at the Peacock Network


Media bias is no stranger to pro-lifers and people with authentic Christian values who face it all the time. The peacock network, MSNBC, didn't waste anytime throwing a sucker punch against Governor Palin. Look carefully at the "Breaking News" banner Fox News captured from MSNBC as Gov. Palin was giving her speech: It reads, "How many houses does Palin add to the Republican ticket?"

A good article on this appeared on The Newsvine: Disgrace: MSNBC Continues to Sully Peacock Brand with Palin Smear.

I agree with the article that it was totally unprofessional. It is more like a sophmoric prank. But, it goes beyond the banner and into some of the hosts.

Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, called out media coverage on Obama biased and embarassing at MSNBC, saying Fox News was actually the most fair and balanced during the Democratic National Convention.



Boycott NBC! Whether it happened to a democrat or a republican is not the issue. This kind of thing shouldn't happen to anyone, no matter the party.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Recent Posts on Te Deum Laudamus!


Rev. Eduard Perrone, OCDS - Grotto's pastor - prays his office following an early morning private Mass.


Wow! Running List of US Catholic Bishops in Action over Pelosi (updated Aug 31)

My recent photostories (note, I still have not had time to finish editing Assumption Day photos from Assumption Grotto):

Recent posts:


Noteworthy: 6:30am Daily Tridentine added to Grotto's Schedule... and, it will now be included on Saturday mornings. A few more people have discovered the treasure of an early morning Mass and we are now seeing around 12-15 people regular (about comparable to the old 8:30 timeslot which was recently suspended). Several are of the working class whose only option was the 7:00pm Mass. I have noticed that as people get use to the schedule they are trying to get there earlier for pre-Mass devotions and time before the Blessed Sacrament.





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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Hurrican Gustav heads for New Orleans: Pray for the suffering, those called home....


This is serious stuff, folks. Hurricane Gustav has hit 150 mph (241 km/h), sustained which means it is only 5 mph shy of being a category 5 hurricane.

Weather authorties believe at this time that New Orleans is where landfall will be. Gulf waters are very warm right now which will strengthen this storm. A 30 foot storm surge is expected where it hits.

FEMA sent in some 700 buses to evacuate people, and there were provisions being made for pets. Many perished in the devastation that followed Katrina because they could not take their pets with them. The government has comprehended this aspect of evacuation.

Let's not forget our brothers and sisters in Cuba and other islands being hammered right now with those 150 mph winds. Please pray for those suffering and for the souls of those who are called home during this, and other severe weather.




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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Real Catholic TV has Launched! Go Check it Out!

UPDATE Aug, 31, 2008, at 2:06pm: The site has not yet officially launched. That happens tomorrow. I am told that the news and other things labeled, "Today", will indeed be a daily thing.

Real Catholic TV is launching tomorrow - an internet Catholic "television" station. Below, I'm embedding a few samples. (Please let me know if you have difficulty viewing them - they are not playing on my laptop, but worked for me at the originating site). Please be patient with anything not working right. You can test for bugs all you want, but the real test happens when something is released.

I just went through the registration for the free section in about 60 seconds and was in. There is a premium section. Incredible amount of money is being poured into the making of this site and it's exclusive programs, involving solid Catholic bishops, priests, religious, and lay people. Sign up for the premium section if you can because those exlusive programs look promising. You can watch free previews of some of these programs. I can't wait to see "The Other View", a program which looks like, "The View" on network television, a cleaned up version. The first taping of, The Other View, has just been completed.


In the free section are many choices, including "The Shepherd's Corner" - a section where short (3-8 minute) videotaped messages by bishops will be shared. I viewed all four including teachings from Archbishop Chaput of Denver, Bishop Choby of Nashville, and Bishop Vasa of Baker, Oregon. They appear to be exclusive videos. The one embedded below is that of Bishop Athanasius Schneider, ORC apparently taped during his recent visit to Metro Detroit. In it, he speaks of reverent reception of Holy Communion.





There is a news section anchored by Vic Faust, and two brief videos for "Today's Saint" and "Today's History". I watched each short clip. I'm wondering if the news will cycle daily or if it will be at certain intervals more like a news magazine that compiles things over time. We will find out soon. Either way, it is refreshing to see a news broadcast with issues of importance to faithful Catholics.



Michael Voris has his own section called, "Today's Vortex" in which he offers a commentary. In the August 28th, 2008 segment, he talks about Oprah Winfrey. The caption reads,


"...Michael talks about Oprah Winfrey and her new guru, the author of A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle"







Don't forget to visit the Real Catholic TV blog for updates and communications.

Support Real Catholic TV with your participation, by signing up for premium service if you can (the $10.00 is a real value, imho, if you are not cash-strapped), and by donating.



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Friday, August 29, 2008

McCain's VP Choice: Gov Palin of Alaska - A Mother of Five and a Competent Leader

Gov. Palin and her family before the birth of her 5th child, whom she was encouraged to abort because of Down's Syndrome. Her and her husband accepted their special child.


Obama and Biden probably fell asleep having sweet dreams after that performance last night at the Democratic National Convention, only to wake up to a nightmare this morning. The news networks aren't talking about the flashy performance that took place last night, but today's breaking news.

You've probably heard by now that McCain's choice for Vice President is Governor Sarah Palin (R - Alaska).

Who.....???

Like many, I had no idea who this woman was, but it didn't take me long to learn some very encouraging things. Of interest to many of us in Catholic and Christian blogging circles, is that she is strongly pro-life and in the area of bioethics. From Lifesite:

As many as 80 percent of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome become victims of abortion, but Palin didn't let her child become a statistic. Palin, who has deeply-felt pro-life views, gave birth to her fifth child and the baby was diagnosed with the condition.


On the way home, I heard most callers overjoyed to hear this woman was chosen. Not necessarily because of her pro-life position, but because of her competency. A small number voiced concern at her, "lack of experience".

There is a difference between being a senator and being governor of a state. In her case, she was a mayor before she was a governor, which means she has executive experience at two levels. That means, she actually has experience in the executive branch, where Obama does not. The ability to manage a state is certainly a qualification for running a country.

Let me ask this: If then Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, at 46 years of age, was experienced enough to be elected president, then why would anyone question the competency of a 44 year old Governor from Alaska to serve as Vice President, or to even succeed McCain in the event of death?

I have no problems with this woman running the country, and I actually feel better about her being Commander-in-Chief than Obama. She at least is Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard in Alaska, which means she has experience. Her oldest son enlisted with the army on the 6th Anniversary of 9-11, last year, and will be deploying to Iraq soon, so you can't say she doesn't have a stake in the whole issue with having loved ones away at war.

There is also something else I was impressed with: This woman has taken on corruption within the Republican party... head on. There is corruption within every party, don't kid yourself, but she stood up against it. There are probably not a few politicians on either side of the aisle nervous about her potential to make it into office. If you want a politician to go after wasteful spending, she's already done it.

She took on Big Oil in Alaska. Yep, she's for drilling, but not on "big oil's" terms.

Overall, I think this is a very smart, and strategic choice for McCain. Consider that Obama could have picked a woman in Hillary Clinton, but he didn't. This has some former Hillary Clinton supporters taking a closer look at the McCain-Palin ticket. Instead, Obama chose Biden, introducing him as a Catholic. Why? Perhaps to parade a Catholic out there in an effort to get us to accept culture of death politicians.

This has to have the pant-suit feminists spinning. Imagine the possibility that a woman may very well ascend to to the No. 2 position in the country and it won't be a culture of death feminist, but an ordinary "hockey-mom". I'll go so far as to say, we could be looking at the first female president of the United States somewhere down the road.

As a female myself, I have to say it is very refreshing to see a woman candidate of good character, that is not pro-choice, and who is pro-family and is not confused about the meaning of marriage.

And, she is fully competent for the job, moreso than a few other women who have been in the political arena.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Lifesite: Pro-Life Dems Abandoning Obama in New Gallup Poll

Interesting stats from Gallup (emphasis mine in bold, and extra emphasis in blue):

The Gallup survey shows Democrats who say they are conservative on issues like abortion supported Obama at a 72 percentage point clip in mid-July.

Now, that level of support has fallen to just 63 percent -- dropping steadily since then during a time Obama has come under fire nationally for his opposition to a bill to provide medical care for newborns who survive abortion.

Obama has lost 5 percentage points with pro-life Democrats in the last few days alone as McCain has bashed him for opposing the anti-infanticide bill and Obama hurt his own case further by picking pro-abortion Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate.
Full article from LifeSite:

If you have difficulty comprehending the idea that aborted babies who happent to survive the procedure have been left on a shelf to die a cold death, spend some time at Jill Stanek's site. She was a nurse at an Evangelical hospital that performed abortions and blew the cover off of the practice, losing her job. On August 21st, she was interviewed on Fox.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Video: Archbishop Chaput being interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Pelosi and Biden

H/T to Fr. Z and Tom Peters




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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Political hacks are now hacking the Catholic Faith

I wasn't going to post anything this morning, but stumbled on this article on The Hill's Congress Blog that got my attention. I submitted a response there and want to go deeper here. Truly, it is sad that such hacking of the Catholic faith is taking place. We would hope that journalists and others, especially people claiming to be Catholic, would consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church before making claims about what the Church teaches.

First, the blogpost, which was written by Jon O'Brien, of "Catholics" for Choice writes: Bishops Not on the Same Page as Pelosi, American Catholics.

The group has previously gone by the name Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) and the USCCB has made a statement on them with some of the strongest language, calling it, "an arm of the abortion lobby" and saying, "The public relations effort [of CFFC] has ridiculed the Holy See in language reminiscent of other episodes of anti-Catholic bigotry that the Catholic Church has endured in the past."

The title of Jon O'Brien's post alone should get your attention (and I've wondered how it is that a non-elected official managed to write to that section of, "The Hill" - their congress blog, meant for....elected officials). Mr. O'Brien wants the Church to conform to Pelosi. It's the old argument that you should do your own thinking rather than let the Church think for you.

Of course, those of us who accept the Church's teachings, and are obedient to them, are not held captive by the Church. How so? You have to be free to choose obedience. Faith seeks understanding, not the other way around. If a person has to understand everything before he can accept it as truth, then he has no faith. That is why Christ gave us the Church which has been unwavering on faith and morals over 2000 years.

This is why I keep the caption down at the bottom of every post on obedience (scroll down) because people think it is actually a higher form of behavior to make a personal choice rather than follow a learned institution with 2000 years of experience.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was obedient to God's will by saying, "yes" to the Angel Gabriel and he awaited her consent. Jesus was obedient to God's will by accepting a painful, agonizing death. Submitting to God's will through the hands of others, is exemplified throughout Scripture. Not my will God, but Yours (and the mantra of many Catholics today is, "Your will Lord, as long as it agrees with mine". They don't want to follow Christ to calvary by submitting the one thing that is most difficult, yet so precious to God: their will.")

Mr. O'Brien, says:




Despite what many bishops might hope, they cannot impose teachings on an unwilling faithful. Barely a fifth (22%) of Catholics in the US agree with the bishops that abortion should be completely illegal, and Catholic women in the US have abortions at the same rate as women in the population as a whole. In fact, while the bishops may seek to make abortion an election issue, it is clear from a poll conducted by the noted Washington, DC, firm Belden Russonello and Stewart, that many of the hierarchy’s teachings on reproductive health and rights have not been received by the faithful.
Using this blogposter's rationale, if 30 people are sitting at a red light, or 1000 for that matter, and 100% of them say that the light is green, does that mean they can "go"? Of course not, there will be a slaughter on the road. That's how truth works. It's not shades of gray, and it can't mean different things. You can't have one person say that a compass points North, and other say it points South, and have both of those statements be true.

The author falls flat in another way. I'll use this example: Because so many people supported segregation in the south, was that justification to not desegregate back decades ago? Look how many politicians supported it, and pounded their fists on podiums in defense of it. Now fast forward to today and you can plainly see how ridiculous those people looked, to suggest that people should be divided based on race! Mark my words, the same will happen with the abortion issue in years to come.

In the parapgraph previous to that, the author states:


On conscience, Catholic politicians need no reminding that Catholic teaching requires them to follow their own consciences—even if it is in conflict with church teaching. In addition, Catholic teaching requires at least tolerance, if not respect, for other people’s decisions.


This is the biggest hack against the Catholic faith happening in political circles in recent years. It's prompted by a perverted understanding of Vatican II which people distort for all kinds of reasons.

What does the Church really teach about conscience? First, conscience needs to be properly formed.


II. THE FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE

1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.

1784 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.

1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path,54 we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.55

Next the Catechism of the Catholic Church talks about following one's conscience:




III. TO CHOOSE IN ACCORD WITH CONSCIENCE

1786 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.

1787 Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.

1788 To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

1789 Some rules apply in every case:

- One may never do evil so that good may result from it;

- the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."56

- charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's neighbor and his conscience: "Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ."57 Therefore "it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble."58


Then, the CCC gets into erroneous judgment. Here is where our political blogposter slips up on his presentation of Catholic teaching:



IV. ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT

1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.

1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin."59 In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.

1792 Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.

1793 If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience.

1794 A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time "from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith."60


The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective standards of moral conduct.61
Hence, if you have been properly informed of Catholic teaching and openly reject it, you can't really claim invincible ignorance any longer.

It is for this reason that bishops will invite someone someone who is committing a public act of defiance to Catholic teaching to his office for a private meeting (which has happened with some Catholic politicians already), or they will send a letter informing them of their error. In recent decades, bishops have been less likely to exercise this aspect of their office, but in just a few short years, this has been changing quite rapidly. It's their job to teach the faithful and many bishops, especially newer bishops, have been taking this task very serious. When error is made in a largely public way, the bishops have to make a public correction. Pelosi opened wide that door on Meet the Press.

You see now, why so many bishops have issued personal statements to their dioceses. A Catholic politician, on national TV, distorted the faith, and the faithful can be led into scandal. The errancy had to be corrected quickly.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Wow! Running List of US Catholic Bishops in Action over Pelosi

Thanks to those providing updates. Keep giving them to me via this combox and I will add them. If you have a link to priests speaking out on this, go ahead and add it to the combox, as well. The running list will be for bishops.

List updated August 30th
List updated September August 31

List will continue to be updated. For those not on the list that you find, please drop me a comment and I'll add them. Some bishops may be making statements in their Sunday columns.

And, other dioceses have chosen to link to the USCCB statement on their front page, and or to include the statements of other bishops, such as you see on the Archdiocese of Detroit website and the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi's home diocese. The Archdiocese of San Francisco does have an article posted on it's website, but it is not a personal statement from Archbishop Nierdauer. The article says that the Archbishop is writing a lengthy response in his column which will be seen September 5. As of last night, several diocesan websites had nothing posted at all.

This post will accumulate personal statements by individual or groups of bishops.

The list of bishops issuing personal statements is growing. I found more and will update this list, as I get them. Check for updates! St. Augustine would be proud (and his feast day is tomorrow). Most of these links are direct to the respective diocese.

Please! Pray for our Bishops! May God give them the courage to do all that they must to prevent others from being led into scandal.

I highly recommend that you check in at the following blogs daily for updates. I can't keep up with the many posts they are making.

UPDATED: Some other great writeups on the topic of politicians and Catholicism:

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Uh-oh! Nancy Pelosi rejects Bishop's Corrections, still cites St. Augustine

If you were headed into surgery, you certainly wouldn't want to find out that an attorney was about to cut you open. The attorney should be practicing in a courtroom, and the surgeon should be doing the cutting.

We have a politician, billing herself as an "ardent, practicing Catholic" who is continuing to try to isolate a single quote from St. Augustine to justify her position on abortion, clearly contrary to Church teaching. And, it appears that she is continuing to do so AFTER public corrections by members of the Church responsible for teaching: The Bishops.





Now, the question is, will they - the bishops, start to take action, beginning in her own diocese and parish? Many have been wondering why Archbishop Nierdauer has been silent. The Archdiocese of San Francisco's website does have a link to the USCCB statement above, which is good. With San Francisco being Pelosi's home diocese, Archbishop Nierdauer has a greater burden. Will he, or her pastor, deny her Holy Communion now that she has shown significant obstinance in leading others into scandal in such a public manner? Hold that thought...

What I found even more incredible was a comment she made about politicians who have received personal admonitions from their bishops to not present themselves for Holy Communion. Ms Pelosi says:

“I think some of it is regional,” said Pelosi, whose district encompasses San Francisco, in a recent interview with C-SPAN. “It depends on the bishop of a certain region and, fortunately for me, Communion has not been withheld and I’m a regular Communicant, so that would be a severe blow to me if that were the case.”

Right. I'm sure a few copies of this have been sent to Archbishop Nierdauer. In all seriousness folks, pray for this bishop and for Ms. Pelosi. Pray for all of our bishops because we need them to have the grace of courage in the face of these things. In China a bishop was just imprisoned for the faith as the Olympics closed. Here, the only thing they risk losing is being seen as the "nice guy" (but perhaps they don't necessarily see the faithful who will stand behind them in prayerful support).

There is a column just released by the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Newspaper which denounces her errancy, then suggests that the Archbishop will discuss the matter in his column on September 5th. You might wonder why the delay, especially since so many bishops ripped out a statement so quickly. One thought is that perhaps he needs time to meet with her. She has given him ample reason to call for a one-on-one meeting. I think the statement in that diocesan newspaper is a good indication that status quo is not going to go in this case.

It doesn't end there....AFTER being schooled by several bishops since that Meet the Press debacle, Ms. Pelosi has apparently decided to butt heads again with the Church. Some statements attributed to her spokesman have been circulating [my comments in red and bracketed]:



“The Speaker is the mother of five children and seven grandchildren and fully appreciates the sanctity of family. She was raised in a devout Catholic family who often disagreed with her pro-choice views [smart people and hopefully they continue to pray for her. Perhaps she should be enrolled into the St. Monica sodality so that she begins to practice for real instead of pretending to practice the faith. And, why not ask the mother of St. Augustine to intercede, on this her feast day?].

“After she was elected to Congress, and the choice issue became more public as she would have to vote on it, she studied the matter more closely [to see which way she could get more votes in California]. Her views on when life begins were informed by the views of Saint Augustine, who said: ‘…the law does not provide that the act [abortion] pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation…’ (Saint Augustine, On Exodus 21.22) [Remember the lawyer and the doctor? Let's see - who is a better judge of Augustine's writings - in full context....a politician trying to justify her errant view, or a Church with 2000 years of constant and consistent teaching. The "controversy" is not with the Church, it's contrived by people who can't handle the truth!!!]

“While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view. [so, if 30 people waiting at a red light say that it is green, does it mean that they can "go"?] The Speaker agrees with the Church that we should reduce [?!?!?]the number of abortions. She believes that can be done by making family planning more available [heh, how many abortions happen in the context of a family, as opposed to being a cover-up for violating the 6th and 9th Commandments] , as well as by increasing the number of comprehensive age-appropriate sex education and caring adoption programs.

“The Speaker has a long, proud record of [culture of death] working with [and, against] the Catholic Church on many issues, including alleviating poverty and promoting social justice and peace.”
[except when it comes to the unborn, whom she doesn't consider people at all.]


I've already heard people say that the Church is sticking it's nose into politics. Really? Why did Nancy Pelosi speak as an "ardent, practicing Catholic"?

She's going up against 2000 years of constant teaching.

Fr. Z has a running blogpost with lots of links to many more posts. This has been THE topic in the Catholic blogosphere.

EDIT New Post by Fr Z: What Does Augustine Really Say? (What does Pelosi not understand?)

PRAY FOR OUR BISHOPS AND PRIESTS!

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Feast of St. Monica: Mother of St. Augustine


Today is the Feast of St. Monica and tomorrow, her son St. Augustine.

With all the talk of Catholic politicians and professors who are truly estranged from the faith through their dissenting views, it's a good time to take up praying to St. Monica. We especially should pray for her intercession for family members who have strayed from the faith or are struggling with it.

St. Monica is the Mother of St. Augustine. She prayed for his conversion for many, many years and the fruit of that prayer wasn't only a conversion, but a priest, bishop, saint, and doctor of the Church. In this EWTN bio on St. Monica, is an exerpt I would like to share:

Although his conversion was not to take place for nine long years, Monica did not lose faith. She continually fasted, prayed, and wept on his behalf. She implored the local bishop for help in winning him over, and he counseled her to be patient, saying, "God's time will come." Monica persisted in importuning him, and the bishop uttered the words which have often been quoted: "Go now, I beg you; it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish."


Two local parishes - Assumption Grotto in Detroit and St. Cyril & Methodius in Sterling Heights have a St. Monica Sodality where there are monthly Masses for those enrolled. From the St. Monica Sodality of Michigan website (scroll to see all that is there):

Both churches offer Confession and recitation of the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the St. Monica Sodality Prayer. During Mass a covered album, with petition lists and photos for those being prayed, is brought to the altar where your petitions are united with the most sacred offering of Christ.

On a table near the entrance, both churches have Petition Slips at the St. Monica Sodality Petition Box to write the names of those who are no longer practicing the faith. Just place the slip in the box and take a St. Monica Sodality Prayer Card


In the Chicago area, you will find a chapter of the St. Monica Sodality at St. John Cantius, where it began in 1995. You will find more good info at their website.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Nancy Pelosi misrepresents Catholic teaching; Rush Limbaugh calls her out on it...

See many updates below with links to USCCB statement and statement by Archbishiop Chaput of Denver. Check back for updates.


Nancy Pelosi (D-California) blatantly butchered Catholic teaching on Meet the Press. It's one thing for a Catholic politician to take a viewpoint which is contrary to truth and Catholic teaching. It's quite another when that politician presents her viewpoint as a Catholic, creating grave scandal.

I don't have time to make any kind of extensive post on this, but I want to lead you to two posts made by Fr. Z on this topc.

First, the inteview of Nancy Pelosi on Meet the Press in which she butchered Catholic teaching on when life begins. Father has embedded video. Hopefully, Archbishop Nierdauer of San Francisco was watching. If not, perhaps someone can send him a link to the video clip.

Second, Rush Limbaugh goes after her words with a heavy dose of catechesis. Whether you like Rush Limbaugh or not, go read that transcript. Even the dialogue with the caller was good.

UPDATES


Note: Still nothing on the Archdiocese of San Francisco's website by Archbishop Nierdauer (update: there is a link to the USCCB statement, but it would be good to see a personal statement out her home diocesse). She called herself an "ardent, practicing Catholic" before showing her total ignorance of teaching on national television, creating grave scandal.


Fr. Z has a single post up which collects all of his entries, including reaction from more sources, on Pelosi's outrageous "explanation" on Church teaching. Watch for updates there.


Go read: Recent WDTPRS Pelosi gaff entries, and Father's excellent commentary: Opportunity.


Great time to consider this again: Bishops Ask Catholics To Pray Election Novena

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Update: Real Catholic TV soon to launch

I'm told that Real Catholic TV, which I talked about in a recent post, is just a week away from it's launch.

Take a peak at the Real Catholic TV blog where you will see some photo-journal entries from the set and discussions about some of the programs they will be featuring.

This is internet TV, so no matter where you are in the world, you'll be able to watch with a decent connection speed.

Here are some recent blogposts you will want to check out:

I really like this feature of The Shepherd's Voice. They will be featuring videos of bishops and cardinals speaking the truths of the faith.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Petition drive to support USD for bouncing Rosemary Radford Reuther

There is an interesting development out at the University of San Diego (USD), a Catholic insititution of higher learning. It concerns Rosemary Radford Ruether - a 71 year old feminist who is often labeled a "Catholic theologian", even though she is misaligned with Catholicism. She supports abortion, contraception, homosexuality, population control, and other things in conflict with truth. You can see just how misaligned (and misguided) Ruether's positions are in this document at EWTN.

She had been invited to hold the Monsignor John R. Portman Chair in Roman Catholic Theology at the University of San Diego for the academic year 2009-2010, but the appointment was withdrawn because she sits on the board of Catholics for a Free Choice - an organization the US Bishops say is not Catholic, and has been at odds with many times.

After it was learned that the appointment was withdrawn, supporters of Ruether, many from Call to Action, another well known anti-Catholic group claiming to be Catholic, signed a petition to get her back. About 2000 people signed, including 50 teachers (please look into truly Catholic universities for your kids).

In response to that, another petition drive has started, to collect at least 4000 signatures in support of the University. I have signed it, and I urge you to sign it. Follow the instructions there:

Support the University of San Diego’s Stance Against Rosemary Radford Ruether

If you need more convincing to sign that petition, here is just one ridiculous quote from Ruether in 1998, in an article by Lee Pen which discusses others who advocate population control.



Ruether told those who attended a May 1998 conference that "We need to seek the most compassionate way of weeding out people."

" 'To allow unrestrained fertility is not pro-life' she said. "A good gardener weeds and thins his seedlings to allow the proper amount of room for the plants to grow properly. We need to seek the most compassionate way of weeding out people. Our current pro-life movement is really killing people through disease and poverty,' she said. In place of the pro-life movement we need to develop the 'spirituality of recycling,' proposed Ruether, 'a spirituality that includes ourselves in the renewal of earth and self. We need to compost ourselves'." (1136)
In Matthew 13:24-30...
Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants * of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants * said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

On judgment day, it is God who will discern wheat from weed.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

EWTN Special: The Nun

I have been getting spoiled each Saturday evening by EWTN's Global Showcase at 8:00pm. They have some very good programs on, sometimes with captions because they are in foreign languages.

This evening, they featured a film that was made in Sweden, about a girl in a Catholic family who pursues life as a Carmelite nun. It was not in English, but had captions to read. I didn't care, because it was a great film. It shows not only how the girl grew into her vocation once she left home, but how the family was impacted by her vocation. Those who become cloistered Carmelites have such a strong belief in the power of prayer that they devote their lives to it. Any bishop worth his salt, will want such a cloister in his backyard.

I believe EWTN will let you watch this film right online. It shows again in about 5 hours (2am Detroit time, then again on the 28th of August at 1:00pm Detroit time).

See the EWTN Special Programming guide here and look for, "The Nun".

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Barack Obama's VP Choice - Joseph Biden: A "practicing Catholic"

One doesn't need to be an expert to blog. But, one needs to know who the experts are in certain areas in order to elevate their writings on those subjects accordingly.

Ed Peters holds doctorates in Civil and Canon Law. He didn't waste any time putting out a commentary on the topic of Joseph Biden - Barak Obama's choice for a running mate.

Go read Ed's blogpost:

About Biden, let's ask the right questions well

Watch for updates on this one. I'm sure this topic will be heating up as we head into election season.

Bookmark the homepage of Edward N. Peters, JD, JCD, and look in now and then

EDIT 2:36pm: As of a few minutes ago, there were already 62 comments at the blog of Fr. Z on this topic. Go read his post: Dems may have a Catholic pro-abortion VP candidate.

This goes hand-in-hand with the post I made on Archbishop Chaput's new book about Catholic politicians in the US.


Te Deum Laudamus! Home



The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Sandro Magister on Archbishop Chaput and his new book

From the blog of Sandro Magister - a truly great article about a book written by Archbishop Chaput of Denver. What you may also find interesting is that Chaput's name would appear in the same sentence as "top-level archdioceses waiting a new archbishop: Detroit and New York". Hmmmmmm..... My bet is on New York. I don't have an inside scoops, it's just my gut hunch.


How to Conduct Politics as Catholics. The Denver Memorandum

A book by American archbishop Chaput is making a stir ahead of the presidential elections, against those who want to water down the faith or remove it from the public sphere. "L'Osservatore Romano" is the first to review it, and recommends that it be read "in the United States and elsewhere"

by Sandro Magister



ROMA, August 13, 2008 – A few days ago, a book was released in the United States that will be widely discussed, especially in the run-up to the presidential elections. The author is Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of Denver.

Chaput, 64, born to a farming family in Kansas, is a member of the Native American tribe of the Prairie Band Potawatomi. He is a Franciscan, of the Capuchin order. Before going to Denver, he was bishop of Rapid City in South Dakota. He is among the candidates for two top-level archdioceses waiting for new archbishops: New York and Detroit.

The title of the book itself gives a hint to its contents: "Render Unto Caesar. Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life." It is right to give Caesar what belongs to him. But one serves the nation by living out one's own Catholic faith in political life.

Chaput moves decisively against the prevailing cultural tide in the media, in the universities, among political activists, a tide that wants to thrust the faith from the public stage.

But he is also issuing a challenge to the American Catholic community. There are 69 million Catholics in the United States, one fourth of the population. More than 150 congressmen say they are Catholic. In the Senate, the Catholics are one out of four. They are the majority on the Supreme Court. But, the author of the book asks, what difference do they make?

Among the American bishops, Chaput is one of the most decisive in taking clear positions on abortion, the death penalty, immigration. In the controversy over giving communion to "pro-choice" Catholic politicians, he maintains that those who ignore the Church's teaching on abortion are no longer in communion with the faith. They separate themselves from the community of the faithful. And therefore, if they take Eucharistic communion, they commit an act of dishonesty.

In the United States, this controversy remains highly charged....



continue reading at Chiesa where Sandro Magister has an excerpt from Archbishop Chaput's book. I'm reading it now and it is interesting as he discusses a "Tale of Two Bishops" reaching back in time when Bishop Rummel had fought segregation, discrimination and bigotry in the deep south, then fast-forwarding to 2004 with something Archbishop Burke did.

Good stuff. Read it and pass it along.




Te Deum Laudamus! Home


The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Assumption Day Photos: Morning Masses & Adoration


Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament took place following the 9:30am Mass. Directly behind the monstrance holding the Holy Eucharist, is the Seat of Wisdom statue of Mary and Jesus.



Tomorrow is the Queenship of Mary in the ordinary form, and in the extraordinary form (1962 Missal), it is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Depending on the priest celebrating, Assumption Grotto's 7:00pm Friday Mass has been in the extraordinary form.

It's a good time to plug an old post I made about an excellent book by Dr. Edward Sri called, Queen Mother.

I'm still very short on time, but managed to get a small handful of photos processed this evening. These are from the 6:30am Mass which I typically do not take photos at on Assumption Day. It is my Mass - that is, the only Mass I go to where I don't do anything more than assist. However, I try to get a photo of each priest in that most beautiful Assumption Day chasuble, and this was Fr. Paul Ward's first Mass as an associate on our titular feast day. In all, I think I took about 5 pics during Mass.

I am sharing also in this post the Adoration photos I took. It is rare to get a picture of Our Eucharistic Lord in the monstrance with the Blessed Mother also gazing on Him. She is normally veiled during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

This first pic below was my first of the day - at about 6:10am as dawn began to break.










More photos from Assumption Day 2008 at Assumption Grotto:

Te Deum Laudamus! Home



The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Interesting headlines and....Assumption Day photo update

I haven't been posting much because I haven't been home. It's been a very busy time since the Assumption, with two birthdays, and two doctor appointments this week as followup to my mother's recent hospitalization (she is doing very well). I still have not even touched the vast majority of photos from throughout that beautiful day. Stay tuned, those are coming and there is some devotional and liturgical eye-candy among them.



In the News
In my quick scans early this morning and at lunch time, there are some very interesting titles to pass along to you. Of all places, a secular news source, The Detroit News featured an article on Catholics and Natural Family Planning. It was fine in the early going until for some odd reason, the author felt the need to ask dissident Catholics from "Elephants in the Living Room" for an opinion. It's like asking a vegetarian to what "doneness" he likes his prime rib. Moving right along..... The article does quote Dr. Janet Smith of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, who has a Conference on Humanae Vitae coming up on September 20th.

Next up, is a great article Fr. Z has on his blog (with his own commentary). It's about Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and anti-life politicians and those Catholics who support abortion. There is something in that article for every Catholic worth pondering. Go read: Archbp. Burke on a global problem: marginalizing faith in the “private” sphere (WDTPRS).

Along similar lines: Archbishop Chaput speaks on Catholics' political duties.

And, the USCCB is asking Catholics to pray an Election Day Novena.

In other news, there are interesting developments on people to be beatified soon: The parents of St. Therese and the Confessor of St. Faustina.

On a final note, I have been following some very sad developments in the Diocese of Leeds (UK). Here are some headlines from Damian Thompson of the UK Telegraph.







Te Deum Laudamus! Home


The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Assumption 2008: The Evening Mass at the Outdoor Grotto


Fr. Perrone elevates Our Lord for the people to adore Him in the Eucharist. (DK)


What follows are pictures of the Solemn High Mass on Assumption Day, August 15th, 2008 at Assumption Grotto. The Mass took place at 7:00pm as dusk fell at the outdoor grotto built in the 1800's.

The pictures were taken by two photographers, myself and fellow parishioner, Jeff Williams, from different locations. Some may be out of sequence as I tried to weave our two sets together basedon where in the Mass they were taken.

Each picture will be noted for reference with a DK or a JW underneath the pic.

Jeff is a very talented photographer with some really great lenses. I am grateful for the many tips he has given me and look forward to learning more from him.
Bloggers/web-owners: You may use some of the pics on your blog, provided you link back to this post. Hint: Use copy-shortcut on the timestamp at the bottom of this post.
NOTES (may be updated, so check back)
  • Mass was in the extraordinary form (aka Traditional Latin Mass using the Missal of 1962).
  • It was a Solemn High Mass (Rev. Eduard Perrone, Celebrant; Rev. Paul Ward, Deacon; Rev. John Bustamante, Subdeacon).
  • Communion stations were modified this year with kneelers placed on patio blocks installed for this purpose.
  • 4 additional priests and 1 transitional deacon were assisting (had to be placed directly in front of the sanctuary due to the tight, outdoor space, rather than off to the side which may explain why they appear in the foreground of some photos).
  • There were 4 Masses at Assumption Grotto: 6:30am ordinary form in the vernacular in church; 9:30am ordinary form in the church in Latin (aka, Latin Novus Ordo), 12:00pm ordinary form at the outdoor grotto in the vernacular; 7:00pm extraordinary form at the outdoor Grotto (Solemn High Mass as noted).



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For more pictures of the post-Mass candlelight procession and serenade to the Blessed Virgin Mary, see:

More photos forthcoming, starting in a day or two (I need to catch up on some things at home). These will cover other Masses and events, as well as some pre-Mass photos from the 7:00pm Mass.

In the meanwhile, you might want to browse some other recent photoposts, especially these:


Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!