Tuesday, November 30, 2010

December 1 -- St. Eligius

St.Eligius lived from 588 to 660.   At an early age he showed an unusual skill for art.  Having become noted as being one of the best goldsmiths of his time, King Clotaire asked him to make a throne of gold inlaid with precious stones.

   image

Eligius found that the quantity of gold he received for the work was enough for two thrones.  Impressed with such honesty, the king appointed him master of his treasury.  When the king died, his son, Dagobert succeeded him and named Eligius his chief counselor.

During this time, St. Eligius would leave court to admire the order of  monastic life and feed the poor. After King Dagobert's death, he left court permanently to become a priest.

St. Eligius travelled throughout many regions of Flanders preaching to pagans, destroying their idols and founding many churches and monasteries.  On the feast of St. Peter,  as he was preaching the word of God, some village tribesmen threatened to kill him for such talk.  Instead of fleeing , St. Eligius redoubled his attack against their pagan superstitions.  When the mob took up stones to kill him, Eligius invoked  the aid of the Holy Spirit and immediately 50 of the attackers were possessed.  Seeing this, the rest of the crowd converted.  One year later,  St. Eligius returned, prayed to God, and sprinkled the possessed pagans with holy water.  Immediately, the devils left them and the whole people converted.

What does this brief account of St. Eligius life teach us? 

His sanctity shone with equal splendor when he crafted the precious thrones for the king or when he gave alms to the poor. He knew that it was within the order of God that a king should have pomp.  He knew that God desires that we are charitable with a charity that feeds the body and, more importantly the soul. In addition to giving alms for earthly livelihood, St. Eligius risked his life to teach the pagans how to gain Heaven.  He left the possessed pagans in their awful misery for an entire year because he knew that in this manner he could convert the entire region.

Let us ask St. Eligius for the perfect balance between justice and mercy.  Mercy for the good.  Justice for evil.

Urgent Action Item: Help Save Our Precious Military Honor

Don’t let the Lame Duck Congress repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Please call and tell your Senators to Vote "No" on the repeal. America’s future depends on it!

Listing of your Senator's Phone Number

As expected, Harry Reid is trying to use the lame duck session of Congress to push through a repeal of the law signed by President Bill Clinton that prohibits homosexuals from openly serving in the U.S. military.

This treats honor, tradition, and distinctions between virtue and vice; truth and error; good and evil, so inherent to the military condition, as if they are irrelevant.

Listing of your Senator's Phone Number

The military profession demands decisiveness in action. It is being asked to open its doors to the ambiguous bisexual and “transgendered” soldier.

There are reports that higher military authorities have already informed officers that they must accept the decision or be labeled bigots and face expulsion.

Added to the stress of combat, our soldiers will soon be forced to take extreme care to avoid any act, gesture or comment that might be construed as “discrimatory” toward the “new privileged class” of homosexuals who will enter the military ready to report any “bigotry.”

Moreover, Chaplains face major problems since they must deal with the sin of homosexual acts.

The service generals have all expressed major reservations about the move and its effect on morale.

So please call both of your Senators today to urge them in the strongest possible terms to vote “No” on any repeal effort.

Listing of your Senator's Phone Number

Thank you!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are some suggested talking points for your phone call:

Hello, my name is ___________________ and I’m calling to urge Senator (name) to vote NO on the Repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy.

As my representative, I want Senator (name) to represent my deeply held religious beliefs NOT to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military.

Thanks for protesting: The Smithsonian has decided to remove homoerotic blasphemy!!!

Like always, evil only progresses when good people do nothing.

So please read up about the removal of the most awful blasphemy against Our Lord Jesus Christ that was part of an exhibit at The National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.

CAUTION WHEN ACCESSING NEWS – VERY DISTURBING; NOT FOR CHILDREN.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/30/smithsonian-remove-ant-covered-jesus-cross-video-exhibit/

And, please protest LOUD and CLEAR when you see such blasphemies in the future.  (Peacefully and prayerfully too!!!)

Your voice is powerful because it is the voice of TRUTH.

Dec. 11th Rosary Rally in Brecksville, Ohio

I am sending out the reminder about our December Rosary Rally a little early because my husband and I will be leaving for a pilgrimage to Rome tomorrow! 

We will remember in prayer all of our wonderful Rosary Rally participants as we visit the holy places while there.  Please keep us in your prayers too.

Our next Rosary Rally will be held at NOON on Saturday, December 11th at the intersection of

Ohio Rte. 82 and Brecksville Rd.

God willing, we will be safely returned from Rome and there to pray along with you. 

For further information call:   Jean Henderson

440-349-1348

Monday, November 29, 2010

November 30 -- St. Andrew the Apostle

St. Andrew saw Our Lord as the Messiah and immediately introduced Him to his brother, St. Peter.  But St. Andrew's greatest glory was not that he had the honor of presenting the first Pope to Our Lord or that the first Pope was his brother.  St. Andrew's true glory was his great love for the cross.

When he saw the cross on which he was to be crucified, he said in salutation:

"O most beautiful cross that was glorified by carrying the Body of Christ!  Glorious cross, sweetly desired, ardently loved, always sought, and finally prepared for my heart that has so long awaited you.  Take me, O cross!  Embrace me.  Release me from my life among men.  Bring me quickly and diligently to the Master. Through you He will receive me, He, Who through you has saved me."

The cross was "sweetly desired" and "ardently awaited".

How many men can say that with sincerity?   Today, men flee from any kind of suffering, any kind of fight, any kind of renunciation.

To live, in modern man's mind, is to enjoy the "good" life, totally in opposition to the true meaning of life.  As St. Louis de Montfort states, the truly supernatural man is a "Friend of the Cross".

St. Andrew preached to the people who surrounded him while hanging on his cross for two days. 

His last words were:

"Lord, eternal King of glory, receive me hanging from the wood of this sweet cross.  Thou Who are my God, Whom I have seen, do not permit them to loosen me from the cross.  Do this for me, O Lord, for I know the virtue of Thy Holy Cross."

St. Andrew had the courage and serenity to say these words because his entire life was lived in preparation for his death and for his eternity.

Let us pray to St. Andrew for the grace to embrace our cross with fortitude and resolve knowing that there is no greater proof of friendship with Our Lord than to love Him and follow Him as He showed us.

Perhaps you may like to recite the following traditional Christmas novena in petition to St. Andrew.  It is said from his feast on November 30 to Christmas day.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.  Amen.

To be said 15 times a day until Christmas.

Shocking Blasphemous Super Bowl Commercial Submitted

Pepsi and Doritos are offering a 5 million dollar reward to the person who submits the winning commercial for the 2011 Super Bowl.

All submissions go under review and six finalists will be selected on 1/3/11 and polled on USA Today Ad Meter.  As I said, the winner gets a 5 million prize, so big dollars are riding on this contest.

A terribly blasphemous commercial was submitted.  It blasphemes the Holy Eucharist in a similar way that the Hyundai ad did for the World Cup in soccer not too long ago.

The commercial is booked under the title on Facebook as “Feed your flock.” 

http://www.facebook.com/FeedYourFlock

Please offer prayers and sacrifices in reparation for this horrific blasphemy.  

Your survey responses were formed into this awesome report…

After the the success of the 2010 Rosary Rallies, we sent a survey to Our Lady’s 6,000 rally captains to gather feedbacks and repercussions on how to better prepare for next year’s rallies.

It would be impossible to record all responses here so a few excerpts suffice to reveal a cross-section of the respondents’ attitude and feelings about the importance and relevance of the rallies. There were several reasons given why captains opted to participate and many were strikingly similar.

Devotion to Our Lady

An overwhelming majority of captains cite devotion to the Rosary and the Blessed Mother especially under the invocation of Our Lady of Fatima as the motivating factor behind their efforts to organize the rally.

“I did it as a gift to Our Lady for her birthday.”

“It's a privilege to honor our Mother,”

“Our Catholic identity is at an all time low here in the US. Few young people are known to say the Rosary, or have any kind of devotion to Our Lady. She is a powerful advocate and we need to give her the honor due her.”

“I believe in praying the Rosary together and to persuade as many as possible to pray the Rosary together. I believe it's the only way we'll have peace, freedom and God's blessing.”

“When I received the email invitation, I thought: My Blessed Mother has always been there for me and my family. I need to show my love for her publicly, AND more importantly, we need her continued love, support, and intercessions.”

“I feel great love, loyalty, confidence, and trust in our Blessed Mother. I owe her that much and more for her intercession throughout my life. I want to spread the praying of the Rosary.”

The sense of being called

“I felt that Our Lady called me!”

“The Blessed Mother asks for Rally Captains and I could not refuse her.”

To honor Our Lady who I feel was calling me to do it. Thank you for spearheading this whole project.”

“I think the Holy Spirit helped me decide to do Rosary Rally. Before, I tried to ignore your letters and emails asking to be a Rally Captain. Then it always comes back into mind about doing a Rosary Rally until I finally decided to do it for the sake of our Blessed Mother.”

“Never heard of the public square rosary before and as I clicked on to the form for rally captain, I suddenly found myself filling out the form. I think Mary just called me to do it. I was happy with the response I got and would do it again next year.”

“I felt our Mother's call when I read about it.”

“Felt a strong desire to lead a rosary in the public square.”

“I kept trying to ignore e-mails but, I felt our Blessed Mother was really persistent in wanting me to do this, so I did and was very glad.”

“I felt called to do this. I had not even noticed the materials you sent in previous years but this year, the compulsion to do this was impossible to ignore.”

Hesitant at first

Some were timid and wavering but…,

“When you are called by our Lord and his Mother all you can do is respond, or ignore the call. I'm not able to say no to our Heavenly Mother.”

“I felt I was being called by Our Blessed Mother. I could not refuse her although I was, as I used to in the past 3 years, always hesitant and afraid.”

“I believe it is needed now and because you asked me and I really wanted to do it. I was kind of scared at first but after talking to some people I realized it was what God wanted me to do.”

The Need for Public Prayer

Many feel that Catholics need to show their Faith and praying in public makes this more evident. One respondent wrote that rosary rallies, “publicly help others see that faith and prayer matter.”

“I saw your email and it rang a bell in my heart and I immediately felt called to participate. It is and will be again, a fine idea, to put prayer into the public square, and call prayer to the attention of those passing by.”

“I really do believe that America needs Fatima now, as the country turns its back on God more and more. I believe that we can make a difference as the Blessed Mother hears and answers our prayers, especially in public.”

“A simple way to encourage our Catholic community to express their faith in a public way.”

Our Country Need Prayers, Too

A good number also cited the need to pray for the conversion of America.

“I think the idea of many public rosary rallies at the same time all over the U.S. makes a statement that praying the Rosary for our country is important.”

“I'm concerned that our country is drifting away from God.”

“Our nation needs to change the path it is currently on. We need to turn back to our Lord and repent of the many sins of our nation (i.e. abortion, homosexuality). The rosary rally brings a greater awareness to the community in which we live.

“Spread the devotion of to our holy Mother and ask for Her intercession to save the nation.”

Willingness to participate

“Because our country needs it [the rosary rally] so much, and if not me, then who? I need to be willing before I can expect anyone else to be willing.”

“It was a personal commitment to Our Lord and Our Lady to do whatever I can to bring honor and praise to them.”

“I received an email, and it just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“It was an offer from America needs Fatima which I willingly accepted. I have a great devotion to Blessed Lady.”

“In 2007 it seemed like the thing to do, and I still believe that.”

Concerns over the sad state of affairs of our nation and the world

It is quite palpable that many captains perceive the uncertainty of our times and the impending chaos that will ensue if men do not make an effort to amend their lives.

“I have looked at the world and Our Lady's words at Fatima and know that I can not sit by the side line any longer.”

“Too much violence is happening here in the border towns. We live in a city that needs to see what our religion is doing for our community and the whole world. We are all living a life that is not acceptable by our Mother Mary.”

“For a very long time, I have felt that the world seemed to be spiraling to hell.”

“We are passing thru difficult times in our country because people has forgotten God and we need to spread the rosary.”

Grace and inspiration to act

“I think the Holy Spirit helped me decide to do Rosary Rally. Before, I tried to ignore your letters and emails asking to be a Rally Captain. Then it always comes back into mind about doing a Rosary Rally until I finally decided to do it for the sake of our Blessed Mother.”

“Never heard of the public square rosary before and as I clicked on to the form for rally captain, I suddenly found myself filling out the form. I think Mary just called me to do it. I was happy with the response I got and would do it again next year.”

“I received your invitation at a time when I was asking myself if I was investing my time wisely for the Lord....and that maybe I could do more. I never attempted anything like this before, I am not a leader, but you make it so simple.”

“I was asked by another rally captain to do it but was unsure. I prayed about it and made the decision to do it. It was a blessing I am glad I did do it. We surely felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.”

“I felt it was the right thing to do...cannot explain it, but everything fell in place.”

Reparation and conversion

“To offer reparation and to pray for conversions.”

“For conversion of so many church going but nominal Catholics, who are not catechized on church teachings, even on the Holy Eucharist itself.”

“The need of reparation to our God Who is so grievously offended by the sins of man.”

“I decided that it was time to publicly declare my support for Our Lady and to make reparation for the many ways that she and her Son are blasphemed and offended every day.”

If you would like to become a rosary rally captain in 2011, please fill out the advance registration form on our website at:

http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/PSRR-Articles/2010rrc-signup.html

Nine Day Novena to the Immaculate Conception – (Nov. 30 - Dec. 8)

Opening Prayer
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,  did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,  we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain,  so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession,  to come unto You. 
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,  Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,  God, world without end.  Amen.

                 NS-Paris-azul

Day One

O most Holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception, from the first moment of your conception did crush the head of the enemy, receive our prayers as we implore you to present at the throne of God the favor we now request...

(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. 
Amen.

Day Two

O Holy Mary, ever blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of angels and of saints, we salute you with the most profound veneration and filial devotion as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception, We thank you for your maternal protection and for the many blessings that we have received through your wondrous mercy and most powerful intercession. In all our necessities we have recourse to you with unbounded confidence. O Mother of Mercy, we beseech you now to hear our prayer and to obtain for us of your Divine Son the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena... (Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. 
Amen.

Day Three

O Blessed Virgin Mary, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal Church and Mother of Our Lord, speak for us to the Heart of Jesus, who is your Son and our brother. O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception did enter the world free from stain, in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus the special favor which we now so earnestly seek... 
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.
Amen.


Day Four

O Mary, Mother of God, endowed in your glorious Immaculate Conception with the fullness of grace; unique among women in that you are both mother and virgin; Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ, we ask you to look down with a tender heart from your throne and listen to our prayers as we earnestly ask that you obtain for us the favor for which we now plead... 
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.


Day Five

O Lord, who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, did prepare a fitting dwelling for your Son, we beseech you that as by the foreseen death of your Son, you did preserve her from all stain of sin, grant that through her intercession, we may be favored with the granting of the grace that we seek for at this time... 
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.


Day Six

Glorious and immortal Queen of Heaven, we profess our firm belief in your Immaculate Conception preordained for you in the merits of your Divine Son. We rejoice with you in your Immaculate Conception. To the one ever-reigning God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in Person, one in nature, we offer thanks for your blessed Immaculate Conception. O Mother of the Word made Flesh, listen to our petition as we ask this special grace during this novena...
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

 

Day Seven

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and my mother, from the sublime heights of your dignity turn your merciful eyes upon me while I, full of confidence in your bounty and keeping in mind your Immaculate conception and fully conscious of your power, beg of you to come to our aid and ask your Divine Son to grant the favor we earnestly seek in this novena... if it be beneficial for our immortal souls and the souls for whom we pray.
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

 

Day Eight

O Most gracious Virgin Mary, beloved Mother of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, intercede with him for us that we be granted the favor which we petition for so earnestly in this novena...O Mother of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. O Glorious Mother of God, in memory of your joyous Immaculate Conception, hear our prayers and obtain for us our petitions.
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.



Day Nine

O Mother of the King of the Universe, most perfect member of the human race, "our tainted nature’s solitary boast," we turn to you as mother, advocate, and mediatrix. O Holy Mary, assist us in our present necessity. By your Immaculate Conception, O Mary conceived without sin, we humbly beseech you from the bottom of our heart to intercede for us with your Divine Son and ask that we be granted the favor for which we now plead... 
(Mention your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

EU Parliament votes to force same-sex “marriage” on all member states

by Hilary White

ROME, November 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In virtually the same breath, the European Parliament has announced its intention to “strengthen the family” to deal with Europe’s coming demographic plunge, and impose “gay marriage” or homosexual civil partnerships on every member state in the Union.

The EU Parliament voted yesterday in favour of a report that is intended to compel all 27 member states to both mutually recognize and legally uphold the “effects of civil status documents” of another EU-state, that will impose the requirement to recognise homosexual “marriage,” civil partnerships or similar arrangements.

The pro-family group European Dignity Watch (EDW) says that the report, “besides the reasonable demands” it makes, “could imply” a Union-wide recognition of same-sex marriage “through a back door and severe overstepping of the principle of subsidiarity”.

According to Dignity Watch, Section 40 of the report “could mean that member states would be forced to indirectly recognize same-sex unions as equal to marriage even if such recognition does not exist in the respective country’s legal system.”

The consequence, the group said, “would be an uncontrollable ‘marriage-tourism’ to countries that recognize same-sex ‘marriage’” like Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Sweden, “or even polygamous ‘marriages’ …as recognized in the Netherlands.”

One of the most useful legal wedge issues for the EU’s homosexualist lobbyists has been the issue of “cross-border harmonization,” a concept that the member states must recognise laws, including those regarding the marital status of citizens, in all 27 states. This, combined with the legal freedom of all EU citizens to live in any EU state they choose, is the basis of arguments made by the influential homosexualist organisations like the International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA).

EDW says, “If the report passes as drafted now, it would violate severely the principle of subsidiarity, a key founding principle of the EU. There is an obvious risk to undermine the sovereignty of the Member States in family law and specifically the definition of marriage in their own country by shifting a definition of marriage from family law - which is an exclusive competence of the Member States - to procedural law.”

Section 40 mentions the right of citizens to “free movement” around the EU and “strongly supports plans to enable the mutual recognition of the effects of civil status documents.” It calls for “further efforts to reduce barriers for citizens who exercise their rights of free movement, particularly with regard to access to the social benefits to which they are entitled and their right to vote in municipal elections.”

Homosexual lobbyists have in several jurisdictions around the world successfully adopted the tactic of manipulating the courts to establish “gay marriage” or legal civil partnerships. In several cases, homosexual activists have “married” in one country for the sole purpose of forcing the courts, and later the legislatures, of another country to recognise their “union”.

ILGA recommends this method to its members, saying that the report can be “used for lobbying purposes” to “exert pressure on your governments to demand that domestic marriages are recognised all across the EU”.

At the same time it is attempting to impose a Union-wide dissolution of natural, procreative marriage, the EU is starting to recognise the threat of impending demographic collapse from its low fertility rates.

On November 11, the EU Parliament voted to support a report drafted by German MEP Thomas Mann on “Demographic challenge and solidarity between generations”.

The report stresses the importance of the natural family and the role of parents for the economic well-being of society in times of demographic change.

The report also calls for a “change in mentality” towards elderly people, who, it says, ought not to be considered a burden upon society, but rather an asset of stability. It called for recognition of churches and non-profit organizations that contribute to the “social development of society”.

It cited several reasons for the European “demographic winter” including the delay in adults both marrying and forming families in light of an “increasingly insecure labor market”.

The report forecasts a demographic shift in which there will be an increase of 4 to 11 per cent in elderly persons and a 100 to 66 million decrease by 2050 of young persons under the age of 15 years old between.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

November 29 -- St. Saturninus

St. Saturninus was martyred in the 3rd century because his virtue and presence caused demons who resided in idols to become mute.

To a 21st century man, this is certainly very curious.  Most people today are not aware that pagans actually were verbally instructed by demons during the time of Our Lord's presence on earth.

File:Saturninus vignay.jpg

One could ask:  "Why do things like this no longer happen?  First, when one defends good and fights evil, there are certain devils who become mute and can no longer help the enemy. 

In some sense, something similar happens as did when St. Saturninus confronted evil by his presence, but it is not an obvious supernatural manifestation. 

Someone could object:  "If God would work more miracles then the world would convert."  

Did not Our Lady appear at Fatima and give the world the solution for conversion?  How many complied?  The statue of Our Lady of Fatima cried human tears in New Orleans in 1972 and this was proven by NASA test results.  How many changed their lives?

We should ask Our Lady, through the intercession of St. Saturninus to shorten these terrible  times and to permit the triumph of good over evil for the greater glory of God.

November 28 -- St. Catherine Laboure.

Most Catholics know that Our Lady appeared to  St. Catherine Laboure  and  gave her  the task of having the Miraculous Medal struck and distributed throughout the world. 

What is not known however is that it took 46 years for this information to be known by her own superior.  St. Catherine truly lived a "hidden" life, a life for God alone.  Her day to day tasks were sanctified by her fidelity to her vocation even though she never worked a miracle nor did she accomplish feats of unusual grandeur. 

Nonetheless, she did practice heroic virtue within the monotony of everyday life.  For this she had total confidence in Our Lady.  After losing her mother at 9 years of age, Catherine went to her room, stood on a chair, took Our Lady's statue into her arms and kissed it while, saying :  "Now , dear Lady, you are to be my mother." 

And the bond was never severed. In fact, we know that Our Lady took care of this child for the rest of her life and showered upon her extraordinary graces.

Can we also ask Our Lady to be our own Mother as well?  She will NEVER reject our plea.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

‘Lunatic’ transgender bill could pass next week, warns pro-family leader

by Patrick Craine

OTTAWA, Ontario, November 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canadian private members bill seeking to enshrine special rights for so-called “transsexuals,” which has been labeled a “bathroom bill” because it would allow men to use women’s bathrooms, is at grave risk of passing as early as next week, warns Campaign Life Coalition national president Jim Hughes in an “urgent” new video message.

CLC is “very concerned that Bill C-389 is this close to passing in the House of Commons,” says Hughes.  “I cannot overstate how important it is to meet with your MP and urge them to vote against this lunatic bill.”

The private members bill, authored by New Democrat MP Bill Siksay, seeks to add “gender identity” and “gender expression” as prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canada Human Rights Act, and as identifiable groups in the Criminal Code’s hate crimes section.  The bill sailed through committee earlier this month and will likely see a final vote in the House of Commons in early December.  If passed, it will head to the Senate.

While “on the surface” the bill doesn’t seem that bad, said Hughes, “the implications of such a law are enormous.”  He said it will enshrine legitimacy for ‘transgenderism’, describing this as “the nature-defying belief that one can be a man on the outside but a woman on the inside, or vice versa.”

The bill will give cross-dressers and other men the right to use women’s washrooms, he said, and businesses will be forced to hire cross-dressers under pain of a human rights violation or perhaps even a hate crime charge.

This week, pro-family advocate Donna Miller of Concerned Women for America in North Carolina warned that the bill will endanger women by putting them at greater risk of bathroom attacks - where the woman is attacked in a public bathroom by a man who followed her in or hid inside.  “The gender identity bills will put more men in bathrooms,” she explained to LifeSiteNews.  “We’re having tremendous problems with bathroom attacks already.  Why would you allow more boys in girl’s bathrooms?”

Commenting on this, Hughes said: “Imagine a young girl - your daughter or granddaughter - goes into a washroom and finds a man in there.  How is the young girl to determine whether or not this man in the bathroom is a ‘peeping tom,’ a rapist or a pedophile, or someone who’s merely transgendered?”

“It is unconscionable for any legislator to purposefully place her in such a compromising position,” he added.

He emphasized that CLC is opposing the bill also out of empathy for those who are confused about their gender, who, according to the American College of Paediatricians, are suffering from a mental illness.

“Canadian law would recognize a mental disorder as normal,” he said.  “This bill lacks genuine compassion because it cooperates with mental illness.”

“The media has obviously been trying to keep this bill out of the public eye by refusing to report on it,” he said, and “obviously” is “afraid that once average moms and dads find out the implications, there will be an uprising against it.”

Bill C-389 “will confer fake rights and confuse the impressionable children who will be exposed to all this nonsense,” he said.  “Together let’s defeat the bathroom bill.”

Some of the implications of the bill noted by critics:

- Businesses and other public venues will be required to allow men use of women’s bathrooms, and vice versa, or to install special bathrooms for the “transgendered”

- Women and children will face increased bathroom attacks owing to higher numbers of men in women’s bathrooms

- Businesses or schools could see more lawsuits over a lack of security due to increased bathroom attacks

- Single-sex service or social groups, such as the Lion’s Club or Catholic Women’s League, Scouts, Girl Guides or sports teams of all ages could be required to allow cross-dressers of the opposite sex

- The tendency to treat gender identity disorder (GID) as a normal mental state will be given further legitimacy

- Children and others who struggle with gender identity disorder (GID) will find it even harder to obtain treatment

- The government - including military and RCMP - and businesses will be forced to hire gender-confused individuals

- The government will be required to pay for sex-change operations

- Young girls could face psychological damage due to exposure to strange naked men in women’s dressing rooms

- Businesses will be forced to allow men to deal with clients while dressed as a woman, and vice versa

Jim Hughes’ video message on Bill C-389 can be found here.

Contact Information:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper  
80 Wellington Street  
Ottawa  
K1A 0A2  
Fax: 613-941-6900  
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson  
House of Commons  
Ottawa, Ontario  
K1A 0A6  
Phone: (613) 995-1547  
Fax: (613) 992-7910  
E-mail: Nicholson.R@parl.gc.ca

Find your MP’s contact information here.

Planned Parenthood files suit against Alaska parental notification law

by Kathleen Gilbert

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, November 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest (PPGW) is filing suit against a law approved by Alaska voters in August that would require parents to be notified of their minor daughter’s abortion.

The abortion giant, along with two pro-abortion medical doctors, is arguing that the law violates abortion-bound girls’ right to equal protection, because girls who choose to keep their babies are not required to tell their parents. The plaintiffs also claim the law, set to take effect December 14 of this year, violates abortionists’ due process rights.

Clover Simon, vice president of PPGW, said: “We really believe under the Alaska Constitution that minors really do have the same protection of privacy as an adult woman. And that this law, the way that it’s been written, has so many burdens on minors that it means they can’t adequately exercise that right.”

Alaska’s Department of Law is reviewing the complaint.

Supporters of parental restrictions on abortion have fought a long battle in the state. Legislation requiring parental consent for abortions was voted into law in 1997, but was stalled in the courts until state Supreme Court judges struck it down as interfering with a teenage girl’s “fundamental right to choose” to abort her child.

However, the head of the court at the time, Chief Justice Dana Fabe, indicated that a law requiring only parental notification would be constitutional. Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council told the Daily News he was expecting the pro-abortion Fabe, who remains an associate justice on the court, to keep her word.

After a parental notification bill stalled in the state Senate’s health committee in 2009, supporters turned to Alaska voters. Planned Parenthood had teamed up with the ACLU to fight the proposed law, known as Measure 2, on the August primary ballot, before voters upheld it 55 to 45 percent.

“It seems like every time that Planned Parenthood fails in the court of public opinion or in the Legislature they are going to go to the courts and see if they can push it through that way,” Minnery told the Daily News this week. “But we’re pretty confident.”

At least 35 states require either parental notification or consent in a minor’s decision to abort her child. In several states, such as Illinois, Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups have stalled such legislation in the courts for as long as several years.

At least 10 bishops skip national collection for U.S. bishop’s social justice arm

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Despite a recent “review and renewal” of the U.S. Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), designed in part to “woo back” bishops upset over their distribution of funds to groups advocating abortion and same-sex “marriage,” at least 10 bishops opted not to contribute to the national collection this year.

(If your diocese did not hold the CCHD national collection this year, let us know here.)

The U.S. Bishops’ domestic social justice arm launched a large-scale renewal this fall with a commitment to strengthen their Catholic identity and funding protocols after widespread criticism from numerous bishops, as well as a coalition of Catholic and pro-life groups.

Nevertheless, many of the bishops who had discontinued contributing to the national pot maintained their position this year, and at least two more were added to their ranks.

Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington, Vermont has replaced the CCHD collection with the Bishop deGoesbriand Appeal for Human Advancement.  Named after the diocese’s first bishop, it seeks to “help Vermonters achieve self-sufficiency and recognize their dignity in life” through funding local initiatives.

The decision came after a review of CCHD by the Diocesan Presbyteral Council.  “All of the monies collected through this annual appeal will remain here in Vermont and 100% of the funds will be distributed to worthy grant applicants,” a diocesan statement explains.

Bishop James Johnston of Springfield, Missouri has replaced the annual pre-Thanksgiving CCHD collection with one for the diocese’s new Catholic Charities agency.  In a November 5th column the bishop explains that his decision was motivated by the desire to serve “the needs of the poor at the local level.”

He notes that CCHD “has undergone criticism in the past year because of the misuse of some of the grants by organizations that have supported issues which are in opposition to Catholic teaching.”  At the same time, he assures the faithful that funds designated for CCHD will be forwarded, and indicates that he will consider whether to hold the CCHD collection next year.

Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon told LifeSiteNews by e-mail that his diocese sends a “nominal amount” to CCHD, but has not taken national collections “for many years.”

The nationwide collection for CCHD takes place annually the Sunday before Thanksgiving, though some dioceses do it at other times.  Traditionally, dioceses keep 25% of the funds to distribute locally, and send 75% to the national pot.  The local bishop vets the grants - both local and national - distributed in his diocese, but has no say in how the national funds are distributed outside his diocese.

Bishops Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA), Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL), Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA), John Barres (Allentown, PA), Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE), and Robert Morlino (Madison WI) have again chosen not to contribute to the national collection.

Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who replaced Bishop Kevin Rhoades after the latter moved to Fort Wayne-South Bend, has maintained his predecessor’s decision to institute instead a “Matthew 25 collection” to serve the needy of the diocese.  Bishop Rhoades’ new diocese took up the collection this year.

Bishop Bruskewitz told LifeSiteNews last fall that they “question the ideology of [CCHD],” and so had already not been taking up the collection.  His diocese was “shocked at the scandalous participation” with groups “of questionable moral values or standards,” he said, and he would only reconsider the collection if there were “some changes in the organization itself, or its purposes, or its goals.”

Bishop Galeone replaced the collection with a Diocesan Schools & Social Action Appeal in May 2009, prior to the launch of the major reform movement.  In a letter at the time, he criticized CCHD not only for disbursing funds to groups working against Catholic teaching, but also because they do not support “family values,” and had prohibited funding Catholic organizations.

“Why are no funds earmarked to address the greatest cause of poverty in our country today - single motherhood?” he asked.  “Moreover, 80% of the male inmates incarcerated in America come from fatherless homes.  Yet no CCHD funds go to groups striving to strengthen family values.”

LifeSiteNews still awaits response about three further bishops who stopped taking up the collection last year - Bishops Robert Baker of Birmingham, AL; David Ricken of Green Bay, WI; and Edward Slattery of Tulsa, OK.

U.S. bishops not contributing to CCHD’s national collection:

1. Bishop Joseph Adamec (Altoona-Johnstown, PA)
2. Bishop John Barres (Allentown, PA)
3. Bishop Lawrence Brandt (Greensburg, PA)
4. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln, NE)
5. Bishop Victor Galeone (St. Augustine, FL)
6. Bishop James Johnston (Springfield, MO)
7. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano (Burlington, VT)
8. Bishop Joseph McFadden (Harrisburg, PA)
9. Bishop Robert Morlino (Madison, WI)
10. Bishop Robert Vasa (Baker, OR)

Why the Miraculous Medal Is So Important to Catholics

Why-the-Miraculous-Medal-Is_1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was the first great step toward the re-Marianization of the nineteenth century, preparing the great movement of souls that culminated with the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

On November 27, 1830, Our Lady appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris and revealed to her the design of the Miraculous Medal. Its first great miracle was the deathbed conversion of a bishop who had sworn allegiance to the French Revolution.

The Miraculous Medal shows an image of Our Lady of Grace with her hands emitting rays of light, just as she appeared to Saint Catherine. This devotion to Our Lady of Grace on the medal marked a true renewal of devotion to Our Lady in Europe.

Devotion to Our Lady had been deeply eroded by Jansenism, which, although in great decline at the time, was replaced with more radical forms of Revolution, so that devotion to Our Lady left much to be desired. We can say that the Miraculous Medal was the first major step toward the ‘re-Marianization’ of the nineteenth century, preparing the great movement of souls that would culminate with the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

With the use of the Miraculous Medal, extraordinary graces spread throughout the Church. It became a common custom to wear a Miraculous Medal around one’s neck or to place it on the chest of an impenitent patient while making the novenas and prayers prescribed by Our Lady. It seemed almost certain that the person would convert as a result. Through this devotion, Our Lady began to dispense many other graces to the world.

Moreover, this devotion is linked to two other very important devotions, which the Jansenists had attempted to bury: the devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This animosity was very evident in the case of Bishop Scipion, a man of the Enlightenment and Jansenist who combated devotion to the Sacred Heart and who also sought to bring about democratic reforms in the Church at the Synod of Pistoia (He was condemned by Pius VI in 1794). There was also the rejection of this devotion to the Sacred Heart by the House of Bourbon, which did not spread this devotion as it should have before the Revolution.

On the back of the medal, Our Lady decided to place a letter M which stands for her holy name, and below this letter one sees the hearts of Jesus and Mary, linking these three highly significant devotions so hated by the Jansenists.

Not only did this devotion help defeat Jansenist sentiments, it also helped give rise to a colossal ultramontane movement in the philosophical, political and social fields. The results were a great nineteenth century movement devoted to Our Lady, the definition of papal infallibility, and the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Indeed, this all gave rise to a Counter-Revolution led by Blessed Pius IX and continued by Saint Pius X.

Because of its important role in Church history, this devotion retains all its relevance for Catholics today. In view of these past graces and consolations, it should be cultivated with great fervor.

The following text is taken from an informal lecture given by Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. It has been translated and adapted for publication without his revision. –Ed.

November 27 -- The Feast of the Miraculous Medal

On Saturday, November 27, 1830, during the apparitions in the chapel on Rue du Bac in Paris, the Holy Virgin presented the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure:

"Those who wear it, blessed, around their neck will receive great graces.  The graces will be abundant for those who wear it with confidence."

File:Bac.Catherine.Cercueil.jpg

(Rue du Bac in Paris, where St. Catherine Laboure is incorrupt)

At the time of St. Catherine's death, the distribution of the medal in the world had surpassed the one billion mark.  The innumerable conversions, cures and cases of extraordinary protection, quickly lead to its being called the "Miraculous Medal".

Wearing and disseminating the Miraculous Medal means placing oneself under the protection of the Most Holy Virgin.  It means placing oneself under the sign of the Immaculate and taking a stand in the face of the troubles and indifference affecting the modern world.

"The whole world will be overwhelmed by misfortunes of all kinds... All will seem lost, but I shall be with you," the Holy Virgin promised St. Catherine who repeated this prophecy until the end of her life.

Let us turn constantly to Our Lady praying with confidence to repel the sins which are bringing more and more souls to perdition.  With her protection , we can say, "No" to the evils of the day and fight them with all our might.

Friday, November 26, 2010

American soldiers being thrown under the bus?

by John Horvat II

How much is the life of an American soldier worth? When does a soldier become expendable? Those are the questions we need to ask in the coming days.

A wounded soldier in Afghanistan will find himself airlifted half way around the world for treatment within hours. In this, we see the admirable care and great value given to American lives.
However, such solicitude on the battleground is not shown off the battlefield. It seems there are times where the American solider becomes expendable.

Of course, we are referring to the raging debate over the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy inside the military. Everything is centered on a December 1 report which the military will release analyzing the impact of the repeal on the Armed Forces.

The results of this “analysis” can be guessed. It seems almost senseless to go through the trouble to release it. Everything seems to indicate that it will discuss how to repeal, not if we should repeal, the ban on homosexuality in the military.

It will conclude that inclusion of open homosexuals in the military will not have significant adverse effects. It will conclude that the soldier is expendable. He can be used for social experiments. He can be penalized for the religious values he holds. He can be deprived of the very freedom for which he fights.

Armed_Forces_Color_Guard.jpg

A joint Color Guard posts the colors during a Veterans Day ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington, Virginia.
DOD photo by Cherie Cullen.

The findings will be completely politically correct because a higher command than the Joint Chiefs of Staff has decreed that the American soldier is expendable.

Judges, liberal pundits and legislators are all clamoring for the repeal with an urgency that defies the imagination. A single judge assumes almost dictatorial powers. Advocates cannot even wait for the December 1 “study” to validate their opinions. They must have the repeal now even if it appears to be rammed down the throats of the American people…even if it means making the American solider expendable.

One might argue that it has not been proven that the entry of open homosexuals (which also includes bisexuals and the “transgendered”) into the military would make soldiers expendable. That is not the point right now. It is proven the advocates of repeal simply do not care to know one way or the other. They cannot even wait for a report to rubberstamp a decision that has already been made.

At the same time, there is no doubt that it will affect the military. That military profession that demands decisiveness in action must now open its doors to the ambiguous bisexual and “transgendered” soldier. There are reports that higher military authorities have already informed officers that they must accept the decision or be labeled bigots and face expulsion.

Added to the stress of combat, our soldiers will soon be forced to take extreme care to avoid any act, gesture or comment that might be construed to be “discrimatory” toward the new privileged class of homosexuals who will enter the military ready to report any “bigotry.” Chaplains face major problems since they must deal with the sin of homosexual acts. The service generals have all expressed major reservations about the move and its effect on morale.

All of this to accommodate a tiny sliver of a minute minority that demands entry into the military. All of this treats honor, tradition, and distinctions between virtue and vice; truth and error; good and evil, so inherent to the military condition, as if they are irrelevant.

Even the more practical matter of the danger of introducing into the battlefield a major category of men who cannot donate blood because of the risks of disease does not move repeal advocates.

US_Soldiers_Patrol.jpg

Soldiers of the 61st Calvary Regiment, U.S. Army patrol the Towr Gahr Pass, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson.

The mixture of bloods on the battlefield does endanger the lives of soldiers. That soldier, that is taken with so much care off the battleground in Afghanistan to our hospitals in Germany, now runs the danger of being infected by his own comrades in arms by judicial and legislative fiat.

No life is threatened by keeping the ban. As long as one soldier feels threatened by the climate created by repealing the ban, as long as one life might be at risk by tainted blood, as long as the soldier maintains a sense of honor, we should keep the ban.

Indeed we must ask: When does a soldier become expendable?

Only two Senators show for hearing on U.S. ratification of pro-abort women’s treaty

nly two Senators show for hearing on U.S. ratification of pro-abort women’s treaty

by Terrence McKeegan (co-authored by Tyler Ament)

WASHINGTON, November 25, 2010 (C-FAM) - Last Thursday, a Senate subcommittee humored feminist activists by holding a hearing on possible U.S. ratification of a controversial women’s treaty.

Senator Dick Durbin was the only senator present, save for a brief cameo by one other, which led one observer to remark that the hearing was nothing more than a “dog and pony show.”

Despite longstanding and widespread opposition in the U.S. to the thirty year-old treaty, the hearing was decidedly one-sided, as five of the six speakers spoke in favor of ratification.

The hearing was held to promote the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  The CEDAW treaty was signed by President Jimmy Carter but has never been ratified by the U.S., and has not even been voted on by the full Senate, which would require a two-thirds majority for ratification.

Senator Tom Coburn, the ranking member of the subcommittee, asked the pro-life group C-FAM to submit written testimony for the hearing.  In her testimony, Dr. Susan Yoshihara, C-FAM Vice-President for Research, focused on her vast experience with the compliance committee that oversees CEDAW.  While the committees recommendations were non-binding, Yoshihara pointed out that UN treaty committees have implemented a strategic plan to reinterpret treaties like CEDAW to include new “rights” that countries did not agree to during treaty negotiations. 

For example, the CEDAW committee has pressured at least 83 countries to liberalize their abortion laws, despite the treaty being silent on the issue.  This strategy was successful in Colombia, where the constitutional court overturned the nation’s abortion laws, using CEDAW committee recommendations to support the holding.

Witnesses at the hearing included officials from the U.S. State and Justice Departments, the actress Geena Davis, an activist from Afghanistan, and a representative from a pro-abortion women’s organization.

Wazhma Frogh told the subcommittee that U.S. ratification of CEDAW was necessary to ensure women’s rights in Afghanistan.  Frogh went so far as to suggest that the Taliban would stop throwing acid in women’s faces if the U.S. would take leadership on women’s rights and ratify CEDAW. 

Frogh, like all of the other witnesses that testified in support of CEDAW, made claims that CEDAW was essentially an advocacy tool and wasn’t in conflict with Islamic law in Afghanistan or American domestic law.

However, as Dr. Yoshihara stated in her written testimony, the Obama administration has welcomed the CEDAW committee’s definition of gender equality, as it has claimed that “gender equality does not exist in any country”, and that U.S. ratification of CEDAW would help to remedy this.

Earlier this year at a CEDAW panel, noted activist Janet Benshoof declared that US ratification of CEDAW would bring about a “radical transformation of American law”.  Benshoof and her two co-panelists, both UN officials, stated that the US would need to impose the “temporary special measures” of Article 4 of CEDAW to bring about equal participation of women in all areas of society.

Capitol Police limited the hearing to about 200 observers, nearly all of whom represented the CEDAW 2010 advocacy group and sported pink stickers proclaiming “Ratify CEDAW”.

Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation was the only witness selected that spoke in opposition to the treaty.

From ‘naughty’ to ‘nice’: Disney, Wal-Mart now recognize Christmas

by Thaddeus Baklinski

ORLANDO, FL, November 25, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Disney and Wal-Mart are among the major retailers who have chosen to begin acknowledging Christmas this year, after previously referring only to the “holidays” in their Christmas-season advertizing. 

The Florida-based pro-life, Christian legal organization Liberty Counsel is continuing its annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign” this year. Every year the organization compiles a “Naughty and Nice” list, which catalogs retailers who either censor (“naughty”) or recognize (“nice”) Christmas.

The list is compiled from information gathered by consumers and is updated whenever new information is received.

A look at this year’s list in comparison to last year’s reveals that the “nice” side is substantially longer than the “naughty” side, suggesting that the list is exerting a positive effect in motivating retailers to acknowledge Christmas.

“There was a time when Wal-Mart sold only ‘Holiday Trees,’ not Christmas Trees and when Wal-Mart employees were forbidden from returning the greeting ‘Merry Christmas’ to customers who initiated the greeting,” remarked Matthew D. Staver, founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law. “But Wal-Mart, like many other retailers, has changed and now openly acknowledges Christmas.”

Other notable retailers that have switched to the “nice” list this year include Best Buy, whose current TV ad mentions Christmas four times in the 30 second slot; Dick’s Sporting Goods, who after three year’s of “naughty” status, made significant changes from their past ‘holiday’ theme; and AC Moore Arts & Crafts, whose website this year has over 575 “Christmas” items listed.

Very significantly, Disney.com has been transferred from last year’s “naughty” list. Their website home page this year opens with movie trailers from “A Christmas Carol” and “Santa Paws,” while a search for “Christmas” reveals a huge selection of DVDs that reference Christmas, as well as nostalgic Disney “Christmas” items.

Liberty Counsel encourages shoppers to print out the list and use it to decide which stores to patronize during the Christmas shopping season, and to let retailers know what you think about their advertising policies.

“Consumers can have a big impact this year by choosing to shop at stores that acknowledge Christmas. Retailers that profit from Christmas while pretending it does not exist will find that consumers will shop elsewhere,” Mr. Staver observed.

Consumers who wish to share their shopping experiences with Liberty Counsel can report the naughty and the nice by sending an email to Liberty@LC.org.

While gov’t appeals DADT, Air Force to reinstate gay servicewoman

by Peter Smith

SAN FRANCISCO, November 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The US Justice Department filed a last minute appeal of a federal judge’s ruling to reinstate an openly homosexual servicewoman to the US Air Force, dismissed under the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

The government, however, chose not to seek a stay of the judge’s order in its appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, meaning Major Margaret Witt, a former U.S. Air Force flight nurse, will return to duty and remain in her post pending the resolution of litigation.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington represented Witt through a 4-year-long lawsuit and announced Witt would be “the first openly gay person to serve in the military due to a court order under DADT.”

Witt was suspended from duty and then dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”  in 2004. The jilted husband of Witt’s lover is alleged to have exposed Witt as a practicing homosexual.

A 1993 federal law (10 U.S.C 654) prohibits homosexuals from military service, although it is commonly referred by the name of the Pentagon’s enforcement policy “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton dismissed Witt’s case in 2007, but was told to rehear the case after the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said DADT dismissals could only be conducted when morale and unit cohesiveness was shown to be negatively affected.

“The evidence produced at trial overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that the suspension and discharge of Margaret Witt did not significantly further the important government interest in advancing unit morale and cohesion,” Leighton said in a 15-page opinion.

Leighton, however, not only ruled in favor of Witt, but he also refused to sustain Witt’s dismissal on the charge of adultery, also grounds for dismissal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

The Justice Department has been fighting to uphold the ban on homosexual service in the federal appeals court, and managed to have US District Judge Virginia Phillips’ worldwide injunction against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” stayed pending outcome of the appeal.

The US Senate will likely take up the matter of repealing DADT after a Pentagon working group releases its December 1 report on the feasibility of repeal.

So far, the U.S. chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have expressed public opposition to repeal of DADT, especially when the armed forces are under heavy strain from this wartime footing.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

The UN wants sex ed for babies and we want you to oppose this abomination

Send instant e-protest message to UNESCO

The UN department UNESCO is pushing sex ed for babies.
"It is never too early to start talking to children about sexual matters," according to guidelines issued by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

E-protest message to UNESCO

See, UNESCO works with the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS), an educational arm of the Kinsey Institute.

Last September, protestors opposed new UNESCO guidelines on sexuality education for promoting legal abortion and "sex play" for children as young as five.

The intensity of the objections forced them to pull the guidelines, only to quietly reissue new ones in December.

That's why I urge you to speak out NOW.

Send instant e-protest message to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokava

UNESCO acknowledges that a former director of SIECUS is one of the principle authors of its sexuality guidelines – guidelines that are cited as a model of age-appropriate sex education in a new UN report on education rights that was opposed by UN members recently.

Although UNESCO removed some of the most explicit language in the revised guidelines, they kept an appendix with "guiding principles" that includes a Kinsey-inspired sex education curriculum for children from birth to age five.

More: this curriculum instructs parents to provide anatomically correct dolls for little children to play with, inform them of diverse sexual relationships, and to support "sex play".
"If a child is touching his or her genitals in private, ignore the behavior," suggests the curriculum.

Regarding gender identity and sexual orientation, the curriculum warns that parents who insist on reinforcing traditional gender identities will hinder their children's growth.

"Confusion about these issues and fear of homosexuality (homophobia) has caused many parents and other adults to limit how girls and boys express themselves."

One model curriculum included in the UNESCO guidelines tells instructors they should avoid moralization, as there are no rights or wrongs when discussing values. In another curriculum, the authors note a contradiction when looking at "religious approaches and rights based approach."

Yet another curriculum examines early sexual development, noting from birth to age two that children may "experience genital pleasure", and by age three may engage in "sex play".

For all these reasons, please speak out against this new UNESCO push for sex for babies!

Send message to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokava

More information:

Sexologist Alfred Kinsey founded his institute at Indiana University. Kinsey reached prominence in the 1940s and 1950s for his work in documenting human sexual behaviors.
Critics accused Kinsey of promoting pedophilia, pointing to his research that documented adults bringing children and infants to orgasm.

The Kinsey Institute created SIECUS in 1964 as its educational arm. Its first director was Dr. Mary Calderone, the former medical director of Planned Parenthood.

A recent government report revealed that SIECUS received $1.6 million dollars in federal funding between 2002 and 2009.

                                             *        *        *

Note: This email was based on a (C-FAM) press release written by Terrence McKeegan, J.D. For more information on their excellent work, please see: http://www.c-fam.org/

November 26 -- St. Leonard of Port Maurice

        St. Leonard, born in 1676, was one of the greatest preachers of the Catholic Church.  He preached to thousands in the public squares of the cities of Europe. 

File:S Leonardo.JPG

      Few Catholics know that he composed the "Divine Praises" which were always said at the end of Mass.

       Nonetheless, the sermon for which he relied for the conversion of sinners was called, " The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved".  Here is an excerpt:

"Brothers, because of the love I have for you, I wish I were able to reassure you with the prospect of eternal happiness by saying to each of you: You are certain to go to paradise; the greater number of Christians is saved, so you also will be saved. But how can I give you this sweet assurance if you revolt against God's decrees as though you were your own worst enemies? I observe in God a sincere desire to save you, but I find in you a decided inclination to be damned. So what will I be doing today if I speak clearly? I will be displeasing to you. But if I do not speak, I will be displeasing to God."

       Let us ask St. Leonard for the courage to proclaim God's Truths by the example of our lives both privately and in the public square even though we may be persecuted for it.

       Let us ask Our Lady to strip us of the blindfold of false love of self and neighbor and to speak up for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

November 25 -- St. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Catherine of Alexandria, born in 282, was a noted scholar who, with great eloquence, converted many to the Faith.  As a result, she was condemned to death by Roman Emperor Maxentius who she had also tried to convert. 

File:Carlo Crivelli 014.jpg

With great serenity and peace of soul , she said the following prayer before her execution.

“Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I thank Thee for having firmly set my feet on the rock of the Faith and directed my steps on the pathway of salvation. Open now Thy arms wounded on the cross to receive my soul, which I offer in sacrifice to the glory of Thy Name.

“Forgive the faults I committed in ignorance and wash my soul in the blood I will shed for Thee. Do not leave my body, slaughtered by love for Thee, in the power of those who hate me. Kindly regard this people and give them the knowledge of the truth. Finally, O Lord, in Thy infinite mercy exalt those who will invoke Thee through me so that Thy name be always glorified.”

This most elevated prayer can only come from grace -- the grace of serenity in the face of death.

Let us ask Our Lady  that when the chastisement of Fatima will be realized and we face the enemies of the Church and Christendom that she grant us this serenity.

May St. Catherine help us to be calm in every situation in our lives, most especially in its risks and dangers, even , if Our Lady ordains, in the extreme sacrifice of martyrdom.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Catholics Worldwide Pray Rosary For Persecuted Catholics in Iraq

Thousands worldwide prayed the Rosary on Tuesday November 23 for the 400,000 Catholics being persecuted in Iraq.  We’ve received news from Catholics all over the world who were planning to join our rosary.  

Here are a few pictures.   We will post more as they come in.

Students at Saint Louis de Montfort Academy in Herndon, PA, pray a special Rosary in the Academy chapel.

018

Miss Brenda Lottinger, from Lawrenceville, GA, organized a Rosary Rally in Lawrenceville for our brothers and sister being killed and persecuted in Iraq.

Other news reports:

http://www.wngl1410am.com/events/12-worldwide-rosary-on-tuesday-november-23-for-persecuted-catholics-in-iraq

http://www.churchnewssite.com/portal/?p=36553&show=print

http://battlebeads.blogspot.com/2010/11/worldwide-rosary-today-112310-for.html

http://catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php/topic,3434340.0.html

http://deaconjohn.posterous.com/rosary-for-40000-persecuted-catholics-in-iraq

http://www.clipa.com/print_a2068-APEL-PRIMIT-DE-LA-CITITORI.aspx

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southfield-Michigan/112606115417973

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?p=7299685

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2010/11/19/bishops-government-should-do-more-to-help-iraqi-refugees/

http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2010/11/world-wide-rosary-today-for-persecuted.html

Catholic nurse can’t sue hospital that forced her to assist abortion: court

by John Jalsevac

November 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Today the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Catholic nurse who was forced by a New York hospital to participate in an abortion does not have the right to sue her employer.

Administrators at Mt. Sinai Hospital had threatened Catherine DeCarlo with disciplinary measures in May 2009 if she did not honor a last-minute summons to assist in a scheduled late-term abortion. The hospital insisted on her participation in the procedure on the grounds that it was an “emergency.”

Lawyers for DeCarlo, however, have pointed out that the procedure was not classified by the hospital as an emergency, and the patient was apparently not in crisis at the time of the surgery.

DeCarlo claims that her participation in the abortion led to serious emotional trauma. She also claims that hospital administrators later attempted to coerce her into signing an agreement to participate in abortions in the future.

The hospital had reportedly known of the Catholic nurse’s religious objections to abortion since 2004.

Alliance Defence Fund (ADF) attorneys had filed two suits in the case – one federal, filed in July 2009, and another state, filed earlier this year. The federal suit claimed that Mt. Sinai ignored federal laws prohibiting coercion while receiving hundred of millions of dollars in federal funding.

In January the case was dismissed by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, at which point it was appealed to the Second Circuit.

However, in today’s ruling the court found that there is no right to private action or private remedy under the statue cited by DeCarlo in her suit – the so-called “Church Amendment.”  (Read the decision here.)

That amendment protects health care workers working for federally-funded entities from being discriminated against because they refused to perform abortions on religious or conscience grounds.

In May Americans United for Life (AUL) had filed an amicus brief in support of DeCarlo on behalf of the National Association of Prolife Nurses, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Physicians for Life, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, and the Catholic Medical Association. According to AUL staffer Mailee Smith the groups represent over 19,000 health care professionals.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

November 24 -- St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions

     When most Americans think of Vietnam, they think of how it was lost to Communism. Many don't know that Catholics in Vietnam have suffered constant persecution since 1615 when the first mission was opened by the Portuguese Jesuits. Early on, Vietnamese Catholics were coerced to deny their Faith by trampling a crucifix. Millions refused and accepted the triumph of martyrdom. 

In 1862, St. Andrew Dung-Lac and several lay people, including a 9 year old boy, were executed for the Faith.

In 1964, there were still 833,000 Catholics in North Vietnam but most were in prison. Today, the entire country is under Communist rule.  Can any one imagine that the persecution has ended?
Let us pray to St. Andrew and his companions for the grace of perseverance and fidelity, and for courage for our persecuted brethren who are right now being persecuted for the faith across the globe.

News of Tonight’s Worldwide Rosary for Persecuted Catholics in Iraq is Spreading

As most people know, 60 Catholics were brutally murdered while attending Mass in a Catholic Church in Bagdad, Iraq . They are glorious martyrs. But 400,000 Catholics remain and are being persecuted for the faith. And we’re being asked to pray the Rosary to help them.

Tell friends about this Rosary

Thanks to Our Lady, thousands worldwide will join the international rosary rally tonight for the Catholics in Iraq who are being terribly persecuted for their Catholic faith by Muslim extremists.

Here are some of the news sources who are helping to spread the word:

http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/Frontpage/worldwide-rosary-for-persecuted-catholics-in-iraq.html

http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=18073&posts=1

http://sfxmw.blogspot.com/2010/11/international-rosary-rally-for.html

http://deaconjohn.posterous.com/rosary-for-40000-persecuted-catholics-in-iraq

http://our-lady-for-life.forumotion.com/blessing-all-prayer-requesters-with-holy-water-prayer-blessings-f17/iraq-witness-of-the-church-attack-worldwide-rosary-prayer-for-the-persecuted-in-iraq-t1788.htm

http://planetcatholic.com/rosary-for-40000-persecuted-catholics-in-iraq/

http://www.liquida.com/blog-news/13685871/iraq-chaldean-catholic-church-southfield/

http://hicatholicmom.blogspot.com/2010/11/worldwide-rosary-for-iraqi-christians.html

http://theclayrosarygirl.blogspot.com/2010/11/pray-for-persecuted-christians-in-iraq.html

http://livefreeordy.posterous.com/rosary-for-40000-persecuted-catholics-in-iraq

http://yimcatholic.blogspot.com/2010/11/to-pray-rosary-for-persecuted.html

Cardinal Burke: It’s ‘very clear’ pro-abort politicians should be refused Communion

by Thaddeus Baklinski

Cardinal Raymond Burke

ROME, November 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On the eve his elevation to the Cardinalate on November 20, Archbishop Raymond (now Cardinal) Burke told a Vatican Radio interviewer that his stand on refusal of Communion to pro-abort politicians or public figures is based on “the God-centered thinking which has marked the discipline of the church” – namely, that a person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion.

Cardinal Burke spoke to Tracey McClure on November 19 about some of the challenges faced by the Church in the United States.

Cardinal Burke has never hesitated to make bold public statements in defense of the culture of life, and is viewed as a personal hero and the best of allies by those who are active in promoting faithful Catholic education, as well as those within the pro-life and pro-family movements. Notably, he has upheld and defended Cardinal Ratzinger’s instruction that persistently pro-abortion politicians or public figures must not be admitted to communion until they publicly repent.

McClure first described Burke “as a man with very firm ideas about the moral rectitude of those who profess Catholicism - ideas that don’t always sit comfortably with everyone - and I’m thinking of some of the remarks you’ve made about pro-abortion politicians, for example, receiving Communion - the Holy Eucharist - in the United States.” He then asked the Cardinal if he ever feels discouraged because people “aren’t getting the message.”

“I think it’s only natural to be tempted to discouragement, and I’ve had those temptations,” Cardinal Burke responded. “For instance, on the question of a person who publicly and obstinately espouses the right of a woman to choose to abort the infant in her womb receiving Holy Communion, strikes me as something very clear in the 2,000 years of the church’s tradition - she’s always firmly held that a person who is publicly and obstinately in grave sin should not approach to receive Holy Communion and, if he or she does, should be denied Holy Communion.”

Cardinal Burke explained that the sanction on receiving Communion for a person who publicly dissents from Church teaching is intended to “avoid for the person - himself or herself - committing a sacrilege: in other words, receiving the Sacrament unworthily, and also because the holiness of the Sacrament itself demands that one be in a state of grace to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.”

“It is discouraging that either members of the Church claim not to understand this or they claim that in some way there is an excuse for someone who is publicly and obstinately in grave sin to receive Holy Communion,” Cardinal Burke said.

“I look at it this way,” he continued. “This response on the part of many in the church comes from living in a society that’s completely secularized, and the thinking that is marked - the God-centered thinking which has marked the discipline of the church - is not easily understood by those who are bombarded day in and day out with a kind of God-less approach to the world and to many questions. So, I try not to get discouraged but try to continue to speak the message in a way that people can understand.”

Cardinal Burke expressed his understanding of the difficulty faced by his fellow priests in dealing with this issue.

“It’s difficult ... it hasn’t been easy for me to face this question with a certain number of Catholic politicians. And, I’ve had a number of priests speak to me and tell me how difficult it is when they have individuals in their parish who are in a situation of public and grave sin ... and so, they look ... to the bishop for encouragement and inspiration in dealing with this.”

However, the cleric said that is necessary to preach this message “in season and out of season, and whether it’s being warmly received or not being received or being resisted or criticized.” He stated that his committed stand on Church teaching is not only “speaking the truth with love as the Holy Scriptures say,” but that “when a bishop takes appropriate pastoral measures in this regard, he’s also helping very much brother bishops, and also the priests.”

Editorial: Canadian Bishops Finally Admit Development and Peace Funded Problematic Groups

by LifeSiteNews.com

  • November 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - It's official. In a recent interview with Catholic journalist Deborah Gyapong, Msgr. Pat Powers, the secretary general of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), admitted that the Canadian bishops' development arm has in fact been funding problematic groups.

Msgr. Powers told Gyapong that after having conducted an in-depth review of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace's 248 partners, the bishops had concerns about 13 of them, and ultimately concluded that two of the groups posed a serious problem.

This is hardly what we would have hoped for, given the hard data implicating literally dozens of Development and Peace partners in pro-abortion, pro-contraception and explicitly anti-Catholic activities. But after a year and a half of stonewalling, denials, equivocations, and counterattacks by Development and Peace, the admission has all the appearance of a real breakthrough. It marks the first time throughout this controversy that the bishops have confessed to any wrongdoing whatever by their official international development arm.

Yes, it is disappointing that the true scope of the problem is still being denied in CCCB official statements. But Msgr. Power's revelations may serve as an indication that at least some within the Canadian bishops' conference really are taking the problem seriously.

Nevertheless, while we strive to remain optimistic at LSN that real change is in the works, we are left pondering just which two groups were found to be so bad that the CCCB couldn't stomach supporting them.

Was it the group in Mexico that admitted in a telephone interview with LifeSiteNews that it seeks to make abortion available to women who don't want the "product" of conception, promotes the use of artificial birth control, and has actively opposed state pro-life amendments? 
Or maybe it was the group in Nigeria that teamed up with the Center for Reproductive Rights, one of the most radical pro-abortion groups on the planet, and co-authored a report urging the government "to guarantee access to safe abortion services" and to improve "access to family planning services, including a full range of contraceptive methods."

Then again, it might have been that youth group in Nigeria that describes how best to teach youth to use condoms and that includes amongst its objectives to "increase information about contraceptive use."

But of course, it might be the group in Nicaragua that has a massive sign hanging in its office saying, "We demand the return of therapeutic abortion," and who told LSN in an interview that the organization supports the legalization of abortion on demand and has been involved in the struggle against Nicaragua's pro-life penal code.

Then again, it might have been the Freedom From Debt Coalition in the Philippines that has been actively involved in a major effort to pressure Filipino legislators to support a Reproductive Health Bill intensely opposed by the country's Catholic bishops.

Or maybe it was the group in Benin that co-authored a report with the Center for Reproductive Rights, in which it lamented that "fertility in Benin is characterized by a low rate of contraceptive prevalence" and "induced illegal and clandestine abortions."

Or perhaps it was the two NGOs in East Timor that spearheaded last year's failed attempt to legalize abortion in the country, even as the local bishops scrambled to mount a counterattack against the very groups that were being funded by their brother bishops in Canada. 

On the other hand, it might have been that other Mexican group that told LSN in an interview that it favors the availability of abortion with "appropriate" health conditions, and that issued a statement welcoming a new law in Mexico City permitting abortion as an "advance for the human rights of women."

Of course, it might have been the organization in Haiti that openly complains on its website that there is a "limited recognition" of abortion "rights" in the country and that laments that the government isn't distributing the female condom. 

Or maybe it was two of the three groups that the Peruvian bishops explicitly demanded that the Canadian bishops and Development and Peace stop funding. 

Even better, it might have been the organization in South Africa that told LifeSiteNews in an interview that the work of the organization includes offering support to the "abortion rights" movement, and that it has a "clear position that women have the right to make decisions over their own bodies." 
Or perhaps it was the group in Togo that admitted in a news article that it personally distributed 1.4 million male condoms and 300,000 female condoms in Togo in 2006 alone.

We could go on and on.

There really are so many interesting groups to choose from. We sincerely hope the Canadian bishops have chosen well.