...or, in what our friends over at USF refer to as "the gay Rome."
Here's a letter, by one of our neighbors, sent to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, about a "medical" marijuana dispensary that's around the corner from SS. Peter and Paul:
"Only in San Francisco, a city that already has a bad rap for being family-unfriendly, would you hear a member of the Board of Appeals tell the parents of North Beach that if they don't like a pot dealer in their neighborhood they should move. This comment was made by Vice President Michael Garcia at the Wednesday (December 19) evening Board of Appeals hearing on the Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD) at 722 Columbus Avenue in North Beach."
Despite the overwhelming neighborhood opposition to this business, (it's a block away from Saints Peter and Paul Church and School and the Salesian Boys' and Girls' Club and a block away from the North Beach playground) this tiny establishment has the dough to stretch this appeals process out as long as possible, while they rake in more. And they have big time legal talent: former SF District Attorney Terence Hallinan is representing them. I've never seen anybody go in there who looked sick, but I have seen scary looking guys come out and get into shiny new Mercedes...
Now the Vice-President of the Board of Appeals tells North Beach parents: if you don't like it, move!
Where's our Mayor, Gavin Newsom, who has vowed to make San Francisco "family friendly"? No comment. He's busy. But he had time to declare February 23, 2007 "Colt Studio Day (Colt Studio produces homosexual pornography) and he had time to issue a commendatory proclamation welcoming the 2007 Folsom Street Fair. Just another day in SF...
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Happy New Year
There are reasons why we must think twice before we think something is crazy or unattainable. Those who have no faith in people or ideas could change their lives, if they only knew the truth. If only we could learn the lessons of evil and good and indifferance from our actions and ideas and seize the good opportunities...
Consider these questions and the answers.
"Who in their right mind would ever need more than 640k of ram!?"
-- Bill Gates, 1981
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
-- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
-- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
-- The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what ... is it (the microchip) good for?"
-- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968,
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
--Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
-- David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio- 1920s.
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."
-- A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
Consider these questions and the answers.
"Who in their right mind would ever need more than 640k of ram!?"
-- Bill Gates, 1981
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
-- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
-- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
-- The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what ... is it (the microchip) good for?"
-- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968,
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
--Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
-- David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio- 1920s.
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."
-- A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
USF Homosexual Activism Update
Update: California Catholic Daily covers the story.
Look who's the 2008 "Scholar in Residence" at the University of San Francisco: Fr. James Keenan, SJ, from Boston College.
Remember him? He's the guy who spoke before the Massachusetts Legislature on April 28, 2003, and recommended, as a matter of Catholic Moral Theology, a vote against H. 3190 (which would have defined marriage as Massachusetts as between one man and one woman):
"I am here today to testify against H. 3190 because it is contrary to Catholic teaching on social justice."
You can read his entire statement here on MassEquality.org (always gives one such a feeling of security when a priest is cited approvingly on a homosexual activist website!) With the only thing standing between California and court/special interest imposed same sex "marriage" being the Governor's veto, one wonders why a Catholic University would appoint such a man.
But then, why be shocked, or even surprised? It's USF!
Remember Fr. Jim Bretzke, USF's co-chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies commenting on Archbishops Niederauer's mistakenly giving communion to the two "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" at Most Holy Redeemer back in October? Quote ....."Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense."
Or Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ, author of "Gays and Grays" and now, of all things, Executive Director of Campus Ministry at USF:
“I believe in other words, that the gospel must always be inculturated into every culture, and this must include gay culture.” ("Gays & Grays" p138) and “The Catholic Church is not a credible moral voice within the gay community.” ("Gays & Grays" p153).
Or the President of USF himself, Fr. Stephen J. Privett:
"A student talked about the difficulties he faced in coming to grips with his own homosexual orientation. He feared the rejection of family members and the ridicule of friends. He had to be as he was created to be by a loving God. He came out. It is not easy for him. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” –Baccalaureate Homily, May 2, 2003.
Quite the little operation they've got going on up there...
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Look who's the 2008 "Scholar in Residence" at the University of San Francisco: Fr. James Keenan, SJ, from Boston College.
Remember him? He's the guy who spoke before the Massachusetts Legislature on April 28, 2003, and recommended, as a matter of Catholic Moral Theology, a vote against H. 3190 (which would have defined marriage as Massachusetts as between one man and one woman):
"I am here today to testify against H. 3190 because it is contrary to Catholic teaching on social justice."
You can read his entire statement here on MassEquality.org (always gives one such a feeling of security when a priest is cited approvingly on a homosexual activist website!) With the only thing standing between California and court/special interest imposed same sex "marriage" being the Governor's veto, one wonders why a Catholic University would appoint such a man.
But then, why be shocked, or even surprised? It's USF!
Remember Fr. Jim Bretzke, USF's co-chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies commenting on Archbishops Niederauer's mistakenly giving communion to the two "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" at Most Holy Redeemer back in October? Quote ....."Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense."
Or Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ, author of "Gays and Grays" and now, of all things, Executive Director of Campus Ministry at USF:
“I believe in other words, that the gospel must always be inculturated into every culture, and this must include gay culture.” ("Gays & Grays" p138) and “The Catholic Church is not a credible moral voice within the gay community.” ("Gays & Grays" p153).
Or the President of USF himself, Fr. Stephen J. Privett:
"A student talked about the difficulties he faced in coming to grips with his own homosexual orientation. He feared the rejection of family members and the ridicule of friends. He had to be as he was created to be by a loving God. He came out. It is not easy for him. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” –Baccalaureate Homily, May 2, 2003.
Quite the little operation they've got going on up there...
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Monday, December 24, 2007
A Politically Correct Christmas
To avoid offending anybody, the school dropped religion altogether and started singing about the weather. At my son's school, they now hold the winter program in February and sing increasingly non memorable songs such as "Winter Wonderland," "Frosty the Snowman" and--this is a real song--"Suzy Snowflake," all of which is pretty funny because we live in Miami. A visitor from another planet would assume that the children belonged to the Church of Meteorology. (Dave Barry in his "Notes on Western Civilization" Chicago Tribune Magazine, July 28, 1991)
When will we stand up and throw out this nonsense?
When will we stand up and throw out this nonsense?
Friday, December 21, 2007
Follow the Star
Christmas brings children to the foreground no doubt because of the birthday of the world’s greatest Child.
That ordinary children can be saints, even canonized, we learned from St. Dominic Savio, the youngest non-martyr ever canonized. He was fourteen when he died. Sanctity, even heroic sanctity is possible in the very young.
A new example has been presented to the world in the person of Antonietta Meo. She was five months shy of seven, when she died of bone cancer in 1937.
Just this month documentation of her heroic virtues was promulgated by the Congregation for Saints' Causes. (Zenit.org).-
The Holy Father recalled how during her brief life she "showed special faith, hope and charity" and he presented her as a model for young people. He affirmed that "her existence, so simple and yet so important, shows that sanctity is for all ages: for little children and for young people, for adults and the elderly."
The Pontiff continued: "She traveled quickly down the 'highway' that leads to Jesus [...] who is, in fact, the true 'path' that leads to the Father, and to his and our definitive home that is heaven.
"Jesus is the way that leads to true life, the life that never ends. It is often a steep and narrow way but, if one allows oneself to be attracted by him, it is always stupendous, like a mountain path: The higher one climbs, the easier it becomes to gaze down upon new panoramas, ever more beautiful and vast. The journey is tiring but we are not alone. [...] What is important is not to lose our way, not to miss the path, otherwise we risk falling into an abyss or getting lost in the woods."
"Dear friends," Benedict XVI added, "God made himself man to show us the way. Indeed, by becoming a child he made himself the 'way,' also for young people like you: He was like you; he was your age."
The Pope concluded, expressing his hope that Catholic Action might "walk jointly and briskly along the path of Christ, bearing witness, in the Church and in society, to the fact that this is a beautiful path. It is true that it requires commitment, but it leads to true joy."
That ordinary children can be saints, even canonized, we learned from St. Dominic Savio, the youngest non-martyr ever canonized. He was fourteen when he died. Sanctity, even heroic sanctity is possible in the very young.
A new example has been presented to the world in the person of Antonietta Meo. She was five months shy of seven, when she died of bone cancer in 1937.
Just this month documentation of her heroic virtues was promulgated by the Congregation for Saints' Causes. (Zenit.org).-
The Holy Father recalled how during her brief life she "showed special faith, hope and charity" and he presented her as a model for young people. He affirmed that "her existence, so simple and yet so important, shows that sanctity is for all ages: for little children and for young people, for adults and the elderly."
The Pontiff continued: "She traveled quickly down the 'highway' that leads to Jesus [...] who is, in fact, the true 'path' that leads to the Father, and to his and our definitive home that is heaven.
"Jesus is the way that leads to true life, the life that never ends. It is often a steep and narrow way but, if one allows oneself to be attracted by him, it is always stupendous, like a mountain path: The higher one climbs, the easier it becomes to gaze down upon new panoramas, ever more beautiful and vast. The journey is tiring but we are not alone. [...] What is important is not to lose our way, not to miss the path, otherwise we risk falling into an abyss or getting lost in the woods."
"Dear friends," Benedict XVI added, "God made himself man to show us the way. Indeed, by becoming a child he made himself the 'way,' also for young people like you: He was like you; he was your age."
The Pope concluded, expressing his hope that Catholic Action might "walk jointly and briskly along the path of Christ, bearing witness, in the Church and in society, to the fact that this is a beautiful path. It is true that it requires commitment, but it leads to true joy."
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Amorality…the Fourth Theological Virtue?
In San Francisco, amorality, under the guise of tolerance, has been elevated to the level of a political principle. In some parts of the Archdiocese, apparently, it's been elevated to the level of a virtue. At least that's the Good News according to Fr. Donal Godfrey and Mr. Maurice Healy (spokesman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco). In part two of the KCBS documentary "Keeping the Faith" both men trashed concerned Catholics who have exposed the corruption at Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco. Their thesis seems to be: Never judge anyone, it’ll get you into heaven! After all, Jesus said so!
Fr. Godfrey is of course no surprise, but Mr. Healy's statements show how the Archdiocese continues to paint itself into a corner. Instead of cleaning house, they attack the messengers. To be fair, it’s difficult to see what other option they have (once you rule out facing the truth). Well, I'll point another finger....
What you see here (Caution: usual MHR obscenity alert) are the "Alameda County Leather Club 'Monks'” at the “Golden Gate Guards” 2000 Run. The Alameda County Leather Corps and the Golden Gate Guards are two of seven organizations that make up the “Inter-Club Fund.” (others include the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Dykes on Bikes, and the Defenders, an affiliate of Dignity USA).
The “Inter-Club Fund” are frequent and welcome guests at Most Holy Redeemer. They’ve held their annual awards dinner there in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007, and they are scheduled to hold their awards dinner again at Most Holy Redeemer on February 16, 2008.
Are there any Catholics NOT outraged that a group like this is a welcomed annual vistor in a Catholic Church?
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Fr. Godfrey is of course no surprise, but Mr. Healy's statements show how the Archdiocese continues to paint itself into a corner. Instead of cleaning house, they attack the messengers. To be fair, it’s difficult to see what other option they have (once you rule out facing the truth). Well, I'll point another finger....
What you see here (Caution: usual MHR obscenity alert) are the "Alameda County Leather Club 'Monks'” at the “Golden Gate Guards” 2000 Run. The Alameda County Leather Corps and the Golden Gate Guards are two of seven organizations that make up the “Inter-Club Fund.” (others include the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Dykes on Bikes, and the Defenders, an affiliate of Dignity USA).
The “Inter-Club Fund” are frequent and welcome guests at Most Holy Redeemer. They’ve held their annual awards dinner there in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007, and they are scheduled to hold their awards dinner again at Most Holy Redeemer on February 16, 2008.
Are there any Catholics NOT outraged that a group like this is a welcomed annual vistor in a Catholic Church?
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Monday, December 17, 2007
KCBS Interview: Most Holy Redeemer and Archbishop Niederauer
KCBS radio has quite a nice story on the ongoing scandal that is Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco. Of course, the issue gained international prominence when Archbishop George Niederauer mistakenly gave communion to the two Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence back on October 7. From the story:
"The controversy has pulled back the curtain on a deep division within the Roman Catholic Church that leads from the Bay Area all the way to Rome . . . Listen to KCBS reporter Doug Sovern's documentary on KCBS 740AM at 9:30am, 4:30pm, and 9:30pm on December 17th and 18th."
All times are PST. Part one of the on-air broadcast can be played from the page linked to above; part two airs tomorrow. One very good result of the publicity mentioned in the story is the cancelleation of the Golden Gate Guards Anniversary Parties which had been held annualy at MHR. To see what went on at these events, in the hall of a Catholic Church, visit Quamdiu Domine.
Congratulations to Quamdiu Domine and the St. Joseph's Men's group for doing so much to expose this scandal.
We've commented extensively on MHR. Some previous posts are here, here, here, here, and here.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
"The controversy has pulled back the curtain on a deep division within the Roman Catholic Church that leads from the Bay Area all the way to Rome . . . Listen to KCBS reporter Doug Sovern's documentary on KCBS 740AM at 9:30am, 4:30pm, and 9:30pm on December 17th and 18th."
All times are PST. Part one of the on-air broadcast can be played from the page linked to above; part two airs tomorrow. One very good result of the publicity mentioned in the story is the cancelleation of the Golden Gate Guards Anniversary Parties which had been held annualy at MHR. To see what went on at these events, in the hall of a Catholic Church, visit Quamdiu Domine.
Congratulations to Quamdiu Domine and the St. Joseph's Men's group for doing so much to expose this scandal.
We've commented extensively on MHR. Some previous posts are here, here, here, here, and here.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Will Canada be our future?
Maybe, if we don't stand up. From LifeSite News
Catholic Activist "Banned for life" From Publicly Criticising Homosexuality
Saskatchewan Court Upholds Human Rights Commission Ruling
By Hilary WhiteREGINA, Saskatchewan, December 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission's decision to impose a "lifetime" ban on a local Catholic's freedom to publicly criticise homosexuality, was upheld this week in its entirety by Saskatchewan Court of Queens Bench.
Bill Whatcott, a licensed practical nurse who lives in Saskatchewan, is a campaigner against the homosexual political movement that is sweeping the Canadian legal system. In 2006, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) ordered Whatcott to pay $17,500 Cn. to four complainants who complained that their "feelings" and "self-respect" were "injured" by Whatcott's pamphlets denouncing the "gay lifestyle" as immoral and dangerous.
Does anyone doubt that this is what the "gay activists" will do in this country, if they have the chance? (See the previous post).
Not to mention pro-"choicers." See this post, on the Oakland "bubble ordinance"
And "Walk for Life West Coast" has a page describing the ordinance, and how you can oppose it. Go here. But you must act now! The Oakland City Council meets to Tuesday, December 18.
Catholic Activist "Banned for life" From Publicly Criticising Homosexuality
Saskatchewan Court Upholds Human Rights Commission Ruling
By Hilary WhiteREGINA, Saskatchewan, December 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission's decision to impose a "lifetime" ban on a local Catholic's freedom to publicly criticise homosexuality, was upheld this week in its entirety by Saskatchewan Court of Queens Bench.
Bill Whatcott, a licensed practical nurse who lives in Saskatchewan, is a campaigner against the homosexual political movement that is sweeping the Canadian legal system. In 2006, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) ordered Whatcott to pay $17,500 Cn. to four complainants who complained that their "feelings" and "self-respect" were "injured" by Whatcott's pamphlets denouncing the "gay lifestyle" as immoral and dangerous.
Does anyone doubt that this is what the "gay activists" will do in this country, if they have the chance? (See the previous post).
Not to mention pro-"choicers." See this post, on the Oakland "bubble ordinance"
And "Walk for Life West Coast" has a page describing the ordinance, and how you can oppose it. Go here. But you must act now! The Oakland City Council meets to Tuesday, December 18.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Brotherly Love?
LiteSiteNews.com has a story that is upsetting my Christmas cheer. When it’s time to remember the Gift the Father is offering us, and happily celebrating family, friends, loving and caring….my heart goes out to the Boy Scouts of the City of Brotherly Love.
Their home which they built and deeded to Philadelphia in 1929, their headquarters and playground which was promised them rent free in perpetuity has now been offered them for $200,000 a year! Pay up or get out by June!
Philadelphia has certainly benefited from the thousands of young people who have followed the scout code these past years. How can the City be so ungrateful? The answer is painfully simple: the homosexual lobby!
Scouts must change their rules and allow avowed homosexuals in their ranks as members and leaders—or lose their right to use the Beaux Arts premises deeded to the City by the Scouts themselves. Is moral law to be taxed at $200,000 per year?
An editorial which appeared in the on line edition of the Investor’s Business Daily has this observation: “Isn’t it hypocritical, though, to be intolerant in the name of tolerance, to say that it is wrong to disapprove of the lifestyle of others but OK to condemn the religious and moral beliefs of others? "
Can we all condemn that hypocrisy?
Their home which they built and deeded to Philadelphia in 1929, their headquarters and playground which was promised them rent free in perpetuity has now been offered them for $200,000 a year! Pay up or get out by June!
Philadelphia has certainly benefited from the thousands of young people who have followed the scout code these past years. How can the City be so ungrateful? The answer is painfully simple: the homosexual lobby!
Scouts must change their rules and allow avowed homosexuals in their ranks as members and leaders—or lose their right to use the Beaux Arts premises deeded to the City by the Scouts themselves. Is moral law to be taxed at $200,000 per year?
An editorial which appeared in the on line edition of the Investor’s Business Daily has this observation: “Isn’t it hypocritical, though, to be intolerant in the name of tolerance, to say that it is wrong to disapprove of the lifestyle of others but OK to condemn the religious and moral beliefs of others? "
Can we all condemn that hypocrisy?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Rest In Peace!
Cardinal Alfons Maria Stickler, Salesian, died yesterday in the Vatican.
He was 97, and was made a bishop in 1983. He was Vatican Librarian.
I had the good fortune to have him as my professor of Canon Law when he taught at the Salesian University in Turin, Italy, which takes us back to 1946-50, before he moved to the Vatican.
He was chosen as a Cardinal in 1985.
I considered him a beloved professor and good friend and visited him several times at the Vatican, and accompanied him on one of his California trips, when he brought some art from the Vatican library for a local exhibition.
Pray for his happy repose.
He was 97, and was made a bishop in 1983. He was Vatican Librarian.
I had the good fortune to have him as my professor of Canon Law when he taught at the Salesian University in Turin, Italy, which takes us back to 1946-50, before he moved to the Vatican.
He was chosen as a Cardinal in 1985.
I considered him a beloved professor and good friend and visited him several times at the Vatican, and accompanied him on one of his California trips, when he brought some art from the Vatican library for a local exhibition.
Pray for his happy repose.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
And why we love Fr. Euteneuer!
More "Golden Compass," more plain English!
"The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today called on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to fire Harry Forbes, director of the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the Conference, for his positive reviews of immoral or anti-Catholic films on the Conference’s Catholic News Service (CNS).
Father Euteneuer said, “I refuse to believe that Harry Forbes, who gave such glowing remarks to the homosexual promo film Brokeback Mountain and the atheist indoctrination flick The Golden Compass, speaks in the name of our bishops. An employee who shames our bishops with reviews of this sort should be fired."
Read the whole thing.
"The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today called on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to fire Harry Forbes, director of the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the Conference, for his positive reviews of immoral or anti-Catholic films on the Conference’s Catholic News Service (CNS).
Father Euteneuer said, “I refuse to believe that Harry Forbes, who gave such glowing remarks to the homosexual promo film Brokeback Mountain and the atheist indoctrination flick The Golden Compass, speaks in the name of our bishops. An employee who shames our bishops with reviews of this sort should be fired."
Read the whole thing.
Why we love Bishop Chaput...
He speaks plain English! From his review of "The Golden Compass":
"No matter how one looks at it, “The Golden Compass” is a bad film. There’s just no nicer way to say it."
Read the whole thing.
"No matter how one looks at it, “The Golden Compass” is a bad film. There’s just no nicer way to say it."
Read the whole thing.
Faith Moves Mountains
A story sent me by a good friend was taken from the Letters from Readers section of the Jacksonville Times-Union.
It’s a story of a mother who repeatedly was urged to abort the baby she was carrying, because “that child in her womb was irreversibly damaged.”
But the woman put her faith in God; remained hopeful and trusted that everything would turn out well.
Pam Tebow “is a hero to me; her son is a hero to many in our country. Last Saturday, her son, Tim Tebow, won the Heisman Trophy."
It’s a story of a mother who repeatedly was urged to abort the baby she was carrying, because “that child in her womb was irreversibly damaged.”
But the woman put her faith in God; remained hopeful and trusted that everything would turn out well.
Pam Tebow “is a hero to me; her son is a hero to many in our country. Last Saturday, her son, Tim Tebow, won the Heisman Trophy."
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
You're Pro-Choice? Then why restrict speech?
Back in November, we commented on the outrageous "Bubble Ordinance" legislation being proposed in Oakland. This ordinance is a direct assault on free speech, under the guise of "protecting" women.
There is now a very clear and comprehensive webpage describing the ordinance, what it is and what it is not, along with action steps you can take.
This ridiculous bill would actually criminalize handing out leaflets on the street! Please check this page out, and make your voices heard!
There is now a very clear and comprehensive webpage describing the ordinance, what it is and what it is not, along with action steps you can take.
This ridiculous bill would actually criminalize handing out leaflets on the street! Please check this page out, and make your voices heard!
Catholic Radio comes to the Bay Area!
Immaculate Heart Radio has just started broadcasting in our area. It will bring the very best of Catholic programming to the radios of over 8 million people from San Jose to Santa Rosa and beyond.
You can find it at 1260 on your AM dial.
Be sure to tune in!
You can find it at 1260 on your AM dial.
Be sure to tune in!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Mary Shot
Robert Moynihan of Inside the Vatican offered this account of a new exhibit in Washington.
Yesterday a Russian Orthodox icon of Mary and the Child Jesus went on display in the Memorial Hall of the Roman Catholic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The icon, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son, Jesus, has 13 bullet holes in it. (The bullets are still there, imbedded in the thick wood of the 19th-century icon. The icon is a 19th-century copy of the famous 16th-century icon of Kazan which Pope John Paul II kept for many years in his apartment in Rome, and which was finally returned to Russia on August 28, 2004.)
Several of the bullet holes are in a straight line across the chest of the Virgin Mary, where a blast from a machine-gun evidently strafed the icon with a burst of gunfire.Mary's face is untouched. But her body, had it been a real body, would have been torn apart and killed by those bullets. There are also bullet wounds in the image of her son, Jesus, as he sits in her arms.
Strikingly, the icon has been transported from Russia to be put on display this Advent in Washington as the centerpiece in an extraordinary, moving exhibition on the revival of faith in Russia.
"Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, there were more icons and churches dedicated to Mary in Russia than in any other country in the world," said Father Victor Potapov, a Russian Orthodox priest who is rector of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist in Washington, during a brief ceremony at 10:30 am to open the exhibit. "Russia in those years, for that reason, was sometimes called 'The House of Mary.'"
Potapov said that more Christian martyrs suffered imprisonment and death under anti-Christian regimes during the 20th century than during the entire three centuries of persecution that the early Church suffered under the Roman Empire. "More Christians died during 70 years of Communism than during 300 years under the Roman," Potapov said. "But the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith. And Christian faith is being renewed today in Russia."
Yesterday a Russian Orthodox icon of Mary and the Child Jesus went on display in the Memorial Hall of the Roman Catholic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The icon, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son, Jesus, has 13 bullet holes in it. (The bullets are still there, imbedded in the thick wood of the 19th-century icon. The icon is a 19th-century copy of the famous 16th-century icon of Kazan which Pope John Paul II kept for many years in his apartment in Rome, and which was finally returned to Russia on August 28, 2004.)
Several of the bullet holes are in a straight line across the chest of the Virgin Mary, where a blast from a machine-gun evidently strafed the icon with a burst of gunfire.Mary's face is untouched. But her body, had it been a real body, would have been torn apart and killed by those bullets. There are also bullet wounds in the image of her son, Jesus, as he sits in her arms.
Strikingly, the icon has been transported from Russia to be put on display this Advent in Washington as the centerpiece in an extraordinary, moving exhibition on the revival of faith in Russia.
"Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, there were more icons and churches dedicated to Mary in Russia than in any other country in the world," said Father Victor Potapov, a Russian Orthodox priest who is rector of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist in Washington, during a brief ceremony at 10:30 am to open the exhibit. "Russia in those years, for that reason, was sometimes called 'The House of Mary.'"
Potapov said that more Christian martyrs suffered imprisonment and death under anti-Christian regimes during the 20th century than during the entire three centuries of persecution that the early Church suffered under the Roman Empire. "More Christians died during 70 years of Communism than during 300 years under the Roman," Potapov said. "But the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith. And Christian faith is being renewed today in Russia."
Will Catholics Vote Like Catholics in 2008?
Here’s a message from Karl Keating Catholic Answers Action, 2020 Gillespie Way, El Cajon, California 92020 USA Phone: 1-800-890-0461 Fax: 619-387-0042:
If ever there were a time when America needed our now-famous Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics . . . that time is now. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the 2008 elections could determine the moral fate of our entire nation. Key Moral Issues for Catholics.
As you know, the Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics is the definitive voter’s guide for explaining the Catholic position on the “five non-negotiables” . . . Abortion-Euthanasia-Embryonic Stem Cell Research-Human Cloning-Homosexual “Marriage”
These are the most critical moral issues of our time. They represent everything that’s wrong in America (and the world) today—because they’re the key tenets of the “culture of death” versus the “Gospel of Life.” If we lose on these issues, we lose everything. The problem is, they’re all being decided right now in the political arena—by people who have no clue what they’re voting on or how their vote will affect the future of our country. That’s particularly true for the average Catholic in the United States.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Catholics are the most wrong-headed voters in America.” They typically vote for candidates who oppose Catholic teaching on the five non-negotiables. Often it’s because those candidates belong to a particular party that Catholics vote for out of habit. Or, more and more, the candidates themselves are Catholic—but their voting records and their political stances fly in the face of Catholic moral teaching.
If ever there were a time when America needed our now-famous Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics . . . that time is now. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the 2008 elections could determine the moral fate of our entire nation. Key Moral Issues for Catholics.
As you know, the Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics is the definitive voter’s guide for explaining the Catholic position on the “five non-negotiables” . . . Abortion-Euthanasia-Embryonic Stem Cell Research-Human Cloning-Homosexual “Marriage”
These are the most critical moral issues of our time. They represent everything that’s wrong in America (and the world) today—because they’re the key tenets of the “culture of death” versus the “Gospel of Life.” If we lose on these issues, we lose everything. The problem is, they’re all being decided right now in the political arena—by people who have no clue what they’re voting on or how their vote will affect the future of our country. That’s particularly true for the average Catholic in the United States.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Catholics are the most wrong-headed voters in America.” They typically vote for candidates who oppose Catholic teaching on the five non-negotiables. Often it’s because those candidates belong to a particular party that Catholics vote for out of habit. Or, more and more, the candidates themselves are Catholic—but their voting records and their political stances fly in the face of Catholic moral teaching.
Friday, December 7, 2007
How safe?
Sen. Barbara Boxer has introduced a bill requiring federal government to promote use of emergency contraception. (California Catholic Daily)
The bill, S. 2108, titled the “Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007,” was formally introduced on Sept. 27. It was read twice on the floor of the Senate, then referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where it remains today
Co-sponsors of the bill, in addition to Boxer, include senators Hillary Clinton, D-NY, Patty Murray, D-WA, Max Baucus, D-MT, Maria Cantwell, D-WA, Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Daniel Inouye, D-HI, John Kerry, D-MA, and Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ.
The bill requires that the material developed by the Centers for Disease Control state that emergency contraception is safe and effective --- and easy to obtain. The idea of emergency contraception—or a morning-after pill—is based on a theory. Under this theory, if a woman has sexual intercourse and fears she may be pregnant, she can take large doses of birth control pills. If in fact the woman is pregnant when she takes these birth control pills, the high dosage could act to kill her preborn child—a living human being. The only "emergency" in this case is the woman's fear of being pregnant.
The pill is widely used and makes millions of dollars for the manufacturer. It has been declared safe, but here are some of the side effects:
nausea
vomiting
infertility
breast tenderness
ectopic pregnancy (can be life threatening)
blood clot formation
Emergency contraception also offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.
There are no long term studies to show whether women will be permanently damaged, or risk such diseases as cancer, from these chemicals being given in such high doses.
The bill, S. 2108, titled the “Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007,” was formally introduced on Sept. 27. It was read twice on the floor of the Senate, then referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where it remains today
Co-sponsors of the bill, in addition to Boxer, include senators Hillary Clinton, D-NY, Patty Murray, D-WA, Max Baucus, D-MT, Maria Cantwell, D-WA, Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Daniel Inouye, D-HI, John Kerry, D-MA, and Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ.
The bill requires that the material developed by the Centers for Disease Control state that emergency contraception is safe and effective --- and easy to obtain. The idea of emergency contraception—or a morning-after pill—is based on a theory. Under this theory, if a woman has sexual intercourse and fears she may be pregnant, she can take large doses of birth control pills. If in fact the woman is pregnant when she takes these birth control pills, the high dosage could act to kill her preborn child—a living human being. The only "emergency" in this case is the woman's fear of being pregnant.
The pill is widely used and makes millions of dollars for the manufacturer. It has been declared safe, but here are some of the side effects:
nausea
vomiting
infertility
breast tenderness
ectopic pregnancy (can be life threatening)
blood clot formation
Emergency contraception also offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.
There are no long term studies to show whether women will be permanently damaged, or risk such diseases as cancer, from these chemicals being given in such high doses.
"Do Whatever He Tells You"
A very nice article this morning at the "Catholic Education Resource Center."
"Mary’s command to the servants at Cana — 'Do whatever he tells you' (Jn. 2:5) — represents her last recorded words in the Bible. And they serve as much more than an exhortation to obedience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
