Adult Stem Cell Update: Blind Girl Now Sees!

From the Telegraph UK:

Two-year-old girl can see for the first time following stem cell treatment

"Two-year-old British girl Dakota Clarke can see for the first time after undergoing pioneering stem cell treatment in China.

Dakota, who was born blind, is the first British patient to undergo the new type of therapy. The £30,000 treatment, which involves stems cells taken from an umbilical cord being fed into her forehead, has allowed her to see people, objects, colours and lights around her.

Dakota suffers from Septo-Optic Dysplasia, which means the optic nerve does not develop properly, and has responded quicker than expected to the treatment. Her parents, Wilma, 28, and dad Darren, 34, are hoping she will continue to improve and have a life time of sight....

Dr Tom Liu, a stem cell specialist and director of the centre, is planning a breakthrough medical report on its work in collaboration with UCLA to be published later this year.

He said: 'We are very impressed with Dakota's progress so far and hope further tests will reveal further improvements.

'The use of stem cells taken from the umbilical chord is completely safe. As we learn more about the way these cells work our results are getting better and better.'"

Now, since cures and treatments are being documented just about daily with adult or cord-blood stem-cells, and when all the biggest names in the field (Ian Wilmot, James Thomson, etc.) have abandoned embryonics, why is President Obama funding embryonic stem-cell research?

Simple: this isn't about science. The abortion industry wants ESCR because they can use it as a "moral" justification for abortion. And our culture is so wounded by legalized abortion that anything which seems to minimize its horror will be embraced as a psychological crutch.

Pray for an end to abortion, and that these wounds may heal. And Thanks be to God for little Dakota!

h/t as always, to Mr. Don Margolis

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Too Toxic for MHR--OK For USF?

Well, well. It's too toxic for MHR (or maybe vice versa) but just right for USF.

We believe that the play "Be Still and Know," an adaption of the book "The God Box" by homosexual activist Alex Sanchez, will be performed at the Presentation Theater of the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco today. We went by there and saw a flyer advertising the event.

It had originally been scheduled to be performed at Most Holy Redeemer Church, but the parish cancelled it on orders from the Archdiocese. Our detailed post on the play can be found by going here. This begs a number of questions:


1) Did the Archdiocese approve this change of venue or not?

If yes, why? Why is it acceptable to stage a performance of the play at USF, but not at Most Holy Redeemer? Is there something about MHR that would make the play unnacceptable there?


Two possibilities suggest themselves:


a) The Archdiocese is pastorally concerned about kids from a Catholic High School performing at Most Holy Redeemer. They do not want students exposed to an environment where there is such a wholesale and blatant repudiation of Church teaching on sexuality--a repudiation which includes, but is not limited to having openly same-sex "married" and "transgendered" Eucharistic minsters, lectors, and acolytes serving at Mass. This would make sense.


b) The Archdiocese is pastorally concerned about the parishioners of MHR. They worry that a play challenging Church teaching on homosexuality presented at MHR is an occasion of sin-- like giving a bottle of liquor to an alcoholic. It may sound funny at first to anyone familiar with the history of MHR--that a high school play could be a bad influence there--but it is no joke. Our Archdiocese knows full well that anything that affrms the parishioners of MHR in their repudiation of Church teaching on sexuality must be avoided. As Catechism entry #2357 says of homosexual acts: "Under no circumstances can they be approved." On this reading, our Archdiocese is being guided by the maxim that the souls of our same-sex attracted brothers and sisters are just as important as anyone else, and that it is the duty of the Archdiocese to protect them. This also would make sense.


I think probably both of these played a part in the Archdiocesan decision to cancel the play at MHR. I'd encourage the Catholic parents of Sacred Heart of Atherton to think about both of these things.
_________________________________________________


But this leads to a further question. If there is something so unsuitable about MHR, because of it's repudiation of Church teaching on sexuality, how can USF be suitable? For on this issue USF is on the same page as MHR (a quick sample, it would take far too much space to into detail) :

• The Executive Director of University Ministry at USF, Fr. Donal Godfrey wrote the very enlightening history of MHR "Gays and Grays" (excerpts here) ; he has given homilies at MHR which are posted on the "Gay Catholic Forum" ; he has come out publicly against Proposition 8; he has marched, in his clerics, in the "Gay Pride" parade. Too get an idea of how far out Fr. Godfrey is on matters of sexuality, listen to this radio interview he gave last year at World Youth Day in Australia.

• USF and MHR co-hosted the "Queer Perspectives: Is it Ethical to Be Catholic?" seminars. Listen to the audio here and here.

• The Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USF employs the Reverend Vincent Pizzuto as an Assistant Professor (you can hear him on the first audio cllip in the preceding paragraph). The Reverend Pizzuto so disagreed with Catholic teaching on homosexuality that he left the Catholic Church in 2007 and was ordained into the "Celtic Christian Church." The Celtic Christian Church is not in communion with Rome. I actually have a certain amount of admiration for Father Pizzuto. He says what he believes, and if he can't accept Catholic teaching, he leaves the Church. Of course that means Canonically he is not allowed to teach at a Theology department in a Catholic school, but that is not his fault, but the fault of those responsible at USF.

• Tomorrow, May 9, 2009, USF's Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Research, and the USF LGBT Caucus will sponsor an address by Professor James Nickoloff. We covered the event, and did some resarch on Professor Nickoloff back in January. The post is here.

_______________________________________________________


2) The other possibility is that USF is allowing this play to be performed on campus without Archdiocesan approval. This would certainly not be surprising, because it would not be the first time that the University basically told His Excellency: drop dead.

Back on June 7, 2008, we reported on the book tour of Australian former Auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson. Robinson's teachings were so at variance with those of the Church that the Vatican asked him to cancel the tour. He didn't, and before he reached California a number of California Catholic bishops, including Archbishop Niederauer, specifically and in writing denied him permission to speak in their Archdioceses. What did USF do? They ignored the instructions of His Excellency, and invited Robinson to speak at the University's notorious Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought.

It's an unfortunate fact that what goes on at “Catholic” Universities nowadays is, to a great extent, out of Archdiocesan control. I believe all that can be done by the local ordinary is to strip the university of its Catholic identity.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Catholic News Agency Covers MHR/Play Story

San Francisco, Calif., Mar 7, 2009 / 10:47 pm (CNA).- Archbishop of San Francisco George Niederauer has ordered a parish to cancel the performance of a “gay-friendly” play directed at teens. The play was to be performed by students from a Catholic preparatory school.

Archdiocesan spokesman Maurice Healy told the California Catholic Daily that Most Holy Redeemer Church had canceled the play “Be Still and Know” at the request of the archbishop.
The parish bulletin said the play, based on the 2007 book “The God Box,” explores “the subject of homosexuality within a Christian, adolescent context.”

The book on which the play is based won an award from the homosexual advocacy organization the Lambda Literary Foundation. It was praised by the Episcopalian Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori, who said it opens up “long-abused biblical passages often used as proof texts to denigrate homosexuality.”

Read the whole thing.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Safe, Legal, and Rare?

Another report from "40 Days For Life."

Our good Archbishop George Niederauer, in a letter sent out to the priests of the Archdiocese encouraging them to attend the "40 Days for Life" vigil, called the areas around the abortion businesses "the Golgotha of our time."

Just yesterday morning I posted on how, at the "40 Days for Life Vigil," we had seen a lady coming out of the abortion business who was very unsteady.

Today I joined our brothers and sisters at the vigil across from the Planned Parenthood again. As we prayed an ambulance pulled up, sirens screaming. Here it is:

The paramedics went in, and after about 10 minutes, came out with an Asian lady of about 30 on a gurney. I chose not to take a picture of that. Poor thing! We prayed the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy for her.

So, in my entire life, I've now spent about 4 hours in prayer across from an abortion business, and in two of those hours women have come out of there in bad shape: one having trouble walking, the other on a gurney.

Safe, legal, and rare? Well, it's legal.

______________________________________________________

In other news from the vigil: two 6o year-old ladies (or women, as my mom would say) quite bitterly and foully cursed us out, but I guess that was balanced by a Muslim guy who invited us to the mosque.

I told him, "Hey, I go to Church!"

He said "It's all the same!"

Well, it isn't really, but I liked him.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

"Be Still and Know" at Most Holy Redeemer CANCELLED

God Bless our good Archbishop!


From today's California Catholic Daily:

"San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer has ordered the cancellation of a play based on the controversial book The God Box that had been scheduled this weekend at Most Holy Redeemer parish.


'The parish has cancelled the play at the request of Archbishop George H. Niederauer,” said archdiocesan spokesman Maurice Healy in an email to California Catholic Daily. “Bishop William Justice, vicar for clergy, communicated this to the parish.'


Student actors from Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Atherton had been scheduled to perform the play, 'Be Still and Know,' on Sunday afternoon, March 8, at Most Holy Redeemer, which according to the parish bulletin, 'explores the subject of homosexuality within a Christian, adolescent context.”'

The original post detailing our objections to this play being performed at Catholic institutions, can be found here.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Report from "40 Days For Life"

Our good Archbishop George Niederauer, in a letter sent out to the priests of the Archdiocese encouraging them to attend the "40 Days for Life" vigil, called the areas around the abortion businesses "the Golgotha of our time."

I witnessed what he meant yesterday.

A lady of about 40 was leaving the abortion business. She was walking down the stairs very unsteadily, and when she reached the landing she had to lean against the wall. After a time she stood up straight again, and finished her walk down the stairs. Not a single person in that place even offered to assist her down the stairs. Then she walked, by herself, across the street, to where a man was waiting for her in a truck. They drove off

_______________________________________________________


I've been joining our brothers and sisters down at the "40 Days for Life" vigil at the Planned Parenthood abortion business on Eddy Street every Wednesday and Friday. It has been a very moving experience. I've been surprised by the support we have received from passers-by. I expected a much larger negative response, but I'd say the positive responses outweigh the negatives by about three to one (although as one would expect some of the negative responses are truly vile). Not to mention a nice lady brought a big thermos of hot chocolate!

God Bless Dr. Ron Konopaski, the organizer of our local event, for giving us this wonderful opportunity. To learn more, or to sign up for a time slot, go here:

http://www.40daysforlife.com/sanfrancisco/

Published by Gibbons J. Cooney

More "Be Still and Know" News

We note that within the past 24 hours the listing of the play "Be Still and Know," scheduled to be performed by students from Sacred Heart High School of Atherton this Sunday at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, has been pulled from the "Events" page of the MHR website. We hope this means that our Archdiocese has caused the production to be cancelled, but we await confirmation.

For our previous detailed post on this subject, go here.

Meanwhile, here is a very clear excerpt from a statement by Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, PA, who has recently been faced with a similar situation:

"As the Bishop, it is not only my right, but my obligation to ensure that authentic Catholic teaching is being provided in all Catholic institutions in this Diocese, and that viewpoints in opposition to this teaching are not being presented as acceptable alternatives."

It really is that simple.

For Bishop Martino's full statement, go here.

h/t Te Deum Laudamus! and Curt Jester

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

More Good News About Fr. Malloy

The good old priest (he will be 87 this month) had prostate surgery yesterday. Everything seems fine.

He is humbled and thankful for your prayers.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

More on that Play...

There have been quite a few comments to the post of March 2 "Play for Teens Performed at Most Holy Redeemer." Lots of comments, but no answers to the questions I asked. So I'll ask the questions again, with one addition:

• Is the content of the play in agreement with Church teaching on homosexuality?

• Who decided on having this play produced at Sacred Heart of Atherton?

• Has the production of this play at Sacred Heart of Atherton been approved by the Archdiocese?

• Has the production of this play at Most Holy Redeemer been approved by the Archdiocese?

• Why is this play being performed at Most Holy Redeemer at all? The novel “The God Box” from which the play is adapted, is targeted at an adolescent audience. For obvious reasons, there are virtually no children at MHR. Why is a play targeted at children being performed at a parish where there are no children?

• I'll now add this to the preceding question: Why are high school students being allowed to perform a play at the only church in the history of Christendom that has photographs of parish hall events posted on a website that requires an obscenity disclaimer?

• Finally, has anyone at the Archdiocese read “The God Box?” Or even visited the website of Alex Sanchez, the book’s author?

I look forward to answers.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Judgement and the Chuch

An excerpt from a timely column from Professor Hadley Arkes over at "The Catholic Thing":

"Scene 1. An old friend, a confirmed Catholic, a seasoned pro-lifer, exasperated with the Republican Party, endorsed Barack Obama during the last election. The news of his defection spread, and it just seemed all the worse when it became clear that Barack Obama was the most radical pro-abortion candidate who had ever run for president. At Mass, my friend went to the altar, and the priest simply gripped his hand. He would not give him Communion. For my friend, it was a jolt as severe as anything he had ever felt. What was taking place became evident to others waiting in line, and from a place further back, an older man spoke in indignation: “Father, are you judging this man?”

I was not told what, if anything, the priest said in response. Were I supplying the lines, I might have had him say, “Sir, are you in turn judging me?” But judging with this difference: The priest was offering a judgment springing from the central teachings of the Church. He was making a gesture of taking, as profoundly serious, the teaching of the Church on the direct, willful killing of the innocent in abortion. He was conveying, in a direct, personal way, the recognition of a man known as a serious Catholic suddenly – and quite publicly – becoming an accomplice in the project of supporting that killing. When the protestor sounded his reproach over “judging this man,” was he now offering as the paramount principle of the Church, “judge not that ye be not judged”? Was it the contention now that the principle of abjuring judgment was the trumping principle – the principle that would override all other principles and teaching of the Church? If so, it was a gesture that would dissolve, in a stroke, every teaching of the Church and make a nullity of the Church’s claim to teach on any matter of moral significance."

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Play for Teens Performed at Most Holy Redeemer

A group of Catholic school teens are on their way to Most Holy Redeemer Church to perform a play about the conflicts between Christianity and homosexuality.

The Most Holy Redeemer Church bulletin of February 22, 2009 reports that the church will host a production of a play called "Be Still and Know." From the bulletin: “The director, John Loschmann, along with the cast and crew from Sacred Heart Preparatory School, Atherton will perform "Be Still and Know" at Most Holy Redeemer on Sunday, March 8 at 2 pm. All are welcome. This play is based on the novel, The God Box, by Alex Sanchez and adapted for the stage by John Loschmann. It explores the subject of homosexuality within a Christian, adolescent context.” As with most things at MHR, I think it far more likely the play “explores” Christianity, within a homosexual context.

This raises a number of questions:

• Is the content of the play in agreement with Church teaching on homosexuality?
• Who decided on having this play produced at Sacred Heart of Atherton?
• Has the production of this play at Sacred Heart of Atherton been approved by the Archdiocese?
• Has the production of this play at Most Holy Redeemer been approved by the Archdiocese?
• Why is this play being performed at Most Holy Redeemer at all? The novel “The God Box” from which the play is adapted, is targeted at an adolescent audience. For obvious reasons, there are virtually no children at MHR. Why is a play targeted at children being performed at a parish where there are no children?
• Finally, has anyone at the Archdiocese read “The God Box?” Or even visited the website of Alex Sanchez, the book’s author?

To take the last point first: had they done so, they would have seen that Mr. Sanchez claims to be exploring the conflicts between Christianity and homosexuality. But an examination of his website shows that for him there is really no conflict: Christian teaching on homosexuality does not present a conflict to be struggled with, (as is true of Christian teaching on many things) but an obstacle to be overcome. That’s why his homepage features rave reviews of “The God Box” by people who share this view: Harry Knox, of the Human Rights Campaign; Steve Kindle of Clergy United, Nancy Wilson, of the Metropolitan Community Church, and Episcopalian bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori.

Catholic Teaching Not Allowed

It gets worse. Since “The God Box” is targeted at young people, let’s suppose a young same-sex attracted Catholic reads the book or sees the play, and goes to Mr. Sanchez’s webpage in search of guidance. There site has a number of sub-pages. One is a “Spirituality” page. It contains 31 links. Every link, without exception, is to an organization which denies Church teaching on homosexuality. Under the “Catholic” heading, do we find the Vatican, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, or the Courage Apostolate? No. The recommended Catholic spiritual resource is “Dignity USA,” a homosexual activist organization not even recognized by the Church, nor even allowed to meet on Church property. The one thing such a young person visiting Mr. Sanchez’s site would never receive would be genuine Catholic teaching on the issue of homosexuality.

Who Chose “The God Box,” and why?

The adaptation of “The God Box” that will be presented at Most Holy Redeemer is called “Be Still and Know” by John Loschmann, a drama teacher at Sacred Heart High School of Atherton. Why did Mr. Loschmann choose this particular work? Well, a web search reveals that Mr. Loschmann is a signatory to the “Represent Me” list on the Equality California website--a list of people who want Proposition 8 overturned. A further search shows Mr. Loschmann gave $100 to the No on Proposition 8 campaign. Leaving aside the question of whether a person who refuses to accept Church teaching on such a foundational issue as marriage should even be teaching at a Catholic school, it certainly explains Mr. Loschmann’s interest in adapting “The God Box.”

Why is a Play for Teenagers being performed at an Adults Only Parish?

But why did Sacred Heart choose Most Holy Redeemer, of all places, as a venue? At first glance it makes no sense. Why choose to present a play aimed at children in a parish that has virtually no children? (See footnote 1). Is there another connection between Sacred Heart of Atherton and Most Holy Redeemer?

The Principal at Sacred Heart is a man named James Everitt. A web search shows that a Mr. James Everitt of Redwood City is also a donor ($200 on October 6, 2008) to the No on Proposition 8 campaign. While that donation does not list an employer or address, it does give the city of residence and a zip code. And an earlier donation by James Everitt, listing the same city of residence and zip code gives the employer as “Sacred Heart Schools.” His position on this issue is thus in accord with Mr. Loschmann and the parishioners of Most Holy Redeemer, but not with the Catholic Church. But there may be a more direct connection: a December, 2008 webpage from the Most Holy Redeemer lists a James Everitt as a Lector at the Church. Certainly, there's a chance that it's not the same man, but it would sure account for the otherwise seemingly inexplicable choice to present the adaptation of “The God Box” at Most Holy Redeemer.

As to why Most Holy Redeemer would host such an event, that’s apparent: Because it validates their true religion, which, as I have argued before, is not Catholicism, but the celebration of homosexuality. The one thing the play is guaranteed not to have, the one thing that is anathema to Mr. Loschmann, Mr. Everitt, and the parishioners of MHR, the one thing they would never accept, is genuine Catholic teaching on homosexuality.

The now decades-long tolerance of the celebration of homosexuality at MHR is bearing fruit: today, among other things, they have openly same-sex “married” lectors, acolytes, and Eucharistic ministers serving at Mass. And now, with their allies in Catholic High Schools, they are actively seeking to corrupt the faith of our Catholic young people.

This is not about our same-sex attracted brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church, striving, as do we all, to live a Christian life. What we are confronted with is the “evangelizing” for homosexuality in our parishes and now our Catholic schools. It is being backed by the drama teacher and Principal of Sacred Heart of Atherton, and by the pastor of MHR. Our Archdiocesan officials have a duty to put a stop to it.

1) On November 10, 2006 Matt C. Abbott reported that Most Holy Redeemer’s September 30-October 6, 2006 census counted 312 men 74 women and 6 children (1.5% of the parish). http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/061110

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

"The Council!...The Council!"

The provincialism is breathtaking.

This statement, from Cardinal Mahony down at the Religious Education conference, had the normally genial Fr. Z in what I'd call a quiet rage:


"Ann Scolari: What are your thoughts on the Trindentine mass?


Cardinal Mahony: Ann, the Tridentine Mass was meant for those who could not make the transition from Latin to English [or other languages] after the Council. But there is no participation by the people, and I don’t believe that instills the spirit of Christ among us."

So the spirit of Christ showed up in the 60's--right along with the Beatles, but before Pink Floyd. I remember it....I think.

For Cardinal Mahony et al, "The Council" is rapidly becoming what the "War Between the States" was for unreconstructed Southerners....

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney