Monday, October 18, 2010

Some news reports on the rosary rallies


There were just a couple of press reports on the 5,963 rosary rallies.

You would imagine the press would have given some space to an event of this size. But no. Praying the Rosary in public for God to save America does not fit the liberal world view.

That’s one more reason why we need to pray the Rosary in public to save America, and to work on creating our own press.

If a liberal, pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, or Muslim organization had put on 5,963 rallies – then there would have been lots of press coverage. Front page too!

http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20101018/FON0101/10180383/Public-prays-for-peace

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-rosary-20101018,0,7188062.story

http://www.dailyworld.com/article/20101017/NEWS01/10170324

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article222400.ece

http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2010-10-12/public-rally_24132013

http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=415291

http://www.heraldguide.com/details_special.php?id=8036

Public Square Rosary Rally, Tamarac, FL – 115 people attended


Here are some of the pictures taken in our Rosary Rally.

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Other people also took pictures which they promised will share them with us. We will forward them to you too when they are available.

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Here you will see the children bringing baskets of flowers to Our Lady before starting. Had a good turn-out—115 people. Everybody was very touched by seeing Our Lady.

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Thank you so much for letting us use the Blessed Mother in this most special day.

Blessings to you!

Ralph and Cristina Hughes

UNUSUAL ROSARY RALLY STORY – BMW WON


Just wanted to share a great story that happened at one of the Rosary rallies this weekend.

My friend, Sue, usually holds an event in Fallbrook, but asked someone else to take over because she had to be at a MAX conference in Utah.

However, Sue took her banner with some other friends and took time out from the convention to pray on the road side.

Two brothers drove by, stopped and venerated the image of our Lady and made the sign of the cross.

Sue then returned to the conference and they were having a drawing for a BMW. The two brothers happened to be at the same convention and guess who won the BMW?

Yes, the brothers won! I love it!

F.M.

Cincinnati Ohio Rosary Rally in Fountain Square


About 225 people attended the rosary rally put on by Mr. and Mrs. Pat Ashcraft in Fountain Square, Cincinnati.

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There was a kind of holy competition, with several Rosary Crusades going on around the city. One was only a few blocks away from this one on Fountain Square.

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The Youngest Participant in the 2010 Rosary Rallies


Infant at the rally on Grand Blvd., in Monessen, PA.

Rallies varied in size, from 300 to 3, with everything in between


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300 to 400 people gathered for the rally in Leesburg, Va.

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3 gathered in York, Pa

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90 people gathered at this rosary rally in Opelousas. See article and video:

http://www.dailyworld.com/article/20101017/NEWS01/10170324/Faithful-gather-for-Fatima

Dozens of Rosary Rallies across Miami on October 16th


Thank to the dedication of Mr. and Mrs. Sergio De Paz, and to the enthusiasm of so many excellent rally captains, Miami is most probably the city in the United States that had the highest concentration of rosary rallies yesterday, October 16th, in the 2010 Public Square Rosary Crusade.

Please see some of the photos from a few of these rallies.

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The Rally In Coral Gables

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The Rally in Miami Springs

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The Rally on Coral Way and 91 Ave

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The Rally in front of Mercy Hospital

There will be more photos coming soon!

Rosary Rally in New Oxford, PA


Photo from the rosary rally put on by David and Beth Smith from New Oxford. We were not sure how many people would be there, but we had thirty people show up.

and the crowd gets bigger

The most amazing thing was that two people were strolling around the square and started to take pictures of us. I motioned for them to come and join us. The gentlemen walked over and said to me that he and his wife were not Catholic and asked if it was okay for them to join us. I said “absolutely.” So they did indeed join us and prayed with us.

During the rally we had several people go by and honk, and we also had several people slow down and read the sign we were holding and making the sign of the cross -- it was awesome. Met some really nice people who we stood around and talked with after the rally. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Thank God for the amazing turn out and for the beautiful day.

God Bless you all- Beth

31 rosary rallies yesterday in Las Vegas


There were 31 public rosaries held in Las Vegas yesterday.

Here is a pictures from the one Rally in front of the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas on Charleston Blvd.

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There were 28 people all joining together to pray for God's healing of our nation. The day was hot and sunny in front of the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. God provided a cool breeze now and then to cool us off. It was a wonderful feeling.

Cars slowed down to read our sign, and many honked in approval. There were no instances of anyone being offended at what we were doing.

They sang to Mary and prayed the Rosary. A 9 year old girl lead a decade and an 80 year old lead one too.

All in all, it was a wonderful day to pray a public Rosary, so that all will know that it will be through the Immaculate Heart of Mary that the victory will come.

(Our specials thanks to Caroline Kuhn for organizing these rallies, and for being such a staunch supporter of Our Lady of Fatima.)

Rosary Rally - 5th Avenue, New York, NY

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Thanks to Our Lady, we had 150 people on 5th Ave. in Manhattan yesterday praying in the 2010 Public Square Rosary Crusade. It was amazing to see the reaction of the passersby, mostly the reaction of unbelief at seeing Catholics praying in public.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. There are more here:

http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/2010-gallery/

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5,963 ROSARY RALLIES SPREAD FATIMA MESSAGE NATIONWIDE

Like the mustard seed of scriptural fame, the seed of 2,000 rallies in 2007 now has grown in size and bore bigger fruits.

Or perhaps better yet, the spark lit back then has now spread like wildfire! Not content with praying inside churches or their respective homes, a rejuvenated band of Catholics are proclaiming their Catholic Faith in the streets and public venues throughout America.

Today, October 16, 2010, America Needs Fatima’s (ANF) successfully carried out 5,963 Rosary rallies all over America including far-off Alaska, Hawaii and Guam, and in some other countries.

Thanks to the zealous efforts of rosary captains around the nation, thousands of faithful Catholics armed with their rosaries and banners trooped to the public square to pray for America’s conversion and heed the message of Our Lady of Fatima.

The response to ANF’s 2010 campaign is nothing short of outstanding!

Not only did ANF successfully reach this year’s goal of 5,000 rallies, it far exceeded expectations and almost hit the 6000 mark (5,963 to be exact) topping last year’s 4, 337 rallies. Once again, throngs of Catholic faithful proudly displayed their Faith on their chest as they publicly recited the Rosary for all to see.

Like virtue, it’s now a habit

In some areas in 2010, rosary rallies are becoming a common sight. Not content with holding the October gatherings yearly, rosary captains carry out these events monthly.

ANF certainly hopes that this initiative will gain a groundswell of support among other rosary captains so that more acts of public reparation and prayer could be offered to God in face of an ever increasing sinful and pagan culture corroding today’s society.

It is to heed and console Our Lady who told Sister Lucia at Fatima on the apparition of October 13, 1917 that, “'Let them offend Our Lord no more, for He is already much offended.”

Spurring and inspiring others to act

In an increasingly secularized atmosphere that pushes religious expression out of the public square, one could only imagine effects these rosary rallies have on the average passerby or onlooker and even the participants themselves. More importantly, one can never underestimate the inner workings of grace engendered by these acts.

A moving example is that of one woman (Kathy Worboys of Honeoye Falls, NY) who chanced upon a magazine article in her parish church regarding public rosary rallies, a subject that’s quite new to her.

Looking more closely at the article the following week, she noticed a picture of a banner accompanying the article that said, "As human efforts fail to solve America’s key problems, we turn to God, through His Holy Mother, asking His urgent help.” Those words captivated and inspired her. She resolved to become a rosary captain and organize a rosary rally herself.

A case of a collapsed disc caused by a speed bump didn’t slow down one ANF volunteer (Mary Ellen Piel of Kansas). She successfully recruited a friend to become a rosary captain while talking to her over the phone in her hospital bed!

A daughter’s due date (which would be on October 16, 2010) of one new rosary captain didn’t faze his resolve to proceed with the rally. He plans to hold the rally at the hospital instead should that happen.

Support for the rallies

Since their inception, these rallies have found support from both bishops and clergy alike.

This year, Guam’s archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, added his stamp of approval as he addressed his pastors and rectors in a letter of Wednesday, October 6,

“In solidarity with AMERICA NEEDS FATIMA, I request that on Saturday, October 16, 2010 … the Rosary be prayed at 12 noon in your parish.” Archbishop Anthony explained that AMERICA NEEDS FATIMA’s goal is to “win the heart and soul of America for Mary by spreading Our Lady’s Fatima message and promoting devotion to Her Immaculate Heart.”

The Rosary is the great weapon of the Twenty-First Century, as in centuries past

There are many benefits that could be gained by praying the Rosary and these are amply covered and expounded in many pious books.

But much closer to home, Sister Lucy had this to say in a 1957 interview she gave to Father Augustín Fuentes, postulator of the cause of beatification for the seers of Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta at that time. She said, “The last means that God will give to the world for its salvation are the Holy Rosary and My Immaculate Heart… Father, with the new efficacy Our Lady has given to the Rosary, there is no problem in the life of anyone which cannot be solved by frequently praying the Rosary.”[1]


[1]Fr. Fuentes Conference (on Sr. Lucy's message entrusted to him on Dec. 26, 1957 A.D.) was originally published in "HACIA LOS ALTARES" in October, 1958 A.D., with the Ecclesiastical approbation of Don Manuel Anselmo Sanchez, Vicar General of Vera Cruz containing all the facts stated in the Conference in even fuller detail. The English translation of Fr. Fuentes May, 22nd, 1958 historic Conference was published in a newspaper called Fatima Findings (Vol. XIV, No. 2) in June of 1959 A.D., under the titled, A Recent Interview of Sister Lucy of Fatima.

Noon, Saturday, October 16, 2010: The Public Square Rosary Crusade

An Ardent Appeal Asking God: ”Through the Holy Rosary, Save America!”


There are still signs of Catholic militancy in America. This can be seen in the growth of the pro-life movement and in the rejection of blasphemous films like The Da Vinci Code.

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However, there is still much work to be done.

Those who seek to remove God and His holy law from our society fight unceasingly on. Abortion murders innocent unborn babies; the institution of the family is weakened by impure customs and threatened by the legalization of homosexual “marriage;” the sexual revolution pervades popular culture especially in television, media, movies and the Internet.

However, the worst consequence of this secularist offensive is the rejection of God. In so doing, we disdain His wise and loving action and we refuse His grace upon the citizens of our country.

And without His grace, how can we survive?

How can our leaders properly govern our nation? From where will they get wisdom and strength to solve the great and complex problems that abound? Besides the abovementioned moral problems, how can we maintain our treasured national identity, while adopting a just solution for the immigration dilemma? How can we solve our need to become self-sufficient in energy? How can we resolve our economic problems? How can we maintain a wise, strong and balanced military strategy?

Holy Rosary Crusade of Reparation

After World War II, Austria was divided between the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet section was the richest one and included the capitol city of Vienna. The Viennese were subject to the all the atrocities of communist occupation.

In 1946, Fr. Petrus Pavlicek, after making a pilgrimage to Mariazell, Austria’s principle Marian shrine, heard an interior voice that said: “Do as I say and there will be peace.” To obey this inspiration of Our Lady, Fr. Pevlicek founded the Holy Rosary Crusade of Reparation in 1947. This Crusade consisted of a call to the faithful of Vienna to participate in public rosary processions in the streets of the city. The intention of the rosary was for the end of communism in their country and the world. At first, the processions were miniscule, but they gradually grew to staggering proportions.

In 1955, after eight years of spreading the word about the Crusade throughout Austria, the rosary processions would often have half a million participants – about one tenth of the Austrian population. Finally, through the help of Our Lady, the Soviet forces inexplicably pulled out of Austria in October of 1955.

2010 Public Square Rosary Crusade

At Fatima in 1917, Our Lady made it very clear that the Rosary is the supernatural solution to our earthly problems. Father Pavlicek also saw this as a solution and promoted a national Rosary Crusade that saved Austria from Communism.

Just like in Austria, the Rosary can save America.

In The Secret of the Rosary, Saint Louis de Montfort states: “Public prayer is far more powerful than private prayer to appease the anger of God and call down His Mercy and Holy Mother Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has always advocated public prayer in times of public tragedy and suffering.”

That’s why America Needs Fatima is launching the 2010 Public Square Rosary Crusade.

Our goal is to counter the destructive secular agenda, asking God to guide every aspect of our society. As human efforts have failed to solve America’s key problems, we ask His immediate help for our nation’s leadership. He will hear our prayers, especially if we pray the Rosary of His Blessed Mother. Without prayer, and specifically the Rosary, we will not find solutions to our nation’s many problems.

Last year, the America Needs Fatima campaign organized over 4,337 Rosary Rallies. In 2010, we’re planning 5,000 rallies for October 16 – the Saturday closest to October 13 – the day God worked the miracle of the sun at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. America needs a monumental miracle of conversion. And it can happen!

Saint Michael: "Who is like God?"

In Hebraic, mîkâ'êl, means "Who is like God?"

Saint Michel combattant le dragon

The Scriptures refer to the Archangel Saint Michael in four different passages: two of them, in Daniel’s prophesy (chap. 10, 13 and 21; and chap. 12, 1); one in Saint Jude Thaddeus (single chapter, vers. 9) and, finally, in the Revelation (chap. 12, 7-12).

In the Book of Daniel, the Saint Archangel appears as the “prince and protector of Israel”, who opposes the “prince”, or heavenly protector of the Persians.

According to Saint Jerome and other commentators, the Angel protector of Persia desired that some of the Jews would remain there to expand the knowledge of God; however, Saint Michael desired and asked the Lord that all Jews return to Palestine, to allow the Temple of the Lord to be completed in less time. The spiritual fight between the two Angels lasted twenty one days.

Saint Jude, in his Epistle, alludes to a dispute between Saint Michael and the demon over Moses’ body: the glorious Archangel – by God’s disposition – wanted Moses’ sepulcher to remain hidden; the demon, however, tried to make it known, with the objective of giving to the Jews an occasion to fall into idolatry, through the influence of the neighboring pagan peoples.

©Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. Ojéda

In Revelation, Saint John presents Saint Michael as commander-in-chief of the good Angels in a great fight in Heaven, against the rebel Angels, led by Satan, the dragon:

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his Angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his Angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to the earth, and his Angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12, 7-12).

The Church did not define anything in particular about Saint Michael, but has permitted that the beliefs originated from the Christian traditions about the glorious Archangel have free course in the piety of the faithful and in the writings of the Theologians.

The first of these beliefs is that Saint Michael was, in the Old Testament, the defender of the elected people, Israel – and nowadays, he is the defender of the new elected people, the Church.

This pious belief is in accordance with what is said in Daniel: “… but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me… Michael, your prince” – that is, prince of the Jews (Dan 10, 13 e 21); and again “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people”, the people of Israel (Dan 12, 1).

This is a very ancient belief, being also confirmed by the Shepherd of Hermas, a celebrated Christian book of the II Century, in which one can read: “The great and honorable Michael is the one who has the power over this people” (the Christians).

Additionally, this is also believed by Theologians and the Church, who corroborate it in several different ways.

The second of these beliefs is that Saint Michael has the power to admit, or not, the souls in Paradise.

In the Divine Office for this holy Archangel, in the old Breviary, Saint Michael was called "Praepositus paradisi"- “Guardian of the Paradise”, to whom the proper God addresses in the following terms: "Constitui te Principem super omnes animas suscipiendas" – “I constituted you the master above all souls to be admitted”. And, in the Mass for the Defunct there was the prayer: "Signifer Sanctus Michael representet eas in lucem sanctam" – “O Flag-bearer Saint Michael, lead them to the holy light”.

The third of these beliefs, or rather, the third opinion is that Saint Michael occupies the first place in the angelic hierarchy.

About this opinion, there are divergences amongst the Theologians, but, this opinion has the support of several Greek Fathers of the Church and seems to be corroborated by the Latin liturgy, which refers to the glorious Archangel as the "Princeps militiae coelestis quem honorificant coelorum cives" – “Prince of the celestial hosts, honored by all inhabitants of Heaven” and by the Greek liturgy, which calls him "Archistrátegos", that is, “Mighty General”, or “Generalissimo”.

The great commentator of the Sacred Scriptures, Fr. Cornelius a Lapide, a Jesuit from the XVI Century, writes:

“Many consider that Michael, due to his dignity and nature, and to his grace and glory, is the absolute first and the Prince of all Angels. And this is proved, first, by the book of Revelation (12, 7), where it is said that Michael fought against Lucifer and his Angels, resisting his arrogance with a cry full of humility: ‘Who is like God?’ Therefore, in the same way as Lucifer is the chief of the demons, Michael is the chief of the Angels, being the first among the Seraphim. Second, because the Church calls him Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, who is placed at the gates of Paradise. And it is in his name that we celebrate the Feast of All Angels. Third, because Michael is today exalted as the protector of the Church, as in olden days he was exalted as the protector of the Synagogue. Finally, four, because it is probable that Saint Michael is the Prince of all Angels and the first amongst the Seraphim because Saint Basil says in his Homily De Angelis: ‘To you, o Michael, general of the celestial spirits, who by his honor and dignity is placed in front of all other heavenly spirits, to you I supplicate…'”.

The same thing is repeated by numerous other authors, Saint Robert Bellarmine included.

In the middle ages, Saint Michael was the special patron of the Orders of Chivalry which defended Christendom against the Muslim danger.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

October 13th, 1917, the 6th and last of the Fatima apparitions.

As on the other occasions, the seers first saw a bright light, and then they saw Our Lady over the holm oak.

'Miracle of the Sun' Video

Lucia: What does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I wish to tell you that I want a chapel built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue to pray the Rosary everyday. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes.

Lucia: I have many things to ask you: if you would cure some sick persons, and if you would convert some sinners...

Our Lady: Some yes, others no. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins.

"Becoming sadder, she added, 'Let them offend Our Lord no more, for He is already much offended.'

Then, opening her hands, Our Lady shone the light issuing from them onto the sun, and as she rose, her own radiance continued to be cast onto the sun."

At that moment, Lucia cried, "Look at the sun!"

Once Our Lady had disappeared in the expanse of the firmament, three scenes followed in succession, symbolizing first the joyful mysteries of the Rosary, then the sorrowful mysteries, and, finally, the glorious mysteries. Lucia alone saw the three scenes; Francisco and Jacinta saw only the first.

The first scene: Saint Joseph appeared beside the sun with the Child Jesus and Our Lady of the Rosary. It was the Holy Family. The Virgin was dressed in white with a blue mantle. Saint Joseph was also dressed in white, and the Child Jesus in light red. Saint Joseph blessed the crowd, making the Sign of the Cross three times. The Child Jesus did the same.

The second scene: This was followed by the vision of Our Lady of Sorrows, without the sword in her breast, and of Our Lord overwhelmed with sorrow on the way to Calvary.

Our Lord made the Sign of the Cross to bless the people.

Lucia could only see the upper part of Our Lord's body.

The third scene: Finally, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, crowned queen of heaven and earth, appeared in a glorious vision with the Child Jesus in her bosom.

While these scenes took place, the great throng of about seventy thousand spectators witnessed the miracle of the sun.

It had rained all during the apparition. At the end of the conversation between Our Lady and Lucia – when the Blessed Virgin rose and Lucia shouted, "Look at the sun!" – the clouds opened up, revealing the sun as an immense silver disk. It shone with an intensity never before seen, but was not blinding. This lasted only an instant. Then the immense ball began to "dance". The sun began to spin rapidly like a gigantic circle of fire. Then it stopped momentarily, only to begin spinning vertiginously again. Its rim became scarlet; whirling, it scattered red flames across the sky. Their light was reflected on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes, and on the very faces and clothing of the people, which took on brilliant hues and changing colors.

After performing this bizarre pattern three times, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, shake, and then plunge in a zigzag toward the terrified crowd.

All this lasted about ten minutes. Finally, the sun zigzagged back to its original place and once again became still and brilliant, shining with its everyday brightness. The cycle of the apparitions had ended.

Many people noticed that their clothes, soaking wet from the rain, had suddenly dried.

The miracle of the sun was also seen by numerous witnesses up to twenty-five miles away from the place of the apparition.

http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/Frontpage/the-miracle-of-the-sun.html

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Two reminders of what we are fighting - by David Schmidt

Dear pro-life friends:

There are moments that the mentality that we are up against becomes so clear. I was reminded of this twice over the last week by two stories that I couldn't ignore. The first comes from England where British author and columnist Virginia Ironside said in a TV interview:
  • "If I were the mother of a suffering child - I mean a deeply suffering child - I would be the first to want to put a pillow over its face... If it was a child I really loved, who was in agony, I think any good mother would." (watch her say this)
Her words on abortion:
  • "If a baby's going to be born severely disabled or totally unwanted, surely an abortion is the act of a loving mother." (watch her say this)
Closer to home a similar mentality was expressed in an interview Planned Parenthood abortionist Jill Meadows gave to the Journal Star newspaper of Lincoln, NE. One paragraph about abortionist Jill Meadows reads:
  • She has come to believe that life begins, not at conception, but when it becomes meaningful, when ensoulment is possible, when viability and taking breath is possible. The miracle of life occurs at birth, she says.
The lack of basic scientific understanding is appalling -- but what is more shocking is the ethic that human beings only have a right to live if other people deem their lives "meaningful" or worth living.

When we talk about replacing the culture of death with a culture of life, this is the culture we are trying to uproot. This is the culture that Live Action is actively working to expose and change. That is our mission and that is why we do this work.

We are so glad to have you as an ally in this fight as we are up against powerful forces. The abortion industry is backed by government money and protected from scrutiny by major media - that is why so much of our focus is on breaking through that media wall to educate our world.

Let us never tire of doing the right thing with an attitude of love.

Pressing on,

David Schmidt

Media Director, Live Action

Students at Springs school can't wear rosary in view Read more: Students at Springs school can't wear rosary in view

"On Thursday, an announcement at Mann Middle School warned students they aren't allowed to wear the rosary in public view during school hours. On Monday, the school sent out an email to parents reminding that if their children wear a rosary, it must be underneath the shirt."

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16267826

Public rally Saturday at County Courthouse to recite rosary, pray for peace in the world

GAYLORD — A public rosary will be recited on the Otsego County Courthouse lawn to pray for peace in the world at noon Saturday, Oct. 16.

This is the fourth year the Rosary Rally will take place in Gaylord and will join more than 5,000 other groups throughout the country that will pray at the same time.



http://www.petoskeynews.com/gaylord/news/ght-c-rosary-101310,0,381701.story

Pray to Our Lady in the Public Square

Will-You-Come-Pray-In-The-Public-Square
On October 16, tens of thousands of Catholics will take to the public square in 5,894 locations nationwide to pray for the nation in these troubled times.

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and its America Needs Fatima campaign are inviting the public to join these Public Square Rosary rallies as a way of spiritually countering same-sex “marriage,” abortion and other immoral customs that are threatening the nation.

The campaign believes human efforts to solve America’s problems are failing. We must turn to God for real solutions.

Public-Square-Rosary-Kneel

During the Public Square Rosary in New York City participants kneel on sidewalk of 5th Avenue to pray the Consecration to Our Lady.

The movement has grown from its initial showing of over 2,000 rallies in 2007.

This year, there will be 5,894 Rosary Rallies in the Public Square that will be happening at noon on October 16.

We invite you to click here to locate the rally closest to you!

Please consider joining these peaceful gatherings of people in local communities who will pray the rosary publicly and proudly.

Public-Square-Rosary

This year more than 5,894 Public Square Rosary Rallies will take place throughout the United States, asking God for real solutions to the moral crisis threatening our nation.

To find out more about the Public Square Rosary campaign, please call toll-free: 1-866-584-6012 or visit: http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/rosary-rally-central.html

Please join this rosary crusade!

Know Mary to be happier, holier, and much less worldly!

Excerpts from Father Faber’s Preface to his translation of the Treatise on True Devotion to Mary

There are few men in the 18th who have more strongly upon them the marks of the man of Providence than [Saint Louis de Montfort] this Elias-like missionary of the Holy Ghost and Mary. His entire life was such an exhibition of the holy folly of the Cross that his biographers unite in always classing him with St. Simon Salo and St. Philip Neri.

Clement XI made him a missionary apostolic in France, in order that he might spend his life in fighting against Jansenism, so far as it affected the salvation of souls….

All those who were likely to read this book love God, and lament that they do not love Him more; all desire something for His glory - the spread of some good work, the success of some devotion, the coming of some good time. One man has been striving for years to overcome a particular fault, and has not succeeded.

Another mourns, and almost wonders while he mourns, that so few of his relations and friends have been converted to the Faith.

One grieves that he has not devotion enough; another that he has a cross to carry which is a peculiarly impossible cross to him; while a third has domestic troubles and family unhappiness which feel almost incompatible with his salvation; and for all these things prayer appears to bring so little remedy.

But what is the remedy that is wanted? What is the remedy indicated by God Himself? If we may rely on the disclosure of the saints, it is an immense increase of devotion to the Blessed Lady; but, remember, nothing short of an immense one. Here in England, Mary is not half enough preached. Devotion to her is low and thin and poor….

It is not the prominent characteristic of our religion which it ought to be. It has no faith in itself. Hence it is that Jesus is not loved, that heretics are not converted, that the Church is not exalted; that souls which might be saints wither and dwindle; that the Sacraments are not rightly frequented, or souls enthusiastically evangelized.

Jesus is obscured because Mary is kept in the background. Thousands of souls perish because Mary is withheld from them. It is the miserable, unworthy shadow which we call our devotion to the Blessed Virgin that is the cause of all these wants and blights, these evils and omissions and declines.

Yet, if we are to believe the revelations of the saints, God is pressing for a greater, a wider, a stronger, quite another devotion to His Blessed Mother.

Let a man but try it for himself, and his surprise at the graces it brings with it, and the transformations it causes in his soul, will soon convince him of its otherwise almost incredible efficacy as a means for the salvation of men, and for the coming of the Kingdom of Christ.

Oh, if Mary were but known, there would be no coldness to Jesus then! Oh, if Mary were but known, how much more wonderful would our faith, and how different would our Communions be!

Oh, if Mary were but known, how much happier, how much holier, how much less worldly should we be, and how much more should we be living images of our sole Lord and Saviour, her dearest and most blessed Son!


F.W. Faber,
Priest of the Oratory
Presentation of Our Blessed Lady
November 21, 1862

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Porn Blasphemy Against Our Lord No Longer Exists

Thank you for protesting the horrific porn blasphemy that was on exhibit at the Loveland Museum in Loveland Colorado.

Over 10,000 people joined America Needs Fatima in writing, calling and personally praying the Rosary in front of the said museum in protest and reparation for this terrible offense against Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our protest however, is over.

The blasphemous exhibit is no longer at the museum.

For more details on the removal of the offensive piece, please read this report:

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16283336

How to Act like the Blessed Virgin Mary

We must do everything with Mary; that is to say, in all our actions we must look upon Mary, although a simple human being, as the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows.

01_Sacred Image_022610

In every action, then, we should consider how Mary performed it or how she would perform it if she were in our place. For this reason, we must examine and meditate on the great virtues she practiced during her life, especially:

1) Her lively faith, by which she believed the angel’s word without the least hesitation, and believed faithfully and constantly even to the foot of the Cross on Calvary.

2) Her deep humility, which made her prefer seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every eventuality, and put herself in the last place.

3) Her truly divine purity, which never had and never will have its equal on this side of heaven.

And so on for her other virtues.

Remember what I told you before, that Mary is the great, unique mould of God, designed to make living images of God at little expense and in a short time. Anyone who finds this mould and casts himself into it is soon transformed into Our Lord because it is the true likeness of Him.

To do all actions with Mary means essentially to take Mary as our model

The idea to perform all our actions with Mary means to have Mary as our model. Why should we have Mary as our model and perform our actions with Mary? Why does the word “with” apply in this case?

It applies because of the idea of the mould that St. Louis describes in his book. He shows the difference between a sculptor making a statue and someone who makes a statue from a mould. Whether the mould be of metal or wood, the task is much simpler. One only needs to put the plaster in, let it dry, and a figure is obtained. Whereas the work of a sculptor, with hammer and chisel, is much greater and riskier, as a piece of the stone or marble can just break off. A mould, on the contrary, is quick, inexpensive, and without flaw, as the figure thus molded will be an exact copy of the original.

St. Louis says that Our Lady is the mould of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and that she is also our mould. In other words, if we, as plaster, mould ourselves entirely according to her, since she is the mould of Christ, we will be like Our Lord. So, to have her as our model is to have her as our mould. If she is our mould, we will do everything with her. This is the meaning of doing everything “with her”.

To have Mary as our model presupposes a type of soul who is constantly aware of everything happening within it.

How can we have Mary as our model? He gives some elements for this. First, it presupposes that the soul knows Our Lady, and thus has a clear idea of the ideal that needs to be imitated.

Second, the soul must have her in mind in everything it does. This presupposes that the soul has the habit of interior vigilance and of continuous meditation. This means that, for each action, I need to have Our Lady as my model. I should pay good attention to everything I do. Is it in accordance with Our Lady or not? So much vigilance over ourselves is necessary. At all times my soul needs to see what is happening within it and judge it.

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

(The above is a commentary on excerpts from St. Louis de Montfort’s famous book Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, made in 1972 by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, founder of the Brazilian TFP.

The text is an adaptation of a transcription from the recording of a conference given to members of the TFP and never revised by Prof. Corrêa de Oliveira.

He was a man of profound piety and unshakable faith, and was intensely devoted to the Holy Virgin Mary, to whom he consecrated himself according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. Above, he comments on paragraph no. 260 of the Treatise.)

Archbishop tells rainbow sash homo0sexual activists they cannot receive Holy Communion

You may have not read this piece of news, so I am putting a link to it here.

Archbishop Neinstedt denies Holy Communions to a group of homosexual activists.

FULL STORY HERE:

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7817

Archbishop calls for united Rosary Oct. 16

In a letter to Archdiocese of Agana pastors and rectors Wednesday, October 6, Archbishop Anthony said, “In solidarity with AMERICA NEEDS FATIMA, I request that on Saturday, October 16, 2010 … the Rosary be prayed at 12 noon in your parish.”

http://agana-archdiocese.org/%C2%BB-archbishop-calls-for-united-rosary-oct-16/

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Don John at Lepanto: the battle that saved Christendom

October 7, 2010

Don John at Lepanto: the battle that saved Christendom

Battle of Lepanto Painted by Tony Stafki http://tonystafki.imagekind.com/

The Turkish fleet came on imposing and terrible, all sails set, impelled by a fair wind, and it was only half a mile from the line of galliasses and another mile from the line of the Christian ships.

D. John waited no longer; he humbly crossed himself, and ordered that the cannon of challenge should be fired on the “Real,” and the blue flag of the League should be hoisted at the stern, which unfurled itself like a piece of the sky on which stood out an image of the Crucified. A moment later the galley of Ali replied, accepting the challenge by firing another cannon, and hoisting at the stern the standard of the Prophet, guarded in Mecca, white and of large size, with a wide green “cenefa,” and in the center verses from the Koran embroidered in gold.

At the same moment a strange thing happened, a very simple one at any other time, but for good reason then considered a miracle: the wind fell suddenly to a calm, and then began to blow favorably for the Christians and against the Turks. It seemed as if the Voice had said to the sea, “Be calm,” and to the wind, “Be still.” The silence was profound, and nothing was heard but the waves breaking on the prows of the galleys, and the noise of the chains of the Christian galley slaves as they rowed.

Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Don Juan of Austria and cardinals. Fresco in Ain Karim, Israel at the Franciscan church of the Visitation Photo by Abraham

Fr. Miguel Servia blessed from the quarter-deck all those of the fleet, and gave them absolution in the hour of death. It was then a quarter to twelve.

The Battle of Lepanto, October 7, 1571 by Pieter Brünniche

The first shot was fired by the galleass “Capitana,” commanded by Francisco Duodo, and it smashed the biggest of the five lanterns which crowned the stern of Ali Pasha’s galley; the second injured the castle of a neighboring galley; and the third sunk a small vessel which was hurrying to transmit orders. Then there was a retrograde movement through the Turkish fleet, which the bravery of Ali Pasha at once checked. He rushed to the tiller and made the “Sultana” pass between the galliasses with the rapidity of an arrow, without firing a shot; all the fleet followed him, their line already broken, but prepared to form up again when they had passed the obstacle, as the water of a river reunites after it has passed the posts of a bridge which has impeded and divided it. The left Christian wing and the Turkish right one were the first to engage. Mahomet Scirocco attacked with such force in front, and with such tumult of shouts and savage cries, according to the Turkish custom when fighting, that all attention was drawn to one point; meanwhile some of his light galleys slipped past on the land side and attacked the stern of Barbarigo’s flagship, who saw himself sorely pressed as the crew of Mahomet Scirocco’s galley had boarded his by the prow, and the Turks were already up to the mizzen mast.

Agostino Barbarigo Photo by Bob Swain

The Christians defended themselves like wild beasts, gathered in the stern, and Barbarigo himself was directing them and cheering them on from the castle. He had lifted the visor of his helmet, and was using his shield against the storm of arrows that flew through the air. To give an order, he uncovered himself for a moment, and an arrow entered by the right eye and pierced his brain. He died the next day. Then there was grave risk of the Turks overcoming the Venetian flagship, destroying the left wing, and then attacking the center division on the flank and from the rear, making victory easy. Barbarigo’s nephew Marino Contarini overcame the danger. He boarded his uncle’s ship on the larboard side with all his people, and fought on board perhaps the fiercest combat of all on that memorable day. All was madness, fury, carnage and terror, until Mahomet Scirocco was expelled from the Venetian flagship and penned, in his turn, in his own ship, where he at last succumbed to his wounds. Clinging to the side, they beheaded him there and threw him into the water. Terror then spread among the Turks, and the few galleys at liberty turned their prows towards the shore. There they ran aground, the decimated crews saving themselves by swimming.

Battle of Lepanto by Tomasz Dolabella

D. John had no time to reflect either on this danger, or that catastrophe, or that victory, for he was also hard pressed. Five minutes after Mahomet Scirocco had fallen on Barbarigo, Ali Pasha fell on him with all the weight of his hatred, fury and desire for glory. He could be seen proudly standing on the castle of the stern, a magnificent scimitar in his hand, dressed in a caftan of white brocade woven with silk and silver, with a helmet of dark steel under his turban, with inscriptions in gold and precious stones, turquoises, rubies, and diamonds, which flashed in the sunlight. Slowly the two divisions came on, unheeding what happened on the right or left, and in the midst were the galleys of the two Generalissimos, not firing a shot, and only moving forward silently.

Müezzinzade Ali Paşa, Turkish commander at the Battle of Lepanto

Flag of the Ottoman Navy

When the length of half a galley separated the two ships, the “Sultana” of Ali Pasha suddenly fired three guns; the first destroyed some of the ironwork of the “Real” and killed several rowers; the second traversed the boat; and the third passed over the cook’s galley without harming anyone. The “Real” replied by sweeping with her shots the stern and gangway of the “Sultana,” and a thick, black smoke at once enveloped Turks and Christians, ships and combatants. From this black cloud, which appeared to be vomited from Hell, could be heard a dreadful grinding noise, and horrible cries, and through the smoke of the powder could be seen splinters of wood and iron, broken oars, weapons, human limbs and dead bodies flying through the air and falling in the bloodstained sea. It was the galley of Ali which had struck that of D. John by the prow with such a tremendous shock that the peak of the “Sultana” entered the “Real” as far as the fourth bench of rowers; the violence of the shock had naturally made each ship recoil; but they could not draw apart. The yards and rigging had become entangled, and they heaved first to one side and then to the other with dreadful grinding and movement, striving to get free without succeeding, like two gladiators, whose bodies are separated, who grasp each other tightly, and then seize each other by the hair. From the captain’s place where he was, at the foot of the standard of the League, D. John ordered grappling-irons to be thrown from the prow, holding the ships close together, and making them into one field of battle. Like lions the Christians flung themselves on board the ship, destroying all in their path, and twice they reached the mainmast of the “Sultana,” and as often had to retire, foot by foot and inch by inch, fighting over these frail boards, from which there was neither escape, nor help, nor hope of compassion, nor other outlet than death.

Battle of Lepanto by Tomasz Dolabella

The “Sultana” was reinforced with reserves from the galleys, and to encourage them, Ali, in his turn, threw himself on board the ship. The “Sultana” rode higher out of the water than the “Real,” and the men poured down into her like a cataract from on high; the shock was so tremendous that the Field-Marshals Figueroa and Moncada fell back with their men, and the Turks succeeded in reaching the foremast. All the men at the prow hastened there, and D. John jumped from the captain’s post, sword in hand, fighting like a soldier to make them retire. This was the critical moment of the battle. There was neither line, nor formation, nor right, nor left, nor center; only could be seen, as far as the eye could reach, fire, smoke and groups of galleys in the midst, fighting with each other, vomiting fire and death, with masts and hulls bristling with arrows, like an enormous porcupine, who puts out its quills to defend itself and to fight; wounding, killing, capturing, cheering, burning were seen and heard on all sides, and dead bodies and bodies of the living falling into the water, and spars, yards, rigging, torn-off heads, turbans, quivers, shields, swords, scimitars, arquebuses, cannon, arms, everything that was then within the grasp of barbarism or civilization for dealing death and destruction.

Naval battle of Lepanto by Andrea Micheli

At this critical moment, by a superhuman effort, a galley freed itself from that chaos of horrors, and threw itself, like a missile from a catapult, hurled by Titans, against the stern of Ali’s galley, forcing the peak as far as the third bench of rowers.

Don John of Austria, Marc Antonio Colonna & Sebastiano Veniero. Admirals of the allied Spanish and papal fleets against the Turks.

It was Marco Antonio Colonna who had come to the assistance of D. John of Austria; at the same time the Marqués de Santa Cruz executed a similar maneuver on one of the flanks. The help was great and opportune; still, the Turks succeeded in retiring in good order to their galley; but here, pressed hardly by the followers of Colonna and Santa Cruz, they tumbled over the sides, dead and living, into the water, Turks and Christians fighting to the last with nails and teeth, and destroying each other until engulfed in the gory waves.

Marcantonio Colonna, Duke of Tagliacozzo & Paliano

Among this mass of desperate people Ali perished beside the tiller; some say that he cut his throat and threw himself into the sea; others that his head was cut off and put on a pike. Then D. John ordered the standard of the Prophet to be lowered, and amidst shouts of victory, the flag of the League was hoisted in its place.

D. John had been wounded in the leg, but without limping at all he mounted the castle of the vanquished galley to survey from there the state of the battle. On the left wing the few galleys left to Mahomet Scirocco were flying towards the land, and could be seen running violently aground in the bays, the crews throwing themselves into the water to swim ashore.

Alvaro de Bazan, first Marquis de Santa Cruz, commander of the reserve squadron of the Holy League.

But, unluckily, the same was not happening on the right. Doria, deceived by the tactics of Aluch Ali, had followed him out to sea, making a wide space between the right wing and the center division; D. John’s orders to him to come back did not arrive in time. Meanwhile, Aluch Ali contented himself by watching Doria’s maneuvers, keeping up with him, but not attacking; until suddenly, judging no doubt, that the space was wide enough, he veered to the right with marvelous rapidity, and sent all his fleet through the dangerous breach, literally annihilating the two ends which remained uncovered; the disaster was terrible and the carnage awful; on the flagship of Malta only three men remained alive, the Prior of Messina, Fr. Pietro Giustiniani, pierced by five arrows, a Spanish gentleman with both legs broken, and an Italian with an arm cut off by a blow from an axe. In the flagship of Sicily D. Juan de Cardona lay wounded, and of his 500 men only fifty remained. The “Fierenza,” the Pope’s “San Giovanni,” and the “Piamontesa” of Savoy succumbed without yielding; ten galleys had gone to the bottom; one was on fire, and twelve drifted like buoys, without masts, full of corpses, waiting until the conqueror, Aluch Ali, should take them in tow as trophies and spoils of war. Doria, horrified at the disaster, in all haste returned to the scene of the catastrophe, but D. John was already there before him. Without waiting a moment, the Generalissimo ordered that the towing ropes which already attached twelve galleys to their conquerors should be cut, and although wounded, and without taking any rest after his own struggle, he flew to the assistance of those who were being overcome. “Ah! Brave Generalissimo,” exclaims Admiral Jurien de la Graviere, in his valuable study of the battle of Lepanto, “to him the armada owed its victory, to him the right wing its preservation.” The Marqués de Santa Cruz followed with his whole reserve, and seeing this help, the already victorious Aluch Ali understood that the prey would be torn from his claws.

The Battle of Lepanto, painting by Andries van Eertvelt

The cunning renegade then thought only of saving his life, which he did by a means that no one else would have employed; he placed his son in a galley, and followed by thirteen other ones, passed like a vapor in front of the prows of the enemy, before they could surround him, and fled incontinently to Santa Maura, all sails set, he at the tiller, the unfortunate rowers with a scimitar at their throats, so that they should not flag or draw breath for a second, and should die rather than give in.

The first moment of astonishment over, the Marqués de Santa Cruz and D. John of Austria hastened in pursuit; but the advantage Aluch Ali had obtained increased each minute, night began to fall, and the storm which had threatened since two o’clock began to blow, and the first claps of thunder were heard. So the famous renegade escaped on the wings of the storm, as if the wrath of God were protecting him and preserving him to be the scourge of other people.

This was the last act of the battle of Lepanto, the greatest day that the ages have seen

It was five o’clock on the evening of the 7th of October, 1571.

Rev. Fr. Luis Coloma, The Story of Don John of Austria, trans. Lady Moreton, (New York: John Lane Company, 1912), pp. 265-271.

http://nobility.org/2010/10/07/short-stories-on-honor-chivalry-and-the-world-of-nobility%E2%80%94no-14/


Click here to buy the book


America Needs Fatima rallies in Milwaukee area

Public rosary rallies scheduled locally, around country, Oct. 16

MILWAUKEE – On Saturday, Oct. 16, at noon across the United States, 5,743 groups will gather for the America Needs Fatima (ANF) public square rosary rallies to offer “public reparation for public sins.”

Attend a rosary rally near you:

Visit www.Americaneedsfatima.org and click on "Find a Rally Near You" to find locations and phone numbers.

ANF is a non-profit campaign by Catholics whose goal is “to win the heart and soul of America for Mary” by spreading Our Lady's 1917 Fatima message to the three shepherd children Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia, and promoting devotion to her Immaculate Heart by way of pro-life rallies, anti-blasphemy protests, the distribution of millions of fliers nationwide, a home visitation program enthroning statues of Our Lady of Fatima, and the promotion of books and devotional items.

In 2009, 4,337 rosary rally captains organized groups to pray the rosary in front of town halls, in busy intersections, in front of malls, and other public locations, to honor Fatima’s miracle of the sun. Those rally captains were joined by tens of thousands of individuals who put aside their work to go out and pray in public. The goal of the organization is to reach 10,000 rosary rallies by 2017, and according to organizers in the Milwaukee Archdiocese, it all begins with people in the pew.

“I believe in ‘America Needs Fatima,’” said Marjorie Narlock, a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary, West Allis, and a three-year veteran of the organization. “I contribute to them because I think it’s a good cause and we celebrate Our Lady’s appearance at Fatima on this day, and we try to get everyone that we can to have a rally out in the open.”

Narlock is coordinating the rosary rally at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 1545 S. 69th St., West Allis. While she acknowledges that any kind of prayer is powerful, holding a rally in public helps reinforce the message, she said.

“Private prayers are fine, but we want to get testimony out in public rallies,” she said. “For public sins, public reparation is the top way of getting Our Lady to listen, and when everybody does it on the same day, the same hour, that should really cause some stir up in heaven.”

Judy Hankel of St. William, Waukesha, is organizing her second rally at the Archdiocesan Marian Shrine, 141 N. 68th St., Milwaukee, on the corner of 68th and Stevenson streets. She believes that the United States needs God’s mercy, and attending these rallies will help our country receive it.

“I think more Catholics need to say the rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and do prayer, fasting and penance, which is called for by Our Lady of Fatima,” she explained. “That was her message really, to do prayer, fasting and penance, say the rosary. Now, of course, we have also the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which I think is a powerful prayer, but also said on rosary beads.

“I think our country is in trouble, because we’re taking God out of it,” she added. “I think we need to put God back into this country and make God first in our lives again.”

According to Hankel, the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet are powerful tools.

“I would like to ask people in all the churches in the archdiocese to consider saying the rosary and the chaplet every day if they can,” she said. “And particularly, before Sunday Mass. I would like to see the churches start it up again. I think years ago they used to say the rosary before the Masses, but just think the impact it would make just to say the rosary before all the Masses on Sunday.”

Bob Shanley, a member of St. Mary, Menomonee Falls, is organizing his third rosary rally at St. Anthony Church, N74 W13604 Appleton Ave., Menomonee Falls. While most of the organized rosary rallies have their own schedule of events throughout the day, Shanley has discovered one that works well.

“We have a schedule or a program that we work off of,” he explained about the typically one-hour event. “We welcome the people, we thank them for coming, and we give information on why we should pray the public rosary for the Blessed Mother.” Music, programs and large banners are part of his rally, according to Shanley.

“The banner is big, and it says, ‘Pray the rosary for America. As human efforts fail to solve America’s key problems, we turn to God through his Holy Mother, asking his urgent help.’”

http://www.chnonline.org/news/local/9809-public-rosary-rallies-scheduled-locally-around-country-oct-16.html

Monday, October 4, 2010

Seton Hall University Starts "Gay Marriage" Course, Betrays Catholic Identity


Seton_Hall_University_Betrays_Catholic_Identity.jpg

Despite objections by the Archbishop of Newark, the diocesan Seton Hall University is allowing an anti-catholic course on “Gay Marriage” to be taught.

Despite objections by the local archbishop, Seton Hall University is allowing pro-homosexual professor W. King Mott to give a course on “The Politics of Gay Marriage.”

When plans for the anti-Catholic course were first announced at the diocesan university, the Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, responded. “This proposed course seeks to promote as legitimate a train of thought that is contrary to what the Church teaches. As a result, the course is not in sync with Catholic teaching,” he stated.

However, despite the archbishop’s misgivings the course was not stopped.

The American TFP website invites its members to join TFP Student Action in contacting Seton Hall University with a simple message: “Just Cancel the Course.”

To read more about the class and its professor,
please click here.


To protest, click on the button below.

sign_the_protest.png

Bishop Vasa: Individual Bishops Trump Conference Every Time

by Patrick B. Craine

September 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The authority of the Catholic bishop within his own diocese trumps the national bishops’ conference and "no bishop has an obligation" to adopt the conference’s documents, asserted Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon in a landmark talk last week.

"Such documents do not become normative for a particular diocese unless the bishop, either explicitly or implicitly, recommends them,” he told the 2010 InsideCatholic Partnership Award Dinner last Thursday.

Catholic bishops who boldly promote life and family in their diocese have often been condemned for acting more strongly than the national conference of bishops (USCCB), for example by refusing Communion to pro-abortion politicians. Similarly, pro-life and pro-family advocates have long complained that conference statements are vague and confusing, even misleading.

Deal Hudson of InsideCatholic said Bishop Vasa is the first U.S. bishop he is aware of to tackle “the prevalent misunderstanding” over the relation between the authority of the individual bishop versus that of the USCCB. Judie Brown, president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, agreed. “Having been involved in this for over 35 years, I can tell you that this speech is long overdue,” she said.

According to Bishop Vasa, statements from bishops’ conferences necessarily tend to be "flattened" and "vague," allowing certain teachings to "fall by the wayside through what could be called, charitably, a kind of benign pastoral neglect."

While some call this compassion, “in truth, it often entails a complicity or a compromise with evil,” he says. “The harder and less popular teachings are left largely unspoken, thereby implicitly giving tacit approval to erroneous or misleading theological opinions.”

"I fear that there has been such a steady diet of such flattened documents that anything issued by individual bishops that contains some element of strength,” he says, “is readily and roundly condemned or simply dismissed as being out of touch with the conference or in conflict with what other bishops might do."

This matter has often come up in the realm of life and family issues. For example, during the 2008 U.S. federal election campaign Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton was forced to assert his episcopal authority within his diocese after a liberal group used the USCCB document on voting (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship) to argue that Catholics can vote for a pro-abortion candidate.

“No USCCB document is relevant in this diocese,” he insisted, telling them they should have discussed his own pastoral letter where he insisted that Catholics must vote pro-life.

Likewise, while the USCCB has allowed distribution of Communion to pro-abortion politicians – contrary to a letter sent them by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the time of their deliberation – numerous bishops, such as Archbishop Raymond Burke, when he was in St. Louis, have forbidden it.

According to Bishop Vasa, pastoral documents “are open to a broad range of interpretation and misinterpretation. ... A charge could be brought that such documents are intentionally vague and misleading.”

“While I have had an occasional suspicion of this myself, it would be a serious defect of charity on my part to speculate about whether this is actually the case,” he continued. “I would say that the vagueness, whether intentional or not, has occasionally been a cause of concern and even consternation.”

While he says the conference is “both practical and desirable” for communication and joint efforts such as liturgical translations and disaster relief, Bishop Vasa notes there is “room for concern about the tendency of the conference to take on a life of its own and to begin to replace or displace the proper role of individual bishops, even in their own dioceses.”

“It is easy to forget that the conference is the vehicle to assist bishops in cooperating with each other and not a separate regulatory commission,” he added. Further, he noted that “there may also be an unfortunate tendency on the part of bishops to abdicate to the conference a portion of their episcopal role and duty.”

Compared to the “flattened documents” that often result from "the search for consensus,” statements from individual bishops, he says, "are often stronger, bolder, more decisive, and thus more likely to be criticized as harsh and insensitive."

Gentle appeals have their place, he says, “but when constant appeal produces absolutely no movement toward self-correction, reform or conversion, then reproving and correcting, become necessary.”

“At some point, there needs to be a bold resistance to the powers of the world in defense of the flock,” he continues. “The fear of offending one contemptuously dissident member of the flock often redounds to a failure to defend the flock. It can redound to a failure to teach the truth.”

“Fortunately, courage is contagious,” he notes, pointing to the examples of courage provided by prelates such as Archbishop Raymond Burke, and Bishops Joseph Martino, Thomas Tobin, Thomas Olmsted, and Fabian Bruskewitz. “These men all encourage you, and they encourage me as well,” he says.

“On the issues of life and marriage, many Catholics want a strong voice and one that is prophetic,” said Deal Hudson. “They don’t want the voice of some committee trying to be diplomatic to everybody.”

Judie Brown said Bishop Vasa has sent “a cannon over the bow of the USCCB,” putting the conference bureaucracy “in the proper perspective.” “They aren’t teachers of the Catholic faith, they are not shepherds, and they are literally destroying the Church by misrepresenting Catholic teaching,” she said.

Catholic Boston College Law School lists Planned Parenthood on its web site as an organization to get involved with...

"The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to [abort] it." -- Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood

You won't believe this...

Boston College Law School -- a Catholic institution -- lists Planned Parenthood on its web site as an organization to get involved with.

SIGN THIS PETITION to get the listing removed

You see, this is what Boston College tells students on its web site:
"We encourage you to contact those organizations [including Planned Parenthood] whose work aligns with your own personal mission of service, and to make the time available to contribute to their work in a meaningful way."

(Full story & links)

Your instant e-message will go directly to the president of Boston College, Fr. William P. Leahy, S.J. urging him to remove Planned Parenthood from the college's web site.

It is scandalous for a Catholic college to have ties with Planned Parenthood.

Can you help me ramp up this effort?

Please sign your instant petition today -- right now – here

And to give this peaceful effort much more impact, help me spread the word by forwarding this message to your friends who support innocent life (or even your entire address book).

With God's help, the truth will prevail.

For more information on this scandal at Boston College, read this article.

God bless you for defending the truth.
Contact information (please be firm yet polite):
Boston College Law School
Prof. George D. Brown, Interim Dean
Stuart House M307
(617) 552-4340
george.brown.2@bc.edu

Boston College
Fr. William P. Leahy, S.J., President
Botolph House
18 Old Colony Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-552-3250
william.leahy@bc.edu

Pope appeals to laity to give example in the public forum

"I appeal in particular to you, the lay faithful, in accordance with your baptismal calling and mission, not only to be examples of faith in public, but also to put the case for the promotion of faith’s wisdom and vision in the public forum."

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20100916_glasgow_en.html