Saturday, February 14, 2009

Honolulu Bishop Silva's Letter Re: Civil Unions

Bishop Silva

Bishop Larry Silva has written a letter to State Senator Robert Bunda with regard to Civil Union bill recently approved by the House.

All I can say is Hawaii is blessed to have Bishop Silva as our bishop!

Bishop Silva's letter

Please pray for Bishop Silva as well as the State of Hawaii.

Happy SAINT Valentine's Day

St. Valentine's Day
Too bad I can't insert St. between Happy and Valentine's


Friday, February 13, 2009

Help for Troubled Marriages or to Make a Good Marriage Better - The Alexander House

Some of you may have caught the founders of The Alexander House on EWTN's Life on the Rock last evening. What an interesting story this couple shared! They were on their way to divorcing when they were saved by the grace of God. In order to help other couples in their situation, they found The Alexander House. The following is from their Mission Statement.
Our Mission

The Alexander House is a national, not for profit, lay apostolate dedicated to marriage education and enrichment through the teachings of John Paul II and the teachings of the Catholic Church. We assist married couples, troubled couples, engaged couples, young adults, high school/middle school youth, priests, and dioceses.

Our Vision

To see a society full of married couples who are living God’s plan for marriage, so that the joy, sanctity and permanence of the sacrament may be realized and preserved.

Our Goal Is

To preserve the marriage covenant, build strong families and lower the divorce rate by helping individuals to discover the beauty and grandeur of the vocation to love and the service of life through marriage, family, church and community.

Our Motto

To be a witness to God's Glory one must be humble enough to share one's story with others. By our example of repenting and turning to God, we reveal the redeeming power of God. We make what is perceived to be intangible, tangible!

The Name

As a result of coming to understand and live out God's design for marriage Greg and Julie felt called to create a vehicle that would allow others to experience the same happiness and joy that they discovered in their marriage. They also believe that all we need to know about marriage should be taught in the home, hence the word house. Because it was from their own wounds that they (the Alexander's) began to educate and help to heal others in their marriages; it was only logical that this apostolate should be called the Alexander House.

The Alexander House collaborates with parents, churches, schools, higher education, industry and community groups to provide programs, workshops, seminars, retreats and resources to increase the understanding and education of God's plan for the Sacrament of Marriage and to stop and reverse the decline of marriage in our society. It also pledges its allegiance to the Holy Father and is loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.



Left Wing of the Catholic Church Destroying the Faith Says Orthodox Rabbi

Rabbi Levin

"I support this move" to reconcile the traditionalist faction in the Church, he said, "because I understand the big picture, which is that the Catholic Church has a problem. There is a strong left wing of the Church that is doing immeasurable harm to the faith."...Rabbi Yehuda Levin

LifeSiteNews Article

Fine Art Friday - Edward Hicks

Self Portrait
Self Portrait

Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence

William Penn's Treaty with the Indians
William Penn's Treaty with the Indians 1847

Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark 1846

George Washington Crossing the Delaware
George Washington Crossing the Delaware River
1849 Chrysler Museum of Art

The Peaceable Kingdom
The Peaceable Kingdom
1834 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

This week we are featuring an American artist who painted in the primitive style.
To learn more about this artist please visit Wikipedia

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity - Hawaiian Missions

A big mahalo to Mark for telling me about these sisters.
As one of the Sisters said "I definitely know that we are on the westernmost edge. And each day at school seeing the beach and seeing that there's ocean and the land stops has helped me to realize that gift of actually simplicity and giving to the Lord and of giving of myself. Because I see the beauty and I see that there's something greater than me that's a constant reminder that there's something greater than me out there. The Hawaiian people are very also a very beautiful people and their gift is their gentility."


Parts 2 and 3 can be seen at the YouTube site
To learn more about this religious order of sisters, please visit their website here

Home School Legislation Let's Home Schooled Children Participate in Public School Extracurricular Activities

This is an issue near and dear to the hearts of Hawaii Homeschoolers:
Senate Bill 360, which will allow home schooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities such as band and sports, will be heard on February 13 in the Senate’s Education Committee starting at 2:30 in the State Capitol, Conference Room 225.

Article

Damien Memorial Celebrates President Lincoln's 200th Birthday

Abraham Lincoln
Article and video

Evil is Threatening the Sanctity of Marriage in Hawaii

Sacrament of Marriage
Today final testimonies will be heard with regard to the Civil Unions bill that would open the door to same-sex marriage in Hawaii.

It is no coincidence therefore that the following was the reading for last Friday's Mass:
Let Brotherly love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you are also are in the body.

Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?...

From St. Paul's letters to the Hebrews 13:1-8.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Our Lady of Lourdes

OLOL

Fr. Z Couldn't Have Made it Any Clearer - The Lifting of the Excommunication of the SSPX

Let Me Make it Clear



A Little Catechism on Spiritual Motherhood for Priests

Priest and the Blessed Mother
A big mahalo nui loa to Fr. Mark for sharing this on his blog. As the co-coordinator of the Spiritual Moms Apostolate for the Diocese of Honolulu and as a spiritual mom to dear priest I have spiritually adopted, I find this extremely helpful in reviving my efforts to be a good spiritual mom. I hope it will help others too.
1. Who can become a spiritual mother to priests?

Any mature Catholic woman, already fully engaged in the sacramental life of the Church, can discern a call to the spiritual motherhood of priests. This spiritual motherhood can be lived in any state of life; it is open to single women, married women, mothers of families, widows, grandmothers, and religious in both the active and enclosed forms of consecrated life. None of its obligations bind under pain of sin. The vocation to the spiritual motherhood of priests is also compatible with the spirituality and obligations of Benedictine Oblates and of those who belong to one or another of the Third Orders: Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite, Servite, etc.

2. What is spiritual maternity?

Spiritual maternity is a particular grace of the Holy Spirit by which a woman surrenders herself, body and soul, to the fruitful love of Christ, for the sake of His Bride the Church and for the glory of the Father, so that, through her offering, the particular priest entrusted to her, and all priests, may be purified, healed, and sanctified.

3. How does a woman express the grace of spiritual maternity.

A woman expresses the grace of spiritual maternity by imitating the hidden life of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, in the mystery of the Annunciation, consented to the enfleshment of the Word in her womb, and was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, so that through her, Christ, Priest and Victim, might enter the world, save it by His Sacrifice, and offer it back to the Father.

4. How does a woman live out this imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

A woman lives out this imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by embracing the Will of God in joy and in sorrow, health and infirmity, prosperity and want, companionship and solitude, light and obscurity. In a word, she sees in every event of life an opportunity to enter, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, into the sacrifice of Christ the Priest.

In this way, a woman can participate in the spiritual fecundity of the Mother of the Redeemer who, by her constant intercession, cares for the gift of life that ever flows from the open Heart of her Son, and cooperates with a mother's love in the birth and upbringing of Christ's faithful, her children.

5. How is spiritual maternity related to the Priesthood?

Spiritual maternity in favor of priests derives from the special relationship of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Saint John, that Jesus Himself established when, from the altar of the Cross, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, thy son!" (Jn 19:26). "Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold, thy mother!'" (Jn 19:27).

While John -- representing all priests past, present, and to come -- had the power to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the unbloody renewal of His Sacrifice, Our Lady was charged with supporting all her priest-sons down through the ages by standing at their side, even as she stood by the Cross of her Son on Calvary. There, with her Immaculate Heart pierced by a sword of sorrow, she co-offered in silence the Sacrifice of her Son, Priest and Victim, and through Him, with Him, and in Him, offered herself to the Father.

6. What does this imply for a woman called to spiritual maternity in favor of priests?

For a woman called to spiritual maternity in favor of priests, this implies a readiness to stand by all priests and, in particular, for the priest entrusted to her, in a ceaseless offering of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and supplication. The Diocese of Tulsa is preparing a prayer book to help the spiritual mothers of priests fulfill this role.

7. What characterizes the adoration of a spiritual mother of priests?

In her adoration, a spiritual mother of priests looks to the Blessed Virgin Mary who, on August 21, 1879 at Knock in County Mayo, Ireland, manifested herself in reference to the immolated Lamb, the altar, and the Cross. The spiritual mother of priests draws near to Christ, the Eternal Priest and to the altar of His Cross so often as she participates in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. She adores the Lamb of God present on the altar during the Holy Sacrifice; she adores Him hidden in the tabernacle and exposed to her gaze in the monstrance. She offers herself in adoration for the sanctification of all priests, desiring with Our Lady, to see them become, in their liturgical service and in all of life, "true adorers, who shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23).

8. What characterizes the thanksgiving of a spiritual mother of priests?

The thanksgiving of a spiritual mother of priests is, first of all, for the Priesthood of Jesus Christ prolonged in space and in time, from the rising of the sun to its setting, by means of the gift and mystery bestowed on the apostles in the Cenacle, and perpetuated in the Church so often as a bishop, a successor of the Apostles, lays hands on a man and pronounces over him the solemn prayer of sacerdotal consecration.

The thanksgiving of a spiritual mother of priests is, also, for the sacramental ministrations and fruits of the priesthood: first of all, for the Most Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of all Christian life; then for the preaching of the Word of God, the forgiveness of sins, the healing of the sick, deliverance from evil, comfort in affliction, and shepherding along the path that leads to holiness.

8. What characterizes the reparation of a spiritual mother of priests?

The reparation of a spiritual mother of priests seeks to console the Heart of Jesus who grieves over the coldness, offenses, and betrayals of His priests, and waits for them to return to Him, for He is merciful.

The spiritual mother prays for priests who fail to pray; adores the Most Blessed Sacrament for those who do not adore; listens to the Word of God for priests who neglect it; and seeks the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for those who have forgotten that she is their Mother and Advocate. She offers herself for the spiritual restoration and resurrection of priests who have fallen into patterns of sin; for the deliverance of priests oppressed by the powers of darkness; and for the healing of souls scandalized, alienated, or wounded by the sins of priests.

9. What characterizes the supplication of a spiritual mother of priests?

The supplication (or intercession) of a spiritual mother of priests draws its inspiration, first of all, from the Priestly Prayer that Our Lord Jesus Christ offered in the Cenacle on the night before He suffered: "Father . . . keep them clear of what is evil. They do not belong to the world, as I too, do not belong to the world; keep them holy, then, through the truth; it is Thy word that is truth" (Jn 17: 16-17). In their intercession for priests, spiritual mothers will also take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul: "Nothing must make you anxious; in every need make your requests known to God, praying and beseeching Him, and giving Him thanks as well" (Phil 4:5); and in another place, "And now, brothers and sisters, let us have your prayers, that the word of the Lord may run its course triumphantly with us . . . and that we may preserved from malicious interference" (2 Thess 3:1-2).

10. Are there any obstacles to spiritual motherhood for priests?

The obstacles to spiritual maternity are the same ones that would impede any growth in holiness: willful attachment to sin, the refusal to forgive another, hardness of heart, pride, and the other "root" or capital sins. The most effective means of overcoming the obstacles to holiness are frequent confession and Holy Communion; full, conscious and zealous participation in the liturgy of the Church; devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (especially the Rosary); meditation of the Word of God; adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament; acts of penitence and mortification; and obedience to a spiritual father.

11. How does a woman go about becoming a spiritual mother to priests?

A woman who desires to become a spiritual mother to priests should ask her parish priest for the name of the priest charged by the bishop with promoting spiritual motherhood at the diocesan level. She should communicate with him and, after a suitable time of discernment and preparation, can make an act of dedication to spiritual mother on behalf of priests. The Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has developed a program to foster the formation and perseverance of women in the grace of spiritual maternity to priests.


Patron Saints for Special Sufferings

Abusive or Unfaithful Husbands
Physical Abuse
St. Rita of Cascia
Verbal Abuse
Bl. Anna Maria Taigi
St. Godelieve
St. Monica

Infidelity
St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Bl. Margaret d'Youville
Bl. Paola Gambera-Costa

Battered by Relatives or Others (Martyrs Listed Separately)
St. Adelaide
Bl. Agostina Pietrantoni
Eve Lavalliere
St. Germaine de Pibrac
St. Godelieve
St. Jeanne de Lestonnac
St. Jeanne Marie de Maille
St. Joaquina
Venerable Laura Vicuna
Bl. Maria Bagnesi
Bl. Mariam Baouardy

Demonic Temptations
St. Angela of Foligno
St. Catherine of Bologna
St. Catherine of Genoa
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Elizabeth of Schonau
St. Eustochiurn of Padua
St. Gemma Galgani
Bl. Helen dei Cavalcanti
St. Margaret of Cortona
Bl. Maria Fortunata Viti
St. Syncletia

Disabled
St. Angela Merici
St. Germaine de Pibrac
St. Lutgardis
Bl. Margaret of Castello

Disappointing Children
St. Clotilda
St. Louise de Marillac
St. Matilda
St. Monica

Divorced
Mother Alphonsa Hawthorne
St. Fabiola

Early Death of Children
Mother Alphonsa Hawthorne
Bl. Angela of Foligno
St. Clotilda
Concepcion Cabrera de Annida, (Conchita)
Bl. Dorothy of Mantua
St. Elizabeth Seton
St. Frances of Rome
St. Joaquina
Bl. Marguerite d'Youville
St. Matilda
St. Melania the Younger
Bl. Michelina

Extreme Poverty
Bl. Agostina Pietrantoni
St. Bernadette of Lourdes
St. Germaine de Pibrac
St. Margaret Bourgeoys
St. Margaret of Castello
Bl. Maria Gabriella
St. Maria Goretti
Bl. Maria Fortunata Viti
Bl. Marie of the Incarnation (Acarie)
Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot
St. Soledad

Forced into Exile
St. Adelaide
Bl. Angela Truszkowska
St. Arthelais
St. Clotilda
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Bl. Jeanne Marie de Maille
St. Joaquina
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha
Sister Marina
St. Melania the Younger
St. Puicheria
St. Rose of Viterbo
St. Susanna

Gravely Ill
St. Alpais
Sister Alphonsa of India
Sister Amparo Carbonell
St. Angela Merici
Mother Angela Truszkowska
St. Arthelais
St. Bathildis
St. Bernadette of Lourdes
St. Catherine dei Ricci
St. Catherine of Siena
Edel Quinn
Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity
St. Elizabeth of Schonau
St. Gorgonia
Bl. Isabella of France
Ven. Jacinta Marto
St. Julia Falconieri
St. Julie Billiart
St. Louise de Marillac
St. Lydwine
Mother Margaret Hallahan
Margaret Sinclair
Bl. Maria Bagnesi
Bl. Maria Gabriella
St. Maria Mazzarello
Ven. Maria Teresa Quevedo
St. Mariana of Quito
Bl. Marie Rose Durocher
St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi
Bl. Paula Frassinetti
Bl. Rafka Al-Rayes
St. Raphaela
St. Romula
St. Syncletia
Bl. Teresa of the Andes
St. Teresa of Avila
Teresa Valse Pantellini
St. Therese of Lisieux

Imprisoned
Bl. Beatrice da Silva
Ven. Jacinta Marto
St. Joan of Arc
Bl. Mariam Baouardy

In-Law Problems
St. Adelaide
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
St. Elizabeth Seton
St. Godelieve
St. Helen of Skovde
St. Jeanne de Chantal
Bl. Jeanne Marie de Maille
St. Ludmila
Bl. Marguerite d'YouvilIe
Bl. Michelina
St. Pulcheria

Loss of Father or Mother
Mother Alphonsa Hawthorne
Sister Alphonsa of India
St. Angela Merici
St. Colette
St. Dymphna
Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity
St. Elizabeth Seton
Bl. Frances Scherviers
St. Cemma Galgani
St. Germaine de Pibrac
St. Humbeline
St. Jeanne Marie de Maille
St. Jeanne de Chantal
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha
Venerable Laura Vicuna
St. Louise de Marillac
St. Margaret of Cortona
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Mother Margaret Hallahan
Venerable Marguerite Bourgeoys
Bl. Marguerite d'Youville
Bl. Maria Bagnesi
Bl. Maria Fortunata Viti
Bl. Maria Gabriella
St. Maria Goretti
Bl. Mariam Baouardy
St. Mariara of Quito
Bl. Marie Rose Durocher
Bl. Marie of the Incarnation (Acarie)
Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich
St. Pulcheria
St. Radegunde
Bl. Rafka Al-Rayes
St. Raphaela
Bl. Sibyllina Biscossi
St. Susanna
St. Syncletia
St. Teresa of Avila
Bl. Sister Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein)
St. Therese of Lisieux

Married Unhappily
Mother Alphonsa Hawthorne
Bl. Castora Gabrieffi
St. Catherine of Genoa
St. Fabiola
St. Godelieve
Bl. Marguerite d'Youville
St. Monica
St. Radegunde
St. Rita of Cascia
Bl. Zedislava Berka

Mental Illness or Judged so by Enemies
Bl. Eustochium of Padua
St. Margaret of Cortona
Bl. Michelina
Bl. Maria Fortunata Viti
St. Raphaela

Murdered (as Confessors of the Faith or for Moral Integrity)
St. Afra
St. Agatha
Bl. Agatha Kim
Bl. Agostina Pietrantoni
Sister Amparo Carbonell
St. Anastasia
Bl. Antoria Messina
St. Barbara
Sister Carmen Moreno
St. Catherine of Alexandria
St. Cecilia
St. Dymphna
Sts. Flora and Mary
St. Helen of Skovde
St. Joan of Arc
Venerable Laura Vicuna
St. Lucy
Bl. Lucy de Freitas
St. Margaret Clitherow
Bl. Margaret of Louvain
Bl. Margaret Ward
St. Maria Goretti
Bl. Mariam Baouardy
Sister Marina
Bl. Mary Hermina Grivot
Sts. Maura and Brigid
St. Natalia
Sts. Nunilo and Alodia
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
St. Susanna and Companions
Bl. Sister Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein)
St. Theodota
St. Winifred of Wales

Opposition of Church Authorities to Their Hopes and Dreams
St. Elizabeth Seton
St. Joan of Arc
Mother Margaret Hallahan
Bl. Marguerite d'Youville
Sister Mary MacKiliop
St. Mary Magdalena Bentivoglio
St. Philippine Duchesne
St. Raphaela
St. Teresa of Avila

Parents not Married
St. Bridget of Theland
Bl. Eustochium of Padua
Bl. Sibyllina Biscossi

Rejected by Religious Orders
St. Clare
Bl. Eugenie Smet
St. Jeanne de Lestonnac
St. Louise de Marillac
Bl. Margaret of Castello
Venerable Marguerite Bourgeoys
St. Mariana of Quito
St. Rose of Viterbo
Bl. Teresa de Gesu, Jornet y Ibars
Mother Thecla Merlo

Ridiculed for Their Piety (Other than Martyrs)
Bl. Agostina Pietrantoni
Bl. Angela of Foligno
St. Bernadette of Lourdes
St. Catherine of Genoa
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Clelia Barbieri
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
St. Elizabeth Seton
St. Frances of Rome
Venerable Jacinta Marto
Bl. Jeanne Marie de Maille
St. Joan of Arc
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Margaret of Cortona
Bl. Marguerite d'Youville
St. Mary Magdalene
St. Matilda
Sts. Nurilo and Alodia
St. Rose of Lima
St. Susanna
St. Teresa of Avila
Bl. Teresa Maria of the Cross (Bettina)
Bl. Zedislava Berka
St. Zita

Separated from Children
St. Jeanne de Chantal
Bl. Marie of the Incarnation (Acarie)

Subject to Extreme Sexual Temptation
Bl. Angela of Foligno
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Margaret of Cortona
St. Mary of Edessa
St. Mary of Egypt
St. Mary Magdalene
St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi
St. Pelagia of Antioch

Threatened by Incest
St Dymphna
Venerable Laura Vicuna
Sister Susanna
St. Winifred of Wales

Threatened with or Victim of Rape
St. Agnes
Bl. Antonia Mesina
St Joan of Arc
St. Maria Goretti
Bl. Pierina Morosini
St. Zita

Widowed
St. Adelaide
St. Anastasia
Bl. Angela of Foligno
St. Bathildis
St. Birgitta of Sweden
Bl. Castora Gabrielli
St. Clotilda
Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita)
Bl. Dorothy of Montau
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
St. Elizabeth Seton
St. Etheidreda or Audrey
St. Eulalia
St. Frances of Rome
Bl. Helen dei Cavalcanti
Bl. Ida of Boulogne
St. Jeanne de Chantal
St. Jeanne de Lestonnac
Bl. Jeanne Marie de Maille
St. Joaquina
St. Jufta
St. Louise de Marillac
Bl. Lucy de Freitas
St. Ludmila
Bl. Marguerite d'Youville
Bl. Marie of the Incarnation (Acarie)
St. Matilda
Bl. Michelina
St. Monica
St. Olga
St. Paula
St. Rita of Cascia

Shared by Sue. BTW, if you are looking for a patron saint for this year, please check out this post here


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

New Prolife Cartoon Blog

Prolife Cartoon Kansas

Veritatis: The Cartoon

Holding “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good” Morally Accountable

Article

Strange Email I Received

Apparently someone found my blog via Marie and Ginny's Big is Beautiful blog and thought she needed to email me the following:

I came to your blog by way of Historical Christian, which linked to Big is Beautiful, where there appeared to be a thank you to you for recommending it for some award.

I find Aimee Cooper’s blog challenging and grace-filled, and occasionally a little angry over this or that, but by and large quite “Christian” in the sense of not attacking other most of the time. The Big is Beautiful blog seems to be on hold, so I checked yours out.

I am quite surprised, and disappointed, in the over-arching negative tone of the blog, if the several articles I read are representative. I don’t want to presume that you are not a happy person, but as a Catholic woman trying to live my faith and interact with this hurting world in a way that may bring others closer to our Lord, I found most of the vitriol spouted quite hateful, judgmental, and off-putting.

I pray your life is filled with more light than your blog suggests. May Christ’s love fill you and all those you love and hold dear.
If you are wondering why I am posting it here it is to ask you...what is she talking about?

I am not posting her name in order to spare her any embarrassment. But really, does anyone know which posts were hateful??? I did email her first before posting it here but I have not received a reply back.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Another Critic of EWTN

The problem is it is seen by many as “the Catholic channel.” Unfortunately, it is Mother Angelica’s version of the Catholic Church, and it is an outdated view of what “church” is.
Fr. Z posted about a university chair of a theology department and his gripe with the Eternal Word Television Network and Mother Angelica.

Whenever I read articles like this, it only makes me want to donate more money to EWTN.

God bless Mother Angelica and all the good people who work hard to bring us EWTN. It is our light in a world gone dark with sin and evil.



Prayer Request for Australia

Prayer Request
Please keep the people of Australia in your prayers. The devastating fires in Victoria have killed over 170 people. Article

Not only are the people and animals suffering from the extreme heat, they now have to endure this suffering as well. Pray especially for our blogging friends down under, like Marie, Elena and Therese




New Shrine of the Holy Innocents

Father Groeschel's show last week was about a new shrine at the Divine Mercy shrine in Stockbridge, MA. Mrs. L has some details



God, Be Merciful to Us - Miracle on the Hudson River

God's HandsSorry but I do not have the source of the above cartoon. It was shared via email.
A banker on a business trip in New York City, Fred Berretta had just checked into his hotel room. He had about 20 minutes down time before he had to meet his colleagues.

For some reason he decided to clean out his briefcase, something he hadn't done in a long time. As he emptied it out, he came across a booklet he had stuffed into a pocket years ago on praying the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy. He recalls having prayed it a few times years ago. But by Jan. 15, 2009, it was a good intention mislaid — among spreadsheets and quarterly reports and matters that seemed far more pressing.

Only two weeks prior, Fred had made a New Year's resolution to try to get into better spiritual shape. Here in this hotel room was an opportunity to fulfill it. So he followed along in the booklet and prayed the chaplet, a prayer our Lord gave to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s during a series of revelations that have sparked the modern Divine Mercy movement.

The time happened to be 3 o'clock, known as the Hour of Great Mercy, when Jesus died on the cross. Fred would consider that detail the following day — as he was preparing to die....

Read the rest of the story here

The Hypocrisy of the Liberal Media

Liberal Media

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Reminder - Novena for Conversion of America

Just a reminder that the Novena for the conversion of America is currently underway. I do want to thank the person who originally left this comment on my blog, for sharing this with me.
Another 72 day Conversion of America novena will begin on January 25th, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, and end on April 6th (Monday of Holy Week) Please help spread the word! If you come late, simply start at a later date and end later also. People may also become "American Sentinels" by pledging to pray the rosary every day over the next four years! ***

Conversion of America Novena - Day 15: Sorrowful Mysteries Rosaries Pledged: 44810

Rosaries for Life

Patron Saints 2009 - Message to Those Requesting a Patron Saint

Some of you have written me regarding the selection of the 2009 Patron Saints ministry.

In a recent email from Marianne she indicated a new blog was in the process of being created. It is my understanding she has also started to receive requests.

However, this year, I will be assisting my friend Sue Cifelli who originally introduced me to Marianne. Sue has decided that she needs to help people with this ministry and I feel I need to support her.

Therefore, if you would like a patron saint, you could continue to email Marianne or you can leave a comment at Sue's blog. Your Patron Saint for 2009

You can also leave a comment here if you would like for Sue to help with our patron saint.

UPDATE: You can continue to leave comments at the Patron Saints Ministry blog too. Marianne will get those messages.

If you are leaving a comment here, please be sure to check back as Sue will be leaving a reply here for you.


Fr. Thomas Euteneuer on Integrity

Fr. T. Eunteneuer
The latest column from Fr. Euteneuer was too good not to share.
Dear Spirit and Life readers,

One of my most memorable experiences in Marine Corps boot camp was the lesson of integrity. Certain infractions of the strict code of discipline were considered “integrity violations” such as lying or undermining the chain of command, etc. We all implicitly understood that term to mean the breaking of rules of conduct or ethics that bind men together for the common mission. We did our best to avoid committing any violations of integrity, not merely to avoid penalties, but more so because we sought to form ourselves as honorable, trustworthy men deserving of our uniforms.

Ironically, the country our honorable Marines serve is currently being led by a President who has begun his term of office with an extensive list of “integrity violations,” setting new lows for integrity in American history, and on the way to shredding the last bits of moral fiber left in our nation. But this is what we get when we elect a confirmed champion of the culture of death to the highest office of our land.

Count with me a couple of these violations that occurred in the President’s first two weeks in office:

* Mr. Obama is the first and only President-elect ever to be investigated by the FBI (regarding the Blagojevich scandal); and hasn’t his normally-boisterous Chief of Staff been rather quiet lately?

* Three of his nominees for high office were caught cheating on their taxes, including—astoundingly—the now-confirmed Secretary of the Treasury who has oversight of the IRS!

* Candidate Obama’s fervent promises to shun lobbyists from any influence in this administration didn’t stop him from picking at least twelve lobbyists for top jobs, including the #2 man at the Defense Department. One blog noted that Obama has hired a lobbyist a day in less than two weeks in office!

* The #1 man at the Obama Justice Department helped President Clinton pardon a billionaire financier on the run from tax evasion charges; the #2 man at the Obama Justice Department is an extreme pornography and abortion rights advocate; the #3 man at the Obama Justice Department helped to kill Terri Schiavo. This is Mr. Obama’s version of justice?

* Our new Secretary of State, even aside from her husband’s foreign fundraising conflicts of interest, will put the whole US foreign policy apparatus behind the promotion of abortion around the world. Come to think of it, this is not an integrity violation at all; it is an essential part of the moral code of Obama, Hillary and company. The President’s erasure of the Mexico City Policy will fund the international killers to the teeth for a new reign of terror on the unborn worldwide.

I could go on but I won’t. One just wonders what the word “shame” means any more.

The icing on the integrity cake, however, is Mr. Obama’s recent call to limit the compensation of the CEOs of corporations that receive government bailout monies. There are two good reasons (among many) why this move is disingenuous in the extreme: first is that it actually applies to no one at the moment because all those who have already received government bailouts are exempt. Second, keeping corporate executive salaries down will stimulate nothing except the rapaciousness of the vultures in Congress who want more sectors of American society under their control.

I can think of a number of people whose salaries should really be capped, however, but it would take integrity to call these filthy rich celebrities and sports stars to account for their obscene income in the same period of time in which more than one million Americans lost their jobs:

* J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter author)—$300,000,000

* Oprah—$275,000,000

* Beyoncé and her rapper husband Jay-Z—$162,000,000

* Jerry Bruckheimer—$145,000,000

* Tiger Woods—$115,000,000

* Simon Cowell (American Idol)—$72,000,000

* Howard Stern—$70,000,000

* David Letterman—$45,000,000

* Michael Jordan—$45,000,000

* Madonna—$40,000,000

* Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie—$34,000,000

Integrity is clearly not Mr. Obama’s strong suit. His lack of experience, superficial judgment, and penchant for empty rhetoric is now on display for all the world to see, and it is embarrassing. The point of the matter, however, is not that America can’t survive such a poor performance. Remember that we did survive eight years of the Clinton regime. It’s that this man is a product of the culture of death and will entirely radicalize our nation’s institutions with other immoral and extreme people who share his views. The blood of fifty million aborted babies has clouded our national judgment, and we have chosen to rule over us not just one man, but thousands of his appointees who will likely drive us into oblivion before we wake up and insist on integrity once again.

Personally, I think a few months in Marine Corps boot camp might serve President Obama very well.

Sincerely,


Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

Saintly Quote - Disorder

St. Angela Merici

Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.

St. Angela Merici (1474-1540)

Shared by Sue