2004-------------------->2005

CHURCH

As far as the Catholic Church goes 2004 was another good year in the sense that the priesthood continued to be purified of corrupt men. For those in the know, it looked at one time that there was no way for the corruption to be rooted out at all, much less that a time would come when literally hundreds of priests would be tossed out en masse. As the years go on it becomes more clear that people like Roman Catholic Faithful were prophets and deserved to be supported. The so-called second greatest scandal in the Church, involving financial improprieties continues and hopefully will be dealt with throughout 2005.

LONG ISLAND

Locally, the story of 2004 was the criminal activity and fraud exposed at Newsday! This anti-Catholic paper was exposed inflating its circulation and overcharging advertisers for years. The result has been firings, layoffs, and buyouts. Longtime "recovering Catholic" Ed Lowe left for the Long Island Press and that Archie Bunker-like, angry, bitter, lying, fat, drunk bigot Jimmy Breslin retired. Ed Lowe can now be read for free and not seeing Breslin's rants makes up for every Dick Ryan article the paper can spit out. This is going to be a good year for a news-junkie like me.

NATION

Nationally, the nation is embroiled in a mess in Iraq and the sooner we get out the better. I don't care about the status of democracy in the middle east, just as the middle easterners did not care about Long Island on September 11th. I hope 2005 will be a strong year for our war on terror. Death to Islamofacism in 2005!! The election result was a joy for all pro-lifers as was the resulting whining of anti-Christian bigots.

GEN X REVERT

Personally, 2004 was the year I fell in love so that changed a lot of things for the better. I wish I could find a job where I did not have to deal with white trash, uneducated, selfish, lying scum but at least I am employed. I am trying to become a better Christian but as anyone reading this blog can tell, there is anger that does not want to go away. Feedback, suggestions, and criticism are all welcome. I wish all (even Breslin and the lying, conniving co-worker) a healthy New Year!

On order from Amazon.com:

Please Don't Drink the Holy Water!

Young and Catholic: The Face of Tommorrow's Church

Jerry Orbach dies of cancer at 69

Nobody was better at playing a sarcastic Noo Yurk cop than Orbach.

"We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

--President George Bush speaking to a joint session of Congress, September 21st, 2001

10 Die As Militants, Saudi Police Clash

Me thinks the Saudis made the wrong choice many years ago.

Police continue search for mother of newborn baby found dead in Amityville

Safe Haven law may have saved Amityville newborn

"After a lot of lobbying from groups like Long Island’s AMT Children of Hope Foundation, 47 states now have some form of the Safe Haven law, including New York. Under the law, birth mothers have five days to hand over an unharmed newborn to someone at a hospital, fire department or police station. The birth mothers are not required to ask questions or give their names. There is no criminal punishment involved."



AMT Children of Hope Foundation

Man charged with murder after pregnant woman's fetus dies

"A man who was arrested for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in San Jose is being held on a murder charge.

Police say the 25-year-old woman was 18 weeks pregnant when the male fetus was delivered dead yesterday." (emphasis mine)

"An autopsy will be conducted to determine why the fetus died."

"You call this a happy family? Why do we have to have all these kids?"

-George Bailey

"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole. "

-Clarence

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I attended the Christmas Concert and 8 PM Mass at St. Martin of Tours Church in Amityville . There was a choir and full orchestra- the music director is a graduate of Julliard. The music was terrific - easily the best quality music at any Mass I have ever attended. If my friend Aristotle, of Confessions of a Recovering Choir Director was there he would have been able to name the arrangements. The Gloria, Agnus Dei and Our Father were particularly beautiful. This was a great way to begin the Christmas Season.

"An Israeli antiquities collector who claimed he discovered the burial box of Jesus' brother James will be charged with forgery next week, a Justice Ministry spokesman said Thursday."

New Catholic Blog!

Seattle Catholic has a link to Glendalough: A Catholic Writer's Blog by Matthew Anger. I have seen his writing in Latin Mass magazine. He links to a new book by Susan Lloyd (who also writes for Latin Mass) called "Please Don't Drink the Holy Water! Homeschool Days, Rosary Nights, and Other Near Occasions of Sin". The book sounds very funny. Isn't it cool how traditional Catholics with large families can joke around and enjoy their children, their faith, and their life while others see children, faith and life as burdens?

"Laying the Smackdown on Heresy Since 1981"


I just noticed that Ignatius Insight has an interview with Christopher Blosser of The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club.

John Cornwall is now backing away from his claim that Pope Pius XII was anti-semitic. Who cares? The damage is done and Cornwall has made his money. Perhaps he figures he will sell more copies of his book on JPII if he comes across as open minded?

"Devil's advocates were supposed to be fair-minded, and in the past Mr Cornwell, a prolific writer on Catholic matters, has at times been anything but. As he admits, “Hitler's Pope” (1999), his biography of Pope Pius XII, lacked balance. “I would now argue,” he says, “in the light of the debates and evidence following ‘Hitler's Pope', that Pius XII had so little scope of action that it is impossible to judge the motives for his silence during the war, while Rome was under the heel of Mussolini and later occupied by the Germans.”


Cornwall had already been "outed" as a liar by The Catholic League when he published his trash:

"Crucial to his self-promotion is Cornwell’s claim to have been a good, practicing Catholic who set out to defend his Church. His earlier books, however, were marketed as having been written by someone who had left the Church. According to a 1989 report in the Washington Post, Cornwell "was once a seminarian at the English College in Rome and knows the Vatican terrain, [but] he has long since left the seminary and the Catholic faith, and thus writes with that astringent, cool, jaundiced view of the Vatican that only ex-Catholics familiar with Rome seem to have mastered." At that time Cornwell described himself as a "lapsed Catholic for more that 20 years."

The Bishop of Myra knew how to do "wreckovation"!


"The most supreme deity of the pantheon of Myra was Artemis and her temple was the most stunningly beautiful and impressive structure in all Lycia. Nicholas attacked this temple with great might and vigor, causing its total destruction. So complete was its fall that the foundation stones were on top and the pinnacle was driven into the ground. The evil demons then fled, inspiring the people's awe of God."

via Saint Nicholas: Discovering the Truth About Santa Claus

From Seattle Catholic comes news that the White House snubbed Rocco Buttiglione possibly to please "old Europe" on behalf of the State Department. Although this may just be Robert Novak's conjecture, it is worrisome. The EU is doing everything it can to forget its Christian heritage and to push the religion of secular humanism.

We Catholics should hope Malta can continue to fight the good fight within the EU. The small island nation is mostly Catholic and abortion is illegal. This does not sit well with the "old Europe types" in the EU but Malta so far has been able to stick up for itself. Hopefully, "new Europe" countries such as Poland will be able to remind the EU of the Catholicism that is at the heart of its history.

For the locals: Ed Lowe joins the Long Island Press.

This weekend was spent getting a Christmas tree, shopping, and wrapping. Fortunately, it ended on a high note: a performance of the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah at St. Ignatius Martyr Church in Long Beach. One of the tenors was none other than the Recovering Choir Director. A special treat was a performance of Bach's Magnificat in D major and needless to say, there were no backing tracks used at this concert.

Bishop Trautmann has been named the head of USCCB Liturgy Committee which is bad news for anyone concerned about true Catholic Liturgy. Amy Welborn at Open Book has listed the committee Trautmann has put together and it includes Bishop Emil Wcela of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Bishop Wcela is a typical liberal bishop who considers "inclusive language" to be a main issue facing the Church over the past twenty years. He has pushed his liberal agenda for years, while ignoring corrupt priests, which by his own admission included a couple of his close friends. (His article published in America magazine - "The Abuse Scandal: What Did I Miss?- March 15th, 2004 is not available online for free.) How this man can be trusted with something as important as Liturgy is beyond me. It was rumored that Bishop McGann, the bishop who ignored the priest-molesters for over twenty years, wanted Wcela to be his successor. Thankfully the Vatican had other ideas and went off Long Island to find more orthodox bishops. So now there is one last chance for Wcela to have some influence in the Church - which is bad.

December 7th,1941

September 11th, 2001

Never forget these two dates and what they mean. Never forget the people who were murdered on these two dates. Ever.

Pete Vere was quoted in the NY Post today (credited as a "Maple Leafer") in a small blurb about the pro-Bush supporters in Canada. It was actually the beginning of this article from the Weekly Standard.

Report: LI, Fla. dioceses settle sex abuse suit

"Rockville Centre sent Fitzgerald to Florida in 1989, purportedly because of his allergies, without disclosing multiple complaints against him.

On Long Island, Fitzgerald served in the Westbury parish, where another priest had complained that Fitzgerald was fondling young boys. Fitzgerald eventually was transferred to Dix Hills, where he was placed in charge of that parish's youth ministry."


FYI - that "other priest" who complained about Fitzgerald is an orthodox priest who is now at perhaps the most conservative parish we have. He was put in Westbury right out of the seminary and also complained when yet another priest at a different parish he served was molesting boys. Because of his experiences he went on leave for a year and lived at his parents' house- many pastors would not take him in because he was labeled a "trouble maker". It must have been hell to be an orthodox priest in this diocese in the days of Bishop McGann. Thankfully things have changed significantly.

I have been working on updating my St. Blog's Directory (check it out) and hope to have a database of the blogs that I can put into columns for easier searching. I am learning more about Catholic bloggers out there. For instance, Steve Ray of Defenders of the Catholic Faith in addition to being a top notch apologist, is also the founder and owner of a huge office maintenance company.

I have a fascination with the locations of varous parishioners of St. Blog's. I hope to be able to put the directory in a chart form that can be searched or sorted by location. I try to get the info from the blogs so if any info is incorrect please let me know. I am not done adding locations to the directory but surprisely, so far, the state that has the most Catholic bloggers is........ (Howard Dean screaming voice)


CALIFORNIA!!!
A voice from eden - San Francisco
Ad Altare Dei - Santa Barbara
Basia me, Catholica Sum
Between Heaven and Hell
Catholic L.A. - Los Angeles
Church of The Masses - Hollywood
Converted Journey - Brentwood
El Camino Real
Erik's Rants and Recipes
Lex Communis - Fresno
Philothea Rose at Home
Revolution of Love
The New Gasparian - Newark
Veritas. Quid est veritas? - San Francisco

Yesterday I went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral and then to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. It was a nice way to start off Advent.

Diocese plans for future of Catholic elementary schools

Catholic elementary school enrollment is down, while Catholic High School enrollment has risen. This is simply due to the high cost of Catholic schools. Many people send their children to public elementary schools (most of which are very good here on Long Island) because it is just too much to live here and pay for Catholic schooling. There will probably be more closings and consolidations of elementary schools which makes sense. The second collection and foundation are good steps and hopefully the school situation here will stabilize. Meanwhile, everything should be done to make the parish religious education system top notch.

You scored as Catholic. Welcome to the One, Holy, CATHOLIC, and Apostolic Church! You my Friend are a Catholic. You have a strong sense of something outside of yourself and feel drawn to answer profound questions to satisfy your desires. You recognize that truth isn't self-centered or about inventing something new, but rather following the road map of your heart to a bigger picture. You are probably baptized. Catholic 100% Christian 80% Jewish 45% Cult 40% Anarchist 20% Buddhist 15% Religion created with QuizFarm.com

Woohoo!

My Directory of Catholic Blogs

By creating this directory, I have found some Catholic blogs I had never seen before and am once again amazed at the variety at St. Blog's. For example, Our Homeschool was just added today and the blogger bio reads:

"In my teens I was a liberal Democrat, a practicing Wiccan, and fiercly pro-choice. Wicca went first when I began a relationship with Christ. After experiencing an abortion I began looking into the pro-life side. I found the argument persuasive, and since then have read more and more that has led me to the conclusion that it is wrong to murder the pre-born. Then I began looking at all sorts of issues more conservatively, especially when I had a family of my own. I have come from the other side, and am usually unimpressed with the arguments. I used to use them myself, and have found that most of them don't hold up under scrutiny. I do love a good debate though."

"Now I am a faithful Catholic, and a happy wife and homeschooling mom."

These type of conversion stories abound in St. Blog's and they are all inspirational to a cradle Catholic like me.

Amazing

I kept the right ones out
And let the wrong ones in
Had an angel of mercy to see me
Through all my sins

There were times in my life
When I was goin insane
Tryin to walk through the pain
When I lost my grip

And I hit the floor
Yeah, I thought I could leave
But couldn't get out the door
I was so sick and tired
Of livin a lie
I was wishin that I would die
It's amazin
With the blink of an eye
You finally see the light
It's amazin
When the moment arrives
That you know you'll be alright
And I'm sayin a prayer
For the desperate hearts tonight

That one last shot's a permanent vacation
And how high can you fly with broken wings?
Life's a journey, not a destination
And I just can't tell just what tomorrow will bring

You have to learn to crawl
Before you learn to walk
But I just couldn't listen to
All that righteous talk
I was out on the street just tryin to survive
Scratchin to stay alive

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Tim Drake's new book "Young and Catholic" sounds interesting. I think a long time ago he asked for young Catholics to email him their stories and thoughts and I think I did. I can personally attest to the accuracy of the book's premise and look forward to some uplifting reading.

Gerard Serafin's death made me realize how grateful I am for his wonderful list of blogs. I used this list to surf St. Blog's and appreciated the fact that I continually could find new blogs here. (The St. Blog's webring list is random and some blogs are not updated) Although I have my favorites on my blogroll, I occasionally would try to find a blog I had never seen before and found some gems thanks to Gerard. I have always wished it was in alphabetical order so I could find things easier. I have now done this and put it on a separate blog. I took out some blogs that were not updated recently or that I could not get into, and also added some more. If anyone knows any Catholic blogs out there please let me know so I can add them. I have been using this list to surf around lately and if it works out I will continue to use and add to the list.

I just got home from Book Revue, the largest independently owned bookstore on Long Island. I heard Nelson Demille talk about his just published book Night Fall and my girlfriend had her copy signed by him. He is a fellow Long Islander and Night Fall is a novel based on the Flight 800 crash that occurred off the Long Island coast in 1996. About 200 witnesses claimed they saw a light, like a missile, shooting up towards the plane but the government agencies all concluded it was a spark in the main fuel tank that caused the explosion. Some people are still not convinced and believe it was terrorism, with the intended target being the El-Al flight that was right behind Flight 800's path.

I have never read his stuff, but my girlfriend is a big fan and she must have great taste right? Anyway, an interesting thing about the book is that some local people who donated enough money to certain charities were able to be characters in the book. This is a cool way to help raise money for good causes, including my alma mater, Chaminade High School.

Cardinal Arinze on the Eucharist, the Priest and the Laity

"Arinze said his home diocese in Nigeria has a combined 300 men in preparation for the priesthood in philosophy (pre-theology studies in the minor seminary) and theology (major seminary studies), a comment that drew nods and smiles from the Nigerian nuns sitting in the front row.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre has doubled the number of men it has in formation for the priesthood, Bishop William Murphy said in his closing comments.

"In 2002, we had 17 men in formation for the priesthood," Murphy said. "Just two years later, we have 34."

Check out this interesting correction in today's Newsday:

"A Tuesday story on new warnings about side effects of Mifeprex or RU-486, an abortion pill, incorrectly described the drug as a way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse. The pill is actually designed to end a pregnancy by causing physiological reaction that causes a non-surgical abortion."

Kathryn Lively's APPLICATION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER is great.

Gerard Serafin, RIP

I was stunned to read that Gerard of A Catholic Blog for Lovers has died. From his writing on his blog he seemed to be a good, gentle, positive soul. He was the one most responsible for my entering the world of St. Blog's since I first discovered Catholic blogs through his List of Catholic Blogs. His history showed that people can be weak but still manage to repent and contribute positively to the Body of Christ. I liked his positive attitude and his love of beauty. I should try to imitate it more on this blog. His blog did not tilt right or left but upward! God Bless him!

Reason # 15,265 why I do not give money to my alma mater, St. John's University:

"A former St. John's University student testified yesterday that he was struck 100 times with a wooden paddle during a fraternity initiation held in Kissena Park in Queens late one night.Brian Chambers, testifying in State Supreme Court in Kew Gardens on his 22nd birthday yesterday, calmly told a jury about a series of beatings in 2003, the last of which prosecutors said led him to suffer kidney failure."

Reason #1 was that while I was there several dumb jocks gang raped a woman and they were supported by many students. Don't believe for one second that this University is even close to being Catholic. St. John's = school for morons, violent thugs, and rapists.

Theo van Gogh and] "Education By Murder" in Holland



" It took 3,000 deaths to wake up Americans, or at least to wake up the half of them who are conservative. Likewise, it took hundreds of deaths in the Bali explosion to semi-wake up Australians; it took the Madrid assault for Spaniards, and the Beslan atrocity for Russians. Twelve workers beheaded in Iraq awoke the Nepalese.
But it took just one death to wake up many Dutch."

Newsday Fraud Report

"For the audit period, ABC found that Newsday overstated its daily circulation by 16.9%, Saturday's circulation by 5.8%, and Sunday's by 14.5%. "

Tragic Accident in Manhattan

"An 80-year-old Roman Catholic nun died tragically yesterday when she was run over by a 221/2-ton flatbed truck while walking with her cane across a busy Manhattan intersection, cops said. "

BOOK REVIEW

The Church Confronts Modernity

Catholic Intellectuals in the Progressive Era
(Thomas E. Woods, Jr. - Columbia University Press)
reviewed by Walter M. Hudson

I saw Thomas Woods give a talk based on his research for this book at a Catholic Studies Center event at Nassau Community College. The talk was interesting enough that I am going to buy the book and next time I see Dr. Woods I will get it autographed.

Here is another positive review of the book.

November 15th, 2000

My Dad died exactly 4 years ago today. He was a typical man of the greatest generation: quiet, unassuming although he did amazing things in his lifetime, family-oriented, good, masculine, decent, loving, selfless, and kind. He worked for a bank for 35 years, collected stamps, read more history books than most people, and absolutely lived for his family. He was simply the most decent man I have ever known and sometimes it feels like the world went to hell after he died. He faced evil in the world without ever becoming mean, nasty or angry and I wish I could learn how he did that. His whole life was his family and I could never be as selfless as he was. The eight months he had cancer were some of the most grace-filled times of my life. He died with as much class as he lived. I hope before I die I can be half as good a man as he was. Rest in Peace, I love you.

"A naked visitor to the Bronx Zoo leaped into a pool of fierce reptiles yesterday - and to the horror of onlookers reached out to touch one of them."

Just for the record, I was nowhere near the Bronx yesterday, so this was not me.

A few weeks ago I attended Mass in a parish that had a beautiful Church. The only negative in this experience was the woman who, before Mass began, invited all to turn to someone nearby and introduce yourself to them. This is not at all necessary and embarrassing to those of us who are (delightfully) introverted and even anti-social. While this is not a Liturgical abuse, I thought of something to do the next time this happens. I will look directly into the eyes of the person introducing themselves to me, warmly smile, grasp their hands and say "Hi, I'm Lucifer, pleased to meet you". I will then return to gazing at my missalette.

"The diversity of opinion, the diversity of voices, the sheer tumult and rough-and-tumble of some of the interactions are a constant source of inspiration, and, oddly enough, a kind of joy."

Steven Riddle on St. Blog's

"As usual, I felt a lot like a lion in a Christian suit."

Eve Tushnet on speaking at a conference on traditional marriage.

The website for the Diocese of Rockville Centre has a good resource center for the Year of the Eucharist. It includes the Mass schedule for all parishes as well as a schedule for Eucharistic Adoration.

A reader and fellow Long Islander writes:

Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 9:17 AM

"An update from my brother who is stationed in Tikrit:

All, Hope you are well. Things heating up here somewhat. The Fallujah operation is going on now and we have one battalion down there. The battalion, 2-2 Infantry, is doing well but the fight is much harder than the one we did in Samarra last month. The Marines and Army troops are well supported and will be mopping up in a day or so. The hard core 3,000 insurgents down there deserve to get it, as Fallujah is ground zero for beheadings and vehicle-bombs.

We have had some incoming here but not too much over the past week. A few mortars were dropped in but again, no one was hurt. We did lose a few of our Iraqi workers the other day. The tailor who sews on patches, including the ones on the uniform I'm wearing, and his family had all worked here supporting us with their little business. The insurgents followed them home the other day and drove them off the road. They questioned our workers, starting with the wife. She told them that she gave massages to our troops so they cut off her arms. The tailor was next refused to tell so they cut out his tounge. When his helper told them that they were tailors, they cut off both their hands. The helper,the wife, and tailor were then shot in the head on the side of the road.These are the people we're fighting against.

Ramadan ends soon. The final days are called the 'days of power' so we expect a rise in attacks as the martyrs rush to Allah. This may be the most dangerous part of the whole year. Amazingly, we still have a lot of Iraqi National Guard and police working with us. Two police stations were attacked in our area and both times the police fought off the attackers, perhaps knowing that their lives depended on it.

Many of these people hope that we bomb Fallujah into the stone age and be done with them, but that's not an option. With Bush's victory the enemy knows that we are not going to back out soon. The biggest question is still the elections -- can the Iraqis actually pull them off. We'll see. Thanks again for the notes and cards. Sorry to be writing about the gruesomness here.

--Mike"

UNBELIEVABLE!
With Federal Agents and The Long Island Press Hot On The Trail, Newsday Continues Its Circulation Frauds

"Unbelievably, with so much at stake, Newsday is still printing up excess copies of its products and taking them straight to recycling centers and landfills. Last week, Long Island Press reporters witnessed a worker fill up a car at Newsday's Hicksville depot and drive it straight to the nearest recycling plant—several times—without even making a pretense of delivery. "


The anti-Catholic newspaper is still committing fraud and of course, the innocent will suffer- layouts will be announced within the next couple of weeks. With Jimmy Breslin thankfully gone, perhaps Newsday should actually consider dropping the bias and the bigotry, particularly against Catholics. We make up the single largest group of potential readers on Long Island. I have a love-hate relationship with the paper Bill Donohue calls the most anti-Catholic in the nation. The paper is far superior to the NY Daily News and the Post when it comes to well written articles and the amount of reading material in each issue. I try not to buy the paper because of the anti-Catholicism but I enjoy reading other people's copies each day. If Newsday would at least try to drop the anti-Catholicism they could easily pick up another 100,000 readers.

Why Dilbert is so true

Things I have heard from people in the workplace:

“The Catholic Church gave an award to John Gotti”

“I think the Pope molested children”

“Look at how many witches were burned at the stake in Massachusetts by the Catholic Church”

“The organist probably got a kick-back from the Church”

“The priest actually DROVE A CAR” (person was astonished that priests could own cars)

“I do clergical work” -she meant clerical work

“President Clinton was not impeached”

“I only care about myself”

“Black people were told to overpopulate the world by their ministers”

“Republicans are evil”

“Hispanic people beat their wives”

“You don’t need to be married to have children”

“The guy on the other team was scoring all kind of points, so when everyone lined up at the end of the game to shake hands, I punched the guy in the face”

“Irregardless” - he meant to say “regardless”

“Immigrants and blacks get all the good jobs and scholarships” - spoken by someone from Levittown- a town that originally did not allow African-Americans to buy houses and still is mostly white.

I had to blog this experience I just had but I can't decide on a post title -

Tell me again why the traditionalists are so off base...?
or
Maybe islamofacism isn't so bad after all....
or
St. Fido's Mass...
or
God help us all...


I attended Mass today not at my regular parish but one that is actually closer to me. During the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the priest asked to hear some "good news" from people. Someone mentioned it was their dog's birthday a few days ago and people applauded. This was just before we were asked to recall our sins so luckily I was able to ask for forgiveness for the various thoughts I was having.

Pro-choicers face reality of ultrasound pix

"Today's ultrasound photos come in 3-D and color. At 18 weeks you can easily discern fingers and facial features. At seven months, you have a fully recognizable human baby. It's so clear that even a man can see it."

Jihad This!


"As for the Muslims? they are merely doing their thing, in the footsteps of their prophet. There were no turbulent filmmakers in Muhammad's time, but there were poets, and some of them gave him as much grief as van Gogh apparently did to the young Moroccan. After the battle of Badr, as Muhammad scrutinized his prisoners, his eye fell fiercely on one al-Nadr whom he had never forgiven for captivating the audiences in Mecca with more entertaining tales. He was beheaded on the spot. In Medina Muhammad ordered the murder of Asma bint Marwan, a poetess who made fun of him in verse. Anticipating Henry II's outburst, Muhammad exclaimed, "Will no one rid me of this daughter of Marwan?" One of his followers duly did, that same night, stabbing her as she nursed her youngest child. One Abu Afak, supposedly over a hundred years old, criticized Muhammad in verse. The latter simply commented, "Who will deal with this rascal for me?" Abu Afak did not see the morning. The hatred of artistically inspired detractors was obsessive with Muhammad, and reflected in the Kuranic verdict that poets are inspired by Satan and have gone astray, possessed and no better than soothsayers."


Let's see if I can earn a fatwa:

The heresy of islam is disgusting, backward, evil, violent, anti-woman. Muhommad was a pervert who had sex with a 9 year old girl. Women in muslim countries are routinely beaten, molested, raped, and killed and the men who do these things go unpunished. Western countries should not allow any immigration from muslim countries if they want peace. Theo Van Gogh's murder is just the latest in centuries long violence committed by muslims. Muhommad was a violent, sick, child molester and no one in their right mind would follow him or his violent, disgusting writings.

"Van Gogh — an award-winning filmmaker, television producer and newspaper columnist — once mocked a prominent Dutch Jew, referred to Jesus as "the rotten fish" of Nazareth and called a radical Muslim politician "Allah's pimp."

So this guy insults Christians, Jews and muslims.... and guess who killed him?

"Dutch police have arrested eight suspected Islamic radicals as part of the investigation into the brutal slaying of outspoken filmmaker Theo van Gogh, prosecutors said Wednesday."

"This is Jimmy Breslin's last regular column for Newsday. He will write from time to time. "


Good riddance. Any talent this old drunk may have had did not last past the Carter administration. He was recently chastised by his editor for lying about what a minister said and his columns are some of the most bigoted I have ever read. It is too bad that he will still write from time to time (perhaps when he sobers up?) as I would have preferred never to have to see his angry, tired writing again. He hated Long Island and usually only wrote about NYC so there was no reason for Newsday to carry his column. I know Asian people will rejoice since Breslin was so racist he once called an Asian reporter a "yellow slant-eyed c---". Shame on Newsday for ever hiring this Archie Bunker type loser. Now he can spend the remaining years he has on this planet being angry at the Catholic Church, which he seems to blames for the death of his first wife and his daughter. I hope he gets whatever hatred he has out of him before he dies, but I also hope that it doesn't take too long.

I was reading Eve Tushnet's blog and clicked on the Peanuts strip she was sent. Once there I found the Oct. 30th strip featuring Linus in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Linus is the strip's theologian and this strip is a great display of prayer reflecting the anguish and impatience we sometimes feel in this "vale of tears".

Officials Believe 'Azzam' Is Gadahn

When people talk about Azzam the American or Johnny Walker the American taliban they always sound incredulous. They simply cannot believe how a young American could possibly hate America or Americans, or wish evil on its people. I don't understand how anyone can be surprised by this. In the 34 years I have been on this planet I have met very few Americans that were decent human beings. In the places I have worked I have met a few nice people while the majority of them have been two-faced, lying, conniving, greedy, selfish, prejudice, racist, violent people. I have seen people lie to get people fired, I have seen people hate others just for the way they looked, I have heard people express hate with impunity. If it were not for my recently re-discovered faith, I don't think I could have handled all this. As it stands now, my faith keeps me from hating my fellow Americans with the fury that these islamic converts do. Make no mistake, I love this country and doubt if I lived elsewhere the people would be much better, but it does make me wonder how anyone can be truly surprised that some who grew up here are so bitter.

Another Mepham -type football incident?

"Three Lindenhurst high school football players were charged with gang assault this week after beating up two former students last Saturday, Suffolk police said. Police and school officials identified them as Dan Doerler, John Pensa and Thomas O'Hanlon, all 17-year-old seniors."

"Doerler, of 329 N. Hamilton Ave., and Pensa, of 822 N. Greene Ave., were arrested on Oct. 27. O'Hanlon, of 320 Newark St., was arrested Oct. 28. All three were arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on second-degree gang assault and released on $1,500 bail. Two of the suspects have been suspended from school, and one has been kicked off the football team, Lederer said, declining to provide specifics."


I just got home and noticed this story on the web. Interestingly I had dinner with my girlfriend near Lindenhurst and talked to her about how I felt jocks get special treatment and tend to be violent people. I am very surprised one of these monsters got kicked off the team because usually the coaches, families, school and community all support football players accused of rape, murder, violence, etc... Perhaps the Mepham football rapists - Ken Carney, Phil Sofia, and Thomas Diasparra have changed things on Long Island by their getting caught and convicted.

On Sunday I attended Mass at another parish, St. Christopher's in Baldwin. During my returning to the Church process a few years ago, I attempted to find a nice Church in a nice parish with a nice priest celebrating a nice Mass. Actually I don't mean nice, I mean Catholic, meaning orthodox. I kept track of my parish-hopping and stopped after about 38 parishes, realizing that the one I grew up in was the best I was going to do. I occasionally will try other parishes along with the traditional latin Mass in order to "spice up" my Sunday. Going to St. Christopher's (again) turned out to be a good thing- the Church was traditional looking, with no side pews around the sanctuary, and the tabernacle was in the center on a high altar behind the "regular" altar. On either side of the sanctuary were Mary and Joseph, each in a beautiful side alcove. There was even a large, wooden baldacchino over the altar, with angels on top and saints (I think) lining the sides. This parish is to be commended for keeping their Church both Catholic and beautiful with no wreckovation in sight. The choir loft was (shockingly) used by the choir, who sounded good. The priest, Fr. McQuade, celebrated Mass just the way I likes it - reverently with no clowning. Prayers were offered for Bishop Christopher Cardone, a local son who was just assigned to be Bishop of Auki, Solomon Islands.

"The shooting deaths of a young couple in Queens — an apparent murder-suicide — may have been sparked by the woman aborting her boyfriend's child, his relatives said yesterday. "

Last night Bishop Murphy spoke to the Faith on Tap group I attend. He went around the room before speaking and shook hands with everyone, a big smile on his face. I have seen him do this before - he impressed everyone with his friendliness, humor, and down to earth manner. He did take some questions from the group but his answers were a bit general. For example, my question was about what the Church's response to attacks from muslims should be and he really skirted the issue. (Within two weeks of his installation here, 400 members of his flock were murdered by muslims.) Nevertheless, his talk was good and I suspect that he will have a good impact on the diocese over the long run. It is truly sad to see such an intelligent, orthodox and Christ-centered guy so vilified by the press, VOF, bigoted columnists, etc... For this long- suffering diocese, it is good to have a decent bishop for once.

As a Mets fan, and therefore a Yankee hater, I am very pleased to find Boston winning!!!! Nice to see those Bronx Boors shot down, and I hope that Boston finally wins the World Series. I like to think my support helped - I took a trip to Boston this summer where I got to see a game at Fenway, got beer spilled down my back, and participated in a "Yankees Suck" chant. Anyway, I hope this year will make up for the last 86 years, especially 1986 when my Mets beat the Sox in the most amazing World Series game ever.

Hartman pledges $4.4M for Parkinson's research

"Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, with a pledge from Msgr. Thomas Hartman's Foundation of $4.4 million over five years, is launching a research initiative focused on developing treatments for Parkinson's disease."

"None of the funding will be used for research involving stem cells derived from embryos, Hartman said. The Catholic Church is opposed to use of such cells, because an embryo is destroyed in the process. Stem cells taken from adult bone marrow or umbilical cords may hold potential, he said, and part of the research is exploring their value."

Secret Agent Man pointed me to Jimmy Akin's smackdown of the latest Bob Keeler article in Newsday. I read this of course, but never blogged about it because it was just the same ol' same ol'. Every day I read Newsday (I don't buy, just read it at work) and they always have an article, comment, editorial, or letter to the editor that is either anti-Catholic or an attempt to push a liberal agenda of Catholic Lite. Bill Donohue calls it the most anti-Catholic newspaper in the country, which is amazing. As far as reporters go (Carol Eisenberg for example) their articles usually contain an agenda, a slam, or a comment that shows the distain they have for the Church, the Pope, and the teachings. With editorials: Paul Vitello, Marie Cocco, Sheryl McCarthy are liberals who only like Catholicism when it suites their purpose (death penalty for example) but who display an ignorance and prejudice that is astounding (particularly McCarthy who is just plain dumb). The writer Ed Lowe is your typical "recovering Irish Catholic", in other words, the Church was just a place to go for rituals (baptisms, weddings etc..) but the Church should never actually teach the faith or even worse, expect people to live it. Jimmy Breslin is in a whole different category: he is an outright liar and bigot and should not be employed by a newspaper. (The fact that his writing is past its prime goes without saying.) Occasionally there is an article by Dick Ryan, an old and angry Catholic writer who spouts typical Catholic Lite stuff. Dick Ryan is more sad than anything else.

Which brings me to Bob Keeler. Keeler is the most knowledgeable of the Newsday staff regarding Catholicism, and he is a liberal Catholic, not lapsed as far as I know. His writing is typical of the America, Commonweal, and National Catholic Reporter variety. The fact that his writings shows up in Newsday is due to the fact that he is on their editorial board. A few years ago, he wrote a long series of articles on St. Brigid's in Westbury that covered the typical parish happenings over the course of the year. The fact that it cleverly pushed his agenda for the Church did not take away from the fact that it was a very good series. It was good enough writing that Keeler won a pulitzer and turned the series into a book. I believe that Keeler is on the Newsday editorial board for one reason: to serve as the token practicing Catholic on the staff. His rise to the editorial board coincided with his increasingly strident attacks on the Church, especially the orthodox wing. He sold his soul for a cushy spot on the board and that is why his writing bothers me more than a bigot like Breslin. Keeler is the Uncle Tom of Newsday for us Catholics. It is embarrassing and pathetic to see his writing.

Pure Evil, again in my hometown

"Prosecutors say Arena gave Glenn Brockwell Valium the day of his murder. After he passed out, Arena allegedly injected Brockwell with two lethal shots of heroin while her daughter and new boyfriend held him down. Brockwell's body was then dumped at the Massapequa preserve."

This was done on Good Friday, in the Jubilee Year.

It must have hurt the bigots at Newsday to print this article but there was no way for them to spin it:

Murphy needs no translation

"The Hispanic community at St. Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic Church in Huntington Station has been holding a Dia de La Raza (Day of the Race) Mass for 30 years, but yesterday was the first time they got a bishop to celebrate it.

Bishop William Murphy got what was probably one of the warmest receptions he's received since taking over the reins of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 2001, prompting two standing ovations and shouts of "Viva!" when another priest called out his name."

I bought DishNetwork in August of 2001 specifically so I could see EWTN. It has been a wonderful investment, especially since weeks after I got it all the local television stations were knocked out by fundamentalist muslims. My girlfriend has Cablevision which includes Telecare, the television station for the Diocese of Rockville Centre and a local public access station. I just happened to see an interesting show about the bias of Newsday on the local public access station. (We never see anything interesting on Telecare - it is mostly secular humanist type shows with almost no real Catholic content. I consider the network a complete waste of money and am glad it is not my money being wasted.) The interesting public access show was done by the American Family Association of New York, the local affiliate of the American Family Association. Several good Catholics that I have heard about but never met such as Frank Russo and Tom Dennelly were discussing the horrible anti-Catholic bias of Newsday. One thing they mentioned was that the former editor of the letters to the editor section (I don't remember her name) was very good at balancing letters in response to various articles and columns. She would make sure the letters were both pro and con and also that they represented a cross section of readers. Since she retired, the paper routinely publishes letters that backs up the paper's anti-Catholic and liberal bias. I have noticed that some of the most biased things I have ever read were letters to the editor - including the person who wrote in a major NY paper that he wanted Mel Gibson to "go away and take your piety with you!". Contrast this to the excellent discussions you can read in First Things. The Letters section is one of my favorite because whatever the letters say they are well written, respectful and cogent. (Yeeeeah I used cogent in a sentence!) The author of the article that prompted the letter is always given a chance to respond and this makes for an interesting discussion. I find that the letters sections of papers and magazines are sometimes the part I look most forward to reading. This is the closest thing to blogging in the "old media".

I just noticed that the Therese movie has grossed over $566,000 and is expanding to more theaters tommorrow. If you are able to see it - go for it! Although I was hoping it would be a better film, at least the movie is faithful and not horrible. Also, perhaps if we support this film, others may see potential profit to be made by making movies on Catholic themes.

10/19/04- Update: The gross is now $826,578.

Harasser of Mel Gibson is jailed for defiance

No, unfortunately this does not refer to Abraham Foxman or James Carroll. And speaking of Mel Gibson, he recently donated $10 million to two children's medical facilities. I wonder how those who attacked him will spin that one?

A car dealership blew up tonight, probably due to a natural gas leak. Finally I can link to an inspiring story from Long Island:

"It was inspiring, witnesses said, how people didn't run away after the explosion to save themselves.Instead they ran toward it to save others."

I wavered about posting on this silly article by a self-hating Irish guy, but Amy Welborn thinks it is important to discuss ...

A new anti-Semitism
By James Carroll

"new"???

"THE ORIGINAL sin of the Christian church, and the culture that derives from it, is contempt for Jews, a disorder that continues to infect religious belief and popular attitudes."

I attended Catholic schools my whole life and never experienced this disorder or this type of popular attitude. I have lived on Long Island my whole life, in a heavily Catholic/Jewish town and have never experienced this either.

"Discussions of the contemporary resurgence of anti-Semitism focus on such phenomena as the anti-Jewish bigotry of many Muslim preachers or the ready leap from criticism of Israeli policies toward Palestinians to an undermining of the entire project of the Jewish state."

That sentence is true: none of the discussions of the contemporary resurgence of anti-Semitism revolve around Catholics or Catholicism. Catholics are not, to my knowledge, strapping bombs to their chest to kill Jews. Nor are they blaming the Jews for September 11th as a leader of the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury did.

"But this year, a startling manifestation of foundational hatred of the Jewish people has occurred in the very heart of well-intentioned Christian faith"

I am beginning to think this guy lives on a different planet than I do, or that he wrote this while drunk. Based on my experiences with the Boston Irish, I am guessing the latter.

"When the blockbuster DVD of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was released a few weeks ago, the astounding appeal of an already hugely successful film was made clearer than ever. For many, this portrait of the suffering and death of Jesus is a powerful religious experience, despite its hyper-violence and despite a blatant portrayal of "the Jews" as Satan's allies in the murder of one revered as the Son of God"

It is hard to believe the huge success of the movie despite all that isn't it? Unless of course people did not see the portrayal this writer did. I would guess most people saw a state execution of a man and not "the Jews" working with Satan to murder someone. Then again, maybe most viewers were drunk when they watched the film?

"The film exacerbated problems already adhering in anti-Jewish Gospel texts by drawing on eccentric anti-Jewish "visions" attributed to a 19th century German mystic named Sister Anna Katharina Emmerich (1774-1824)."

So some parts of the Gospels are anti-Jewish? And I didn't know the anti-Jewish visions were attributed to Emmerich? I thought they were attributed to Brentano?? Maybe I was drunk when I read that somewhere?

"When the film was released last spring, Gibson's Braveheart sensibility, imposed on the memory of Jesus, was what disturbed, but now the question moves to the huge population of those who affirm that sensibility as their own. This is the background for the extremely worrying event last week, when, at Vatican ceremonies, Sister Emmerich was "beatified," brought to the threshold of sainthood."

Actually when the movie was released last spring most critics were disturbed by supposed anti-semitism but threw in concern about the violence for good measure.

"The nun is associated with "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ," a text out of the problematic Passion Play tradition, and the acknowledged source of some of Gibson's most lurid denigrations of Jews. ("The high priests were transformed into priests of Satan, for no one could look upon their countenances without beholding there, portrayed in vivid colors, the evil passions with which their souls were filled -- deceit, infernal cunning, and a raging anxiety to carry out that most tremendous of crimes, the death of their Lord and Savior.")"
"According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the "cause" of the canonization of this woman was initiated according to standard church procedures by the bishop of Munster in 1892. Why is the Roman Catholic Church promoting her to the status of "blessed" only now? Is the timing mere coincidence?

From what I understand, the cause was stopped because of questions about the writings and whether they were all her doing. I also understand there have been other causes that were stopped and then restarted recently. This Pope tends to push canonizations quite aggressively.

"More explicitly, why is the Vatican, in honoring this nun, affirming some of the most un-Christian aspects of the Gibson film?"

But that is not what they are doing. Or is this one of those questions that is really a statement? I don't remember any un-Christian aspects of the film anyway.

"Indeed, how can this beatification not be taken as a kind of post-facto imprimatur for "The Passion of the Christ?"

Well, it was explicitly said that her writings had nothing to do with her beatification, so I guess that is how. But if the Church is giving its unofficial okeedokey to the film, then good!

"And given Gibson's open disregard for Vatican II, with its firm repudiation of the "Christ-killer" charge, how can the church embrace this rejection of one of its own most important contemporary teachings?"

Gibson is a traditionalist so he must see Jews as "Christ-killers"???????????????????? He must find it very difficult to work in Hollywood!

"A reading of history suggests an unpleasant answer to these questions. In the 19th century, when the age of revolutions had alienated large numbers of Catholics from the church, many priests and bishops openly embraced the popular anti-Semitism of the day as a way of reconnecting with believers the church had lost. The most notorious instance of this was the Dreyfus affair, when the French church and many French people found common cause against a common enemy."

I don't see any connection ......?

"Reports had it last spring that the pope had approved the Gibson film, but those reports were disputed, and mainly the Vatican kept its distance, a detachment most bishops emulated."

The Pope "approved the Gibson film"? Is this guy really a reporter?

"In thus remaining marginal, alas, the Catholic church missed a major teaching moment, since "The Passion of the Christ" amounts to the most successful project of religious instruction in history. "

Correct! This is the second correct thing this guy has written!

"Instruction in a dark mistake."

Oooooook...

"But the beatification of Sister Emmerich suggests that Catholic leaders are taking an opposite tack now, replacing detachment with embrace."

No it doesn't, but if it did so what?

"Mel Gibson has made the visions associated with Emmerich a world phenomenon, and millions have experienced them as the height of piety"

Thanks be to God! I never thought I would ever see the day when Catholic things would be so widely experienced by people!

"Ignoring the potentially lethal consequences of such visions, are the leaders of an ever more defensive church attaching themselves to this perverse pop-culture success for their own parochial reasons? Does the beleaguered church glimpse its future in Mel Gibson?"

"Potentially lethal consequences" - This is what has been said for years now and the body count due to the film is still ZERO. (But as one commenter said, it is doubling every day). And the answers to those two questions are NO and NO. At most, this action by the Pope can be seen as yet another small olive branch thrown to traditionalists.


"This whole sad story suggests that we Christians -- we Catholics -- have barely begun to uproot anti-Semitism from our tradition. "

This is not a sad story and that sentence is a lie. And what do you mean "we" cowboy?

"And make no mistake, anti-Semitism begins here. Who could have imagined that, returning to square one of the reform, we would have to be insisting again that the "Christ-killer" charge against the Jewish people is a lie?"

We don't have to be doing that, only old, tired, drunk, self-hating morons like James Carroll are doing this.

Cops: Boy fatally stabs mom

Fight about girlfriend prompts attack after which 15-year-old takes her car, gun and digs grave for body.

A horrible story from our screwed up culture -the girlfriend is 19 - the argument was because she had spent the night. No word yet on whether they were having sex and if so - will the girlfriend will be charged with statutory rape?

I just added Sodakmonk and Crowhill.net to the bloglist. I have always tried to limit the list so I don't spend too much time reading blogs. I am already spending way too much time online.

Malverne resident mourns loss of fellow quadriplegic Christopher Reeve

"Malverne resident Steven McDonald visited Reeve in the hospital just days after the actor was injured. McDonald has lived as a quadriplegic for nearly 20 years; he was shot while on duty for the NYPD and has since forgiven his shooter.

McDonald says that those who may have lost hope found it in Reeve. And like Reeve, McDonald travels the world pushing others to live their fullest. One difference between the two, however, is that McDonald would prefer to see research only on adult stem cells, rather than embryonic stem cells, to help those with debilitating conditions."

"Would a 50-year-old “Prophet of God” Have Sex with a 9-year-old Girl? "

"YES" according to this fatwa issued by Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Center of North America. The questioner is "...trying to confuse his readers as if the Prophet was not married to this girl or married her against her will."

"Her maturity, knowledge, intelligence, and contributions during the life of the Prophet and afterwards all indicate that she was either an exceptional nine-year-old or must have been older than that. Whatever the case may be about her age, one thing is certain: she was a most compatible spouse of Prophet Muhammad."

We “orthodox” Catholics had better slow down! Catholics are starting schools meant to be thoroughly Catholic to combat the “Universities Formerly Known As Catholic”syndrome. This is a great thing, in theory and I am all for it, being the product of a University that was supposed to be Catholic. But I am noticing a trend, is anyone else? Fr. Fessio is booted from the University of San Francisco because he was too Catholic for the Jesuits. He starts Campion College right across the street to show them how Catholic education is done. It folds. Thomas Monaghan starts Ave Maria College and Ave Maria Law School in Michigan. The law school seems to be a success but the college has troubles. The Catholic philanthropist moves the college to Naples Florida but the people left behind in Michigan are not happy with the way the move was handled. Meanwhile, in Florida Fessio and Monaghan plan for a Church that looks more like a greenhouse. Catholics remember elementary science and realize greenhouse + Florida Sun = Baked Catholic Worshippers. Fessio announces the greenhouse plan was a mistake and it is back to the drawing board. Traditionalists in Pennsylvania try to start St. Justin Martyr but run into trouble when the sponsoring community of priests is exposed as corrupt. Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas Droleskey is planning Christ the King College (while driving around the country in his RV) because none of the existing schools are traditional enough. I want to see good Catholic schools succeed. I want to see them grow and become enough of a threat to the existing “Catholic” schools that they are forced to revert to being Catholic. But good intentions and lots of dough are not enough. These schools need to be good, academically and administratively. Please lets get our orthodox act together! This post was prompted by a fund raising letter packet I received today from Ave Maria University. The brochure is slick, and features idealized pictures of fully habited nuns, beautiful buildings and smiling students. I want to support Ave Maria and any other authentically Catholic schools but I am worried that these mistakes are going to be repeated. I hope things work out for the “new Notre Dame” so it will truly become as good as it could be.

Muslim Fundamentalists Attack Catholics Near Jakarta

What is it going to take to wake the world up to the nightmare of muslim fundamentalism?

Bad Priests, Bad Men


At Off the Record, there is mention of a Jesuit who died. He is quoted in his obit as saying that "The only thing wrong with that bloody Turk (who shot Pope John Paul II) was that he couldn't shoot straight". What a horrible, evil, nasty, hateful, vile, disgusting, cold, immature, and childish man. This reminds me of a priest of my diocese, still alive, who a couple of years ago publicly said he "can't wait for Mother Angelica to die". When I emailed him about this he admitted it was perhaps an overreaction, but quickly added that she overreacts to things too. This "priest" occupies a powerful position in this diocese. He belongs on the same ash heap as Kung, Shanley, Geoghan, Ritter, McBrien, and this dead Jesuit.

Therese and Ground Zero

Therese was no The Passion of The Christ. The movie makers wanted to capitalize on the appeal of The Passion and its "grassroots" way of marketing. They were smart to do this, but first they should have made sure to make a excellent film like The Passion. The music was nice, some of the scenes were beautifully shot, and some of the acting was good. People afterwards mentioned they would have liked to have seen her visions in the film. My girlfriend, who has a special devotion to St. Therese had this reaction: If she did not already know alot about St. Therese and had not read books on her, then she would have left this film wondering why she was a saint. I added that you wouldn't have a clue why she was a doctor of the Church either. I was glad to see a decent crowd in the theater in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and I wished the story had been a little better. Highlights would be the scene of Therese escorting an elderly nun down a hallway while listening to music in her head, the nuns putting together the Joan of Arc play, and the finale of the film which left some people moved. Overall, not bad but I wish the filmakers would follow the advice offered on the blog Church of The Masses: Make good films that would appeal to everyone! When I was leaving the movie theater I couldn't help but think: Catholics have the greatest and the most number of stories to tell. We could be pumping out dozens of great movies just on the Saints alone. We need to be able to tell our stories on film in a way that will appeal to anyone who likes a good story. Therese was a start, but only that.

After the film we stood in the lobby wondering whether to eat first or go to Ground Zero. We were by a giant window on the fourth floor when I noticed to our right was Ground Zero. We did not realize it, but the movie theatre was in the Embassy Suites building that had been damaged on September 11th and reopened in the middle of 2002. Since it was closer than we thought we walked over the pedastrian bridge and to one of the viewing areas. It is not as big as you might imagine. People were taking pictures like tourists and that made us feel a little uneasy. So did the tables with merchandise picturing the twin towers, etc.. I expected it to be like a giant memorial or something, but it is actually just a construction site. Just a big hole with trailers, dirt, and some steel and concrete. The giant ramp that descends into the pit is what I recognized first. There is an information booth with pamphlets and drawings of the future of the site which people were studying with interest. I don't find anything particulary good or interesting about the future site design. On the fence are pictures of the history of the twin towers and the attacks of September 11th. There is also the names of everyone who died at Ground Zero that day. The Cross at Ground Zero looked small but was the only thing that made me feel like this was a place of tragedy. The buildings around Ground Zero bore testimony to the day in a more real way. One giant building, probably 40 stories high, was completely covered in black netting. ( I just looked it up on the internet and this was the Bankers Trust building and was exactly 40 stories high- I found information on the area buildings by going into the Ground Zero Interactive Map at this site.) I just hope that when they rebuild the site, they will make sure to create a place where people can come to cry, to remember and to pray.

I will probably be going to see the movie Therese in Manhattan today. I am not expecting it to be great based on the reviews and trailer. Christians in the arts should take Barbara Nicolosi's exhortations to heart. Anyway, since we will be near Ground Zero I will go there - something I have avoided for 3 years.

I learned from Open Book that Toronto's new poet laureate is also a priest. I then found some of his poems - check out :

The Priest

The Science Masquerade

and especially Male Rage Poem

I love the internet (and St. Blog's) because I find stuff like this out there! In a way, I wish I had the internet in high school or college, but then again, I might have never left my room.

What does this mean: I like raunchy comedy –done correctly. I always thought Benny Hill was hilarious, was once a huge Howard Stern fan (now find him old and pathetic but still tune in), and I thought American Pie was a classic.

Am I immature?

A hopeless product of my culture?

A sinner who just can’t be good enough?

Stupid?

All of the above? Why do I find this stuff so funny?

Michael Davies, RIP

According to Kevin Tierney at Restore the Church, Michael Davies has passed away. I heard Mr. Davies speak at the last Latin Mass Magazine conference in Montvale, New Jersey. I purchased two of his books, Lead Kindly Light and Saint John Fisher which have mostly gone unread. He was sick at the time of the conference and I felt awkward having him sign my books but he graciously did it - although my polish surname was quite the job for him. I feel blessed to have met him and grateful for the work he did for the Church. I am still conflicted with regards to traditionalism, the Novus Ordo, etc.. but have been grateful for all traditionalists and what they have taught me.

Priest sues over hospital firing

"A Catholic priest dismissed as chaplain from Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola has filed a $12-million lawsuit against a patient's widow, Winthrop, the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre and Newsday.The lawsuit says the priest, Rev. Cajetan Uchendu, was fired unfairly after a patient's family accused the priest of refusing to administer last rites to Charles Miller, a leukemia patient at the hospital in March 2003. "

I personally know that this priest had previously gotten into trouble with the politically correct hospital chaplain staff for his being "rigid". It is too bad the Diocese did not back him up because, like most African priests he was orthodox, strong and manly. I believe him when he says he gave this man last rites.

The following letter to the editor appeared in today's Newsday (the anti-Catholic, circulation-inflating, dishonest newspaper). It was a response to yet another silly article by Dick Ryan, a dissenting Catholic wannabe:

"Dick Ryan ["LI Catholics hold the key to reforming the church," Opinion, Sept. 14] has entered the world of frenzied fantasy with his latest attack on Bishop William F. Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and other church leaders. Ryan thinks the bishop should sit down with a group - Voice of the Faithful - whose specific objectives include ousting the bishop and strangling the diocese and the parishes with it by denying financial support. That's like asking President George W. Bush to invite the Taliban into the White House.

Like all other Catholic associations, Voice of the Faithful has a right to exist and to express its views. But the notion that this group speaks for a large number of Catholics on Long Island is fanciful. If these people really want to talk to the bishop, they should put away their cudgels and acknowledge that their demand that the bishop resign and their call to parishioners to suspend all contributions to the diocese were mistaken. Acts of war do not generate an attitude of trust." [emphasis mine]

Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton

Editor's note: The writer is pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Lindenhurst


Tell us how you really feel Msgr! I am proud to say I served Mass as an altar boy for Msgr. Hamilton when he was living at our parish and working as the editor of The Long Island Catholic. Sometimes he would say a private Mass right after the 8 am Mass before he would go to work. We called him Superman because his face, jet black hair and black glasses made him a dead ringer for Clark Kent. Although he now has white hair he is still a super man, and frequently writes letters to Newsday and The Long Island Catholic. Msgr. Hamilton is one of the few great priests of this Diocese and should serve as a role model to the Young Fogeys here.

Gen X Long Islanders might want to check out the Faith on Tap session on Monday night. It is held at The Wantagh Inn starting at 7 PM. The topic will be "21st Century Women - Exploring the Prospects of Christian Feminism". Here is the poster for Monday night -

Sometimes I check out the SiteMeter to see who is linking to my site or what searches bring people to my blog. I found two articles from searches-

Someone searched for "catholic+church+in+saudi+arabia" and it helped me find this article on muslim persecution of Catholics.

Someone searched for "school scandals chaminade" and I found this National Review article from 2002 that mentions 3 of the priests and brothers that educated me!

"The Passion of the Christ," Jewish Pain, and Christian Responsibility:
A Response to Mel Gibson's Film

This thing just drives me crazy:

"Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ,” has now been released in DVD and video format for private use. This occasions deep concern among us...."

Why would there be concern when the movie became one of the most successful movies of all time? Suddenly there will be riots??

"we also acknowledge that many who see the film are honestly unaware of its anti-Jewish elements."

The writers of that sentence must be honestly unaware of the arrogance and condescension they have towards us stupid moviergoers.

" We do not mean to attack Mr. Gibson personally or to call into question any viewer’s faith. "

Which would set these people apart from many who previously attacked the movie.

"Passion plays have had a painful and violent impact on Jewish communities from medieval times into our own. "

I get the first part of this sentence, but when have Passion plays had an impact in our own times?? Have people been killed by anyone coming out of a Passion play lately??

"we must express our continuing concern about the effects of this film"..."Simply noting that antisemitic violence has not occurred gives us minimal comfort"

Well at least they admit antisemitic violence that many predicted did not happen. So why are they so concerned?? Are Christians blowing themselves up in order to kill Jewish people? Are Christians hijacking airplanes to kill people who support Israel? Are Christians listening to clerics denounce Jews from the pulpits? Are Christians teaching children that Jews are apes and monkeys? Are Christians making the news almost daily for killing those of other faiths? Are Christians taking children hostage and then killing them in order to create a Christian state?

Honestly it just gets tiresome to see such "concern" about what might happen to Christians who watch this movie when there is REAL antisemitism in the world. I can't stand it anymore - perhaps I need to go on retreat and do some T’ai Chi Chih or get some polarity therapy. Anyway the Catholic League responds to this garbage here.

From a reader (yes I have one!):

Holistic Fair

"At Our Lady of Grace Center in Manhasset on September 29, almost a hundred people treated their bodies, minds and souls to a Holistic Spirituality and Wellness Fair which featured almost 20 workshops led by professionals of massage, T’ai Chi Chih, reflexology, polarity therapy, nutritional counseling, yoga, and Pilates, among others."

"Although the center has been a retreat house since 1980, it wasn’t until five years ago that the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary decided to give it a more holistic flavor. “We realized that we have bodies as well as spirits,” said Sister Mary Dawson, a staff member at the center. “This is the adventure of the times: we are whole persons.”

Requiescat in Pace

NYPD Detective Patrick Rafferty, 39

NYPD Detective Robert Parker, 43

"The partners were slain when a career criminal allegedly grabbed Parker's gun and shot them in the chest in East Flatbush. "

Police find man they say carjacked vehicle in Massapequa with toddler inside

This is very close to home.

Newsday Drops Bomb, Falls To 18th Among Dailies

"Prepare for more surprises. Tribune's new figures for Newsday and Hoy regard the circulation numbers for the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2003 and the six-month period ending March 31, 2004. But the Press investigation suggests the fraud goes back more than a decade and that the newspapers' final circulation revision will eclipse even Tribune's most recent restatement. "

The Long Island Press is enjoying exposing the dishonesty and corruption at Newsday. I am enjoying this also. This paper is incredibly anti-Catholic and I am glad to see them fall. The only reason Newsday has the circulation it has is because it is a monopoly here on Long Island. There is no other daily paper and this island has a population of 2 million well-educated readers.

You know you are a Catholic Nerd when you spend 30 minutes on the elliptical machine at the gym because the TV in front of it is showing Robert George on CSPAN II. He was giving a speech at Ave Maria Law School and it was difficult to hear him over the booming music, but the speech was on politics and the Catholic Church. He is now doing Q & A.

HOLY OUTRAGE

"Under a new clause added to handbooks distributed last week at the archdiocese's 289 schools in Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island and upstate, students and parents must agree to not sue the archdiocese, their parish or school over disciplinary and academic measures such as expulsion or being held back."

This is much ado about nothing. At my Catholic high school students and parents have to sign a statement saying they read the student handbook. The handbook is sent to every student every year and unless they have that signed card the first day, the student would not be allowed to take classes.

A Catholic Blog for Lovers has an amazing picture of Notre Dame cathedral, freshly washed.

Grieving a fallen Marine

"In a homily during a funeral at St. Agnes Cathedral, in Rockville Centre, the Rev. James Williams lauded Winchester as a "real man," who demonstrated moral courage by backing up his convictions with actions, and not just empty promises."

"I liken his sacrifice to that of Jesus," said Williams, Chaminade's president, who was Winchester's religion teacher during the Marine's first year in high school."

"Those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say."

Pope John Paul II, September 12th, 2001

Muslims love to kill people don't they?

"In a chilling parallel to the Madrid train bombings, Muslim fanatics linked to al Qaeda set off a huge car bomb yesterday outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, killing nine people and wounding 182."

Palestinians: 15 killed in airstrike

"Israeli helicopters fired four rockets at a camp in Gaza City where they believed Palestinian militants were training, killing at least 15 people, Palestinian medical sources told CNN."

I used to support the Palestinians and still consider Israel to be illegally taking the land they lived on for centuries. However, when Palestinians danced in the streets on September 11th, any support I had for them disappeared completely. Now, I consider them to be just like any other muslims terrorists.

Stunned Russians observe day of mourning

"On Sunday, Channel One showed the detainee looking frightened as he was manhandled by masked law enforcement officers and swearing to Allah that he didn't shoot women and children."

Doesn't matter dude, even though I am sure he is lying. The death penalty is justifiable in this case and hope that it is painful and broadcast to all the muslim nations.

"Interfax said the alleged leader of the hostage-takers, an ethnic Ingush named Magomed Yevloyev, had not been found among the dead. Yevloyev is believed to be the leader of the strict Wahhabi sect of Muslims in Ingushetia."

The press is finally admitting this was the work of muslims. I don't think it would have taken so long for the press to give the religion of children-killers if they were Christians. Of course, Christians don't kill children in the name of Christ, or blow people up in the name of Christ, or hijack airplanes in the name of Christ, or rape 15 year olds in the name of Christ, or behead people in the name of Christ, or do suicide bombings in the name of Christ, or kill Olympic athletes in the name of Christ, or slaughter guys in wheelchairs in the name of Christ, or mail anthrax to people in the name of Christ.

Lt. Ronald Winchester, RIP

"A Long Island Marine who was a star football player at Chaminade HS and the Naval Academy was killed by a roadside bomb while guarding convoys in Iraq, his family said yesterday.
Lt. Ronald Winchester, 25, who had 93 people under his command, was only eight days into his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed Friday, his father said. "

It is almost that time of the year again when we remember when followers of the heresy of islam slaughtered thousands of innocent people in this country. Hopefully it will not be difficult to find a Catholic Mass offered for the hundreds of Catholics killed on September 11th.

Finally, a newspaper publishes the truth about terrorism in today's world:

"It is a certain fact that not all Muslims are terrorists, but it is equally certain, and exceptionally painful, that almost all terrorists are Muslims."

"The hostage-takers of children in Beslan, North Ossetia, were Muslims. The other hostage-takers and subsequent murderers of the Nepalese chefs and workers in Iraq were also Muslims. Those involved in rape and murder in Darfur, Sudan, are Muslims, with other Muslims chosen to be their victims.
Those responsible for the attacks on residential towers in Riyadh and Khobar were Muslims. The two women who crashed two airliners last week were also Muslims.
Bin Laden is a Muslim. The majority of those who manned the suicide bombings against buses, vehicles, schools, houses and buildings, all over the world, were Muslim."


This writing must be from a right-wing Christian paper right? No, it is from the pan-Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.