Thursday, August 26, 2004

MSGR. GEORGE A. KELLEY, RIP

"Msgr. George A. Kelly, one of the founders of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and a longtime critic of dissent in the church, died Aug. 13 after a yearlong bout with cancer. "

Msgr. Kelly wrote The Battle for the American Church and many articles in solid magazines. I saw him speak at Nassau Community College where he started his talk with the line "Sometime, after Vatican II, the Church went to hell" with perfect timing. He was at St. John's University in Queens for many years which should cut his time in purgatory considerably. Requescat In Pace.

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

If we have St. Blog's awards again this year I believe Sal Ravilla at Catholic Light will have the best parent-related and/or toast- related categories all wrapped up in this gem.
Sex-charge principal on the run

"The assistant principal accused of molesting teenage boys at a Manhattan high school has jumped bail and fled the country as more charges stack up against him, prosecutors said yesterday."


Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Robert David Lion Gardiner (of Gardiner's Island), 93 died yesterday RIP

I missed my chance to become the 14th Lord of the Manor!! This guy was eccentric, extremely rich, owner an island, saw his wife only occasionally, and had his own wing at his church. Typical Episcopalian :)
Muslim scholar denied U.S. visa

"Acting at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. government has revoked the work visa of a Muslim scholar who had been scheduled to teach at the University of Notre Dame this fall. Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who has been criticized for links to Islamic militants and for remarks branded anti-Semitic, was supposed to begin teaching on Tuesday, the first day of the fall semester."

So Notre Dame wants to spend its money by hiring an anti-semitic Muslim scholar? I am just glad it is not a Catholic school or this would be a scandal!


Monday, August 23, 2004

Yesterday I attended Mass at my local parish. I had considered going to the traditional Latin Mass but decided against it because I wanted to stay closer to home due to a family situation. There were two things I noticed that made me think I made a bad choice:

1) The Opening Prayer - one thing I love about the prayers of the traditional Mass is that they are so concise and pack a lot of theology into them. They are amazingly relevant to my life and the life of anyone struggling in this world. Instead, the opening prayer at Mass was weird and actually made me think that there was nothing Catholic about it -

"Father, help us to seek the values that will bring us lasting joy in this changing world. In our desire for what you promise make us one in mind and heart. Grant this through..."

With the exception of "Father" is there anything in this prayer that could not or would not be said at a Unitarian meeting or the United Nations?

2) The Voice of the Faithful have new tactics - they put a handwritten sign up in their windshield and park so everyone going into Church can see it. Also, the lectors for the past two weeks have been wearing their VOF button. It has a symbol with sort of a cross on it. They wear it like a political badge as they process up to the altar.

It is things like this that keep me wondering why do I go back? There is nothing like this at the traditional Mass, just prayer, very Catholic prayers.

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Saudi Arabia launching campaign to improve image in the United States

Let's face it: America had more reason to bomb Saudi Arabia than to bomb Iraq. They looked the other way for years while Al Qaeda was built up, they have taught hatred and racism in their schools for years, they allow no freedom of religion, women are second class citizens who cannot drive cars alone or vote. 15 of the 19 September 11th hijackers were Saudis. The wonderful writer and researcher Daniel Pipes can fill in more details about the Saudis -

The Saudis' Covert PR Campaign

Khobar Massacre: "Don't be afraid, we won't kill Muslims"

Make The Saudis' Pay for Terror



And some of my own research:

Saudi Arabia's religious police stopped schoolgirls from leaving a blazing building because they were not wearing correct Islamic dress (15 girls died in the fire)

The US State Department's Report on Saudi Arabia's Freedom of Religion (or lack thereof)

Who could forget- Saudi Religious Police Say Barbie Is a Moral Threat (This is real, not from The Onion)

But don't take it from me - check out the blog of The Religious Policeman from Saudi Arabia