University of the Incarnate Word Student Shot to Death by Campus Police Officer

The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas is a Catholic school founded by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word.   It started out as a small all-female school and is now a large university with a very diverse student population. On Friday, a student named Robert Cameron Redus was pulled over by a campus police officer for allegedly speeding and driving erratically.  The police office shot Cameron Redus multiple times and Redus died.  This article from the San Antonio Express News quotes various people regarding this incident which I will break down in a different format:

Cameron Redus

• Honors Student
• "Dozens stood to speak about Redus. Nearly all invoked his outgoing spirit, helpful attitude and affection for everyone he met."
• " I don't think anyone understands how something like this could happen to someone like Cameron. It makes no sense.”
•  “He was one of the most level-headed people I've ever met. What I have heard is completely counterintuitive to what I have known him to be,” he said, referring to accounts of Redus initiating an altercation with the officer who shot him."

 
UIW police Cpl. Christopher J. Carter

• "As authorities investigate the shooting, one of the officer's former neighbors described him as having a confrontational personality.
  “He was mean,” said Hugo Bustillos, who now lives in the two-bedroom apartment near Fort Sam Houston where Carter, 38, used to live."
• Carter also had run-ins with at least one other tenant over Carter's dog before Carter moved away last year."
• “He exaggerated a lot,” Bustillos said.
  “He put a lot of false statements on us with our landlord,” Bustillos said. “He said we were smoking pot in front of our kids, but we were just smoking cigarettes.
  “He also made trouble for someone else and got into an argument with” management.
• "Over the course of Carter's eight-year law career in Texas, he has held nine jobs at eight agencies"

This is a horrible situation that cuts very close to home for me.  I just hope that justice is served for the Redus family and that all at the University are able to pull together to come to some sort of peace.

New Catholic Book

Accentuating the Positive - Robert Royal reviews Philip Lawler's new book - When Faith Goes Viral: 11 Success Stories on the New Evangelization from Alabama to Vladivostok. 

The book is a collection of essays on movements and organizations that are having a positive effect within the Church.  ETWN, St. John Cantius, Focus are examples that I am familiar with through various Catholic media, but the book also has examples of international groups that are new to me. 

Beneath Malta’s Beauty, a Tangled History

From the New York Times Travel section:

"Nicholas de Piro doesn’t look like a warrior monk. As the bespectacled grandfather padded around his 16th-century palazzo, pointing out curiosities like a gilded sedan chair and silver medical tools, he appeared more likely to offer me a cup of tea than slay anyone in the name of Christ. And yet that is the sort of thing Mr. de Piro’s order, the Knights of Malta (officially the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta), were known for in their heyday. Drawn from the most noble families of Europe, they left their homelands, took vows of chastity and obedience and dedicated themselves to fighting infidels. The order no longer wages war, focusing instead on caring for the sick and poor. Until I arrived at Mr. de Piro’s doorstep on the Mediterranean island-nation of Malta, though, I’d had no idea that the Knights of Malta still existed. 

 The history of Malta — actually an archipelago that includes three inhabited islands, just 50 miles south of Sicily — is peppered with violence and disorder. Today, though, it is hard to find a corner of the country that doesn’t feel peaceful and safe. Its crystal-clear, intensely blue waters make for some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Europe, while its beaches, rocky coves, arid hills and warm weather have long attracted northern neighbors in search of cheap sunshine. And yet not even 2 percent of visitors come from the United States. If you have seen it recently, it was probably in its role as a Hollywood stand-in for places like Athens (“Munich”) and Jerusalem (“World War Z”)"

Fr. Richard Novak, martyr

I never knew Michael Novak's brother was a priest who was murdered:

"Do you know young people looking for causes that would give their lives immeasurable value for the future? Before his violent death, young Father Richard Novak, CSC, started a movement that desperately needs the labors of a new generation.

My younger brother was murdered at age twenty-eight in Bangladesh, in the waning days of the 1964 Muslim/Hindu riots that left several thousand dead. It was January 16, not quite two months after the murder of John F. Kennedy in Dallas.

When the news was reported to Pope Paul VI, he exclaimed:  “A martyr!”"

2nd Sunday of Advent: 9 things to know and share

Read Jimmy Akin on the Second Sunday of Advent here.

Pure Evil

Police: Newlyweds lure man through Craigslist for thrill killing

"(CNN) -- It isn't that the man had done anything wrong to infuriate Elytte Barbour and his wife.

The couple -- married three weeks -- just wanted to kill someone together, police said.

And Troy LaFerrara, 42, happened to be the unlucky one.

The Barbours are accused of luring LaFerrara through a "companionship" ad on Craigslist, and stabbing and strangling him to death.

Barbour told police he and his wife had tried to kill others. But the plans didn't work out.

"He tells us that they intended to kill somebody together," Sunbury Police Chief Steve Mazzeo told CNN. "They tried to kill other individuals and failed. And this happened to be one that worked."

Read the rest only if you have a strong stomach here.

I often think that the muslim culture is sick, but perhaps the West, especially the US, is sicker.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Sound of Music’ and the Real-Life Maria von Trapp

"Tonight, NBC will broadcast The Sound of Music Live!, which is exactly what it sounds like: a live production of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein musical. Starring Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp, the nun who forsakes her religious calling to marry the man she loves so they can tour the world with their brood of singing children, the production is the first live television event of its kind in decades. The Sound of Music is a beloved family classic, but there’s quite a lot you may not know about the musical, the wildly popular film based upon it, and the real-life Maria von Trapp."

Read the rest    - this live event is being done from the former Grumman plant in Bethpage, Long Island.  This is where thousands of Long Islanders once worked, including those that built the lunar module that landed on the moon.  

When Santa Punched a Heretic in the Face: 13 Memes on St. Nicholas

"Listers, St. Nicholas was born in AD 270 and became the Bishop of Myra in Lycia (modern day Turkey). He died on December 6, 343 leaving a legacy that would grow into a strong and multifaceted cult. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of “Saint Nikolaos”. Although he is usually referred to as Sinterklaas, he is also known as De Goedheiligman (The Good Holy Man), Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas) or simply as De Sint (The Saint). His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. The actual feast day of St. Nicholas is December 6th.^"


Read the rest at St. Peter's List

Interesting Event in Massapequa

Who is The Venerable Father Anthony Vincent Gallo?

Tuesday, December 3, 2013
7:00–9:00 pm

St. Rose of Lima, Massapequa
Rectory Meeting Room

Presenters:  Bill Gallo, Nephew of Fr. Gallo
Michael Gallo, Grand Nephew of Fr. Gallo

Please call the rectory
to register – 798.4992
Coffee, tea, and Italian pastries
and cookies will be served.


Bill and Michael Gallo are among the three generations of nephews, nieces, grand nephews, grand
nieces, great-grand nephews and great-grand nieces of Father Gallo who live in Nassau County.
Their faith-filled and interesting presentation will provide a close-up and personal account of the
modern process by which a person may be declared a saint of the Catholic Church.
Father Gallo lived a life of physical and mental suffering dedicated to and joined with Christ’s
Paschal Mystery. He truly exercised the theological and moral virtues to the heroic degree as
proclaimed in the decree issued by Pope John Paul II on April 19, 1990, whereby Father Gallo
was declared “Venerable.”
All are welcome to attend the Gallos’ presentation, particularly parents and their school-age
children. 

For more information about Father Gallo, please visit www.fathergallo.com

St. Anthony’s relics coming to New York

From the Long Island Catholic:

"In 1263, St. Bonaventure discovered the remains of Saint Anthony of Padua. Now, to mark the 750th anniversary of this event the Franciscan Friars are touring with relics from the popular saint and invite all to join them at St. Catherine of Sienna Church, Franklin Square, on December 14.  The relics will be available for veneration on Dec. 14 from 3 to 9:30 p.m.  Vigil Masses will be celebrated at 5 and 8 p.m. with veneration before and after each Mass.  St. Catherine of Sienna is located at 33 New Hyde Park Rd., Franklin Square.

The relics of St. Anthony will also be available for veneration in Queens on Thurrsday, December 12th at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, 110-06 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills,  with Mass at 12:05 p.m., as well as other stops at churches in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx starting December 7. The complete schedule is available here."

With all this traveling around, I hope the relics don't get lost! Then what would you do?

Prepare the Way for the Comings of the Lord: Why We Celebrate Advent

Deacon Keith Fournier on Advent:

"In and through our liturgical seasons of the Church we are invited to mark our life journey on the road between the first and the final coming of the Lord by commemorating the great events of the Christian faith. In so doing, we can more fully incorporate them into our daily lives and build a Christian culture infused with their beauty. We also bear witness to the Truth of the Gospel as we manifest the beauty of its promise to a world waiting to be born anew.  
 
As Christians, we believe that all time is a gift, given by God. There is no such thing as profane time for a Christian. Time has been transformed by the Paschal mystery; the Incarnation, Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Coming Return of Jesus Christ. The Eternal One entered into human history. As a result, time has been forever changed, and so have we. Christ has come, Christ is coming and Christ will come Again!"

Six Tips To Help You Evangelize Lapsed Catholics

Ryan Eggenberger is a young convert to Catholicism and he presents some tips (six) on evangelizing lapsed Catholics:

"The story begins on a plane, as I have found myself spending many hours there recently. I think the Lord has been putting specific people in front of me because He knows that I’ll end up talking to them and hopefully convincing them to go back to confession. And I always ask for such opportunities which He seems to grant. That seems to happen, a lot! Praise God.

Last week, though, another opportunity seemed to present itself. A woman sat next to me – a tall, Australian woman – who was wearing a cowboy hat. I had to make a comment on the hat, because 1) she was the only person wearing a cowboy hat on the plane; and, 2) who wears cowboy hats on a plane? and, 3) I’m heading to Australia at the end of the month for CNMC13. So we’re practically best friends.

Clearly, this woman was interesting to me and has a personality that I wanted to know more about. I opened with a comment on the hat – “What a great hat!”

So we started with small chat. By takeoff though, only five minutes later while still taxi-ing, we dove right in. She inquired about the picture on a book I *by chance* had in my lap, face-up, pointed in a direction she could easily see. The book was Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory."

Christmas Schkatalata in Italian Brooklyn

From Regina Magazine, which is well done and free, comes this beautiful article by Camille Loccisano. 

"There’s no getting around it. As an Italian-American, my holidays have always included great food, especially at Christmas.

I grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn — a middle-class neighborhood which nestles like a small jewel under the Verrazano Bridge. In the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, it was home to many Italian and Irish immigrant families, and offered a harmonious life for one and all in our Catholic community.

At St. Patrick’s Grammar School, I can still recall the month-long Advent season, with the frigid December days leading up to the breathless excitement of Christmas Eve. In every comforting classroom at St. Patrick’s, the polished oak floors were warm beneath our feet as Sister Muriel Agnes taught us about the Advent wreath. My family attended 9 a.m. Mass every Sunday morning, and I sang in the choir – ancient Catholic carols about the birth of our Savior.

At home, there was a whirl of tremendous energy as we prepared for Christmas, centering on the person of Grandma Sue. When I was growing up, she lived in the ground-floor apartment of my parents’ home. Though she was the perfect picture of an old-fashioned Italian grandmother, Grandma Sue was not actually my grandmother. Nonetheless, she was like a grandma to me in every sense of the word."

To find out what Schkatalata is, click here to read the whole article.

Catholic renovation of Crystal Cathedral to begin

From the Sun Herald:


"LOS ANGELES — The former Crystal Cathedral will close to the public as it undergoes a transformation from a space built as a television studio as much as a sanctuary into the spiritual home for the Orange County Catholic community of more than 1.2 million people.

Beginning Sunday, the newly named Christ Cathedral will be closed for construction as crews launch a $29 million effort to restore the more than 75,000-square-foot space.

The Diocese of Orange has been working with liturgical consultants and architects to modify the church built in the vision of the Rev. Robert Schuller into one that meets the requirements of a Catholic cathedral.

"The beauty and inspiration evoked by the cathedral grounds and its architecture are only surpassed by the extraordinary communities of faith that now call this campus home," Bishop Kevin Vann said in a statement. "The cathedral will be an international center of faith and evangelization, a vessel for the love of God, a beacon of faith, a home for neighbor and traveler, and a sanctuary for the human spirit."

The bishop announced in September that two architectural firms, Johnson Fain and Rios Clementi Hale Studios, had been selected to lead the design process.

The architects said they want to create a sense of cohesion among a cluster of buildings on the campus, created by different designers with varying ideas. Their intent is to make it clear the campus is a spiritual place, welcoming to a diverse Catholic community as well as people of other faiths.

"You need to start those kind of experiences as you're pulling into the parking lot," architect Mark Rios said at the time of the announcement. "It shouldn't feel like you're at the mall. You're on a journey to a sacred cathedral."

Catholic scholars said the church has converted the temples of other faiths, and even secular spaces, into cathedrals. But in more modern times, the project stands as a rarity, as it is believed to be the first Protestant megachurch to become a Catholic cathedral, the primary church within a diocese."

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/27/5151126/catholic-renovation-of-crystal.html#storylink=cpy

Happy Thanksgiving

From Fr. Rutler:

"Looking toward Thanksgiving Day, there are countless causes for thanks, not the least of which is that our nation got off to a good start with so many honest people trying to establish a society respectful of God and his blessings."

"George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving Day in 1789.  He had not planned on being president, though he knew that many wanted him.  In 1783 after resigning his command of the army at a farewell in Annapolis, he mounted his horse and rode back to Mount Vernon.  When the American-born painter, Benjamin West, told King George III that Washington had given up his power, the general's old foe said, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." 



And from Brad Miner:

"Every fourth Thursday in November, We the People gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Of course, there are in this New Colossus some for whom the day is an affront: a few of “your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,/The wretched refuse” from wherever – but not like earlier immigrants. Now some are huddled off in the proverbial corner: folks for whom liberty is just a Statue. For multiculturalists it must be a sour day, because Thanksgiving is all about e pluribus unum; about one free people unified despite their grievances.

Even the people who would strike “under God” from the Pledge or remove “in God we trust” from our currency pretty much leave Turkey Day alone, because it’s our great secular holiday.

To be sure, prayers are often a big part of the Big Meal. My Presbyterian grandfather’s unvarying prayer was, “For that which we are about to receive, may we be truly grateful,” to which my thoroughly irreligious parents would give a hearty “Amen!”

Bishop Murphy is calling for days of Eucharistic Adoration across the Diocese continually from Sunday,
November 24th through Wednesday, November 27th.  Each Deanery has been asked to have at least one parish available for Eucharistic Adoration from 12:00 noon through 8:00 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

Listed below are the Parishes where Eucharistic Adoration will be taking place:

SCHEDULE OF ADORATION
November 24 - 27, 2013
* ‐ Exposition
** ‐ Benediction
Day Town Parish Time
Sunday Bay Shore St. Patrick 12:30 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
November 24, 2013 Bellport Mary Immaculate 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Cedarhurst St. Joachim 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
East Rockaway St. Raymond 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Farmingdale St. Kilian 4:00 pm ‐6:00 pm
Freeport Our Holy Redeemer 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Garden City St. Anne 1:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Glen Head St. Hyacinth 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm *
Greenport St. Agnes 11:00 am ‐ 3:00 pm
Hempstead St. Ladislaus 12:30 pm ‐ 3:30 pm
Hicksville Holy Family 2:00 pm‐ 4:00 pm
Long Beach St. Mary of the Isle 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Manorhaven Our Lady of Fatima 12:30 pm ‐ 3:00 pm
New Hyde Park Holy Spirit 1:00 pm ‐ 4:00 pm
Plainview St. Pius X 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Port Washington St. Peter of Alcantara 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Rockville Centre St. Agnes Cathedral 3:00 pm ‐ 4:45 pm *
Seaford St. James 12 noon ‐ 2:00 pm
Seaford St. William the Abbot 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Shelter Island Our Lady of the Isle 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Shoreham St. Mark 12 noon ‐ 4:00 pm
Southampton Our Lady of Poland 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
West Hempstead St. Thomas the Apostle 2:30 pm ‐ 5:30 pm
Westhampton Beach Immaculate Conception 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Wiiliston Park St. Aidan 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Monday Bellmore St.Barnabas the Apostle 12 noon ‐ 2:00 pm **
November 25, 2013 Bethpage St. Martin of Tours 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Bridgehampton Queen of the Most Holy Rosary 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Carle Place Our Lady of Hope 2:00 pm ‐ 4:00 pm
Center Moriches St. John the Evangelist 7:30 pm ‐ 8:30 pm
Deer Park Sts. Cyril & Methodius 1:00 pm ‐ 4:00 pm
East Islip St. Mary 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Elmont St. Boniface 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Floral Park Our Lady of Victory 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Freeport Our Holy Redeemer 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Garden City St. Joseph 5:00 pm ‐8:00 pm
Great Neck St. Aloysius 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Hempstead Our Lady of Loretto 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Hicksville St. Ignatius Loyola 4:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Inwood Our Lady of Good Counsel 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Levittown St. Bernard 12 noon ‐ 2:00 pm
Long Beach St. Ignatius 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Page 1
SCHEDULE OF ADORATION
November 24 - 27, 2013
Long Beach St. Mary of the Isle 9:30 am ‐ 9:30 pm
Massapequa St. Rose of Lima 2:00pm ‐ 4:00 pm
Massapequa St. Rose of Lima after 7:30 pm Mass
Mattituck Our Lady of Good Counsel 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Mineola Corpus Christi 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
New Hyde Park Notre Dame 12:30 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
North Merrick Sacred Heart 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Oyster Bay St. Dominic 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm *
Point Lookout Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 8:00 am ‐ 12 noon
Point Lookout Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Port Jefferson Infant Jesus 12 noon ‐ 4:00 pm
Riverhead St. Isidore 12 noon ‐ 6:00 pm
Riverhead St. John 3:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Roosevelt Queen of the Most Holy Rosary 8:30 am ‐ 7:30 pm
Sag Harbor St. Andrew 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Seaford Maria Regina 4:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Southampton Basilica of Sacred Hearts 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Uniondale St. Martha 9:00 am ‐ 9:00 pm
Valley Stream Holy Name of Mary 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Wantagh St. Frances de Chantal 1:00 pm ‐ 4:00 pm
West Babylon Our Lady of Grace 12 noon ‐ 9:00 pm
West Hempstead St. Thomas the Apostle 8:00 am ‐ 8:00 pm
Williston Park St. Aidan 12:30 pm ‐ 5:30 pm
Tuesday Babylon St. Joseph 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
November 26, 2013 Bayville St. Gertrude 8:00 pm **
Blue Point Our Lady of the Snow 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Brookville St. Paul 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
East Meadow St. Raphael 12 noon ‐ 2:00 pm
East Northport St. Anthony of Padua 12 noon ‐ 4:00 pm
Farmingville Resurrection 12noon ‐ 1:00 pm
Farmingville Resurrection 7:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Franklin Square St. Catherine of Sienna 3:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Freeport Our Holy Redeemer 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Glen Cove St. Patrick 8:00 pm **
Glen Cove St. Rocco 8:00 pm **
Glen Head St. Hyacinth 8:00 pm **
Hampton Bays St. Rosalie 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Hicksville Our Lady of Mercy 4:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Holbrook Good Shepherd 1:30 pm ‐ 2:30 pm
Holbrook Good Shepherd 7:30 pm ‐ 8:30 pm
Island Park Sacred Heart 3:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Lynbrook Our Lady of Peace 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Malverne Our Lady of Lourdes 3:00 pm ‐ 6:00 pm
Manhasset St. Mary 12:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Mattituck Our Lady of Good Counsel 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Merrick Cure of Ars 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Page 2
SCHEDULE OF ADORATION
November 24 - 27, 2013
Oceanside St. Anthony 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Oyster Bay St. Dominic 8:00 pm **
Patchogue St. Francis de Sales 7:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Point Lookout Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 8:00 am ‐ Noon
Rockville Centre St. Agnes Cathedral 12:10 ‐ 3:00 pm *
Roslyn St. Mary 8:00 pm **
Sayville St. Lawrence the Martyr 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Sea Cliff St. Boniface Martyr 8:00 pm **
Seaford St. James 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Seaford St. James 7:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
‐ Holy Hour‐ Rev. Msgr. James McNamara
Southold St. Patrick 12 noon ‐ 3:00 pm
Syosset St. Edward 8:00 pm **
Valley Stream Blessed Sacrament 12 noon ‐ 8:00 pm
Wantagh St. Frances de Chantal 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Westbury St. Brigid 2:00 pm ‐ 4:00 pm
West Islip Our Lady of Lourdes 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Williston Park St. Aidan 12:30 pm ‐ 5:30 pm
Woodbury Holy Name of Jesus 8:00 pm **
Wednesday Bayville St. Gertrude 12 noon
November 27, 2013 Bellmore St. Barnabas the Apostle 12 noon ‐ 2:00 pm **
Brookville St. Paul the Apostle 12 noon
Cedarhurst St. Joachim after 8:30 am Mass
East Patchogue St. Joseph the Worker 12 noon ‐ 7:00 pm
East Rockaway St. Raymond at the 8:45 am Mass
Farmingville Resurrection 12noon ‐ 1:00 pm
Farmingville Resurrection 7:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Garden City St. Joseph 9:00 am ‐ 11:00 am *
Glen Cove St. Patrick 12 noon
Glen Cove St. Rocco 12 noon
Glen Head St. Hyacinth 12 noon
Hewlett St. Joseph 9:00 am ‐ 8:00 pm
Inwood Our Lady of Good Counsel 6:15 pm ‐ 7:15 pm
Island Park Sacred Heart after 8:00 am Mass
Lindenhurst Our Lady of Perpetual Help 12 noon ‐ 2:00 pm
Long Beach St. Ignatius at the 8:00 am Mass
Long Beach St. Mary of the Isle at the 9:00 am Mass
Manhasset St. Mary 9:25 am ‐ 10:00 am
Massapequa St. Rose of Lima 6:30 pm Holy Hour
Mastic Beach St. Jude 12 noon ‐ 1:00 pm
New Hyde Park Notre Dame 11:00 am ‐ 11:45 am
Oceanside St. Anthony after the 11:30 am Mass
Oyster Bay St. Dominic 12 noon
Point Lookout Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal 8:00 am ‐ 12 noon
Port Washington St. Peter of Alcantara 11:30 am ‐ 3:30 pm
Page 3
SCHEDULE OF ADORATION
November 24 - 27, 2013
Rockville Centre St. Agnes Cathedral after 9:00 am Mass **
Roosevelt Queen of the Most Holy Rosary 8:00 am ‐ 12 noon
Roslyn St. Mary 12 noon
Sea Cliff St. Boniface Martyr 12 noon
Seaford Maria Regina 8:30 am ‐ 9:00 am **
Seaford St. William the Abbot 9:30 am **
Syosset St. Edward 12 noon
Wantagh St. Frances de Chantal 7:30 am ‐ 8:30 am **
West Babylon Our Lady of Lourdes 6:00 pm ‐ 8:00 pm
Williston Park St. Aidan 7:00 am ‐ 9:00 am
Woodbury Holy Name of Jesus 12 noon
Page 4

C.S. Lewis and Catholic Converts

Joseph Pearce points out the long list of converts to Catholicism that Lewis, a non-Catholic, influenced.

"On November 22, 1963, at 2:30 pm central time, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. An hour earlier, across the Atlantic, C.S. Lewis had died at his home in Oxford. A few short hours later, in Los Angeles, the English writer Aldous Huxley, author of the dystopian classic Brave New World, would also die. This strange and somewhat morbid coincidence would later inspire Peter Kreeft to write Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley."

...

"The great American literary convert Walker Percy, commenting on the numerous converts who had come to Catholicism through the writings of Lewis, remarked that “writers one might expect, from Aquinas to Merton,” are mentioned frequently as influences, “but guess who turns up most often? C.S. Lewis! – who, if he didn’t make it all the way, certainly handed over a goodly crew.”(1) Here is an overview of some of the “goodly crew” to whom Percy alludes, those who have been influenced on their paths to Rome by C.S. Lewis. As the present author owes his own conversion, in part, to the works and wisdom of Lewis, it is gratifying to know that he is but one of many whom Lewis led Romewards" 

See the impressive list of Catholics here.

What drove English and American anti-Catholicism? A fear that it threatened freedom

From The Catholic Herald across the pond:

"The English-speaking peoples spent the better part of three centuries at war with Spain, France or both. The magisterial historian of the Stuarts, J P Kenyon, likened the atmosphere to that of the Cold War, at its height when he was writing. Just as western Communists, even the most patriotic among them, were seen as potential agents of a foreign power, and just as suspicion fell even upon mainstream socialists, so 17th-century Catholics were feared as fifth columnists, and even those High Church Anglicans whose rites and practices appeared too “Romish” were regarded as untrustworthy. The notion of Protestantism as a national identity, divorced from religious belief, now survives only in parts of Northern Ireland; but it was once common to the Anglosphere."

The Pope & The CEO

Why entrepreneurship is not about profit maximization and untamed competition

with Andreas WIDMER, Director oF Entrepreneurship Programs at The Catholic University of America, and author of The Pope & The CEO: Pope John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard

Presented by Crossroads Cultural Center and American Bible Society

Nowadays, it is a common cliche that the world of business must live by its own rules, and that the first rule is the systematic and relentless pursuit of one's advantage, in a sort of Hobbesian 'war of all against all.' The implication is that success is more or less everything, and that all other concerns should not get in the way of the cold logic of business competition. Andreas Widmer is living proof that being a successful businessman does not require cutting off our humanity. On the contrary, our humanity can be our biggest business asset. Our desire to meet with others and to work with them, our need to build something beautiful, our faith in God: all these things are good for business, and are in fact necessary to practice enterpreneurship happily and successfully, especially in the long term. Mr. Widmer learned to be an enterpreneur by being, first of all, a human being, and his faith has played an important role in this process.

 The event is open to the public and free of charge.

About this Event

Date: Friday, November 22, 2013
Time: 7:00pm
Location: American Bible Society
1865 Broadway at 61st Street, NYC map

About the Speaker

Andreas Widmer
Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at the Catholic University of America, and author of The Pope & The CEO: Pope John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard

The “Fairy-Tale” Prince and the Five Surprises

I recently posted about the Mass being offered for Blessed Karl von Habsburg by the Canons Regular at St. Patrick's in Glen Cove.  Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the Mass, and I have not seen any pictures made available.  This was one of many Masses recently celebrated for this Blessed Prince, and now via Mark Shea, I found this great post detailing why he was Blessed and hopefully soon a Saint.  Go and read the entire thing as it is very edifying.

"Pope John Paul the Great beatified The Blessed Karl in 2004. The global campaign had begun in 1949 Vienna, Karl was declared a Servant of God in 1954 and one of the two officially-identified miracles needed for canonization has been recognized so far (several more claims are under investigation). His late widow, now The Servant of God Zita, received Vatican assent in 2008 through her abbey. Their power to inspire grows larger every year.

The Blessed Karl’s feast is celebrated neither on the day of his birth, nor his imperial accession, nor his death, but on his wedding day – October 21st – the happiest in his brief life."

Pray for the people of the Philippines

Pope calls for urgent aid to be sent to Philippines

"Pope Francis led prayers for people hit by a deadly typhoon in the Philippines and surrounding region, and asked that concrete aid be sent soon.

During the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square yesterday, the pope expressed his concern and prayers for the estimated tens of thousands of people dead and others affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated parts of the central Philippines over the weekend.

“I wish to express my closeness to the people of the Philippines and that region that has been hit by a terrible typhoon. Unfortunately the victims are many and the damage is enormous,” he said.
He asked the tens of thousands of people gathered in the square to join him in a moment of silent prayer “for these brothers and sisters and let’s try also to make our concrete help reach them.”
In response to the tragedy, Pope Francis made an initial donation of $150,000 for the relief efforts through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

The money, sent through the local churches hardest hit by the storm, was earmarked to support “assistance for the displaced and those impacted by the flooding,” the Vatican said in a written statement."

Four Days of Adoration on Long Island Begin Nov. 24

"ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Nov. 8, 2013 – The Most Rev. William Murphy, bishop, Diocese of Rockville Centre announced that the Diocese of Rockville Centre will celebrate the fulfillment of the Year of Faith and the continuation of the Diocesan “Belong More Deeply” evangelization initiative by a diocesan-wide and parish-based period of Eucharistic Adoration.

The Days of Adoration will begin on the Feast of Christ the King (Sunday, November 24, 2013). This is the day the Year of Faith will close. For the next three days, Eucharistic Adoration will take place in 96 parishes throughout Long Island. This powerful event will conclude on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 27, 2013.

During this time there will be Eucharistic Adoration taking place continually from 12 Noon through 8:00 PM Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in at least one parish in each of the 13 deaneries of the Diocese of Rockville Centre."

For the complete list of parishes holding this Adoration you have to visit the DRVC website and click the banner at the top.

Catholic Weddings

The Deacons Bench has a post featuring the wedding requirements at a parish in Cincinnati.  The requirements include some of the basics:  You have to do a communication inventory and meet with a parish couple 2-3 times.  You have to meet with the priest, and the musician and attend a retreat and a class.  In addition you have to perform 5 hours of voluntary service at the parish.  You must be a registered parishioner and pay $975, or if you are not a parishioner you pay $2000. 

As the deacon mentioned in his post, the requirements vary from parish to parish and from Diocese to Diocese, and some people simply give up and do not have a Church wedding.  I find some good and bad in  the above requirements.  The inventory and meeting a parish couple is good and the equivalent of our Pre-Cana program, which I find to be of good value.  I think the cost is too high, around here it was $500 when I was married 7 years ago.  I also find the voluntary service a bit much, since requiring it for a wedding makes it non-voluntary.  The ability to have a Church wedding is an expectation for a Catholic couple, not something they have to 'earn'.  I do believe it is important for Catholics to go though preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony but if the Church places too many obstacles in the way, couples will simply not bother. In this post Vatican II Church it is obvious most Catholics are only going through the motions of having a Church wedding, but making the path filled with requirements does not necessarily turn those couples into faithful Christians.

Mass for Bereaved Parents

St. Rose of Lima Church in Massapequa will have a Mass for Bereaved parents and families who have suffered the loss of a child:

Wednesday, November 13, 2013
7:30 PM in the Church

All are invited

The Bones of St. Peter

How Does the Vatican Know That Those Old Bones Are the Relics of St. Peter?

Earlier I posted about the Vatican putting the bones of St. Peter on display for veneration for the first time ever.  Kathy Schiffer at Seasons of Grace offers some detail behind those bones:

"The Church has had a long tradition that St. Peter’s Basilica, construction of which was funded by the Emperor Constantine, was built in the early fourth century atop the burial site of St. Peter.  But in 1939–less than 100 years ago–a team of workmen digging a grave for Pope Pius XI in the crypt beneath the Basilica uncovered what was plainly the top of a Roman building.  The new pope, Pius XII, ordered further investigation; and archeologists gradually unearthed a well preserved Roman necropolis, or city of the dead, immediately beneath the foundations of St. Peter’s.

In actuality, we don’t know with certainty whose bones those are.  There are strong evidences through history:  writings by early popes and kings, graffiti messages in the tomb, and the placement of the graves themselves.  The early Christians, it seemed, considered it a great honor to be buried near the remains of Peter, the first pope.  And DNA testing has confirmed that the bones are from a male in his 60′s who likely died in the first century."

Click the link at top of this post to read the whole interesting story.

This looks like a worthy event from the folks at FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic university students), click on the link below for more info:

 

Reach New York

FOCUS New Evangelization Prayer Breakfast

Friday, November 15th, 2013

:30 a.m. Mass & Rosary
8:30-10:00 a.m. Breakfast & Program

$55 per person
$35 for Young Professionals
$15 for Students, Religious & Clergy

 Church of Our Savior | Mass
59 Park Avenue | New York, NY 10016

Union League Club | Breakfast
37 East 38th Avenue | New York, NY 10016

Emcee:  Fr. Jonathan Morris

Father Jonathan Morris is the Program Director of The Catholic Channel on SiriusXM, 129 and the Campus Minister at Columbia University. He also serves as an analyst for the Fox News Channel, Fox Business Channel and Wall Street Journal. He has authored several books including: The Promise: God's Purpose and Plan for When Life Hurts and “God Wants You Happy: from self-help to God’s Help; in addition he will release next year “A Soul at Peace: Making The Serenity Prayer a Way of Life.” He is a priest in residence at Corpus Christi parish in Manhattan and serves as Chaplain to “The Christophers.” Keynote Speaker:   Fr. Robert Spitzer A Catholic priest in the Jesuit order, serves as the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center. He was President of Gonzaga University from 1998-2009 and significantly increased the programs and curricula. He has made multiple media appearances on Larry King Live, the Today Show, The History Channel, and multiple nationally syndicated radio programs. He has published 5 books, and is currently writing three, The Grand Designer: The Evidence for Creation in Modern Physics; Personal Happiness; and Jesus-Emmanuel: A Philosopher Examines the Evidence for Jesus. Fr. Spitzer also has a rewarding career in teaching, won numerous academic awards and founded seven national institutes.

Them Bones, Them Bones

Relics of St. Peter to Go On Public Display

"For the first time and to coincide with the end of the Year of Faith, the Vatican is to put on public display the relics of St. Peter. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, announced the Vatican’s plans in a Nov. 8 article in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

...

"The tomb of St. Peter is located in the Vatican necropolis – the so-called ‘Scavi’ – under the main altar of the Vatican basilica. It was excavated in the 1940s and after detailed testing, Pope Paul VI verified them as St. Peter's relics. The ‘Scavi Tour’ has long been a very popular attraction at the Vatican. The bones of St. Peter have always been kept in the grotto of the basilica and never placed on public display."

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/relics-of-st.-peter-to-go-on-public-display#ixzz2kCtssDZf

Pope meeting Putin, could help mend Catholic-Orthodox relations

"(Reuters) - Pope Francis will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 25, an encounter that could help mend strained relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Russian-Vatican relations have been fraught since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, with Moscow accusing the Roman Catholic Church of trying to poach believers from the Russian Orthodox Church, a charge the Vatican denies.
But Putin is the first Kremlin leader since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution to publicly profess religious faith - to the Orthodox church - and has several times advocated ending the long feud between the two major Christian churches.
Putin and the pope will hold their first meeting on November 25, a Vatican spokesman said on Thursday."

Read the rest here.

New Bishop of Rochester, New York = Salvatore R. Matano

Bishop Salvatore Matano has been named the new Bishop of Rochester

Congratulations to our long suffering neighbors to the north!  The Diocese of Rochester has had terrible leadership for decades (see the blog Cleansing Fire for all the gory details) and now they will finally have some new hope for better times.  Now, if the capitol area can get new leadership, upstate will really be looking up. 

Reverend Msgr. Lawrence F. Ballweg, 97

RIP

I saw on the website of the DRVC that this priest died at the age of 97.  I had never heard of him and was intrigued by his long life, so I googled.  It turns out that he was the priest who testified at the hearings looking into the behavior of the IRS back in 1997.  This was the hearing regarding the IRS' treatment of citizens, not the IRS's treatment of certain non profit groups that was exposed recently.  My favorite quote (I highlighted it below) from Father is from this Chicago Tribune article:  Traumatized By The Irs - 

"They're phantoms," testified Rev. Lawrence Ballweg, a Catholic priest who dealt with the IRS while administering the trust established by his now-deceased mother to benefit the poor. "Nobody ever signs anything."
The IRS threatened to seize his bank account, car and other property before Ballweg straightened out what should have been a simple error. "They made no effort to help me at all," he said. "If I had treated people like that when I was a pastor, my pews would have been empty."

The Power of the Religious Habit: A True Story

"Even though she is barely five feet tall, Sister Z drew everyone's attention when she entered the large visiting room of Greensville Prison.  It was as if a rock star had arrived.  All eyes were drawn to her, and each person's face held a slightly different expression.  Some quickly looked away as if ashamed, others smiled, and some kept staring like little children.  I suppose this is similar to what we will experience at the final judgment when we see Christ, face-to-face, instead of hidden in his representatives here on earth. 

 Their reaction was due to one small detail:  Sister Z wore her religious habit.  It is ironic that many nuns have given up their traditional habit in order to be more conformed to the world.  Perhaps, they have rejected the habit to stress their individuality, but God saves a community of people, not just individuals.  From the looks on people's faces that day in the visiting room, it was evident that Sister Z's habit conveyed to them something of the reality of the Incarnation, of the human linked to the divine, the subjective to the objective, the deeply personal to the institutional.  The habit suggested that she was grafted onto the Vine, the supernatural cause of all natural beauty, natural life, and natural power. 

Sister Z herself says that her habit is a daily reminder of her vow to God."

Read the rest to see the 'ordinary little miracle' that occurred.

How the First Christians Changed the World (and What We Can Learn from Them)

A small snip from this article by Fr.Michael Giesler that describes the unique community of early Christians:

"Above all, the early followers of Christ showed an understanding and kindness to one another and to non-Christians that astounded the ancient world—a world often constructed on power, money, and cruelty. Though there were noble pagans who believed in personal discipline and stoic acceptance of adversity, their virtue was based on human efforts alone and often led to a feeling of sterility and helplessness.

But Christian fortitude had a twofold source. First, Christians were aware of the grace that came to them from baptism, a grace which made them children of God and gave them a power not dependent on human efforts or lineage (cf. John 1:12). Second, they shared the conviction that no Christian was isolated from another and that all of them—whether rich or poor, noble or slave, educated or uneducated—were equally loved and valued by Jesus Christ. Together the communities formed what the Catholic Church would later call the Mystical Body of Christ, in which each member, no matter how small, had an important contribution to make." 

Year of Faith Lecture Series

At St. Joseph's Seminary:

The final speaker in the Year of Faith Lecture Series:

His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Sunday, November 24, 2013

at 4:30 PM

"Year of Faith and the New Evangelization" 

  

Timothy Cardinal Dolan is the Archbishop of New York and is currently the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He holds a License in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome and a Doctorate in American Church History from The Catholic University of America. Cardinal Dolan has also served as the Rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Louis and the Archbishop of Milwaukee. He is the author of numerous books, including Priests for the Third Millennium and True Freedom: On Protecting Human Dignity and Religious Liberty.

Magnificat - Hymns to the Mother of God From East & West

An Evening of Sacred Song
St. Jean Baptiste Church
184 East 76th St.
NYC

Monday, November 25, 2013 at 7:30 PM
Tickets - $25


Choirs from two local theological schools representing Eastern and Western Christendom will jointly present an a cappella concert titled “Magnificat: Hymns to the Mother of God from the East and West” on Monday evening, November 25, 2013, 7:30 pm, at St. Jean Baptiste Church, 184 East 76th Street, New York City. The Male Choir from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, of the Orthodox Church in America, will join with a Schola from St. Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, in praise of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, who holds a place of honor in both traditions.
Music selections from the Orthodox tradition for the concert will illustrate the Eastern Church’s feasts dedicated to the Theotokos (Greek for “Mother of God”), while music from the Roman Catholic tradition will include time-honored hymns of laudation to the Virgin Mary, taken from ancient chant and from the classical period up until modern times, such as O Sanctissima by Beethoven (1770–1827) and Ave Maria by Biebl (1906–2001).

Tickets are $25 for general seating, and may be purchased online. Limited tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to the concert.

‘Lady Alice’: Philosopher Alice von Hildebrand Honored by Pope Francis

I was extremely pleased to find this article:

"Cardinal Burke invested von Hildebrand as a Dame Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great, an honor Pope Francis bestowed on her Sept. 19. The investiture took place during a dinner at A CLUB in midtown Manhattan. The affair marked von Hildebrand’s 90th birthday and was held by the Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project, which seeks to disseminate the work of the German Catholic philosopher of the same name. Since Von Hildebrand's death in 1977, Alice von Hildebrand has devoted her life and work to promoting his thought.
Cardinal Burke, prefect of the Vatican Signatura – the highest judicial body in the Church – said in a keynote address that both Dietrich von Hildebrand, a professor at Fordham University, and his wife, who taught philosophy for 37 years at Hunter College in New York, faithfully carried out the role of Catholic educators in engendering in students the “listening heart” that leads one to the fullness of truth in the Catholic faith."

Documentary explores life and death of Catholic priest, a hero of Poland's Solidarity movement

"Gary Chartrand was on a pilgrimage in Poland when he learned about the life and death of Jerzy Popieluszko.

This was 2 1/2 years ago.

He was greatly moved by the story of the Catholic priest and Solidarity activist who helped empower the Polish people to rise up against communism.

“Why hasn’t someone made a movie about this man?” Chartrand said to a friend. “Why don’t [we] know more about someone who did something to bring change using non-violent resistance in the same way that Martin Luther King and Gandhi did?”

Read the rest at The Florida Times Union

Female Worker raped at NYU's Catholic Center

A horrible story from the NY Post:

"A 24-year-old worker at NYU’s Catholic Center was raped by a brute who forced his way into the building after stalking her for several blocks before dawn Thursday morning, cops said.


The thug, who pummeled the victim’s face and ripped off her clothing during the assault, also stole the woman’s pink tote bag and iPhone before running off, according to an NYPD source.

“The Cardinal and all of us are keeping her in our prayers,” said Joseph Zwilling, Director of Communications, Archdiocese of New York. “We are grateful that she was not more seriously hurt.”

Christians = most persecuted people on the planet

The Persecuted Church in India

 "Since 2008, the focus of Hindu terrorists has been in the jungle village of Kandhamal located in the state of Odisha (formerly Orissa).  Over 56,000 of the 117,000 Christians living there have been driven from their homes, with 6,000 of their houses burnt to the ground.  Three hundred Churches and holy places have been desecrated or destroyed.

The Christians are being persecuted not only because of their faith, as they are in Egypt and Syria, but because they refuse to renounce it and embrace Hinduism.  As a result, thousands of Indians, including priests, nuns, and ministers, have been sadistically tortured. Many have lost limbs; others have been burnt alive.  Over 100 have been martyred for the faith."

A Catholic Thinker reflects on Flannery O'Connor, one of my favorite writers:

The Mean Grace of Flannery O'Connor

"But don’t let the title of her stories, the bespectacled innocence of her photograph, or the reclusive, respectable life she led in the home with her mother fool you. Flannery O’Connor’s writing could be downright vicious and raw. Her characters are often crude, unkempt and ill-educated. Bereft of redeeming qualities and brimming with flaws, it is easy to repelled by them and the path their lives are taking. And yet, with writing that is so vivid, so animated, so…real, it is difficult to release yourself from its grip. So it is at this time, with her reader duly ensnared, that Flannery unleashes her power"

The Rabbi Who Spoke to Rome

From the NY Post, a column about Pope Benedict's Creative Minority:

"Did you hear the one about the rabbi, the pope and the humanist?

You did if you were at the Union League Club Monday evening. The rabbi is Jonathan Sacks, the pope is Francis and the humanist is Erasmus. These names mingled Monday night in an address aimed mainly at Western Christians who find themselves outcasts in a civilization once dominated by Christian principles and Christian practices.

For these people, the first part of the rabbi’s message is bleak: The battle for power is over, and you lost.

The second half is more arresting: Don’t worry about it.

Precisely by losing power, the rabbi says, Christians might recover the prophetic voice our society desperately needs. By that he means a community of Christians who, by staying true to their faith without aiming to convert the larger society to their beliefs, become a leaven for society."

Ave Maria, Florida - a Catholic Town

Calah Alexander, blogger at the great Barefoot and Pregnant, is interviewed at Catholic Stand about what it is like to live in Ave Maria, the town founded by Thomas Monaghan.  It is fascinating because in listening to what she says about kids being able to play in the streets, borrowing from neighbors, and strangers introducing themselves to each other, I hear what Long Island used to be like to some extent years ago.  What was once normal for many parts of the US, is now considered strange enough that it has to be 'created'.  Ave Maria sounds like a nice experiment and I hope it works out well. 

"I think the overwhelming presence of children is the primary thing that makes Ave Maria remarkably different. Kids are welcome everywhere. No one expects you to leave kids at home, or if they do it’s clearly stated and childcare is usually provided. The town events are always family-oriented, there are high chairs in every restaurant, and no one freaks out at a breastfeeding mom or parent dragging a screaming toddler through the grocery store. That’s part of life. We’ve either been there, hope to be there, or wish we weren’t there. Sympathy and smiles all around."

Catholics Vs. Republican Vs. Democrat

This is a good take at Catholic Stand on how Catholics should avoid being too involved in particular political parties or ideologies.


"A recurring theme of my writing and speaking these past few years has been the need for Catholics to overcome allegiances to political movements, parties, and ideologies. We are called to shape our culture, or at least be a prophetic voice that is unattached to purely temporal causes. My assumption, based on my own journey, has been that there are many people who are serious Catholics with a real relationship with Jesus Christ but who simply have difficulty detaching themselves from the constant pressure of our polarized and politicized media culture.

I now believe that assumption is often wrong, and people like me are partly to blame. I have been reading Sherry Weddell’s Forming Intentional Disciples (truly, as Mark Shea says, the most important Catholic book of the decade) and contemplating with fresh eyes the hundreds of confrontations I’ve had online and in person with my fellow Catholics involving political disagreements. The problem is not too much politics. It is too little conversion and discipleship."

Jesuits selling Manresa retreat house on Staten Island

From the incorrectly named National Catholic [sic] Reporter:

"Manresa's highest hills offer unparalleled views of New York Harbor, including the Statue of Liberty and the new One World Trade Center building.

With such stunning beauty and breathtaking vistas, there is little wonder that the New York Province of the Society of Jesus managed to sell all 15 acres for more than $15 million cash to a Staten Island-based development company called Savo Brothers.

The sale took place secretly just months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged much of the coastline near Manresa. The Jesuits did not notify local residents or the community board of the purchase and only revealed the name of the buyer in May in a joint press release with Savo Brothers."

The Jesuits are also selling Inisfada retreat house here on Long Island, while the Passionists have sold their St. Gabriel retreat house on Shelter Island.  The Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn sold their retreat house right across from the arboretum years ago.  This is all part of the downsizing of religious communities and the Church in the Northeast. 

Another Long Island Dominican

The Marianist blog Into The Deep proudly points out one of their graduates has made her First Profession with the Nashville Dominicans:

"July 25, 2013 (Nashville, TN) –Twelve young women professed the simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee on July 25, 2013. Among those who made their First Profession was Sister Ann Thomas (Caroline) Bamburek, O.P., a former parishioner of Saint Hyacinth Catholic Church in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York.

Sister Ann Thomas is the daughter of the late Edward Bamburek and Mrs. Marlgorzata Bamburek, also a parishioner of Saint Hyacinth Catholic Church. Sister Ann Thomas is a graduate of Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale, New York and attended Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio before entering. She is currently studying at Aquinas College, Nashville, Tennessee in preparation for the teaching apostolate."

 

Fr. Pablo Straub

I used to see him on EWTN but never watched his programs, but I am shocked to learn he was a Long Islander -

Redemptorist Father Pablo Straub (1932-2013)

"CANCUN, Mexico — Father Pablo Straub, who regularly appeared on EWTN television and whose voice was heard on EWTN Radio, died Oct. 21 in a hospital in Cancun, Mexico.

A member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, colloquially known as the Redemptorists, and a priest for 55 years, Father Straub was easily recognized and well loved from the numerous series he hosted and the retreats he gave over the years.

“Father Pablo was a longtime host on EWTN and a friend to many of us here at the network,” noted Michael Warsaw, chairman and chief executive officer of the EWTN Global Catholic Network. “We feel a profound sense of loss at the news of his passing.”

It was easy to mistake Father Straub as having a Hispanic background. Born in May 1932 in East Rockaway, Long Island, at an early age he entered a Redemptorist seminary in the Hudson Valley in New York, and, while there, he learned Spanish from some classmates.

After he was ordained in 1958, he was assigned to missionary work, where he became proficient with his newly acquired language. His ministry serving the poorest of the poor took him to Puerto Rico for 20 years, then to the Philippines, the Andes Mountains of Peru and, finally, Mexico for more than 20 years.

Father Straub was active not only in Mexico, but also in the United States, giving missions and retreats frequently through his media outreach. He was a gifted speaker and was comfortable in front of a camera. Often, Father Straub would appear holding a large crucifix."

Read more: National Catholic Register

Death row diary offers a rare glimpse into a morbid world

CNN had an article on a death row inmate's blog, with posts by his sister.  I have a couple of problems with this blog - for one thing the top of the blog notes the man is on death row for a murder he did not commit.  This makes him sound innocent which he is not.  He was a career criminal who was involved in a robbery that left a man dead.  He claims he was not the one that pulled the trigger but does not deny being involved in the crime.  As a Christian I have some reservations about the death penalty but do not see a problem with it in limited circumstances.  When someone is a career criminal and commits a horrible murder with no question of their guilt and no extenuating circumstances I think the death penalty may be appropriate.  I am not sure if it is appropriate in this case, but I do have a real problem with this attitude:

"I understand there are usually about two dozen witnesses to these executions and I sometimes wonder about those who will be at mine, unknown, faceless men rooting for me to die, happy to see me breathe my last breath. I wonder about men who do not know me, have never met me, never broken bread with me and who know nothing about what's in my heart, who nonetheless are anxious, eager, happy to see me die.


It does not bother me, but I wonder if it will ever bother any of those men (and yes, it's almost always men, with their lust for blood; women seldom indulge in this), perhaps in their sunset years when they reflect back on their youth and wonder about their imperatives. I hope, for their sakes, that one day they will be ashamed -- or at least disappointed -- with their naked blood lust and will determine to henceforth set a better example for those following behind them."


First of all, the family of the victim certainly has the right to be eager to see him die, and he does mention that earlier.  But the reason so many are anxious to see a criminal die is because they usually care about justice and the victims.  For this criminal to try to take the high moral ground is extremely hypocritical - did he ever reflect back on his youth and his imperatives that lead directly to a man's death?  His sister is giving him a voice when his victim and his family has none.  She allows her brother to express publicly his reflections on dying that his victim never had the chance to do.  She makes her brother out to be a victim when he is not, but he did create and victim, and she is victimizing the family again.

The Church gets dotCatholic

At the blog God and the Machine, the implications of the domain .catholic going to the Vatican is discussed:

"It means that .catholic in all Latin and foreign characters (Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, etc) will be under the control of the PCCS, which will use them solely for official church institutions, diocese, and religious orders. That eliminates the problem of stblogs.catholic flying under the flag of the Good Ship Vatican without any oversight, but it does raise other questions.

The purpose of .catholic is to give the Church its own internet footprint. The effect of its official status, however, will be to convey a kind of de facto imprimatur on that site’s content. If .catholic is official, the thinking may go, then all that appears on a .catholic site may appear to be “approved.” I doubt the PCCS–or anybody–will be capable of drilling down through every potential .catholic site to make sure it’s clean of false material, which will likely limit the extent of .catholic. Will LCWR get a LCWR.catholic? That could be … problematic"

Solemn HIgh Mass (Extraordinary Form) in Glen Cove

Reminder:  The Canons Regular of St. Augustine will be offering a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at St. Patrick's Church in honor of Blessed Karl of Austria.

Monday, October 21, 2013
7:30 PM
St. Patrick's Church
235 Glen St.
Glen Cove

I would love to attend this but I doubt I will be able to make it up there, so if anyone takes pictures please feel free to forward them for posting. 

Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Over at Catholic Answers, Christopher Kaczor explains Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching.  Go to the link to read the whole article but I list the Seven here:

1. Respect the Human Person
2. Promote the Family
3. Protect Property Rights
4. Work for the Common Good
5. Observe the Principle of Subsidiarity
6. Respect Work and the Worker
7. Pursue Peace and Care for the Poor

Another home grown terrorist on Long Island

"To his Long Island family, Marcos Alonso Zea was an honor student, aspiring teacher and good Catholic.

To leaders of a mosque he visited, he was a young convert in a traditional gown who called himself "Ali."

To the FBI, he was a terrorist in the making, intent on joining al-Qaida and waging "violent jihad."

Zea, 25, grew up in Brentwood, raised by immigrants: a mother from Guatemala, Sandra; and a father from Colombia, Alvaro. The family, including Zea and several siblings, regularly attended St. Anne Catholic Church, his parents said.

After graduating from Brentwood High School in 2006, Zea took classes at Dowling College and Suffolk County Community College's Brentwood campus, where he earned a liberal arts degree in August 2011, officials said.

"He wanted to be somebody important in life," Sandra Zea said Friday in Spanish, referring to her son's teaching aspirations.

He completed a teaching course last December, she said, proudly displaying the certificate during an interview at the family's tidy home in a working-class neighborhood of Brentwood.

But Marcos Zea was also increasingly fascinated with Islam. Prosecutors say he converted in 2009."

Read the rest of this very sad story at Newsday.

Catholic dorms

Catholic dorms to debut at two secular universities

I am sure there are some positives and negatives to this idea.  The positives would include groups supporting each other in living a Catholic life, the negatives would be a 'ghetto' mentality.  It makes sense to me to do this type of thing because college is a very impressionable time and having a group to help you through it is valuable.   A great idea for higher education at Catholics schools would include the 'households' setup to foster a community environment at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.   



Closer to home there is a new community residence for young adults at the former seminary in Huntington:

WHO can become members?
Catholic Single Professionals between the ages of 22- 35 who:

• may be interested in deepening their faith.
• doubt whether they want to remain Catholic.
• want to learn more about the tenets of the Catholic Church.
• are looking for a challenge.
• are looking for a home.
• are looking for community.
• are looking to integrate faith in the workplace.
• are discerning God’s will for their lives

WHAT Can members expect?

• Daily Morning & Night prayer.
• Daily Mass.
• Regular access to Confession & Spiritual Direction.
• Adoration.
• Availability of affordable on-site masters programs from ArchNY
• Shared Meals & Fellowship
• Events meant to stimulate thought and discussion about the meaning of life/Catholic identity.
• Opportunities for ministry and mission work
• Flexibility and freedom around professional and academic schedules.

WHERE are we located? 

• Former Seminary of the Immaculate Conception – Huntington, NY
• 220-acre waterfront property
• Close to beaches and parks
• One hour east of NYC, close to Long Island Railroad

WHEN can I move in if accepted? 

• Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and include an interview. Once accepted, arrangements can be made for move-in.

WHY should I consider the Domus? 

• Pope Emeritus Benedict has called us to open wide the “doors of faith”, to re-encounter Christ Jesus and to solidify ourselves in knowledge and understanding of our faith
• Blessed John Paul II has called us to a New Evangelization, to go out and be the salt and light that our world, especially our Catholic brothers and sisters need
• Jesus Christ has commanded us to “Go out and make disciples of all nations…” In our often indifferent and misguided world, having community to strengthen us and temper us to be intentional disciples is needed more than ever.

Giant Statue of Jesus Christ Erected in Syria

Let's hope this will have a positive effect:

"A sculpture ensemble depicting Jesus Christ called ‘I have come to save the world’ has been erected on top of a 2,000-meter high mountain in Syria. 

The statue has been placed on a historic pilgrim route from Constantinople to Jerusalem, at the Cherubim Monastery in the community of Saidnaya at an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, the Moscow Spiritual Academy, which supported this peacekeeping project, said in a statement. “The ensemble with the blessing Christ in its center, seen from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel, is designed to bring peace, mutual understanding, and hope for common salvation to a region engulfed in the flames of war,” it said. 

 The warring parties suspended hostilities and were watching the statue’s installation, which took three days, it said." 

- See more at: Gateway Pundit

Archaeological dig reveals Franciscan mission on Georgia barrier island

From Catholic News Service:

"For Bishop Hartmayer, the trip had a twofold purpose. He wanted to see the mission site where fellow Franciscans first brought Christianity to the New World. As bishop of Savannah, he is now in charge of advancing the sainthood cause of the Georgia martyrs, five Spanish friars who were murdered by American Indians in 1597. Two of them met their deaths on St. Catherines, two near present-day Darien and a fifth on St. Simons Island.

In March 2007, Conventual Franciscan Father Conrad Harkins, then vice postulator of the martyrs' cause, took 500 pages of documents supporting the case for their canonization to the Vatican.

Thomas, who has spent more than 40 years excavating in the Southwest and Southeast, said the more he studies the missions, the more he becomes fascinated by the contrast between the missions in the Southwest and those in the Southeast. He has come to think of the Franciscan missionaries at St. Catherines as 16th-century "Peace Corps members."

"Basically there was an alliance between the church and the Indians that preserved the Indian culture," he said. Instead of forcing religion on the American Indians, the Franciscans brokered an agreement with them that kept the Indians' way of life while incorporating the teachings of Christianity.

"There is no way that two barefoot friars could have stood up to 300 armed warriors," had the Franciscans chosen a confrontational approach, Thomas told the Southern Cross, Savannah's diocesan newspaper.

The narrative about the killing of the priests, first written in 1619, has maintained that the friars were slain because they protested the fact that an Indian leader wanted to take more than one wife.

Thomas believes there was more to the story and that the five Franciscans were victims of a conflict between warring Indian factions fighting for power."

Stephen Colbert at the Al Smith Dinner

From the Christian Post:

"NEW YORK – Comedian Stephen Colbert cracked jokes at major Catholic figures such as Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and Pope Francis during Thursday's Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, which raised $3 million in charity for children.

Colbert, a Roman Catholic who teaches Sunday school, declared himself "America's most famous Catholic" in his opening remarks, according to The Associated Press, then turned to Dolan, the Archbishop of New York and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

"I know what the cardinal is thinking: 'Stephen, pride is a sin.' Well, Cardinal, so is envy, so we're even."

....
 
"Colbert further joked that Dolan had a chance to be elected pope when Catholic bishops were electing a new leader earlier this year at the Vatican, "but he blew it in the swimsuit competition."

The comedian also focused on Pope Francis, bringing up the humble and modest nature the new Roman Catholic leader has been praised for. He joked that if the pope had planned Thursday's dinner, "we wouldn't be in white-tie at the Waldorf - we'd be in sweat pants at the corner booth of the IHOP."

Whispers in the Loggia has the full audio.

ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH; MEMORIAL: OCTOBER 17

From the blog Into The Deep:

"Today Oct. 17, the Roman Catholic Church remembers the early Church Father, bishop, and martyr Saint Ignatius of Antioch, whose writings attest to the sacramental and hierarchical nature of the Church from its earliest days."

.....

"Ignatius' letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.” These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness."

Tablet Forum on C. S. Lewis

The writings of C.S. Lewis will be the topic of the next Tablet Forum to be held on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at Christ the King R.H.S., Middle Village.

The forum will feature the showing of the film, The Life and Work of C.S. Lewis, and a talk by James Como, chairman and professor of the Department of Performing and Fine Arts at CUNY’s York College, Jamaica.

He is the author of three books on C.S. Lewis.

Admission is by ticket only. Tickets are free and can be requested by sending an e-mail to ewilkinson [at] desalesmedia [dot] org.

Convent Fire was Possibly Arson

Possible Hate Crime, Arson in Staten Island Convent Blaze

"NEW YORK –– A convent and chapel in New York City were the site this weekend of a suspicious fire, which injured two nuns and four firefighters. Sister M. William McGovern, provincial superior of the Daughters of Divine Charity community on Staten Island, said the fires were “a true tragedy.”
“The historic portion of our home — with our chapel, sacristy, archives and provincial offices — was destroyed and is now a crime scene,” Sister William said.
Early in the morning of Oct. 12, firefighters responded to fires at St. Joseph Hill Convent and Chapel. According to multiple local news sources, Sister Regina Gegic and another older sister were staying in the building when the fire started. Sister Regina was forced to leap from the second floor of the building to escape the flames.
Sister William said Sister Regina “is in intensive care at Staten Island University Hospital,” with injuries sustained from the fall. The other sister in the building at the time of the fire was not reported to have been harmed."

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/possible-hate-crime-arson-in-staten-island-convent-blaze/#ixzz2hqXuhnHY

Bishop Daly, RIP

Bishop Daly passed away yesterday, October 14, 2013.  He was 92 and had been retired since 1996. 

Here is an article on him from a couple of years ago:

Bishop Daly:  Still Living the Gospel Call at 90

A Catholic for 10 Years

JoAnna Wahlund, a blogger (with a 1 week old baby) who converted 10 years ago reflects on what she loves most about being Catholic:

What a Difference a Decade Makes

Women's Conference 2013

Long Island Catholic Women's Ministry

Saturday October 19th, 2013
8am Registration
9am-4:30pm Conference


Seminary of the Immaculate Conception
440 West Neck Road
Huntington, NY 11743

All details can be found here

Solemn High Mass in honor of Blessed Karl of Austria