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.