Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The Latest Church Scandals, The Latest Grand Jury Report, etc...

Cardinal McCarrick, Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Wuerl - they are all the same.  So many Catholics are asking what they can do, one thing is:  Do not give any money to the Catholic Church until they bring back ordination of married men to the secular priesthood.  Or simply do not give any money to it period.  Give Francis what he wants:  a poor Church.  

Monday, May 14, 2018

Police: Members of a family bombed 3 Indonesian churches

"Coordinated suicide bombings carried out by members of the same family struck three churches in Indonesia's second-largest city Sunday, police said, as the world's most populous Muslim nation recoiled in horror at one of its worst attacks since the 2002 Bali bombings.

At least seven people died at the churches in Surabaya along with the six family members, the youngest of whom were girls aged 9 and 12, according to police. Another 41 people were injured.
Indonesia's president condemned the attacks as "barbaric."
National police chief Tito Karnavian said that the father detonated a car bomb, two sons aged 18 and 16 used a motorcycle for their attack, and the mother and her two daughters wore explosives."

Wednesday, May 09, 2018

New Pastors Assigned

From the Diocese of Rockville Centre's website:


Bishop Robert Coyle - Pastor of the Good Shepherd in Holbrook

Father Gilbert Lapp -  Pastor of the Church of St. Frances Cabrini, Coram

Father Joseph Scolaro - Pastor of the Church of Notre Dame, New Hyde Park

All are effective June 27th.

Monday, May 07, 2018

Suspected Killer of Long Island Deacon Arrested in Memphis: Police

They caught the guy who did this horrible murder of a good Deacon, Patrick Lodgson RIP.

"The 70-year-old Logdson was the program manager at Anthony House, where he lived to serve others, people who knew him said. Patton was one of three people living at the home at the time; it helps those who struggle with drug addiction or homelessness." ....

"St. Vincent de Paul of the Diocese of Rockville Center, which ran the Anthony House, said in a statement in November: "Even at the time of his death, [Logsdon] was carrying out the Gospel message of caring for the poor as he has done faithfully for 33 years."
Weigel and Dreher and Parishes

I just listened to a short interview with the great George Weigel on the Catholic Answers Focus Podcast.  He discussed his newest book entitled The Fragility of Order (Ignatius Press).  Weigel mentioned disagreeing with Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option and proposed that rather than separating or retreating into intentionally set apart groups Catholics need to shore up the Dioceses, parishes and colleges that have always made up the Church.  This is interesting to me because I attended Catholic schools my whole life, but my child is attending public schools and just completed the first year of 'Religious Education' at the local parish.  My wife and I discussed the big difference between our having a religion class on a regular basis, in addition to religious activities and sacraments as part of the regular school day, and my child going to an 'extra' class one night a week after a long day of school and homework.   He will not get a fraction of the religious education as well as the contact with the Catholic culture (such as it was and is) that we received in Catholic schools.  When I started this blog I was not married and had no children so I could attend various intellectual, educational and spiritual programs but now, I would be lucky to attend one lecture somewhere.   It is the same for most people.  The parishes really are the places where Catholics will meet the faith and pass it on to the next generation (or not).


 Weigel also mentioned that rather than counting Mass attendance on a Sunday and comparing it to the same Sunday of the previous year, a better way of evaluating the vitality of a parish is in how many baptisms and weddings there are and how many adults enter the Church at the Easter Vigil.  This reminded me of another Podcast I listened to recently (The Untitled Catholic Podcast) where a local priest mentioned St. Patricks in Smithtown where 24 people received Sacraments at the Easter Vigil!!!

Friday, May 04, 2018

From the Knights of Columbus:

Long Island’s newest council is named after a young man known for his love of life and love of Christ

"Though Joe had high hopes of taking his First Degree, he never did. He died unexpectedly on Jan. 16, 2015, due to an enlarged heart.

But the legacy of this devout yet fun-loving young man lives on in the newest council on Long Island: Joseph Mario Reali Council 16261. A 2016 Star Council, it has attracted approximately 60 Knights since it was chartered two years ago.

Many of the members knew and loved Joe, whose life continues to inspire their mission. Louis Onglengco, 23, recalled looking up to Joe, who trained him as an altar server and helped him on the football field when they were growing up.

“I joined the Knights of Columbus to help the Church and because Joe Reali was a great role model to me,” Onglengco said. “I wanted to be just like him.”
FSSP Ordinations
 
"The priestly ordinations for the Fraternity of St. Peter will take place on Saturday, May 26th, 2018. Ten men will be ordained by His Excellency the Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in a Pontifical Mass to be held at the Cathedral of St. Cecilia in Omaha, Nebraska at 10 o’clock in the morning."



Speaking of Bishop Sample the Catholic Herald in the UK notes:


Video: Archbishop’s sermon praising Old Rite goes viral

 
"Young people are drawn to the Traditional Latin Mass by its “beauty”, “sense of mystery” and “transcendence”, Archbishop Alexander K Sample has said.

Speaking during a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, Archbishop Sample praised Pope Benedict XVI for the “great gift” of Summorum Pontificum – the document that allowed the traditional Mass to be more widely celebrated – and said the “reverence and sacredness” of the old Mass would enrich the Novus Ordo.

The Archbishop of Portland, Oregon also noted how many young people were in the congregation, saying: “You are a sign—a great sign—of encouragement and hope for the Church tossed about these days on the troubled waters of secularism and relativism. As they say: you ‘get it.’"

Saturday, January 06, 2018

You might have forgotten that in 2012  Pope Benedict XVI created the Personal Ordinariate of The Chair of St. Peter, but it is seems to be humming along quite nicely. 



IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA



Based in Houston, Texas, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter has more than 40 Roman Catholic Parishes and Communities across the U.S. and Canada.

  1. 1 Bishop
  2. 1 Ordinary Emeritus
  3. 70 Priests
  4. 8 Deacons
  5. 16 Candidates for Priesthood
  6. 5 Seminarians
  7. 41 Parishes & Communities
 

Monks of Tibhirine, depicted in ‘Of Gods and Men’, to be beatified

From The Anchoress (Elizabeth Scalia) who raves about the film.  I need to see this.


"The seven Cistercian monks of Tibhirine had been abducted in March 1996 in their monastery of Our Lady of the Atlas, 80 km south of Algiers. Their death was announced on May 23 by a statement from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). The heads of the Trappist monks were found on May 30, 1996, without the mystery of their death being fully clarified."