A Long Island Catholic

2011-12-17T20:06:00.002-05:00

Latin High Mass (Missa Cantata)

St John the Evangelist in Center Moriches

Dec. 27 & Feb. 2 (candlemas).

Starts 7:30pm

2011-12-04T09:52:00.007-05:00

Good Things in the DRVC

I am just not able to keep up with blogging - my wife and I had a baby! It would be hard to keep up with all the positive things going on right now in the Diocese of Rockville Centre even without feeding and diapering, etc.... Here are just a few:

Canonry of St. Leopold

It has now been four months since the Canons Regular of St. Augustine have come to DRVC. Check out this page to see what they have up to - please note they celebrate both forms of the Sacred Liturgy.

Seminaries Merging

The seminary program for the 3 dioceses of Brooklyn, NYC and Rockville Centre is merging together with the seminarians all training together at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers (called Dunwoodie for the neighborhood). Immaculate Conception seminary in Huntington will remain open for retreats, masters programs, and educating permanent deacons. This move was entirely expected and has mostly to do with practicality. With the number of seminarians in NYC, Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, there is no need for 2 or 3 individual seminaries. Of course, Dunwoodie has always had an orthodox reputation while Huntington did not. Overall, this will be a very positive move for seminarians, who will now study together with much larger groups at Dunwoodie and also in Douglaston, where pre-theology and undergraduate men will study. As reported all over the place, the number of seminarians is up right now so these kinds of moves are part of some very good trends within the Church.

Peter Kreeft

On the topic of Immaculate Seminary in Huntington - Peter Kreeft will be speaking there next Sunday:

"A Refutation of Moral Relativism"Lecture by Peter Kreeft

Sunday December 11, 2011 at 3 PM in the Seminary Auditorium

Pre-Registration is Requested

Please contact Beverly Malone in the Development Office

Phone: 631-423-0483 x102

E-mail: bmalone@icseminary.edu

2011-10-15T21:10:00.003-04:00

Bishop Murphy plans to reshape diocese

The above link is to a good article in Newsday on Bishop Murphy but does not include many details on how he will reshape the Diocese. I have said before I think Bishop Murphy has been a great Bishop and his 10 years have pushed or pulled the Diocese of Rockville Centre in the right direction:

Pushing Telecare to have more Catholic programming
Starting the Tommorrow's Hope Foundation for Catholic schools
Insisting parishes balance their budgets
Being much more generous towards the Traditional Latin Mass
Reforming the Pastoral Formation Institute
Encouraging faithful and orthodox programs
Overseeing some changes in the seminary

The DRVC did not at all welcome Murphy openly and many have been trying to block his efforts at leading us forward so it is amazing that Murphy has been able to get as much done as he has. The truth is so much more could have been done over these past 10 years but the Diocese had many entrenched people with very different ideas than Murphy and this has made reform tough. This Newsday article has a couple of revelations:

"Murphy said with satisfaction that the number of parishes running deficits is down to 24 from 83 two years ago." I wish the Diocese would publish this info somewhere, I think it is good to know the financial health of the parishes. Murphy was quoted once as saying the Church sometimes takes on too much and I totally agree. We have to be fiscally prudent and that often means cutting back and cutting out many things. We simply do not have the numbers of people and the money that was around in previous decades.

"The bishop also is weighing a shift at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. Starting next year, seminarians could be sent to St. Joseph's Seminary, also known as Dunwoodie, in Yonkers, leaving the Huntington facility as a pastoral training center for ordained priests and lay people." While it has been public knowledge for some time that the seminaries would form some sort of collaboration, this is the first time I have seen it mentioned that the seminarians would be sent to Dunwoodie. Overall, I think this is good. Immaculate Conception has never had a great reputation compared to other seminaries as far as orthodoxy was concerned and this might be just what is needed.

2011-09-27T21:17:00.004-04:00

Fr. Benedict Groeschel in Amityville

He will be at the StarFish CoffeeHouse & Kitchen

Join us for a meet & greet

Sat., October 1st @ 1pm

with Father Benedict Groeschel

author of

I Am With You Always

2011-09-19T20:29:00.004-04:00

Pope Names Bishop Peter A. Libasci as New Bishop of Manchester

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – September 19, 2011 – Pope Benedict XVI today named the Most Reverend Peter Anthony Libasci, 59, to be the new Bishop of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire. The appointment was announced in Washington, DC today by Rev. Msgr. Jean-Francis Lantheaume, Chargé d’Affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States. Bishop-designate Libasci will succeed Bishop John Brendan McCormack.

Bishop-designate Libasci will be installed as the tenth bishop of Manchester at Saint Joseph Cathedral on December 8, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Since his ordination as bishop on June 1, 2007, Bishop-designate Libasci has served as the Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Vicariate of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Bishop-designate Libasci is also bi-ritual and celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church.

This is great news for New Hampshire and sad news for Long Island. He is now the second bishop sent out from Rockville Centre in the 10 years Bishop Murphy has been our shepherd, the first being Msgr. Robert Guglielmone who is now Bishop of South Carolina. Which reminds me to congratulate Bishop Murphy on his 10th Anniversary as Bishop of Rockville Centre. He was installed just days before 400 of his flock was murdered and has done a wonderful job leading the Diocese.

2011-09-11T10:44:00.002-04:00

From Eternity Road - please read this post:

Ten Years After

"I've received a fair amount of email this past week, inquiring about whether I planned to write something on the tenth anniversary of Black Tuesday: September 11, 2001, when Islam openly declared war on the United States. Yes, I said Islam, not "terrorists," "extremists," or "fundamentalists." We have it on the authority of a head of state -- Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey -- that there is no "moderate Islam;" there is only Islam. Any number of imams, mullahs, ayatollahs and so forth have said the same -- and have proceeded to justify the atrocities of Black Tuesday as a response to the "humiliation" Muslims have endured at America's hands.

What humiliation? Daring to rise and progress out of the seventh century. Proclaiming a doctrine of individual rights beyond what their scriptures allow. Treating persons of all races, sexes, and faiths as possessing a perfect right to be as they are and believe as they do. Letting women read, drive, and go about in attractive clothing, unaccompanied by a male chaperone.

We "humiliate" Muslims and Islam by being Americans: believers in freedom, a secular state, and an objective rule of law and justice."

2011-09-11T09:46:00.004-04:00

9/11 - we will NEVER forget

And muslims continue to act like muslims:

4 terror suspects arrested in Sweden

"The head of the Swedish Security Service, Anders Danielsson, warned last week that "Islamic terrorism is still the biggest threat against Sweden."
...

"Stockholm was hit by a suicide bombing in December. The attack on the capital, Sweden's first suicide bombing, wounded two people in a district full of Christmas shoppers."
...

After the Stockholm bombing, Swedish Security Police said the country had almost 200 Islamic extremists who advocate violence, but said there was no indication their number is growing."

...

Swedish authorities are investigating involvement in radicalism by Taimour Abdulwahab, the weekend's suicide bomber.

His emails before the bombings said that one reason for the attack was Sweden's tolerance of Lars Vilks' newspaper cartoon of the prophet Mohammed as a dog, authorities said. Abdulwahab, 28 -- who had lived in Iraq, Sweden and the English town of Luton -- also cited the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan.

That cartoon of Mohammed, published in 2007, was also cited in the new report as an example "of local events that may fuel radicalism globally."

2011-09-06T22:04:00.002-04:00

This does not surprise me at all -

"A New Jersey mom still grieving the death of her beloved teenage daughter says she was ordered by callous bosses to quit discussing the child after co-workers complained -- and was even forced to yank the girl's ballet slippers and photos from her cubicle."
.....

"Two years earlier, Ingraham's daughter, Tatiana, 17, had died of leukemia, and shortly after, the devastated mom began decorating her desk with pictures of the child. She also kept on hand a pair of the girl's ballet slippers as a touching reminder. But Ingraham's co-workers whined that over the next two years, the married, inconsolable mom became an office pest with her tears and depressing attitude and that -- gasp -- it interfered with their work.

Ingraham's boss allegedly told her that he had received complaints about her conduct and her "uncomfortable" interaction with other workers.

One co-worker had even griped: "What else can we say [to her] that we have not said already?"

2011-09-05T10:51:00.001-04:00

Solemn High Mass

St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

235 Glen Street

Glen Cove, N

On the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, September 12, 2011, at 7:30 pm, the Canonry of Saint Leopold will offer a Solemn High Mass to honor Our Lady and to commemorate the 328th anniversary of the victory of the Austrian Imperial forces over the Ottomans at the Battle of Vienna on the slopes of the Kahlenberg.

The Kahlenberg (Bald Mountain) and its environs are the home to parishes and vineyards belonging to Stift Klosterneubur...g. During the Siege of Vienna in 1683, two Canons of Klosterneuburg played important roles: a Laybrother (Chorfrater) named Marzellin Ortner rallied the townsfolk to defend the Abbey and the town of Klosterneuburg; a priest, Dom Wilhelm Lebshaft, served as chaplain to the town’s militia. Keeping Klosterneuburg free aided in the Liberation of Vienna, which was made possible to a large extent thanks to the troops of the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski, hailed by the Pope as the Savior of Christendom in Europe.

The Solemn High Mass will be celebrated in the Extraordinary Form. The Prior, the Very Rev'd Dom Daniel Nash, will serve as priest, the Rev'd Fr. Matthew Kauth, as deacon, and the Very Rev'd Dom Elias Carr, as subdeacon. With appropriate ceremonies and fitting music, the liturgy should offer worthy worship to Holy Trinity.

2011-09-05T10:42:00.002-04:00

Canons Regular of St. Augustine

Amy Bonaccorso interviews the 3 priests who now oversee St. Patrick and St. Rocco in Glen Cove.

Part One

Part Two

2011-09-05T10:01:00.003-04:00

Incoming Missal!

The new Missal to be used at the beginning of Advent will be an improved translation for the most part. Although I prefer the current version in certain places, i.e. by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man, the 'cut and paste' job done after the Council is in great need of revision. Fr. Z at WDTPRS has hit the nail on the head with his continuing column looking in depth at the prayers of the Mass in their original latin, the literal translation, the current translation and in the new translation. He has shown clearly all that was taken out and all that was dumbed down and how much we are missing in these prayers. Overall, this is a giant leap forward for the 'reform of the reform'. I often think Fr. Z's column should be published in parish bulletins because these prayers are very important but probably very overlooked parts of the Mass.

Chant Cafe has a post: "Five Changes to Expect with the new missa l"

2011-05-25T11:02:00.000-04:00

11 New Deacons for the Diocese of Rockville Centre

2011-01-16T21:45:00.003-05:00

Dissent and the Catholic press

The above column by The Long Island Catholic editor Rick Hinshaw is excellent and reminds me how much I have enjoyed the Diocesan paper over the past year or so. The paper is no longer the milquetoast paper it once was but instead has slowly become more outwardly Catholic and orthodox, even proudly so. Here is a snip from the column:

"TLIC has always made room for letters expressing a wide array of opinions — on social and public policy issues, as well as on internal Church matters and worship — as long as they are not in direct conflict with the fundamental teachings of the Church.

There, it is true that we must make a distinction — because, as a diocesan newspaper, we are, first and foremost, a teaching instrument of the Church. Obviously, we cannot force — and would not want to force — anyone to believe what the Church teaches. But we do have a responsibility to offer our readers — whether they ultimately accept or reject what the Church teaches — a clear understanding of what it is they are accepting or rejecting. "

2011-01-03T21:43:00.003-05:00

Potential Hepatitis A Exposure at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Massapequa Park

"Today , the Nassau County Department of Health has notified the Diocese of Rockville Centre that those who received Holy Communion on December 25, 2010 during the 10:30 AM and Noon Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, 855 Carmen Avenue, Massapequa Park were potentially exposed to the hepatitis A virus."

2010-12-24T10:14:00.001-05:00

Priest's death stuns church community

Fr. Samuel Aririatu, RIP

2010-12-20T21:28:00.014-05:00

Most Holy Trinity - St. Mary Church, Brooklyn, NY

On Sunday afternoon I drove to Brooklyn to take the tour of Most Holy Trinity run by Urban Oyster. This parish was my family's parish from at least 1880 to around 1930. It was where my grandfather was baptized and where he married my grandmother. The parish merged with a nearby parish St. Marys some years ago. I was happy to see two things:

The parish is still an active parish serving Catholics in the area and not just a relic of 'time gone by'.
The parish Church was renovated but not ruined with many original parts of the Church refurbished rather than tossed away.

I recommend this tour highly - tour guides Cindy and Fr. Timothy do an excellent job giving the background of the parish and its importance in the community. MHT was a German national parish and Williamsburg was a heavily German area. The tour explored the whole Church, from the beautiful sanctuary to the bell tower (scary) to the crypt below. Cindy and Fr. Dore also went into some of the Christmas customs and the history behind some of the statues in the Church. The tour ended in the cozy rathskellar in the rectory. I hope to take the Brewed in Brooklyn tour that delves into the history of the German brewers in the neighborhood. (My family sold liquor wholesale so they did business with the local brewers). Below are some pictures from MHT - click to enlarge.

The facade - I did not even get the giant towers in so check out the extensive parish website for photos of them. The tops are covered in copper which was coated with brown material to match the rest of the towers. This was due to the towers literally falling apart.

The sanctuary with high altar - the top of the table altar is just visible.

Closer view of the high altar (where my grandparents wedding Mass was offered!)

The pulpit -
More pictures will be posted later. For more information on this great Church, check out the Tour of the Church page on the MHT website, which has to be one of the best parish websites I have seen.

2010-12-20T19:00:00.002-05:00

More pictures from Most Holy Trinity -

This one shows the Sanctuary from the triforium level (a cool hallway that goes around the upper part of the Church just underneath the high stained glass windows.

You can see the triforium level in this shot, it is where the spotlights are:

No Church is complete without gory statues - these are of St. Lucy (with eyes on a plate) and St. Rocco and they came from St. Mary's.

This is Fr. Dore in the Rathskellar, notice the beer steins and barrels in the wall above the fireplace -

2010-12-05T18:15:00.002-05:00

Holiday Tour of Most Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn

Urban Oysters is offering a Holiday Tour of this historic Church with the profits going to Trinity Human Service Center. I have my ticket already and can't wait to see the beautiful high altar and the authentic German rathskeller in the Rectory. This Church was a big part of my family's history a century ago and I am very happy that it is still a very active parish. The parish's excellent website includes a long history section with this description from a priest who visited Most Holy Trinity in 1843:

"The forenoon and afternoon service as here established by the custom and piety of the people, I must confess, is most edifying, The High Mass is a choral mass, all in Latin, sung in quartet by beautiful and youthful voices, lasting fully an hour. People here seem to be accustomed to long sermons; one can hardly be long enough. [ed. LOL] Vespers are sung beautifully in Roman Choral Chant by the whole congregation, who also sing the Ora Pro Nobis when the Litany is chanted. Benediction is given only once according to French custom, the people singing the responses in Latin, For this purpose they have special Vesper booklets with a German translation. Chanting is quite a favorite service with the people and adds not a little to the attraction and edification of the service.

2010-12-05T17:38:00.004-05:00

Actuosa Participatio

One of the most discussed liturgical principles is that of Actuosa Participatio - translated commonly as 'Active Participation' but which is more accurately translated as 'Actual Participation'. Vatican II called for actual participation at Mass but so did Popes and writers decades before the Council. I will never forget my shock at seeing the very first words of my father's 1943 Missal written in bold letters: Pray The Mass. I also noticed that I had to pray a lot harder at the traditional latin Mass than I did at the normal parish Mass. There are still some who wrongly believe Catholics at the traditional latin Mass are somehow not actually participating because there is more silence at this Mass. The fact is people actually participate when they listen attentively, pray the prayers and say the responses at Mass, whichever form of Mass they are attending. Michael P. Foley wrote about "Getting Active Participation Right" at InsideCatholic and ends with this insight:

"The bottom line, then, is that we should stop counting articulated syllables and ritual gesticulations and instead acknowledge that a true and actual participation in the august mysteries of the Eucharistic cult, regardless of the form of the rite, has more to do with a soul in devotion than a body in motion."

2010-12-05T10:46:00.002-05:00

Seattle's new bishop: No room for clerical error

The above link is to one of the most arrogant, small minded, ignorant articles regarding a Bishop I have read in awhile. I guess I should be thankful it is regarding a Diocese on the other end of the country. Here is a snip:

"He'll need to adapt to our way of doing business here: Everybody gets consulted about everything. Barriers get bypassed. St. James Cathedral has hosted burial services for an Episcopalian congresswoman (Jennifer Dunn) and a gay state senator (Cal Anderson)."

...

"But as many of us came here from someplace else, traditions were left behind. In his current posting as Bishop of Joliet, Bishop Sartain comes from one of the places we've left behind. "

2010-11-26T21:19:00.003-05:00

The Long Island Catholic confirms that The Canons Regular of St. Augustine will staff both St. Patrick's and St. Rocco's in Glen Cove. The 3 priests coming to the Diocese from Austria are American and the new pastor of St. Patrick's is a fellow Chaminade graduate.

"GLEN COVE — The Canons Regular of St. Augustine, a religious order of priests from Austria, will soon establish its first American house with three priests who will staff the parishes of St. Patrick’s and St. Rocco’s here starting next June.

Although the Canons are from Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, the priests who will live here are all Americans, two of them originally from the Rockville Centre Diocese."

2010-11-17T22:41:00.002-05:00

New Liturgical Movement blog reports:

"The Provost of the famous Augustinian Canonry of Klosterneuburg, Abbot General of the Austrian Congregation of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine and Abbot Primate of the Confederation of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, Rt. Rev. Bernhard Backovsky announced this Monday, Feast of St. Leopold, founder of Klosterneuburg, the happy news that the Augustinian Canons of Klosterneuburg are going to make a foundation in the United States of America. Three of the canons are going to take up residence in the diocese of Rockville Centre (NY) next summer and to be in charge of two parishes. "

I do not see any notice of this on the DRVC website but this note from the pastor at St. Patrick Church in Glen Cove talks about the Canons. St. Patrick is the oldest Church in the Diocese of Rockville Centre and happens to be the Church where my Irish ancestors were married in 1867.

2010-11-04T23:14:00.001-04:00

The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches: Restoration of Full Communion? A Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Exchange of Views

Friday evening, November 5,2010 @ 7:30 PM

Nassau Community College Center for Catholic Studies

Lecture by Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton, Ph.D.

Responses: Christopher Poulios, Ph.D. & Rev. Robert George Stephanopoulos, Ph.D.

2010-10-24T10:33:00.009-04:00

Catholic Bloggers Aim to Purge Dissenters

This NY Times article headline made me laugh, but overall it is not a bad article. My comments are in red:

"Pressure is on to change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it's not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new breed of theological conservatives has taken to blogs and YouTube to say the church isn't Catholic enough."

The NY Times is really up to date, this paragraph could have been written 4 or 5 years ago.

"John Allen, Vatican analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, has dubbed this trend "Taliban Catholicism." But he says it's not a strictly conservative phenomenon — liberals can fit the mindset, too, Allen says. Some left-leaning Catholics are outraged by any exercise of church authority."

Allen as usual is a fair liberal - this is a good point that many liberals fail to admit.

"The work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is another frequent target."

Is should be - there have been some things within the USCCB that were rightly criticized.

"The rise in lay conservative fervor comes at a time when the need for activism would seem less urgent. The U.S. hierarchy has seen a wave of retirements in recent years that has swept out leading liberals. The men taking their place are generally more traditional and willing to take a harder line against disobedient Catholics, from politicians to parishioners. "

This is true and a good thing. It also makes me wonder why some are still so negative - things ARE better today than just 5 years ago!

"Critics of the bloggers contend the activists are motivated mostly by politics, not theology. The blogs feature nearly as many attacks on President Barack Obama as church leaders. "

Another good point and one that I have made before. The President may not be another Reagan, but he also is not dumb, nor a terrorist, nor another Hitler/Lenin/Castro as I have read on Catholic blogs. I like Mark Shea's commentary on politics that best - he criticizes all groups when needed. He points out when people put their conservative or liberal ideology above Christian principles.

"Many of the conservatives most active online had spent years raising the alarm about dissent on their own in their local dioceses without much effect. Now, they feel they are finally being heard online. "

Another good point that is often left out of the criticism of Catholic blogs. Blogs were and are a platform where faithful Catholics can be heard, which was and is often not the case in parishes and dioceses. Then again, we need to be careful not to become 'sour faced saints', simply criticizing everything around us like the two old men in the balcony on the Muppet Show.

Speaking of Catholic blogs - the Catholic Blog Directory I created has been maintained by Andrea since I was engaged to be married. It has been around 5 years now and the directory has grown to over 2,200 Catholic blogs. I am glad Andrea has done such a great job and that the directory includes all types of Catholic blogs.

2010-10-18T22:36:00.003-04:00

Mildred Jefferson, 84, Anti-Abortion Activist, Is Dead

"Dr. Mildred Jefferson, a prominent, outspoken opponent of abortion and the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School, died Friday at her home in Cambridge, Mass. She was 84. "

..."In a 2003 profile in The American Feminist, an anti-abortion magazine, Dr. Jefferson said, “I am at once a physician, a citizen and a woman, and I am not willing to stand aside and allow this concept of expendable human lives to turn this great land of ours into just another exclusive reservation where only the perfect, the privileged and the planned have the right to live.”

2010-10-11T21:08:00.003-04:00

2010-10-11T21:01:00.003-04:00

From Newsday:

Nuns see orders diminishing on LI

"Sister Mary Loyola Engel is 102 years old and has been a nun for 80 years. She remembers when healthy numbers of young women entered her congregation, which founded the Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre.

But no one has entered the Congregation of the Infant Jesus in 40 years. The youngest member today is 61."

The story is not really news and of course the communities that wear habits, are faithful to the Church and do apostolic work together as communities continue to grow.

2010-10-11T20:31:00.007-04:00

Syro-Malankara Church welcomes new bishop

"UNIONDALE — Amid the blare of horns and the clanging of cymbals, Syro-Malankara Catholics from around the country rejoiced as they welcomed a new shepherd for their flock. At a ceremony at Bishop Kellenberg Memorial High School here, Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius was installed as the first leader of the newly-formed Exarchate for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States. "

The above snip is from The Long Island Catholic where Bishop Murphy's column also focuses on this good news. Relations with the Eastern Churches has improved over the past 50 years and hopefully this trend will continue. Here is the link to the website of the Syro-Malankara Church and Here is a quick clip of the Bishop being lifted up in a chair by priests - I wonder if more video of the Mass is available?

From Bishop Murphy's column:

"If on Sunday afternoon October 3, you had been at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale you would have witnessed a remarkable event. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict, responding to a request from the leadership of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, established a new exarchate or diocese for the Syro-Malankara faithful who live here and throughout the United States. At the suggestion of the Major Archbishop or Catholicos, His Beatitude Moran Mor Cleemis, the pope appointed a new bishop, Thomas Mar Eusebius, as the first Exarch or bishop for this Church who was given additional duties as official visitator of the Catholicos for members of the Church in Canada and Europe."

"Indian Christian tradition has long held that the Apostle Thomas evangelized India before being martyred. Thus India claims true apostolic foundation from Thomas as Rome does from Peter and Paul. The “Thomas tradition” has been carried through the centuries with a liturgy that is the same Mass as we have in the Latin Church. Yet the liturgy has its own forms of prayer and ritual that reflect the Thomas tradition and the Indian context that these Churches have lived for as long as there has been Christianity in that country. Through the centuries, theological differences brought about some divisions. Both the Syro-Malabar and the Syro-Malankara exist side by side. Both are eastern Syrian, similar in theological tradition to the Maronites of Lebanon, but each maintains certain particular characteristics. A great and holy Bishop, Mar Ivanios, brought the small group of Syro-Malankara back into communion with the pope in 1930 and thus we have today the flourishing Syro-Malankara Church in South India with this new branch of the vine of Christ established here on Long Island for all the United States."

Photo - MARY IAPALUCCI | TLIC

2010-10-02T08:41:00.003-04:00

RIP - Fr. Francis Keenan, S.M.

"Father Francis Keenan died of a brain hemorrhage Sept. 20. The Marianist priest, who had taught at Kellenberg High School since 1987, had a special place in his heart for the comic strip character "Ziggy," a nationally syndicated cartoon by Tom Wilson."

The above quote is from a News12 report on the students at Kellenberg High School who got Tom Wilson to send a Ziggy sketch in memory of the beloved priest. Before he went to Kellenberg, Fr. Keenan was at Chaminade for many years and was my Senior Religion teacher. After he moved to Kellenberg I enjoyed seeing him explain to people in a homily how he had to adjust to female students after all those years of teaching only boys. When a female student went to his office distraught over a bad grade she started to cry, and Fr. said he just sat there really scared, not having any idea what to do. Of course, he soothed her mind as he often did with all students. Students also created a Facebook appreciation page and there are some really nice comments about him. The official Marianist obit is here. He was a gentle soul and good Christian priest.

2010-08-30T20:54:00.001-04:00

Denis Dillon, A Pioneer in the Fight Against Organized Crime

From Jerry Capeci, the Gang Land expert:

"Dillon's appointment, however, came before the powerful racketeering statutes had been signed into law and was a full decade before the federal government formulated any semblance of a cohesive strategy against the Mafia.

"Denis was an effective, professional leader, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime," said Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis, who oversaw the federal government's organized crime section from 1969 to 1990 and is currently the highest ranking career attorney in the Justice Department.

In fiscal year 1971, the only year for which Gang Land could obtain data, Dillon's team of seven lawyers and 13 investigators convicted 116 mob-connected defendants of various crimes, more than any of the other 17 strike forces around the country back then."

2010-08-27T20:35:00.003-04:00

Amityville Dominican Sister named president of leadership conference

Here is a snip from this article:

"Richard Gaillardetz, “a Vatican II scholar,” spoke about “the creative tension (sisters might be experiencing) and staying in creative fidelity with Vatican II. He also spoke about the doctrines of the Church which, depending on where they hit us, can be very difficult. The challenge is not to be subservient and just do it because they said it, nor do we have the ability to just dismiss it because it doesn’t make sense to us. We grapple with the doctrine, we wrestle with it and we stay with it till we can answer, ‘What is it really saying to me?’”

Sister Mary Hughes will be president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the organization that encompasses most of the women religious. The other group of women religious, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, is smaller but the members are younger and their communities are growing due to their fidelity to Church teachings and religious discipline.

2010-08-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

Denis Dillon exemplified the faithful Catholic public servant

The above link takes you to a great column by Rick Hinshaw in The Long Island Catholic.

2010-08-22T21:33:00.003-04:00

Kellenberg alumnus takes final vows as Marianist brother

"UNIONDALE—Marianist Brother Daniel Griffin made his perpetual vows as a member of the Society of Mary at Bishop Kellenberg Memorial High School here on Sunday, August 8. A teacher at the school, the 26-year-old is also a member of the class of 2002."

Brother Griffin is now in the seminary preparing to become a priest. This is good news for the Marianists and for the DRVC. In other local vocation news, my wife told me someone we knew from Faith on Tap here on Long Island was interviewed on Oprah. At the time she would help out with FOT she was managing car dealerships but now she is a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor.

2010-08-19T20:11:00.002-04:00

Former Nassau DA Dillon remembered as man of conviction

"Days before former Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon would stand for re-election one year, Dillon's longtime friend Arthur Diamond offered him some unsolicited advice.

Stop hitting so hard on the anti-abortion issue, Diamond remembered telling Dillon, a devout Catholic. It's hurting you politically, he recalled saying.

Dillon paused, then said, "I love you, Artie, but I can't worry about this election. I have to worry about what happens to me long after this election," Diamond, now a state Supreme Court justice, recalled at Dillon's funeral Mass Thursday morning. "He was our great servant, but he was God's first."

The above article is from Newsday, here is the obit from the NY Times.

2010-07-11T20:58:00.003-04:00

Bob Sheppard, RIP

Bob Sheppard was my speech teacher in St. John's University and he was terrific. A real gentleman and good teacher. He was also a lector at St. Christopher's in Baldwin and a devout Catholic. He is most known for being the voice of that team in the Bronx - The Yankees, but I would never hold that against him. He died at the age of 99.

Via The Deacon's Bench

2010-05-23T20:42:00.004-04:00

Most Holy Trinity Church - Brooklyn, NY

I have recently begun to dig into my family's history and am actively working on researching my father's side. Most Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn plays a big role in the history. The parish was merged with another local parish St. Mary but it still looks like a large active parish. Today the parishioners are latino and polish but in my family's time it was a German parish. My grandfather was baptized in this Church in the same year as the author of the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The extensive website shows that much of the interior of the Church has been preserved - the high altar is the same as is pictured in the parish anniversary book I have from 1966. I hope to visit this Church someday and take some pictures, as well as the cemetery nearby where I imagine my ancestors are buried.

2010-05-07T07:42:00.007-04:00

Lawrence Taylor Charged with Third-Degree Rape in Rockland County

This should be interesting to see how the media covers this story. This writer points out the past behavior of LT and says his 'recklessness' has caught up with him.

2010-04-21T23:08:00.010-04:00

Pittsburgh Pictures

(Click to enlarge)

Here is a bad picture of the inside of St. Paul Cathedral -

And one of the outside:

And a statue of St. Joan of Arc in a back chapel:

Here is a picture from the Romanian room in the Cathedral of Learning -

The mosaic is of Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, who refused to recant the Christian faith and lost his own life and the lives of the male members of his family. Can you imagine having class here? The chairs are all hand carved - that beats cheap manufactured ones with gum stuck to the bottom.

And finally, this picture shows the brand new tire I bought at Firestone in Pittsburgh which lasted exactly 76 miles on the Pennsylvania Turnpike -

2010-04-20T20:49:00.003-04:00

Pittsburgh

My nephew had his First Communion this past weekend so I got to visit with family in Pittsburgh. Besides playing Wii with nieces and nephews I also got to see St. Paul Cathedral, which is beautiful. If you ever go to Catholic Churches and wonder where all the great high altars are - they are all in this Cathedral. The only site with some pictures I have found is here. I saw a bit of the nearby Heinz Chapel - there was a wedding going on but I managed to walk down the side aisle and glance at the stunning 73 foot tall stained glass windows. Like the Heinz Chapel, the Cathedral of Learning is part of the University of Pittsburgh. I toured several of the Nationality Rooms in this building. These are museum like rooms that are used as classrooms - you peek through peepholes to ensure there are no classes being held and then go in to examine the artifacts.

It wasn't all high culture though, I also sat in a bar and discussed Ben Roethlisberger with locals and watched someone who bit into a ghost pepper on a dare and then proceeded to freak out. Good times.

2010-04-20T20:17:00.000-04:00

Elderly Woman, 92, Become Nun

"Greek-born Chrystalla Petropoulou, of Long Island, NY has fulfilled a lifelong dream. At the age of 92, the Mattituck resident has become a nun in the Greek Orthodox Church.

The April 18, 2010 edition of Newsday reports that Petropoulou, seated in her wheelchair, officially became a nun on April 17, 2010 at the new All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery in Calverton, Long Island. Along with Elizabeth Brandenburg, aged 28, and Maria Kallis, aged 27, Petropoulou received a new religious name and a new black habit.The three women each had hair in the shape of a cross ceremonially snipped from their heads."

2010-04-09T20:57:00.002-04:00

ABC News Investigation: USA Swimming Coaches Molested, Secretly Taped Dozens of Teen Swimmers

"In a sex abuse scandal that some victims compare to what happened in the Catholic Church, at least 36 swimming coaches have been banned for life by the USA Swimming organization over the last 10 years because of sexual misconduct with teenagers they coached. "

Keep in mind this abuse occurred over the past 10 years while the majority of the abuse in the Church occurred decades ago. The leaders of the Church have apologized over and over again, while the USA Swimming executive director says:

"Asked if he had apologized to any of the young teen victims, Wielgus responded, "You feel I need to apologize to them?"
He added, "I think it's unfair for you to ask me whether individually or me as the representative of an organization to apologize for something when all we are trying to do is everything we possibly can to create a safe and healthy environment for kids who are participating in our particular activity."

2010-04-05T21:50:00.001-04:00

Holiday Cheer

"For reasons that require no elucidation, anti-Christian animus rises to its peak at two times of year: Christmas and Holy Week. The world's evangelical atheists, most of whom are insincere about their real target -- they rarely say a word against Islam -- begin to froth at the mouth around December 18 and Palm Sunday, and don't subside until a couple of weeks later. From their tirades, you'd think that millions of Christians had taken to the streets with whips, flogging everyone who wouldn't fall to his knees at the sight of a Nativity scene or a crucifix. To be maximally gentle about it, that isn't so. "

That is the beginning of an excellent Rumination by Francis Porretto at Eternity Road. Go read the entire thing. The Sunday Ruminations are my favorite part of this blog.

2010-04-03T09:34:00.003-04:00

Empty Tabernacle on Holy Thursday

When I attended Mass on Holy Thursday at St. Joseph's in Babylon, I was very surprised to see the tabernacle was empty, doors wide open, and the sanctuary lamp out. This was apparently correct. I believe this is the first time I have ever seen the tabernacle empty before Holy Thursday Mass - I have always seen it done after the Mass. Speaking of Liturgical stuff, I have yet to see veiled statues, does anyone know of any parish on Long Island that veils its statues for Holy Week?

2010-04-02T16:35:00.003-04:00

2010 Men's Conference - April 24th, 2010

at Holy Trinity High School, Hicksville, NY

The 2nd Men's Conference will be held with "Catholic Guy" Host Lino Rulli as the emcee. This year the cost of the ticket does not include lunch, which is a shame because the lunch last year was delicious.

2010-04-02T16:10:00.003-04:00

Triduum

Holy Thursday - I attended the Holy Thursday Mass at St. Joseph's in Babylon last night. Overall it would a good Liturgy in both Spanish and English. I like the way they alternated the two languages, first reading read in English but printed in Spanish in the booklet, second reading was the opposite. The priest gave his homily in both languages and the opening and post communion prayers were read in both. Their Good Friday service will also be bilingual, but I think it is unfortunate that they will have two separate Easter Vigils - 1 in the Church in English and 1 in a parish hall in Spanish. I think the Vigil should be the 1 Liturgy for all parishioners, however they can work that out.

Good Friday - Today I was unable to attend Good Friday service but I just tuned into it on Telecare. This is about the third time recently that I have turned on Telecare and heard beautiful chant from St. Agnes .

Easter Vigil - I am unsure what parish to attend this year, I would like to go to a parish I have not been to yet.

2010-03-30T19:45:00.001-04:00

New Long Island Blogs!

Ad Rem Salva Veritate

Faith, Fiction, and Flannery

2010-03-29T22:59:00.003-04:00

Why Do We Bother?

RosemarieDRE writes about complaints:

"In the last month, I have had complaints about catechists teaching that abortion is murder; complaints that we expect the children AND their families to actually attend mass; complaints that we are rigid (WHAT does that even mean?)...."

Click here to read the rest, and please pray for all DRE's and CCD teachers on Long Island.

2010-03-28T21:51:00.003-04:00

Our Lady of Lourdes School in Massapequa Park is closing in June due to very low enrollment.

This follows the closing of Corpus Christi school in Mineola. I am a big fan of Catholic schools, but it is simply too expensive to run as many schools as the Diocese currently has. The remaining schools need to be financially secure and thoroughly Catholic, or they should be closed as well. I do not like the idea of Catholic schools existing only for the wealthy but that has been the case for awhile now. If the schools are financially secure, then the schools can be available for all Catholics, especially with the Tommorrow's Hope Foundation helping out. There are three ways Catholics can focus on Catholic education:

1) Educating their children in the faith at home - obviously parents are the primary teachers of the faith.

2) Concentrating on Religious Education in the parishes. The overwhelming majority of young Catholics are educated in CCD programs - not Catholic schools. CCD needs to be more professional, more orthodox and more widely used especially at the high school level.

3) The remaining schools need to focus on passing on the faith to the young, rather than just providing an option for private schooling to wealthy Long Islanders. Lay Catholics on Long Island might start an orthodox Catholic school, perhaps using the Montessori model, in order to foster a truly Catholic environment.

2010-03-03T19:34:00.002-05:00

Ten Year Celebration of the N.C.C. Center for Catholic Studies

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

12:15 PM Luncheon
1:30 PM Introductions, Commentaries and Awards (Msgr. Robert Batule, Immaculate Conception Seminary)

2:00 PM "Sports in Contemporary American Civilization: A Catholic Critique" (William Thierfelder, Ph.D. President, Belmont Abbey College

3:00 PM "The Importance of a Center for Catholic Studies at a Public Institution of Higher Education" (William Donohue, Ph.D., President, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights)

3:45 PM Concluding Remarks

2010-02-24T21:03:00.003-05:00

I added blogs to the "Long Island Blogs" section:

Into The Deep - this is the vocation blog for the Marianist Province of Meribah

Burning the Candle At Both Ends - blog by a local Catholic

The Seminarian Sent Forth - a blog by a DRVC seminarian who describes various aspects of seminary life

2010-02-08T18:38:00.000-05:00

Nuns on Oprah

"Ann Arbor, Mich., Feb 8, 2010 / 02:52 am (CNA).- The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have made waves across the nation for their rapid growth and their devout orthodoxy. Now, they are once again in the national spotlight, being featured on the popular Oprah Winfrey Show.

“They phoned us and asked if they could do a program on us with Oprah. That's all we know!” Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP, vocations director for the community, told CNA in an email.

The show featuring the sisters will air on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. The same day happens to be the congregation’s 13th anniversary. The coincidence is “amazing, as they did not know this when they chose the date -- but God did!” exclaimed the vocations director. "

2010-02-06T09:39:00.002-05:00

Grant Desme, Body and Soul

The above link takes you to a Diocese of Rockville Centre 'blog' by Fr. Robert Ketcham who writes of the minor league baseball player who recently entered a seminary. In this post, Fr. Ketcham mentions how important EWTN was to his vocation. It is good to see that while those priests who bashed Mother Angelica and EWTN fade away, they are replaced by those priests who appreciate the nun and her network.

2010-02-05T07:17:00.006-05:00

Sacramental Gatekeeping

There is an excellent post and discussion on Sacramental Gatekeeping over at Creative Minority Report by a guest blogger - Erin of And Sometimes Tea. Basic summary - The hoops that Catholics need to jump through before they or their children receive the sacraments keep multiplying and it can be silly and challenging for good, solid Catholics. For example, parents of 6 children should not have to attend Baptism classes 6 times. These hoops are a result of the failure of Catholics to preserve, protect and pass on the faith over these past 40 years so it is understandable that parishes and dioceses are requiring something from Catholics instead of simply dispensing the sacraments like a divine pez dispenser. The post and comments are good and it is a worthy discussion - there really are many angles to this - so go read the whole thing.

2010-01-30T20:04:00.003-05:00

Stony Brook tests stem cells on heart patient

"Doctors at Stony Brook University Medical Center are testing a notion that only a few years ago was nothing more than a tantalizing question: Can stem cells zero in on cardiac muscle damaged in a heart attack and force it to regenerate?

"These cells have the ability to protect the tissues and to regenerate tissue, and that's what is needed after a heart attack," said Dr. Luis Gruberg, director of Stony Brook's catheterization laboratories, and principal investigator of the project."

It will be interesting to see if anything comes from this experiment - the story is from Newsday and the money quote is:

"Stem cells are blank slates capable of morphing into specialized cells.

Kenney was infused with a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal cells, those drawn from an adult donor, and capable of transforming into muscle. Once infused through an intravenous line, the cells, Gruberg said, seek out inflammation and home in. Inflammation is abundant at the site of blockage."

2010-01-27T20:39:00.002-05:00

1,500 Workers in L.I. Diocese Will Receive Buyout Offers

"The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre plans to offer buyouts to 1,500 of its 6,000 employees next month as part of a cost-cutting plan to save its schools and parishes amid stagnant revenue and rising demand for charitable services, church officials said Tuesday."

This is a sad thing for all involved, especially given the job market today. I hope that those who will lose their job will recover.

2010-01-21T21:25:00.001-05:00

Haiti

The Long Island Catholic has some stories on how help is getting to Haiti during this horrible tragedy.

2010-01-05T20:38:00.002-05:00

Blogging DRVC Seminarians

The Seminarian Sent Forth - this blog is by a first year seminarian from the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Seminarians in the Holy Land - this blog is by two seminarians who are going on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

2009-12-25T11:07:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

Chesterton and Christmas: A Serious Affair

Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Time: 7pm

Location: Fordham University, Pope Auditorium113 West 60th Street at Columbus Ave., New York

This looks interesting!

2009-12-08T20:42:00.003-05:00

Msgr. Alan Placa, longtime friend of Rudy Giuliani, not guilty of molesting teenager in 1975

"Long Island priest with close ties to Rudy Giuliani has been cleared of allegations he molested a teenager in 1975, church officials said Saturday.

Msgr. Alan Placa was the Diocese of Rockville Centre's pointman on sexual abuse until 2002, when he was hit with sex accusations.

Stripped of his priestly duties while church authorities investigated, he was found not guilty after a canonical trial. "

There is more to this story than the 1 allegation of which he was cleared - there were 3 and that is what worries me: what of the other allegations?

2009-11-29T09:51:00.005-05:00

Huntington nuns choose a life of tradition, service

"The bell rings at 5:15 a.m. every day to wake up the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict at their semi-cloistered convent in Huntington.

By 5:35 a.m., all 21 of them are gathered in the chapel, dressed in long, black habits and starched veils. They pray for a half-hour, then fall into silent meditation for another half-hour.

They spend an hour tending to the 43 elderly residents of an adjoining adult home they run, then return to the chapel at 7:30 for morning Mass. As the day progresses, they will return several times for communal prayer - about four hours a day in all."

I picked up today's Newsday which featured a picture on the front cover of two nuns with the Headline: The Sisterhood LI order awaits Vatican visitation. It showed the article was pages A22-25 so I figured this would be a good old fashioned long piece with lots of reading material, and lots of anti-Catholic, ignorant nonsense too. Unfortunately or fortunately that was not the case - it was typical of today's Newsday: a short article with not much to read but lots of pictures. (I almost long for the good old days of Newsday with its huge amount of reading material and constant anti-Catholic bigotry.) This article paints a nice portrait of this traditional group of nuns and mentions the fact that traditional orders of nuns are awash in vocations, which is not exactly news. It features some nice photos of the nuns assisting the elderly in the guest house they run. Of course there are quotes from Rev. Thomas Reese who says the Vatican Visitation is all about controlling the liberal nuns in America, blah, blah and blah. God Bless the good sisters of Huntington! I will blog something about the visitation soon.

2009-11-26T21:00:00.002-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Thanksgiving - It's Roots in Faith

2009-11-23T22:04:00.001-05:00

Faith on Tap - "The Philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien"

The speaker is Msgr. Charles Fink who serves as Spiritual Director at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.

When: Mon., Nov. 30, 2009 (Mingling @ 7 PM, Talk @ 7:30 PM)

Where: Wantagh Inn, Upper Room, 3264 Wantagh Avenue, (Across from Wantagh RR Station)

2009-11-19T22:49:00.002-05:00

Relic of St. Mary Magdalene venerated at seminary

From The Long Island Catholic

"Huntington — Hundreds of visitors flocked to Immaculate Conception Seminary here Nov. 12 and 13 to view a relic of Mary Magdalene, a saint who “walked with Jesus.” A major piece of the tibia (a leg bone) from remains believed to come from the saint dubbed the “apostle to the apostles” was made available for veneration for the first time in the U.S. Following mid-day Mass in the seminary chapel, Kevin Thompson, a third-year seminarian here, called the event “stunning.”

People love the whole 'hands on' experience of Catholicism - this event was supposed to be for one day only, but was extended to two days. When the heart of St. John Vianney came to Long Island thousands came and waited on line to venerate the relic - including yours truly. I like this part also:

"During the day, three sessions of catechesis were offered. Msgr. Richard Henning, professor of Sacred Scripture at the seminary, spoke on St. Mary Magdalene in the New Testament. (See related article). Msgr. Charles Fink, the seminary’s director of spiritual formation, spoke about veneration of relics in the Catholic tradition. (See story below.)Dominican Father Romaric Morin, one of several priests who accompanied the relic to the United States, spoke about the tradition of veneration of St. Mary Magdalene."

2009-11-18T07:11:00.003-05:00

Jesus of Israel: Finding Christ in the Old Testament

An evening with Fr. Richard Veras

Communion and Liberation of Long Island in conjunction with Crossroads Cultural Center presents an evening with Fr. Richard Veras, author of “Jesus of Israel: Finding Christ in the Old Testament.”

The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island, Eastport, NY
7 PM on November 21st, 2009

There is no charge for this event. A free will donation is encouraged.

2009-11-15T10:22:00.006-05:00

Telecare will cover the national bishops' meeting

"Uniondale — For the first time ever, Telecare will provide live television coverage of the U.S. bishops’ annual meeting in Baltimore next month to Catholics across the country.

“We will be carrying the meeting for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and providing live, gavel-to-gavel coverage,” said Telecare head Msgr. James Vlaun. Through satellite, Telecare will send live transmissions to members of the Catholic Television Network (CTN) and other Catholic and non-Catholic television systems.

Msgr. Robert Brennan, diocesan vicar general, and Sister of St. Joseph Mary Alice Piil, director of the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, will serve as commentators along with Msgr. Vlaun. Telecare will also take a dozen staff members for the meeting, scheduled for Nov. 16 to 19.

“This is a great honor for Telecare that the USCCB chose us,” Msgr. Vlaun said. In previous years, Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) has transmitted its coverage of the bishops’ meeting to other Catholic television systems that wished to carry the coverage."

This is very interesting for several reasons and I hope Telecare does a good job covering the meetings. Folks at Fr. Z's WDTPRS are already wondering about this development with some already seeing a conspiracy by the bishops against EWTN. There is some precedent to that - in Raymond Arroyo's excellent book, Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, he traces the history of EWTN and its relation to the bishops which was downright hostile at times. Also, Arroyo has recently asked some questions that perhaps some bishops did not like. For example, questions regarding the bishops' Catholic Campaign for Human Development which funds groups that are in conflict with Catholic teaching. In my opinion EWTN has always strived to maintain fidelity to orthodox Catholic teachings, rather than fidelity to the bishops. This is important - the two do not always go together. The coverage will probably be simply 'just the facts' reporting with some background, which could be a good thing. But the honest questioning of things such as the CCHD and the faithful translations of the latin in the Mass are important and hopefully that will not get lost in the broadcast. Telecare might tend to be the Church equal of the NY Mets network (SNY) or the NY Yankees network (YES) - an in house network meant to function as part of the PR or communications department. This is fine, but more is needed in the Church. After all, the bishops have not always been honest, had the Church teachings in mind, or even been good Christians, so they need to be kept honest. The bishops can make the coverage of their meetings more to their liking, but they will not stop the honest questioning of their business activities in this day and age. And that is good. On the other hand the 'orthodox police' sometimes tend to go overboard, or to resemble the Republican Party at prayer to paraphrase a famous saying. Overall, I wish Telecare the best in covering the meetings, many more people will be watching the network so please make Long Island proud.

2009-11-14T00:17:00.001-05:00

This is not from The Onion, this is real:

Eliot Spitzer Speaks At Harvard Ethics Forum

"The man whose career ended in scandal was in town on Thursday talking about ethics. Former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, who was driven from office by a prostitution scandal, isn't talking about his ethical issues, rather ethics in government and business."

2009-11-13T23:38:00.002-05:00

Anti-Catholic bigot Tony Alamo was sentenced to 175 years on sex charges.

"CNN) -- Evangelist Tony Alamo is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison after an Arkansas judge sentenced him to 175 years Friday on charges that included taking minors across state lines for sex, according to prosecutors.

A jury convicted Alamo in July on 10 federal counts covering offenses that spanned 11 years and dated back to 1994, according to documents from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas."

2009-11-12T21:16:00.003-05:00

Three dioceses, three seminaries, one priesthood

Bishop Murphy's column in this week's Long Island Catholic discusses the possible merger of the 2 seminaries in our area: Immaculate Conception in Huntington and St. Joseph in Dunwoodie. He advises that the apostolic visitation of diocesan seminaries that occurred about 5 years ago (following the priest sex scandals) suggested that there were too many major seminaries. This is a function of the steep decline in vocations that occurred since the 1960's. Although people continue to deny reality, the Church in America was at its height up until the 1950's and it has been in decline in many ways since then. Seminaries back then were full and actually had to turn men away, while today the huge buildings are too big for the number of seminarians. Dioceses have to spend large amounts of money on maintaining buildings meant to house hundreds of men while only a fraction of that number reside in them. So it makes sense to try to figure out a more efficient way of doing things. Bishop Murphy makes clear in his article that merging the 2 seminaries is only one option out of many that are being considered. Bishop Murphy, Bishop DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Archbishop Timothy Dolan are working to try to figure out how to have the two major seminaries and the College Seminary in Douglaston collaborate in forming priests for the 3 dioceses. I hope that whatever is done, it will benefit seminarians and young men discerning a vocation. I think an actual merger of the 2 major seminaries could work well and help make better use of the vast facilities. The formation of deacons and lay people that is done at seminaries would also have to be considered.

2009-11-10T23:32:00.001-05:00

Relic of St. Mary Magdalene

Relics of St. Mary Magdalene have been venerated in the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon, France since the second century. One of these relics, a piece of the tibia, can be venerated in the Main Chapel of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. Members of the public are invited to participate in any or all of the above events in the Main Chapel of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.

When: Thursday, November 12th from 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

The schedule for the day is as follows:
9:00 a.m - 11:30 a.m. -Veneration
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Mass
1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Veneration
3:00 p.m. - Catechesis, Msgr. Richard Henning (Professor of Sacred Scripture, Seminary of the Immaculate Conception) - “St. Mary Magdalene in the New Testament”
5:00 p.m. - Catechesis, Msgr. Charles Fink (Director of Spiritual Formation, Seminary of the Immaculate Conception) - “Veneration of Relics in the Catholic Tradition”
7:30 p.m - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic Adoration
8:30 p.m. - Catechesis, Fr. Romeric, O.P. (Superior of the Dominican Fathers, Frejus-Toulon) - “The Tradition of Veneration of St. Mary Magdalene”
9:30 p.m. Night Prayer and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

Where: Main Chapel of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception
440 West Neck Road
Huntington, New York 11743

2009-11-08T18:15:00.005-05:00

Men In Black

The above picture shows most of the brothers and priests of the Marianist Province of Meribah, which is dedicated to Catholic education within the Diocese of Rockville Centre. They run Chaminade High School, Kellenberg High School, and St. Martin De Porres Marianist. The picture was lifted from their vocations blog, Into The Deep.

2009-11-07T21:42:00.005-05:00

Anglican / Episcopal Situation

Last night I attended the talk entitled "Anglicans Looking To Rome: 1570 - Present" at Nassau Community College's Center for Catholic Studies. The speaker, Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton, works as the editor of The Link, the newsletter of the "Pastoral Provision-USA". Now retired, Msgr. Hamilton was pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst, former editor of The Long Island Catholic (and Q & A columnist) and was also chairman of the Rockville Centre Diocesan Ecumenical Commission. While serving as editor of The Long Island Catholic, Msgr. resided at St. William the Abbott Church in Seaford, where he sometimes 'volunteered' me to serve his quick private Mass before dashing off to work. We altar boys called him "Superman" because he had jet black hair that was slicked back, wore black glasses, was editor of a newspaper and bore a striking resemblance to Clark Kent. Check out his article from America Magazine from 1993 Knocking on the Papal Door, in which he called for a "special geographical prelature" for Anglicans although it will probably "draw sharp criticism from those Catholics who want their own church to take the same doctrinal position that official Anglicanism has already taken or is now taking".

Msgr. Hamilton's talk was a scholarly summary of the history of Anglicans looking to Rome starting with 1570 when Elizabeth I was excommunicated by Pope Pius V, although there was not much said about the period from 1570 to the Oxford Movement of the 1800's. A question and answer session followed the talk, which proved very interesting.

Related story:

Children's author G P Taylor to leave 'sinking ship' Church of England and become Catholic

"The Rev Taylor, whose children's book Shadowmancer became an international best-seller, said he was turning instead to the Roman Catholic church, which he believes is less afraid to stand up for important moral issues. "

Taylor is a former Anglican priest who says some pretty harsh things about the Church of England in the linked article. Anglicans entering the Catholic Church is a hot topic since Pope Benedict issued the Apostolic Constitution allowing for corporate reception of Anglicans, something we have had since 1980 in the US under the "Pastoral Provision".

2009-11-03T22:23:00.004-05:00

Reminder for this Friday night:

Anglicans Looking to Rome: 1570 - Present

Lecture by Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton

Friday, November 6th, 2009 @ 7:30 PM

College Center Building, Rooms 252-253
Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY

Free admission, registration required

Coffee and cake will be served

2009-11-01T21:24:00.002-05:00

For the person who ended up on my blog searching for "Is Scott Hahn sedevacantist", the answer is no.

2009-11-01T20:50:00.004-05:00

St. Ladislaus Church

I finally was able to get to the traditional latin Mass (the extraordinary form) for the first time since it moved to St. Ladislaus Church in Hempstead. This is a beautiful Church with some nice paintings on the walls and ceilings. It is a heavily Polish parish so there was an icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa and a plaque on the outside of the Church featuring Pope John Paul II. Here is a picture of the JPII plaque, which dates from the Jubilee Year and commemorates 2,000 years of Christianity. It pictures JPII holding his staff outward in blessing the crowd, as he did in Poland. (click to enlarge)

2009-10-30T07:27:00.003-04:00

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of NY has a blog and recently posted on Anti-Catholicism. He gives several good examples of bias in the New York Times including this one:

"On October 14, in the pages of the New York Times, reporter Paul Vitello exposed the sad extent of child sexual abuse in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community. According to the article, there were forty cases of such abuse in this tiny community last year alone. Yet the Times did not demand what it has called for incessantly when addressing the same kind of abuse by a tiny minority of priests: release of names of abusers, rollback of statute of limitations, external investigations, release of all records, and total transparency. Instead, an attorney is quoted urging law enforcement officials to recognize “religious sensitivities,” and no criticism was offered of the DA’s office for allowing Orthodox rabbis to settle these cases “internally.” Given the Catholic Church’s own recent horrible experience, I am hardly in any position to criticize our Orthodox Jewish neighbors, and have no wish to do so . . . but I can criticize this kind of “selective outrage."

My opinion is the opposite of Dolan's: Given the Catholic Church's own recent horrible experience I believe we Catholics are in a good position to criticize our Orthodox Jewish neighbors. There is a large problem of child abuse within orthodox Jewish communities and something needs to be done about it. No one recognized any religious sensitivities regarding the Church's handling of cases internally and rightfully so. The steps people took and wanted the state to take regarding the Church, such as rollbacks of statute of limitations is wrong, but if it is going to be done it should apply to everyone, including public school systems.

The other examples of bias are good ones, but I am not sure the issue of NY State not reimbursing Catholic schools as they do public schools for the special payroll tax should have been included. I don't think that is bias, or anti-Catholic, even if it is unfair.

2009-10-29T07:18:00.003-04:00

When muslims attack......

Abu Sayyaf blamed for blast in Roman Catholic Church in S Philippines

Man bites teacher for shaking daughter's hand

Pressure on Catholic family to rob them of house and property

Christian in Somalia Who Refused to Wear Veil is Killed

All of these typical headline stories are via TheReligionofPeace.com

2009-10-25T21:57:00.004-04:00

G. Patrick Ziemann dies at 68; embattled former Roman Catholic bishop of Santa Rosa diocese

"G. Patrick Ziemann, the former Roman Catholic bishop of Santa Rosa who resigned in 1999 amid sexual and financial scandals, has died. He was 68.

Ziemann died Thursday of pancreatic cancer at a monastery in Arizona, said his brother, Joe.

The bishop gave up his post at the Diocese of Santa Rosa after a priest filed a lawsuit alleging that Ziemann had coerced him into a two-year sexual relationship in exchange for keeping silent about the priest's admitted theft of money from a Ukiah parish.

Ziemann publicly acknowledged his affair with Father Jorge Hume Salas after the lawsuit was filed but said the relationship was consensual."

Related story that I don't think I reported on:

Former LI priest accused of molesting boys dies

"A former Roman Catholic priest who was one of the most notorious figures in the Diocese of Rockville Centre's child sex abuse scandal has died in Florida, authorities said.

Brian McKeon, 58, was found dead in his home in Port Richey, Fla., on Monday about 11:30 a.m., the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said. He had become sick at about 3 a.m., coughing up blood and suffering a seizure, a roommate told authorities.

McKeon refused medical care and became unresponsive after another seizure and vomiting more blood. The sheriff's report said McKeon, an unemployed nurse, suffered health problems, "most of which were believed to have been caused by Brian's chronic alcoholism."

It will still take decades to clean up the mess left behind by corrupt, disgusting men like McKeon and Ziemann.

2009-10-24T21:34:00.003-04:00

The Vatican’s Invitation to Anglicans

The above link is to the letters section of The NY Times regarding the new setup for Anglicans wishing to swim the Tiber. The letters start off with one from our own Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton, and then proceed downhill fast. The only letters that are not garbage are the first and last, everything in between is the usual silliness. The reading is most entertaining, although there is a serious side: The complaints are from liberals who do not like the idea of people converting to Catholicism. Liberal Catholics, in particular, see this as a repudiation of the past 40 years of ecumenism. Of course, this is only partially true: ecumenism has done great things in improving relations between Catholics and other Christians, but Christians are actually further apart in many ways than they were in the past. Ecumenism must never preclude actual conversion and the Church must be very open to accepting brothers and sisters on their own terms, as long as it is within traditional Christian orthodoxy.

Related story which is a must read: For an Episcopal Parish, a Path to Catholicism

"ROSEMONT, Pa. — When the Vatican announced last week that it would welcome groups of traditionalist Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church, leaders of one Episcopal parish celebrated as if a ship had arrived to rescue them from a drifting ice floe. "

"“We’d been praying for this daily for two years,” said Bishop David L. Moyer, who leads the Church of the Good Shepherd, a parish in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia that is battling to keep its historic property. “When I heard the news I was speechless, then the joy came and the tears.”

"This parish could be one of the first in the United States to convert en masse after the Vatican completes plans for a new structure to allow Anglicans to become Catholic while retaining many of their spiritual traditions, like the Book of Common Prayer and married priests."

2009-10-24T11:21:00.001-04:00

Film Festival Honors JP2

"A new film about Fatima, a history-spanning documentary featuring George Weigel and Robert George, and a film on the life of a woman close to Pope John Paul II are among the films selected for the inaugural John Paul II International Film Festival in Miami, running Oct. 29 - Nov. 7.

Organized by three Florida Catholics, the John Paul II International Film Festival “John Paul II International Film Festival.,” is intended to highlight less-noticed films that celebrate themes of human dignity, forgiveness and hope.

Rafael Anrrich, a social worker, and Laura Alvarado and Frank William Brennan cite the teaching and spirit of Pope John Paul II as their inspiration, but have solicited film submissions from both Catholics and non-Catholics, and hope to draw audiences from all backgrounds. "

Via The National Catholic Register

2009-10-23T22:18:00.001-04:00

Priest found slain in N.J. church rectory

10/24 - it was the parish janitor.

2009-10-22T20:39:00.005-04:00

Credit Unions

I received the newsletter today from Oceanside Christopher, my credit union and this quote was included on the front page:

"If love is wise, it can find ways of working in accordance with provident and just expediency, as is illustrated in a significant way by much of the experience of credit unions."

The quote is from "Caritas in Veritate", Pope Benedict's most recent encyclical. I am happy with Oceanside Christopher and would recommend it for Catholics here on Long Island. Right now there are only 2 locations: Oceanside and Seaford, with the Seaford location moving shortly to a beautiful, bigger building that used to house a bank. However, members can also use other credit unions to access their accounts. With all of the problems in banking recently, the idea of credit unions is looking better and better. It did not help when the government bailouts simply made the biggest banks even bigger. This is one area of economics where 'distributism' can really be done. It is truly unique to be able to do banking in a place with a crucifix right on the wall to your side and truly nice people behind the counter.

2009-10-22T20:29:00.002-04:00

Center for Catholic Studies thrives at NCC

"Since it started in 2000, the center has hosted nationally known Catholic figures, including Cardinal Avery Dulles, George Weigel, and Michael Novak, as well as such notable local figures as Bishop William Murphy and former Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon."

This is truly a great thing to have here on Long Island. It is sad there are not more of these type of centers at colleges and universities.

2009-10-20T07:02:00.003-04:00

Pope approves document on Anglicans joining church

"The Vatican said on Tuesday that the document, known as an "apostolic constitution," would provide a structure for Anglicans who want to join Catholicism, either individually or in groups, while maintaining some of their own traditions.
The move was announced at simultaneous news conferences in Rome and London."

Via The Deacon's Bench

Although this is good news, it is decades late. Anglicans were asking for this type of thing decades ago but were put off by the Vatican who didn't like the idea of 'conservatives' coming into the Church. I think Msgr. Hamilton's lecture couldn't be more timely, in fact, I bet he will have to add to his presentation now.

UPDATE: New Liturgical Movement has the full text of the Vatican statement with all the details. It sounds like this is just a world wide expansion of the situation some Anglicans in the USA have had since 1982. Like I said, this is decades late.

2009-10-17T09:33:00.003-04:00

SSPX Talks Scheduled

"The first meeting of talks between the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei and the Society of St. Pius X will take place in the morning of Monday 26th October, the Vatican announced today.

The talks are taking place to consider the doctrinal issues that separate the traditionalist society from full unity with the Church. "

I don't hold out much hope for these talks but hopefully it will bear fruit. The people in the SSPX are for the most part more committed to the Gospel than many Catholics.

2009-10-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

Albania to India: Give us back Mother Teresa

"(CNN) -- "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world."

"That's how Mother Teresa chose to describe herself in life. In death, however, her words will probably do little to settle a diplomatic squabble over her remains.
The Albanian government wants her back, before her 100th birthday next year."

2009-10-16T22:04:00.004-04:00

New maternity home a labor of love

From the The Long Island Catholic, a nice story about the latest pro-life project in the DRVC -

"MERRICK — Mary’s Residence, a new transitional living facility for young single mothers, was dedicated here October 6 after a nine-month renovation process that was described as “a miracle every step of the way.” The home will allow Catholic Charities to provide additional services for young women who graduate from Regina Residence, which has been offering housing and support to mothers for 40 years."

"Kathy Ryan, program administrator for Regina Residence, explained that the “miracles” came in the form of community members who helped make Mary’s Residence possible. First, the Foley family which owned the house next door to Regina Residence agreed to sell it to Catholic Charities well below market value, in memory of the uncle who had lived there and was a devout man who supported the neighboring residence.

Next, a donor who wishes to remain anonymous gave $100,000 for the project. “Then, we were unbelievably blessed by the Marianist family’s involvement,” said Ryan. The Society of Mary, or Marianists, is the order of priests and brothers who run Kellenberg Memorial and Chaminade high schools and the St. Martin de Porres Marianist School in the diocese. The local Meribah province decided to “adopt” Mary’s Residence and provided all the interior renovations, including materials and labor, which would easily have equaled $150,000 according to Catholic Charities’ estimate. At the dedication ceremony, Bishop Murphy announced that the diocese would match the generous donations already given, by pledging another $250,000 to support Mary’s Residence."

2009-10-16T21:42:00.003-04:00

LI diocese: Now in full compliance with sex abuse rules

Here are some snippets from an article in today's Newsday with my thoughts in red:

"The Diocese of Rockville Centre is now in full compliance with nationwide Roman Catholic Church regulations aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse, following its failure last year when it was audited on those rules."

[Actually there are no such 'nationwide rules' in the Catholic Church, just guidelines - bishops rule their own dioceses and can follow or ignore these guidelines at will.]

"Last year an audit found that, while the diocese passed virtually every aspect of the 13-article audit, it failed in one part of one article. Of five parishes audited, one did not take sufficient action to train church volunteers in "safe environments" - or at least did not produce proper documentation showing it did so, church officials said.
That problem has been cleared up, according to the latest audit, conducted by The Gavin Group, an outside organization that audits dioceses throughout the country."

[I wonder if auditing only 5 parishes in a diocese of 133 parishes is really enough? I am afraid the errant parish may have been St. Martin of Tours in Amityville, as they only had their volunteers go through Virtus this past year. I don't see why every parish can't have this Virtus thing in force without any slipups.]

"Some 84,000 people in the diocese including bishops, priests, deacons and lay people, have completed "Virtus" training to help them recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse and instruct them on how to act to keep children safe, the diocese said in a statement."

[84,000 is an astonishing number. I think it is great that many people have been through this training as any type of raising awareness is good. It is also astonishing to think that many people volunteer or work within the Church or Church related entities here on Long Island.]

2009-10-16T21:40:00.000-04:00

This is a fun rant from Matthew Archibold at Creative Minority Report -

I'm Making Lutheran Priestesses Here

2009-10-15T20:43:00.002-04:00

Anglicans Looking to Rome: 1570 - Present

Lecture by Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton

Friday, November 6th, 2009 @ 7:30 PM

College Center Building, Rooms 252-253

Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY

Free, registration required

I hope to be able to attend this event, another program offered by the Nassau Community College Center for Catholic Studies.

2009-10-14T22:09:00.002-04:00

Mother's milk a sour point

"A security guard at a Medicaid office in Midtown ignored the state's breast-feeding-friendly laws and demanded that a mother stop nursing her baby, according to the mom and her lawyer.

Susana Aldanondo, 33, a mother of three, isn't seeking a dime -- but in a letter to the city's Human Resources Administration, her lawyer, WABC Radio personality Ron Kuby, is demanding an apology and a commitment to train workers.

Aldanondo was at the West 34th Street office on Sept. 24. She said she was discreet in nursing her 3-month-old son, Nicholas, making sure the baby was tucked under her shirt.

"That's when this officer said I couldn't do that there. I just looked at him," Aldanondo said.

"He said, 'Get up, turn the chair around and face the wall.' "

When Aldanondo whipped out her cellphone and pretended she was calling her lawyer, the guard walked off, she said.

An HRA spokeswoman said, "HRA will continue to fully comply with the law as it relates to this issue."

Finally Ron Kuby is doing something worthwhile - let's hope this raises some awareness. Related link: La Leche League

2009-10-11T21:54:00.002-04:00

Mom and her teens care for dad with early onset Alzheimer's

This heartbreaking story is today's offering in a Newsday series on Alzheimer's. The Mom in the story blogs at Follow You, Follow Me: Our Journey.

2009-10-11T21:38:00.002-04:00

The Human Experience, a new documentary from Grassroots Films, has won Best Documentary at the Long Island Film Festival.

2009-10-11T10:40:00.003-04:00

Pope canonizes 5 new saints, including priest who helped leprosy patients in Hawaii

"VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints Sunday, including a 19th century priest whose work with leprosy patients on a Hawaiian island has been hailed by U.S. President Barack Obama as inspiring those helping AIDS sufferers in today's world.

Among the pilgrims packing St. Peter's Basilica was Hawaii resident Audrey Toguchi, an 80-year-old retired teacher whose recovery from lung cancer a decade ago was called miraculous by the Vatican.

She had prayed to Belgium-born Jozef De Veuster, more commonly known as Father Damien, who himself died from leprosy in 1889 after contracting the disease while working with leprosy patients who were living in isolation on Molokai island.

Toguchi and her doctor, Walter Chang, joined a procession of faithful bringing relics of the new saints to Benedict at the central altar of the basilica."

As usual The Deacon's Bench points out an article with more interesting details:

"Sitting in the front row at St. Peter's Basilica facing the pope were 11 of the last remaining Hawai'i residents sent to Kalaupapa after being diagnosed with Hansen's disease when the state still imposed quarantine restrictions on those with the sickness.

Today, those patients are mostly in their 70s and 80s.

At the ceremony, many of them wept.

Kalaupapa resident Elroy Makia Malo said Father Damien is his hero."He caught the disease and he died," Malo said. "To have given his life for what he believed in. Oh, it makes me feel small."

2009-10-09T07:05:00.004-04:00

Why Catholic churches are like shabby department stores

This latest post by Damian Thompson is good - a snip is below, go read the entire thing. Thompson is a writer for the Catholic Herald across the pond.

"Visitors to Catholic churches before the Second Vatican Council used to comment on how strange they found the experience. Their reactions weren’t necessarily positive and one can understand why the late 20th-century Church wanted to stop creeping people out, as the Americans say. But at least Protestants knew they were entering the sacred space of a religion with the self-confidence to welcome visitors on its own terms, to confront them with a culture nourished by the blood of martyrs and ambitious in the demands it made on the faithful. To experience that feeling now, you would have to visit a mosque."

2009-10-03T09:04:00.005-04:00

URGENT APPEAL

Just about the only people who still use the US Postal Service on a regular basis are charities asking for money. Because I subscribe or have subscribed to various Catholic publications I am on several mailing lists. The appeals for donations are all the same, they use the same marketing companies that print up several page documents using bold type, highlighted words, and underlined words that make the appeal seem urgent. Apparently there is a lot of danger out there for Catholics: If I do not donate to one organization Catholic youth will lose their faith at World Youth Day, if I do not donate to another group babies will be killed with impunity. I have lived in my current home for over 3 years and yet I still receive a pile of junk mail at my previous address. (Memo to the Catholic Bishop of Alaska - it might be time to stop sending me letters asking for money as you have the past 10 years - I would never donate to anyone that keeps such horrible records that they do not purge their mailing lists after no response for 10 years.) Usually I rip these various appeals up without reading them, but yesterday I received a mailing from "America Needs Fatima" that I decided to read. The (typical) multi-page letter had words that were highlighted or underlined to show how important their work was. The letter stated that they sent me a "deeply spiritual" picture of Our Lady of Fatima and that since it was "holy" they urgently wanted me to notify them to indicate that it arrived in good shape. My BS detector immediately went off. Of course, it would be great if I sent a "gift" along with the notice about the picture's condition for their important work. I really get uneasy about the use of religious pictures and objects in appealing for money so I ripped up the picture and the letter and threw it out. I then needed to get scissors to open the next piece of junk mail: a box from Food for the Poor, which although it has no affliliation with the Catholic Church, regularly sends Catholic items geared at eliciting money from Catholics. I received a Rosary with a nice white pouch to keep it in, with my name printed on a metal attached to the pouch. This was a step up from the usual mailing labels and writing paper - Food for the Poor obviously has a lot of money to use in its marketing. They regularly take out full page ads and even color brochure inserts of some Catholic publications. I actually considered keeping the Rosary and pouch and nameplate for a second, then threw it in the garbage with the rest of the pile. Now that I think about it, I should have taken the Rosary, pouch and nameplate and put it back in the box, rewrapped it and sent it to America Needs Fatima as my "gift".

Although the constant appeals for money give me some entertainment, they get very tiring. Some thoughts on giving:

*I just think many of the URGENT APPEALS are phony and the use of Catholic stuff is sleazy. "Send us money and we will pray for you" - how about if I need someone to pray for me I will ask a Christian who will do it for nothing?

*I feel bad for those elderly souls out there who I know fall prey to these appeals, writing checks out thinking they are doing some good, even though they could probably use that money themselves. I know there are those who feel guilty about not donating, or about throwing out these pictures, rosaries and prayer cards.

*Unfortunately, I have seen too many examples of corrupt people, especially priests, to trust sending money to any organization that I do not have first hand experience with. I would suggest to Catholics to stick to donating to charities that they know first hand do good work.

*I would also suggest donating to organizations that are well managed and focused. If I get an appeal from a charity that says they must have X amount of money by a certain time or they will fold, then I have to assume they are not well run and should fold.

*It is a sad fact that many of the organizations out there exist to do work that should be done by local parishes, dioceses and religious groups but are not being done. For example, Catholics United for the Faith, Coming Home Network, and the Cardinal Newman Society are each doing good work that is not done well by most dioceses.

*The sheer number of Catholic and non-Catholic charities out there is overwhelming so donor fatigue can occur. Although there are really good charities out there it is still necessary to limit your giving to what you can afford, and to do enough research to know what your money will be used for. Never forget the scandals of Covenant House, the Legion of Christ, etc.. I worked a second job at a telemarketing company once. They solicited magazine subscriptions by phone and made it sound like they were raising money for the Special Olympics. What was not mentioned was this telemarketing company was a subsidiary of a major publication company, it was essentially the marketing department selling their magazines. Many people assumed they were simply giving to charity, which was not entirely true, although it was somewhat true - the Special Olympics really did receive money for each subscription sold. I lasted there a week until my conscience took control.

*For the record the only charity I currently give money to is my alma mater Chaminade High School. This could easily change if I feel the school loses its way. My parish also gets a weekly donation as well.

2009-09-28T18:57:00.007-04:00

We're # 4! We're #4!

Name of Diocese -- Catholic Total

Los Angeles, CA -- 4 ,176,296

New York, NY-- 2,576,800

Chicago, IL -- 2,338,000

Rockville Centre, NY -- 1,493,528

Boston, MA -- 1,484,661

Of course, this is not the number of practicing Catholics, which I imagine would be much lower.

2009-09-21T07:31:00.003-04:00

Tradition

I recently went to a religious ceremony where most of the language used was an ancient one with only some english interspersed. I had to follow the prayers and readings in the prayer book where there were english translations on one page. The two men leading the service occasionally turned and faced the wall, with their backs to us. Many of the prayers used in this ceremony go back centuries. A box of head coverings was kept at the entrance for anyone wishing to wear them, and most did. The stained glass windows showed a vivid history of the revelation of God, and some people walked around admiring them before the start of the ceremony. The readings from the Bible were small fragments, not long passages. This ceremony was a bat mizvah, and I am glad there were no liturgists around to complain about all those things they would have considered 'wrong'.

2009-09-17T06:17:00.002-04:00

DA: Hofstra student lied about rape; 4 released

"The Hofstra University student who told police that she had been tied up in a college dormitory stall Sunday and gang-raped by five men - one of them a student - told prosecutors late Wednesday that she lied about the incident, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement. "

So this "woman" is a liar like Tawana Brawley and Crystal Gail Mangum who both falsely accused men of rape. Hopefully, unlike in those cases, this liar will be prosecuted.

2009-08-29T21:52:00.001-04:00

Scott Hahn to speak on Long Island

"Scott Hahn, a theologian and author, will speak at a daylong conference at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale Sept. 12."