Help the Orphans of Haiti

A Concert for Mercy

Saturday, May 4, 2013, 3:00PM

St. Agnes Parish Center, 29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, NY

To Benefit

"La Maison des enfants de Madame Mole” Orphanage , Haiti

Sisters of Charity of St. Louis

Donation: $10.00

Contact: Jemima Desroches, Administrative Assistant

Office of Multicultural Diversity, 516-678-5800, X407

Catholic Deacon Sentenced for Stealing From Collection Plates

It is rare to hear of a Deacon scandal - the thousands of deacons in the Church are generally models of Christian gentlemen.

"GRAND HAVEN, MI – Joseph Thomas Finnigan, the 73-year-old Catholic deacon who admitted stealing $120,000 from Grand Haven collection plates over some five years, will spend the next year of his life in jail and the rest of his life trying to pay back the money."


More details from Michigan Live

Shanghai bishop Jin Luxian dies at age 96

"Born into a Catholic family in Shanghai in June 1916, Jin was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1938 and spent several years studying in France, Germany, and other European nations. Returning to his native Shanghai in 1951, Jin was imprisoned for nearly two decades under Communist China's founder, Mao Zedong, who ordered Chinese Catholics to cut their ties with the Vatican and jailed hundreds of priests and nuns as counter-revolutionaries.


Jin was paroled in 1972 and put to work as a translator based on his knowledge of several European languages. Following Mao's death in 1976, he was formally released and named Shanghai bishop in 1988 by the Patriotic Association. Although the Vatican recognized another priest as Shanghai bishop, Jin worked tirelessly to recover church property and rebuild congregations, achieving a remarkable degree of independence from the authorities in Beijing."


Click here for the rest.  Pray for the Church in China, that it may be given more freedom and grow.

Priest collapses, dies at altar during service

RIP

From New Zealand:

"Hundreds of parishioners watched in shock as a Catholic priest died at the altar during mass, moments after baptising a baby.
Napier's longest-serving priest, Monsignor Timothy Francis Hannigan, 81, collapsed at the altar during communion at St Patrick's Catholic Church on Sunday.
A doctor and nurses in the packed church rushed to help the popular priest when he slumped to the ground about 9.30am, but he died by the altar of the church where he had served for more than 30 years" 

Read the whole story here

10 Reasons Why Youth Leaders Should Get In Shape

Go to the Christian Post to read the 10 reasons, which should apply to all priests, deacons, nuns, and all who work in ministry.



Related:  Nerd Fitness posts stories of nerds (people who are into gaming, science fiction, etc..) who get into shape and level up their life.  One of the stories involves a seminarian at Mundelein Seminary who lost 115 lbs.

"I’m originally from Odessa, TX, hometown to Permian football and Friday Night Lights (Steve’s note: great book, decent movie, INCREDIBLE TV show).


My journey began in the Summer of 2010 when I was studying Spanish in San Antonio, Texas. I had just gotten a physical the week before where my doctor told me I was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure. I was weighed in at a whopping 376-pounds and was extremely unhappy with where my life was going (many tears were shed over my physical wellbeing).

I was in the Spanish program with a few buddies of mine who had always been health conscious.

I asked for their help and we developed an exercise routine that involved swimming and the elliptical machine for an hour a day, six times a week. With their help and support, I stuck to that program for the rest of the summer."


Read the whole story and an interview with Ryan here.

The Polish National Church

The Catholic Church has had many groups break away from it over the centuries, besides the protestants.  One such group is the Polish National Church which seems to have been started in 1897 as a result of harsh treatment of Polish Catholics in the United States by the Church hierarchy and issues of parish ownership.  In 1984 a dialogue was started between the Catholic Church and the Polish National Church and in 2006 a Joint Declaration on Unity was issued.  Locally, there is a Polish National Catholic Church on Long Island - St. Francis in East Meadow.  This is one of many examples of Christians breaking apart from one another and at the least we should be working to be as united as possible despite differences in practice, theology, ecclesiology, and worship.  It also shows that, despite the Church being at a height of cultural influence and internal strength in the decades from the late 1800's right up to the 1960's, there were problems that caused divisions and break away groups.  At least since Vatican II, the Church has been attempting to dialogue and unite closer with all groups and there has been some success. 

Excerpt from the Joint Declaration:

"In response to an inquiry from the Archbishop of Baltimore, His Excellency William Keeler, then President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, His Eminence Edward Cardinal Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, stated in 1993 that members of the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States and Canada may receive the sacraments of Penance, Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick from Roman Catholic priests if they ask for them on their own, are properly disposed and not otherwise excluded from the sacraments in line with the provisions of canon 844 �3 of The Code of Canon Law. This was followed in 1996 by a letter by Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb, the Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, to the bishops of the United States spelling out in more detail the conditions under which Polish National Catholics may receive the aforementioned sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1998 the Polish National Catholic Church issued Guidelines for the Reception by Polish National Catholics of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Canon 844 �2 of The Code of Canon Law also specifies conditions under which Roman Catholics may receive the sacraments in the Polish National Catholic Church."

Religious Freedom Forums

From The Long Island Catholic:

"Rabbi Aryeh Spero, author of “Push Back: Reclaiming Our American Judeo-Christian Spirit,” will be speaking about religious freedom on Long Island May in early May.


On Wednesday, May 1, Rabbi Spero will be the guest at a public forum sponsored by the St. Patrick, Huntington, chapter of the national Catholics for Freedom of Religion (CFFR) at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, 440 West Neck Rd., Huntington.

On May 2nd, he will address a Catholics for Freedom of Religion at Infant Jesus Church in Port Jefferson.

For details on the Port Jefferson event, click PORT JEFFERSON RABBI SPERO FLYER FINAL

For details on the Huntington event, click HUNTINGTON RABBI SPERO FLYER REV FINAL.

Church Stabbing in New Mexico

Four people hurt in Albuquerque church stabbing

At least four people were hurt at an Albuquerque church Sunday when a visitor jumped out of the pews and stabbed a choir member during a song, police and witnesses said.


The victims did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, police said.

Two parishioners told the Los Angeles Times that after communion at the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church on Sunday morning, a man in his teens or early 20s leaped from the pews and stabbed the choir's lead singer while the choir was singing."

Scientists Find Way to Turn Stem Cells Into Brain Cells

Of course, once again, we are talking about ethical stem cells from bone marrow:

"Scientists have discovered an antibody that can turn stem cells from a patient's bone marrow directly into brain cells, a potential breakthrough in the treatment of neurological diseases and injuries.

Richard Lerner, of the Scripps Research Institute in California, says that when a specific antibody is injected into stem cells from bone marrow—which normally turn into white blood cells—the cells can be triggered to turn into brain cells.

"There's been a lot of research activity where people would like to repair brain and spinal cord injuries," Lerner says. "With this method, you can go to a person's own stem cells and turn them into brain cells that can repair nerve injuries."

Read the whole article from US News

Long Island Press calls Islam a Religion under attack

Muslim Americans: Behind the Veil of a Religion Under Attack

The above is the title to an article in The Long Island Press.  My response is 'Religion Under Attack', wait...What?  Islam is not under attack in the United States, nor does the article actually show that it is.  The article mocks the NYPD for keeping an eye on the Muslim community but there is obviously a problem around the world with Islamic terrorism and radicalization of young people and as the article points out, this directly has affected the US several times.  Here in the US there has been no major backlash, no riots, no mass murder of Muslims after 9/11, after the underwear bomber, the Food Hood Massacre, the shoe bomber, the Times Square Bomber, the Boston bombers, so there is no fact behind Islam being a 'religion under attack'.  In fact, worldwide, if you keep up with news from places like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Nigeria, Indonesia and the Philippines you realize that the religion that is under attack around the world is Christianity.  So, while Muslims in the US and elsewhere do not deserve harrassment, questioning of their patriotism, and certainly not violence, they do need to recognize there is an issue in their communities and it needs to be addressed, just as Americans have issues with violence, incredible ignorance, and immorality and these need to be addressed as well.  I do not want to see innocent Muslims in the US or elsewhere harmed in any way, but let's not kid ourselves, Islam is not under attack in the US, but around the world Christianity is.

Protesters demand Catholic Church take stand against drones

"SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The group was not large, but they say they're determined. Their demand? That leaders in the Catholic Church, like Syracuse's Bishop Robert Cunningham, take a strong stand, demanding the United States end their use of drones.

“We met with the Bishop about a year ago and he couldn't make up his mind then as to whether or not this was a moral issue. We feel that it's an outstanding moral issue,” said Jack Gilroy, anti-drone protester.

The Bishop was not in Syracuse as the protest happened. But he does not appear ready to make a judgment yet on the drone issue.

“The Bishop feels very strongly about it. As a Catholic he is, obviously, opposed to killing. But he needs to make an informed decision. It's a very complicated issue,” said Danielle Cummings, Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese."


The article is small and can be read here.  I am conflicted about drones also - while they can be more accurate than traditional military methods of fighting, it is not right that a state can decide who is an enemy and kill them and everyone around them.  On the other hand, terrorism has to be fought wherever it is and we cannot send troops into every nation with Islamic terrorists.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church now offers Latin Mass on Sundays

This story is from North Carolina and represents part of the legacy of Pope Benedict and the return to tradition that is ultimately going to help the Church.  The story was written by a Hugh Fisher, who should be congratulated for writing one of the best stories on the Latin Mass return I have read.  It does not contain any of the buzzwords (back to the people, nostaglia, etc....) and it quite accurate.

"It’s become common for churches of different denominations to add contemporary worship services, which often feature modern music and a more relaxed style of worship.

Meanwhile, in Salisbury, one church has responded to requests from parishioners by adding an option for worship that is older, not newer.

Since April 7, Sacred Heart Catholic Church has been offering the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, also called the “Latin Mass,” as one option for Sunday worship.

Worshipers at the 4 p.m. service now pray along with Gregorian chants sung by a newly-formed Latin choir, as Father Jason Barone and servers offer prayers that have changed very little since the 16th century."

Read the whole article, it is worth it.

Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Ban on the Buiding of Non-Muslim Place of Worship

"Bishops from several European countries are criticizing Saudi Minister of Justice, Mohamed el-Eissi, after he insisted that "the cradle of the Muslim sanctities will not allow the establishment of any other places of worship."

The statement has reflected the Saudi government's intention to resume its ban on the building of non-Muslim places of worship within Saudi territories, or even the observance of non-Islamic religious rituals."


Read more at the Christian Post

Episcopal Ordination of Bishop-Elect Robert J. Coyle

Msgr. Robert Coyle, former paster of Corpus Christi in Mineola, was ordained a Bishop today in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  He will be an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

Steubenville

Steubenville has come up several times recently in my reading - that is the Franciscan University of Steubenville.  This school has been sort of the epicenter of the evangelical / charismatic Catholic movement.

• I read a post by Sam Rocha (a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville) the other day responding to a Salon author who wrote about the horrible rape case in the city of Steubenville.  He criticized the author, who attended Franciscan University of Steubenville teen conferences, for mixing the city and the University conferences together in what he considered a cheap way.  His post was good, and I find myself a bit envious of those who attended strongly Catholic colleges and Universities since I did not.  Yes, I have seen criticisms of various types of Franciscan U by some grads who seem reliable, but overall I think it does a good job of helping Catholics become better Catholics, or even just staying Catholic, where most Catholic colleges do the exact opposite. 

• I also read that Franciscan University has a new president - Fr. Sean Sheridan:

"Before he entered the Franciscan Third Order Regular, he graduated in 1985 with a bachelor of science in pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, working as a pharmacy training manager from 1984-1990. In 1990, he earned his juris doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and spent the next 10 years as a practicing attorney in Sacramento and Pittsburgh, focusing on healthcare litigation, primarily with the representation of hospitals and physicians.


The Cresson, Pennsylvania, native entered the Franciscan Third Order Regular in 2000 and made his solemn profession of vows in 2005. He was ordained to the priesthood in December 2006. "

• I then received an email from the Dietrich Von Hildebrand Legacy Project detailing their new partnership with Franciscan University of Steubenville.

"In partnership with Franciscan University, the Legacy Project is developing programs uniquely oriented to the intellectual mission of a university community.


As the leading American institution for the study of Dietrich von Hildebrand and personalism in the spirit of John Henry Newman, Max Scheler, Karol Wojtyla, Romano Guardini, and other philosophical champions of human dignity, Franciscan University is the natural setting for the Legacy Project’s first academic center.


Two of the Legacy Project’s flagship programs have come to Franciscan University:

• Graduate Fellowship: During the academic year and summer, the Legacy Project gives financial awards to MA level students supporting their study of von Hildebrand and their collaboration with the Legacy Project.

• Summer Seminar: Our annual Summer Seminar will be held July 15-19, 2013 on the campus of Franciscan University, which provides accommodations to participants, and makes available its facilities and considerable resources, among which is one of only three complete copies of Dietrich von Hildebrand’s papers."


See the Legacy Project website for more info about this great man-

 "Founded in 2004 by Franciscan University alumnus John Henry Crosby, the Legacy Project seeks to preserve and promote the thought and witness of Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977), seminal philosopher, ardent Christian, fierce foe of Nazism, and fervent champion of beauty. Von Hildebrand developed and enriched the Western philosophical tradition through many original insights. His conversion to Catholicism at the age of 24 opened new vistas and enabled him to write many profound works unfolding Catholic faith and morals."

More St. John's University

Matthew Archbold at the National Catholic Register posts about the St. John's University students who are protesting the commencement speaker- my congressman Peter King.  The editorial in the student newspaper here objects to his hearings on islamic terrorism and call his remarks 'islamophobic'.  It is ironic that his hearings on domestic radicalization within the Muslim community in America were harshly condemned when the Boston bomber brothers show this is exactly what we need to be watching.  Everyone should read Jihadwatch.org to avoid becoming another 'useful idiot'. 

Crying Babies At Mass

Everybody is talking about crying babies at Mass  -

Leah Libresco started it off with Oh Stewardess?  There's a Baby in my Plane!

I responded to a commenter there who has experienced the anti-baby babies in society:  "That is sad Kayleen, and it is a symptom of our decadent and joyless culture – people who see children as annoyances probably do not enjoy much in life. I am glad to say our son has elicited nothing but loving smiles and joyful waves at our Church. Hopefully, our culture will make a U turn and children will be seen as the blessing they are (for parents and non parents alike). That being said, I do everything possible to keep my son from shrieking at concert like decibels at restaurants or at Church and will take him outside if necessary. I try to be polite to others, you know, do unto others etc…"



Deacon Greg Kandra has a reader mention the issue here

I commented on the Deacon's site:  "My son will be 2 very soon & we take him to Church and thankfully people have been very happy to see him. We noticed the crying room encourages him to run around so we now stay in the pews. I take him out when he makes too much noise. Thankfully there are statues and great stained glass to occupy him somewhat. I have noticed since becoming a Dad how inadequate the parishes on Long Island are for young children – few have changing stations in the bathrooms for example and the outlets in the crying rooms are not covered. I think a pro-life Church that wants children should work on that."

Calah Alexander responded to the comments on Deacon's site here.

Dr. Gregory Popcak joined in here (spoiler: he is pro-baby)


The bottom line on this issue:

• Babies are great and should be a source of joy for all, especially at Mass. 
• The cry rooms in Churches are not good. 
• When babies become too disruptive at Mass, and they will, then a parent must take them in the back or somewhere so others can pray. 

Father of VIA terror suspect came forward with concerns, imam says

As Mark Shea would say, more like them please - an imam tipped off police to a terror suspect and the father spoke to another imam about concerns with his son's rigid view of islam.  It is only fair to point out good things in the Muslim community.

"While the imam’s role has been widely reported, Mr. Syed said his law office, which works with many Muslim organizations, has acted similarly many times before.

He said the firm helps community members reach out to authorities, and also helps investigators who want to speak to community members. He said the relationship between the two has achieved a new level of comfort. “It’s always been there but it took a lot of time to develop the trust and the contact between the community and the agencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Canadian Muslims played an “instrumental” role in the RCMP investigation that led to the arrests.

In an interview with the National Post, the minister compared the cooperation received from members of the Muslim community with the role Boston residents played in the capture of the marathon bombing suspect.

“The community involvement in dealing with these kinds of activities is absolutely essential. In that context I’d specifically want to point out the fact that the Muslim community was very instrumental in providing very crucial information that helped the police in this case,” he said."

Long Island - filled with trash

Family fun? Long Island mom accused of taking teens on BB shooting spree

"(CBS) HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. - A Long Island woman was arrested after police say she drove around with her 13-year-old son, her 15-year-old daughter and another 15-year-old boy, encouraging them to shoot out car windows with a BB gun that she bought for them.

Some kids just have the coolest moms!

According to CBS New York, Susan Becker, 43, of East Northport, was charged Saturday in connection with over 60 reported incidents of car windows being shot out in Commack, Hauppauge, and Islandia, all in Suffolk County, over the past two weeks."


I am trapped on an Island with idiots.

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

This sounds exciting. I have become more libertarian-ish due to several influences about which I will post at at a later date.  Certainly, as a Christian, the easiest libertarian viewpoint for me to support is the anti-war stance.   


From the Washington Times:


"President Obama has continued to embroil the nation in more conflicts overseas in the years since the previous Administration departed. However, this week a new Institute emerged, founded by former Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, offering an alternative to Washington’s current foreign policy discussions. Paul’s new Institute, The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, seeks not only to challenge neoconservative and hawkish rhetoric, but will attempt to unite conservatives, liberals, progressives, libertarians and the American people towards a more sensible approach to foreign affairs."

Ron Paul is a great guy and his views on war, abortion, prohibition of drugs, and economics are pretty good.  See the website: The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

True Dialogue Among Religions

Social Harmony and Religious Identities
A discussion on the foundations for a true dialogue among religions

Presented by
Crossroads Cultural Center
World Youth Alliance
AVSI-USA, Inc.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
7 p.m.

Church of the Holy Family Auditorium
315 East 47th Street
New York, NY
Speakers


H.E. Amb. Tariq AL-ANSARI
Chief of Cabinet to the High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations

Mr. John KLINK
President of the International Catholic Migration Commission


Prof. Oscar DE ROJAS
Professor of UN Studies at Long Island University and Former
Director of the UN's Financing for Development Office

This conference is open to the public and free of charge.

www.crossroadsculturalcenter.org

Faith on Tap at the Wantagh Inn

"Being A Young Catholic in the 21st Century"


All Young Adults

You are invited to join us on
Monday, April 22 for our Next Faith on Tap

Join us on Monday, April 22, as Paul Morisi discusses the challenges that face young adults in the church. Why do young adults leave the Catholic Church ... and why do others stay? What does the Church offer young adults in the 21st Century? Come out and join us as we discuss these issues!


Faith on Tap will be held at the Wantagh Inn
3264 Railroad Avenue

Across from the RR Station
Doors will open at 7:00
Come out early ~ have dinner ~ meet new friends ~
re-connect with old friends
Talk begins at 7:30

Boston Bombers were Muslims

Boston jihad murderer became devout Muslim, grew long beard, hectored friends: "Why don’t you become a better Muslim?"

Boston jihadi had direct contact with Chechen jihad terrorists


Boston jihad murderer's mosque recently hosted author who criticized U.S. for "war against Islam" 


 City of Boston gave "subsidy" to Boston Marathon jihadists' mosque



All of the above links are from Jihadwatch.org, an invaluable website.  Considering that the FBI was told the one brother had contact with radicals and was questioned in 2011, and considering the brothers came to this country from an area that is largely muslim and has a recent history of incredible violence, you have to wonder whether we have learned much or anything at all since 9/11!

At least my congressman, Peter King, gets it (although I am not sure if I agree with his idea of declaring the Boston bomber an enemy combatant) - his facebook post:

"There have been 16 terror plots against New York since Sept. 11, 2001, all Islamist-based. We’re at war with Islamic terrorism. It’s coming from people within the Muslim community by the terrorists coming from that community. The Boston Marathon bombers obviously were Islamic terrorists motivated by Islamist views.  Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/peter-king-politically-correct-90369.html#ixzz2R2X42pse"

Knights of Columbus to help devastated Texas town

Knights of Columbus to help devastated Texas town :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

"New Haven, Conn., Apr 19, 2013 / 12:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Knights of Columbus have announced a donation drive to help the community of West, Texas after a massive fertilizer plant explosion killed a dozen people and demolished homes Wednesday night."

Knights of Columbus Council #2305 in West, Texas is working with local groups and public authorities to help the explosion’s victims. The council has more than 500 members in a town of only 2,800.

The national Knights of Columbus organization is collecting donations for relief efforts through Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc. at the web page www.kofc.org/texas.

The Catholic fraternal charitable organization is also accepting checks made out to Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., with “Texas Fund” in the memo line. Checks may be mailed to:

Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc.
Texas Fund
1 Columbus Plaza
New Haven, CT 06510

Catholic videos at Kellenberg

AMERICANS UNITED FOR THE POPE

TWO EXCELLENT CATHOLIC VIDEO PRESENTATIONS

Pope Francis

His Amazing Life in Argentina

If you wanted to find the Archbishop, go to the poorest slums in Buenos Aires. There he is hearing confession, baptizing children, presiding over funerals and marriages; and counseling school children. As you can see, Pope Francis has a deep and practical love of the poor.

            During the brutal military dictatorship he hid people from the police.  At the same time he opposed the false beliefs of Liberation Theology which put him at odds with many of his fellow religious, but he stood his ground.

            Learn many endearing facts about Pope Francis’ family and youth.

***************************************************************

Saint Edith Stein

Edith Stein was a renowned Jewish scholar who converted to Catholicism and later became a Carmelite sister.  During the Nazi persecution she fled to the Netherlands but was eventually executed in a concentration camp due to her Jewish heritage.  Edith wrote about the role of women in society and in the Church.  Learn more about the deep faith and trust in God that is characteristic of the saints.

COME AND BRING A FRIEND

Thursday  April 25th  7:30pm Kellenberg HS – 3rd floor retreat room Directions to the 3rd floor Emmanuel Marianist Retreat House.  Drive past the auditorium (main doors with three levels of steps on the right: the outdoor crucifix on your left.) Keep going around the building until you will see an outside elevator for the Emmanuel Marianist Retreat House. Take the elevator to the third floor and follow the signs music room. – Thank you.)

  

Where Are The Just Judges?

Perfect art theft: Where is 'Ghent Altarpiece'?

"GHENT, Belgium — The main suspect in the legendary art heist is said to have whispered with his dying breath: "Only I know where the 'Adoration' is ..."

More than seven decades later, the whereabouts of a panel belonging to one of Western art's defining works, the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," also known as the "Ghent Altarpiece," remains a mystery.

If the stunning heist of Picasso, Monet and Matisse paintings in Rotterdam, Netherlands, last month focused attention on the murky world of art theft, the gothic Saint Bavo cathedral in Ghent has been at the center of a crime that has bedeviled the art world for decades.

"The Just Judges" panel of the Van Eyck brothers' multi-panel Gothic masterpiece hasn't been seen since 1934, when chief suspect Arsene Goedertier suffered a stroke at a political rally and died after murmuring those fateful words to a confidant.

The theft has kept the country enthralled ever since, with its heady mix of priceless art and scintillating detective story.

Ghent was hit by two thefts on the night of April 10, 1934: "One was a wheel of cheese," said detective Jan De Kesel. "The other was the panel."

That slowed up the investigation of the art theft, in which a minor panel of the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" representing St. John the Baptist, was also lifted.


Click the link above for the rest of the story. 

Pope Benedict XVI’s “First Convert”

From the Catholic World Report:

The story of how a New York Jew wrestled with Christ and became Catholic

"On April 2, 2005, there came the news of the death of Pope John Paul II. I’d always admired the pope for his courage in confronting the horrors of communism, and for aligning with President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher in a united front that led to the downfall of the Soviet Union. Yet as a spiritual leader he meant nothing to me. 

Nevertheless, Barbara and I found ourselves becoming involved in the events and the funeral as they unfolded on television. Even the typically skewed commercial coverage couldn’t disguise the tributes from all corners of the globe, and the love for the pope and grief at losing him from Catholics and people of every faith. At some point in the two weeks following, Barbara—a long-lapsed Protestant who’d never lost her regard for Christianity—turned to me and said, “You’ve got to get religion, Roger. You’ve been drifting way too long.” 

Read the whole story here.

Rose Hawthorne’s Cause For Sainthood Moves to Rome

From Catholic New York:

"The journey that led Rose Hawthorne, born into a cultured Protestant New England literary family—through the devastating loss of her only child and a failed marriage—to the squalid, teeming streets of New York City’s Lower East Side at the end of the 19th century as a single Catholic woman caring for impoverished, terminal cancer patients, is essentially a faith journey.


On April 9 at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan, documents and artifacts illustrating the incredible life of Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, who became Mother Alphonsa, foundress of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, were sealed for shipment to Rome to commence the final leg of her incredible journey that could see her canonized for sainthood."


Rose was the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlett Letter.  She had an interesting path to sainthood:

"Born in 1851, one year after “The Scarlet Letter” was published, she had the rare opportunity at that time to travel to and live in Europe because of her father’s literary and diplomatic careers. She was first exposed to Catholicism in Europe.


Her early life was marked by “an urgent sense of purpose,” wrote Father O’Donnell in a letter to members of the Rose Hawthorne Guild. “She was always impulsive about serious matters and yet was always searching out the deeper meaning of things.”

She met her husband, George Lathrop, in Germany and they were married in 1871. George would soon become assistant editor of the Atlantic Monthly. They moved to New York in 1891 and there they converted to Catholicism, scandalizing Protestant America. Anti-Catholicism was still virulent in those days, even among cultured classes. Their only son died at age 5, and George turned to alcohol for solace. Meanwhile, Rose became more devout as the marriage disintegrated.

With their separation, she embarked on a life of service to the poorest."

Genocide survivor, new citizen has message of hope

Congratulations to a wonderful Catholic Long Islander - Immaculee Ilibagiza just became a US citizen!

"NEW YORK (AP) — A Rwandan genocide survivor who has just become a U.S. citizen has a message of hope for other new Americans.

Immaculee Ilibagiza (ih-MAK'-yoo-lee ee-luh-bag-EE'-zuh) became a naturalized American with 50 other immigrants at a Manhattan ceremony on Wednesday.

She is the author of the best-seller "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust."

Ilibagiza told fellow immigrants how she survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed more than a half-million lives. She says her Tutsi father sent her to a Hutu neighbor who hid her and seven other women and girls in a tiny bathroom for three months."

The 43-year-old mother of two says her life now is about forgiving enemies who are emotionally lost."

Here is Immaculee's website.

'Letter From Birmingham Jail' 50 Years Later

From NPR  a look at this important piece of American history-

 'Letter From Birmingham Jail'  50 Years Later

"Today marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s letter from Birmingham jail. Dr. King penned this letter as a response to white clergymen who called his campaign of non-violent protests, quote, "unwise and untimely," unquote, and had urged him not to intervene in Alabama's segregationist policies."



You can read the full text of the letter here.

Here is a bit of it:

"My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms."

...

"You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws.

One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I it" relationship for an "I thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong."

...


"There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are.
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century."

As Washington mulls reform, Bishop DiMarzio honors immigrants

From the great old Brooklyn Daily Eagle -

"On April, 14, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated mass in honor of immigrants at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint James in downtown Brooklyn. Called a Catholic Migration Mass, the event took place as lawmakers in Washington DC were considering comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

US Senator Charles Schumer, one of the so-called “gang of eight” senators working on a compromise bill to address the situation of undocumented immigrants, attended the migration mass. “America is a nation of immigrants and nowhere is this more true than here in the great Diocese of Brooklyn, under the leadership of immigration advocate second-to none, Bishop DiMarzio,” Schumer said."

Side Note - the Brooklyn Daily Eagle has one of the best archive search engines anywhere on the internet - I have learned much about my family's history there.  My family were German immigrants in the 1860's and they lived in Williamsburgh over a hundred years ago.

New Parish: Blessed Pope John Paul II

Here in the Northeast we often see stories of parish closings - Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, etc...  so it is refreshing to see new parishes being established where we are growing:

New Catholic Church opening in Cedar Springs

"Cedar Springs, Mich. (WZZM) The Diocese of Grand Rapids is opening a new parish in northern Kent County.

Bishop Walter Hurley announced plans for a new Catholic parish today. It will be called Blessed John Paul II in Cedar Springs. The diocese has purchased land from the former home of Pioneer Christian Reformed Church, which consists of a church, church hall and rectory on about 2.9 acres.

The diocese also purchased approximately eight acres of adjacent vacant land that is part of a nearby industrial park located at 13911 Northern Springs Drive. Once the new parish community has grown, the diocese says there will be sufficient land for the construction of a new and larger church."

Statement issued on Coppola petitions

The Diocese of Rockville Centre has released a statement regarding the petitions that request Nicholas Coppola be reinstated as an Extraordinary Minister and CCD teacher.

"Today, April 11, 2013, the Diocese of Rockville Centre was presented with pages of petitions “telling the bishop to let Nicholas resume volunteering . . .” The 350 pages of petitions (one ream of paper is 500 sheets) dropped off at the Diocesan Pastoral Center at approximately 9:33 AM did not, as it would appear, fill the three large boxes that were received. In fact, two of the boxes were empty.

The Catholic Church recognizes that all persons share equally in the dignity of being human and are entitled to have that human dignity protected. This does not, however, justify the creation of a new definition for marriage, a term whose traditional meaning is of critical importance to the furtherance of fundamental societal interests.

Well settled Church teaching recognizes marriage to be the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, holy and loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves. Regardless of civil pronouncements, this definition does not, and indeed cannot, change in the eyes of the Church because it is rooted in biological teleology and natural law. Others may disagree but they have no justification to prevent the Church from living according to her teaching and protecting that teaching and the lives of faithful Catholics from those who would disregard it. Regardless of contrary opinion or even civil legislation, the Church must be faithful to her teaching and consistent and coherent living out that teaching.

As Bishop Murphy has said: Church teaching “is not discrimination against homosexual men and women. No one has a right to discriminate against persons because of sexual orientation.” It is, however, the case that all Church institutions and teachers of the faith are bound to support this teaching, particularly by their public action.

The Diocese respects those who may have signed a petition but in turn expects others to respect the Church, which will remain clear in her teaching and faithful in living that teaching for the good of one and all.

Also, the Long Island Catholic (now a monthly magazine) has an editorial about this issue:


"Any Catholic who chooses to live in open contradiction of a fundamental moral teaching of the Church – a heterosexual couple living intimately outside of marriage, or a divorced person who remarries, without an annulment, outside the Church; someone working in the abortion industry or belonging to an overtly racist organization, to cite just a few examples – should understand that by continuing to do so, in open, willful rejection of Catholic teaching, they exclude themselves from leadership roles in the Church’s ministries.


This is not to say that one has to be a saint to serve in Church ministry. If that were the case, we would all be excluded. There is a major difference, however, between accepting the teachings of the Church and striving —- however much we may continually fall short — to live according to those teachings; and openly, willfully rejecting Church teachings, and giving testimony by one’s public example that those teachings need not be followed.

Click to read the whole thing:  EDITORIAL: Upholding the integrity of Church teaching

St. John's University in Queens and scandals

This article from Crisis Magazine was interesting to me as a graduate of St. John's University:

Scandal at St. John’s University: Corruption, Apostasy, and Death


First, I did not know or forgot that Dr. Cecilia Chang, the former Dean of the Institute of Asian Studies and the Vice President for International Relations, had committed suicide.  I read all about her arrest and trial in the New York papers -

"The dean’s suicide occurred a day after testifying in her own defense in a trial for embezzling more than $1 million from the university, stealing $250,000 from a Saudi prince to organize academic conferences that never occurred, using university credit cards to cover gambling losses at Connecticut casinos, and using international students as her personal servants in her home in exchange for tuition grants."


The Crisis magazine article refers to another article published in New York magazine that claims Dr. Chang had lavished expensive gifts and travel to the University President Fr. Donald Harrington and his chief of staff Rob Wile.  The scandal of Dr. Chang, which was tabloid fodder in New York for awhile, also expose the wider scandals so familiar to us Catholics, as well as anyone who has been following the situation in higher education.  Again, from the Crisis article:  

"Beyond the cash gifts, Fishman reported that Chang also treated Fr. Harrington to expensive trips to Asia every year or two. She would book the St. John’s contingent including Harrington and his young chief of staff at the very best hotels—the Peninsula or the Regent, reserving the presidential suite for Harrington. Harrington said he “protested the luxury—I just wasn’t real comfortable being who I am and how I am dressed going out of hotel like that.”

Fishman reported that Chang also provided President Harrington with suits from Modestos Limited and Sam’s Tailor, two of Hong Kong’s best tailors. Rob Wile, who was described by Fishman as having “expensive tastes,” purchased three suits on one trip—$900 for one and two for $950. He also purchased three shirts for $375—all of it paid for by Chang, who then passed the expense for the vacations and the clothing on to the university. Chang also purchased expensive watches for the two. During a June, 2008 trip, Fr. Harrington chose an Omega platinum Case Gent’s watch. This, on top of the $5,000 Patek Philippe watch Chang had already bought for him. Wile received a stainless steel Rolex Submariner."


Of course, very high expenses and questionable charges are normal for Universities that take in millions in tuition, as well as federal and state grants.  With Catholic schools, there is the additional scandal of a priest and his business dealings:

"Fishman reported that Wile solicited—and received—a $100,000 loan from the former chairman of the St. John’s Board of Trustees, and an $80,000 loan from a contractor who did work for the university. Fishman also claims that Wile did not disclose these loans to university officials.

Fishman claims that Wile used the loan from the former board chairman to help fund a real estate venture he had engaged in with university president Fr. Harrington. In 2006, GRH Group LLC, a partnership of Wile and Fr. Harrington, bought a property in the Jersey shore town of Rumson. The home was torn down, rebuilt using the funds from the loan he received, and sold for a profit of $200,000. According to Fishman, the partnership was not disclosed.

"It is difficult for most of us to understand why Wile needed all of these loans. According to Guidestar.com, in 2008, he was already making more than $360,000 a year. And, by 2010, Wile was the second highest paid individual at the university—with a salary of more than $500,000—second only to the basketball coach. According to St. John’s IRS reports in 2010—the last year Guidestar lists on its site—Wile earned a base salary of $325,960, a bonus of $25,000, as well as $150,000 in “other” compensation, deferred compensation of $7,000, and non-taxable benefits of $41,131 for a total yearly compensation package of $549,368. This salary reflected a raise of almost $200,000 over his compensation package of $362,638 in 2008."

In the 20 years since I graduated I have not given a dime to this University and reading this article makes me very glad I did not waste any money.  St. John's, like so many other 'Catholic' institutions needs to get its house in order and determine whether the Catholic faith is its true center and its guiding force.  If even some of the allegations in this article are true, then Fr. Harrington also has to determine if the Catholic faith is his guiding force or not.

Related:  the archives of the student newspaper The Torch involving Chang and Harrington

This Daily News article on Chang indicates she was a suspect in her husband's homicide

Boston Marathon Bombing

Prayers go out to the victims & their families.  I hope they catch whoever did this.  There is nothing else to say right now.

Mob Burns Christian Slum in Pakistan

From the National Catholic Register (which is still good after EWTN brought it from the Legion of Christ) comes this article on the continuing persecution of Christians in Pakistan:

Mob Burns Christian Slum in Pakistan

"LAHORE, Pakistan — Like so many tragic incidents, it started with two alcohol-soaked young men getting into an argument. It ended with 250 homeless families.

On March 6, in a northern suburb of Lahore, Pakistan, 28-year-old Christian sanitation worker Sawan Masih visited Muslim childhood friend Shahid Imran’s barbershop.

Although Pakistan is officially a dry country, one can easily procure spirits there, and it was liquor that fueled the squabble. It ended with Imran accusing Masih of blasphemy against Islam.

This is a particularly loaded charge in a nation where no proof is needed to bring charges, where a guilty verdict brings a death sentence, and where mere accusations typically lead to egregious violence against the republic’s Christians, who account for just 1.6% of Pakistan’s population.

And so it was that three days later, on March 9, the local mosque’s loudspeakers announced Masih had blasphemed Muhammad. This provoked an evidently coordinated mob of 3,000 Muslims to march on the Christian ghetto of Joseph Colony, even though Masih was already in jail.

As the throng grew, police urged residents to leave the slum at once. Those who could went to relatives’ homes. None who escaped realized they would never again see their homes or their few personal possessions — some of which provided their livelihood — for these were either first looted or burned in the ensuing inferno."

CNN reports:

Pope Francis tasks cardinals with studying reform of Catholic Church

My reaction:  Meh, we'll see.  I think it will take a lot more than some Cardinals to reform the Church but it is a start.

" Rome (CNN) -- Pope Francis has appointed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to look into ways of reforming the Catholic Church, the Vatican said Saturday.

The group, which includes U.S. Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston, will examine ways to revise the Vatican constitution, Pastor Bonus, which sets the rules for running the Roman Curia, or church hierarchy.

The cardinals -- who come from North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe -- will first meet in October, the Vatican said.

The move follows on from suggestions made during the General Congregations, a series of meetings that brought together all the cardinals last month before they elected Francis as pope, the Vatican said.

The other seven cardinals are: Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Vatican City State governorate; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa from Chile; Oswald Gracias from India; Reinhard Marx from Germany; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; George Pell from Australia; and Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras.

An Italian bishop, Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, will act as secretary for the group."

Catholic Culture

I have always enjoyed the blog by JP Sonnen - orbis catholicus secundus.  The blog always has great pictures of Catholic culture from around the world especially Italy.  This post introduced me to a great priest who just died at the age of 100:

HERO: One of the Greatest Living Legends in the Face of Modern Evil - Fr. Leon Stepnia (RIP 1913-2013)

The post links to this article on the priest's death:

Polish priest who was oldest surviving prisoner at Dachau concentration camp dies aged 100

"The oldest surviving inmate of the Dachau concentration camp has died at the age of 100.
Leon Stepniak, a Polish priest, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1940 in the village of Klebowiec.
He spent the next five years in Dachau, a site in south-east Germany which was the first concentration camp to be opened by the Nazi goverment.
After being released at the end of the Second World War, he returned to Poznan in Poland, where he died over the weekend.
The clergyman was well-known for a speech he made at a commemoration to mark the liberation of Dachau.
He told the audience that the camp's legacy should not be as a demand for revenge or recrimination, but as a sign of reconciliation."

Catholic Church is Leading the Way on Ethical Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine

Deacon Keith Fournier discusses adult stem cell research at Catholic.org:

"VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - On Thursday April 11, 2013 an extraordinarily important conference began with the enthusiastic approval of the Vatican. The topic is stem cell research and regenerative medicine. In fact, the conference is entitled Regenerative medicine: A Fundamental Shift in Science and Culture and you can read much more about it here. The conference continues through Saturday, April 13, 2013 and is hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture, STOQ International, NeoStem and the Stem for Life Foundation. The conference brings together medical researchers, politicians, Church leaders, scholars, scientists and students to educate the world and promote ongoing work in the use of adult stem cells."


He lists some of the many examples of stem cell breakthroughs, which he correctly points out are often mentioned in the press in a way that does not clarify they are adult stem cells:


"Back in May of 2011 Scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, Massachusetts announced the they used stem cells which they derived from ADULT skin to re-grow areas of the retina and improve vision. Chinese researchers announced they have taken stem cells derived from ADULT skin and prompted them to become liver cells, thereby restoring a liver in a laboratory animal. That same month and year, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that scientists discovered that adults have stem cells within their lungs which are capable of being used to regenerate damaged lungs. They found "undifferentiated human lung stem cells nested in niches in the distal airways. These cells are self-renewing, clonogenic, and multipotent in vitro."

...

"In 2011 the first of these conferences supporting, promoting and endorsing was held in Vatican City. It was entitled  Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture It was sponsored by the same alliance including the Vatican. When it concluded Pope Benedict XVI made this observation: "the potential benefits of adult stem cell research are very considerable, since it opens up possibilities for healing chronic degenerative illnesses by repairing damaged tissue and restoring its capacity for regeneration. The improvement that such therapies promise would constitute a significant step forward in medical science, bringing fresh hope to sufferers and their families alike. For this reason, the Church naturally offers her encouragement to those who are engaged in conducting and supporting research of this kind, always with the proviso that it be carried out with due regard for the integral good of the human person and the common good of society."

Friday, April 3, 0033 @ 3 PM

Is this the exact date of Jesus' death?  See Jimmy Akin's explanation here.

10 Years Blogging!

I really have not blogged much lately except for pointing out some worthwhile events of interest to Catholics.  However, January 18, 2013 was my 10 year blogiversary.  I am going to try to blog more often and have done some housecleaning by eliminating defunct blogs and sites on the right.  I have also added a donation button for the first time (gotta start the kid's college fund sometime!). 

Catholic man removed from volunteer post at Oceanside parish

From PIX11:

Catholic church removes gay married man from his activities

"Nicholas Coppola’s faith means everything to him. His Long Island home  is full of religious books, pictures of cardinal timothy Dolan even the word, faith.

“Father Nick said I have to remove you from any public ministry, he said I have no choice,” said Coppola.

Coppola was teaching religious instruction, he was a Eucharistic minister and also a lector then in January, he got word from his church in oceanside he couldn’t do any of it anymore. He never thought marrying the love of his life a man would cost him that.

“What was pointed out, you made a very public statement getting married, I think the question was asked why, I said I got married like any other loving couple,” said Coppola.

The pastor of Saint Anthony’s Church in Oceanside told us “He’s always welcome to come to the church and receive the sacraments as far as I’m concerned.”

Pastor Nicholas Lombardi says the decision came from the Diocese of Rockville Center.

The Diocese received an anonymous letter complaining of Coppola’s marital status and sent a letter the parish. He showed us copies.

The Diocese of Rockville Center told us in a statement:

“Gay married people cannot be on staff in the position that he held, however the church is welcoming of all persuasions.”

Coppola just wants to get back to doing what he loved so much."

St. Anthony is a parish that is staffed by Jesuits. 

The Mystery of Matter and the Hunt for the God Particle

 This is an event of the Crossroads Cultural Center which was founded by members of Communion and Liberation.  They host many worthwhile presentations.

 

 A look at the fascinating discovery of the "God Particle" with Dr. Lucio ROSSI, physicist an High Luminosity LHC Project Leader at CERN and an introduction by Dr. Allan J. JACOBSON, Robert A. Welch Chair of Science and Director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston

Presented by Crossroads Cultural Center

The recent announcement of the discovery of a Higgs-like particle at the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, has generated enormous shockwaves in the press. Some people call it The God Particle.
Why such an awesome name? Can it really be the key for unlocking some of the mysteries of the universe? Can it help us understand the origin of mass, for instance? Can it tell us anything about ourselves and our place in the universe?
In this talk, Prof. Lucio Rossi, a leading scientist from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), will address the fundamental questions scientists are facing in the pursuit of the most fascinating scientific discovery of the century.

About this Event

Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: University of Houston - Athletics/Alumni Facility - Carl Lewis Auditorium
3100 Cullen Blvd. Houston, TX 77204
UH Entrance 15 off Cullen Blvd.
Open parking in Lots 16F, 16B and 16C.

About the Speakers

Lucio Rossi, PhD
High Luminosity LHC Project Leader, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland

  Allan J. Jacobson, PhD
Robert A. Welch Chair of Science and Director of Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, Houston, TX

Sports and the Culture

This opinion piece by former NBA player John Amaechi on the firing of Rutgers coach Mike Rice is a good take on the culture of coaching:

Rutgers coach and sports bully culture


"(CNN) -- Too often, it's tempting to view sports through rose-tinted glasses. We believe that coaches always have the best interests of our young people at heart and that everything they do on the side of that court, field, pool or track is for the long-term, holistic benefit of young people.

We even rationalize that coach-player interaction and athlete management behavior that makes us wince and avert our gaze somehow makes our children -- and even society -- stronger and our future elite athlete role models more humble and worthy.

Sadly, "it's character-building" is the rallying cry for dysfunction and another damaged generation. Even when we believe that a young person's sports experience is on the wrong track, we convince ourselves it can't have that much of an impact. I wish that were true, but medieval coaches, like the recently fired Mike Rice at Rutgers University, are a detriment to society, not just sport.

As a former basketball player at college and in the NBA, I know this coaching style firsthand."


Coaches can be a huge influence on athletes and what is considered acceptable behavior is way below what is expected of teachers.  Athletes and sports have a huge influence on the culture at large and vice versa. Catholics should have a good influence on both sports and culture especially since there are so many Catholic colleges, universities, high schools and elementary schools.

At The Deacons Bench there is an article linked that shows that people often choose sports for their children above going to Church on Sunday.  Chaminade High School has a good practice - an entire sports team attends Mass together on Sunday at each teammate's parish.

Reform of the Reform in the Diocese of Rockville Centre

 (This is an old post that I apparently saved as a draft and never posted)

I was checking Mass times for Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst when this note on the front page of their website struck me:

"Thanks be to God, the Blessed Sacrament is now back in the sanctuary "front and center". The focus is now where it ought to be... on Christ in the Eucharist and in our lives. - Father Anthony"

Right below are some pictures of their new altar and rearranged sanctuary.

As Fr. Z. says, Brick by Brick......

There was an idea pushed in the 1970's and 1980's within the Church: The tabernacle should be moved to a place set apart from the sanctuary. This, combined with a Church design that would allow people to sit closer to the altar and even face one another, would make Catholics focus on the Liturgical action taking place. It would emphasize the presence of Christ in fellow parishioners. It would end the assumed widespread problem of Catholics focusing on the Real Presence in the Eucharist during Mass. This idea, like the pet rock and bell bottom pants, was not so good and in many places is now falling out of favor. The results of these moves may not have been what was intended: people now feel free to talk loudly in Church - before, during and after Mass, the worst offenders are the elderly and the ushers. (Ironically another idea in the 70's and 80's was to expand or create large spaces in front of the main section of the Church to create a 'gathering space'. This was to encourage community and was a good idea and is where the meet and greets should be taking place.) There is very little to no prayer before or after Mass. Catholics have less of a belief in the Real Presence today and very little belief in the value of piety. Many people are returning the tabernacle to the traditional location and are pleased with the results.

Faith On Tap

I have not been to a Faith on Tap in quite awhile (which makes sense since I am no longer of the age group for this event), but hopefully I will stop by sometime because they were always interesting and fun.


"Being A Young Catholic in the 21st Century"

All Young Adults
You are invited to join us on
Monday, April 22 for our Next Faith on Tap

Join us on Monday, April 22, as Paul Morisi discusses the challenges that face young adults in the church.  Why do young adults leave the Catholic Church ... and why do others stay? What does the Church offer young adults in the 21st Century?  Come out and join us as we discuss these issues!


Faith on Tap will be held at the Wantagh Inn
3264 Railroad Avenue 
Across from the RR Station
Doors will open at7:00
Come out early ~ have dinner ~ meet new friends ~
re-connect with old friends
Talk begins at 7:30

Christian-Jewish Relations In the Middle Ages According to Primary Sources

At Seton Hall University in New Jersey:

The Department of Catholic Studies is pleased to present a lecture in its Medieval Catholicism Lecture Series, entitled "Christian-Jewish Relations in the Middle Ages according to Primary Sources: Nicolas Donin and the Paris Talmud Trial of 1240." The lecture will be presented by Piero Cappelli, Ph.D., Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, Italy, and Visiting Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.

The lecture will be held on Thursday, April 11 at 4 p.m. in The Walsh Library’s Beck Rooms A and B. This event is free of charge and open to the public. Light refreshments to follow.

About the Lecture

The thirteenth century marked a turning point in the relationship between Christians and Jews. In a single decade, from 1230-1240, the status of the Jews and Judaism in the Holy Roman Empire and in the other Christian kingdoms of Europe was transformed and defined for several centuries to come. These events can be viewed and understood through the prism of one man: Nicolas Donin, the convert from Judaism who acted as the prosecutor in the first public trial against the Talmud in Paris in 1240. This lecture will explain how and why Nicolas Donin stood at the crossroads of religious and political developments in his lifetime, according to primary sources. The lecture will expand the analysis from the intellectual discourse to its application in the 13th century politics.

About the Lecturer

Piero Capelli is an Associate Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at Ca' Foscari University, Venice, Italy, and a Visiting Associate Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently the Primo Levi Fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Capelli's research interests are focused in the history of texts and ideas in late antiquity and medieval Judaism, especially in the Greek pseudepigrapha, in Hebrew and Aramaic rabbinic literature, and in medieval Jewish-Christian intellectual polemics. His most recent book is a history of the conceptual field of evil in Judaism from the Bible to early Qabbalah (Il male, Florence 2013). He is currently working on the first critical edition of the Hebrew account of the public trial held against the Talmud in Paris in 1240, which results he will share with us in this lecture.
 

Happy Easter!

It has been 22 months since I became a father and there has been little time for blogging.  I am going to try to do it more often now, as long as my son will allow me.  Happy Easter!

Seinfeld, Baldwins and the Orthodox

I grew up in Massapequa just like Jerry Seinfeld and those Baldwin guys.  I think within this classic American suburb you can see the 'signs of the times' regarding Christianity -

The Christian Science Reading Room that had been on Merrick Rd. for decades is now St. Peter's & St. Paul's Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.

What was once an Episcopal Church is now St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church.  (OK, technically this is Seaford but it still shows the Orthodox and Liturgically rich Churches are expanding)

Domus Porta Fidei

An interesting new community is being formed at the seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington that is open to young lay people. 

Check it out at http://domusportafidei.org/community/

Another Long Islander becomes a Bishop:

"ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – February 11, 2013 – Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Coyle, 48, to be an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of the Military.  Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made the announcement public earlier today in Washington, DC.  Bishop-Elect Coyle is a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and currently serves as pastor of Corpus Christi parish, Mineola, New York.
Bishop-Elect Coyle will be ordained a bishop by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2013."

Pope Resigns

"Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of cardinals Feb. 11 that he no longer has the strength to carry out ministry and will resign on Feb. 28.

“I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.

“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” Pope Benedict said."

Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=6998#ixzz2KeADOdVf

For a completely stupid analysis see Bob Keeler's editorial in Newsday, which is not worth a link.   My own thoughts are as follows:

Pope John Paul II was a great man, a Pope who absolutely  was 'made' to be Pope.  He was an athletic and fit man before his assassination so he could handle the rigorous job, until he became very old and sick.  He was outgoing and thrived before crowds.  His personal history and personality fit the job as a great man on the world stage.  John Paul II will be known as JP the Great because his papacy had a profound mark on the world.  Pope Benedict XVI was introspective, a scholar, a humble and quiet man more suited to an office job or a library, as he himself would have preferred.    Benedict did some huge things within the Church but they did not affect the wider world much.  His was more of an 'inside baseball' Papacy and this was just as important and necessary to us Catholics as Pope JP II's was to the world.

I Am Still Here

I am just not able to spend anytime blogging or being as involved in the Catholic blog community as I used to be.  I recently came across a blog by several young contributors who, as it turns out, are mostly Long Islanders.  Check out Gaudium Dei.

Society of Catholic Social Scientists

 

Friday, October 26 & Saturday, October 27, 2012

at Kellenberg Memorial High School

1400 Glenn Curtiss Boulevard

Uniondale, New York 11553

(516)-292-0200  ext. 200 

Click here for more information

 

Votive Mass for Blessed Karl I of the House of Austria

I was alerted to this Mass by a reader:

Glen Cove (Long Island), New York

St. Patrick's Church
235 Glen Street
October 22,2012
6:30 p.m. Solemn Votive Mass of Blessed Karl of Austria

In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite with music by Our Lady of the Angels Young Womens' Chorus. Canonry of Saint Leopold (Canons Regular of Saint Augustine)

The Very Rev'd Dom Daniel Stephen Nash, Can. Reg. Prior

For more information regarding Blessed Karl of Austria see the Beatification and Canonization Site.