John Elefante - "This Time" (OFFICIAL VIDEO @JohnElefante)

Help Austin Ruse save kids with Down syndrome

YOU CAN SMELL THE DEVIL BREATH WHEN YOU ARE AROUND CHILDREN WITH DOWNS... Read on to find out why... The devil wants them dead. Who? Children with Down Syndrome. Why would the devil want them dead? Because they are messengers sent from God to teach us about love. First, they are joyful people. Sure they have bad days like all of us. But for the most part, they are happy and joyful people and so loving it would knock your socks off. They love unconditionally. The devil really hates that. He hates that the most. Second, they teach us how to love. Its a hard thing to think about raising and caring for a person with Down Syndrome. It is a lifetime of work and frankly it scares those faced with such a task. But, what parents and siblings of such children tell you, it is an amazing experience. It brings you out of yourself. They teach you the joys of sacrifice. And the devil hates that. He hates it when people learn to sacrifice for others. The devil hates it when place ourselves second or third or fourth. SO THE DEVIL WANTS THEM DEAD This is why up to 90% of unborn children diagnosed with Down Syndrome are killed by the abortionists knife. The devil wants that. He likes that. So, what are we going to do to help them? We are going to become their friends and supporters. We will make lifelong friends with them and help them and their families through life. We are going to be an example to the world but even more than that, we are going to be an example to that mother who gets the diagnosis today and who is even now contemplating abortion that little messenger of God. The devil likes that. There is an organization that the devil hates and I am helping them. It is called Best Buddies International. Best Buddies raises up friends for those with Down Syndrome. Best Buddies is active in high schools, colleges and communities all across this land and to points overseas. Best Buddies is one of the most amazing organizations that I know of. I AM RIDING 62 MILES THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA That is why on October 19, my friends and I are climbing our out-of-shape bodies onto bicycles and riding 62 miles through the mountains of Norther Virginia, to raise money for Best Buddies and to give the devil a black eye. There is a very good chance I will be the number one fundraiser this year. Right now I am in second place. There is a very good chance that our team (C-FAM/Lejeune) will place third and possibly second ahead of more than a dozen corporate teams. We cannot do this without your help. Please go to http://www.elabs3.com/c.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=ebss,1mzcf,4t6x,iq8x,etzb,2j6l,cdul and donate to this worthy cause. If you file taxes in the US, your donation is 100% tax deductible. Can you help us with a donation of $500? How about $100? $50? Really any amount will do. I really need your prayers, too, not only that I will reach my personal goal of $25,000 but that I will complete this monster ride. I went on a training ride this weekend. We road 32 miles with 3,000 feet of elevation and I have to admit, it was really really tough. I am willing to make this minor sacrifice in order to give the devil and black-eye and to help a child with Down Syndrome and her family! Please go to http://www.elabs3.com/c.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=ebss,1mzcf,4t6x,iq8x,etzb,2j6l,cdul and give as much as you can. Many many thanks. Yours sincerely, Austin Ruse President/C-FAM Publisher/Friday Fax PS If I am the highest fundraiser, when they give me the mic at the awards ceremony, I will dedicate my ride to all those precious children with Downs who have been aborted. We can never forget them. We can never give up trying to save them.

Pope Francis speaks on homosexuality in Jesuit Magazine.

Raymond Arroyo posted this on Facebook

Pope Francis on the Church's "small-minded rules" and his outreach to gays:
“The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the church must be ministers of mercy above all. The confessor, for example, is always in danger of being either too much of a rigorist or too lax. Neither is merciful, because neither of them really takes responsibility for the person. The rigorist washes his hands so that he leaves it to the commandment. The loose minister washes his hands by simply saying, ‘This is not a sin’ or something like that. In pastoral ministry we must accompany people, and we must heal their wounds...
"In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this.During the return flight from Rio de Janeiro I said that if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. By saying this, I said what the catechism says. Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.

A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person."

From the new extended interview granted to Jesuit Magazines, released today.

Here is my take.
Too often the position of the Church, that homosexual actions is sinful, alienates the person struggling with same sex attraction, and he or she does not seek healing and confession, feeling rejected. What have we gained if he or she doesn't return to the Church? Is that what Christ died for, to alienate the sinner who then seeks refuge in his sin?

My friend, married for several years, the father of several children and an active member in lay ecclesial movements, experienced a severe crisis in his family, a double murder of those closest to him. His reaction was to return to the sin he thought he had overcome by himself; homosexual relations. Fr Harvey of Courage offered to personally counsel him and his wife. For some reason it didn't happen, and an opportunity to save a family was lost. This man was a leader in the Church, a great husband and father who carried a deep wound not one of us who cared for him knew about. Fr Harvey's offer to counsel him did not include, I am sure, finger wagging in his face, nor would it include justification of his sin, as I suspect some clergy had done for him. I feel that it would have led to healing and a repentant sinner who could witness to others. 

But now Fr Harvey is with the Lord, the family lives in the same house, on different floors and is in constant acrimony. No one attends Mass anymore, and they seek consolation in the world. . I pray for them and ask Fr Harvey's intercession for healing.

A Night of Love in New York City as Fr George Rutler Remembers 9/11

Mme Lejuene addressed the gathering. 

I had just finished radiation for a melanoma in my eye, but I was determined not to miss an opportunity to meet with my friends at the Lejeune USA reception at the French Embassy in New York City. Tired from the treatments, I travelled from Boston with my daughter's help. We arrived in the warm summer rain, stopping for a slice of authentic New York pizza on our way to the French Embassy on Central Park East. We walked past elegant designer shops featuring cocktail dresses and bridal gowns, umbrellas aloft, until we were welcomed into the majestic building across from the Park.
At first, my daughter and I were awestruck by the Embassy's elegance: soaring, frescoed ceilings, marble foyers, and dramatic two story windows framed by velvet draperies. Waiters proffered champagne flutes and savory hors d'oeuvres. World-renowned scientists chatted with businessmen and clergy while well-dressed children whose almond eyes bore the signature of an extra chromosome, darted between adults.

But what instantly made me feel at home was the love which which permeated the gathering.

Dr William Mobley and LeticiaVelasquez.

Dr William Mobley mentioned it when he discussed his award winning research to overcome the cognitive delays inherent with Down syndrome. In her years at school, my 11 year old daughter Christina lost her ability to speak fluently, and has only learned to read nine words due to these delays, so I expected to hear a detailed scientific discussion about his research. But this night, I heard him talk about the love our children have shared with us, and how we learned from them how to give love. I saw Lejeune USA Pressident Mark Bradford and French Foundation director Thierry de la Villejegu who fiercely embraced me and thanked me for my writing.  I understood, we were united in this intense emotion because we loved our children and wanted them to have the best in their lives, and to make certain that more babies are born to live out the lives God intends them to lives as we give expectant mothers hope for their children's future.

Love was indeed the theme that evening. Those of us who have worked to support the research and improve the public understanding of Down syndrome, separately met, shook hands and became friends. I was honored to thank, once again, the widow of my hero, Dr Jerome Lejeune,

Mme Lejeune and Leticia.

Madame Berthe Lejeune, for her sacrifice as the wife behind the great man during his lifetime, and as the President of Fondation Lejeune after his death. I met columnist and fathers of daughters with Down syndrome, Matthew Hennessy, and Kurt Kondrich, and was able to thank Stephanie Hall Meredith for her work with The Human Development Institute.
 I had very little time to meet everyone there who has done great work advocating for those with Down syndrome, but the man I met as we left the Embassy surprised me by his presence.

Fr George Rutler, so impressive in his EWTN series "Christ in the City" was quietly waiting for his coat when I boldly asked him the question which had been on my mind every anniversary of 9/11. "Father, I heard that you gave general absolution to the first responders entering the Twin Towers on 9/11. Is that true?" He looked at me a bit startled at the question, seemly out of nowhere,  then his eyes took a distant look as he began to relive the tragic events which he witnessed firsthand as a priest in New York City who instantly rushed to the scene.

 I quickly regretted reviving those painful memories, as a tear welled up in his eye, but he didn't seem to mind recalling that day, painful as it was. He affirmed that he had indeed given wartime absolution to those entering the Towers, because, as he said, we were at war, suddenly and unexpectedly in our own land. But Fr Rutler refused to dwell on his own vital, soul-saving role in the events of that tragic day. He told me the moving story of the heroism of Fr Mychal Judge, who was killed while hearing the confessions of first responders entering the Towers to their deaths. He recalled how Fr Judge's body was laid at the foot of the altar of old St Patrick's Cathedral downtown, his spilled blood still flowing down the marble steps. A true alter Christus, offering himself to the last drop of blood for Christ's body, the Church. These two priests, like the crowd in the Embassy were about love. Love which doesn't count the cost as it " bears all things, hopes all things. believes all things." (ICor:13:7)

Gabriela and Leticia Velasquez, Mme Lejeune, Dr Elizabeth Rex.

We walked to the subway that evening, quietly reflective in the drumming of the rain on our umbrellas, wishing we knew of an open church to ponder the depth of this evening. We had been in the presence of true heroes, people whose first thought was of giving their time, their treasure, and their very lives for the good of others. My daughter who is becoming a nurse and I were fortunate to have been embraced by such company and rededicated our
efforts in the service of those beautiful people whom God had given us to bless our families.

Please support Team C-FAM/Lejeune as they help Children with Down Syndrome find Mentors

from Austin Ruse of C-FAM

Imagine you are all alone. There are lots of people around you but still you are all alone. No one comes to be your friend. At school you eat alone. After school your only friend is your mom or dad. You see other kids play but none of them come to play with you.

What is wrong with you? Nothing except you have Down Syndrome.

This is the sorry state of affairs for hundreds of thousands of children and adults who have Down Syndrome or other intellectual disabilities. People may think you are strange.They may simply not know how to talk to you. And so they stay away.

Your life can be sad and lonely.

As pro-lifers we know this can be a deadly condition. We know that 80% or more of children with Down Syndrome are aborted.

Why?

Because of ignorance. Because mothers know their child may face such a life of loneliness and they simply cannot take it. Or they wonder if they can live up to the needs of such a child.

Happily there is a wonderful organization founded to help people with Down Syndrome find and have friends, friends for a lifetime. This organization therefore helps mothers with babies with Downs in the bellies make the choice for life!

The group is called Best Buddies, an international organization that forms clubs in schools and otherwise trains students and adults how to become friends, lifetime friends, with those with Down Syndrome.

C-FAM and the Friday Fax fully endorse Best Buddies International.

In fact, in October I am climbing on my bicycle and riding 100 kilometers in order to raise money for Best Buddies.

I did this first two years ago in order to lose weight! Ok, it did not really work. But I did become the second highest fundraiser, thanks to your help.

Last year I started a cycling team. We call it C-FAM/Lejeune. We are partnering with the Jerome Lejeune Foundation, which is the largest funder of Down Syndrome research in the world and explicitly pro-life!

Last year C-FAM/Lejeune was the second highest fundraising team. We won the cup for the raising the most of any "independent" team. We beat out major corporations!

We are riding again. Ten of us! And we need your help.

As I promised two years ago and last year, if I win the fundraising cup, in my acceptance speech in front of hundreds of influential people, I will mention the pro-life cause and the plight of children who are aborted in the womb simply for having Down Syndrome! I promise!

We have already taken the pro-life message to this organization. Last year I spent a long time talking to Olympic runner Carl Lewis. He is on the board of directors of Best Buddies. He had never heard that 80% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted. He was appalled!

So, I need to raise $30,000 and I need to do it fast. I am competing with some very rich guys who work for big corporations. I can win with your help and if I win, unborn babies win!

So, please go to http://mydc.bestbuddieschallenge.org/austinruse and give as much as you can.

Can you afford $100? Can you afford $1000? Any amount will help the children with Down Syndrome.

Go to http://mydc.bestbuddieschallenge.org/austinruse right now. Do not hesitate. Go now.

Please pray for our success. And give as much as you can to help this great cause. By the way, if you file your taxes in the United States, your contributions are tax deductible.

Yours sincerely,

Austin Ruse
President/C-FAM
Publisher/Friday Fax

PS Do me a favor and send this to your whole address book, to all your family and friends!

Tuff Love Stops a School Shooter

Antoinette Tuff looked at the face of death at the Atlanta school where she is a secretary. The young man was full of hate and without hope. He was also armed with an AK-47 and other weapons. He wanted to die that day and bring as many innocent children with him as possible. It was another Sandy Hook in the making. But this time there was no tragedy. Instead there was peace through a rare type of heroism which the world doesn't understand. Antoinette Tuff stopped the power of hate with a force even more powerful. The power of Christ's unconditional love. With it, she stopped a crazed shooter without pointing a gun. The world is in awe at the unbelievable strength of this modest woman.
What amazed the public is her calm under tremendous pressure, she knew the situation was extremely volatile, and could turn at any moment. Antoinette had fear, as anyone would, but she also had love, and as Scripture says, "Perfect love overcomes fear."
She had an advantage, however. Antoinette Tuff knows where her strength comes from.
"I give it all to God, I'm not the hero, I was terrified."
When the interviewer on the news said, "But you kept it together" She replied, "I don't know how I did" then thought about it and added, "Through His grace and mercy I did.I just explained to him that I loved him. I didn't know his name, I didn't know much about him, but I loved him. And it was scary, because I knew at that moment, he was ready to take my life with his, and if I didn't say the right thing, then we all would be dead."

Antoinette overcame hatred with love, showing compassion to a hurting stranger, letting him know that she too

 has known sorrow. After thirty three years of marriage, she lost her husband, and she, like the shooter felt that no one loved her. She took a chance and shared her pain with the agonizing young man who admitted he was off his medication. She was buying time to give the police a chance to gain control of the situation and secure area, bringing the children to safety.But she was also speaking to a lost sheep, a young man for whom Christ died.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:8

She knew God's love was stronger than death, and can overcome hatred. She knew that we are commanded to love our enemies.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

Antoinette Tuff showed the world a dazzling glimpse of that perfection in the most horrifying of circumstances.
Read more here. 

Does Pope Francis want us to be Poor?

There is a lot of discussion out there that suggests Pope Francis is some type of Liberation Theologian by questioning the luxury cars driven by many Vatican clergy and living his radically different lifestyle at Sta Marta, eating in a cafeteria with the visiting priests, wearing a plain medal Cross, keeping his tattered brown shoes. What is he, some kind of commie? 

No actually, he fought that trend when he was Jesuit superior in Argentina. He knows Christ came to win our souls back from Satan to bring us to Heaven. Period. BUT we have an obligation to remember the poor and adjust our spending to share with them. 

Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Its just that Pope Francis, by living so radically, so visually, by his spartan lifestyle, makes it harder for comfortable Catholics to ignore and we are unhappy that our extravagant lifestyle is suddenly in question. I feel it as I consider my purchases, and I hear grumblings from fellow Catholics.

I have had two emotional arguments lately with devout Catholic ladies who resent his asking them to pare down their luxuries, or at least my saying this is a good thing for the entire Church, not an option for the few. This is what terrifies me: when devout Catholic laymen and priests whose blogs have tremendous followings start to disparage what the pope is preaching with his very life in order to preserve a lifestyle which may be a bit too comfy. It only proves him right, we must slim down in order to survive as a Church, to save our very souls. We have become enslaved to comfort which may not last. Look at the world economy, if our faith is to be tested by paring down a few luxuries, what will happen in the event of an economic collapse? Pope Francis lived in Argentina where they used chalkboards to write food prices, so they could raise them several times a day!

Plus I want to pose a challenge to you which the dear ladies could not answer. Name one rich saint. Oh, many started out rich, but to a man, they gave most of their goods to the poor, took up their crosses, and followed Our Lord. Aren't all Catholics called to do the same?

 Folks, this is not original material. We just haven't seen it lived as closely since Mother Teresa was last on earth. She died in 1997, how much have we forgotten in 16 years?

Daughter of Holocaust Survivor "Addresses" the Mob in the Texas Abortion Hearing

Here is a guest post by a good and brave friend of mine, Peggy Clores whose mother was a Holocaust Survivor.
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And so we descend further into the abyss of darkened consciences. I gave you more credit, Ladies.


Throughout these decades of legalized mass murder-55 million Americans that we know about-I have often spoken and written about the fact that when the pictorial records of Hitler's heartless crimes against humanity emerged, the world was aghast that this had happened "on our watch". Repeatedly I have insisted that the pictorial horror of abortion was a critical component in confronting the reality of the pro-choice argument and eliciting the re-assement of consciences.


I was wrong. At least when it came to the consciences of the mob in the Texas chamber and all those in the blogosphere cheering them on.


Only months after the Gosnell "House of Horrors" was made known to the world( by those who still have integrity and right conscience in journalistic reporting) we have this savage display of women screaming for their bloody "rights". That's all we can call it at this point in connection to the 20-week ban they were opposing. What have we become? When my mother watched the Nazi's toss babies in the air and shoot them for target practice or swing them by their feet and bash their skulls against a tree, she could never have envisioned that one day-in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave-that beautiful women who were made for authentic greatness and empowerment would be reduced to this. I used to say "they don't know". They don't know that heads are being ripped off and babies are being tortured in abortion chambers and being flushed down toilets or thrown in the trash.

I can't give you that benefit of the doubt now, Ladies.


Yet all is not lost. Not at all. Just ask any of the countless young women(and men!) who are the survivors of America's Abortion Holocaust -otherwise self-proclaimed The Pro-Life Generation. They know that they have managed to survive a wipe out of one third of their generation! Literally one third. They have heard the grave regrets of the countless physically, psychologically, and spiritually broken women who were victims of mass feminist indoctrination that rivaled any of Hitler's rationalizations for placing millions in ovens. They have witnessed the heroic action on the part of generations of pro-life women and men who have selflessly and sacrificially supported women and their babies and picked up the broken pieces. They understand that the only distinction between Planned Parenthood and the Gosnell clinic is that it is a cleaner "Gas chamber" facility and the largest Abortion Provider in our nation. Period.


Above all, they have seen the pictures and, thanks be to God, find them unconscionable.


In contrast to the uncivilized display inside the Texas Capitol, half a million of them humbly and peacefully march annually in Washington on the anniversary of the day that America lost it's moral compass and sanctioned decades of mass murder.

My dear American sisters, it's time to stop screaming and know that we truly love you. Be not afraid. You deserve better. Much, much, better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Peggy Clores is a columnist for Amazing Catechists and the Adult Education Co-Coordinator at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Her mother was imprisoned with her siblings in Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen from 1943 to 1945. Her grandparents were gassed in the ovens of Auschwitz.

Beauty and the Beast

In the movie, "The Music Within" the true story of disability rights activist Richard Pimentel, a handicapped man is chased from a diner in the 1980's because his condition, cerebral palsy violates the 'ugly' laws. His appearance offended some customers and he was summarily booted from the restaurant. Some have said that about my daughter with Down syndrome. A nurse in the hospital when she was born advised me there was plastic surgery which could 'fix her face'. I was devastated to hear I had a daughter whose face was considered too ugly to be left alone. And she had only just been born.
But in the eleven years of raising her, I have come to love those almond eyes and now we think that our children with Down syndrome have a special winsomeness which makes them particularly lovely.
There is a sweet faced beauty in an aqua t-shirt in this photo, a young woman with a smile and the look of Down syndrome, she's holding what appears to be her mother's hand. Look at the kindness in her face. I would love to know her someday, have her as my daughters' friend.

Now look at the angry, shaven, pierced, mocking woman next to her, in the black sleeveless t-shirt,  holding the offensive sign which reads, "Free abortion on demand without apology". Her face which would normally be considered attractive, is ugly. Beastly even. Because of the offensive sign she carries, her deliverate attempt to dress as a man, her mouth is contorted by hateful speech and I would guess by a lifetime of abuse and sin. She has taken God's gift of  normal chromosomes and good looks and thrown them away in favor of a 'look' which offends God and her fellow demonstrators. Her pain and anger have distorted God's image in her.

Who is beauty and who is the beast?

 Let's pray for both of them, that the lovely woman with Down syndrome can teach the sad demonstrator what love is.

Austin Texas is the Gettysburg of this Century

Today was the 150th anniversary of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Gettysburg. To honor the dead lost in this tragedy,  President Lincoln took the opportunity to give a speech which resounded in the human heart, the renowned Gettysburg Address, which ended with the words,

Pro-life women supporting the ban on abortion 

" It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

This speech gave heart to a nation losing heart while locked in mortal combat against its own citizens. It hurts to the core to be fighting fellow Americans, and it can make you lose faith in our nation. We needed inspiration from our leader and we got it. He paid the ultimate price with his assassination shortly after the war ended.
The bitterness destroyed Abraham Lincoln but not this nation which survived to become a more just civilization, till 1973 when the Supreme Court in its infamous Roe v Wade decision declared another class of human beings property, as they had done to Dred Scott. Since that time 55 million Americans have lost their lives to abortion, a number in which African Americans are disproportionately represented. We have not grown in virtue since then, but fell into a pit of depravity, where butchers like Kermit Gosnell are permitted to kill live babies with their bare hands and let their mothers languish in filth. We have to shame journalists and legislators to do their duty to report injustice and act to correct it. For awhile it seemed that America was beginning to care about the suffering of babies whose spines were summarily snipped at birth or ripped limb from limb before birth, a few inches making the unthinkable legal. We almost passed a ban on late term abortion last week in the Texas legislature, but in the final three seconds before passing, the shrieks of those who fight for the right to abortion, stopped the bill from protecting the innocent, ironically in the name of women. Led by Wendy Davis a woman who chose life for her child as a single mother and went on to great success, graduating from Harvard Law School and being elected to the State Senate but wants to make a name for herself preserving abortion in the name of women.

Today, at the state capitol building in Austin Texas two sides faced off in equally bitter conflict, though not with arms, with voices. Planned Parenthood and their employees is supporting State Senator Wendy Davis' attempt to filibuster a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, which nowadays is nearly the age of viability, when a child can life outside the womb. The pro-abort side is wearing orange, the pro-life side, blue. You can easily hear who is shouting and who is singing Amazing Grace, the song written by a converted slave trader.
Listen here. And here.
 I find it unthinkable, that a nation noble enough to sacrifice the greatest loss of life in any war of our history for the freedom of the African American slave, and then fight another battle for their full civil rights a century later, allows innocent babies to be vivisected in their mothers' wombs. In the name of women's rights.

Abraham Lincoln would be aghast. We have lost the righteousness we killed each other for in Gettysburg, betraying the 'new birth of freedom'.
Who will emerge as the new leader to help us resurrection our nation from this moral quagmire?

Are 37% of American Women Stuck Being the Breadwinners in Their Marriage?

My friend Lisa Graas agrees with Fox News Commentator Megan Kelly that it is a major cultural shift. Over half of these women are, as you would expect, single moms who are not getting enough child support. I have written many times about the scandal of the high rates of single parenthood, so I won't address this here. I want to address the 37%  of breadwinners who are married mothers and are perhaps under pressure from their husbands because they make more money. Lisa Graas quoted the Pew Poll;

From the poll, quoted verbatim:

About three-quarters of adults (74%) say the increasing number of women working for pay has made it harder for parents to raise children, and half say that it has made marriages harder to succeed. At the same time, two-thirds say it has made it easier for families to live comfortably.

 I was in that category as a newlywed, pregnant mother. It is a very difficult situation but I found a solution I want to share.

I remember being well employed as a teacher in 1992 while pregnant with my first child. My dear husband was laid off every winter from his construction job (he was an immigrant who had only a GED and few marketable skills, I had a Master's in Education) As a practicing Catholic, I went to a Mother's Retreat and laid my case before God. Within the next month, my husband was offered a job connecting cable TV while our TV was being connected in our living room. My husband was on layoff from work.  Only God could have arranged that! When I was laid off in June, I was able to stay home with my newborn, after having hospital expenses covered by my job and FIVE baby showers.

My husband still works in the cable field, he is now a supervisor with a college degree and I have worked part time teaching at a local college or out of my home as a daycare provider for the past 20 years. We own three homes (two are income properties which we rent out) and are putting our girls through college. Don't ask me how old our cars are or the last time we took a family vacation. Our home is modestly furnished and I do my own house painting and gardening. We made many sacrifices for me to be a full time mom to our three girls. I homeschooled for a dozen years and have a full time volunteer ministry KIDS(Keep Infants with Down Syndrome) and a book (A Special Mother is Born). I only make enough money to cover travel expenses as I spread the word that life is beautiful when you love someone with special needs.

My point is, give your situation to God and be willing to compromise on your luxuries, and you will find time to be present for your children. Motherhood the most important job you will ever have. Your children won't remember how expensive your furniture is but they will remember the fun you had together, riding bikes, baking, or just doing the everyday things. You will have many years after they leave home to buy yourself things, but I suspect they won't replace the joy you experienced in the presence of your family.


"Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul".

 ~ St. Anthony of Padua

Dr Henry Morgentaler dead at 90, Godfather of Abortion in Canada wanted Mother's Love.

He is responsible for the death of millions of unborn babies, both by his own hand and from his relentless activism in support of abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
 He sponsored Canada's abortion policy, which is as broad as that in the USA, abortion throughout all nine months, for any reason whatsoever. For that reason he is called the Godfather of Abortion in Canada. His legacy is one of unspeakable evil.

And he did it all because his Mama loved his baby brother more than he. Really. Even being a survivor of the Holocaust does not seem to have as profound an effect on this twisted soul. He spent years in Freudian therapy to no avail trying to overcome what his young heart perceived as rejection when his mother had a baby.

Don't believe it? Read his own words in an interview quoted by Life Site News.

Morgentaler: 'My whole life has been devoted to doing things to get me the love of women'
Morgentaler is well known for being a philanderer, having been married three times, and having had affairs with many other women while married. "I’d say my whole life has been devoted to doing things to get me the love of women," the abortionist candidly admitted in one clip from a deeply personal interview that aired on CBC in 2008.

When asked why he has had so many relationships over the years, Morgentaler - who told interviewer Evan Solomon later in the interview that he has been receiving Freudian therapy for "a long time" - responded: "What explains it is my inordinate need to be loved by women.
"Some time along my emotional development," he continued, "I got the impression that my mother didn’t love me, because there was a younger baby that she devoted a lot of attention to, which happens in many families I guess. I personally believe that she neglected me and that she didn’t love me. So, to be loved by women was emotionally to me very important."

So his rage at being forsaken for a younger sibling lead to a lifetime of murder. How many abortionists and mass murderers have the same rage against their mothers or fathers? How much pain could those parents have spared the world if they had healed their own wounds and not taken out their own pain on their children? I would not be surprised if we found similar dysfunction in Dr Kermit Gosnell's childhood. Or Adolf Hitler's. So much pain caused by broken hearts of children  who never learn to love.

Please take your parenting role seriously, the hearts and minds and CONSCIENCES you are forming will have a much greater impact on the world than you can imagine.

Megyn Kelly's heated debate with Kermit Gosnell's attorney

Where Heaven Meets Earth - Trailer HD (2:15)

How to Win Hearts with Catholic Apologetics

Micah Murphy has an amusing and instructive post about the frustrating tactics we encounter in the New Evangelization.

Here we are in the midst of the New Evangelization and there are certainly other Pearls before Swine moments out there. Yet it must be possible for a person to prepare their debate opponent with some preliminary points so that they might be more ready for the Gospel. What are these Pearls before Swine moments and is there a way around them?
Note: I use the term “opponent” below technically, not uncharitably. Always be charitable to your opponent. You’re there to help them approach Christ.

And then there is a list of the most common tactics which we encounter.
Here is my answer:

As a pro-life apologist, I have encountered all these and more. But I am not discouraged, because Patrick Madrid once told me, speak to their hearts. That's where true conversion begins, and you may not see the change you make there at first, it may come only after years of reflection about what you and others have said, but if you speak to the heart, you are more likely to be successful at bringing about conversion down the road. Too often their pride keeps them from conceding your point in a debate, but God can penetrate that armor.
Don't forget God is already working on this person and possibly reminding them of your words (IF they were charitable!) over and over again, at opportune moments. That is why I read conversion stories, they give me hope, the person resisted truth for years and one day, one person's word or example was the straw which broke the camel's back.
This is why I met with infamous Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer in the quiet of his office on a Monday morning. I wanted to tell him my daughter with Down syndrome is a wonderful human being who enriches lives all around her, and to challenge his view that she has less value than an animal because of her IQ. I talked to Singer gently but firmly and left him with a copy of my book, 34 stories of Catholic parents who didn't want to raise Special needs children till God showed them what blessings they are (A Special Mother is Born). I still pray for Peter Singer a year later, and look for signs that God has done some work in his soul. Never give up, where there is life, there is hope God can reach a soul. We are only His instruments, He is the Divine Physician and Healer of the heart.

Imaculee Ilibagiza is an American Citizen

3801 Lancaster: The Kermit Gosnell horror story

Will Pope Francis be a Liberal or Conservative Pope?

I just watched a round table discussion headed by Chris Matthews with his type of Catholics who are enamored of the symbolism of Pope Francis's actions; taking the bus, walking through the streets to shake hands, etc . They are comfortable as most liberals are with the preferential option for the poor and are hoping against hope that Pope Francis will not be "all about sex as the two previous popes were". They obviously have not been listening to his words where he calls abortion a death penalty and said we should oppose it even if it means being persecuted. Or his assertion that children have a right to a mother and a father, which landed him a rebuke from Argentina's pro-gay marriage president Christina Fernandez de Kirchner. He is outspoken about the travesty of Catholic politicians who vote pro-abortion and present themselves for Holy Communion.

 Our new holy father lives in poverty and defends the rights of the poor, but is very bold in speaking the truth to power.  HuffPo gets it.

Pope Francis is a conservative who is anti-gay marriage and anti-gay adoption. He has described same-sex marriage as the work of the devil and a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” He has also said that gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children.

But Chris Matthews still thinks by wishing out loud he can influence the millenia old teachings of Christ which the Holy Father is entrusted with. His role is to explain Christianity to each generation in language which helps them to accept it, but some people are more open to learning than others. 

Keep dreaming that you can throw a coin or two at the poor Chris Matthews and continue to live in sexual sin without the Pope's loving correction. But also remember you capitalist types, this pope will challenge your crass materialism. Catholicism has no political party. It is an equal opportunity offender. May this be the Pope make both conservatives and liberals move beyond their comfort zones to encounter Christ, the real Christ, not the one they created in their own likeness. 

Watch the Conclave Live

"The Catholic Church wants women to be raped"

You've heard it before, the Pope wants millions to die of AIDS in Africa because he won't condone condoms, the Church protects pedophiles, the Pope resigned because he was about to be arrested. Lies, lies and more lies.They can't make up enough terrible things about the Church to erase her brave stand for morality and human dignity. 

Well, here is the latest lie about the Church coming from the UN and the truth C-FAM director Austin Ruse wants you to know. 

New reports rocketed around the world yesterday saying the Vatican is working with Russia and Iran to stop protections for women in violent situations. They are implying that the Catholic Church does not care about violence against women.
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE FALSEHOOD.
There is a very important meeting going on at the UN right now called the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The purpose of the meeting is to write a document that will later be "ratified" by the UN General Assembly.
This meeting, called the CSW, is always the scene of much maliciousness, often directed at unborn children. The meeting is packed with 6,000 radical feminist activists.
The radicals are reporting, and this has been picked up by the mainstream press, that the Holy See is in cahoots with Iran and Russia to stymie efforts to protect women from violence. The purpose of these false charges is quite clear; it is to hurt the Church and her negotiating position in the current negotiations.
What is really going on is the Vatican is attempting to take abortion-related language out of the document. The Vatican is working with a number of states to remove "reproductive rights" from the document.
I URGE ALL REPORTERS, BLOGGERS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AND ACTIVISTS TO TELL YOUR READERS AND YOUR CONSTITUENCIES THAT THESE CHARGES ARE BASELESS LIES. DO IT NOW.