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.

Cardinal Sandri calls for larger role for women in the Catholic Church

Women in the priesthood comments are found throughout the media, voiced largely by outsiders to the Catholic Church, either non-Catholics or those who have willingly distanced themselves from the Church, so when I read this headline, my visceral reaction was negative.

"They must have a much more important role in the life of the Church ... so that they can contribute to Church life in so many areas which are now, in part, open only to men ... This will be a challenge for us in the future," added the 69-year-old cardinal, who was interviewed in his office just outside St Peter's Square 

Why should women ask for a ministerial role in the Church; I bristled, what's the matter with the role of life giver and primary educator to future priests? But upon closer reading of the Cardinal's remarks, I softened my tone a bit. He was not suggesting that the Church open the priesthood or even the diaconate to women.

Women deserve to have more key positions in the Vatican administration "where they can make a very important contribution because of their qualifications," Sandri said, adding, "But they must also be co-participants in the dialogue and the analysis of the life of the Church and in (other) areas, even in the formation of priests, where they can play a very, very important role."

Currently, women in the Catholic Church cannot go beyond the position of under-secretary in Vatican departments, the number three post after president and secretary – which are open only to ordained men. At present, only two women are under-secretaries, one a nun and one a lay woman.

It must first be addressed that a majority of the women who have risen to positions of authority in the Church tend to be opposed to an all male priesthood, and the Church's moral teaching, they are largely feminist nuns or laywomen. They  have created a tension in the Church between factions which has not been a means of blessing to put it charitably. A priest friend reported that, while in the seminary, he was subjected to an art show containing obscene images of Our Lady and, when he refused to applaud such an outrage, he was promptly informed that his ordination was in jeopardy by the feminist behind the shameful display.
 This abuse of power by women in the Church is the reason orthodox Catholic women automatically reject the idea of a larger role for women in the Church. Well meaning bishops have allowed such dangerous women to assume leadership of many religious orders and diocesan offices. Catechism and adult faith formation have been deconstructed,  not to mention the decimation of religious orders, Catholic healthcare, and Catholic schools.We saw a sister in charge of the major conglomerate of Catholic hospitals sign on to Obamacare which we know contains mandatory funding and provision of contraception and abortion.

 We who joyfully embrace our Church for her exaltation of the role of women and veneration of the Blessed Virgin as a role model, are often too busy maintaining our Domestic Churches to take on larger roles in the Church. But the Internet can change that, as this blog proves.
 Women who embrace the doctrines of the Catholic Church are speaking out from the keyboards in our homes and, I believe are making a difference in what is said about the Church in the public square. We are giving testimony to the truth of papal documents our feminist forebears reviled for decades, like Humanae Vitae. We are testifying to the joys of family life lived in accordance with the fullness of truth found in the Catholic Church. We love our Church and want to strengthen her.  We have a lot to offer seminarians and even the Vatican, and, in increasing numbers, the Vatican is calling us to offer our experience and opinions. . I  know several women who attended Vatican conferences on women, the family, and social communication.  Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, Lisa Hendey, Elizabeth Scalia, Mary Rice Hasson, Teresa Tomeo, Dr Janet E Smith, Helen Alvare, Pia Solemni, and Kathryn Lopez to name a few. These women and other dynamic women of faith write articles and books, appear on Catholic and secular media, and form the bulwark of the feminine contribution to the New Evangelization.
If the cardinals want to invite women to contribute to the administration of the Church and to offer guidance on what should be part of priestly formation, then I am most enthusiastically in favor of such women having a larger role in the Church. Why wouldn't I, when I began writing seven years ago in order to be a voice in support of the New Evangelization and the Culture of Life? I edited a book,  "A Special Mother is Born"  a collection of 34 stories from Catholic moms (and some dads) on how their children with special needs are blessings for their families, in hopes of addressing Catholic medical personnel, adminstrators, teachers, counselors,  and clergy to help guide them in their ministries to such families.
Our Lord spent the great majority of His life living with his closest family member, the Blessed Mother. She was his first teacher, and set into motion His first public miracle; the changing of water into wine at Cana. May she guide His Body, the Church into accepting women of strong, orthodox beliefs as adminstrators and advisors to help Holy Mother Church develop her quality of maternal tenderness for all her members.

Read the entire article from The Christian Post here. 

Prayer for the Conclave to Elect Our New Pope

PRAYER FOR THE CONCLAVE TO ELECT THE SUCCESSOR TO POPE BENEDICT XVI Heavenly Father, We the People of God, gathered in solidarity as did the disciples in the Upper Room, pray for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the cardinals who will be in conclave for the election of the next Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ. May the hearts of our cardinals be open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, beyond human judgment, to elect the candidate most pleasing to you, Heavenly Father, and who will guide the Church at this momentous time in history at the beginning of the Third Millennium. We invoke our Mother Mary, united in prayer with the disciples in the Upper Room, to intercede for the cardinals to select the next Holy Father in docility to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, her divine Spouse, Holy Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, we entrust this conclave to your maternal and Immaculate Heart, and offer these prayers for your guidance and protection over the choosing of the next Vicar of your Son. One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church ~Pray for us St. Peter ~Pray for us

Pope Benedict and my Family

Now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."
The Gospel according to Saint John 16:5-13

Jesus knew when it was time to ascend to Heaven and leave His disciples but He sent them His spirit, the Advocate. We can trust that when Pope Benedict leaves the papacy today, that the Holy Spirit which guided the once fearful apostles to the four corners of the earth where they joyfully died for Christ will guide the conclave as they elect a successor to our beloved Pope.
I am sad on the eve of Pope Benedict's departure from the papacy, and yet my heart is full of gratitude for the blessings our family has received from his pontificate.
It began eight years ago on a lovely April morning in 2005, I watched the morning news and told my three girls, "No, it doesn't look like they will be a new pope today." We went to walk the ocean beach near our home on Long Island with our two black Labrador retrievers. A warm breeze cleaned out the winter cobwebs, and when we returned home, the phone was ringing. My breathless friend had wonderful news: Cardinal Ratzinger has been elected our new pope, Pope Benedict XVI! I was delighted since I knew Joseph Ratzinger was my beloved Pope John Paul's closest associate, well familiar with the problems of our Church and devoted to Sacred Tradition as expressed in the Liturgy and the catechism. I knew we could expect great things from this pontificate, however brief. We celebrated his election with all our hearts.
One summer morning, I was in Massachusetts at Morning Star Camp for girls, picking up my daughters from a week with the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an order of sisters who attend the Traditional Mass. We knelt on the soft pine needles beside the outdoor chapel by the lake for Holy Mass, and the priest announced with joy in his voice. "Today the Holy Father has made the Traditional Mass widely available". It was 7-7-07. Soon Mass in the Traditional Form was springing up like spring flowers all over Long Island, and home-schoolers were proud to note that the altar boys were being trained to serve and the girls learning Latin hymns and chants were our children, those who had learned and cherished Church tradition in our homes. Now we had the joy of sharing our love for the beautiful Latin Mass with our friends. We thanked Pope Benedict in our hearts for this great opportunity.
April 2008 found my oldest daughter Gabriela and I traveling to St Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie,  New York with thousands of youth to meet with Pope Benedict who was visiting the USA. We sat in the unseasonably hot sun for hours, waiting for limited food and drink with patience, all the while watching the jumbo trons for a glimpse of the Holy Father. First he came to greet children with disabilities in the Chapel which we watched with anticipation. Here is a photo montage of the event.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

And here is an article I wrote for the National Catholic Register entitled, "The Pope of the Young" with interviews of the young people in the montage. The most beautiful rapport developed between the young people surrounding the stage and the Holy Father. But the most touching moment for me, mother to ten year old Christina with Down syndrome, was captured in this news story, in the chapel, a young lady with Down syndrome presented the Holy Father with a gift book, then reached up and encircled him in a bear hug, as we watched in the crowd, many were tearing up at the sight of spontaneous affection. Did you know the Holy Father had a cousin with Down syndrome who was taken from his family as a teenager by the Nazis? I can only imagine how much love he holds in his heart for children like my Christina, they sense it and give him hugs whenever they can. I wrote about it in my book A Special Mother is Born.
My family was touched deeply in eight years by  Pope Benedict, and we pray the new prayers in the Novus Ordo Mass every Sunday, remembering his great love for the Mass and his pastoral care for our souls.

God bless you as you climb the mountain of the Lord, Pope Benedict to pray for us. We will pray for you.
We will miss you and cherish our brief time with you looking forward to our reunion in Our Father's House.
Thank you for your great love for Christ and His Church and for being a faithful laborer in the vineyard of the Lord.

Dr. Ben Carson talks about his pro-life position

Dynamic Women of Faith 2013

Cardinal Dolan, USCCB say NO to latest HHS ploy

HHS PROPOSAL FALLS SHORT IN MEETING CHURCH CONCERNS; BISHOPS LOOK FORWARD TO ADDRESSING ISSUES WITH ADMINISTRATION

Bishops look forward to finding acceptable solutions to shortcomings

Concerned that first-rate charities still given second-class status

Seek clarification on confusing finance plan

WASHINGTON—The Feb. 1 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) shows some movement by the Administration but falls short of addressing U.S. bishops’ concerns.

“Throughout the past year, we have been assured by the Administration that we will not have to refer, pay for, or negotiate for the mandated coverage. We remain eager for the Administration to fulfill that pledge and to find acceptable solutions—we will affirm any genuine progress that is made, and we will redouble our efforts to overcome obstacles or setbacks,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in a February 7 statement. “Thus, we welcome and will take seriously the Administration’s invitation to submit our concerns through formal comments, and we will do so in the hope that an acceptable solution can be found that respects the consciences of all. At the same time, we will continue to stand united with brother bishops, religious institutions, and individual citizens who seek redress in the courts for as long as this is necessary.”

He listed three key areas of concern: the narrow understanding of a religious ministry; compelling church ministries to fund and facilitate services such as contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs, and sterilization that violate Catholic teaching; and disregard of the conscience rights of for-profit business owners. These are the same concerns articulated by the USCCB Administrative Committee in its March 2012 statement, United for Religious Freedom.

Cardinal Dolan said the new proposal seemed to address one part of the church’s concern over the definition of a church ministry but stressed that “the Administration’s proposal maintains its inaccurate distinction among religious ministries.

“It appears to offer second-class status to our first-class institutions in Catholic health care, Catholic education and Catholic charities. HHS offers what it calls an ‘accommodation’ rather than accepting the fact that these ministries are integral to our church and worthy of the same exemption as our Catholic churches.”

Cardinal Dolan highlighted problems with the proposed “accommodation.”

“It appears that the government would require all employees in our ‘accommodated’ ministries to have the illicit coverage—they may not opt out, nor even opt out for their children—under a separate policy,” he said.

He also noted that “because of gaps in the proposed regulations, it is still unclear how directly these separate policies would be funded by objecting ministries, and what precise role those ministries would have in arranging for these separate policies. Thus, there remains the possibility that ministries may yet be forced to fund and facilitate such morally illicit activities.”

Cardinal Dolan also said the proposal refuses to acknowledge conscience rights of business owners who operate their businesses according to their faith and moral values.

“In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath,” Cardinal Dolan said. “We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences.”


Statement of Cardinal Timothy Dolan Responding to Feb. 1 Proposal from HHS

For almost a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have worked hard to support the right of every person to affordable, accessible, comprehensive, life-affirming healthcare. As we continue to do so, our changeless values remain the same. We promote the protection of the dignity of all human life and the innate rights that flow from it, including the right to life from conception to natural death; care for the poorest among us and the undocumented; the right of the Church to define itself, its ministries, and its ministers; and freedom of conscience.

Last Friday, the Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the HHS mandate that requires coverage for sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortions. The Administration indicates that it has heard some previously expressed concerns and that it is open to dialogue. With release of the NPRM, the Administration seeks to offer a response to serious matters which have been raised throughout the past year. We look forward to engaging with the Administration, and all branches and levels of government, to continue to address serious issues that remain. Our efforts will require additional, careful study. Only in this way can we best assure that healthcare for every woman, man and child is achieved without harm to our first, most cherished freedom.

In evaluating Friday’s action regarding the HHS mandate, our reference remains the statement of our Administrative Committee made last March, United for Religious Freedom, and affirmed by the entire body of bishops in June 2012.

In that statement, we first expressed concern over the mandate’s “exceedingly narrow” four-part definition of “religious employer,” one that exempted our houses of worship, but left “our great ministries of service to our neighbors, namely, the poor, the homeless, the sick, the students in our schools and universities, and others in need” subject to the mandate. This created “a ‘second class’ of citizenship within our religious community,” “weakening [federal law’s] healthy tradition of generous respect for religious freedom and diversity.” And the exemption effectuated this distinction by requiring “among other things, [that employers] must hire and serve primarily those of their own faith.”

On Friday, the Administration proposed to drop the first three parts of the four-part test. This might address the last of the concerns above, but it seems not to address the rest. The Administration’s proposal maintains its inaccurate distinction among religious ministries. It appears to offer second-class status to our first-class institutions in Catholic health care, Catholic education, and Catholic charities. HHS offers what it calls an “accommodation,” rather than accepting the fact that these ministries are integral to our Church and worthy of the same exemption as our Catholic churches. And finally, it seems to take away something that we had previously—the ability of an exempt employer (such as a diocese) to extend its coverage to the employees of a ministry outside the exemption.

Second, United for Religious Freedom explained that the religious ministries not deemed “religious employers” would suffer the severe consequence of “be[ing] forced by government to violate their own teachings within their very own institutions.” After Friday, it appears that the government would require all employees in our “accommodated” ministries to have the illicit coverage—they may not opt out, nor even opt out for their children—under a separate policy. In part because of gaps in the proposed regulations, it is still unclear how directly these separate policies would be funded by objecting ministries, and what precise role those ministries would have in arranging for these separate policies. Thus, there remains the possibility that ministries may yet be forced to fund and facilitate such morally illicit activities. Here, too, we will continue to analyze the proposal and to advocate for changes to the final rule that reflect these concerns.

Third, the bishops explained that the “HHS mandate creates still a third class, those with no conscience protection at all: individuals who, in their daily lives, strive constantly to act in accordance with their faith and moral values.” This includes employers sponsoring and subsidizing the coverage, insurers writing it, and beneficiaries paying individual premiums for it. Friday’s action confirms that HHS has no intention to provide any exemption or accommodation at all to this “third class.” In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath. We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences.

Because the stakes are so high, we will not cease from our effort to assure that healthcare for all does not mean freedom for few. Throughout the past year, we have been assured by the Administration that we will not have to refer, pay for, or negotiate for the mandated coverage. We remain eager for the Administration to fulfill that pledge and to find acceptable solutions—we will affirm any genuine progress that is made, and we will redouble our efforts to overcome obstacles or setbacks. Thus, we welcome and will take seriously the Administration’s invitation to submit our concerns through formal comments, and we will do so in the hope that an acceptable solution can be found that respects the consciences of all. At the same time, we will continue to stand united with brother bishops, religious institutions, and individual citizens who seek redress in the courts for as long as this is necessary.





Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York

February 7, 2013

Making the March for Life Part of your Family

I saw her for the first time in the Hart Building where our New York Senators had their offices, mounting the marble staircase. Last year, we ran into each other at the Maryland House rest stop on 95. I have seen Barbara, my mother’s childhood friend, in or on the way to Washington DC for the March for Life reliably every year. You could bet on it. 

It struck us as one of the quirky benefits of having pro-life activism embedded in your family’s culture. We have family friends who have moved to Virginia whom we expect to see as we round the bend from Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court. We hold a happy reunion for a few minutes or many, depending on the weather. We feel at home among the impressive white buildings and help one another find rallies and masses, rest rooms and lost friends. We congregate at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on New Jersey Ave where the March for Life has a convention and pro-life displays. We sit down anywhere we can, the floor, pull our chilly hands out of gloves, gratefully sip coffee and talk about church and pro-life celebrities we have seen and whose cameras might show us to the folks at home.

Other memories stand out. . . in 2004 I was interviewed on my opinion John Kerry’s Catholicism by Japanese TV. I would love to see if they dubbed it in Japanese. Just before Hillary Clinton announced she would run for Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s senate seat in New York State I told the intern he had posted in the hallway with a clipboard., she dropped the clipboard in shock and said, “She IS! Heck, I’m movin’ to Canada!” then looked around sheepishly to see who overheard her.

It is strange to reflect how much one can have a sense of community in a group of half a million activists from around the nation. But I have been coming to the March for Life since my teens, with a brief break in my self-centered post-college years. 

I first came on the March for Life 1977, at 15. I rode with a friends’ parish bus. Together, Monica and I had started the pro-life club at our high school, Our Lady of Mercy Academy on Long Island. We were warmly greeted by the elderly and middle aged ladies on the bus, “Its nice to see young people join us”. Now, ahem, much older, I am the middle-aged lady who once again stands out in the crowd, now transformed and multiplied many times into a boundless, energetic sea of youth. 

Most times my family comes down in different busses. I often take Amtrak and attend functions before and after the March, my girls prefer to ride with friends. We always tried to meet at some point. Particularly poignant in retrospect is 2009, when I was beginning my apostolate KIDS Keep Infants with Down Syndrome. My mother, 73 brought 12 year old Isabella with her and met the new group thanks to cell phones, on the Mall. She walked with us to Capitol Hill where she promised to send greetings to a Sister of Life from her mom. It was mom's last year on earth, but she was at the March nine months before succumbing to cancer. God bless her spunk!

This year, stuck home with the flu, Christina and I scan the crowd on EWTN looking for Gabbi who attended with Franciscan University and Bella who went with our parish youth group. They met by chance at the Basilica. One more of those happy coincidences pro-lifers seem to count on. 

My KIDS group, bravely led by co-founder, Eileen Haupt, whose hand holds the sign in this photo, marched on without me, and this photo made it to the Washington Post blog. Even if I never make it again, part of my legacy will always be marching for life. 

Happy 40th Anniversary, Baby

My response
“They said we’d never make it. They’ve been trying to put limits on us on you, on me. . .” he says thumping his hands together for emphasis, “on US!”

That gorgeous, well-dressed man luxuriating in front of the fire has it for you. He wants you. And the next woman, and the next one. And he can get you all, all the women he wants.

Do you know why?

Because of his devoted spouse, Roe v Wade. He is married to the promiscuity made easy by his friendly neighborhood abortionist, otherwise known as the clean-up man.

Abortion makes it possible for him to use you as an object, to love and leave you without having to be a father to his sons and daughters. If you choose to abort, he’s off the hook, the government may pay for it and, for him they’ll be no reminder of the intimacy he shared with you. If you choose to give birth and raise the child, he can throw choice in your face. After all, you had a choice to ‘get rid of it’, now you can live with the consequences. You can be sure he won’t. Why do you think he laughs so heartily? He’s playing you for a sucker. He takes another sip of his expensive cognac.

Soon, he’ll be giving a red rose and that sexy smile to the next conquest. You’ll be raising his child alone, dealing with poverty and the anger of fatherlessness, or worse, agonizing over an aborted baby.

“And we’re going to be standing by your side today, tomorrow and in the years to come.” Whose side will he be standing by? It’s not you.

“Uh, huh, uh” he groans in anticipation of his next conquest . . .

Don’t be fooled by the charm. He’s not talking to you, he’s in love with his own pleasure. He’s only inviting you to share the fire for a few minutes, until he’s bored with you. The momentary physical pleasure he enjoys thanks to Roe v Wade and the abortion industry. That’s what he is in love with.

Not you.

Paid for by our tax dollars.

A Nation Rises - March for Life

Overheard in the local Social Security Office

In my local Social Security office on Dec 31, I was greeted by a cordial security guard as I entered and instructed how to use the kiosk to generate a ticket with my number on it. This was followed by 15 minutes of awkward silence where twenty strangers ignored each other in a tiny waiting room.
I took a chance and broke the silence with a bold comment, "sir, excuse me, are you carrying a firearm?"
"Why, yes I am." he answered, unruffled by my audacity.
"Do you want a job protecting my daughter's elementary school?" I asked.
He laughed and agreed.

A lively and friendly discussion about the events at Newtown ensued, with all the participants agreeing that armed security at elementary schools was an idea whose time had come.
The security guard mentioned that the reason he was armed is because of Oklahoma City bombing where over 20 children's lives in a day care were cruelly ended. I mentioned that we should learn the same lesson where 20 children's lives were just as cruelly taken.
A woman added gently that there needs to be improvements in how we help the mentally ill. The fact that she was not disagreeing but just adding an aspect to the discussion was interesting. The news media makes this a name calling, hostile guns or mental health standoff. Meanwhile, I agreed with her citing my background as an MSW student at Fordham Univ where I studied the disastrous social policy of de-institutionalization of the mentally ill over 40 years ago and how it not only created the homeless crisis but made our streets unsafe as its nearly impossible to commit someone who is mentally ill against their will. The funds which were slated to provide halfway houses for long term institutionalized patients who were not ready to be thrown out on the streets with nothing more than the phone number for a social worker and a prescription for their schizophrenia.
 My friends and I, with nothing more than a BA in Psychology, were case managers for these poor souls in the early 1980's. It was a burnout situation, my friend's client killed his father and she felt responsible, but she had over 50 such clients, and all she could do was get them to the clinic for medication refills. I helped them when they were in crisis, homeless, without meds or food, but they needed more supervision. I left Catholic Charities after only two years, took some time in Europe to find myself, and returned to the US determined to be an English as a Second Language teacher. At least immigrants could be helped, I argued. The mentally ill situation is hopelessly stuck by immoral bureaucrats who pilfered the money which would have fixed the system by creating halfway houses in the old state institutions.

The lady in the Social Security Office worked at Transitional Services, one of the few halfway houses on Long Island, where I was working. It was built in the buildings of Pilgrim State Hospital, and provided exactly the type of services which the severely mentally ill require. Would that Adam Lanza had been able to reach help in  time to prevent the tragedy of Newtown.
The security guard and I discovered we both had special needs daughters who attended the same Catholic school.
We all parted on friendly terms.
Its a small world and a lot friendlier when you take a chance to foster dialogue rather than punditry.

Pope John Paul's favorite hymn, "Pescador de Hombres"

Seldom do I hear this hymn, whether in English or Spanish (and now Polish) without tears. I first heard it in a memorial Mass for the Colombian plane crash victims of 1995, but it's more than that; the intimacy of the Lord's call to us to leave our boats and come follow Him touches me deeply. Every time. Now that I know that it was Pope John Paul's favorite hymn, I love it even more.
Spanish Lyrics
1. Tú has venido a la orilla,
no has buscado ni a sabios ni a ricos;
tan sólo quieres que yo te siga.
Estribillo
Señor, me has mirado a los ojos,
sonriendo has dicho mi nombre,
en la arena he dejado mi barca,
junto a ti buscaré otro mar.
2. Tú sabes bien lo que tengo;
en mi barca no hay oro ni espadas,
Tan sólo redes y mi trabajo.

3. Tú necesitas mis manos,
mi cansancio que a otros descanse,
Amor que quiera seguir amando.

4. Tú, pescador de otros lagos,
ansia eterna de almas que esperan,
amigo bueno, que así me llamas.
Lord, You Have Come1. Lord, you have come to the seashore,
neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
desiring only that I should follow.
Refrain
O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.
2. Lord, see my goods, my possessions;
in my boat you find no power, no wealth.
Will you accept, then, my nets and labor?
3. Lord, take my hands and direct them.
Help me spend myself in seeking the lost,
returning love for the love you gave me.
4. Lord, as I drift on the waters,
be the resting place of my restless heart,
my life's companion, my friend and refuge.

Spanish text: Cesáreo Gabaráin. English text: OCP. Text and music © 1979, 1987, Cesáreo Gabaráin. Published by OCP. All rights reserved.

December 19, 2012 update,

Isabelle and Ward O'Conner from Quebec, Canada have just sent me a lovely recording of this hymn with lyrics dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, entitled,“Hymne à Notre-Dame de Guadalupe” .
 Its lovely and they promised English and Spanish versions.

A New Low

In a nation where you have to kill over two dozen people to reach the top of the mass murder list, the Newtown massacre stands out, not for the sheer number mowed down in cold blood, but for their ages. They were mostly innocent children, at the dawn of the age of reason. They never met their killer, never harmed anyone in their brief lives, these lovely little children never gave anything but sheer joy to their families who are in agony at their senseless killing.

This is a new low.

As a nation we are horrified at the grotesque image we see in this new mirror which the shooter has held up to our culture. He acted out of free will, and has faced God for his particular judgement. We do not need to condemn him, we need to ask ourselves how our culture gave rise to such a monster. One hundred years ago, there were all sorts of murderers, but none like this. People killed for money, lust, anger, power but such carnage for sheer hatred or a sick sense of pleasure at the suffering of innocents was unknown. The culture of death created Adam Lanza and we have to face up to the terrifying fact that no law we pass will prevent this tragedy from reoccurring. We can ban assault rifles, step up waiting periods and background checks, attempt to reach the mentally ill with treatment (it is estimated that 30% are not in treatment) and keep guns from them. These are all laudable goals, but they are not enough. They are merely attempting to reign in the evil which we have allowed to emerge from our callous indifference to the slaughter of 1,500 innocents which has bloodied our hands for the past 40 years. Blessed John Paul II in his 1995 Encyclical “The Gospel of Life”saw this phenomenon,

Choices once unanimously considered criminal and rejected by the common moral sense are gradually becoming socially acceptable.

The end result of this is tragic: not only is the fact of the destruction of so many human lives still to be born or in their final stage extremely grave and disturbing, but no less grave and disturbing is the fact that conscience itself, darkened as it were by such widespread conditioning, is finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and evil in what concerns the basic value of human life. 

We are morally blind because we are spiritually dead. It is caused by our inattention to the things of God in our frantic pursuit of things of this world.
It’s a week away from the birth of Our Lord and Savior, and millions of Americans are frantically busy. Busy buying gifts, and preparing for the commercial side of Christmas. How many of us are preparing to receive Jesus into their hearts this Christmas? How many of us were reading the Scriptures, going to Mass and adoration, performing acts of charity, fasting and going to confession to prepare our hearts for His coming? Far too few. So many of us barely even make time for church at Christmastime, we are too busy partying. We have forgotten who we are; “By living "as if God did not exist", man not only loses sight of the mystery of God, but also of the mystery of the world and the mystery of his own being.”Gospel of Life

It is a blessing which flows from the tragedy that St Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown is overflowing. That on Friday morning church bells around Connecticut will ring 26 times in Connecticut in memory of those precious lives lost to our society. We will pray for the lost, but how soon will we return to our ordinary lives where we have no time for God?My parish was overflowing after 9/11 too, but the crowds soon dissipated as we forgot the terror. We don’t approach Our Lord out of love but out of fear. He loves us enough to accept us no matter what our motivation, but we don’t allow Him to get close to us, we are afraid of being changed. Changed into people whose lives are transformed by Him.

This Christmas, before you forget about this terrible tragedy, ask Our Lord what He would have you do to be an agent of change. Permit Him to transform you by the amazing grace of the sacraments into the Mother Teresa of your town. Stay in touch with Him through prayer, give Him your free time, your time, talent and treasure. Forget your hobbies, put aside your addiction to material things which can’t make you happy, and remember this adage;

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past
only what’s done for God will last.

The only tragedy in life is to fail to become a saint. God has permitted us to be born at this time for a reason. We must seek that reason, embrace our calling to profoundly change the culture of death. Or the painful lessons of Newtown will fade away and an opportunity to take back this culture from the hands of the enemy will be lost as will the souls of millions who are blinded by the culture of death.

I retweeted the Holy Father on 12-12-12

In those simply worded but profound tweets, I hear his voice, calm but loving, passionate about the conversion of souls yet sensitive to their free will. I am looking forward to checking up on @Pontifex every day. I read a book of daily meditations from the Holy Father, but to hear him 'live' is really thrilling.

It gave me a profound sense of participating in a global conversation in the universal Church, and even though many of the tweets seem hateful, I responded to two of them as evangelistic opportunities, and found two of the negative tweeters more open to truth that they seemed.

Here's one:

Nici Lindsay ‏@nicilind
I was blessed by the last Pope in 88. We chanted ''anti-women, anti-gay, fascist Pope go away.'' And he blessed us. Bless him. #pontifex
Leticia Velasquez ‏@CauseofourJoy
 That's what Catholics do, pray for those who hate us.#pontifex

Nici Lindsay ‏@nicilind I thought it very generous.

Leticia Velasquez ‏@CauseofourJoy You are right, he had nothing but love in his heart for you, I am sure of it. I saw JPII twice in NYC, he radiated love for me.

Here's another;

Angry Man ‏@EeroMartinez
The Pope has a twitter account? But I rather hear it from his boss, @TheTweetOfGod #pontifex #HeilGermanPope
Leticia Velasquez ‏@CauseofourJoyYou can hear from Christ, but you have to sit before Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Confession would help too.

Angry Man‏@EeroMartinez
Does god pick only the people he chooses to love? Can I have a GOD that will love me for what I am? with no conditions?
 Leticia Velasquez ‏@CauseofourJoy
 OF COURSE God loves you as you are. He sent his only Son to die on the cross for you. You must accept his love to know peace.

So, if you are inclined, use the opportunity to evangelize the Holy Father's hecklers. They are crying out for God but their mouths are so distorted by sin their cries sound discordant and bitter. But they are children crying for their Papa nevertheless, and we should help him respond in charity and truth.

Obama Crucified

Bill Donohue released the following remarks today:

Michael D’Antuono is a left-wing artist known for exploiting racial tensions (e.g, depicting George Zimmerman as a Klansman and Trayvon Martin as a generous child). But now he has succumbed to a new low.

D’Antuono’s painting of President Barack Obama with outstretched arms wearing a crown of thorns, against the backdrop of the Seal of the President of the United States, is called “Truth.” [Click here.] It is being hosted by the Bunker Hill Community College Arts Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts.

What makes this display so interesting is the flat denial of truth by so many artists and academicians, as well as their irrepressible hostility to Christianity. Yet when it comes to their savior, President Obama, they not only pivot, they proselytize.

“Truth” was supposed to make its debut on April 29, 2009 in New York’s Union Square; it was to commemorate the first 100 days of Obama’s presidency. But D’Antuono withdrew his masterpiece after being hit with angry e-mails. Now he is back, apparently thinking that after Obama won reelection, the time is ripe to witness his crucifixion. Imagine if his God had lost what our Christmas gift would look like.

It is one thing for the Italian nativity scene builder Ferrigno to include Obama as a figurine in this year’s crèche (it has regularly featured public persons such as Princess Diana), quite another for an angry artist to rip off Christian iconography for the purpose of making a cheap political statement.

I couldn't agree more, this is cheap political posturing using our most sacred images, and it is blasphemous.
 

Urge your Senator to oppose ratification of CRPD

Rick and Karen Santorum are opposing the ratification of the United Nations convention  of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They, along with Senator Lee of Utah and the Home School Legal Defense Association have read the bill and fear that it may lead to the loss of parental rights over our children with disabilities. From the Patriot Voices website.

CRPD, if ratified, threatens U.S. sovereignty and parental rights and would effectively put the U.S. under international law when it comes to parenting special needs children. One provision in the treaty would give the government, acting under U.N. instructions, the ability to determine for all children with disabilities what is best for them. It would also give the U.N. discretion over decisions about how special needs kids are educated and could potentially eliminate parental rights for the education of children with disabilities. 

Senator Lee has been instrumental in fighting the ratification of several UN Treaties, including CRPD. He authored a letter to his colleagues asking them to commit to not consider any U.N. treaties in the lame duck session. Patriot Voices, along with HSLDA and others, helped to delay consideration of CRPD before the election and is rallying its members again to stop this treaty.

Here is an action page with sample letters to your Senators, your local paper, and a petition to sign. 

When the Nazis wanted to eliminate those with disabilities in Germany, they called upon parents to voluntarily institutionalize their children. Soon the officials in charge sentenced these children to death by starvation, exposure, and gas chambers. This is the infamous T4 Program. The people trusted their government. Does our government believe in the inherent worth of our children? Rick Santorum said no tonight on Piers Morgan's Show. He said that Bella's diagnosis of trisomy 18 is deemed 'incompatible with life'. Medical professionals advised the Santorums to let Bella die. She has defied the odds, living past her fourth birthday, and the Santorums will not allow anyone to take her life, but if this treaty passes, they may have to give their lives to defend hers.
We are the ones who care for our children with love and patience, we must never surrender them to the authorities who claim to know what is best. Think of institutions in our own country like Willowbrook where children like ours were starved and neglected in filth.
Never surrender your parental rights, especially when your child is particularly vulnerable.

Update Nov 27 from Tony Perkins of  Family Research Council


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday that he plans to begin floor consideration of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Tuesday.

The United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) would pose serious problems for the United States if it were ratified today. Though it is touted as the progeny and logical follow-up to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1991, it is in fact more of a power grab than humanitarian action.

U.S. sovereignty is at issue on a number of fronts, including that the CRPD presumes the establishment of rights contained in treaties that the United States has not ratified, including the International Covenant on Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). These rights are not recognized by the United States Constitution, nor are provided by existing U.S. laws - however U.S. courts could use the ratification of the CRPD to force Americans to comply with other UN treaties which are against American interests.

The original ADA equally protects the rights of all parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children, regardless of the disability status of parent or child. The CRPD would take away this right, obligating our government to ensure that "in all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." The phrase "best interests of the child" is an international law "term of art," its meaning firmly established through consistent application by other bodies, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child. As one international legal scholar explains, "Best interests provides decision and policy makers with the authority to substitute their own decisions for either the child's or the parents' provided it is based on consideration of the best interests of the child." In ratifying the CRPD, the government would apply this standard only to parents of disabled children - a position antithetical to the protection for parents provided by the ADA.

I urge you to contact your senators today, and let them know that parents of disabled children deserve the same rights as all parents.