February 27, 2010
This is what happens when a tsunami reaches land
Massive 8.8 Quake Strikes Chile
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, killing at least 85 people, knocking down buildings, homes and hospitals, and triggering a tsunami.
Two things we should do:
1) Always be ready to meet the Lord by staying close to him in prayer and the sacraments, especially frequent confession. This is a no-brainer, but it's amazing how many people, including Catholics, never give the four last things any thought: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.
February 26, 2010
My Friend Monsignor Eugene Morris

I was just recently a house-guest at Monsignor Eugene Morris's rectory in St. Louis (St. Mary Magdalen), when I was in town for some projects. What a treat!
Cremation . . . Jewelry?

Cremation jewelry is, simply put, jewelry that contains some of the cremated ashes of a deceased family member or loved ones. Cremation jewelry has many names and comes in a variety of forms, but no matter the words used, cremation jewelry is among the newest and most popular ways to memorialize loved ones.
February 25, 2010
What if we just said, "Why don't you just get over it?"

The jungle drums of frustration and consternation are beating in reaction to the impending revision of the Roman Missal. Granted, the syncopation is a bit uneven, and the decibel level less than robust, but it's there.
We are very concerned about the proposed new translations of the Roman Missal. We believe that simply imposing them on our people -- even after a program of preparation -- will have an adverse effect on their prayer and cause serious division in our communities.
We are convinced that adopting translations that are highly controversial, and which leaders among our bishops as well as many highly respected liturgists and linguists consider to be seriously flawed, will be a grave mistake.
For this reason we earnestly implore the bishops of the English-speaking world to undertake a pilot program by which the new translations -- after a careful program of catechesis -- can be introduced into some carefully selected parishes and communities throughout the English-speaking world for a period of one (liturgical) year, after which they can be objectively evaluated.
We are convinced that this approach will address the concerns of those many bishops who feel that they have lost their voice in this matter and that it will also give a voice to the People of God whose prayer is at stake and who accordingly have the most to gain or lose by the translations.
It's time for the fastest 2 hours in Catholic radio
February 24, 2010
What goes around comes around, baby
These people's hypocrisy is staggering, boundless, sickening, but not at all surprising.
Dear Leader & Dems in 2005: complaining that the 51 vote "nuclear option" is "arrogant," a "power grab against the Founders' intent," etc.
I could listen to this priest preach for days on end
How to Go to Confession
February 23, 2010
Tracy (CA) Residents to Pay Big Bucks For 911 Calls
Tracy residents will now have to pay every time they call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency.
But there are a couple of options. Residents can pay a $48 voluntary fee for the year which allows them to call 9-1-1 as many times as necessary.
Or, there's the option of not signing up for the annual fee. Instead, they will be charged $300 if they make a call for help.
"A $300 fee and you don't even want to be thinking about that when somebody is in need of assistance," said Tracy resident Greg Bidlack.
Residents will soon receive the form in the mail where they'll be able to make their selection. No date has been set for when the charges will go into effect.
You're not seeing what you think you're seeing
February 18, 2010
All your football are belong to them
February 17, 2010
Remember, man, that thou art mud, and to mud thou shalt return
Pat's Top 10 Least Popular Medieval Penances
10. Standing barefoot in the snow for hours
9. Skunk hair shirts
8. Scrubbing castle walls with toothbrush
7. Memorizing the Summa Theologiae
6. Chewing tinfoil
5. Delivering papal condemnations to Martin Luther
4. Hand copying the entire Bible
3. Wasp licking
2. Anything involving anthills
1. The "thorn paddle"
February 16, 2010
Lenten Jackpot! Look at all these free books
Renegade Phoenix Priest Laicized
The Diocese of Phoenix announced today that the long-running saga of a former priest who, after being dismissed from ministry some years ago, and who has been running a charismatic para-church operation drawing hundreds to Sunday services, has been reduced to the lay state.
The Diocese of Phoenix announces that the former Monsignor Dale J. Fushek has been returned to the lay state by the Roman Catholic Church through a process that is commonly referred to as “laicization.”
In January of 2010, Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, received a “Decree of Dismissal” from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (“CDF”) in Rome, in which the Bishop was notified that the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state has been imposed on the former Monsignor Dale J. Fushek. The CDF, which addresses offenses against the Sixth Commandment that are committed by priests and deacons with minors, issued its decision ex officio. This means that the penalty was imposed by order of Pope Benedict XVI and further, that the decision is not open to appeal. By the same Decree, Mr. Fushek has also been dispensed from the obligations of the clerical state.
Under the Church’s legal system, a cleric can be dismissed from the clerical state for serious violations of canon law, by committing certain delicts or ecclesiastical crimes. In Fushek’s case, the Diocese of Phoenix received several accusations regarding Fushek’s alleged sexual abuse of minors, and referred those accusations to the Holy See. The Holy See then directed the Diocese of Phoenix to conduct an investigation into the allegations. The results of that investigation were forwarded to the CDF. Based on the CDF’s review of the findings of that investigation and on Fushek’s abandonment of his ministry and his subsequent schismatic acts, the CDF issued the “Decree of Dismissal” and forwarded it to the Diocese of Phoenix. Fushek has been notified of the laicization, which took effect the moment the Decree was signed, and he has been informed of its consequences.
It should be noted that the Decree was issued in connection with an ecclesiastical administrative proceeding that was conducted by the Holy See pursuant to Church law. It has no bearing on any criminal or civil case that may involve or affect Mr. Fushek. The intent of the Decree is to prohibit Fushek from continuing to function as a cleric or priest in the Roman Catholic Church and it eliminates any rights, obligations or benefits that might have previously followed his status as a cleric.
The penalty of excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church that was previously imposed on Mr. Fushek remains in place. Thus, Mr. Fushek is not permitted to participate in the celebration of the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist or in any other sacramental or liturgical ceremonies of Catholic worship. Now, having been laicized, Fushek no longer has the rights of a cleric, which includes referring to himself as “Father,” “Reverend,” or “Monsignor.” Nor should he be addressed as such.
Bishop Olmsted again expresses his grave concern for Catholics who may be misled or confused by the continuing actions of Dale Fushek, particularly as they relate to the Praise and Worship Center. Catholics are reminded that any ceremonies, such as baptisms, weddings, confessions, and the anointing of the sick, if performed by Mr. Fushek or others at the Praise and Worship Center, are not legitimate sacraments for Catholics and would not be recognized by the Catholic Church. Bishop Olmsted asks that we continue to pray for reconciliation and healing in this difficult situation. . . . (continue reading)
February 15, 2010
Take Me Driving With You This Lent
Search & Rescue: How to Bring Your Family and Friends Into (or Back Into) the Catholic ChurchWhy Be Catholic When You Can Be Anything Else?
The Bible and the Catholic Church: A Marriage Made in Heaven
Is Everything Up for Grabs? A Catholic Critique of Moral Relativism
Answers to Lies Society Tells You
The Case for Christ: Examining the Evidence for the Existence, Resurrection, & Divinity of Jesus
Pope Fiction: Answers to Myths and Misconceptions About the Papacy
Where Is That in the Bible?
The Ticking Time Bomb – How Global Aging Will Affect You
February 10, 2010
"Will You Sing Me A Lullaby Before I Go?"
Dear Mom and Dad, I want you to know
My young heart is beating, my eyes fill with tears,
I pray that your love will conquer your fears.
God knit me here, you are my lifeline,
Will you sing to me, sweet Mother of Mine?
If you do not want me, please give me away,
There are loving arms waiting that want me to stay.
You will think of me each day of your life,
And the doctor who tore me from you with his knife.
Why would you want us to suffer this pain?
If I'm lost forever, what would you gain?
My Daddy, Listen, can you hear my screams?
Help Me! I cry for you in my dreams.
A farewell lullabye, please sing to me, Dad,
The pain is so great and I am so sad.
My heart aches to see, to feel and to touch
The Mom and Dad who I love so much.
Will I never run, or sing, or play,
Or hear the kind things that mothers say?
I would love to see Grandmom and play with toys,
And hug my Daddy like most girls and boys.
To money and things my parents are drawn,
But when their arms long to hold me, I will be gone.
The tears of the Angels flood Heaven today
As I join fifty million souls who perished this way.
We are crying our hearts out and trembling with fears,
But ours screams for mercy fall on deaf ears.
Does anyone out there have compassion for me?
When you were sown in her womb, your mom let you be.
I am being tortured in this home that I know,
Will you sing me a lullabye before I go?
A stranger prays and sings on the street
For all the children they never will meet.
Someday in Heaven, I'll find you to say;
Thank you for praying and singing that day.
As I lay there dying, I saw you weep,
With a sweet lullabye you sang me to sleep.
The Angels will carry me home when I cry
With millions of infants who pray in the sky
For the souls of the parents they yearned to kiss
And never will know the babies they'll miss.
My Savior awaits my arrival today,
"Vengeance is Mine," I heard the Lord say.
Your soul, Mom and Dad, you have defiled.
Oh Beg for God's mercy for killing your child!
The Angels sing lullabyes at Heaven's door
And play with the Babies, our tears shed no more.
Catherine Walsh
The Plot to Kidnap Pope Pius XII
As the persecution of the Jews intensified, Pius was widely recognized as a "lonely voice" out of the silence enveloping the continent. Victims thanked him, rescuers cited him as their inspiration, and the Nazis despised him. In retrospect, however, many modern critics blame Pius for being too quiet during the occupation. . . . (continue reading)
This can't possibly be any more annoying to Iranians than Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is to Americans

"Iran's telecommunications agency announced Wednesday that it has permanently suspended Google's e-mail services and that a national e-mail service for Iranians will be rolled out soon. . . .
The announced suspension of gmail comes as Iranian authorities have deployed in force across Tehran to conduct last-minute security sweeps and warn residents to refrain from joining antigovernment protests planned for Thursday -- the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution."
Meditations on the Stations of the Cross for Your Lenten Journey

This just out from Belmont Abbey College:
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Just sample the powerful words and images that await you. Both versions of our Meditations on the Stations of the Cross will enrich your Lent by helping you deepen your relationship with Love Himself, Jesus Christ.
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This stirring full-color booklet brings the beauty of our 130-year-old Benedictine campus into your home. The audio CD lets you take the serenity of our Basilica into the grind of daily traffic to make this year's Lent a prayerful and fruitful time for you.
For just $1 when you use your discount coupon code "MADRID" (in all caps), both versions of the Meditations bring the Passion home to your heart this Lent as Dr. Thomas' ardent love of Christ sets your life ablaze.
Now a theology professor at Belmont Abbey College, Dr. Thomas received his doctorate from England's University of Cambridge. An arduous search, which included 18 years of Protestant ministry, led him to the Catholic faith. (More about Dr. Ron Thomas)
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