The Season of Advent

Dear friends in Christ,

The season of Advent is upon us. This is the holy season where we seek to encounter the living God as He prepares to become human, becoming like us for the sake of our salvation. For God to be truly redemptive, He chose to become Himself human, not because He couldn't be redemptive any other way, but for true redemption, which is an outpouring of divine love of the umpteenth degree, one has to be like which is being saved. For God to redeems mankind, He must become man Himself for true redemption. Remember that redemption is the end game, but humanity must be attracted to the love of God and respond to the love of God for redemption to be truly appreciated. Could we truly love a God who did not become man Himself and not sacrifice Himself for us? This sort of deity risks disconnection between God and man; but God isn't disconnected! We experience Christ in an intimate way every time we go to Mass, since it is truly God with us in the Eucharist. If we believe that Jesus is God, then we must believe that God is truly present in the Eucharist. Disconnected? Hardly, but rather the most extreme opposite: more than connected, he is intimately connected to our lives.

Jesus becomes incarnate at every Mass, since it is Christ coming into the world on the alter of sacrifice. We celebrate, on Christmas, that very first incarnation, where Jesus enters the world in the lowliest of places: a stable surrounded by animals, to a carpenter and his betrothed, Mary, the Virgin Mother of God. Advent, which means in latin "coming" (see advenio, advenire), is the season where we prepare for His "coming" as man into the world.

As a result of this, we must in this season prepare. We don't prepare by buying a million gifts for friends, but we must spiritually prepare. We must make an extra effort to prayerfully go through Advent with a spirit of appreciation for God and His Incarnation.

So how do we do that? What are specific ways to add prayer to our daily lives? I decided to take up the breviary for Advent. I did this consistently during my time in seminary, but had fallen away from the practice. I hope to use this time as a way to get acclimated to the prayer again. And I usually don't mention my own things that I take up; I do so only that you can offer a prayer that I stick to it. There are other things, but I decline comment because penances are usually private, and I try to stick to that. Other practices to pick up for prayer: the Rosary, and Daily Mass. There is also the Angelus, which is especially pertinent during this season. I will continue to write on Advent during the next few weeks.

May you remain close to the Incarnate Christ and His mother Mary, who bore Jesus in Her holy and spotless womb, and was nourished by her Immaculate Heart. God bless

Obama Makes History

Dear friends:

Obama made history on Thanksgiving: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112701.html.

Lesson of the day: The further we go from our roots, the harder it is to figure what exactly we are grounded in.

Stay close to Christ in this season of Advent, where we eagerly anticipate the coming of Christ at Christmas. May God bless you.

Bishops who take a stand against CCHD

This is an article of four bishops in the United States who decided not to participate in the annual CCHD collection:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09112305.html

On Sunday afternoon, I remembered that at Mass on that morning in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, there was no second collection, and thus, no money raised for CCHD this past Sunday in Philadelphia. That is because they did the collection back in July, as a Life Site News writer directed me to this letter written by Cardinal Rigali: . The answer has been solved, but Philadelphia still participated in the campaign. Pray for CCHD reform.

(CCHD, or Catholic Campaign for Human Development, to remind the readers, is the anti-poverty wing of the USCCB which has been in a fierce battle these last few weeks over their funding to groups that subvert Catholic teaching.)

Disagreeing with Archbishops?

Dear friends,

Today is a sad day, as it will really be the first time I call out a Bishop on this blog regarding the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, the Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis, wrote in his diocesan newspaper this.

Please read the article before continuing.

While I have a lot of respect for His Excellency, he is wrong in saying that the opposition to the CCHD campaign is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If the bathwater is dirty enough, you have to rewash the baby. Reform is necessary for the CCHD, and until then, I must reiterate that our money as faithful Catholics can't go towards organizations that oppose Church teaching.

While the archbishop says that some groups have been defunded as a result of their radical stances, he is willing to concede to further reform, accepting status quo results.

I don't know if I have stated on this blog or not, but I am proud of the Bishops for standing up to Notre Dame earlier this year, and for their involvement in the health care bill. Are they not due for more reform internally if they want even more credibility? At the same time they don't want abortion in health care reform, they are unwilling to accept reform within their own organization to prevent money from going to pro-choice organizations.

Here is my theory why the bishops in general are supporting this, and for this purpose, it is a noble one: for the unity of the episcopacy. Unity among bishops is essential; if they start infighting, then it goes downhill. Despite this, the USCCB needs to honestly look at the CCHD and do an honest assessment of it; only then can reform be done. Right now, they are saving face, and trying to play down the controversy for the upcoming collection.

Again, I encourage you not to give to this Campaign for CCHD; I encourage you to give your money to Church organizations that are funded by the CCHD that promote the Gospel of Life, but not to CCHD, since we don't know where are money is going. The last thing I want is for my money to go towards promoting abortion or contraception.

God bless.

More Condoms can help fix climate change?

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More Condoms, Fewer Poor People in Developing Nations will Solve Climate Change: UNFPA

By Hilary White

LONDON, November 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The fight against "climate change" can be won with the distribution of more free condoms and decreases in population, especially in the developing areas of the world, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has said in a report.

"Women with access to reproductive health services ... have lower fertility rates that contribute to slower growth in greenhouse gas emissions."

While the UNFPA acknowledged it had no actual evidence of a connection between population increase and climate change, the report insists there is no doubt that "people cause climate change" through CO2 emissions.

"The linkages between population and climate change are in most cases complex and indirect." Nevertheless, the report said, "As the growth of population, economies and consumption outpaces the Earth's capacity to adjust, climate change could become much more extreme and conceivably catastrophic."

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the UNFPA's executive director, told a news conference in London that although the largest amount of CO2 emissions do not come from the developing world, the organisation would continue to focus its population control efforts there, saying that women and the poor will be the worst hit in the coming climatological disasters.

"Our impending climate disaster is perhaps the most inequitable threats of our time," the UNFPA's Richard Kollodge told journalists.

But not everyone is as convinced. A Times poll released last week showed that less than half the UK's population believes human activity is responsible for climate change.

The Times says that only 41 per cent accept as a scientific fact that global warming is taking place and is largely man-made. 32 per cent believe the link is unproven and 8 per cent said it is anti-human environmentalist propaganda. 15 per cent said they do not believe the world is warming.

In the run-up to the Copenhagen climate change summit set for next month, others are offering suggestions that do not involve artificial population control. The head of the US Forest Service, Tom Tidwell, pointed out that trees consume carbon dioxide and emit oxygen.

Tidwell told a Senate panel on Wednesday that his agency is trying to manage forests to combat climate change and that politicians might want to consider the benefits of planting more trees.

"It is time to manage the nation's forests to address climate change and unlock their potential," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the panel's chairman.

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end article

So, let's get this straight: The UNFPA says that free condoms can be a weapon in the fight against global warming, yet they admit there is no studies to suggest a connection? I mean, he calls the links complex and indirect!

These organizations risk their work turning from scholarly to political, and in this case, that is exactly what has happened.

I did some research into the UNFPA, and I went onto their F&Qs page. Turns out, it seems one of their main goals as an organization is to promote contraception and family planning. Regarding abortion it says this on the Questions page:

"Does UNFPA promote abortion?

No. Guided by paragraph 8.25 of the Cairo Programme of Action, UNFPA does not support or promote abortion as a method of family planning. It accords the highest priority and support to voluntary family planning to prevent unwanted pregnancies so as to eliminate recourse to abortion. UNFPA supports governments to strengthen their national health systems to deal effectively with complications of unsafe abortions, thereby saving women’s lives (every year, an estimated 68,000 women die as the result of unsafe abortions)."


The last half of this statement is ambiguous. What does it mean to strengthen health systems to deal effectively with complications of unsafe abortions? This question also sidesteps the reality that of the 68,000 women who died, there were also 68,000 other victims: the unborn who are aborted. So really, we are talking about 136,000 victims in this case.

Problems abound with this organization, and the fact that not only are they politically driven, but they are money-hungry (there is more money involved in contraception than in abstinence, just as there is more money involved with abortion than with natural delivery and adoption).

I can actually go on and on about this organization and their fallacies, but it would take too long. Just know that morally, contraception doesn't have moral legs to stand on because it affects drastically the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual intercourse. The reasons that UNFPA put out in favor of contraception and family planning methods are all exterior to this argument, and they are bad arguments, at that. We must pray that the UNFPA realizes the error in their ways and take steps to back away from condom use and other family planning, including emergency contraception, which can act as an abortive treatment. We entrust the UNFPA to Mary Immaculate, that the example of Her Immaculate Heart may triumph in the end.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.

To contact the UNFPA here in the United States:

UNFPA Washington, D.C. Office
401 Ninth Street, N.W., Suite 450
Washington, D.C. 20004

Tel: (202) 326-8713
Fax: (202) 682-2154

Ms. Sarah Craven
Chief
Tel: (202) 326-8713

Their website: http://www.unfpa.org/public/pid/1

Lighter News, and Tastykakes

Press release from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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CARDINAL RIGALI CONGRATULATES
ARCHBISHOP DOLAN ON YANKEES' WORLD SERIES VICTORY


Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, presented a case of Tastykakes to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York today. The World Series wager exchange took place during a break at the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, MD.

Cardinal Rigali and Archbishop Dolan made the bet on the outcome of the 2009 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees, which the Yankees won, four games to two.

Cardinal Rigali also sent the following letter to Archbishop Dolan:

Congratulations, my good friend, on the New York Yankees' Game 6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies which made you the winner of our spirited World Series' wager. Though I had planned to enjoy your New York bagels with Philadelphia Cream Cheese after another Phillies World Championship, the loss of our wager stings a little less knowing that the forthcoming Tastykake gift package is going to you and how much you will enjoy the taste of Philadelphia.

Since a talented nucleus is returning for the Phillies next season, I join so many in Philadelphia in already looking forward to next season and a possible rematch with you!

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end press release

Can you imagine a rematch next year? The Phillies need another starting pitcher badly if they want that to happen. And their offense needs to do more than just float by; they were in an easy division this year.

More on CCHD: Bishop Morin on the Defensive

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CCHD Head Calls Critics "Outrageous," but Makes Vague Admission of Need for Reform


By Peter J. Smith

BALTIMORE, Maryland, November 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A US Catholic bishop who has oversight of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), on Tuesday blasted what he said were "outrageous" allegations that the bishops' charitable-arm funds pro-abortion and anti-family organizations. He charged that some such claims were motivated by "ideological or political agendas." Nevertheless, Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Mississippi admitted that the CCHD needs reform and that developments are underway for the charity's overall renewal.

Bishop Morin gave his report on CCHD to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Fall 2009 General Assembly in Baltimore.

"The bishops of the committee, as those responsible for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, continue to pledge ongoing support of efforts to ensure that all CCHD funds are used faithfully, effectively and in accord with Catholic social and moral teaching," said Morin.

CCHD is the subject of an independent and ongoing investigation by several Catholic groups that have exposed it for having contracted projects with some groups that are involved with or who have signed onto efforts, activities, or mission statements that conflict with the Catholic Church's defense of the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family. CCHD has already defunded two of those groups, but further investigations are continuing to reveal numerous other problematic groups.

A Reform CCHD Now (RCN) coalition has formed that includes Human Life International, Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, Catholic Radio International, Americans Life League, and fifteen other groups. It has demanded concrete reforms of CCHD's vetting process for groups seeking funds before Catholics are called upon to donate on November 22.

Regarding the criticism of CCHD, Bishop Morin told his fellow bishops that the charitable arm had experienced both fair and foul allegations about CCHD funding.

"Some [critics of CCHD] are motivated by a concern for the poor and respect for the Church, and some are seeking answers to legitimate questions about what and how and why CCHD does what it does, and how it can be made better," Morin said.

However, Morin proceeded to lash out at certain unnamed critics who he said harbor ulterior motives against the bishops and the Church.

"There are a few who have their own ideological or political agendas, they repeat or spread outrageous claims that the bishops are funding groups that are pro-abortion, groups that are not in support of the family, or other untruths," Morin insisted. "For these groups, this seems to be just another way to attack the Church and its shepherds."

Morin said that these groups, "constantly insist that the bishops are not as faithful to their responsibility to their caring for the life of the unborn."

Bishop Morin reiterated that CCHD is "absolutely pro-life from conception to natural death," and that social justice ministry to the poor was a form of pro-life advocacy.

He also denied the allegation that CCHD gives to any group "that is specifically involved in any activity contrary to church teaching," and emphasized that CCHD has a "zero tolerance" for grantees who violate the conditions of their contract, which requires respect and promotion of the Church's core values.

Morin told the bishops that he believed that three "very particular isolated instances" were being used to paint CCHD and its 250 other grantees "with the same brush."

However, in recent days members of the Reform the CCHD Now movement have presented evidence for inappropriate activities on the part of a wide number of CCHD grantees, significantly widening the brush beyond the three cases of problematic funding alluded to by Morin.

On Monday, the day before Morin's speech, the American Life League, an RCN member, revealed that they had discovered six more CCHD grantees engaged in activities contrary to Catholic teaching, such as promoting birth-control through sex-education, as well as Marxism, homosexuality, and greater access to condoms. In total these groups are allocated $220,000 for the year.

Michael Hichborn, ALL's lead-researcher on CCHD, charged that given the ease with which they found the information on these groups, the bishops' charitable organization could only be one of two things, either "incompetent or complicit."

"We're finding more and more evidence every day with far less information than the CCHD receives through its granting process," stated Hichborn.

Hichborn and Rob Gasper, founder of BVM, both appeared Friday on EWTN's "The World Over" program with Raymond Arroyo and argued their case for the needed reforms, explaining the evidence they had compiled, and revealing some new discoveries.

In his speech on Tuesday, Bishop Morin promised his fellow bishops that reform and "renewal" of its mission is in the works for CCHD, saying that even one case was one too many.

"We are using new tools to help ensure that groups keep their commitments, to avoid actions which conflict with Catholic Church teaching, and to not engage in any partisan political activity," Morin concluded.

Discussion on Morin's report by the bishops, however, was tabled until Wednesday. Since the bishops did not discuss the CCHD report before the public session ended at 11 A.M., any discussion on the report will occur in their private session, which is closed off to reporters.

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end article

To Bishop Morin: I pray for bishops daily, and you are among them. I pray that under your leadership, you may lead the reform of the CCHD, helping it to be stronger by being faithful.

To all you other bishops who read my blog (I say this with a chuckle), the people who are reporting on this are devoted Catholics who are concerned about where their money is going. We give to pro-life organizations, and we can't in good conscience, give to CCHD even if there is a chance that some of the money goes to fund abortion, contraception, or homosexual agendas (and it seems there is a good chance).

To everybody else, we must stand strong, and make sure we hold accountable the CCHD, calling for its reform, and to make sure that the money we give them doesn't work against the works of the Catholic Church across the United States.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you.

Sisters of Saint Francis in Rochester having trouble with new vocations

Dear friends in Christ,

This article, to me seems to embody the problem with many women's religious orders. These are my musings over this article. Here are the problems I see with this article pertaining to the order, and what many orders face as problems. Take it for what you will.

1. The Habit

It has been stated by many before me, and will continue to be stated by many after me, but religious who wear the habit are more effective witnesses in the world, and thus, more women are attracted to them. The picture of the sister whom they are interviewing is not wearing a habit, so is it a surprise that in three years, there have been no new members?

2. Age

If I was a young twenty year old woman, why would I be attracted to an order whose vocation director looked like she was in her 60s-70s. Not to discredit older religious, but it sends a bad sign when there are only old religious, showing that for years they haven't attracted any. At the same time, there are orders where there are an abundance of young religious. I wrote about a Poor Clare Monastery in Spain that has a waiting list to get in (note they are also wearing habits).

3. Marketing

The article says "The sisters don't do much beyond occasionally speaking in local parishes to try to bring in new members". What about putting into the deep? What about hosting retreats? What about speaking in schools? Again, I wouldn't be attracted to an order if the only time they gave to my parish was an afternoon talk on their order. Put out into the deep. Provide retreats, nun runs; provide many opportunities.

4. Charism

In this article, there is no mention of what the order actually does. Do they teach? Do they serve the poor? The lack of a common charism is a common indication that the order has lost their way. The Dominicans, for example, have a charism of being educators. What do the Sisters of Saint Francis do? By the picture, it looks like the sister exercises, but what do they do to bring souls to Christ?

5. Theology and Vocabulary

"Speaking occasionally to bring in new members" presents a theologically poor understanding of vocation. They aren't looking for members, as a Rotary Club would look for new members. They are supposed to be seeking out those who have a vocation. They are called by God to enter that order, and thus they really should be providing opportunities (real opportunities) for young women to hear the voice of God, sacramentally and through the order's charism (still a mystery to me).

This article seems to bring to light many of the problems of modern women's religious, not only with the lack of new vocations, but stemming from a lack of identity (loss of habit makes them look like everybody else, and a loss of a common charism loses their identity with the others in the order).

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you.

CCHD fight getting ugly

Friends in Christ,

This upcoming weekend will be the special collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which is the anti-poverty wing of the USCCB. I don't know the history of it, but it has turned into a branch of the USCCB that gives money to organizations that directly go against church teaching. Money from the CCHD goes to fund groups that promote abortion, contraception and same-sex "marriage".

Now, don't get me wrong. I am anti-poverty. It is very sad that there are so many that go hungry, and don't have a place to live. But, as a people of Faith, the one true Catholic Faith, we cannot compromise things essential to our faith for the sake of ameliorating the human condition. In fact, funded such things that are opposed to our faith does the opposite affect: it worsens the human condition. There are countless studies that talk about the psychological impact of abortion; there are studies about how regular use of contraception increases the risk for divorce and broken families; there are also studies that show that the allowance for homosexuals to be married breaks down the family. The result of all three of these is a human condition worse than before. And the CCHD is going to fund such things?

I invite you to look into the CCHD. The American Life League speaks very badly of the organization. Life Site News talks extensively about it here.

Matt Abbott of Renew American has also gotten into the fray, especially with the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office. You can read his article here.

To be neutral and open minded, Here is the USCCB press release on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and its upcoming collection.

Now, having written all of this, I can't in good conscience give to the campaign, and I invite you to consider withdrawing your support for this campaign. Remember, we can't give up tenants of our faith for the sake of a greater good. This common philosophical error is called proportionalism, where we weigh the good with the bad, and decide what to do according to the greater good. Even though the CCHD does do good things with anti-poverty, it also does bad things with abortion, contraception and homosexual groups. Morally, we cannot give.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you.

Homosexual Newspapers Shut Down

From Life Site News:

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Largest U.S. Homosexual Publisher Shuts Down, Closing Major Gay Newspapers

By Peter J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The largest publisher of homosexual newspapers has shut down, leading to the closure of a string of homosexual newspapers, including the influential Washington Blade, which had just celebrated its 40th anniversary.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the news first broke when employees at the Southern Voice, a homosexual weekly paper in Atlanta, discovered the keys changed and the doors locked on Monday morning, with a sign informing them that their parent company Window Media LLC had closed.

Window Media LLC had hoped to establish a chain of thriving gay and lesbian journals across the country. However, financial difficulties already endemic to the struggling newsprint industry and the current recession reportedly made it impossible for the publisher to maintain its extensive news acquisitions.

The company was forced into receivership by the federal Small Business Administration earlier in the year upon discovering that it had insufficient capital to remain afloat. The decision means that the SBA has the ability to sell off Window Media assets, but potential buyers would also have to pay off the debt accrued to these publications at federal rates.

Window Media owned the Washington Blade, Houston Voice, South Florida Blade, David Atlanta, and 411 Magazine. All these homosexual publications have closed as well, and their websites no longer function.

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Updates; Praying the Rosary under assault in France

Back from a short hiatus to writing on my blog, as the last couple of weeks got ahead of me. I was in the field for a few days, teaching kids about vocations, which was fantastic! I pray that through my witness, and what the Holy Spirit inspires me to say, that the kids were moved to consider God's call in their life.

I believe that every person is called to something great: sainthood. We are all called by God to be saints. Sainthood isn't for the lofty mystic, or the martyr who dies a horrible death; it is for individuals like me, you and the average Joe or Jane who walks past us on the way to work, or the conductor on my wife's train. We are all called to be great saints. How often do at least I fall short of that goal.

I strive daily to be a saint, and daily I fail to live up to my calling; yet, each morning, I resolve to try again. I want to be a saint. I want to be Christ to others, to preach the love of God and to preach His message of salvation, which is the most loving example of love in the history of humanity.

This is why assaults against the love of God are so painful to me, like the one below. How loving is the Father, yet oftentimes we choose hatred, a complete dichotomy of what the Father wants.

I pray that the faithful in France and abroad may inspire those who turn to hate to instead turn to the loving Father's embrace, and sow love, not hate. I pray that for myself, that I may turn to the example of the love of God, and not get wrapped up in the daily struggles of my life.

Please pray for those who hate the symbol of the Rosary and the Gospel of Life, especially those protesters talked about below.

The following is from Life Site News. You can read more article here.

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France's National Rosary for Life Sparks Pro-Abortion Counter-Protests


By Patrick B. Craine

FRANCE, November 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - To mark their 23rd anniversary, the French pro-life group SOS Tout-Petits held their annual National Rosary for Life on Saturday, sparking heated protests from the country's pro-abortion activists.

Catholics gathered to pray outside cathedrals and churches in at least 28 cities throughout France, as well as in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Philippines. In many of these cities, the peaceful event attracted large anti-Catholic counter-demonstrations.

For example, at the St. André Cathedral in Bordeaux, police were called to the scene as a large crowd opposed the 150 people gathered to pray. The crowd carried pro-abortion signs and shouted "Caca Catholic," "Mary, Jesus, we f*** you," and "If Mary had had an abortion, we wouldn't have this sh**." At the St. Étienne Cathedral in Toulouse, the protesters were held back by police. At St. Nicolas in Nantes, they threw eggs.

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May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you and keep you.

Spanish Cloister sees dramatic increase in vocations

Dear friends in Christ,

I came upon this story of a group of cloistered Poor Clare nuns, a convent founded in 1604 in Lerma, Spain.

Sr. Veronica has even been hailed by the Catholic newspapers sympathetic to the Socialist government as a modern day Mother Teresa. After being names abbess, the convent went from a convent with her as the first girl entering in 23 years to a convent that now has 135 sisters with the median age of 35. By the way, there is also a waiting list of 100 girls who want to enter. The following is a clip which shows their complete joy, with Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the Preacher of the Papal Household.



I was very much moved by this group of sisters. They are so joyful, and they seem completely in love with Jesus to the point that they left their rewarding professions and professional lives to live as Brides of Christ.

Click here to read the full article on Catholic News Agency.

Praise be to God.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Praying for an end to the House Healthcare bill

Dear friends in Christ,

With the House version of the Health care Bill expected to go before a vote in the House over the weekend, I invite you to pray a Rosary, or even multiple rosaries, that this bill may not pass in Congress. It can't be given to Barack Obama to sign it into law. It would be disastrous, and millions of dollars will go towards allowing abortion on demand. We will have to pay for other people's abortions. Is that right?

Here is a link to a post from earlier this week of a website called Come Pray the Rosary. I invite you to look into it, and pray the Rosary for the intention of this health care bill not passing.

Pushing Abortion for Profit

I published a post the other day on Abby Johnson,
the former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion mill near the campus of Texas A&M university, who, after seeing an ultrasound of an aborted fetus, had a conversion of heart and quit her position. She has since gained national attention by her conversion. The following is an article by Life Site News on the conversion, and her remarks and the subsequent fallout with Planned Parenthood.

'Planned Parenthood Pushes Abortion for Profit': Ex-Abortion Facility Director

By James Tillman

BRYAN, TX, November 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Abby Johnson, the ex-director of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility who recently made national headlines after converting to the pro-life position, has revealed that Planned Parenthood pushes employees to strive for more abortions to boost profits.

"There are definitely client goals," Johnson told WorldNetDaily. "We'd have a goal every month for abortion clients and for family planning clients."

Abby Johnson had worked at Bryan's Planned Parenthood facility for eight years and been its director for two when she resigned on October 6th, near the beginning of Bryan's sixth annual 40 Days for Life Campaign.

She said that she grew uncomfortable with Planned Parenthood when they told her to try to bring more abortions through the door because of the economic downturn.

"Every meeting that we had was, 'We don't have enough money, we don't have enough money - we've got to keep these abortions coming,' " Johnson said in an interview with Fox News. "It's a very lucrative business and that's why they want to increase numbers."

The latest financial report Planned Parenthood, for the year 2006-2007, shows that the abortion behemoth increased the number of abortions it committed from 264,943 in 2005 to 289,650 in 2006. Total revenue amounted to over $1 billion dollars, with the organization's profit margin - "excess of revenue over expenses" - soaring from $55.7 million in 2005 to $112 million in 2006. The organization typically receives over $300 million in taxpayer funds every year.

Johnson said she became involved with the clinic "to help women and ... [do] the right thing." The idea of increasing abortion numbers to increase revenue was repugnant to her. She said that ideally the facility's director would provide "so much family planning and so much education that there is not a demand for abortion."

But this ideal was not shared by the rest of Planned Parenthood, she said, because "abortion is the most lucrative part of Planned Parenthood's operations."

"With the family planning corporation really suffering," Johnson said, "they depend on the abortion corporation to balance their budget, help get them out of the hole and help make income for the company."

She continued, "They really wanted to increase the number of abortions so that they could increase their income."

Johnson said that the Planned Parenthood facility performed surgical abortions every other Saturday, but also began expanding access to abortion by other means.

"One of the ways they were able to up the number of patients that they saw was they started doing the RU-486 chemical abortions all throughout the week," she said.

Although Planned Parenthood's policies of pushing for abortion made her uncomfortable, Johnson said that at first she just kept "pushing down the guilt."

"I struggled with it for a long time," she told CBN.com. "But you learn to justify it somehow and I've learned over the years and through this conversion that if you're doing the right thing, you shouldn't have to justify it."

She said that she reached her "breaking point after witnessing a particular kind of abortion on an ultrasound," according to 40 Days for Life.

"I could actually see it was a 13 week old baby and I could actually see the side profile of the baby on the ultrasound," she said. "And I could see the cannula going into the uterus. And I could see the baby moving away from the cannula, trying to get away from the probe."

"I saw the baby crumple during the procedure, and that was just life-changing for me. I'd never seen that done before."

Since Abby's resignation, Planned Parenthood has retaliated by filing a restraining order against her. The injunction temporarily prevents her from releasing information until after a hearing scheduled for November 10th in the 85th district court.

Johnson has said that she is not sure why Planned Parenthood is concerned.

"Planned Parenthood is an organization that really runs on fear. If somebody crosses them, they are quick to threaten that person. I've worked for them for a long time and seen them threaten lawsuits multiple times," she said.

"I'm not sure what they're scared of. When I first got the restraining order, I was so surprised. My initial response was, what do they think I know? What are they feeling guilty about?"

Johnson is one of eight abortion industry workers who left their jobs during the 40 Days for Life campaign that concluded on November 1st; she was the highest ranking of the eight. 40 Days for Life has also received at least 534 reports of mothers who turned away from abortion appointments.


See related stories on LifeSiteNews.com:

Director of Planned Parenthood at 40 Days for Life Birthplace Resigns after Watching Abortion Ultrasound
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09110204.html

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As this continues to gain national headlines, I pray that many may see the example of Abby Johnson and realize the truth behind abortion: murder.

I offer many prayers for abortionists, and those who work for Planned Parenthood and other abortionist groups, javascript:void(0)that they may convert and believe in the Gospel of Life. May they be drawn towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus and be washed of His Divine Mercy.

Say no to the House Healthcare Bill

Abortion is not health care because health care does not involve the killing of a human being.

Dolan gets his tastykakes

The Yankees won their 27th World Series Championship last night, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3. They took the series in six games. Equally important (well, maybe) is that Archbishop Dolan has won the bet with Cardinal Rigali and His eminence will be sending Dolan a case of Tastykakes for the enjoyment of Archbishop Dolan (for this moment, I wish I worked for New York just to enjoy a Tastykake passed from the hands of Rigali). If the Yankees lost, Rigali would have been enjoying a dozen bagels with his cream cheese, but alas, the bagels remain in New York.

You can read more about the original bet here.

Way to go Yankees!

Planned Parenthood Director quits, has a change of heart

Dear friends in Christ,

I try to put uplifting stories on here about the pro-life movement, stories of conversion, redemption, and forgiveness, all related to the pro-life movement, but one that has its roots in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for the sake of our salvation. But yet this sacrifice, we find ourselves in the midst of the greatest genocide in world history: the genocide of abortion. Despite the genocide taking places in our neighborhoods, our hospitals, and the disregard for life in our legislature and in the White House, there are still small victories that I like reporting on, since it can sometimes feel like there is nothing good to report on with the pro-life movement. But there is! Conversions really do happen. Here is the story of one: The power of an ultrasound.

It happened at the local Planned Parenthood to Texas A&M University, of which I know personally two people who graduated from there. What an inspiration her change of heart can be to the local college students there. The university has a great Catholic and Protestant presence there, but the conversion of this woman, the director of the local Planned Parenthood, can do a lot to inspire women on campus to reconsider what is considered the norm for pregnant college girls: abortion. Consider adoption. If there are any pregnant women out there who is considering an abortion, please know I am praying for you, that you may do the right thing and not fall into the genocide of abortion. There are always other options.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God bless.

Cohabitation: one couple’s story of conversion

While I hope to do some writing on the problems of cohabitation, I merely present you today with a link to the Denver Catholic Register on a couple who cohabitated, and after attending pre-Cana and learning about the Church's position on cohabitation, decided to live "as brother and sister", in a chaste relationship.

They also attributed their decision to remain chaste to learning about Natural Family Planning, (NFP).

How counter-cultural!

God bless.

Sick. Skincare Company Now Using Aborted Fetal Tissue in Anti-Aging Cream

From the ethical realm (warning: don't read on a full stomach):

Sick. Skincare Company Now Using Aborted Fetal Tissue in Anti-Aging Cream

So basically, the message this company is sending is that they don't mind using aborted fetal cell lines to make someone look younger in an anti-aging cream.
Does anybody else see a problem with this? Click here for contact information to the company, and let them know what you think.

Where are things going to stop regarding the blatant disregard for respect for human life? St. Michael, defend us in battle, and pray for us.