Memorial of Blessed David Gonson - Martyr of the Order of Malta

Sir David Gonson was a member of an English naval family who was received into the Order at the English Auberge in Malta on 20 October 1533. He served on the ships of the Order in the Mediterranean until 1540 when he returned to England. Henry VIII had suppressed the Order in his kingdom by an Act of Parliament of 10 May 1540. David Gunston was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1540 and was condemned to death by an Act of Parliament in 1541 for denying the authority of the King in spiritual matters. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at St. Thomas' Waterings, Southwark on 12 July 1541. Pius XI declared him Blessed on 15 December 1929.

Prayer:

O God, who made of blessed David a notable champion of the Catholic faith whose martyrdom shed glory on our Order, grant that he may stimulate us to defend the unity of your holy Church. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(From: The Missal with readings of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes, & of Malta, London 1997)

Is Poverty The Main Cause of Abortion?

Just a thought, if poverty plays such an important role in the decision for many women to have an abortion, then why are most of the opponents of abortion around the world from 3rd World countries in greater poverty than our own?

Catholics in Alliance Muddle the Truth

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend wrote a recent article claiming that President Obama had more in common with most American Catholics than the Pope. For unintended reasons her statement is probably true given that much of the Catholic Church in America has been in de facto schism from Rome for years. Evidence of such belief comes from a statement from the group Catholics in Alliance for the [mythical] Common Good. In an attempt to clarify their position on contraception they put out the following statement,

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is a lay Catholic organization that works to promote the common good and the broad spectrum of Catholic social teaching. We are committed to confronting the moral scandal of poverty, health care reform, worker justice, ending the death penalty, promoting racial tolerance, and finding common ground on abortion. Catholic social teaching is not about a single issue or narrow ideologies of left or right. However, recent criticisms of Catholics in Alliance have provided the opportunity to clarify our position on contraception as it relates to finding comprehensive solutions to addressing the tragedy of abortion.

Catholics in Alliance has joined other faith-based and secular advocacy organizations to find comprehensive strategies that limit unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and reduce the number of abortions.

While polling and research demonstrate a diverse spectrum of opinion among Catholics, abstinence until marriage is the sexual ideal promoted by the Catholic Church. We believe that Catholic teaching has valuable lessons to offer our instant-gratification culture that often separates sex from loving, committed relationships and frequently treats the sacredness of sexuality as simply another commodity in a marketplace of choices.

Sexual fidelity in marriage and abstinence for young adults are important Catholic virtues to promote. At the same time, Catholics in Alliance also rejects the paralysis of debates that pit proponents of contraception against abstinence advocates. As the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has stated, research supports a comprehensive approach that includes providing accurate information about contraception and abstinence as complementary, not competing, strategies.

After more than three decades of political stalemate and legal gridlock,the Alliance applauds legislative efforts that are now bringing pro-choice and pro-life leaders together around the urgent need to limit unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and reduce abortions.

These efforts include the Pregnant Women Support Act and the Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act. Applying broad moral principles from a particular faith tradition in a pluralistic democracy enriched by diverse values requires prudential judgment and recognition that politics is the “art of the possible.” Both of these efforts represent essential steps toward finding common ground in service of the common good.

Now we can clearly discern from the previous statement that the "Alliance" wants to have their cake and eat it to. While claiming support for the Catholic position vis a vis contraception they also believe in using contraception to reduce abortion.

The Church has for a long time had to deal with such dissenters. Here is a excerpt from the Inquisitors Manual of Bernard Gui.

Advice concerning the guile and deceit of those who, not wanting to reply clearly and lucidly, do so ambiguously and obscurely.

There are some malicious and crafty people among the beguins who, in order to veil the truth, shield their accomplices and prevent their error and falsity from being discovered, respond so ambiguously, obscurely, generally and confusingly to questions that the clear truth cannot be gathered from their replies. Thus, asked what they believe about some statement or statements proposed to them, they reply, "I believe about this what the holy church of God believes," and they do not wish to speak more explicitly or respond in any other way. In this case, to exclude the ruse they use (or rather abuse) in referring in this way to the church of God, they should diligently, subtly and perspicaciously be asked what they mean by "the church of God," whether they mean the church of God as they understand it; for, as is clear from the errors presented above, they use the phrase "church of God" misleadingly. For they say they themselves and their accomplices are the church of God or are of the church of God. But those who believe differently than they and persecute them they do not consider to be the church of God or part of it.

Bishop Wenski of Orlando on the Prison Situation

Insightful column from Bishop Wenski of Orlando on the prison crisis.

Earlier this year, a federal court found conditions in California prisons so overcrowded and inhumane that it ordered that state to reduce its prison population by one third. But these conditions are by no means unique to California. As a nation we incarcerate more of our population than any other Western country, more than even the Soviet Union did. Today, the United States has more than 2.2 million people in prison on any given day – and in the course of a year some 13.5 million passed through our correctional institutions.

How did this come about? There are lots of reasons, of course. The crisis in our families – the breakup and dissolution of American families, especially among the poor - certainly left many young people rudderless. Many did not only lose their way; they never learned the way.

Access to better legal counsel and resources often allow the rich and better educated offenders to defer or avoid prison. The incarcerated tend to be the ill-educated, the mentally ill, drug addicts or the poor. And, because of ill considered tougher entencing laws and tougher parole laws that seek more to punish than to rehabilitate, our prison populations continue to grow. “Three strikes” laws often end up sentencing minor criminals to a lifetime of jail for what are relatively petty third offenses. Justice is supposedly blind – but given the inequities of the criminal justice system today, one could right say that justice is crippled.

Our Judeo-Christian tradition has always called for the humane treatment of prisoners and has emphasized that imprisonment should lead to the rehabilitation
of the prisoner so that he can return to society and resume his place as a productive citizen. The reality of prisons today is far from this ideal. While society needs to be protected from the worse among us, there is little effort to rehabilitate the nonviolent and the misguided. And while our constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, what we see happening in our prisons is cruel and inhuman. The spread of infectious diseases in prisons, including AIDS, and the sexual violence that occurs within prison walls point out just how inhuman conditions are in our nation’s prison system today.

All this reflects the sad reality of the incarcerated today whether they are in a small county jail, or a large federal prison. Their world is one of pain and despair. Because nobody wants to live next door to a correctional institution, they are usually built in isolated rural areas – and so prisoners end up “warehoused” far from their families – and so, “out of sight, out of mind”, the rest of society allows itself to simply ignore them.

Violence begets violence: man’s inhumanity to man consists not only of crime itself but also how we as a society treat the wrongdoer. The inmate is our brother or sister in Christ, a child of God who in spite of whatever crime he or she might have committed does not forfeit his or her dignity as a child of God.

As a Church we must proclaim and promote the respect of each person’s dignity – this must include the unborn, the handicapped, the elderly…and it cannot fail to include the prisoner as well. Here in the Diocese of Orlando, many of our priests, deacons and faithful minister to the incarcerated. Their ministry is truly a work of mercy. They take to heart Jesus’ words in his parable of the Last Judgment (cf. Matthew 25): “I was in prison and you visited me.” After all, Jesus himself was imprisoned and suffered crucifixion, the means of capital punishment of his time. And from the cross, he beatified a common criminal who history now knows as the “Good Thief” because he “stole” heaven – getting there before even before the sinless Virgin Mary.

St. Nicasius - Martyr of the Order of Malta

Today in the Order of Malta we remember St. Nicasius who was martyred.

One of the Kameti family (who were later known as de Burgo), he was born in Sicily in the twelfth century. He became a knight of the Order of St. John, fought as one of the defenders at the siege of Acre in Palestine and was captured and beheaded there in 1187 with many others, including, it is said, his brother Ferrandino.

Prayer:

O God, every year you give us joy in the commemoration of your martyr, blessed Nicasius: grant that through his prayers and example the companions of our Order may grow in faith and always follow you with all their hearts. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(From: The Missal with readings of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes, & of Malta, London 1997)

All that is known of Saint Nicaise, a martyr Knight, is that he lived shortly after the Blessed Gerland. His picture, painted in several churches (in Saint Dominic of Palermo, Saint Catherine dell'Olivella - not far from the altar of the Madonna of Itria - Saint Mary of Miracles, in Palermo, as well as in Saint John Decapitated, in Valletta, Malta) goes to show that we are not speaking of a myth but of a martyr of our Order.

Under the effigy of Saint Nicaise, drawn on a column of Saint Dominic of Palermo, can be read this inscription, bearing witness to a popular belief:

" S. Nicasius Martyr et Miles Domini nostri Jesu Christi, multas in collo habuit glandulas et imperavit a Domino nostro Jesu Christo ut quicumque nomen suum supra se portaverit, glandulae ei nocere non poterint. Amen".

Therefore, our Knight was either scrofulous or suffered from scrofula as a consequence of his tortures. He will guard us from scrofula from his high place in heaven, on one simple condition: if our "glands" worry us or trouble our children, let us write with confidence the name of Saint Nicaise and let us wear it on us or put it in the clothing of the patient; the holy martyr will indeed know how to cure the disease he knew.

And if our curiosity impels us to know more about his life, with Frà Bosio I shall tell you to act in such a way that "we shall be worthy of knowing what he has done ... in Heaven".
(From: Ducaud-Bourget, Msgr. François: The Spiritual Heritage of The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican 1958)

Thanks to Father Gerard of the Brotherhood of Blessed Gerard which is the South African Relief Organization of the Order of Malta for his original posting of this information.

Pope Lauds Charity Work of Order of Malta

On the Feast of St. John the Baptist Pope Benedict met with the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra Matthew Festing. Here are some of the highlights of the story. The full story can be read at the Zenit website.

In the 25-minute meeting, the Holy Father and the grand master discussed the Order's 10-year plan established during the strategy meeting held January in Venice. They also considered ecumenical dialogue promoted by the Order with the Russian Orthodox Church, medical and social care administered in theHoly Land, and assistance to immigrants offered in collaboration with the Italian Coast Guard. They discussed as well the humanitarian aid offered by the Order in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

Benedict XVI lauded the work of the order and urged them to stay faithful to their charism of caring for the poor and sick, giving testimony of the faith.The Holy Father also greeted the members of the Order's governing body, the majority of whom were elected for another five years during the general chapter [held earlier this month in Rome.]

Angels In Iron

There is a novel about the Siege of Malta that I strongly recommend called, "Angels In Iron." It is a gripping and sometimes graphically descriptive account of one of the great military events in history. While there are plenty of historical writings covering the Siege this brings to life some of the characters and individual personalities involved. Whether or not they were all real Knights is secondary in so far as we can identify with a realistic presentation of actual people as they endured incredible adversity and the source of their strength to accomplish equally incredible heroic feats. Each chapter is written in the style of a daily journal.

I have listed the book on my Amazon favorites on the sidebar and if you are interested in purchasing the book I hope that you would purchase it through my link as any commisions I make through Amazon is donated to works of the Order of Malta.

440th Anniversary of Fall of Fort St. Elmo

Today marks the 440th anniversary of the fall of Fort Saint Elmo during the Great Siege of Malta. I just finished an excellent novel, Angels in Iron, that describes the whole siege in a very descriptive and accurate manner. What these few knights, soldiers and civilians withstood for a horrifying month is nothing short of miraculous. Below is an excerpt of a talk given by Michael Davies in 2002 that was part of a conference given at the Dietrich von Hildebrand Institute 2002 Summer Symposia entitled “The 1st Through 8th Crusades; Military Orders; Catharist Crusade; and the Siege of Malta.” The full article can be read here, it describes some of what they went through during that month.

Mustapha finally acknowledged that St. Elmo could not be taken within that day and ordered the recall. St. Angelo's suddenly heard a burst of cheering from their brothers in St. Elmo. They had lost 200 men in the battle, in comparison to 2,000 Turks. But they knew the end was near, for there would be no more reinforcements.

St. Elmo's men readied themselves for a fight to the death. The two chaplains who had stayed with the defenders throughout the siege confessed the remaining knights and soldiers. Determined that the Mohammedans would not have the opportunity to mock or desecrate their holy relics, the knights and the chaplains hid the precious objects of the Faith beneath the stone floors of the chapel, and dragged the tapestries, pictures and wooden furniture outside and set them on fire. They then tolled the bell of the small chapel to announce to their brethren in the nearby forts that they were ready for the end.

In the gray pre-dawn light of the 23rd of June, Piali's ships closed in for the kill. The galleys, pointing their lean bows at the ruined fort, opened up their bow chasers in unison with the first charge made by the entire Turkish army. To the astonishment of Mustapha and his council, Fort St. Elmo held for over an hour. Less than 100 men remained after that first onslaught, yet the Ottoman army was forced to draw back and re-form. The knights who were too wounded to stand placed themselves in chairs in the breach with swords in their hands.

There was something about the next attack that told the garrisons looking on from Birgu and Senglea that all was over. The white-robed troops poured down the slopes, hesitated like a curling roller above the wall, and then burst across the fort, spreading like an ocean over St. Elmo. One by one the defenders perished, some quickly and mercifully, others dying of wounds among the bodies of their friends.

The Italian Knight Francisco Lanfreducci, acting on orders received before the battle began, crossed to the wall opposite Bighi Bay and lit the signal fire. As the smoke curled up and eddied in the clear blue sky, La Valette knew that the heroic garrison and the fort they had defended to the end were lost.

It was now that Mustapha Pasha impatiently strode to view his conquest. A standard-bearer carrying the banner of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent stepped through the breach into St. Elmo. Standing victorious on the ruins of St. Elmo's walls, with the flag of St. John in the dust at his feet, Mustapha gazed at the massive bulk of Fort St. Angelo on the horizon. “Allah!” he cried. “If so small a son has cost us so dear, what price shall we have to pay for so large a father?”

In an offensive act of cruelty, he ordered the bodies of the knights to be set apart from the common soldiers. Their heads were struck from their bodies and fixed on stakes overlooking Grand Harbor. The beheaded corpses were then stripped of their mail, nailed to crossbeams of wood in mockery of the crucifixion, and launched onto the waters of Grand Harbor that night.

It was the eve of the Feast of St. John, the patron saint of the Order. Despite the loss of St. Elmo, the Grand Master had given orders for the normal celebrations to take place. Bonfires were lit and church bells were rung throughout Birgu and Senglea. The next morning the headless bodies of the knights washed up at the base of Fort St. Angelo.

Fr. Tim Vakoc Military Chaplain R.I.P

Please pray for the repose of the soul of a devoted priest, who was seriously injured in Iraq after saying Mass and ministering to the spiritual needs of the soldiers, who died yesterday. There is more to the story here.

Also please remember to pray for all the military chaplains who place their lives in harms way and have frequently "lain down their life for a friend."

Five years after being gravely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Rev. Tim Vakoc, a well-known and much-loved Roman Catholic priest from Minnesota, has died, his family said Sunday.

Vakoc died surrounded by family and friends, according to an entry on his CaringBridge website. "A man of peace, he chose to endure the horror of war in order to bring the peace of Christ to America's fighting men and women," Archbishop John Nienstedt wrote in a prepared statement. "He has been an inspiration to us all, and we will miss him."

Father Tim, as he was known, was the first military chaplain grievously wounded in the Iraq war. He was injured by a roadside bomb as he was returning from celebrating mass with troops on May 29, 2004, the day before the 12th anniversary of his ordination as a priest.

The blast cost him an eye and severely damaged his brain. He was hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and transferred to the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center in October 2004.

After numerous surgeries and life-threatening infections, he slowly started to recognize friends and family, and to communicate with a squeeze of the hand or a slight smile.

For more than two years, he was in what doctors called a "minimally responsive state." Then, in the fall of 2006, he spoke for the first time in 2 1/2 years, raising hopes of recovery.

New Cardinal Patronus of the Order of Malta

Pope Benedict has nominated Archbishop Paolo Sardi to succeed Cardinal Laghi as the Cardinal Patronus of the Order of Malta.

Archbishop Sardi has been in the Office of the Secretariat of State since the time of Paul VI, he was the Vice-Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber who sealed the papal apartment when Pope John Paul II died. During his tenure in the office of State he was reportedly a speech writer for John Paul II. He also has the title of Apostolic Nuncio with Special Tasks. Archbishop Sardi will be 75 years old in September and will likely be made a Cardinal at the next consistory.