Why The Vatican is Visiting Congregations of Women Religious

Here is a conference announcement for anyone who doubts the reason why the Vatican is investigating congregations of women religious in this country. Or just visit the NCAN website for ample evidence.

40th Anniversary Celebration
National Coalition of American Nuns
Worker Justice in Church and Society
A conference day for women
religious,congregational leaders, and all interested in justice for workers
September 26, 2009, 9:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet St. Joseph Hall
St. Louis, MO

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in the Church”
Theresa Kane, RSM, former LCWR President

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in Society”
Eileen Purcell, a life time organizer for social and economic justice,
most recently with the Service Employees International Union

Margaret Ellen Traxler Award Recipient
Sr.Louise Lears, SC, placed under interdict by Archbishop
Raymond Burke on June 26, 2008 for her support of the priestly ordination of two
women

Why The Vatican is Visiting Congregations of Women Religious

Here is a conference announcement for anyone who doubts the reason why the Vatican is investigating congregations of women religious in this country. Or just visit the NCAN website for ample evidence.

40th Anniversary Celebration
National Coalition of American Nuns
Worker Justice in Church and Society
A conference day for women
religious,congregational leaders, and all interested in justice for workers
September 26, 2009, 9:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet St. Joseph Hall
St. Louis, MO

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in the Church”
Theresa Kane, RSM, former LCWR President

Keynote Speaker: “Worker Justice in Society”
Eileen Purcell, a life time organizer for social and economic justice,
most recently with the Service Employees International Union

Margaret Ellen Traxler Award Recipient
Sr.Louise Lears, SC, placed under interdict by Archbishop
Raymond Burke on June 26, 2008 for her support of the priestly ordination of two
women

Christianity and "Social Justice"

As if I wasn't already overburdened with things to read I recently discovered another writer to add to the list. His name is Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and among other biographical items of note he was a Knight of Malta. Here is an excerpt from his work The Timeless Christian, dealing with Christianity and Social Justice.

Now, there is a genuine social justice which proceeds not from the principle of equality, but from the principle: Suum cuique — to each his own. It is true that to deprive the workman of his just wage is not only a sin, but a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. When one hinders social advance by putting barriers in the way of the diligent and the talented, one not only commits a personal injustice, but damages the common good of the whole nation, which always requires a genuine elite of ability and the contribution of extraordinary brainpower in every walk of life. And it would be socially unjust if a few individuals or certain groups had so much material wealth that, in consequence of this concentration of property and income, other classes had to live not only in povery, but in misery. Whoever lives in real abundance has a Christian duty to assist those living in wrechedness. Before we proceed, however, let us affirm that the notion of misery is different from that of poverty. Péguy has already drawn the distinction between pauvreté and misère. To live in misery means to suffer genuine physical privation: to know cold and hunger, to have no proper dwelling, to be dressed in rags, to be unable to secure medical attention. The poor, by contrast, have the necessities of life, but scarcely any more. They can borrow books, no doubt, but cannot buy them; they can hear music on the radio, but cannot afford a ticket to a concert; they cannot indulge in little extras of food and drink, but should, by self-discipline, be able to save a little. The poor have, therefore, the normal material preconditions for happiness — unless plagued by acquisitiveness or even envy, which has become a political force in the same measure as people have lost their faith. The fact that there are happy poor (alongside unhappy rich people) is beside the point. Demagogues know how to stir up terrible and murderous unrest even among the happy poor, as has been demonstrated clearly by the history of the left from Marat to Marx to Lenin to Hitler. (TC, 53-54)

Christianity and "Social Justice"

As if I wasn't already overburdened with things to read I recently discovered another writer to add to the list. His name is Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and among other biographical items of note he was a Knight of Malta. Here is an excerpt from his work The Timeless Christian, dealing with Christianity and Social Justice.

Now, there is a genuine social justice which proceeds not from the principle of equality, but from the principle: Suum cuique — to each his own. It is true that to deprive the workman of his just wage is not only a sin, but a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. When one hinders social advance by putting barriers in the way of the diligent and the talented, one not only commits a personal injustice, but damages the common good of the whole nation, which always requires a genuine elite of ability and the contribution of extraordinary brainpower in every walk of life. And it would be socially unjust if a few individuals or certain groups had so much material wealth that, in consequence of this concentration of property and income, other classes had to live not only in povery, but in misery. Whoever lives in real abundance has a Christian duty to assist those living in wrechedness. Before we proceed, however, let us affirm that the notion of misery is different from that of poverty. Péguy has already drawn the distinction between pauvreté and misère. To live in misery means to suffer genuine physical privation: to know cold and hunger, to have no proper dwelling, to be dressed in rags, to be unable to secure medical attention. The poor, by contrast, have the necessities of life, but scarcely any more. They can borrow books, no doubt, but cannot buy them; they can hear music on the radio, but cannot afford a ticket to a concert; they cannot indulge in little extras of food and drink, but should, by self-discipline, be able to save a little. The poor have, therefore, the normal material preconditions for happiness — unless plagued by acquisitiveness or even envy, which has become a political force in the same measure as people have lost their faith. The fact that there are happy poor (alongside unhappy rich people) is beside the point. Demagogues know how to stir up terrible and murderous unrest even among the happy poor, as has been demonstrated clearly by the history of the left from Marat to Marx to Lenin to Hitler. (TC, 53-54)

Second Chances - Michael Vick

In our parish bulletin this week our pastor wrote a column dealing with NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his recent release from prison.

For those of you who don't know, Michael Vick was just released from prison after serving time for funding a dog fighting operation.

There are a couple of things about this story that I find interesting. First, I am amazed at the amount of hatred that has been directed towards Michael Vick. This is not to say that I am condoning dog fighting. Dog fighting is a terrible thing, but what if people showed the same hatred for other forms of evil that are happening in the world? There are millions of people starving in our world each day. Christians are persecuted and not allowed to practice their faith. Women are still victims of domestic abuse. Millions of babies are aborted each year. The list goes on and on. The challenge for us is that every injustice in our world demands our attention. Part of our mission as Christians is to bring both justice and mercy to a world torn by sin.

Second, his story once again challenges us to forgive as Jesus Christ taught us. Tony Dungy, a former head coach in the NFL, went to visit Michael Vick while he was in prison. Tony is a faithful Christian who has tried his best to live his faith both in his profession and in his family life. This is what he had to say about the situation.

"Michael's future, just like those of thousands of other inmates around the country is worth saving. [ . . . ] I firmly believe Michael deserves a second chance in life. I understand how appalling dogfighting is, and in no way do I condone it. But he was given a punishment that the court deemed appropriate, and now he exits prison having paid for that crime. It's time to let him bounce back after that loss. If we are willing to forgive Michael and take an honest look at the person who is leaving that prison we might be surprised at what we see. We might see a man who says 'I'm sorry' with his actions and not just his words. We might see a man who wants to get back to his three children and stop the cycle of young people growing up without a father to help them. I'm not sure of the Michael we would see on the field, but I believe we would see a very different person off the field. That's what would be exciting to me."

Put yourself in the shoes of Michael Vick. Would you want to be given a second chance? All of us have done things in our life that we would do differently today. We give thanks to God for the many times we have been forgiven.

Second Chances - Michael Vick

In our parish bulletin this week our pastor wrote a column dealing with NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his recent release from prison.

For those of you who don't know, Michael Vick was just released from prison after serving time for funding a dog fighting operation.

There are a couple of things about this story that I find interesting. First, I am amazed at the amount of hatred that has been directed towards Michael Vick. This is not to say that I am condoning dog fighting. Dog fighting is a terrible thing, but what if people showed the same hatred for other forms of evil that are happening in the world? There are millions of people starving in our world each day. Christians are persecuted and not allowed to practice their faith. Women are still victims of domestic abuse. Millions of babies are aborted each year. The list goes on and on. The challenge for us is that every injustice in our world demands our attention. Part of our mission as Christians is to bring both justice and mercy to a world torn by sin.

Second, his story once again challenges us to forgive as Jesus Christ taught us. Tony Dungy, a former head coach in the NFL, went to visit Michael Vick while he was in prison. Tony is a faithful Christian who has tried his best to live his faith both in his profession and in his family life. This is what he had to say about the situation.

"Michael's future, just like those of thousands of other inmates around the country is worth saving. [ . . . ] I firmly believe Michael deserves a second chance in life. I understand how appalling dogfighting is, and in no way do I condone it. But he was given a punishment that the court deemed appropriate, and now he exits prison having paid for that crime. It's time to let him bounce back after that loss. If we are willing to forgive Michael and take an honest look at the person who is leaving that prison we might be surprised at what we see. We might see a man who says 'I'm sorry' with his actions and not just his words. We might see a man who wants to get back to his three children and stop the cycle of young people growing up without a father to help them. I'm not sure of the Michael we would see on the field, but I believe we would see a very different person off the field. That's what would be exciting to me."

Put yourself in the shoes of Michael Vick. Would you want to be given a second chance? All of us have done things in our life that we would do differently today. We give thanks to God for the many times we have been forgiven.

Eaten Alive - Minnesota Chesterton Conference

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is presenting the 1st Annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at St. John's University in Collegeville in the MN Science Center Auditorim. The theme of the conference is Eaten Alive: What the Economic Crisis Has Done to Us (And What We Can Do About It)

Here is a description for the event. You can find full details at the American Chesterton Society website.

In just a few short months we have seen unprecedented economic meltdown and business failure on a grand scale. Accompanying it has been gigantic government growth with bailouts that have resulted in the virtual takeover of certain industries. Thousands of people have lost homes and jobs, and the entire country, along with the world, is facing great economic uncertainty.

Everyone is looking for answers. Among the many responses to the crisis has been an encyclical from Pope Benedict XVI, which has been both praised and condemned across the political spectrum. Lost in all the commotion is the fact that G.K. Chesterton saw all of this coming a long time ago. Like any true prophet, he did not just preach doom and destruction, he offered hope.

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is hosting a one-day conference and inviting everyone to come and consider the real problems that face us as well as the real solutions. Please join us on the beautiful campus of St. John’s University for the first annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference.

Here is the schedule and lineup of speakers:

8:00 AM Registration and coffee and rolls
9:00 AM Robert Hanten -- “Economic Plunder & Pillage: A Public-Private Venture”
10:00 AM Break
10:30 AM Professor Daniel Finn -- “Justice: What’s Government Got to Do with It?” 11:30 AM Lunch in the main dining room
1:00 PM Joseph Pearce -- “Size Matters: Government, Business and Power Envy”
2:00 PM Break
2:30 PM John Medaille -- “Justice: What’s Business Got to Do with It?”
4:00 PM Arthur Hippler -- Caritas in Veritate: The Social Encyclical of Benedict XVI
5:00 PM Reception at the Great Hall
7:00 PM Banquet at the Great Hall
8:00 PM Keynote Address by Dale Ahlquist-- “The Restoration of Sanity”

Eaten Alive - Minnesota Chesterton Conference

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is presenting the 1st Annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at St. John's University in Collegeville in the MN Science Center Auditorim. The theme of the conference is Eaten Alive: What the Economic Crisis Has Done to Us (And What We Can Do About It)

Here is a description for the event. You can find full details at the American Chesterton Society website.

In just a few short months we have seen unprecedented economic meltdown and business failure on a grand scale. Accompanying it has been gigantic government growth with bailouts that have resulted in the virtual takeover of certain industries. Thousands of people have lost homes and jobs, and the entire country, along with the world, is facing great economic uncertainty.

Everyone is looking for answers. Among the many responses to the crisis has been an encyclical from Pope Benedict XVI, which has been both praised and condemned across the political spectrum. Lost in all the commotion is the fact that G.K. Chesterton saw all of this coming a long time ago. Like any true prophet, he did not just preach doom and destruction, he offered hope.

The Twin Cities Chesterton Society is hosting a one-day conference and inviting everyone to come and consider the real problems that face us as well as the real solutions. Please join us on the beautiful campus of St. John’s University for the first annual Minnesota Chesterton Conference.

Here is the schedule and lineup of speakers:

8:00 AM Registration and coffee and rolls
9:00 AM Robert Hanten -- “Economic Plunder & Pillage: A Public-Private Venture”
10:00 AM Break
10:30 AM Professor Daniel Finn -- “Justice: What’s Government Got to Do with It?” 11:30 AM Lunch in the main dining room
1:00 PM Joseph Pearce -- “Size Matters: Government, Business and Power Envy”
2:00 PM Break
2:30 PM John Medaille -- “Justice: What’s Business Got to Do with It?”
4:00 PM Arthur Hippler -- Caritas in Veritate: The Social Encyclical of Benedict XVI
5:00 PM Reception at the Great Hall
7:00 PM Banquet at the Great Hall
8:00 PM Keynote Address by Dale Ahlquist-- “The Restoration of Sanity”

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?

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?