Sung High Mass for Christ the King at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale

To celebrate the Feast of Christ the King there will be a sung high Mass in the Extraordinary Form tomorrow, 10/31, at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale, at 11:30. A men's schola from the Twin Cities will be singing. Ctlick here for directions to Sacred Heart. There is also a weekly Mass in the Extraordinary Form there at the same time.

Sung High Mass for Christ the King at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale

To celebrate the Feast of Christ the King there will be a sung high Mass in the Extraordinary Form tomorrow, 10/31, at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale, at 11:30. A men's schola from the Twin Cities will be singing. Ctlick here for directions to Sacred Heart. There is also a weekly Mass in the Extraordinary Form there at the same time.

Pope to Bishops, Remind Laity It Is Their Duty to Vote for the Common Good

The following comments are from the Pope's message to the Bishops of Brazil.

Bishops must guide their faithful to use their vote to oppose efforts to legalize abortion and euthanasia, Pope Benedict XVI told bishops from Brazil.

“Dear brother bishops, to defend life we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world’s way of thinking,” the pope said Oct. 28 during a meeting with bishops from northeast Brazil.

… Pope Benedict told the Brazilian bishops that while direct involvement in politics is the responsibility of the laity [that's where the Catholic Vote comes in!], “when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it, pastors have a serious duty to make moral judgments even in political matters [there is no "space" that is free from our obligations as Christians - not even the voting booth].”

… While some may claim they support abortion or euthanasia to defend the weak and the poor, “who is more helpless than an unborn child or a patient in a vegetative or terminal state?” he said.

“When political positions openly or covertly include plans to decriminalize abortion and euthanasia, the democratic ideal – which is truly democratic only when it acknowledges and safeguards the dignity of every human person — is betrayed at its foundations,” Pope Benedict told the bishops.

(CNS)

Concluding message:

Bishops and priests have an obligation to help Catholic laity live in a way that that is faithful to the Gospel in every aspect of their lives, including their political choices, he said. “This also means that in certain cases, pastors should remind all citizens of their right and duty to use their vote to promote the common good,” the pope said.

Pope to Bishops, Remind Laity It Is Their Duty to Vote for the Common Good

The following comments are from the Pope's message to the Bishops of Brazil.

Bishops must guide their faithful to use their vote to oppose efforts to legalize abortion and euthanasia, Pope Benedict XVI told bishops from Brazil.

“Dear brother bishops, to defend life we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world’s way of thinking,” the pope said Oct. 28 during a meeting with bishops from northeast Brazil.

… Pope Benedict told the Brazilian bishops that while direct involvement in politics is the responsibility of the laity [that's where the Catholic Vote comes in!], “when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it, pastors have a serious duty to make moral judgments even in political matters [there is no "space" that is free from our obligations as Christians - not even the voting booth].”

… While some may claim they support abortion or euthanasia to defend the weak and the poor, “who is more helpless than an unborn child or a patient in a vegetative or terminal state?” he said.

“When political positions openly or covertly include plans to decriminalize abortion and euthanasia, the democratic ideal – which is truly democratic only when it acknowledges and safeguards the dignity of every human person — is betrayed at its foundations,” Pope Benedict told the bishops.

(CNS)

Concluding message:

Bishops and priests have an obligation to help Catholic laity live in a way that that is faithful to the Gospel in every aspect of their lives, including their political choices, he said. “This also means that in certain cases, pastors should remind all citizens of their right and duty to use their vote to promote the common good,” the pope said.

Archbishop Chaput on Military Service and and a New Service of Knighthood

The following is a talk Archbishop Chaput delivered to Catholic cadets at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on Monday, Oct. 25, 2010, taken from the Archdiocese of Denver website.

None of you wants to sit through another classroom lecture. So my comments will be brief. Then we can get to some questions and answers. I'm also going to skip telling you how talented you are. You already know that. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. What you'll discover as you get older is that the world has plenty of very talented failures – people who either didn't live up to their abilities; or who did, but did it in a way that diminished their humanity and their character. 
 
God made you to be better than that. And your nation and your Church need you to be better than that. Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10). Wisdom – not merely the knowledge of facts or a mastery of skills, but wisdom about ourselves, other people and the terrain of human life – this is the mark of a whole person. We already have too many clever leaders. We need wise leaders. And the wisest leaders ground themselves in humility before God and the demands of God’s justice.
 
I want to offer you just four quick points tonight. Here's the first. Military service is a vocation, not simply a profession.  
 
The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare, which means to call. In Christian belief, God created each of us for a purpose. He calls each of us by name to some form of service. No higher purpose exists than protecting other people, especially the weak and defenseless. This is why the Church, despite her historic resistance to war and armed violence, has held for many centuries that military service is not just “acceptable.” It can also be much more than that. When lived with a spirit of integrity, restraint and justice, military service is virtuous. It's ennobling because – at its best – military service expresses the greatest of all virtues: charity; a sacrificial love for people and things outside and more important than oneself. It flows from something unique in the human heart: a willingness to place one's own life in harm's way for the sake of others. 
 
The great Russian Christian writer Vladimir Solovyov once said that to defend peaceful men, “the guardian angels of humanity mixed the clay [of the earth] with copper and iron and created the soldier.”    And until the spirit of malice brought into the world by Cain disappears from human hearts, the soldier “will be a good and not an evil.” (i) He expressed in a poetic way what the Church teaches and believes. And you should strive to embody this vision in your own service.
 
Here's my second point. Protect the moral character you build here, and remember the leadership you learn here. You’ll need both when the day comes to return to civilian life.
 
I think it's unwise for people my age to judge the world too critically. The reason is pretty simple. The older we get, the more clearly we see – or think we see -- what's wrong with the world. It also gets harder to admit our own role in making it that way. Over my lifetime I've had the privilege of working with many good religious men and women, and many good lay Christian friends. Many of them have been heroic in their generosity, faith and service. Many have helped to make our country a better place. 
 
And yet I think it's true – I know it's true – that my generation has, in some ways, been among the most foolish in American history. We’ve been absorbed in our appetites, naïve about the consequences of our actions, overconfident in our power, and unwilling to submit ourselves to the obligations that come with the greatest ideals of our own heritage. 
 
Most generations of Americans have inherited a nation different in degree from the generations that preceded them. You will inherit an America that is different in kind  – a nation different from anything in our past in its attitudes toward sexuality, family, religion, law and the nature of the human person; in other words, different and more troubling in the basic things that define a society. My generation created this new kind of America. Soon we will leave the consequences to you. 
 
And this brings us back to my second point: Where the leadership and moral character of my generation failed, you need to succeed. The task of Christian moral leadership that will occupy much of your lives in the future will not be easy. It will place heavy demands on people like you who learned discipline and integrity in places like this.
 
Here's my third point. Guarantees of religious freedom are only as strong as the social consensus that supports them. 
 
Americans have always taken their religious freedom for granted. Religious faith has always played a major role in our public life, including debate about public policy and law. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly guarantees this freedom. But that guarantee and its application are subject to lawmakers and the interpretation of courts. And lawmakers and courts increasingly attack religious liberty, undermine rights of conscience, and force references to God out of our public square. This shift in our culture is made worse by mass media that, in general, have little understanding of religious faith and are often openly hostile. As religious practice softens in the United States over the next few decades, the consensus for religious freedom may easily decline. And that has very big implications for the life of faithful Catholics in this country.
 
Here's my fourth and final point. Given everything I've just said, how do we live faithfully as Catholics going forward in a culture that’s skeptical, and even hostile, toward what we believe?
 
Knighthood is an institution with very deep roots in the memory of the Church.  Nearly 900 years ago, one of the great monastic reformers of the Church, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, described the ideal Christian knights as Godly men who “shun every excess in clothing and food.  They live as brothers in joyful and sober company (with) one heart and one soul. … There is no distinction of persons among them, and deference is shown to merit rather than to noble blood.  They rival one another in mutual consideration, and they carry one another’s burdens, thus fulfilling the law of Christ.” (ii)
 
Bernard had few illusions about human nature. And he was anything but naïve.  Writing at the dawn of the crusading era, in the early 12th century, he was well aware of the greed, vanity, ambition and violence that too often motivated Europe’s warrior class, even in the name of religious faith. 
 
Most of the men who took up the cause of aiding eastern Christians and liberating the Holy Land in the early decades of crusading did so out of genuine zeal for the Cross.  But Bernard also knew that many others had mixed or even corrupt and evil motives.  In his great essay “In Praise of the New Knighthood” (c. 1136), he outlined the virtues that should shape the vocation of every truly “Christian” knight: humility, austerity, justice, obedience, unselfishness and a single-minded zeal for Jesus Christ in defending the poor, the weak, the Church and persecuted Christians. (iii)
 
Our life today may seem very different from life in the 12th century. The Church today asks us to seek mutual respect with people of other religious traditions, and to build common ground for cooperation wherever possible. 
 
But human nature -- our basic hopes, dreams, anxieties and sufferings -- hasn’t really changed.  The basic Christian vocation remains the same: to follow Jesus Christ faithfully, and in following Jesus, to defend Christ’s Church and to serve her people zealously, unselfishly and with all our skill.  As St. Ignatius Loyola wrote in his “Spiritual Exercises” -- and remember that Ignatius himself was a former soldier -- each of us must choose between two battle standards: the standard of Jesus Christ, humanity’s true King, or the standard of his impostor, the Prince of This World. 
 
There is no neutral ground. C.S. Lewis once said that Christianity is a “fighting religion.” He meant that Christian discipleship has always been -- and remains -- a struggle against the evil within and outside ourselves. This is why the early Church Fathers described Christian life as “spiritual combat.” It’s why they called faithful Christians the “Church Militant” and “soldiers of Christ” in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
 
The Church needs men and women of courage and Godliness today more than at any time in her history. So does this extraordinary country we call home in this world; a nation that still has an immense reservoir of virtue, decency and people of good will. This is why the Catholic ideal of knighthood, with its demands of radical discipleship, is still alive and still needed.  The essence of Christian knighthood remains the same: sacrificial service rooted in a living Catholic faith.
 
A new “spirit of knighthood” is what we need now -- unselfish, tireless, devoted disciples willing to face derision and persecution for Jesus Christ. We serve our nation best by serving God first, and by proving our faith with the example of our lives.

Archbishop Chaput on Military Service and and a New Service of Knighthood

The following is a talk Archbishop Chaput delivered to Catholic cadets at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on Monday, Oct. 25, 2010, taken from the Archdiocese of Denver website.

None of you wants to sit through another classroom lecture. So my comments will be brief. Then we can get to some questions and answers. I'm also going to skip telling you how talented you are. You already know that. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. What you'll discover as you get older is that the world has plenty of very talented failures – people who either didn't live up to their abilities; or who did, but did it in a way that diminished their humanity and their character. 
 
God made you to be better than that. And your nation and your Church need you to be better than that. Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10). Wisdom – not merely the knowledge of facts or a mastery of skills, but wisdom about ourselves, other people and the terrain of human life – this is the mark of a whole person. We already have too many clever leaders. We need wise leaders. And the wisest leaders ground themselves in humility before God and the demands of God’s justice.
 
I want to offer you just four quick points tonight. Here's the first. Military service is a vocation, not simply a profession.  
 
The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare, which means to call. In Christian belief, God created each of us for a purpose. He calls each of us by name to some form of service. No higher purpose exists than protecting other people, especially the weak and defenseless. This is why the Church, despite her historic resistance to war and armed violence, has held for many centuries that military service is not just “acceptable.” It can also be much more than that. When lived with a spirit of integrity, restraint and justice, military service is virtuous. It's ennobling because – at its best – military service expresses the greatest of all virtues: charity; a sacrificial love for people and things outside and more important than oneself. It flows from something unique in the human heart: a willingness to place one's own life in harm's way for the sake of others. 
 
The great Russian Christian writer Vladimir Solovyov once said that to defend peaceful men, “the guardian angels of humanity mixed the clay [of the earth] with copper and iron and created the soldier.”    And until the spirit of malice brought into the world by Cain disappears from human hearts, the soldier “will be a good and not an evil.” (i) He expressed in a poetic way what the Church teaches and believes. And you should strive to embody this vision in your own service.
 
Here's my second point. Protect the moral character you build here, and remember the leadership you learn here. You’ll need both when the day comes to return to civilian life.
 
I think it's unwise for people my age to judge the world too critically. The reason is pretty simple. The older we get, the more clearly we see – or think we see -- what's wrong with the world. It also gets harder to admit our own role in making it that way. Over my lifetime I've had the privilege of working with many good religious men and women, and many good lay Christian friends. Many of them have been heroic in their generosity, faith and service. Many have helped to make our country a better place. 
 
And yet I think it's true – I know it's true – that my generation has, in some ways, been among the most foolish in American history. We’ve been absorbed in our appetites, naïve about the consequences of our actions, overconfident in our power, and unwilling to submit ourselves to the obligations that come with the greatest ideals of our own heritage. 
 
Most generations of Americans have inherited a nation different in degree from the generations that preceded them. You will inherit an America that is different in kind  – a nation different from anything in our past in its attitudes toward sexuality, family, religion, law and the nature of the human person; in other words, different and more troubling in the basic things that define a society. My generation created this new kind of America. Soon we will leave the consequences to you. 
 
And this brings us back to my second point: Where the leadership and moral character of my generation failed, you need to succeed. The task of Christian moral leadership that will occupy much of your lives in the future will not be easy. It will place heavy demands on people like you who learned discipline and integrity in places like this.
 
Here's my third point. Guarantees of religious freedom are only as strong as the social consensus that supports them. 
 
Americans have always taken their religious freedom for granted. Religious faith has always played a major role in our public life, including debate about public policy and law. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly guarantees this freedom. But that guarantee and its application are subject to lawmakers and the interpretation of courts. And lawmakers and courts increasingly attack religious liberty, undermine rights of conscience, and force references to God out of our public square. This shift in our culture is made worse by mass media that, in general, have little understanding of religious faith and are often openly hostile. As religious practice softens in the United States over the next few decades, the consensus for religious freedom may easily decline. And that has very big implications for the life of faithful Catholics in this country.
 
Here's my fourth and final point. Given everything I've just said, how do we live faithfully as Catholics going forward in a culture that’s skeptical, and even hostile, toward what we believe?
 
Knighthood is an institution with very deep roots in the memory of the Church.  Nearly 900 years ago, one of the great monastic reformers of the Church, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, described the ideal Christian knights as Godly men who “shun every excess in clothing and food.  They live as brothers in joyful and sober company (with) one heart and one soul. … There is no distinction of persons among them, and deference is shown to merit rather than to noble blood.  They rival one another in mutual consideration, and they carry one another’s burdens, thus fulfilling the law of Christ.” (ii)
 
Bernard had few illusions about human nature. And he was anything but naïve.  Writing at the dawn of the crusading era, in the early 12th century, he was well aware of the greed, vanity, ambition and violence that too often motivated Europe’s warrior class, even in the name of religious faith. 
 
Most of the men who took up the cause of aiding eastern Christians and liberating the Holy Land in the early decades of crusading did so out of genuine zeal for the Cross.  But Bernard also knew that many others had mixed or even corrupt and evil motives.  In his great essay “In Praise of the New Knighthood” (c. 1136), he outlined the virtues that should shape the vocation of every truly “Christian” knight: humility, austerity, justice, obedience, unselfishness and a single-minded zeal for Jesus Christ in defending the poor, the weak, the Church and persecuted Christians. (iii)
 
Our life today may seem very different from life in the 12th century. The Church today asks us to seek mutual respect with people of other religious traditions, and to build common ground for cooperation wherever possible. 
 
But human nature -- our basic hopes, dreams, anxieties and sufferings -- hasn’t really changed.  The basic Christian vocation remains the same: to follow Jesus Christ faithfully, and in following Jesus, to defend Christ’s Church and to serve her people zealously, unselfishly and with all our skill.  As St. Ignatius Loyola wrote in his “Spiritual Exercises” -- and remember that Ignatius himself was a former soldier -- each of us must choose between two battle standards: the standard of Jesus Christ, humanity’s true King, or the standard of his impostor, the Prince of This World. 
 
There is no neutral ground. C.S. Lewis once said that Christianity is a “fighting religion.” He meant that Christian discipleship has always been -- and remains -- a struggle against the evil within and outside ourselves. This is why the early Church Fathers described Christian life as “spiritual combat.” It’s why they called faithful Christians the “Church Militant” and “soldiers of Christ” in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
 
The Church needs men and women of courage and Godliness today more than at any time in her history. So does this extraordinary country we call home in this world; a nation that still has an immense reservoir of virtue, decency and people of good will. This is why the Catholic ideal of knighthood, with its demands of radical discipleship, is still alive and still needed.  The essence of Christian knighthood remains the same: sacrificial service rooted in a living Catholic faith.
 
A new “spirit of knighthood” is what we need now -- unselfish, tireless, devoted disciples willing to face derision and persecution for Jesus Christ. We serve our nation best by serving God first, and by proving our faith with the example of our lives.

Feast of Blessed Charles of Austria

Blessed Karl,

at great danger to yourself and your family, you worked diligently to end the incredible destruction and bloodshed of The Great War.

In spite of losing your crowns, your power, your country, your wealth, and your health, you never lost your profound trust in God.

Pray for us and for peace in our world torn by war, strive and terrorism.

                           Collect

O God, through the diversities of this world

you led Blessed Karl from this earthly realm

to the crown reserved for him in heaven.

Grant through his intercession

that we may become worthy of eternal life.

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.

Feast of Blessed Charles of Austria

Blessed Karl,

at great danger to yourself and your family, you worked diligently to end the incredible destruction and bloodshed of The Great War.

In spite of losing your crowns, your power, your country, your wealth, and your health, you never lost your profound trust in God.

Pray for us and for peace in our world torn by war, strive and terrorism.

                           Collect

O God, through the diversities of this world

you led Blessed Karl from this earthly realm

to the crown reserved for him in heaven.

Grant through his intercession

that we may become worthy of eternal life.

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.

50,000 Baby Born at Holy Family Hospital Bethlehem

Today the 50,000th baby was born at the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, a major work of the Order of Malta.

Nineteen-year-old Hafsah Omar Radaydiah of the West Bank village of Ebiedieh gave birth to Holy Family Hospital’s 50,000th baby at 9:30 a.m., local time on Oct. 18, 2010. The baby girl, Aisha, weighed 7.5 pounds and measured 19.7 inches at birth. She is Hafsah and Isam Radaydiah’s first child.

When asked why she decided to give birth at HFH she replied,

“Holy Family Hospital is the best hospital in all our area, and all the women I know told me they would take good care of me and take good care of my baby,” said Hafsah. “It is really something wonderful for her to have been the 50,000th baby born here. This is good luck for us.”

For the rest of the announcement visit the hospital website.

50,000 Baby Born at Holy Family Hospital Bethlehem

Today the 50,000th baby was born at the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, a major work of the Order of Malta.

Nineteen-year-old Hafsah Omar Radaydiah of the West Bank village of Ebiedieh gave birth to Holy Family Hospital’s 50,000th baby at 9:30 a.m., local time on Oct. 18, 2010. The baby girl, Aisha, weighed 7.5 pounds and measured 19.7 inches at birth. She is Hafsah and Isam Radaydiah’s first child.

When asked why she decided to give birth at HFH she replied,

“Holy Family Hospital is the best hospital in all our area, and all the women I know told me they would take good care of me and take good care of my baby,” said Hafsah. “It is really something wonderful for her to have been the 50,000th baby born here. This is good luck for us.”

For the rest of the announcement visit the hospital website.

Caritas Christi CEO Hosts Obama Fundraiser

At a recent Massachussets fundraising dinner President Obama displayed his elitist attitude and stubborn refusal to accept that the average American just does not like his destructive policies that are ruining the country. He said,

"Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument do not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared," Obama told the assembled Democrats, who paid $15,200 a person to attend. "And the country is scared."

And so who can help deliver us gun-toting, flag waving, religious dupes from our fears? More of the same wealthy elites,

To "break through the fear and the frustration that people are feeling right now," Obama told the crowd, will require high-end donors not just to "write checks" but also to "lift up people's spirits and make sure that they're not reacting just to fear."

So who was the host for this fundraiser? None other than Ralph de la Torre, the CEO of Caritas Christi Health Care, the large hospital provider owned by the Archdiocese of Boston.  When introducing President Obama, Sen. John Kerry reportedly quipped,

"there [are] so many physicians in the house…that the DSCC should be renamed 'Doctors Sending Campaign Contributions.'"

And you thought that the Democrats were the party of the "little guy."

Read more at the Washington Examiner:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-Dems-are-in-trouble-because-Americans-arent-thinking-clearly-105130709.html#ixzz12jSoFXX0
H/T to Byron York via Creative Minority Report for the full story.

Caritas Christi CEO Hosts Obama Fundraiser

At a recent Massachussets fundraising dinner President Obama displayed his elitist attitude and stubborn refusal to accept that the average American just does not like his destructive policies that are ruining the country. He said,

"Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument do not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared," Obama told the assembled Democrats, who paid $15,200 a person to attend. "And the country is scared."

And so who can help deliver us gun-toting, flag waving, religious dupes from our fears? More of the same wealthy elites,

To "break through the fear and the frustration that people are feeling right now," Obama told the crowd, will require high-end donors not just to "write checks" but also to "lift up people's spirits and make sure that they're not reacting just to fear."

So who was the host for this fundraiser? None other than Ralph de la Torre, the CEO of Caritas Christi Health Care, the large hospital provider owned by the Archdiocese of Boston.  When introducing President Obama, Sen. John Kerry reportedly quipped,

"there [are] so many physicians in the house…that the DSCC should be renamed 'Doctors Sending Campaign Contributions.'"

And you thought that the Democrats were the party of the "little guy."

Read more at the Washington Examiner:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-Dems-are-in-trouble-because-Americans-arent-thinking-clearly-105130709.html#ixzz12jSoFXX0
H/T to Byron York via Creative Minority Report for the full story.

ZENIT - A Plea for Life, Truth, Obedience

In a talk to Human Life International Archbishop Burke made the following comments,

Obedience to the magisterium and the demands of the natural moral law are not only important for salvation, but are especially required of Catholics if a culture of life is to be advanced in today's world.

"When shepherds of the flock are obedient to the magisterium entrusted to their exercise, then surely the numbers of the flock grow in obedience," he said. "If the shepherd isn't obedient, the flock easily gives way to confusion and error." Quoting the Prophet Zechariah, he said the shepherd can be "especially tempted" by the assaults of Satan who, "if he can strike him, the work of scattering the flock is made easy."

"Faith is first of all personal adherence of man to God," underlined Archbishop Burke, and recalled the words of a wise professor of canon law he knew who would often tell his classes: "Where there are problems of chastity, there are problems of obedience." Rebellion against the moral truth, Archbishop Burke noted, "is a rebellion against God and all that he teaches us."

Now read the previous post on Catholic views of pre-marital sex and how the percentage of Catholics believing that pre-marital sex is always wrong has gone from 39% in 1972 to 14% today. It must be assumed that a large percentage of these people not only believe this way but also practice what they believe. And since we have not seen an increase in births among all these promiscuous couples we can conclude that they must be also contracepting. And so roughly 86% of Catholics are in a state of objective mortal sin. If Archbishop Burke is correct in his assertion then a large number of our shepherds are being disobedient. Read the rest of the article here, ZENIT - A Plea for Life, Truth, Obedience

ZENIT - A Plea for Life, Truth, Obedience

In a talk to Human Life International Archbishop Burke made the following comments,

Obedience to the magisterium and the demands of the natural moral law are not only important for salvation, but are especially required of Catholics if a culture of life is to be advanced in today's world.

"When shepherds of the flock are obedient to the magisterium entrusted to their exercise, then surely the numbers of the flock grow in obedience," he said. "If the shepherd isn't obedient, the flock easily gives way to confusion and error." Quoting the Prophet Zechariah, he said the shepherd can be "especially tempted" by the assaults of Satan who, "if he can strike him, the work of scattering the flock is made easy."

"Faith is first of all personal adherence of man to God," underlined Archbishop Burke, and recalled the words of a wise professor of canon law he knew who would often tell his classes: "Where there are problems of chastity, there are problems of obedience." Rebellion against the moral truth, Archbishop Burke noted, "is a rebellion against God and all that he teaches us."

Now read the previous post on Catholic views of pre-marital sex and how the percentage of Catholics believing that pre-marital sex is always wrong has gone from 39% in 1972 to 14% today. It must be assumed that a large percentage of these people not only believe this way but also practice what they believe. And since we have not seen an increase in births among all these promiscuous couples we can conclude that they must be also contracepting. And so roughly 86% of Catholics are in a state of objective mortal sin. If Archbishop Burke is correct in his assertion then a large number of our shepherds are being disobedient. Read the rest of the article here, ZENIT - A Plea for Life, Truth, Obedience

"Is pre-marital sex always wrong?" - The Deacon's Bench

"Is pre-marital sex always wrong?" - The Deacon's Bench

"Is pre-marital sex always wrong?" - The Deacon's Bench

"Is pre-marital sex always wrong?" - The Deacon's Bench

Blessed John XXIII's Feast Day

Today is the feast day of Blessed John XXIII who was a Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of Malta.  When he became Pope he revived the custom which was last done by Pope Pius IX of Christmas visits to Regina Coeli prison in Rome.

From the book, Wit and Wisdom of Good Pope John, is this story,

During a visit to the Regina Coeli prison in Rome, the Pope requested that the inmates be allowed to leave their cells so that he might address them in the main courtyard of the prison.  In the course of this speech he did not hesitate to recall that one of his cousins had once been arrested for poaching and had served a stretch in jail

The Pope exressed pleasure at this opportunity to visit these incarcerated thieves, murderers, seducers. "I have come," he said, "you have seen me. I have looked into your eyes, I have placed my heart alongside your hearts. Be assured that this meeting will remain deeply engraved in my heart."

Among the prisoners who were allowed to approach the Pope, there were two murderers. One of them, after kissing the Pontiff's ring, looked up at him with deep sadness on his face. "Are those words of hope you have given us meant for such a great sinner as I am?"

In response the Pope bent over the convict and embraced him.

Another important note that shows how important prison ministry was to Pope John XXIII is that he only used two missals in celebrating his Mass: one had been presented to him by the inmates of Melun; the other was a gift from the convicts of Regina Coeli.

Blessed John XXIII's Feast Day

Today is the feast day of Blessed John XXIII who was a Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of Malta.  When he became Pope he revived the custom which was last done by Pope Pius IX of Christmas visits to Regina Coeli prison in Rome.

From the book, Wit and Wisdom of Good Pope John, is this story,

During a visit to the Regina Coeli prison in Rome, the Pope requested that the inmates be allowed to leave their cells so that he might address them in the main courtyard of the prison.  In the course of this speech he did not hesitate to recall that one of his cousins had once been arrested for poaching and had served a stretch in jail

The Pope exressed pleasure at this opportunity to visit these incarcerated thieves, murderers, seducers. "I have come," he said, "you have seen me. I have looked into your eyes, I have placed my heart alongside your hearts. Be assured that this meeting will remain deeply engraved in my heart."

Among the prisoners who were allowed to approach the Pope, there were two murderers. One of them, after kissing the Pontiff's ring, looked up at him with deep sadness on his face. "Are those words of hope you have given us meant for such a great sinner as I am?"

In response the Pope bent over the convict and embraced him.

Another important note that shows how important prison ministry was to Pope John XXIII is that he only used two missals in celebrating his Mass: one had been presented to him by the inmates of Melun; the other was a gift from the convicts of Regina Coeli.

40 Days for Life Mid-Point Prayer Vigil at Region's Hospital

Today outside Regions Hospital in St. Paul about 300 people, including a couple members of the Order of Malta, gathered at a prayer vigil for the almost midway point of 40 Days for Life.  In the foreground offering a beautiful reflection is Aux. Bishop Lee Piche of St. Paul and Minneapolis and in the back is Brian Gibson, the director of Pro-Life Action Ministries which is organizing the event locally.

40 Days for Life Mid-Point Prayer Vigil at Region's Hospital

Today outside Regions Hospital in St. Paul about 300 people, including a couple members of the Order of Malta, gathered at a prayer vigil for the almost midway point of 40 Days for Life.  In the foreground offering a beautiful reflection is Aux. Bishop Lee Piche of St. Paul and Minneapolis and in the back is Brian Gibson, the director of Pro-Life Action Ministries which is organizing the event locally.

St. Hugh - Master of St. John di Pre in Genoa

Today is the memorial for Saint Hugo aka Ugo of the Order of Malta. H/T to Father Gerard, Chaplain of the South African Association of the SMOM for this information.



Born about 1186 at Alessandria (Italy), he became a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. After lengthy campaigning in the Holy Land, he was elected Master of the Commandery of St. John di Prè in Genoa (Italy) and worked in the infirmary nearby. He was renowned for miraculous powers over the natural elements. He is believed to have died in 1233.

Prayer:

O God, who gave to St. Hugh power to heal the sick by the sign of the cross, give us the spirit of your own love, to serve you in our sick brothers ans sisters. 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)

Saint Hugh is one of the most highly venerated saints of the Order, although neither his origins nor the date of his birth are known. He was the Commander at Genoa and administered his Hospital in the best of fashions. That did not keep him from being an edifying, religious "exercising religion toward God and his neighbours ". It is well known how much sacrifice and devotion that phrase can contain.

According to the portrait that Grandmaster Cardinal Fra Hugh de Loubenx Verdala gave the Order, an authentic portrait made while the saint was still alive, we know that the latter was thin, with an ascetic face, and small in stature. But he was quite comely and amiable toward all. His mortification was not onerous for others. He slept on a board, in a corner of the basement of the Hospital; he served the poor with love and tact, giving them food, money, spiritual comfort and brotherly love. He washed their feet. He took care of them, and when they died, he buried them. The eight-pointed cross was not only on his cloak; he wore it in his heart. So great was his zeal that he girded himself with an iron belt placed next to his body. He fasted the whole year round, eating nothing cooked in Lent.

Each day he recited the office and heard Mass with such fervour that he often fell into ecstasy and was raised from the floor in the sight of all. His prayer was evidently continuous, and God rewarded him for it by a gift of working miracles. These miracles were outstanding and attested by the Archbishop of Genoa, Otto Fusco, as well as by four venerable canons who frequented the house of the saint and witnessed his marvellous deeds.

On one of those sultry Italian days, when the sun crushes nature with burning heat, some women were in the common room of the infirmary washing the linen of the sick. The water supply failed, for the fountain of the monastery had dried up. They were dismayed, therefore, at having to fetch the water necessary for their task from a great distance. They complained among themselves discreetly - that is, with great outcries - so that the saint heard them and came to them to inquire about the cause of their complaints. Seeing him, they begged him to give them water, and, as he declined, they cried: "What? You wouldn't be able to get any from God?" "We must pray ". "Oh! that's all we do. Hear us". "I am not the Lord; He said that faith makes miracles. Have you faith? " They insisted; he resisted. They wept, saying that they would die of exhaustion because of the work and the heat. He hardly believed that, but through charity, after having invoked the Master of Nature, the saint made the sign of the cross and the waters gushed from the rock of the fountain, to the astonished cries of the servants.

On another occasion, the worthy Knight was saying his prayers one evening at the top of the tower of the Hospital which dominated the port of Genoa. A violent storm was raging and the venerable man noticed in the distance, through the curtain of rain and the tossing waves and clouds, a ship which was having difficulties in reaching the harbour. It was in imminent danger of perishing. Stirred to the bottom of his heart by the peril of the unfortunate sailors, Hugh fell to his knees amid the thunder and lightning and began to pray with tears streaming down his cheeks. Then, confidently, he arose and facing the ship which was about to sink he made a great sign of the cross." Immediately a great calm occurred ". The winds died down, the sea became slack, and the moon shone in the clear sky. When the galleon, thus saved, entered the port, it found the sailors who had gathered to come to its aid and who had not yet recovered from their surprise at the sudden subsiding of the storm. Some of them had seen the saving gesture of the saint. Thes all went in procession to the church of the Hospital to sing their thanksgiving to God and to his servant.

In spite of his austerity, the Chevalier Hugh followed the laws of civility. He would sometimes invite friends to lunch. One day, Nicolas Pigliacaro, his guest, noticing with surprise that there as as nothing to drink on the table, got up to fetch water from the spring. Now, it happened that after grace and the sign of the cross made by the venerable host over the food, the water had changed into excellent wine. On four different occasions this miracle was repeated. Nicolas assures us of it.

And did not Brother Hugh of Sabezana, accompanied by the wife of a doctor of the Hospital, discover the Commander praying in the garden, his head surrounded by an aureole of fluttering and warbling birds, in the light of the Lord ! The woman took it upon herself to tell everyone about the event.

Finally, there was in Genoa an unfortunate man possessed by the devil. The saint charitably went to visit him. On his approach, the possessed man went into convulsions and began to shout: "Hugh! do not torment me any more! I am ready to depart". And so it was. The mere sight of the venerable man had overcome Satan.

Brother Hugh died venerated by all (October 8, 1230), and was buried in the church of St. John of Jerusalem in Genoa. But, ardent in the service of his brothers during his earthly life, he continued to help them in his eternity. The same Pigliacaro tells us that a woman who had fallen under the power of the devil was carried to the tomb of the venerable man, and that evening, she vomited a very black and very foul-smelling toad; after that event, she was calm and free of her ills forever.

Later, there was a man whose leg tendons had contracted so much that he could not move. He had himself borne to the holy tomb, where he stayed for five days and five nights. His persevering prayer was finally heard. Cured, he devoted himself to the service of the Hospital for the remainder of his life as he had vowed to do.

And it happened that, nailed to her bed by gout, Dame Orto had not left her room for six years. Shortly after the death of St. Hugh, because of his miracle-working fame, she wished to try his power. Supported and led by her friend, Donna Maria, and Canon William della Barma of the cathedral of Genoa, together with one of the latter's confrères, she came to lay her supplication before the Blessed Knight, who courteously granted her wish. Cured, she took the habit of the Order and served the poor of the Hospital during the rest of her life, as was done by the three witnesses of the miracle.

We are not astonished, therefore, that after such wonders, of which Archbishop Fusco was himself the guarantor, the feast of the saint has been celebrated on the day of his entrance into heaven, and that in all the churches of Genoa. Formerly a great procession was held to carry the head of the venerable man through the city, the recipient of his favours, which returned to him in devotion all the good he had done for it. The office which honoured him was that of the Confessors not Pontiffs. We shall piously recite the beautiful liturgical prayer composed especially for St. Hugh:

"Oh, Lord, Who hast granted to Thy servant Hugh to cause in Thy name, by the sign of the cross, to gush from a very hard stone a spring of living water, to drive away demons and cure the sick, grant us, we pray Thee, that, rendering our homage to him, we may feel its beneficent effects. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen".

May his faith - capable of moving mountains - his charity, vigilant and tireless, as as well as his other daily virtues, especially his gentleness and courtesy, be for us an invigorating example ! And imitating him here below, may we share in his eternal glory a glory - of prayer in a cloud of singing birds!

(From: Ducaud-Bourget, Msgr. François: The Spiritual Heritage of The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican 1958)

St. Hugh - Master of St. John di Pre in Genoa

Today is the memorial for Saint Hugo aka Ugo of the Order of Malta. H/T to Father Gerard, Chaplain of the South African Association of the SMOM for this information.



Born about 1186 at Alessandria (Italy), he became a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. After lengthy campaigning in the Holy Land, he was elected Master of the Commandery of St. John di Prè in Genoa (Italy) and worked in the infirmary nearby. He was renowned for miraculous powers over the natural elements. He is believed to have died in 1233.

Prayer:

O God, who gave to St. Hugh power to heal the sick by the sign of the cross, give us the spirit of your own love, to serve you in our sick brothers ans sisters. 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)

Saint Hugh is one of the most highly venerated saints of the Order, although neither his origins nor the date of his birth are known. He was the Commander at Genoa and administered his Hospital in the best of fashions. That did not keep him from being an edifying, religious "exercising religion toward God and his neighbours ". It is well known how much sacrifice and devotion that phrase can contain.

According to the portrait that Grandmaster Cardinal Fra Hugh de Loubenx Verdala gave the Order, an authentic portrait made while the saint was still alive, we know that the latter was thin, with an ascetic face, and small in stature. But he was quite comely and amiable toward all. His mortification was not onerous for others. He slept on a board, in a corner of the basement of the Hospital; he served the poor with love and tact, giving them food, money, spiritual comfort and brotherly love. He washed their feet. He took care of them, and when they died, he buried them. The eight-pointed cross was not only on his cloak; he wore it in his heart. So great was his zeal that he girded himself with an iron belt placed next to his body. He fasted the whole year round, eating nothing cooked in Lent.

Each day he recited the office and heard Mass with such fervour that he often fell into ecstasy and was raised from the floor in the sight of all. His prayer was evidently continuous, and God rewarded him for it by a gift of working miracles. These miracles were outstanding and attested by the Archbishop of Genoa, Otto Fusco, as well as by four venerable canons who frequented the house of the saint and witnessed his marvellous deeds.

On one of those sultry Italian days, when the sun crushes nature with burning heat, some women were in the common room of the infirmary washing the linen of the sick. The water supply failed, for the fountain of the monastery had dried up. They were dismayed, therefore, at having to fetch the water necessary for their task from a great distance. They complained among themselves discreetly - that is, with great outcries - so that the saint heard them and came to them to inquire about the cause of their complaints. Seeing him, they begged him to give them water, and, as he declined, they cried: "What? You wouldn't be able to get any from God?" "We must pray ". "Oh! that's all we do. Hear us". "I am not the Lord; He said that faith makes miracles. Have you faith? " They insisted; he resisted. They wept, saying that they would die of exhaustion because of the work and the heat. He hardly believed that, but through charity, after having invoked the Master of Nature, the saint made the sign of the cross and the waters gushed from the rock of the fountain, to the astonished cries of the servants.

On another occasion, the worthy Knight was saying his prayers one evening at the top of the tower of the Hospital which dominated the port of Genoa. A violent storm was raging and the venerable man noticed in the distance, through the curtain of rain and the tossing waves and clouds, a ship which was having difficulties in reaching the harbour. It was in imminent danger of perishing. Stirred to the bottom of his heart by the peril of the unfortunate sailors, Hugh fell to his knees amid the thunder and lightning and began to pray with tears streaming down his cheeks. Then, confidently, he arose and facing the ship which was about to sink he made a great sign of the cross." Immediately a great calm occurred ". The winds died down, the sea became slack, and the moon shone in the clear sky. When the galleon, thus saved, entered the port, it found the sailors who had gathered to come to its aid and who had not yet recovered from their surprise at the sudden subsiding of the storm. Some of them had seen the saving gesture of the saint. Thes all went in procession to the church of the Hospital to sing their thanksgiving to God and to his servant.

In spite of his austerity, the Chevalier Hugh followed the laws of civility. He would sometimes invite friends to lunch. One day, Nicolas Pigliacaro, his guest, noticing with surprise that there as as nothing to drink on the table, got up to fetch water from the spring. Now, it happened that after grace and the sign of the cross made by the venerable host over the food, the water had changed into excellent wine. On four different occasions this miracle was repeated. Nicolas assures us of it.

And did not Brother Hugh of Sabezana, accompanied by the wife of a doctor of the Hospital, discover the Commander praying in the garden, his head surrounded by an aureole of fluttering and warbling birds, in the light of the Lord ! The woman took it upon herself to tell everyone about the event.

Finally, there was in Genoa an unfortunate man possessed by the devil. The saint charitably went to visit him. On his approach, the possessed man went into convulsions and began to shout: "Hugh! do not torment me any more! I am ready to depart". And so it was. The mere sight of the venerable man had overcome Satan.

Brother Hugh died venerated by all (October 8, 1230), and was buried in the church of St. John of Jerusalem in Genoa. But, ardent in the service of his brothers during his earthly life, he continued to help them in his eternity. The same Pigliacaro tells us that a woman who had fallen under the power of the devil was carried to the tomb of the venerable man, and that evening, she vomited a very black and very foul-smelling toad; after that event, she was calm and free of her ills forever.

Later, there was a man whose leg tendons had contracted so much that he could not move. He had himself borne to the holy tomb, where he stayed for five days and five nights. His persevering prayer was finally heard. Cured, he devoted himself to the service of the Hospital for the remainder of his life as he had vowed to do.

And it happened that, nailed to her bed by gout, Dame Orto had not left her room for six years. Shortly after the death of St. Hugh, because of his miracle-working fame, she wished to try his power. Supported and led by her friend, Donna Maria, and Canon William della Barma of the cathedral of Genoa, together with one of the latter's confrères, she came to lay her supplication before the Blessed Knight, who courteously granted her wish. Cured, she took the habit of the Order and served the poor of the Hospital during the rest of her life, as was done by the three witnesses of the miracle.

We are not astonished, therefore, that after such wonders, of which Archbishop Fusco was himself the guarantor, the feast of the saint has been celebrated on the day of his entrance into heaven, and that in all the churches of Genoa. Formerly a great procession was held to carry the head of the venerable man through the city, the recipient of his favours, which returned to him in devotion all the good he had done for it. The office which honoured him was that of the Confessors not Pontiffs. We shall piously recite the beautiful liturgical prayer composed especially for St. Hugh:

"Oh, Lord, Who hast granted to Thy servant Hugh to cause in Thy name, by the sign of the cross, to gush from a very hard stone a spring of living water, to drive away demons and cure the sick, grant us, we pray Thee, that, rendering our homage to him, we may feel its beneficent effects. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen".

May his faith - capable of moving mountains - his charity, vigilant and tireless, as as well as his other daily virtues, especially his gentleness and courtesy, be for us an invigorating example ! And imitating him here below, may we share in his eternal glory a glory - of prayer in a cloud of singing birds!

(From: Ducaud-Bourget, Msgr. François: The Spiritual Heritage of The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican 1958)

Priest Critical of Archbishop Nienstedt's Defence of Marriage DVD

Archbishop Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has come under fire for his stance on the same-sex marriage issue and because he dared promote the Church's teaching by sending out a DVD to all Catholic households in the Archdiocese.  One of  the more public critics is Fr. Michael Tegeder of St. Edwards parish in Bloomington, the usual dissident schill of the Star Tribune newspaper which published his letter to the editor last Saturday.  Showing his lack of concern for the scandal he causes he made sure to include his name, title and parish.  One thing I know for sure is that if I, as an employee of my agency, were to write a letter criticizing or condemning my superiors and signing my name, rank and employer, I would be out of a job come Monday morning.  I am free to write such things as a private citizen but signing it in my official capacity would earn me an immediate pink slip.  Hint hint to Archbishop Nienstedt.
So lets look at what Fr. T had to say,

Since arriving in Minnesota as a bishop in 2001, Nienstedt has had the constitutional amendment as a priority. In 2006, he promoted postcards, which as archbishop he has upgraded to DVDs.

This is important as many of the critics have suggested that the primary motivation for the Archbishop to send out this DVD is to influence the upcoming elections in Minnesota, even though it is completely non-political.  Even Fr. T joins in this chorus,

Most scandalous is that Archbishop Nienstedt has compromised his office with the use of anonymous money to fund this effort. The constitutional amendment is a very political issue. The impression is given that political funding is at work here.

Wait a minute, didn't Fr. T just say two paragraphs earlier that Archbishop Nienstedt has had the constitutional amendment as a priority since 2006.  But let's not confuse the good Father with facts when he is intent on obfuscating the issue.  So really, who is making this a political issue?

Next he brings in that not all Bishops are as black and white on the issue as Archbishop Nienstedt seems to be.

Just recently the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn, the main author of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and friend of the pope, publicly stated that the church needs to look differently at committed same-sex relationships. His fellow Austrian bishops concurred. These are thinking, serious church leaders. They listen.

This is just downright funny.  See how he attempts to give credibility to the position of Cardinal Schonborn by stressing that he is the "main author of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church" and friend of the Pope.  Never mind that the good Cardinal has received a "dressing down" from the Pope for recently public statements he has made.  And the Austrian bishops are thinking, serious Church leaders because "they listen."
Now there are 23 Bishops in Austria.  How many in the rest of the world don't share their same opinion?  But really only the opinion of one Bishop, the Bishop of Rome and "friend of Cardinal Schonborn, is the one that matters.  And he has spoken very clearly on the matter of same-sex marriage.  In fact it is the same "opinion" expressed by Archbishop Nienstedt, even though he is not the "friend of the Pope."

And lastly we have this gem,

We as Catholics can have our own beliefs about marriage. But we must recognize that people of other faiths and of no faith have conscientious beliefs as well.

Now I am no scripture scholar but I do remember clearly this passage from Mark 16:15-18,

And he said to them: Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believes not shall he condemned.

You'll notice there is no nuancing here as to what Jesus said but Fr. Tegeder seems intent on ignoring this command.  Of course have different beliefs, that is why Jesus said, "go and preach the Gospel." ;  But for poor Fr. T what is most important is not Truth, but the virtue of "Minnesota Nice."

I do not believe any of our other bishops would have been on such a crusade. "Minnesota nice," if not prudence, would have prevailed.

Priest Critical of Archbishop Nienstedt's Defence of Marriage DVD

Archbishop Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has come under fire for his stance on the same-sex marriage issue and because he dared promote the Church's teaching by sending out a DVD to all Catholic households in the Archdiocese.  One of  the more public critics is Fr. Michael Tegeder of St. Edwards parish in Bloomington, the usual dissident schill of the Star Tribune newspaper which published his letter to the editor last Saturday.  Showing his lack of concern for the scandal he causes he made sure to include his name, title and parish.  One thing I know for sure is that if I, as an employee of my agency, were to write a letter criticizing or condemning my superiors and signing my name, rank and employer, I would be out of a job come Monday morning.  I am free to write such things as a private citizen but signing it in my official capacity would earn me an immediate pink slip.  Hint hint to Archbishop Nienstedt.
So lets look at what Fr. T had to say,

Since arriving in Minnesota as a bishop in 2001, Nienstedt has had the constitutional amendment as a priority. In 2006, he promoted postcards, which as archbishop he has upgraded to DVDs.

This is important as many of the critics have suggested that the primary motivation for the Archbishop to send out this DVD is to influence the upcoming elections in Minnesota, even though it is completely non-political.  Even Fr. T joins in this chorus,

Most scandalous is that Archbishop Nienstedt has compromised his office with the use of anonymous money to fund this effort. The constitutional amendment is a very political issue. The impression is given that political funding is at work here.

Wait a minute, didn't Fr. T just say two paragraphs earlier that Archbishop Nienstedt has had the constitutional amendment as a priority since 2006.  But let's not confuse the good Father with facts when he is intent on obfuscating the issue.  So really, who is making this a political issue?

Next he brings in that not all Bishops are as black and white on the issue as Archbishop Nienstedt seems to be.

Just recently the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn, the main author of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and friend of the pope, publicly stated that the church needs to look differently at committed same-sex relationships. His fellow Austrian bishops concurred. These are thinking, serious church leaders. They listen.

This is just downright funny.  See how he attempts to give credibility to the position of Cardinal Schonborn by stressing that he is the "main author of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church" and friend of the Pope.  Never mind that the good Cardinal has received a "dressing down" from the Pope for recently public statements he has made.  And the Austrian bishops are thinking, serious Church leaders because "they listen."
Now there are 23 Bishops in Austria.  How many in the rest of the world don't share their same opinion?  But really only the opinion of one Bishop, the Bishop of Rome and "friend of Cardinal Schonborn, is the one that matters.  And he has spoken very clearly on the matter of same-sex marriage.  In fact it is the same "opinion" expressed by Archbishop Nienstedt, even though he is not the "friend of the Pope."

And lastly we have this gem,

We as Catholics can have our own beliefs about marriage. But we must recognize that people of other faiths and of no faith have conscientious beliefs as well.

Now I am no scripture scholar but I do remember clearly this passage from Mark 16:15-18,

And he said to them: Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believes not shall he condemned.

You'll notice there is no nuancing here as to what Jesus said but Fr. Tegeder seems intent on ignoring this command.  Of course have different beliefs, that is why Jesus said, "go and preach the Gospel." ;  But for poor Fr. T what is most important is not Truth, but the virtue of "Minnesota Nice."

I do not believe any of our other bishops would have been on such a crusade. "Minnesota nice," if not prudence, would have prevailed.

Bl. Peter of Imola - Prior Order of Malta

Today is the feast of Bl. Peter of Imola the Prior of the Grand Priory of Rome. Although there is little know of his life there is an interesting account of an incident involving him after his death.
Again thanks to Fr. Gerard of the South African Association of the Order of Malta for his work in putting together these biographies.

He was born about 1250 at Imola (Italy) into the family of the lords of Linasio. An able lawyer, he mediated between the Guelphs and Ghibellines at Romagna in 1297. He became a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and was elected Grand Prior at Rome. He devoted great energy to caring for the sick at Florence (Italy) where he died on 5 October 1320: he was buried in the Church of St. James in the Campo Corbolini.

Prayer:

O God, who gave to blessed Peter, Prior of our Order, the gift of healing discord and division, grant to us through his prayers the grace of striving for peace and so being called the children of God. Through the same 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)
With the Blessed Fra Peter d' Imola we find another aspect of the Order, which has always been interested in matters of the spirit. In fact, that Knight was also a well-known jurist of his times. Of his earthly life few things are known. He was born at Imola, Emilia, and was the Prior of the Hospital in Rome. Was he the Commander in Florence? That is a supposition which takes its likelihood from the fact that, after his death (October 15, 1320); he was buried in that city in the church of Saint James in Campo Corbellini, which belonged to the Order.

But if the existence of the Blessed Peter passed almost unnoticed here on earth, (it is enough to be a real saint, no one except God knowing it no one including the saint himself !), that was not the case after he died.

One day the brothers were preparing and adorning the church to celebrate the feast of Saint James in a worthy fashion. A high ladder had been placed against the tomb of the Blessed Peter, and one of the priests auras working hard to attach to the wall some hanging. His precautions support began to slip, threatening greatly to fall and shatter the bones of its religious burden. It was then that the clerics present saw the arm of the holy man open the tomb slightly and hold the falling ladder as it passed him.

In consequence of that miracle, which was charitable though macabre, and well-authenticated by witnesses. the venerable body was taken out of its resting place - relative rest - and placed under the main altar in a reliquary that Commander Fra Augustine Mego had made for it, not without having set aside the miracle-working arm in a little box.

Nevertheless, it must be admitted that our saint is particularly humble, for, though we already knew so little about him, he allowed the documents concerning him - both his life and his miracles - to disappear. When his church was flooded during the great inundation of the Arno, in 1557. The reliquary was submerged for several days; evidently, it must have suffered much damage, together with the relics it contained. But in the 17th century, they still venerated the arm, which had been preserved with its flesh and nails.

May we, like Peter d'Imola, be learned, pious, courageous and beneficent, alive and dead, without, however acting too much the ghost. His humility, his charity, his knowledge, are virtues which we shall try to imitate without risking error, in the great simplicity of God.

(From: Ducaud-Bourget, Msgr. François: The Spiritual Heritage of The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican 1958)

Bl. Peter of Imola - Prior Order of Malta

Today is the feast of Bl. Peter of Imola the Prior of the Grand Priory of Rome. Although there is little know of his life there is an interesting account of an incident involving him after his death.
Again thanks to Fr. Gerard of the South African Association of the Order of Malta for his work in putting together these biographies.

He was born about 1250 at Imola (Italy) into the family of the lords of Linasio. An able lawyer, he mediated between the Guelphs and Ghibellines at Romagna in 1297. He became a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and was elected Grand Prior at Rome. He devoted great energy to caring for the sick at Florence (Italy) where he died on 5 October 1320: he was buried in the Church of St. James in the Campo Corbolini.

Prayer:

O God, who gave to blessed Peter, Prior of our Order, the gift of healing discord and division, grant to us through his prayers the grace of striving for peace and so being called the children of God. Through the same 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)
With the Blessed Fra Peter d' Imola we find another aspect of the Order, which has always been interested in matters of the spirit. In fact, that Knight was also a well-known jurist of his times. Of his earthly life few things are known. He was born at Imola, Emilia, and was the Prior of the Hospital in Rome. Was he the Commander in Florence? That is a supposition which takes its likelihood from the fact that, after his death (October 15, 1320); he was buried in that city in the church of Saint James in Campo Corbellini, which belonged to the Order.

But if the existence of the Blessed Peter passed almost unnoticed here on earth, (it is enough to be a real saint, no one except God knowing it no one including the saint himself !), that was not the case after he died.

One day the brothers were preparing and adorning the church to celebrate the feast of Saint James in a worthy fashion. A high ladder had been placed against the tomb of the Blessed Peter, and one of the priests auras working hard to attach to the wall some hanging. His precautions support began to slip, threatening greatly to fall and shatter the bones of its religious burden. It was then that the clerics present saw the arm of the holy man open the tomb slightly and hold the falling ladder as it passed him.

In consequence of that miracle, which was charitable though macabre, and well-authenticated by witnesses. the venerable body was taken out of its resting place - relative rest - and placed under the main altar in a reliquary that Commander Fra Augustine Mego had made for it, not without having set aside the miracle-working arm in a little box.

Nevertheless, it must be admitted that our saint is particularly humble, for, though we already knew so little about him, he allowed the documents concerning him - both his life and his miracles - to disappear. When his church was flooded during the great inundation of the Arno, in 1557. The reliquary was submerged for several days; evidently, it must have suffered much damage, together with the relics it contained. But in the 17th century, they still venerated the arm, which had been preserved with its flesh and nails.

May we, like Peter d'Imola, be learned, pious, courageous and beneficent, alive and dead, without, however acting too much the ghost. His humility, his charity, his knowledge, are virtues which we shall try to imitate without risking error, in the great simplicity of God.

(From: Ducaud-Bourget, Msgr. François: The Spiritual Heritage of The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Vatican 1958)