This Kind of Torks Me Off

I guess it's just the usual liberal, anti-christian, pro-death, atheistic, and sick propaganda.  For a second I thought it might be Joe London...but I don't think it was.

When you open the page, it's the second video that will play.  The first one is funny yet sad...that poor sportscaster...

A MOTHER'S PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS (STOMACH FLU VERSION)

Via the Curt Jester.

Blog Title Contest

As I am sure most of you know I will be ordained to the priesthood in a few short days.  For the exact number of days, hours, and minutes see the countdown on the left.

Since upon ordination I will no longer be a seminarian, a change in the title of this blog is quite appropriate.  Therefore I have decided to have a blog naming contest.  If you think you have a good idea for this blog please post it in the comments.  I am open to anything including humor, sarcasm, etc...

So, let em rip, and please, have some fun with it.

The winner will be announced here the evening after I am ordained (June 3rd).

Abomination

Ever see the abomination of a clown mass?  If not, here is your chance.  Click here to watch the video recorded at a recent clown "mass" in a Episcopal Church.

The actual "ceremony" begins about six minutes into the video.

I find it hard to believe that anyone could take this kind of "worship" seriously.  It seems to me that it is a sheer mockery of the sacred liturgy.

What, In The Name of All That Is Good, Are They Thinking?

If every I build a church that looks like this, please put me out of my misery.

Deviled Ham

Fr. Sibley always makes me chuckle...

The Future of The Church Is Bright

If this is any indication, the Church is moving in the right direction:

...In fact, the seminarians at St. John Vianney in St. Paul were so jubilant on the day Cardinal Ratzinger was named pope that they got noise complaints from students and neighborhood residents.

After an evening Mass dedicated to Pope Benedict, rector Father Bill Baer led 80-some seminarians onto the roof of the seminary. The men yelled out the Apostle’s Creed and soon began to chant “Viva el Papa!”

“We were so loud that people in all the neighboring dorms started to stick their heads out the window,” said seminarian Stephen Nepil, 19. “They were like, ‘Yeah, Benedict!’

“It was a big deal in the seminary because we know how incredible of a pope he’ll be,” Nepil said. “We were so loud that we got noise complaints from the far end of the south campus. They sent security guards to take us off the roof.”

We Should Start Praying About This Now

It could be a huge triumph for the pro-life cause...

The Supreme Court, re-entering the politically charged abortion debate, agreed Monday to hear a state appeal seeking to reinstate a law requiring parental notification before minors can terminate their pregnancies.

Justices will review a lower court ruling that struck down New Hampshire's parental notification law. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 2003 law was unconstitutional because it didn't provide an exception to protect the minor's health in the event of a medical emergency.

Read the whole article here.

Skew Yet Another Voice of The Faithful Survey

Biretta tip to Fr. Sibley for pointing this out.  Click here to skew the survey.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Sorry things have been pretty slow in here lately.  I have been very busy working on things for my first Mass; programs, music, etc, all need to be done yet, so please be patient with me.  I will return.

Alan Keyes "Gets it"

In an interview that was broadcast April 26 on the Global Catholic Network (EWTN), Alan Keyes said that abortion and same-sex marriage are natural extensions of society’s widespread acceptance of contraception.

By divorcing marital relations from the possibility of having children, Keyes said, society has spawned an ethic that not only sanctions abortion (because producing children is deemed undesirable and irrelevant to sexual relations), but supports same-sex marriage--which centers in sexual activity without the possibility of procreation.

The more that sexual activity has become deliberately separated from procreation, Keyes observed, “Homosexuals will step forward and say, ‘Well, if marriage is just about pleasure and personal fulfillment and the relationship of the persons involved, we can do that.’”

I wish everyone would realize this.  It would be a much different, much better world to live in.

Way to Go Missouri

Gov. Matt Blunt announced Friday that he would call a special session in September to pursue new restrictions on abortion.

The word came around the time the General Assembly was wrapping up its regular session, having not passed legislation considered crucial by anti-abortion groups.

Blunt and Missouri Right to Life, specifically, traded blame for the lack of action.

"I am profoundly disappointed in the leaders of Missouri Right to Life for their efforts to defeat two good pro-life bills ...," the Republican governor said in a prepared statement.

I bet this will really tick off the pro-death people in Missouri, but as in all things, the truth will ultimately win.

Somewhat Amusing...

Via the Angry Twins.

Santo Subito

ROME, MAY 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI announced the he will dispense with the five-year waiting period, established by Canon Law, to open John Paul II's cause of beatification.

In his meeting with priests of the Diocese of Rome, held today in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope read the following announcement in Latin: "The Supreme Pontiff, Benedict XVI, has dispensed with the period of five years of waiting, after the death of the Servant of God, John Paul II, Supreme Pontiff."

An immense applause, which resounded in the diocesan cathedral, interrupted the Holy Father's words. The Pope smiled with evident emotion.

With this announcement, 42 days after the death of John Paul II, Benedict XVI responded to the cry that took over St. Peter's square April 8, the day of his predecessor's funeral: "Sainthood now!" ("Santo subito!").

The Pope chose the feast of the Virgin of Fatima, May 13, as the date to make the announcement. John Paul II had a special devotion to the one he believed, as he acknowledged in his testament, intervened to save his life on May 13, 1981, when he was the target of an assassination attempt.

The Vatican press office published the rescript, or formal decree, of the Congregation for Sainthood Causes, which recorded the Pontiff's decision, "at the request" of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar for the Diocese of Rome.

John Paul II dispensed with the established waiting period only once, in the case of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. The blessed died Sept. 5, 1997, and was beatified by John Paul II Oct. 19, 2003.

Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Sainthood Causes, commented that John Paul II dispensed with two years of the five-year waiting period for Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, while Benedict XVI dispensed of the entire waiting period in the case of his predecessor.

In statements on Vatican Radio today, the Portuguese cardinal explained that now the Diocese of Rome "will have to proceed to the official opening of the cause of beatification, as well as the appointment of a postulator."

"Under the guidance of the postulator, documents are collected and a list is prepared of the witnesses who will attest to the heroic virtues of John Paul II," he added.

Later on, the process will call for the recognition of a miracle realized after his death, attributed to the intercession of John Paul II.

"Obviously, all this requires time, but we hope that everything will proceed with speed, and that we will be able to see John Paul II on the altars as soon as possible," concluded Cardinal Saraiva.

I Have Been Banished

From Chuck Currie's blog.  Here is most of the e-mail he sent me...I would like to hear your comments and thoughts about it below.  If I am indeed in the wrong please tell me so that I can repent.

E-Mail sent to my address may be published. People are encouraged to leave comments. However, comments meant to simply offend others – or that are personal attacks – will either be deleted or the commenter banned from the site. We can disagree with each other and still be respectful.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

I have just finished my final final exam.  I feel like singing the Te Deum as an act of thanksgiving to God.

Oh, The Hilarity of It All

From Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester:

For those of you who don't know, that is a picture of the Cathedral in Los Angeles.

Cardinal Trujillo Speaks Out On Homosexuality

On the first business day after meeting privately with newly elected Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, gave one of the strongest statements defending the traditional family in recent memory.  The Cardinal, who was reinstated in his post as President of the Pontifical Council for the Family which he held under Pope John Paul II just after the election of Pope Benedict, met with the Pope Friday and on Monday gave an extensive interview to Fides news service on the subject of homosexual 'marriage'.

Cardinal Trujillo said parliaments which "open the way for same sex 'marriage'  . . .  destroy piece by piece the institution of the family the most valuable heritage of peoples and humanity."  He explained, "In these unions there are no promises for the partners or for the children, no stability, nothing before society or God, but they demand all the benefits of authentic marriage."

Asked about allowing same sex couples to adopt children, the Cardinal answered, "This would destroy the child's future, it would be an act of moral violence against the child."

And for the benefit of Chuck Currie who is convinced the Church "hates" homosexuals and advocates violence against them I include this quotation:  The head of the Pontifical Council for the Family also repeated the Church's teaching that homosexual persons are to be treated with respect., but added that they should be assisted as far as possible to overcome their disordered inclinations.  "As I have said many times, homosexual peoples must be respected, loved and assisted. We must help them overcome this situation if they seriously want to and help them realise that there is not only life on earth, there is another life. The Church does not wish to see these 'couples' suffer discrimination, or humiliation, jeered at or treated without respect. They are human persons and we must love them. It is false to say that the Church does not love these people. She loves them and wants to lead them to eternal salvation."

I must say that I agree with the good Cardinal on everything that he has said here.  I seems to me that we are coming to a time in our world where this issue will be a cause of great division in society.  It is an issue where true Christians will be pitted against the secular world...and of course we know who will win in the end.  The truth always wins.

Cardinal McCarrick Wants To Retire

"Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, said yesterday he is interested in retiring when he turns 75 in July.  "I'll be writing my [retirement] letter, and I'm certainly open to retirement. I have a thousand things I could do, or at least I think I could do," Cardinal McCarrick told The Washington Times yesterday.  His retirement, however, is the pope's decision. "

Something tells me that his resignation will be accepted by Pope Benedict, especially after their little tiff about Communion and pro-choice politicians. 

I am sure you all remember what happened since when it happened it was reported all over the blogosphere.  But in case you don't remember, here is a little excerpt from a newstory about it:

"With the release of the letter from Cardinal Ratzinger stating Communion must be denied to obstinately pro-abortion Catholic politicians, Cardinal McCarrick's report on the letter given at the U.S. Bishops Meeting last month has come under fire. LifeSiteNews.com pointed out the discrepancy between Cardinal Ratzinger's letter and Cardinal McCarrick's presentation of that letter in a July 5 article. On July 6 a Washington Times headline read "McCarrick tempered letter on pro-choice politicians."

The key point in the controversy is that Cardinal Ratzinger said that pro-abortion politicians, who will not alter their stand or abstain from communion after being instructed by church leaders, "must" be refused communion. McCarrick never presented Ratzinger's intervention as one which indicated the refusal of communion to be mandatory under any such circumstances. Rather McCarrick went to great lengths to present the denial of communion as optional.

The Times quotes internationally respected U.S. Catholic theologian Michael Novak saying, "Ratzinger's letter was stronger and firmer than we were led to believe. It's pretty dynamite stuff." Duin reports that Novak heard of "dissatisfaction" in Rome over how Cardinal McCarrick was representing the church's teachings. "I had heard Rome was much tougher than Cardinal McCarrick was letting on," he said. "Some people in the Vatican were upset that McCarrick was putting on too kind a face on it."

The Times also quotes former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond Flynn on why North American bishops often water down Vatican statements. "The American church has been reluctant to speak out forcefully on a lot of these issues, whereas Pope John Paul II has instructed the Catholic Church to be more assertive," said Flynn. "A lot of these American bishops aren't willing to get involved because of the backlash, because it's not politically correct, and the criticism they will receive from the liberal media," he said.

In April, the Vatican's leading prelate on the Sacraments, Cardinal Francis Arinze, declared unequivocally that unambiguously pro-abortion politicians should be denied Holy Communion. Cardinal Arinze said such a politician "is not fit" to receive Communion. "If they should not receive, then they should not be given," he said. Cardinal McCarrick reacted to Cardinal Arinze's statements by suggesting that Arinze did not really mean what he said. Speaking with the National Catholic Reporter, McCarrick said of Cardinal Arinze, "I don't think it was his eminence's official opinion . . . The cardinal's position . . . was that . . . the United States should figure out what they ought to do."

Judge Greer To Recieve Award

"Pinellas- Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer, who was thrust into the national spotlight and scrutinized by pro-life advocates during the Terri Schiavo case, was a consistent judge who followed the law, colleagues say.

His professionalism and integrity was punctuated by the way he handled the Schiavo case, said Alan Scott Miller, a New Port Richey lawyer and member of the West Pasco Bar Association.

As part of Law Week, which kicks off today, the association will award Greer, 63, its Special Justice Award.

``He's getting this award for all of his contributions on the bench, not just the Schiavo case,'' Miller said. ``It's like a lifetime achievement award for an actor.''

Greer will receive the award during a banquet Thursday at the Heritage Springs Golf and Country Club, 11345 Robert Trent Jones Parkway.

For years, Greer presided over the politically and emotionally charged Schiavo case, which ended when the 41- year-old woman died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed a third time on a court order. "

 If you are in the area and are able to protest this event I challenge you to do so.  If I were able to, I would certainly be there to show my disgust that this man is being honored.

The Monastery

Five men, ranging from an atheist in the pornography trade to a former Protestant paramilitary, have found their lives unexpectedly transformed in the latest incarnation of reality television - the monastery...the five underwent a spiritual makeover by spending 40 days and 40 nights living with Roman Catholic monks in Worth Abbey, West Sussex.

The experiment, which will be shown on BBC 2 this month, was designed to test whether the monastic tradition begun by St Benedict 1,500 years ago still has any relevance to the modern world.

...By the end, the atheist, Tony Burke, 29, became a believer and gave up his job producing trailers for a sex chat line after having what he described as a "religious experience".

Gary McCormick, 36, the former Ulster Defence Association member, who spent much of his early life in prison, began to overcome his inner demons.

Peter Gruffydd, a retired teacher, regained the faith he had rejected in his youth and Nick Buxton, 37, a Cambridge undergraduate, edged closer to becoming an Anglican priest.

The fifth "novice", 32-year-old Anthony Wright, who works for a London legal publishing company, started to come to terms with his childhood traumas.

The three-part series called The Monastery shows the five abiding by the monastery rules, with a strict timetable of instruction, study, prayer, reflection and work duties...

...Mr Burke, his voicing breaking with emotion, confessed his feelings in a video-diary entry. "I didn't want this to happen," he said.  "But something touched me, something spoke to me very deeply. It was a religious experience.  "When I woke up this morning, I didn't believe in this but, as I speak to you now, I do. Whatever it is, I believe in it."

The participants, none of whom was a Roman Catholic, shared meals with the monks, worked in the grounds and joined in the daily office, from early morning Matins to Compline. They were also obliged to follow the monks' rules of silence, obedience and humility.

By the end, they all conceded that the experience had made a profound impression on them.

Maybe we can talk Joe London and Chuck Currie to be a part of the second season...

Biretta tip to Angry Twins for finding this story.