Thoughts About This Photo?

Lynch mobs turn on looters amid Haiti aid crisis



This photo looks fake to me.

Father of Terri Schiavo, Robert Schindler Sr. Passed Away

Father of Terri Schiavo, Robert Schindler Sr. Passed Away August 29, 2009
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Aug. 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- Robert S. Schindler, Sr., of Gulfport, Florida, father of the late Terri Schindler Schiavo, passed away August 29, 2009 from heart failure at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Robert fought valiantly to save the life of his brain–injured daughter Terri in the landmark right to life case that culminated in her imposed death by court–ordered starvation and thirst on March 31, 2005. After Terri's death, along with his wife Mary, daughter Suzanne (Schindler) Vitadamo and son Bobby Schindler, he founded the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation in St. Petersburg dedicated to supporting other families faced with the same need to fight for the rights of their disabled or otherwise vulnerable loved ones.

Robert was born in Philadelphia on October 23, 1937 and was 71 years of age. Proceeded in death by his daughter Theresa Schindler. He is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Suzanne Vitadamo (Michael), son Bobby Schindler and granddaughter Alexandra.

A Mass of Christian burial with visitation preceding will be scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, PA. Times and location will be announced at a later date.

Memorials may be made to the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, 5562 Central Avenue, Suite 2, Saint Petersburg, FL 33707, phone 727-490-7603.

Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation

I Have Finally Figured Out Obamacare

Reposted by someone I know on Facebook.

"I have finally figured out Obamacare:

Obama's health care plan will be written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it and whose members will be exempt from it, signed by a president who smokes, funded by a treasury chief who did not pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that is broke.

What could possibly go wrong?"

Pope Appoints George Lucas Archbishop of Omaha

*snicker*

Pope Appoints George Lucas Archbishop of Omaha

(03 June 09 - RV) On Wednesday Pope Benedict appointed George Joseph Lucas Archbishop of Omaha in the United States of America.

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Fr. Pavone on Tiller

Wasn't Going to Say Anything

But I guess I am.

I'm just unimpressed with a man who cheats on his wife, then leaves her for the mistress. I know I'm supposed to pray for him, and I guess I will.

Edit: I just feel bad for the children he has abandoned.

Priest not surprised by Susan Boyle's Performance

Priest not surprised by Scottish woman's performance on British TV

By Simon Caldwell
Catholic News Service

LONDON (CNS) -- The audience snickered and the judges of "Britain's Got Talent" either rolled their eyes or allowed their blank expressions to betray their bemused skepticism as the awkward-looking middle-aged woman told them she wanted to be as famous as the popular British actress and singer Elaine Paige.

Then Susan Boyle began to sing, and they were spellbound and shocked by the beauty of her voice and rose to their feet in applause.

But Father Basil Clark, who watched the show on television at his home in Broxburn, Scotland, was not surprised.

He has seen the situation unfold many times before, having regularly accompanied Boyle, 47, on the annual Legion of Mary pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland.

"When I watched the judges' faces it reminded me of what I was like when I first saw Susan singing -- absolutely blown away by the quality of the singing and by that fantastic voice," said Father Clark, dean of West Lothian, the district that covers Boyle's home village of Blackburn.

"Anyone who sees her for the first time behaves the same way. I have never heard her sing badly, though she might lose the words if the stress gets too much," he told Catholic News Service in an April 16 telephone interview.

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Glenn Beck on Susan. Glenn gets weepy about a lot of stuff, but this time half of the internet is with him on that.

Archbishop Dolan, New York

I wonder how long it will take Milwaukee to get a replacement.

My favorite Archbishop Dolan story is when he came to visit my parish in (I think it was) 2005. At the very end of mass our pastor presented the Archbishop a gift naming him as an honorary member of the parish. He also gave Dolan his first months worth of envelopes.

He is a very friendly figure, I have quite a few photos of Archbishop Dolan with members of my family. The guy almost always has a smile on his face. That was one of the most striking things about him when I first saw him walk in at mass, he had this big smile.

Now that I've said that though I have a photo of him not smiling, but doing the consecration at my parish when he visited in 2007.

A Grand Entrance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Published: April 14, 2009

In ceremonies marked by solemn Christian ritual and the stagecraft of the grand entrance, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan was warmly welcomed Tuesday night as the new leader and high priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

Seven weeks after Pope Benedict XVI selected him to succeed Cardinal Edward M. Egan, who is retiring at age 77, Archbishop Dolan, 59, a mirthful pastor and a theological conservative who has headed the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for the last seven years, rapped sharply on the massive bronze front doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In the intricately scripted rite, the doors were pulled open and he proceeded inside for a vespers ceremony — the start of two days of ritual, prayer and music that will make him the most prominent Catholic prelate in the nation.

Link

Vatican blocks Caroline Kennedy appointment as US ambassador

Vatican blocks Caroline Kennedy appointment as US ambassador
The Vatican has blocked the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador, according to reports.

Vatican sources told Il Giornale that their support for abortion disqualified Ms Kennedy and other Roman Catholics President Barack Obama had been seeking to appoint.

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Congressman Smith: Mrs. Clinton, choose either Our Lady of Guadalupe or Margaret Sanger

Congressman Smith: Mrs. Clinton, choose either Our Lady of Guadalupe or Margaret Sanger

Washington D.C., Apr 2, 2009 / 01:25 pm (CNA).- In an impassionate address to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ,) argued that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the speech delivered immediately after, in Houston, Texas, during Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Award were completely inexcusable.

Smith said that Clinton’s visit to the Catholic Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where she presented a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the American people, was “a very nice gesture.”

But the gesture was at odds with her speech while receiving the Margaret Sanger Award.

“In her remarks, Secretary Clinton said she was ‘in awe’ --I repeat, ‘in awe’-- of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood.”

“To our distinguished Secretary of State, I respectfully ask: Are you kidding? In ‘awe’ of Margaret Sanger, who said in 1921, ‘Eugenics…is the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political, and social problems’ and who also said in 1922, ‘The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it’?” asked Congressman Smith.

He went on to say that Secretary Clinton in her speech said that Margaret Sanger's “life and leadership” was “one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race.”

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Father Groeschel Suffers Stroke

Father Groeschel Suffers Stroke
Posted by Daily Blog
Monday, March 30, 2009 9:35 AM

CNS)Father Benedict Groeschel, whose whole life has been spent preaching the Gospel, suffered a minor stroke in mid-March, leaving him with some speech difficulties.

Father Benedict made the news public on his regular Sunday evening talk show March 29 on the Eternal Word Television Network, “Sunday Night Life with Father Benedict Groeschel.”

Appearing before a life audience, the 75-year-old Franciscan Friar of the Renewal noted that he had missed the show the previous Sunday because he had suffered a stroke overnight March 20-21. Another member of his community, Father Andrew Apostoli, also well-known to EWTN viewers, substituted for him.

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I have always thought that Fr. Groeschel has a stong resemblence to St. Benedict.

Hillary: Who Painted Our Lady of Guadalupe? Monsignor: God!

I kind of wonder what Hillary's staff is filling her in on before she goes on these trips.



Hillary Clinton leaves flowers for Our Lady of Guadalupe, asks ‘Who painted it?’

Mexico City, Mexico, Mar 27, 2009 / 04:59 pm (CNA).- During her recent visit to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people,” after asking who painted the famous image.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted by Mary on the tilma, or cloak, of St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image has numerous unexplainable phenomena, such as the appearance on Mary’s eyes of those present in the room when the tilma was opened and the image’s lack of decay.

Mrs. Clinton was received on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. by the rector of the Basilica, Msgr. Diego Monroy.

Msgr. Monroy took Mrs. Clinton to the famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which had been previously lowered from its usual altar for the occasion.

After observing it for a while, Mrs. Clinton asked “who painted it?” to which Msgr. Monroy responded “God!”

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Republican Candidates for the 5th District

I'm Representive-less at the moment since Rahm Emmanuel took the job with Obama in Washington. We're having a primary election for the spot in March and the general in April.

There are 12 Democrats, 6 Republicans, and 5 Green Party Candidates. With the exception of a few signs in front of houses, I haven't seen a whole lot of info on these Republicans. So I'm taking a look at their websites.

Tom Hanson

This is the first Republican candidate on the ballot. I popped in on his website, and the first thing I see is "Liberal Republican". Well, I'll just say that if I wanted a liberal Republican I'd vote for a Democrat, even if a liberal Republican is the only one that had a chance.



I did take a look at his positions and I will be passing on him.

Abortion Debate
I favor the rights to abortion and will vote for restrictions that are permissible under Roe vs. Wade

Marriage Debate
I favor the idea that same sex couples should be allowed to enter into a legally binding agreement that guarantees them similar benefits as married couples.

The next candidate is Jon Stewart, well at least the first thing on his website isn't Liberal Republican even if there is a picture of him with John McCain.

I'm a little nervous with a couple of the bullet points he has on the front.

The Jon Stewart Guarantee:

• To work steadfastly with President Obama to change our country
• To be fiercely independent in Congress
• Eliminate any contact with lobbyists
• To help my constituents' voices be heard throughout Washington
• Lower taxes for the middle class
• To provide universal, affordable health insurance to Americans
• To change the way Washington works and operates

My fears seem to be justified, I go to his positons and there they are...

• Affordable health care for all Americans
• Protect a woman's right to choose
• End the war in Iraq
• Legalize ALL undocumented, law abidding immigrants

I'm going through these candidates as I write this, I hope that at least one will be worth voting for, even if he doesn't win.

Greg Bedell for Congress

This site is a little more difficult to navigate. It looks like the same format as Team Sarah, although I don't have a problem with Team Sarah's layout, I'm having a greater difficulty in finding out his positions. In his bio Bedell says:

Mr. Bedell, 49, said he is running for Congress to support a return to Republican fundamentals. His campaign is focused on developing creative solutions to the current challenges citizens face – solutions grounded in traditional Republican beliefs of fiscal responsibility and strong national security.

Sounds good so far, but what about the social issues? I had to do a search to finally get to where he stands on abortion.

Abortion:
Pregnancy is an extremely personal issue for a woman. I know the decisions relating to pregnancy and parenthood are rarely taken lightly. My wife and I have two children and I have witnessed the amazing changes, challenges and joys only she could feel. Seeing for the first time the ultrasound pictures of my daughter profoundly affected me; there, inside my wife, was another human being.

I understand that pregnancy forever changes a woman’s life. But, the change is the creation of life and I am opposed to ending it. We must educate to prevent unwanted pregnancies. We must recognize the real life difficulties and emotional dilemmas that woman face and with this understanding help them and provide assistance to those who want to have their babies but fear the costs and consequences of pregnancy and parenthood.

We must do all that we can to decrease the loss of this new human life. I will oppose any effort to permit the barbarous practice of late term abortions, except where the life of the mother is demonstrably at risk. And, I will oppose government funding of abortion.

But, in those instances where a family is faced with the horrible choice of saving the child or the mother, I can only stand by the choice I would make and that is to save the woman I love.

And on gay marriage

Civil Unions:
I am committed to Civil Unions and according to gay and lesbian couples the rights and responsibilities of two people united under the law. These loving relationships must be recognized. A compassionate society should do no less. I do not agree, however, that these unions should be called a marriage which, in our society, is the union of a man and a woman.

Well, he's better than the other two thats for sure, but still really not where I am.

Rosanna Pulido: Conservative for Congress: Common Sense for Illinois District 5

Well thats more along the lines of what I like to see. She doesn't have a lot of her positions up, but she is against illegal immigration and is pro-life.

Pro-LifePosted by tech On February - 8 - 2009One of the measures of a more highly civilized society, is its attitude towards its weaker members. If the poor, the sick, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the helpless are not protected, the society is not as advanced as in a society where they are protected. The more mature the society is, the more there is respect for the dignity and rights of all human beings. The function of the laws of the society, is to protect and provide for all members so that no individual or group of individuals can be victimized by another individual group. Every American has a vital stake in what value system is adopted towards its weak, aged, cripple, it’s helpless intra-uterine members; a vital stake in who chooses life or death.

Do we accept killing a human being because of a temporary, emotional upset? All obstetricians and gynecologists know of many cases where the mother, be her single or married, has spoken of abortion early in the pregnancy and later on, has confessed her gratitude to those who have not performed the abortion. On the other hand, we have all seen women what have been troubled, consumed with guilt and Depression following and because of abortion.

Abortion hurts women!

She is the best one for me so far.

Daniel Kay for Congress

His site is under construction right now, he has a bio page up with information about him, but not really his postions. He says:

With over 6,300 bills introduced to the 110th congress, it would be impossible to elaborate on enough issues. In a nutshell, the district is highly diverse and all parts of it need attention, not just those in the city limits as were the policies of the previous 2 5th district representatives in congress. Much effort had been placed to modernize O'Hare airport to bring in line with others around the nation, however, the majority of the airports viability is in freight and cargo. The infrastructure including federal highway US 12/45, which are vital to the success of the airport and surrounding rail yards, are in gross neglect. Recently the Mannheim Road bridge over the O'Hare rail yard was closed due to the frost heaves launching vehicles onto black ice and causing them to spin out. Because this road doesn't link the airport with downtown Chicago directly, the communities affected didn't have the ears willing to listen. Fairness to all is my basic doctrine. From Lake Shore Drive to County Line Road, and from Lake Street to Touhy Ave. all need their voices heard in Washington.

I will have to look back at him before the election to see what he has to say about the issues that are most important to me.

Finally, Dr. David J. Anderson

He is very outspoken about corruption in Illinois, which is admirable. My personal opinion of what he has written on his site is that he admires BO and agrees with him on various positions to different degrees. He really doesn't include any of his positons on the social issues. Like Daniel Kay I will have to look back before the election to see if he has added anything.

Based on what I have seen so far though, Rosanna Pulido is the best candidate for me.

Pope Meets with Pelosi

I was talking to Mom yesterday about the Pope meeting with Nancy Pelosi. I was a little upset by the meeting because I know all Nancy really wants in meeting the Pope is to get a nice photo of her doing so. I know the Pope has to be pastoral and meet with people with whom he disagrees with, because how can he influence them if he never meets with them sort of thing, but Pelosi? A photo with him would just enable her to continue her anti-life, and anti-Catholic policies. Mom remarked that if the Pope was smart he would meet with her in some closet, away from the media. That way she can get her meeting, but no photo. Well, it looks like Mom is a smart cookie, I saw an article this morning detailing the meeting sounding very close to that.

Pelosi could not immediately be reached after the 15-minute meeting, which was closed to reporters and photographers. The two met in a small room of a Vatican auditorium after the pope's weekly public audience.

And the Vatican released a statement on what the Pope told Nancy which included

The Vatican released remarks by the pope to Pelosi, saying Benedict spoke of the church's teaching "on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death." That is an expression often used by the pope when expressing opposition to abortion.

Benedict said all Catholics—especially legislators, jurists and political leaders—should work to create "a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development."

Well now that she's had time to ram through a massive stimulus bill and meet with Pope Benedict, maybe she will find time to meet with her Bishop, which she seems to have put off for several months.


Since there is no photo of this meeting, I'm just adding this one in because I find it funny. It looks like Monsignor Gaenswein is going to catch it in his hand.

Holy Name getting help from other churches

Holy Name getting help from other churches in rebuilding effort
By Manya A. Brachear | Tribune reporter
February 14, 2009

When Rev. Leroy Sanders heard that "God's house" had burned, he urged the congregation of Kenwood United Church of Christ to reach out and help rebuild. It didn't matter to the South Side Protestant pastor or his congregation that "God's house" was Holy Name Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

"We're serving the same God," said Sanders, whose congregation donated $500 to Holy Name for repairs after a fire erupted Feb. 4 in the cathedral's attic. Officials have not determined the cause, calculated the cost or concluded when the 4,500-family congregation can return.

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Cool.

Support the Pope

Fr. Trigilio put this up on his blog.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. The recent 'demand' of German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Pope Benedict XVI make an 'adequate' clarification on the Vatican's position on the Holocaust in light of Bishop Richard Williamson's unfathomable and unconscionable remarks is equally as unfathomable and ludicrous. The Holy Father already stated UNEQUIVOCALLY that he and the entire Roman Catholic Church express FULL AND INDISPUTABLE SOLIDARITY with Jews and warned against ANY DENIAL of the horror of the Nazi Holocaust. She is merely pandering to the press for publicity.

Liberal Catholic theologian Hermann Haering was even more outlandish and uttered this incredible (as well as horribly offensive) statement:

"If the pope wants to do some good for the Church, he should leave his job," as told to the German daily Tageszeitung. (We know who SHOULD leave, or rather should be thrown out, and it ain't B16, that's for sure)

This GERMAN Pope made a visit to a synagogue in Germany and the USA; he has reiterated the total condemnation of the Shoah (Holocaust). But there are those who have another agenda. One seeks to derail the reconciliation of the SSPX (Society of Saint Pius X) with Rome, the other seeks to discredit anything and everything Pope Benedict does and says, regardless of the issue. Bishop Williamson may have intended this to happen, I do not know. His offensive remarks went beyond imprudent, they were reprehensible. If he calculatingly did this after the excommunications were lifted in order to sabatoge the reconciliation, then he is more cunning than anyone suspected. If, however, he was just stupid, then someone else is taking advantage of the faus pax and cranking it up to thermonuclear proportions. There is more than meets the eye here, to be sure. We know that dissidents who hated Cardinal Ratzinger also loathe Pope Benedict for the same reasons: orthodoxy. Restoring the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Missal angered many liturgical-nazis and ultra-liberal ideologues who perverted the documents of Vatican II to advance their own agenda. These lefties would love to discredit B16 AND the SSPX in one fell swoop and ride the wave which they hope would also eliminate the Fraternity of Saint Peter and the Institute of Christ the King.

I say it is time for all loyal Catholics, whether you like the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form, Latin or Vernacular, Oriental or Roman Rite, to stand up and be counted. UBI PETRUS IBI ECCLESIA. WE STAND WITH PETER. The sad reality is that the far left and far right have something in common: their dislike and disobedience for the Holy Father. And they say politics makes stange bedfellows.

Posted by Padre Giovanni Trigilio at 8:53 PM

Well, Fr. Trigilio can comment on this so much better than I can that I even bother if its worth me writing at all. But I will say that I am so sick and tired of things being blown out of proportion and context. So many of my friends are non-Catholics or non-practicing Catholics and when the media makes up outlandish claims about the Pope that is what they hear about. There are plenty of people on this planet who deny the holocaust, and hate the Jewish people, so I have no idea why so many would rather focus on a man and a church that does not.

H/T to Esther

News Photos of Holy Name Cathedral

These are from the Chicago Tribune. They make me feel worse about the damage than the video I saw on the news this morning.

Holy Name on Fire!

Fire at Holy Name Cathedral
February 4, 2009 6:50 AM | No Comments | BREAKING STORY
Flames shot off the roof of Holy Name Cathedral this morning. More than an hour later, firefighters were still pouring water.

Fire Cmdr. Will Knight said the fire was located in the cockloft, or pitched area of the roof. He said he could not yet judge how severe damage was.

Up to a dozen fire trucks were on the scene of the extra-alarm blaze at State and Superior Streets. Officials said no one was injured, although some priests and nuns were inside the cathedral at the time.
The extent of the blaze was not known. It appeared to be located near an area that was undergoing renovation.

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This is pretty sad. It was closed for a good amount of time last year after part of the ceiling fell, and reopened not that long ago. We visited when my Dad was doing RCIA because everyone in RCIA was presented to Cardinal George.

Thank You Mr. President

ThankW.com

More on Fr. Neuhaus

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus dead at age 72
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR., NCR Staff
Published:
Jan. 8, 2009

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, a leading voice of Catholic conservatism in America, and one of those rare theologians and spiritual leaders whose influence vastly exceeded the boundaries of their religious community, has died at 72.

Neuhaus slipped away Jan. 8, shortly before 10 o’clock Eastern time. He never recovered from the weakness that sent him to the hospital the day after Christmas, caused by a series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering.

A priest of the New York archdiocese and a former Lutheran minister, Neuhaus was best known to society at large as an intellectual guru of what came to be known as the “religious right.”

From the early 1970s forward, Neuhaus was a key architect of two alliances with profound consequences for American politics, both of which overcame histories of mutual antagonism: one between conservative Catholics and Protestant Evangelicals, and the other between free market neo-conservatives and “faith and values” social conservatives.

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