What do you think would happen if a priest or a bishop said this about another faith. It's amazing how many resources the Church puts into ecumenism (and rightly so) but then you have people who say something like this and you start to wonder.

There was an article in yesterday's Boston Globe about Latino Catholics who are converting to evangelical Protestantism. In the quote below, Garcia is the evangelical guy and Reyes is the Catholic priest.

Garcia said that when a Catholic comes to his church seeking Christ, he treats them "as if they have not been going to church."

"We believe that most people [who] have grown up in the Catholic Church are not truly Christians," Garcia said. That is because, Garcia said, most Catholics have been going to church out of tradition, rather than for spiritual reasons.

Reyes said that he tells parishioners to deal with such attitudes with politeness and to view them as a test of faith. He said that some evangelical leaders aren't open to working with Catholics and even decline to attend a Catholic church for a funeral or wedding. For example, on Tuesday, Reyes said, he presided over a funeral of a person with Catholic and evangelical family members. The evangelical members refused to enter the Catholic church for services.

Now again I beg the question, "What would be the result if it were the other way around?" So I suppose I should see dozens of letters to the editor in this week's paper in protest of evangelicalism, right?

OK, so Amy has a post on the Pittsburgh "water ceremony" and a guy wrote the funniest lyrics ever to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme in the comments section. Scroll down it's like the third comment or so.

Taking an idea from the Curt Jester on this feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola (not to mention the 450th anniversary of his death), I would like to mention a wonderful Jesuit that I know. It's true that many Jesuits get a bad reputation these days because some of them have been less than faithful to the Magisterium.

Well, in graduate school I had Fr. Peter Ryan, SJ for moral theology. Not only was he a faithful theologian but he was a caring priest. He was never shy about Jesuit jokes and was intellectually honest about some of his confreres. He showed pastoral concern for those who were going through a tough time and always offered to listen for those who needed to talk. I know I wasn't the only person to benefit from his kindness and I'm sure he'll go on demonstrating the compassion that flows from a truly priestly heart for the rest of his life.

So in his honor, I declare today "Fr. Ryan, SJ Day" here at The Keys are Mightier and ask God to continue to bless his ministry! May God grant him many happy years!

The Diocese of Pittsburgh has a Q & A on the ceremony that took place on a boat today where there was a ritual that simulated an ordination.

Via Gerald. Good stuff.

Gerald also has a funny cartoon.

Dom has an excellent post where he summarizes and links to many, many articles and statements that demonstrate quite clearly that the group, while having many well-meaning members, have duped them into believing its commitment to their three stated objectives (which of themselves, I suppose, are not all that bad). It has truly turned into a group that is uninterested in supporting the Church as it is advocating a heterodox agenda which is now no longer hidden.

The reality is that Voice of the Faithful has shown time and again, despite its protestations to the contrary that at its heart it is a group of people pushing heterodoxy in the Church, and while some well-meaning people may have been taken in by its stated mission to stop the abuse of kids, it has moved well beyond that original aim and become just another heterodox group of dissidents along the lines of Call to Action and Future Church and the like.

According to Dom we (in Massachusetts) are in for another rough week:

After the black eye of the female chancery employee who came out as having secretly simulated ordination to the priesthood, Boston is getting another blow this coming week. It seems that two priests will be announcing that they are leaving the priesthood because of relationships they have cultivated with women. (How bad are things when you’re relieved it’s a woman?)

They’re both known as orthodox priests and one was supposed to be the orthodox answer for a parish that has recently suffered through the pastorship of a heterodox priest. The other had been a moral guide for many of his brother priests. Both of these situations will be a blow to morale for all of us, lay and ordained alike.

Trust me when I say, we really don't need this.

From Catholic World News:

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who resigned from his post as Vatican spokesman earlier in July, plans to remain in Rome.

...

The 69-year-old Spanish layman, who took up reporting after training as a physician and psychiatrist, disclosed that he had no set plans for his future work. "I won't decide until the end of August," he said, explaining that he planned to spend a few more weeks in "calm, peace, and vacation."

The bishops of England and Wales have received permission from the Holy See to transfer some holy days of obligation to Sunday.

From Zenit:

The bishops of England and Wales have made changes to the holy days of obligation to facilitate Catholics' observance of important feasts.

"We have responded to requests from diocesan councils of priests and many others, deeply concerned at the diminishing observance of these days," said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, in a recent statement.

"In order to foster the celebration of the rhythm of the liturgical year and to celebrate more profoundly the mysteries of the life and mission of the Lord, the bishops have decided to transfer to Sunday those holy days of obligation which are solemnities of the Lord" other than Christmas Day, he said.

"This means that the Epiphany, the Ascension of the Lord and Corpus Christi will now be celebrated on Sunday," he added.

There's a complete round-up including calendars and resources at the Liturgy Office of England and Wales.

In related news from Gerald: an interesting post on Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor(I believe this article is all conjecture, so take it that way):

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain is facing a growing whispering campaign aimed at ousting him from his post next year.

Senior Catholic figures have begun writing the professional obituary of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, 73, portraying him as an increasingly isolated and weakened leader.

One senior figure in the Westminster diocese noted: "The main frustration is the lack of any real communication with the cardinal. Virtually everything he does is done without consultation."

Another leading Catholic said bishops had been dismayed that the cardinal had procrastinated before putting pressure on Austen Ivereigh, his director for public affairs, to resign after a series of allegations concerning his private life (homosexual).

"He is too ponderous and is not good at taking decisions," he said.

Well, I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I moved out of school and back home on Saturday and spent some time relaxing. Yesterday Dunkin Dave came home after his summer away so we took the opportunity to spend some quality time.

Happy feast day to all of our Jesuit friends!

I have a lot to catch up on... I have a list of things to read today (which means many things to blog), I have to write a paper to email in, and my car is in bad need of an oil change.

Well, at least the Cardinal's doing better...

From today's Boston Globe:

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley has agreed to meet Friday with local leaders of Voice of the Faithful, marking the first time in nearly three years that he has sat down with the lay reform group that has energized a group of active churchgoers but is viewed with skepticism by some conservatives.

O'Malley's office downplayed the significance of the meeting, and said the cardinal has not revised the Archdiocese of Boston's policy toward the group, which includes a ban on meetings in parishes by chapters formed after October 2002, when the group was first banned by Cardinal Bernard F. Law .

O'Malley last met with the national organization in November 2003 and said he would reconsider the ban, but he did not make any change.

But leaders of the organization, which was formed in Wellesley at the height of the clergy sex abuse crisis in February 2002, view the gathering as symbolically significant, in that it demonstrates O'Malley's willingness to talk with a group that has been demonized in some quarters of the church.

Demonized huh? I wonder why.

Via the Curt Jester:

Registration for this weekend's Steubenville San Diego Youth Conference had to be closed off early this year when the numbers topped 4,200.

"We had to close it off 20 days after we opened," said Bob Schrimpf, chairman of the annual Roman Catholic youth conclave that has attracted more than 10,000 young people since it began four years ago.

High school students from throughout the nation were flocking into housing today through Sunday at San Diego State University, where the three-day program is being held, and at the University of San Diego.

From USCCB press release today (am I the first to blog this??):

Since its publication at the end of March, the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church has passed the 100,000 mark in total copies sold. At this rate, the Compendium will easily join the Catechism of the Catholic Church as one of the most successful books in the history of the USCCB.

...

According to USCCB Publishing, over 125,000 copies were sold through July of the English and Spanish paperback and hardcover. Spanish hardcover and paperback accounted for almost 5,000; English paperback alone accounted for over 100,000. Some parishes and dioceses are ordering hundreds and even thousands of copies. The Compendium has been available through Amazon and other major retail outlets.

Those who know me, know that I pre-ordered my Compendium and I absolutely love it. I'm even using some of it in my courses this fall. I just made a handout the other day with a few quotes on it.

And don't forget:

• the US Catholic Catechism for Adults comes out on Monday
• the Compendium is now online

Amy posts an excerpt from an article on the most recent data on the Church in the United States. It's curious that the Catholic population has risen by 1.3 million but all other sacramental numbers and Catholic school/religious ed enrollment numbers have declined.

Check out her post.

For the locals, the Providence Visitor has an article on Deacon Victor Silva with whom I lived for a year. It's about his work at the ACI this summer. Click on the link now because the story will be replaced when the next edition of the paper is posted.

By the way... there's a nice picture at the top of him proclaiming the Gospel for a Mass at the ACI with Bishop Tobin... however, the candid shot of him that went with the story. Well, let's just say, not his best.

I posted a story yesterday from the Associated Press on a study that is soon to be released on the financial crisis facing religious orders due to growing retirement costs and the lack of younger members who are bringing in a paycheck to the community.

CNA has a story on the same study with a different slant:

A recent study, which is drawing growing attention through an Associated Press story, warns of an impending financial crisis for many U.S. Catholic religious orders. The study from the US Bishops Office of National Religious Retirement warns that the large number of aging religious – especially religious sisters – along with a continuing drop in new vocations is leading to a massive financial shortfall for the care of the retired. Many are saying, however, that an answer to the problem may not be merely financial, but also spiritual support for new vocations.

...

While a financial solution is certainly needed, the problem reportedly stems from the increasing number of retirees and fewer younger members to support them, the AP states. The number of religious women in the U.S. has been steadily decreasing since 1965, when they numbered 179,954. By 2005, this figure more than halved to 68,634.

While religious orders have traditionally received a great deal of support from donations from members of the Church, a large portion of the income of many orders comes from the income stemming from the work done by younger members of the community. The lack of any younger vocations is one of the greatest causes for concern for many orders.

But there's hope (no surprises here):

Yet, despite studies detailing the lack of vocations in religious orders nationwide Mother M. Regina Pacis Coury, FSGM says that there are signs of hope in numerous orders. Mother Regina serves as Vice-chairperson of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), an organization composed of major superiors of US religious communities, which was founded to promote religious life in the United States. Mother Regina Pacis said that a great number of the orders which belong to the CMSWR have been experiencing growth.

Far from being fazed by the report, Mother Regina Pacis told CNA that many orders, such as her own Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, simply continue to focus on the life they consecrated themselves to. “We remain grounded in prayer - through such things as the liturgy of the hours, the celebration of the Eucharist, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament - our life of community, and our apostolate (or work in the world).”

Something seems to be working. While the national numbers above show a decrease in religious vocations, Mother Regina Pacis said that orders such as the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia of Nashville, the Sisters of Life, the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, the Missionaries of Charity, and the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles (among many others) have been experiencing tremendous growth in their communities.

Sister Mary Emily, O.P., Vocation Director of the Dominicans of Nashville said that her order has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, seeing over 100 new vocations in that period. Not only that, but there are currently an additional 80 women in formation with an average of 15 entering each year. The median age of her community is now 36 and the average age of those women entering is 24.

“The young women who enter the community are talented, wholesome women who want to sacrifice their lives for the Church. They have heard the call to “Come follow Me” and they do it very willingly and very joyfully,” Sister Mary Emily told CNA.

Mother Regina Pacis said that several religious orders listed on the CMSWR website get thousands of hits each week. “This shows that people are still searching.”

The most important thing for Catholics to do, Mother Regina Pacis said, is to pray for vocations. Mother said that, “we must keep in mind the words of (Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation) Vita Consecrata, which says, that everyone is called to work for vocations.

“We pray especially that parents will be open to the vocations of their children and be supportive if they are called to the religious life,” Mother Regina said, “It is a sacrifice, but we pray that they will be generous.”

From Catholic News Agency:

President George Bush has called upon Americans to observe the 50th anniversary of the national motto “In God We Trust”, July 30, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

In a proclamation issued from the White House, the president said the anniversary provides an opportunity to “reflect on these words that guide millions of Americans, recognize the blessings of the Creator, and offer our thanks for His great gift of liberty.”

The president recalled how Francis Scott Key first penned the motto in a poem during the War of 1812. His poem became the national anthem.

The motto first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin. An act of Congress one year later allowed the mint director to place the motto on all gold and silver coins. However, it was only signed into law as the national motto on July 30, 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower.

The text of the actual proclamation signed by the President.

From the Archdiocese's website:

Cardinal Francis George returned to the operating room just before midnight last night for an exploratory surgery. The Cardinal had exhibited an unstable blood pressure and a drop in blood count despite having received blood transfusions. These conditions were discussed with the Cardinal and a decision was made to return to the operating room.

In a two-hour procedure, Dr. Robert Flanigan, assisted by Dr. Fred Luchette, Chief of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Loyola, found a small blood vessel in the pelvis that was bleeding. The source was successfully closed, the bleeding was stopped and the Cardinal stabilized. He tolerated the operation well and is resting comfortably this morning.

Although the episode of postoperative bleeding represents a complication of the radical cystectomy, it is not an unusual occurrence and is not expected to have a significant impact on Cardinal George’s recovery. During the next few days he will continue to be closely monitored.

Weigel's column:

In a series of talks and interviews surrounding the announcement of his retirement as Archbishop of Washington, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick frequently told his favorite John Paul II story, the story of the pope walking up the center aisle of Newark cathedral in October 1995, touching people on both sides.

This, Cardinal McCarrick suggested, was how priests and bishops ought to act — sticking to the “middle,” in order to be in touch with everyone. Or, as he told National Public Radio, “the job of a priest always forces you to the middle.... We’ve got to be in the middle so that we don’t let those on the left or the right get lost.”

...

It’s not easy to know what Cardinal McCarrick means by his oft-repeated admonition to moderation. He certainly wasn’t moderate — he wasn’t ready to split the differences at the fifty-yard line, so to speak — when things he believed in were at stake. To take one example: students from impoverished families in Washington, DC, can use tax-funded vouchers to attend Catholic schools because Cardinal McCarrick was thoroughly immoderate, indeed relentless, in lobbying Congress on their behalf.

Then there are questions of doctrine. Shortly before the Holy See announced that Pope Benedict had accepted Cardinal McCarrick’s retirement, R. Scott Appleby wrote in the Washington Post about three Catholics, representatives of a “people’s Church,” which Dr. Appleby described as “Catholicism’s great hope” in the 21st century: “a Jakarta nun who describes herself as both a devout Catholic and a devout Muslim; a Sri Lankan Jesuit whose Asian-inflected theology of Christ and the Church has little room for the ancient dogmatic formulas preserved by Rome; the president of a Benedictine college in Manila who has no qualms about celebrating Mass without a priest.”

Is this the fifty-yard line? Or, to vary the sporting metaphor, is this somewhere out in the parking lot, way beyond the left-field bleachers?

...

That priests and bishops must be able to minister to people across the spectrum of reasonable theological and political opinion goes, or should go, without saying. That priests and bishops can be true ministers of the Gospel by thinking and acting as if every question were a football field on which truth lies at the fifty-yard line is another matter entirely — see Revelation 3:16.

Cardinal McCarrick actually responded!

There are times when it probably is better not to reply to articles that unfairly or even irresponsibly distort one’s own teaching on issues, lest one gives more importance to the misinformation than it deserves.

Sometimes, however, it truly is important to set the record straight in the face of half-truths or innuendos, lest the old axiom that silence presumes consent gives the impression that one has no reply, and the field is left to those who manipulate words into fanciful concepts with little relevance to the facts.

There's more but it's a short reply and well worth a click.

From today's Boston Globe:

A department head at the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has resigned her post after revealing that she had secretly participated in a ceremony last year in which she says she was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.

Jean Marie Marchant, who for the last four years has been director of healthcare ministry for the archdiocese, offered her resignation to Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley in a letter last week in which she said that a year ago, using a pseudonym, she had been among nine women who had participated in an ordination ceremony on the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada. That group, whose ordination ceremony is considered invalid by the church hierarchy, also included another woman from Massachusetts, Marie David, a Harwich innkeeper who now leads a weekly liturgy on Cape Cod.

``I've always seen my role as to stay within the church and to push the boundaries," Marchant said in an interview. ``But I really came to see in the archdiocese that the change was not going to come about because we women were doing a good and worthy job, but that something more dramatic and drastic had to happen. Until we really took a very strong step and defied this very unjust law -- the canon in canon law that restricts ordination to men -- nothing was going to change."

O'Malley, who has repeatedly said that women cannot be ordained as priests because Jesus did not have female apostles, immediately accepted Marchant's resignation. Although in 2003 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI, announced the excommunication of seven women ordained as part of the same movement, the Archdiocese of Boston has not sanctioned Marchant and has chosen less confrontational language in its conversations with her, an e-mail alert to priests, and a statement to the Globe.

``In her resignation, Ms. Marchant acknowledged that her having participated in an ordination ceremony with Roman Catholic Womenpriests is irreconcilable with the position she held with the Archdiocese of Boston," O'Malley's spokesman, Terrence C. Donilon, said in a statement. ``We greatly appreciate Ms. Marchant's many years of service in healthcare ministry. The archdiocese greatly values the ministry of lay and religious women. Their contributions are vital to the life and mission of the church."

In her post as director of healthcare ministry, Marchant was responsible for coordinating the work of chaplains and others who visited the sick at 70 hospitals in the archdiocese. She had previously worked for five years as director of mission and spiritual care at a Catholic hospital, Caritas Carney in Dorchester, and prior to that had worked 16 years in hospice ministry.

Pardon me for the many posts today. With my new blogging system, when I get behind (hint: when there aren't a lot of posts) then I'll make up for it at some point. These are just three little (but huge) links I wanted to throw out there. Incidentally, they may be of more importance than some of the other stuff I've blogged today.

One more day of paper-writing, then I'm going home for a bit. God is good.


Dust of the Time has a summary on the fake ordinations of some women as priests which is scheduled to take place on Monday on a river in Pittsburgh [h/t to Curt Jester and Amy]

Cardinal George's condition: Amy has links to both Chicago papers

More Stephen Colbert clips: Colbert interviews Bill Donahue and he also debates himself on embryonic stem-cell research which is hilarious. Colbert is wonderful! I'm a new fan!!

This guy is a priest of my diocese (though it doesn't mention his diocesan origins in the article). From Catholic News Agency:

Fr. Tadeusz Pacholcyzk, director of Education for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, emphatically reiterated, earlier this week, that the Catholic Church is not opposed to stem cell research and, in fact, applauds the efforts of scientists in their work preformed with adult stem cells. Pacholcyzk was speaking to large crowd gathered at a presentation concerning the science and ethics of stem cell research and cloning Sunday, at the John Paul II Center For the New Evangelization in Denver.

Fr. Pacholcyzk, who received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University, conducted post-doctoral research at Harvard Medical School, and studied theology and bioethics in Rome, listed and debunked what he called, “ten media myths about stem cell research and cloning.”

One predominant myth, said Pacholcyzk, who has been a Catholic priest for seven years, asserts that the Catholic Church is categorically opposed to stem cell research. In fact, Fr. Pacholcyzk insisted, the ethics of stem cell research depend on the source of the cells.

Pacholcyzk numbered the four primary sources of human stem cells: human embryos, aborted or miscarried fetuses, pregnancy matter (umbilical cord, placenta, amniotic fluid), and adult tissues and organs.

Only one method of obtaining stem cells is always morally evil, he said, to extract stem cells from human embryos. This method necessarily destroys the life of the embryo, Pacholcyzk said. Pacholcyzk said that the Catholic Church openly applauds research performed with stem cells obtained in all other methods that do not violate human life.

From Catholic World News:

Pope Benedict XVI hosted a farewell party for Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the longtime director of the Vatican press office, at his Alpine vacation lodge on July 26.

Navarro-Valls formally stepped down from his post on July 11, and was replaced by Father Federico Lombardi. Then, accepting an invitation from the Pope, he traveled to the Italian Alps to spend a few days of vacation in Les Combes where Pope Benedict is vacationing, and where Navarro-Valls had often stayed alongside Pope John Paul II.

On Wednesday afternoon, Pope Benedict joined the farewell party along with his private secretary, Msgr. Georg Ganswein. Arriving on foot, the Pope spent about 30 minutes there with the small group of Church officials and local figure who are involved with the papal vacation. He used the occasion to thanks local officials-- including Osvaldo Naudin, the mayor of the local Introd community; and Alberto Cerise, the guide who organizes outings for the Pope's party-- for their help in making his vacation peaceful and relaxing.

Navarro-Valls will leave Les Combes on July 28, along with the Pope. A second farewell party, hosted by Vatican journalists, will be held in Rome on July 29. Msgr. Ganswein will also be feted at that party, since he will turn 50 years old the next day.

A new book chronicles this crisis:

With tens of thousands of U.S. nuns over age 70, the Roman Catholic Church is facing a massive financial shortfall for the care of retirees in religious orders -- a gap that over the long term dwarfs costs from the clergy abuse crisis.

Though billions of dollars have been salted away, there still remains an unfunded future liability of $8.7 billion for current nuns, priests and brothers in religious orders. The financial hole is projected by a consulting firm to exceed $20 billion by 2023.

A June survey by the church's National Religious Retirement Office, not yet released to the public, puts spending for retiree care at $926 million last year alone. That compares with a total of $499 million received over the last 18 years from annual special parish collections to aid retirees.

The retirement realities far overshadow the burden from well-publicized sexual abuse cases, which have cost the American church more than $1 billion since 1950, with tens of millions of dollars in pending claims.

In some ways, religious orders face the same problem as many governments: increasing numbers of older retirees need benefits, but there are fewer workers to support them. America's younger workers pay now for the Social Security benefits of seniors, while younger religious support their older generations by caring for them.

Sisters, who make up 82 percent of retirees, are especially vulnerable.

Between 1965 and 2005, their numbers plummeted from 179,954 to 68,634, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

With far fewer younger novices being recruited, the majority of sisters are now more than 70 years old, the retirement office's new survey said. Even though sisters usually work until age 75, caring for the retired population is a huge task.

Some links regarding the summit held in Rome on the situation in the Middle East:

Cardinal Sodano outlines Vatican goals for the Middle East (CWN)

Holy See renews call for immediate cease-fire (CNA)

Vatican hope, disappointment after Rome conference (CWN)

Vatican disappointed summit did not call for immediate cease-fire (CNS)

Rome summit fails to broker Lebanon cease-fire (AP/ New York Sun)

Audio from Vatican Radio:
Pope Benedict watching Middle East crisis closely
Pope prays for Rome conference
Diplomats meet in Rome to discuss peace in the Holy Land

Music to my ears... From Dom- an article from Our Sunday Visitor by Russell Shaw that gives a short history of the conference in the U.S. and mentions the vote this fall on restructuring.

Even before the abuse crisis erupted, the winds of change had begun to blow for the bishops’ conference. Bishops complained about the rising costs of supporting the national organization while they were cutting back on diocesan programs and staff. It was widely agreed that the USCCB had grown too big, too expensive and too remote from grass-roots needs.

In response, the bishops in the last several years have prepared the way for a major restructuring that will allow them to shape the conference’s programs, budget and staff around a limited number of clearly identified priorities. The conference will vote on a new structure at its annual fall meeting.

Great thing about Dom: he always calls it the USCCBureaucracy. Love that.

An article by James Hitchcock of Saint Louis University from a while back on Lumen Gentium [h/t Gerald]:

No conciliar decree has had more influence, while apparently remaining unread, than Lumen Gentium. Two generations of Catholics have now been educated to believe that in effect it abolished the hierarchical conception of the Church, substituting in its place the idea of “the people of God,” which is then understood as essentially a democracy.

The document obviously remains unread because its professed devotees appear unaware that it contains the strongest possible reaffirmations of hierarchical authority, including statements about papal authority as strong as anything in the decrees of the First Vatican Council, which Vatican II allegedly “corrected.” (The late Jesuit theologian Richard McCormick once published an essay on the ecclesiology of Vatican II without even mentioning Lumen Gentium. Presumably, having read it, he found it an impassible stumbling block to the kind of ecclesiology he was advancing.)

The disorders which have plagued the Church since the Council all stem from the fact that the conciliar decrees, very general in nature, were set forth without much regard for the cultural context of the times, ironic in view of the earnest desire of so many people precisely to “read the signs of the times.” The decrees were issued with no suspicion that the entire Western world was about to be engulfed in a major cultural crisis, assaulting its most fundamental beliefs, and that in such a situation the conciliar decrees, perfectly orthodox in themselves, perfectly in harmony with Tradition, would be given contentious interpretations.

“People of God” was one such example. The priest-sociologist Andrew Greeley, when criticized, makes the standard reply that he is simply the messenger bringing the bad news — he merely measures the ways in which Catholics have abandoned official Church teaching. But he and others take a constant hectoring tone towards the hierarchy, strongly implying that failure to bring Church teaching into conformity with opinion polls threatens the very existence of the institution. Although no liberal has actually said that doctrine should be determined by majority opinion, they act as though it were true.

Cardinal's Statement:

“Tomorrow morning I will undergo surgery at Loyola University Medical Center to remove cancer discovered very recently in my bladder. I am informed that I can expect to make a full recovery from this cancer and the surgery to remove it. I have asked my doctors and Archdiocesan officials to fully brief you after the surgery on the specifics of the operation and my recovery. During my recovery and absence, Father John Canary, the Vicar General, will provide day to day governance of the Archdiocese. He and the Auxiliary Bishops and Mr. Jimmy Lago, the Chancellor, will be in contact with me as necessary.

I ask my fellow priests, the religious, all Catholics in the Archdiocese and other friends and colleagues to pray for me. I trust that the Lord will give me the strength and grace I need during these next days and weeks.”

HAPPY FEAST OF GOOD SAINT ANNE!!!

I could launch into a rousing chorus of "Good Saint Anne, brightly shining" but I'll resist the urge, difficult as it may be.

We have a short reflection time this morning before our Commitment Mass tonight. Since there's free time this afternoon, I plan to make a pilgrimage to the great Shrine of Good Saint Anne in Fall River.

Of course, we have a powerful new intercessor in heaven, Fr. Lachance, who is celebrating this great day with Saint Anne herself for the first time.

Mike has a nice summary post on the grandparents of Our Lord.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Gerald posted this clip from the Colbert Report when he talks about religion and actually recites the entire Creed.

From Catholic News Agency:

In a historic step on the road toward Christian unity, the World Methodist Conference adopted the Catholic-Lutheran joint declaration on justification July 23. The declaration had been previously approved by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation in 1999.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, called the signing in Seoul, South Korea, “historic” and “a gift of God.”

The agreement on justification, which explains how people are made just in the eyes of God and saved by Jesus Christ, "provides a basis for a more profound common witness before the world," the cardinal reportedly said at the signing.

From CNN:

Irish archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.

The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries.

"This is really a miracle find," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, which has the book stored in refrigeration. Researchers will conduct years of painstaking analysis before putting the book on public display.

"There's two sets of odds that make this discovery really way out," Wallace said. "First of all, it's unlikely that something this fragile could survive buried in a bog at all, and then for it to be unearthed and spotted before it was destroyed is incalculably more amazing."

...

The book was found open to a page describing, in Latin script, Psalm 83, in which God hears complaints of other nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.

Wallace said several experts spent Tuesday analyzing only that page -- the number of letters on each line, lines on each page, size of page -- and the book's binding and cover, which he described as "leather velum, very thick wallet in appearance."

It could take months of study, he said, just to identify the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them. He ruled out the use of X-rays to investigate without moving the pages.

Ah, how I love mid-term election time when work actually gets done:

A bill that would make it a crime to take a pregnant girl across state lines for an abortion without her parents' knowledge passed the Senate Tuesday, but vast differences with the House version stood between the measure and President Bush's desk.

The 65-34 vote gave the Senate's approval to the bill, which would make taking a pregnant girl to another state for the purposes of evading parental notification laws punishable by fines and up to a year in jail.

The Dumb Ox posts some hilarious Catholic signs. (This is funny so get clickin...)

[H/T to the Curt Jester]

Thomas has a great roundup on a new development in the Medjugorje saga.

I am far too tired to read it all now much less post all of the details so I'll just let Thomas' post and links speak for themselves. Let me just say that it looks like we may not be too far from ecclesiastical clarity on the alleged apparitions.

A new document on HIV/AIDS.

From Catholic News Agency:

The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care will soon publish an extensive document on AIDS, according to an announcement by Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the council’s prefect.

In an interview with the Italian daily, “Corriere della Sera,” published last Thursday, the cardinal explained that the 400-page document is currently under review by medical, scientific, pastoral, and moral experts.

“Our task is to lay out the teaching of the Church on this disease, how it can be cured, what the Church is doing, how it can be prevented, and how the sick can be helped,” Cardinal Lozano said.

“The Church is massively engaged on this front, as 27% of the centers that care for HIV-positive individuals are Catholic,” he underscored.

According to the cardinal, the document will include texts, illustrations and tables about the virus, the disease, and its prevention.

Asked about the Church’s position regarding the moral permissiveness of condom use, Cardinal Lozano responded that the document would reflect what the Church teaches on that issue, namely, that condoms are not a legitimate method for preventing pregnancy and that to present them as a means of ensuring “safe sex,” especially in the case of AIDS, is deceptive and dangerous in combating the spread of the pandemic.

Well, my summer classes end on Friday and I can't wait. I have like five papers due this week plus all of my lesson plans for the month of September. You're probably wondering why the plans are such a big deal. Because each one is six pages!

I'm also working on finishing my classroom management paper which is only (!) eight pages. That's not normally a lot but with everything else, it can be a tad overwhelming.

I went to our house (former convent) in Springfield today to look around again. I chose my two rooms and moved a few things up there. Slowly but surely things are happening.

I also hope to develop the site a bit more starting in September and continuing in the fall. I keep asking myself: what do I wish was on the internet, but isn't? For example, I started the liturgical almanac because it's hard to find that information all wrapped up nicely online. I hope to add elements of the Martyrology in the next batch (Sept-Nov), though realistically it may not happen until the December-February group.

Also, since I'm getting more adept at making sound recordings, I hope to record the complete one-week cycle of Compline so that you can download it and pray along with it. I got the idea because I'd like to have a nice recording of it so that I can pray it in bed each night since I know most of it by heart anyway.

I'm also working on a section of the site for my students so that I can post homework for absentees and extra material for projects and for a more in-depth approach. I'm teaching Catholic Social Teaching and Major World Religions this year.

Lastly, I'm hoping to expand the article section. I have some ideas for short articles in the works but I haven't had much time to work on it. I've been researching the perpetual virginity of Mary in my free time, specifically virginitas post partum. I'm also hoping to write a bit about Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, and what led up to it. That's a fruit of my research to prepare for my social justice course. No promises about when all of this might happen.

I'm hoping to travel a bit in August. I'll be going to a family party in New Hampshire, to visit friends in Maryland (hopefully), and to a party for a kid I sponsored for Confirmation up in Maine. Here's hoping that all works out. Plus, my family is moving to a new house and I'm moving up to Springfield. Not to mention preparing my classroom and getting acclimated to the school and the new area!

Those of you who know me, know that I wouldn't have it any other way (I like to be busy). So there's the personal update. Please, please, please email me with ideas and suggestions or comment here. I'd love to hear from you!

Keep me in your prayers and send the link for this site around now that it's getting better!

Curt Jester has this hilarious clip from MadTV about Jesus and the Terminator. It's a riot... watch it to the end!

Mike has some great links to learn more about Mary Magdalene on her feast day. Congratulations also to our beloved bishop who celebrates his third anniversary of episcopal ordination today.

Well, it turns out that Voice of the Faithful still exists (who knew?) and Gerald posted a resolution they're sending around. VOTF since its inception has always sung the same litany: we're just trying to respond to the scandal... we're just average people in the pews... we're just trying to support the victims... that's our only agenda...

I always thought that might be true for the average "person in the pew" who joined them (and I still do), but I knew the leadership had bigger plans.

RESOLUTION PROPOSAL:

Whereas, our Church is the entire People of God; and

Whereas, VOTF affirms our mission statement (to provide a prayerful voice,
attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively
participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church) and
third goal (to support structural change within the Catholic Church); and

Whereas, the future of the Faith we are called to sustain is dependent
upon a supporting structure inclusive of the voices and talents of all the
People of God, and

Whereas, the Gospel message of inclusion is diminished by discrimination
against more than half of its total membership; and

Whereas, women are excluded not only from governing positions within the
Church's hierarchical structure, but also from many ministerial leadership
roles; and

Whereas, the deterrence of future abuses by the hierarchy is dependent on
the entire People of God,

THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED THAT:

Voice of the Faithful calls for Church-wide discussion on advancing equal
access for women to all positions of leadership and ministry within the
Catholic Church.

Surprise, surprise. Another We are Church organization. When are these people going to get it? Their song's been sung before. It amazes me that people want all things Catholic with nothing Catholic. They want Mass (distinctively Catholic) without real priests!

Sorry, folks, you're my brothers and sisters and all, but you're tearing the family apart. The vast majority of the Church thinks you're crazy. Not to mention: if you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church and that she is the Bride of Christ... how do you explain that they've allowed "discrimination" for the past 2,000 years? Seems to me that the Divine would be a bit more considerate.

Mounties: check out this picture from Catholic Light.

Is that Fr. Lane sitting down?

Thomas has a Daily Show clip in which Jon Stewart talks about the conflict in the Middle East (I think the end is the funniest part... where do you most feel this war?)

Press release from this week's Vox Clara meeting.

Is this going to cause more trouble than it's worth? From Catholic News Agency:

A New Jersey-based group is encouraging students to bring their Bibles to class this fall for “Scriptures in School Week”, a new initiative aimed at increasing Biblical literacy in public schools through scholarly and non-confrontational means.

The group said in a press release that, “Inspired by the Great Commission [Matthew 28] and Isaiah 55:11, SIS Project is an effective, friendly, low key, legal, and ethical way for Christian students in public schools to casually and routinely introduce Biblical concepts into America's public school classrooms.”

The idea, which is complimented by the adult-based “Word at Work Week”, is for the Bible to be used as a reference in various in-class and homework assignments. Additionally, students are urged to carry and read their Bibles without shame.

From Catholic Online:

UIWANG, South Korea (UCAN) – The head of the Vatican organization in charge of ecumenism has reminded bishops of Asia that the Second Vatican Council taught Christ's church is to be found only in the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, acknowledged that the Second Vatican Council left room for dialogue, but "it also wants to maintain that the church of Christ has its concrete location in the Catholic Church. It is there that it is found."

He presented his remarks to 35 bishops, priests, religious and lay persons attending a seminar July 18-20 in Uiwang, 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) south of Seoul.

Cardinal Kaspar's council jointly organized the seminar, The Search for Christian Unity: Where We Stand Today, with the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC). The participants, representing eight national episcopal conferences in Asia, came from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

From CNA:

United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said the international community must help Lebanon apply United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, which affirms its call for the strict respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon throughout the country.

“I'm very concerned about the people of Lebanon, about Lebanon's freedom and democracy and a Lebanon where all Lebanese can prosper,” Rice told Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir yesterday. The Maronite patriarch was in Washington, wrapping up his one-month visit to the U.S.

“And we are, of course, working very hard to make certain that Lebanon retains its sovereignty,” Rice continued. “We're working very hard to try and minimize the impact of the current conflict on the Lebanese people. And I want you to know that we're not only working hard, but we're also praying for the people of Lebanon.”

Patriarch Sfeir told Rice that Lebanon would be too weak to apply SCR 1559 on its own. “Our interest is that all the citizens will be equal,” he told Rice. “When some are having arms and the others have not, there is no equality.”

From VIS:

"The Holy Father is following with great concern the destinies of all the peoples involved and has proclaimed this Sunday, July 23, as a special day of prayer and penance, inviting the pastors and faithful of all the particular Churches, and all believers of the world, to implore from God the precious gift of peace.

"In particular, the Supreme Pontiff hopes that prayers will be raised to the Lord for an immediate cease-fire between the sides, for humanitarian corridors to be opened in order to bring help to the suffering peoples, and for reasonable and responsible negotiations to begin to put an end to objective situations of injustice that exist in that region; as already indicated by Pope Benedict XVI at the Angelus last Sunday, July 16.

"In reality, the Lebanese have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected, the Israelis the right to live in peace in their State, and the Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign homeland.

"At this sorrowful moment, His Holiness also makes an appeal to charitable organizations to help all the people struck by this pitiless conflict."

From a website in Wales:

CHARLOTTE Church has sparked a holy row by dressing up as a drunk, drug-taking nun in her new chat show.

The Crazy Chick, who was raised as a Catholic, smashed a statue of The Virgin Mary and stubbed chewing gum out on the face of the baby Jesus in a shocking comedy sketch she recorded for last week's pilot of her Channel 4 TV debut.

And in a sensational swipe at the Royals, religious leaders and statesmen - to whom the Voice of an Angel sang as a child - Charlotte branded the Pope a "Nazi" and made jokes about The Queen, Princess Diana, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.

Security was supposed to be tight as the 20-year-old recorded The All New Charlotte Church Show in London on Wednesday.

The story goes on to describe the rest of the show in startling detail. Now I know why I received this notice from Ignatius Press in my inbox yesterday:

In light of the recent statements and actions of singer Charlotte Church, Ignatius Press will be dropping all of her products. It is with regret that we do this; Miss Church possesses a great gift from God, and in the past she has used her talent often to offer praise and glory to our Lord. She has performed for the late Pope John Paul II, and in many sacred concerts, televised Christmas celebrations, and her many albums were enjoyed by our customers over the years.

But we cannot stand by a young woman who uses her stature in the media to mock the Eucharist, slander the Holy Father, and denigrate the vows of religious women.

Therefore, our catalogs and website will immediately withdraw all compact discs, cassette tapes, DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Miss Church. Please join us in praying for this troubled young woman.

No cure for cancer, but there is another cure for pregnancy:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new "set-it-and-forget-it" birth control method for women, and The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explained more about it on Thursday's program.

Implanon is the name of this implantable contraceptive. It's designed to prevent pregnancy for three full years after a doctor places it under the skin of a woman's arm. That means three years of not worrying about taking birth control pills daily, or changing Ortho-Evra patches weekly, or replacing Nuva-rings monthly.

The device is one-and-a-half inches long (about the size of a matchstick), and it's placed in the woman's forearm. A fertility expert who helped conduct the clinical trials on Implanon told Senay it takes about a minute for the doctor to use a simple instrument to insert it, after the woman receives a local anesthetic.

The device remains under the woman's skin for three years, or until the woman decides she wants to become pregnant and has it removed, which takes just a couple of minutes. Ovulation is supposed to resume the next menstrual cycle.

From my hometown paper:

Complaining that a bill designed to aid victims of childhood sexual assault isn't far-reaching enough, members of several local Catholic lay groups have taken their message to the streets, condemning the Massachusetts Catholic Conference for its stance on the bill, which would extend the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse cases.

Parishioners from Voice of the Faithful, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and Speak Truth to Power participated in leafletting outside area churches Sunday. Members handed out leaflets at St. Mary's Cathedral in Fall River, Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston and St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester.

"The bill (House 5131) only extends the statute of limitations on criminal action," said Estelle Roach, of Fall River, who attended the leafletting at St. Mary's. "It does nothing on civil actions, which are the only means by which most people can seek justice."

The proposal would increase the statute of limitations on criminal childhood sexual assault cases to 25 years past the victim's 16th birthday. Action on civil cases would remain limited to three years.

Members of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, which include Boston Archbishop Sean Paul O'Malley and Fall River Bishop George W. Coleman, issued a statement on June 30 supporting the bill's provisions. Opponents of the bill say that it does not go far enough to adequately address issues arising from childhood sexual abuse cases.

FYI: It's Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley.

This guy was on Vatican Radio every week and I rather enjoyed his analysis of U.K. church happenings. From Catholic World News:

The public spokesman for Great Britain's most prominent Catholic prelate has been forced to resign, after a flurry of criticism centered on his relationships with young women.

Austen Ivereigh, the spokesman for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, announced on July 19 that he had decided to resign because of "persistent and untrue reports about my private life." In a slightly different statement, the cardinal said that Ivereigh had "offered his resignation some time ago. I have now formally accepted it."

Ivereigh came under fire in June over stories that he had impregnated a woman in 1989 and paid for her to have an abortion. The cardinal's spokesman admitted to the affair, but said that he had opposed the woman's decision to abort. At the time he was not practicing the Catholic faith, he said, and the pregnancy and abortion constituted "a traumatic episcode that led me back into the Church."

A news story from Vatican Radio confirms this report from the Catholic News Agency:

Quick, what’s the fifth country to be visited by Pope Benedict XVI during his Pontificate? The correct answer is now Switzerland. After setting foot outside the Vatican to visit Italy, Germany, Poland, and Spain the Holy Father reportedly made a surprise visit to Switzerland, yesterday.

According to Swiss newspaper, Tagesschau, Pope Benedict XVI, who is undertaking a brief vacation period in the northern Italian area of Les Combes until July 28th, has paid a brief visit to the region of Wallis in Switzerland.

The newspaper said that the visit to Swiss territory was so sudden that the President of the county, Moritz Leuenberger, could only send a welcome message, in which he recalled a previous meeting with the Pope.

“Your Holiness, welcome to Switzerland. I hope that you will enjoy being among us, as much as I felt upon my visit to you. With heartfelt wishes, Moritz Leuenberger, President of Switzerland,” the text said.

From the July 14th edition of the Southern Nebraska Register (Diocese of Lincoln):

When Lane Hawley decided his business, Superior Pharmacy, would no longer fill prescriptions for artificial contraception, it occurred to him that he might be out of business within six months.

“I had to rely heavily on my faith,” admitted Mr. Hawley, who converted to Catholicism while still in pharmacy school.

He had been employed at the same pharmacy, which is located in Superior, first as a student intern and then as a licensed pharmacist until he and his wife, Anna, purchased the store in 2003.

Mr. Hawley remembered, “I was seeing the side effects in my customers – the cancers, failed marriages, fertility problems... I’d seen enough.”

With the decision made, he developed a policy statement to hand out, composed letters to physicians and customers, and made the announcement to his employees. Even though these prescriptions comprised only 1-1.5% of the pharmacy’s total business, the staff was shocked. They all feared the repercussions, but their concerns did not dissuade Mr. Hawley.

“For the most part,” Mr. Hawley reported, “people handled it well. I had people come in and thank me because they didn’t know about the side effects.”

Nearly two years later, business is improving at his full-service pharmacy. A few customers protested the decision by taking their business elsewhere, but most have now returned.

Check out the whole thing now because the link will be replaced when the newest edition of the paper is published.