15th Call to Holiness Conference - September 12-13, 2014 (Early Bird Prices thru August 15th)

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will be the keynote speaker at the 15th Call to Holiness (CTH) Conference on Saturday, September 13, 2014. There is also a dinner on September 12th (see details below).  It will all be taking place at the Sterling Inn in Sterling Heights, Michigan, where conferences were originally held in the early years of the apostolate.

As a member of the Board of the Call to Holiness, I would first like to explain that it has been about one year since I first suggested this kind of conference theme to my fellow board members. I am most grateful that they found it worthy to pursue.  In fact, the board, with the thoughts and ideas that flowed in our many meetings, surpassed the vision I had for such a conference.  This dedicated group of volunteers, under President, Christopher Kolomjec, and Spiritual Director, Father Charles White IV continues to work tirelessly to make this conference possible.  Father Eduard Perrone, the original and now Emeritus Spiritual Director, remains an advisor whose guidance has been very helpful.

Before I get into the details of the conference, I would like to offer this commentary which hopefully gives greater understanding of the theme.

Commentary: Evangelization starts with evangelization of the self

The theme of the 15th Call to Holiness Conference surrounds the question: Is Sainthood Possible Today?  Its aim is to help us to discover the need for holiness and personal sanctity as part of our evangelization efforts.  Conferences can give us information, but retreats make us dig deep within ourselves.  This conference, to my mind, is more of a day of recollection - one that is intended to make us look inward at the one person we can change the most - ourselves.

We can know the Catechism of the Catholic Church well; and be proficient in things like Church history; and be capable of recalling many documents of the Church, and still not be holy.  We can go to daily Mass, pray our Rosary every day, spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, and pray the Divine Office, and still not be holy.  We can be active in the pro-life movement, work in various apostolates, and work in the parish office or sing in the choir, and still yet, not be holy.

Holiness is not automatic or something that comes from our own actions; it is a grace that comes from God.  We must learn how to predispose ourselves for this grace. We learn from the saints that holiness is fundamental for evangelizing others.  Our conduct, whether it is at home, in the work place, or at a mall, at the ball park, or online, is the witness we provide, for good or for bad.

We must mirror the love of Christ at all times - in season and out of season; in good times, and in times of great persecution. Catholics have been faced with adversity from the beginning of the Church, but what separates ordinary Catholics from the saints, is not the sword of our tongue, but heroic virtue.

While some Catholics will die for the faith in red martyrdom, the rest of us must die to ourselves in white martyrdom.  It is holiness others see in us which makes Catholicism attractive to discerning souls and it is this holiness for which there is so much hatred by the Powers and Principalities behind evil in the world (Ephesians 6:12).  With holiness, we become pure conduits for the actions of the Holy Spirit who is trying to reach others through us.  No amount of human strength or force can equal the power of the Holy Spirit working in soul. Our Lord taught us to follow him, not because he flipped tables, but because he was meek and humble of heart (Matthew 11:29).  And, as Fr. Hardon taught, meekness is not weakness.

In recent years many of us have taken an interest in our faith, getting to know the nuts and bolts of it better, and talking about them.  But, without practicing some of the more difficult virtues, we risk becoming noisy gongs and clanging cymbals in our zeal to bring others to Christ.  If we are to be countercultural, then we must learn how to counter the culture of vice, with the practice of virtue.  While there is no charity without truth; truth must be conveyed with charity.

Conferences on Friday, September 12

The Friday evening before the main conference will feature a dinner with Dr. Ray Guarendi, who will talk on Friday Night Laughter: The Sanity of Family; and, Dale Ahlquist whose talk is entitled, G.K. Chesterton and Wholeness of Holiness.

Conferences on Saturday, September 13:

Here are the speakers for Saturday. You can find the schedule of talks and more details at the Call to Holiness homepage.  

Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit - The Charity of the Heart of Christ: the Living Soul of Christian Virtue

Sr. John Dominic, O.P. - Children Learn From What They See: Why Education in Virtue is Necessary 

Fr. William Casey, C.P.M. - Humility, the Foundation of All Virtues 

Dr. Peter Kreeft - Roller Coaster Down to Hell or Patient Climb to Heaven; Your Choice 

Dr. Ray Guarendi - The Family as a Pathway to Sainthood: Standing Strong as a Parent

Youth Conference

Call to Holiness also has a youth conference with many of the same speakers Saturday, including Archbishop Vigneron. It will MC'd by Father Anthony Kathawa, who was a hit at the last youth conference.

Sunday Mass at Assumption Grotto

As is customary following the Call to Holiness Conference, on Sunday, Father Perrone is preparing an orchestral Mass for which he will be conductor.  Those commuting may want to take this into account in their travel plans.

Place and Registration

15th Call to Holiness Conference
In collaboration with Ave Maria Radio
Best Western Sterling Inn • 15 Mile & Van Dyke • Sterling Heights
Friday & Saturday, September 12 - 13, 2014

Register Online By Credit Card At: cthconference2014.eventbrite.com (early bird prices in effect through August 15th, after which, the prices will go up).  Note the various options for either just the Friday night event, or just the Saturday event, and the combos.  Also note, that you can offer a donation to help sponsor a seminarian, priest or religious.  No amount is too small.   

Accommodations

This event is taking place at a hotel and conference center, the Best Western Sterling Inn. We have blocked in a number of rooms for participants of the conference, so if you register for the conference, contact the hotel and let them know you are staying for the Call to Holiness conference. Also let them know if you plan on staying through Sunday, for the Mass.

Vendors

Information forthcoming.

Help with advertising and getting the word out 

Like many non-profit apostolates made up of volunteers, Call to Holiness relies on donations and other assistance.  This includes advertising.  Brochures will be available for placement in parishes and I will post on that when I have information on how you can get them.  We always ask that you get permission of the pastor to place any material in a parish.

If you own a publication, blog or website, or use other new media with video or audio, and would like to inform others of this opportunity in Sterling Heights, please email me and I will assist you (click on my profile in the sidebar for contact info).  We have graphics which can be used conveniently on websites in development now, but don't hesitate to make a simple blogpost, for example, linking to this post, especially if you have readers within driving distance of this great conference.

We would also appreciate any donations. I will ask that a category be added for general donations to Call to Holiness eventbrite page to assist with this conference and others. Here again, a donation of just $5 when multiplied by many can add up.  You can also contact me and I will put you in touch with our treasurer, James Kortes II.

Call to Holiness Online:

Call to Holiness now has a public Facebook page which can be viewed by anyone.  If you are already on Facebook please follow or like to get updates.

You can also follow Call to Holiness on Twitter for updates.

The main website, which will soon be updated with the latest graphics and info, can be found at calltoholiness.com

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Father Hardon on "Pharasaical Scandal"

Perhaps I heard someone declare that nice people go to hell; or suggest that people who did not go to a Corpus Christi procession were indifferent to the Eucharist (mindful of how scarce they are or whether people have ever seen one. Only in recent years are Eucharistic processions gaining popularity).  

I was poking through the Modern Catholic Dictionary online by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. when I ran across something worth pondering when encountering people who make such rash judgments about others.

Source

Jesus may have turned the tables on the money changers, but what Our Lord said to the Scribes and Pharisees should put more fear of God into us.


Here's one more thing from the Modern Catholic Dictionary: Imprudence defined:

Sins against prudence that are either by defect or by excess. Sins by defect against prudence are: rashness, which acts before due consideration has been given; thoughtlessness, which neglects to take the necessary circumstances into account; and negligence, which does not give the mind sufficient time for mature deliberation…. 

Let's build the Body of Christ with fraternal charity, not by tearing others down with contempt. Let's foster Eucharistic devotion and reverence with reverence for others.  Promoting Eucharistic reverence without fraternal charity is like trying to increase love with hatred.  Both are contradictions.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Converting others takes greater love for the sinner than hatred for the sin

Bishop Donald Hanchon leading a Rosary in front of an abortion mill on 8 Mile Road

In the nine years that I have been covering the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan prayer vigils in front of abortion mills in metro Detroit, I have learned a major lesson by observing Dan Goodnow and his Helpers in action: Converting others takes greater love for the sinner than hatred for the sins they commit.  There is simply no other way to explain the success they have had in getting mothers to reconsider that choice which affects the body of another, who has no choice in the matter. It  is often being urged by someone else as their only, 'hope.' From the Helpers they learn about the local crisis pregnancy centers willing to help them bring their babies to term; and they get assistance in keeping them or giving them up for adoption.  There are accounts of mothers, fathers, and grandparents bringing those children back to the abortion mill just to see the pro-life counselors outside who saved their lives.

The killing of another, especially of a baby, is among the sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance, but that vengeance belongs to God alone and we are admonished in Scripture to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:19-21).  The Helpers are not out there just for the baby; they are there out of love for the mother and for those who bring them there, as well as for the abortionist and mill workers.  This interior act of love is a conduit for the Holy Spirit.

The Helpers of God's Precious Infants are out in front of the two abortion mills on 8 Mile Road during all open hours (one in East Pointe, and the other in Detroit, just a few blocks apart with only the boulevard separating the two cities).  However, 3-4 times yearly they hold a major prayer vigil on a Saturday, usually led by one of the Detroit bishops.  The format is always the same: Mass at 7:30 AM at a local parish; participants drive to St. Veronica near the mills where they process  a few blocks to the first mill.  With only the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a Crucifix, they pray the Rosary, using walkie-talkies so everyone can hear.  All mysteries of the Rosary are prayed, not just the five of that day, as is the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  Hymn verses are sung between.  After kneeling for a moment of silence, they walk over to the second abortion mill a short distance from the first on opposite sides, continuing to pray the Rosary, then they process back to St. Veronica.  Finally, they return to the original parish, or to another local parish for Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.  Adoration takes place after Mass until participants return, for those who cannot make the walk.  Refreshments and a brief meeting is held afterwards.

This past Saturday, Auxiliary Bishop Donald Hanchon celebrated the Mass and led the vigil.  Below are a few images from the Mass, which took place at St. Basil the Great in East Pointe.

On the far right you see Fr. Tony Sulkowski, the pastor of St. Basil the Great, with Fr. Matthew and Fr. Ludwig of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross who assist at Assumption Grotto.

Deacon Gerald Smigell, who has been active with the Helpers, reads the Gospel.

Bishop Hanchon delivers his homily...

"Women choose to take away life to make things easier… Our compassion in God's name can change their hearts. Abortion is a last ditch birth control. It is a sinister solution that enriches others...  We are right to do more than pray for the unborn… to be public. We serve one Master who is Jesus the Lord. We have no alternative… not with vengeance, but with hope in his protection, confident that God created life… life should flourish and not be extinguished…" - Bishop Donald Hanchon

Sisters of the Holy Cross take up the gifts.

Bishop Hanchon elevating the Precious Blood (Mt 26:28)

After commuting the short distance to St. Veronica's the procession begins.   The June vigil is always the lightest with summer vacations, but this was a decent turn out for June.

Here they are getting ready to cross 8 Mile Rd. For whatever reason, East Pointe police did not show up.  Usually, both Detroit and East Pointe police are there to ensure safe crossing.

After the praying in front of the second mill, people went back to St. Basil the Great for Benediction given by Fr. Tony, the pastor.

After Benediction came refreshments and a brief meeting.

Dan Goodnow, below, is the president of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan.  He invited people to get involved, not just at the periodic vigils, but in sidewalk prayer and sidewalk counseling.  Training is provided.  If you want to explore it more, contact me at TeDeumBlog (at) gmail (dot) com and I will put you in contact with the Helpers.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Two Photos: Corpus Christi at Assumption Grotto

I arrived at Assumption Grotto on May 15, 2005, which was Pentecost that year.  I was drawn back for Corpus Christi with the orchestral Mass at Noon.  After the Mass, I had no idea what was happening since I had never participated in a Corpus Christi procession.  This was all quite foreign to me, having grown up in the 70's.  I tried to make like a Roman while in "Rome" but soon found my knees were short on calluses, and on strength.  While everyone else was in Adoration, I was praying I wouldn't become the center of attention by tripping over myself trying to get up.  

Despite such distractions I found myself intrigued by the devotion I was witnessing in the priests, the religious, and the lay people that day.  Other than the hymns being sung, the prayers, and the readings, there was utter silence.  We processed to four altars on the grounds of the parish, representing the four corners of the world. 

I realized that what intrigued me about this was the very devotion itself to the Eucharist.  I felt as if I had missed something in my past Catholic parish life, where fellowship with one another seemed to have greater importance than a pure relationship with God. Yet, authentic charity for others flows from that pure love of God.  I decided to set aside judgment of the past and just dwell in the mystery now apparent to me.  

Today, I decided to leave the camera home and simply take in what I experienced that first time, in 2005, and it was good.  

I did cheat with two, iPhone photos, hoping they might move others who had no Corpus Christi procession in which to participate. 

Tomorrow, I hope to put up my photo story on the Helpers of God's Precious Infants prayer vigil, led by Bishop Hanchon yesterday. Stay tuned. 

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

External Celebration of Corpus Christi in EF; Orchestral Mass

Tomorrow at Assumption Grotto, the Traditional Latin Mass which is usually at 9:30 a.m., shifts to the Noon time slot for an external celebration of Corpus Christi.  Assumption Grotto has had a long tradition of doing a Eucharistic Procession following the Noon Mass and it will also be an orchestral Mass (see music notes here).

Many would like to see bishops shift the celebration of Corpus Christi in the ordinary form of the Mass back to the actual feast day, which was Thursday.  Fr. Perrone celebrated it Thursday morning.  Being a commuter parish, with parishioners traveling a great distance, a Eucharistic procession of the kind done this Sunday would not have been possible.

I have not spoken to Fr. Perrone in recent days to find out if enough priests were available for a Solemn High Mass, but I know he was anticipating this.

Weather is suppose to be around 80 and partly cloudy, with barely a breeze.

Back in 2010, I took photos and turned them into a video.  I am not sure if I will be taking photos tomorrow.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Outrage Addiction: Its harm on the spiritual life and on the mission of the Church

Our main goal in this life should be to get to Heaven and take as many souls with us as possible.  We not only have to learn our faith and teach it to others (Mt 25:14-30); we have to know how to share the Gospel with others -- with words, and without (1 Cor: 13).  Each of us puts a face on our Catholic faith, for good or for bad, whether it is in person, or online (anonymous or not). We need to convey the hope we have within; not a sense of anger, bitterness, hopelessness and despair.  We must, always and everywhere, strive, by the grace of God, to be blameless amidst adversity and persecution (1 Peter 3:8-17).  This is how we imitate Christ.  Being in a chronic state of outrage over this or that is not an imitation of Christ; it is a manifestation that we have yielded to a rather stealthy form of concupiscence. At it's root, is a lack of faith, hope and charity.

The outrage-addicted will be outraged that I dared to say this, thinking I don't see what is going on around me. They may even think I don't care.  What they don't know is that I speak about outrage addiction as one who was once afflicted with this anti-virtue, so I am speaking from experience.

Let's look closer, but first, read the scope I've defined for this subject in the context I am using. It's explained at the bottom of the post ¹

What is outrage addiction?

Outrage addiction, which some refer to as outrage porn (a term I prefer not to use²) is where we seem to get our "fix" by getting fired up over something. By it's nature it is addicting, so the more we get through reading, watching, and discussing, the more we seek.  Anyone can suffer with it for a period of time. Some eventually pass through and are purified of it, while others seem stuck there for many years.

Those who pass through the first phase of outrage addiction might suffer from a second phase where they become outraged with everyone else who is chronically outraged (think: ex-smoker syndrome).  Others skip the first phase and have their only experience with it in the second sphere.  In reality, such behavior changes nothing.

In either case, outrage addiction becomes a sport, giving rise to adrenaline. Perhaps that is what makes it so addicting.  Often, the outrage-addicted yield to imprudence by shooting first and asking questions later. Things are seen in black and white and the subjective becomes objective for them.

Outrage Addiction in Catholics

A Catholic who begins to take his or her faith seriously after a period of lukewarmness, takes interest in learning about the faith, so errors and abuses begin to stand out. Outrage swells at the evil now visible.  Bad theology being pedaled from some pulpits, and liturgical abuses are some of the first things that become apparent (and with newer priests trained better, this is gradually fading).  In other cases, it's not even evil that causes the outrage, but an overly narrow view of what is right and wrong in areas where the Church allows a range of freedom.  This is not a problem with just one group.  Some mistakenly believe that only traditionalists can be "rigid," when there are many examples of non-traditionalists, and progressives, worthy of the description.  It's not uncommon to find priests, or even lay people who went through seminaries in past decades, walking around today still bruised from experiences with rigid types who hindered them from gathering to pray a Rosary.  A woman I know left a Catholic choir she sang with for years after the rigid priest forbid her to keep a Rosary wrapped around her hand as she sang - a practice that went back to her childhood. Mind  you, she wasn't praying it during Mass; rather, holding it gave her comfort.

Sometimes, these kinds of experiences give rise to outrage, but we should never remain there, praying instead for such people and handling it as we would any other kind of persecution - with grace and never ceasing to love and pray for those who offend us.

The Spiritual Damage of Persistent Outrage

By the grace of God, some come to see  that the anger within is consuming them to the point that this chronic state of outrage is leading to persistent disquiet and is hindering their spiritual growth.  Outrage-addicted persons are stunted spiritually by virtue of the fact that so much energy is spent looking outside of themselves, that there is no time or wherewithal left to look inward.  It also puts a strain on relationships within the family and among friends. Their relationship with God suffers as the outrage becomes an idol unto itself.  The outrage-addicted seem to believe that the power of outrage is greater than the power of God to move hearts and souls.  One clue is when more time is spent reading and discussing things to be outraged over than there is invested in prayer over those things, and for the people involved in them.  A cloistered monk or nun does more to move hearts of stone through their sacrifices and intercessions without being aware of anything to be outraged over.

Outrage Addiction Harms the Mission of the Church

The outrage-addicted can push people far from Christ and the Church, and they won't necessarily know it. Rather than bring others to Christ as witnesses to the hope that is within, those in this state of disquiet push others away through their bitterness and abrasiveness. Most of the time they have no idea they are causing harm because their outrage is motivated by wanting to see a good outcome. The problem is that the outrage it is not well moderated.  This is corrosive on both the soul and on the Church.

It's true that there are right times to be outraged, but it is not right to be outraged all of the time.  In this sense, such souls are stuck in a state of spiritual immaturity.  Those filled with the graces of faith, hope, and charity do not have such habitual manifestations of outrage.  It seems the passage of the Gospel the outrage-addicted invoke the most is Jesus flipping tables (Mt 21:12-13); yet, we know Our Lord did this only once.   Moreover, Jesus did not tell us to imitate Him by flipping tables; He told us to imitate Him in meekness and gentleness (Mt 11:29).  Incidentally, there is so much more to the table-flipping incident than people realize, and the richness of that discussion is lost in the way it is used and abused. But I digress and that is for another post.

The emergence from outrage-addiction

When one sees the corrosiveness on the self and to the mission of the Church caused by persistent outrage, they are still fully aware of the evils around them, but have begun to moderate their reaction with a more careful approach to discussion. They also spend more time in prayer and in deeper spiritual affairs, the fruit of which is an increase in charity on many fronts. It is this charity that draws others to Christ like a magnet.

The realization is there that it is not a battle against men, but one against powers and principalities (Eph 6:12).  For a time people emerging from this chronic state of outrage may feel as if something is wrong with them. They may think they are not fulfilling their duty as Catholics to get all riled up, summoning adrenaline like a warrior about to engage in battle.  In reality, the Holy Spirit is leading them in a different direction and into spiritual warfare, not with others, but with themselves. The battlefield of a Christian is within the self where sin and impurity are rooted out, creating a purified conduit for the Holy Spirit to work.  This is when those emerging from a state of chronic outrage begin to drift from old relationships with those they once commiserated with in order to form new relationships with others who are not outrage-addicted and truly focused on bringing others to Christ through the exercise of the virtues.

At this point, abrasiveness gives way to better forms of communication aimed at winning others. The understanding comes that everyone has a free will and it is through use of reason that we must proceed. This takes patience like that of a farmer who tills the soil, plants the seed, waters it, thins the sprouts, weeds delicately at times, and then waits.

Chronic outrage is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit and it opens a door to diabolical influence, making it more difficult to hear that still, small voice of our guardian angel.  Satan is a great imitator who knows how to mix nine parts of something holy to just one part of something evil in order to bring about corruption.

Outrage over the outrage-addicted

There's nothing worse than an ex-smoker, so the saying goes.  When one emerges from a chronic state of outrage over manifest evil, sometimes they can fall into the trap of being outraged over the outrage-addicted.  For some, it is the only outrage they will ever experience and it is still damaging to their own spiritual life and to the mission of the Church.

The most ineffective way to change the outrage-addicted person is to show outrage over what they do.  Reasoning with them when outraged is like trying to stabilize heat when a log first begins to burn.  Challenging them publicly puts more fuel on their fire (Proverbs 9:7-12). The best approach in dealing with the outrage-addicted is to simply ignore them and allow them to feel the burn of their own bile.  It helps to pray for them too. They need to have an epiphany.  For the outrage-addicted online, clicking their links and giving them traffic only rewards their behavior.

People often want to publicly address the outrage-addicted because they feel the mission of the Church is being harmed by the behavior, and they are right. But, this must be countered without rewarding them with online traffic. One way to counter that damage is to address the issues without discussing the people behind them.  This takes faith - faith that God will lead prudent souls to words of wisdom rather than entertaining folly.   We cannot force others to stop reading the outrage -addicted, but we can appeal to them without giving those responsible the attention they desire.  The outrage-addicted want to force change through their outrage and abrasiveness, but this does not respect the fact that God gives to all a free will.  We are commanded to spread truth with charity, not to defend Jesus by cutting off the ears of those who offend Him.

Self-help for the outrage addicted.  

If you suspect that you suffer from outrage addiction, the best thing you can do is to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in silence.  Do this especially when you are angry and bitter over something happening in the world or in the Church.  Ask Jesus for help in discerning, mindful that all those problems will still be there whether you discuss them or not.  Scripture tells us not to fret because of the wicked (Psalm 37).

Pray about those things and people who cause you the most angst.  Prayer is powerful.  Pray the Rosary and other devotions and remind yourself that you can put your burdens on the shoulders of the Lord, not carry them yourself.  Where your words and outrage can change little, God can move hearts with prayers and fasting.

Read Scripture - not just some of it, but all of it. Read daily.  We cannot take one part without the whole.  Truth proclaimed without charity is out of harmony with the Gospel.

Read wholesome spiritual material like that of St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare by Lorenzo Scupoli, and other time-tested classics.  It's okay to learn about Church history, but where it gets dangerous is when we dwell in things that happened rather than taking each day as it comes.  It's good to learn the catechism and Church documents so we can grow and propose the faith to others; but do not learn it to throw it in the face of others.  Read daily from something aimed at changing yourself, not others, even if only for 15 minutes.

Discuss your anxieties and anger with a good Confessor or spiritual director, just make sure you find one that is not himself, outrage-addicted.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is manifest in us to others when we have the peace in Christ within amidst a barrage of artillery coming from every direction

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- This post was updated from it's original text, with minor corrections and clarifications; and, the suggestion of talking things over with a Confessor.

(1) Scope of Discussion

My scope for this post excludes things like the priest sex abuse scandal.  The thoughts I'm tossing out here do not apply to how we should handle such grave matters which require immediate and decisive action. If we become aware of such an abuse, we need to report it; if we become aware of some liturgical abuse on another continent, we have a choice to discuss it or not. See the difference?  My discussion here is over things we have a choice to talk about and which are often outside of our control, usually do not have direct impact on us, and do not involve sex abuse.

The scope of my thoughts on outrage addiction concerns habitual or chronic outrage we see online in Catholic circles in everything from liturgical matters to politics.  This is not the periodic outrage we all feel now and then.

The scope of this discussion also excludes Catholics in open dissent.  We can talk all day about how their dissent on issues in the realm of sexual morality harms the Church, but that is a no-brainer.  So, I am talking here mainly of  Catholics who have varying spiritualities, and who embrace the teachings of the Church, but who differ somewhere in their understanding of something.  We need to keep in mind that not all erring Catholics are open dissenters. Some, perhaps most,  stray from truth because they were wrongly taught by people they trusted making it difficult to uproot, or their underlying assumptions are incomplete or in error, unbeknownst to them.  We will be less outraged if we make this kind of presumption about others, rather than presuming they are engaging in willful dissent.  Let God sort it out since he did not gift us with reading souls.

(2) Use of the word, "porn." 

I prefer not to use terms reserved for sexual matters for things that are non-sexual.  This is a popular trend today to use words like, "porn," as a substitute for addiction.  Pornography by it's nature is addictive, which is why people have gone to describing various behaviors with it.  As witnesses of Christ, I think we can do better than to follow such pop-cultural norms.  People will understand us just fine if we use the word "addiction." 

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

June 18th: Memorial Mass for Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil June 21st with Bishop Hanchon

From the Helpers of God's Precious Infants:

Greetings in Christ to all our Pro-Life friends and supporters!

Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan will be holding a formal Prayer Vigil for Life on Saturday, June 21st!  It will be led by Bishop Donald Hanchon at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church 

in Eastpointe.  He will offer Holy Mass at 7:30am and will then lead us in deep prayer in front of the two nearby abortion mills on E 8 Mile Rd.  The vigil concludes at the church with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Refreshments will be served immediately following.
 

As always, Helpers Vigils are never a protest or a demonstration.  We are led by the bishop in peaceful, loving, prayer of the Holy Rosary. Only the official Helpers Crucifix and banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be carried at the front of the procession. Vigil participants carry only a rosary and the Helpers hymn book in our hands, and the merciful love of God and neighbor in our hearts.

We do hope that you will join us!  Please invite your families, parishioners, and pro-life friends and contacts to attend.  See attached flyer for details.
 

Thanks so much for your continued support, and we hope to see you there!  God bless you!

Mary B.
Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan

Here is the back of the flyer.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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