Francis Cardinal George Issues Statement on Behalf of all Bishops - Of Unity and Obstacles

Fresh from the USCCB website:

Cardinal George Voices Hope for Obama Administration, Points to Possible Obstacles to Our Desired Unity


BALTIMORE—Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), voiced hope for the Obama Administration but pointed to possible obstacles to our desired unity, in a Nov. 12 statement at the end of the annual fall assembly of the USCCB.

"The bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all," he said.

He said that "the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve," if the administration's policies increase abortions.

"Aggressive pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion."

"We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation," he added. "The common good is not the sum total of individual interests: it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all."

Cardinal George's remarks follow.



STATEMENT of the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

"If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil." (Psalm 127, vs. 1)

The Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all. Because of the Church's history and the scope of her ministries in this country, we want to continue our work for economic justice and opportunity for all; our efforts to reform laws around immigration and the situation of the undocumented; our provision of better education and adequate health care for all, especially for women and children; our desire to safeguard religious freedom and foster peace at home and abroad. The Church is intent on doing good and will continue to cooperate gladly with the government and all others working for these goods.

The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself.

In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any "interference" in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.

Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.

FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.

On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted.

The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.

This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.

Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected "watchman." (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.

Source page at USCCB




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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!

Video of Francis Cardinal George of Chicago at opening of Bishops General Assembly

The other day, I provided an excerpt from the address given in this YouTube video of Cardinal George speaking to fellow bishops at the opening of the General Assembly in Baltimore. Reading it is one thing, but watching and listening is quite another. About 5 minutes in, he draws a hearty round of applause from the bishops. Watch it and you will understand just how perfectly he formed his argument for life.



Plenary Session Address by Cardinal George (text)

I have more coming, but have been dealing with computer problems all evening. I still have not been able to find video of the afternoon discussion on abortion that the bishops had. I have found reports of them, but I would like to see the video. If someone finds one on YouTube or the USCCB website, please let me know.

Here is a link to another Q&A session with reporters which took place around 6:00pm

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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!

Recent Posts on Te Deum....

A cotillion with music from the 1700's (and some dressed for the period) was held as a fund raiser for Grotto's upcoming musical, The Heritance which will show in December. Once again, Father has the symphony being primed, along with the Assumption Grotto Choir. When auditions were held for last year's hit musical, Palla Eius, it was like pulling teeth to get people involved, especially the boys. This year, they couldn't get in the audition line fast enough. It's great fun and I pray everyone will duly support this with their presence and donations as they are solicited. I have more photos from the cotillion forthcoming.

I've been posting like mad and will probably continue for at least through the end of the USCCB General Assembly, which is over tomorrow. Here are some recent posts:

• People ask: Is Obama the Anti-Christ?
• Help a great Catholic blogger pay for college... (it takes a single click)
• Were vocal pro-life bishops heard before the election?
• More on USCCB General Assembly tomorrow.... (and words from Bishop Martino!)
• Catholic Campaign for Human Development and ACORN discussed at USCCB General Assembly
• It's "Ineffable"!
• Fr. Trigilio's Catechetical Crash Course: Pro-Abort Catholic Pols
• Don't just thank a veteran today; pray for them!
• November 15, 2008: Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil
• Bishops Meet in Baltimore in Annual General Assembly
• Thoughts on Forty Hours and Eucharistic Devotion
• Forty Hours Devotion at Assumption Grotto - Day 2 of 3
• Audio: Excellent Post-Election Interview with Janet Morana and Fr. Joseph Fessio
• Fr. Frank Pavone's Post Election Webcast - on Replay
• Knights of Columbus Bowling & Pizza Party! (Nov 15)
• Bishop Finn's Election Eve Sermon (powerful)
• Blessed are They Who Mourn.....Obama's Win

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!

People ask: Is Obama the Anti-Christ?

I have been hearing for months, "Obama is the Anti-Christ". His home state lottery of Illinois yielded the mark of the beast, 6-6-6, on November 5, 2008. I have never believed he is THE Anti-Christ. I see that lottery number more as a stamp of approval by Satan on the culture of death and it's number one candidate.

I'm very glad that Fr. Philip Powell, OP offers some catechesis on the subject, lest people go wild with open-shut conclusions. He discusses the subject of Anti-Christ using the Catechism of the Catholic Church and makes some interesting points. In part, he says:

Now, without going into the 2,000 year-old history of how Christians have conceived the Anti-Christ from scripture, it is vital that we understand one Big Truth about the idea of the Anti-Christ: his appearance is NOT some future event; that is, the Anti-Christ is not coming "some day." He has come and gone many times and will likely come and go many more.

So, is he THE Anti-Christ?

Go read: Is Obama the Anti-Christ? at Father's blog to read his thoughts.

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!

Help a great Catholic blogger pay for college...

Tom Peters, the American Papist, often referenced here, is in the running for a $10k scholarship.

You can only vote once from a given computer. He's a few thousand behind a sports blogger, but with more blogs picking it up, perhaps there is hope.


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!

Were vocal pro-life bishops heard before the election?

Some recent polling statistics would suggest that Catholics in Missouri and Pennsylvania were less likely to vote for Barack Obama than they were for John Kerry in 2004. Recall that several bishops, especially Bishop Finn of Kansas City, MO and Bishop Martino of Scranton, PA actually made headlines in local papers.

In the link is audio of Bishop Finn just before the election. He just picked up the phone and called in to a local radio show. The Host, Chris Stigall, gave His Excellency a good opportunity to be heard with this unscheduled interview. In it, Bishop Finn told his flock to consider their eternal salvation explaining in detail how it could be affected.

Who can forget Bishop Martino crashing a forum in which some members of the faithful were attempting to persuade other Catholics that they could vote for Obama with a clear conscience. Martino made it clear it wasn't happening on his property. That alone made headlines across the US. As a great followup, Bishop Martino spoke up loud and clear at the USCCB's General Assembly on the matter, as Rocco reports:

In the public session, this past campaign cycle's most-forthright hierarchical voice said that his confreres would one day have to deal with their collective "reticence" on the question of Catholic politicians who support abortion rights in defiance of church teaching.

Go read more from the National Catholic Register in, "Did US Bishops Sway Catholic Voters?"

As of this morning, I'm still waiting for the "on demand" video from the USCCB's lively afternoon session, in which Bishop Martino made his point, to be uploaded. I'll look again tonight.


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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!

More on USCCB General Assembly tomorrow....

I was at work when EWTN was providing live coverage of the USCCB's General Assembly where some interesting public dialogue bewteen our bishops took place on "Catholic Teaching in Political Life". By the sounds of what I've been reading, it was ...... lively.

The video will be archived hopefully overnight and I'll get to look at it tomorrow and pull out some gems as I did with the discussion the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and ACORN.

For now, I will leave you with this entry from Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia, who is there covering the event. It's so refreshing to see a bishop acting, well ..... like a bishop!

Martino Speaks

In the public session, this past campaign cycle's most-forthright hierarchical voice said that his confreres would one day have to deal with their collective "reticence" on the question of Catholic politicians who support abortion rights in defiance of church teaching.

The history of the church's response to racism, Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton noted in a debate intervention (his second so far), would not be seen in the light it were today had Archbishops Joseph Rummel of New Orleans and Joseph Ritter of St Louis (later a cardinal) not imposed ecclesiastical sanctions on defiant public officials during the civil rights movement.

In this meeting's first public reference to Joe Biden, Martino said that he "cannot have a Vice President-elect coming to Scranton, saying he learned his values there, when those values are utterly opposed to the teaching of the church."

At the outset, Martino acknowledged that his comments might not be the most desired in the room... but even so, they came in his usual fluid, quick, forceful cadence.

Asked after the debate how the morning's executive session went, one prelate from the big center said "You just heard it." Several others later confirmed the impression.

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!

Catholic Campaign for Human Development and ACORN discussed at USCCB General Assembly

In the last few months of the national election, the group ACORN came under fire for voter registration fraud and partisanship. The group, which is suppose to be non-profit and non-partisan, yet publicly backed the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

As the dust-storm churned up sand, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) wound up in the vortex. Soon after it was revealed that funds have been funneled from the CCHD to ACORN for decades, it was learned that no funds were given to ACORN in 2008 after an embezzlement case surfaced from 8 years prior.

This topic was addressed at the USCCB's General Assembly currently taking place in Baltimore by Bishop Robert Morin. I taped the public discussion which EWTN aired live this afternoon and watched it a few minutes ago.

A primary beef some bishops and priests have with the CCHD is summed up perfectly by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus of First Things Magazine:

Which brings me, finally, to another and related matter that will surely be discussed in Baltimore and deserves to be on the agenda. The Campaign for Human Development (CHD) is an annual collection in parishes, usually on one of the last two Sundays in November. It used to be called the Catholic Campaign for Human Development but the Catholic was dropped, which is just as well since it has nothing to do with Catholicism, except that Catholics are asked to pay for it. Some bishops no longer allow the CHD collection in their dioceses, and more should not allow it. In fact, CHD, misbegotten in concept and corrupt in practice, should, at long last, be terminated.

Ten years ago, CHD was exposed as using the Catholic Church as a milk cow to fund organizations that frequently were actively working against the Church’s mission, especially in their support of pro-abortion activities and politicians. Now it turns out that CHD has long been a major funder of ACORN, a national community agitation organization in support of leftist causes, including the abortion license. ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is under criminal investigation in several states. In the last decade CHD gave ACORN well over seven million dollars, including more than a million in the past year. It is acknowledged that ACORN, with which Sen. Obama had a close connection over the years, was a major player in his presidential campaign. The bishops say they are investigating the connection between CHD and ACORN. They say they are worried that it might jeopardize the Church’s tax-exemption. No mention is made of abusing the trust of the Catholic faithful.

What most Catholics don’t know, and what would likely astonish them, is that CHD very explicitly does not fund Catholic institutions and apostolates that work with the poor. Part of the thinking when it was established in the ideological climate of the 1960s is that Catholic concern for the poor would not be perceived as credible if CHD funded Catholic organizations. Yes, that’s bizarre, but the history of CHD is bizarre. The bishops could really help poor people by promptly shutting down CHD and giving any remaining funds to, for instance, Catholic inner-city schools. In any event, if there is a collection at your parish this month, I suggest that you can return the envelope empty—and perhaps with a note of explanation—without the slightest moral hesitation.

Some of that, and then some, was echoed by three bishops who raised questions or offered comments at the end of the address by Bishop Morin.

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz asked pointedly whether funds are given to Catholic organizations or not. The answer was that they don't necessarily have to be Catholic.

It would be interesting to see some percentages and to get an understanding of what kinds of organizations are on the receiving end of funds. Do those organizations support the Catholic mission it's entirety, or just certain convenient parts?

Next up was Bishop Naumann, currently the administrator of the Diocese of St. Louis now that Abp Raymond L. Burke has moved on to the Vatican to head up the Church's equivalent of the Supreme Court. Bishop Naumann pointed out that in his diocese ACORN's partisanship was well known for at least 10 years. He called for an indepth evaluation of CCHD.

Consider that when we say that ACORN is involved with partisan politics we are talking about their backing of Democratic candidates, most of whom support legislation that counters Church teaching, such as with abortion, embyronic stem cell research and more. The Democratic Party has been dubbed the "Abortion Party" and the "Party of Death". Is it any wonder why some priests and bishops would not want to send funds to CCHD, given it's support for such organizations?

Last up was Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, Michigan. He raised an interesting question that for lack of memory, I have to put in my own words. He wanted to know why the CCHD wouldn't provide support for married couples and families. [edit: bad wording because I believe the bishop was trying to understand if funds were going to activities that we would consider anti-family and anti-marriage). In other words, what His Excellency was trying to get at is whether we are simply aiding people in living lifestyles that are not conducive to marriage and family.

I suspect CCHD's funds are going to be drastically lower this year in light of what has come out and this will force a closer look at how the organization is structured, how it functions, and to whom those funds are going.

EDIT Nov 14: I heard Raymond Arroyo on Ave Maria Radio in an interview with Teresa Tomeo say that some people are stuffing paper acorns into the envelopes and submitting them. Raymond said he couldn't tell people what to do, but that he personally was not going to give any money (or acorns) to CCHD, but instead add it into his Peter's Pence envelope.

Reflecting a little more on Bishop Boyea's point, it started to come clear. You have to wonder whether some of the organizations supported by CCHD are involved in things like handing out condoms or contraceptives, encouraging or supporting abortions, or homosexual lifestyles.

Bishop Morin was clear on tape that the forensic accounting taking place now will be looking at the money trail itself, not what kinds of activities within each individual organization are being funded. This to me is a big problem. The activities should be aligned with the mission of the Church and no money should be going to organizations that engage in activities contrary to it.

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!

It's "Ineffable"!

This afternoon, thanks to EWTN, I got to watch the discussion of Bishops discussing the section of missal translation rejected in June. Earlier in the day, there were some interesting discussions and comments surrounding "Catholic Teaching in Political Life". I plan on heading over to Grotto and will try to put something together after I return.

Back to the liturgical issue at hand - the Proper of Seasons for the new rendering of the Roman Missal, there was a bit of interesting discussion surround the word "ineffable". Bishop Trautman of Erie, PA suggested that the word "divine" or "eternal" be used as a substitution for "ineffable". His argument was that the ordinary person will not understand it.

Bishop Allen Vigneron of Oakland asked whether it should be "divine" or "eternal" to which Bishop Trautman said, "Divine". Well, let's look at the definition of "ineffable".

1. Incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable. See synonyms at unspeakable.
2. Not to be uttered; taboo: the ineffable name of God.

I believe it was Divine Worship Chair Bishop Serratelli who explained that neither "divine" or "eternal" fit as translations for "ineffable".

Former Auxiliary, Bishop Earl Boyea, now the Bishop of Lansing, won the day with applause when he suggested to his brother bishops: Let's just teach the people what "ineffable" means.

The bishops voted overwhelmingly for, "ineffable". But, not before Bishop Serratelli pointed out that "ineffable" was not an unspeakable matter (ok, so he made a funny).

I'm sure there will be video on these discussions available later. I consider WDTPRS - What Does the Prayer Really Say - the blog of Fr. Z, to be the best place to go for further commentary on all things liturgical. I also recommend visiting The New Liturgical Movement. The well stuffed comboxes alone are great to read, as well at these two sites.

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!

Fr. Trigilio's Catechetical Crash Course: Pro-Abort Catholic Pols

Fr. John Trigilio of EWTN's Crash Course in Catholicism and author of many great books offers yet another clear catechetical lesson in yesterday's post: Thirty Pieces of Silver.

Give this man a violet biretta. "Bishop" Trigilio has a great ring to it, don't you think?

Read the entire entry. Here are some snippets (emphasis mine in bold):

IF some Catholics voted for Obama merely to save their 401K, then what is the difference had they been given thirty pieces of silver? Both are blood money and innocent blood at that.

The only time a Catholic can morally vote for a pro-choice candidate is when there is no viable pro-life opponent running against him/her. But we had a pro-life alternative, albeit not perfect, but more anti-abortion than Obama.

The courageous Bishops who enunciated this moral teaching preached to deaf ears, sad to say. While we are not one issue voters, there is a hierarchy of goods, values and principles, which must be respected. The RIGHT TO LIFE outweighs all other issues, no matter how serious or important.

Now that there is a PRO-ABORTION Catholic Vice President, the US Bishops have a once in a lifetime opportunity. Senator Joe Biden has stated unequivocally he knows abortion is wrong as life begins at conception BUT he also vehemently supports Roe v. Wade and will always support legal abortions. He and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and all Congressmen and Senators who refuse to repent and abandon their support for abortion must be denied Holy Communion AND face the real possibility of EXCOMMUNICATION. If the Vice President and the Speaker flagrantly show contempt for the Moral Law and Magisterial teaching which condemn abortion, they cause great scandal when they approach Holy Comunion.

Amen, Padre!

LOOPHOLE THEOLOGIANS UNDERMINING OUR BISHOPS
Now, I'm going to take it a step further and suggest we need to start writing our bishops, and to Rome, in order to pull the rug out from under loophole theologians who are given a paid platform at Catholic institutions to undermine our bishops. It is total madness that people like Doug Kmiec are permitted to say anything at all on any Catholic campus. That applies to other dissidents like Fr. Richard McBrien and others who have been permitted to act like wolves in the sheep pen for too long. I'll be posting more on this when I get the time to sit down and put something together. How many souls have to be lost before these people lose their good standing?

Check in periodically with Fr. Trigilio at his blog, The Black Biretta.

Books authored or co-authored by Fr. John Trigilio

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!

Don't just thank a veteran today; pray for them!

Whether they were drafted or joined the military voluntarily, we owe a great amount of gratitude to all who served. Some came home with wounded bodies, while others returned with wounded spirits and souls. As they saying goes, they sacrificed their tomorrow for our today.

Thank a Veteran today and while you are at it, say a prayer for them.

Links:

• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Warrior Care
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Camp Patriot
• Military Records Search tool

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!

November 15, 2008: Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil

The Helpers of God's Precious Infants will hold their last outdoor vigil of the year on Saturday, November 15th. It will begin with Mass at 7:30am at Assumption Grotto. We are especially graced to have the rector/president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, the Very Rev. Msgr. Jeffrey M. Monforton, lead this last vigil of the season.

The back of the flyer show scenes from the last vigil, held at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak with Bishop Daniel Flores.

Click on the pics to enlarge.




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!

Bishops Meet in Baltimore in Annual General Assembly

Some 300 bishops are in Baltimore meeting as they do each year at this time, and there is much to pass along. Unfortunately, I finally sat down to write this post and it is already 9:43pm.

So, I have no choice but to leave you with coverage from others.

Rocco Palmo is an American Catholic reporter for The Tablet - an international Catholic weekly published in London. On his blog, Whispers in the Loggia, Rocco gives us a play-by-play, so if you want to know what is going on throughout the day, check his blog.

The first thing I want to draw your attention to is a paragraph from plenary session address by USCCB chief, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, who took the helm last year (emphasis mine in bold). I recommend reading the entire address to give this paragraph context and to read a few other gems I don't have time to sift through.

In working for the common good of our society, racial justice is one pillar of our social doctrine. Economic justice, especially for the poor both here and abroad, is another. But the Church comes also and always and everywhere with the memory, the conviction, that the Eternal Word of God became man, took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, nine months before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This truth is celebrated in our liturgy because it is branded into our spirit. The common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice. If the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision that African Americans were other people’s property and somehow less than persons were still settled constitutional law, Mr. Obama would not be president of the United States. Today, as was the case a hundred and fifty years ago, common ground cannot be found by destroying the common good.

Rocco noted earlier that Bishop Martino of Scranton was in the building. What is the significance of this? Well, Bishop Martino was not present at last years assembly. Just before the presidential election this year, he crashed a forum held on diocesan property in which some members of the faith were explaining how Catholics could vote for Obama. Calling it "madness", he admonished those present, duly catechizing them and said the USCCB doesn't speak for him and that his statement, clarifying Catholic teaching on voting was the authoritative document. A collective gasp and cheer could be heard from sea-to-shining-sea, that a bishop would act like.....well, a bishop.

There was a press conference that followed at 12:30pm, which Rocco also summarized. In a 30 minute video (click here and pick your speed), the bishops fielded only one liturgical question near the end. The other questions were on the campaign. If you have heard or read other accounts of what was said, I urge you to watch the video and judge for yourself.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR BISHOPS?
It's important to note that when the bishops were trying to prevent the situation we are in - dealing with a highly pro-abort presidential candidate, their language was much more forceful. Some are puzzled at the soft, and seemingly back-pedaling language now that Barack Obama is president-elect.

A couple of things to keep in mind: 1) The bishops have not had time to get their arms around the matter collectively. Some will feel strong about taking firm actions while others will still want to play [to] nice and, 2) Barack Obama IS the next US President and he doesn't have to listen to any group. He can make it look like he's listening, but he doesn't have to hear a thing.

The bishops have entered a new stage now - a diplomatic stage - and that is what they are setting up with the words and tone that you hear. When you read Cardinal George's statement in full that I provided, you will see that he gets it and is not going to compromise (read it a few times if you must). But, he doesn't want to have the door slammed in his face either. If you read the Holy Father's words, he is doing the same. They must keep the door open for diplomacy and their speech will now reflect that. There is a fine line they must walk now in getting Barack Obama to not only listen, but to hear. It won't happen with the verbal equivalent of a baseball bat.

ACORN AND CCHD
Something also noteworthy is that the bishops will discuss the matter of ACORN. The USCCB hired a forensic accountant to review contributions from Catholic Campaign for Human Development to the whacky community organizing group that endorsed Obama (even though it is supposedly non-partisan). Rocco reports:

The plenary's final public agenda-item late tomorrow afternoon will be a discussion of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development's relation to ACORN, the recently under-fire community organization. Due to the packed schedule -- which also includes reports on the recent Synod of Bishops and post-Hurricane Ike relief efforts in the Gulf Coast -- a later-than-usual end of session is expected.

In his Day One, Evening Wrap, Rocco provides a few excerpts from the day found in various publications who have representatives there covering the event. It's interesting to watch the video link I provided earlier, to read the statement by Cardinal George, and then to see the spin in some of those publications.

Hopefully, more tomorrow.

Now, GO PRAY FOR THE BISHOPS!!!

More from the USCCB meeting in Baltimore:

• Bishops to vote on blessing service for children in the womb (CNS)
• Bishops Will Not Skip Debate on Abortion and Politics (CNA)
• HEAD OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS SAYS OPPOSING ABORTION SIMILAR TO OPPOSING RACISM (LifeNews)
• From Rome's "Messenger", Pietro Sambi (Pope's representative in US addresses bishops)

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!

Thoughts on Forty Hours and Eucharistic Devotion

Closing ceremony from 2007

(click for more pics from last year - I did not photograph this year's ceremony)

The closing ceremony for the 2008 Forty Hours Devotion was held this afternoon at 3:00pm. Considering that there have been so many activities of late at the parish, I think the turn out was good.

The closing ceremony, which comes at the end of the three day vigil, involves readings, homily, the Litany of Saints (chanted in Latin), and a procession, followed by Divine Praises and Benediction. It lasted about 45 minutes and we had a good pot-luck dinner afterward.

Fr. Perrone had the honors this year of leading this ceremony, and delivered a beautiful homily. I am glad to report that Father has agreed to email me the text of that homily. He is also providing me with his homily from the 9:30am Mass which I missed, but had heard was very good. Stay tuned.

I went up the choir loft to assist - something that felt refreshing having been away from choir now for about half a year. While I was up there looking down at Fr. Perrone cradling Our Lord in the monstrance I got overwhelmed with a sense of joy and gratitude to God for the gift of such a pastor. It hit me all at once, that it is because of his devotion to the Eucharist that, through the grace of God, I was able to develop a devotion to the Eucharist. I momentarily pondered my spiritual life without all of this beautiful fanfare that has done so much to give me an appreciation for this great gift.

All of those thoughts flashing through my head as I watched the procession were such a contrast to the flashbacks of my days in "St. Suburbia" as we sometimes call it, where these things like Forty Hours Devotion, and even adoration for that matter, were absent. My life was not the same.

I recall my first trip to Assumption Grotto on Pentecost of 2005. I went back on Corpus Christi after having assisted at some weekday Masses. I had never seen a Eucharistic Procession until that day and I was amazed with the devotion of the people. I could see pure love for Our Lord in the Eucharist, in a way that was totally foreign to me.

What impresses me most about Grotto, is that for many, family life revolves around parish life, not the other way around. In fact, it's more: Family life is integral to parish life. This is visible in people's willingness to come with their families to such events. It's not possible for every family to participate in every event, but there are always many involved - together. These families understand that the faith is passed on by example. When children witness Mom and Dad spending time in adoration, they learn. Grotto children, in my humble opinion, are among the most patient and well-behaved kids I've ever been exposed to at any church (though parents always feel it could be better).

I feel so fortunate to be in a parish like Assumption Grotto, among priests who pass along the faith without ambiguity, and in it's entirety. I pray that Our Lady will keep Grotto under her Mantle for generations to come.

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!

Forty Hours Devotion at Assumption Grotto - Day 2 of 3

This was taken about 6:30pm on Saturday, November 8th. Tomorrow, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament as part of the Forty Hours Devotion will continue until the closing ceremony at 3:00pm.

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!