Abp Vigneron leads more than 500 in prayer vigil at abortion clinic

His Excellency, Allen H. Vigneron, the Archbishop of Detroit, led a prayer vigil  in front of an abortion clinic in Westland, Michigan earlier today.  More than 500 participated in the vigil which was organized by the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan.  It began with holy Mass at 7:30  A.M.  Archbishop Vigneron was the main celebrant at the Mass which took place at St. Michael's in Livonia, Michigan. 

See a related article by Joe Kohn at the new Michigan Catholic website.

I will embed some photos here in this post, but the vast majority will be viewable in a slideshow at the bottom.  Please note that using photos which are embedded in this blogpost for print, will likely result in low quality or pixelated photos. You will want to visit my SmugMug gallery for this account to get high resolution photos.  Pictures may be used for blogs and websites for pro-life purposes, but they may not be sold.  Please provide a courtesy link back to this blogpost so people know the origin of the work.

I had many strange problems with my camera today (everything from strange bleaching to blur, and malfuctioning card which kept telling me it wasn't formatted for use).  This affected the quality of most photos.  What you see has been corrected as best I could with a post-processing software.

First, we will start with photos from the Mass. 

The Mass at St. Michael's began at 7:30 A.M.

Archbishop Vigneron is seen during the homily.  I thought it opportune to get a photo of him with Our Lady of Perpetual Help looking over his shoulder, since he worked to foster devotion to her in the archdiocese soon after being installed.

In the photo above, with the archbishop, from left to right, is Deacon Gerald Smigell, Rev. Jack Quinlan, Rev. Don Lacuesta, Rev. Raymond Arwady, Rev. William Tindall (Pastor - St. Michael's), and Rev. Greg Tokarski. Off camera, and also concelebrating, was the archbishop's secretary, Rev. Charles Fox. Between funerals, weddings, confessions, and other obligations, it is often difficult for priests to break away for a few hours on Saturdays. I think it is often a challenge for religious sisters, as well, since Saturdays are usually a day to catch up on ordinary obligations.

Below, Archbishop Vigneron elevates our Eucharistic Lord and is seen in consecration of the Precious Blood. Read more about Catholic belief in the Real Presence, and it' biblical origins.

Below, we see the beginning of the Rosary procession under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has a strong link to the pro-life movement.

Above, a clinic worker takes video of the massive crowd assembling around the place and people took care to remain on public property.  At no point was access blocked (but I don't recall seeing a single "customer" while we were there).  The Helper's of God's Precious Infants is a model of peaceful, prayerful witness, so direct contact with clinic workers by those witnessing through prayer is discouraged. Trained sidewalk counselors work in front of some abortion mills, guiding the women, if necessary, to nearby crisis pregnancy centers which help them in many ways, and provide continuing support.

Below, Archbishop Vigneron can be seen leading the Rosary through a walkie-talkie.  Many hand sets were distributed among the many participants so all could hear and follow the prayers.

A few random shots

Something just seemed symbolic about the feet of this little guy with his shoe being tied by his dad.  How many of the unborn will never make it out of the womb to wear shoes?  I've inlcluded below it, a photo of the feet of a baby at 11 weeks

Before departing the abortion clinic to head back to the mustering area in prayer, a moment of silence is made.  Prayers are offered not just for the women and their unborn babies, but for the baby's father, those who may be pressuring the women into thinking abortion is the only way, as well as for the clinic workers.  The "Helpers" had nearly 700 "turns" last year, and that does not include those who may have changed their mind without any indication. 

Below, Archbishop Vigneron leads the prayerful crowd back to the lot where we parked, while praying the last set of mysteries (usually, all 20 mysteries are prayed with the Divine Mercy Chaplet recently being added).

With the archbishop at his side, Dan Goodnow, the President of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan addresses the crowd, and invites them back to St. Michael's for Benediction, refreshments, and a brief meeting.

His Excellency gives a blessing to all present. 

Bags were handed out with some pro-life material. 

Back at St. Michael's, Our Eucharistic Lord was waiting for the return of the people.

Father Raymond Arwady gives Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.

Many went for refreshments and the meeting which followed

Here is a slideshow (I recommend setting it to fast). It contains the entire pic collection.

Here is a link to the gallery at Smugmug for this prayer vigil with Archbishop Vigneron, which has high resolution photos.  You can also click through them at your own pace here.

Links:

• Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan blog
• See video with voice over from HGPI founder Msgr. Reilly using footage from events there (excellent overview of the model and philosphy used by the "Helpers")
• Videos on post-abortive healing ministry of the Church (Fr. Frank Pavone)
• Post-abortive help at Rachel's Vineyard
• Considering an abortion? Working in a clinic? Sitting on the fence about abortion? Are you "personally opposed", but don't want to tell others what to do? Go to the Priest's for Life index page for photos and videos of abortion procedures and aborted babies.  Know what it is.
• Silent no more awareness (post abortive)
• Men who regret their lost fatherhood
• Priests for Life
• Dr. Alveda King
• BlackGenocide.org

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New Video by CatholicVote.org

Please visit the CatholicVote.org webpage and consider offering them some financial support.


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Metro Detroit: Archbishop Vigneron to Lead Pro-Life Vigil on Sept 11

What is a "Helper's" vigil like? Watch the video. The founder of the Helper's of God's Precious Infants, Msgr. Philip Reilly, explains.

(click and use "view-zoom" to enlarge)

The Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan is holding their 3rd prayer vigil of the year.  From Mary B.

Dear ProLife Friends:


The next "Helpers" Prayer Vigil for Life will be led by Archbishop Vigneron on Saturday, September 11 at St. Michael Church in Livonia [Mass begins at 7:30am]

He will lead us in prayer outside of a nearby abortion mill, after which we will return to St. Michael's for Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Refreshments will be provided following benediction. Please see the attached flyer.

Please help in spreading the word to your clergy, parish, family, and friends - please invite them to this most important Prayer Vigil.

Thank you, and may God bless and reward you! Don't miss this grace-filled opportunity to pray for the end of abortion with our Archbishop! Hope to see you there!

See photostories from past vigils, including one with Archbishop Vigneron from last year.

• HGPI vigil with Archbishop Vigneron at St. Joan of Arc
• HGPI vigil with Bishop Daniel Flores at Shrine of the Little Flower (Fall 2008)
• HGPI vigil with Bishop John M. Quinn (Spring 2008)
• HGPI vigil with Bishop Schoenherr (Summer 2006)

Thousands of women choose to have their babies after speaking with "Helper's" sidewalk counselors who guide them to crisis pregnancy centers and offer other forms of assistance.  It is amazing to hear the stories told by these counselors of how people come back to show them the baby that was spared the horrors of abortion.

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Holy See's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue speaks out against 9-11 "Koran burning"

Statement from the Holy See upon learning about a non-denominational Church's "Burn a Koran Day" on 9-11.

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue received with great concern the news of the proposed "Koran Burning Day" on the occasion of the Anniversary of the September 11

th tragic terrorist attacks in 2001 which resulted in the loss of many innocent lives and considerable material damage.

These deplorable acts of violence, in fact, cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community. Each religion, with its respective sacred books, places of worship and symbols, has the right to respect and protection. We are speaking about the respect to be accorded the dignity of the person who is an adherent of that religion and his/her free choice in religious matters.

The reflection which necessarily should be fostered on the occasion of the remembrance of September 11th would be, first of all, to offer our deep sentiments of solidarity with those who were struck by these horrendous terrorist attacks. To this feeling of solidarity we join our prayers for them and their loved ones who lost their lives.

Each religious leader and believer is also called to renew the firm condemnation of all forms of violence, in particular those committed in the name of religion. Pope John Paul II affirmed: "Recourse to violence in the name of religious belief is a perversion of the very teachings of the major religions" (Address to the new Ambassador of Pakistan, 16 December 1999). His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, similarly expressed, "…violence as a response to offences can never be justified, for this type of response is incompatible with the sacred principles of religion..." (Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI, to the new Ambassador of Morocco, 6 February 2006).

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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Birth of the Virgin Mary - Esteban Murillo (Louvre, Paris)

Today, the Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 


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Interesting liturgical notes about upcoming Papal visit to UK

The Holy Father's Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini

Two days ago, I read a post by UK journalist Damian Thompson at his blog, Holy Smoke.  Yesterday, there was an update I just discovered this morning that was very.... endearing.

I don't have time to get into these, but read the fairly short posts if you want to see the "liturgy wars" taking place in the public sphere on the Pope's upcoming visit to the UK. 

• The Pope's Mass in Glasgow: are Benedict XVI's liturgical wishes being ignored? (Sept 5)
• Papal visit: The Vatican puts its foot down....(Sept 6)

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Mother Teresa and the Divine Thirst

Today, September 5, 2010 is the day that the Mother Teresa stamp officially is released.  It is the anniversary of her death in 1997.  It will happen today, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010, 3:15 p.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.  See the USPS notice.  A Mass at 2:00 p.m. with the Missionaries of Charity at the National Shrine will be televised by EWTN at 2:00 p.m.

***

Yesterday, I read an excerpt from a book by Father Joseph Lanford, MC, who co-founded the priestly branch of the Missionaries of Charity with Mother Teresa.  The book is entitled "Mother Teresa's Secret Fire". 

Here is the beginning of that excerpt.  Follow the link at the bottom to read the rest at Zenit where it is being hosted. 

The Train to Darjeeling: Another Reading


On the morning of Sept. 10, Sister Teresa Bojaxhiu left Calcutta’s Howrah Station, bound for Siliguri, in the northern plains of West Bengal. She would disembark in Siliguri and board what was affectionately called the "toy train," so nicknamed for its tiny dimensions, and from there continue on the last leg of her journey.


The tiny train’s steam powered engine climbed along a narrow, two-foot gauge track up to Darjeeling, snuggled five thousand feet high in the foothills of the Himalayas. We can surmise something of Mother Teresa’s journey from an earlier account of a similar trip to Darjeeling, recorded by a visiting Englishman:


[The fact that] here the meter gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what these things hint at. One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy…With a noisy fuss, out of all proportion to its size, the engine gives a jerk and starts. Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb…


Inspiration Day


As the train ascended into the clean, cool mountain air, Sister Teresa would have looked out her window onto lush thickening forests. Trains were slow in that day, not because the engines were weak, but because the track was unreliable. A trip of several hours could turn into days, as late-summer heat could buckle rails and add hours to the journey. But, when moving, a passenger’s mind could ride the rhythm of the train’s progress and easily move into prayer.


Somewhere on this ordinary journey, in the heat, in the gathering shadows, in the noisy, crowded car, something extraordinary happened. At some unknown point along the way, there in the depths of Mother Teresa’s soul, the heavens opened.


For decades, all she would tell her Sisters of that life-changing moment was that she had received a “call within a call,” a divine mandate to leave the convent and to go out to serve the poor in the slums. But something incomparably greater and more momentous had transpired as well. We now know, thanks to early hints in her letters and conversations, and her own later admissions, that she had been graced with an overwhelming experience of God -- an experience of such power and depth, of such intense “light and love,” as she would later describe it, that by the time her train pulled into the station at Darjeeling, she was no longer the same. Though no one knew it at the time, Sister Teresa had just become Mother Teresa.


For the still young nun, barely 36 years old, another journey was beginning; an inner journey with her God that would turn every aspect of her life upside down. The grace of the train would not only transform her relationship to God, but to everyone and everything around her. Within eight short days, the grace of this moment would carry her and her newfound inner fire back down the same mountainside, and into a new life. From the heights of the Himalayas she would bring a profoundly new sense of her God back into the sweltering, pestilent slums of Calcutta -- and onto a world stage, bearing in her heart a light and love beyond her, and our, imagining.


From then on, Mother Teresa would simply refer to September 10th as “Inspiration Day,” an experience she considered so intimate and ineffable that she resisted speaking of it, save in the most general terms. Her silence would prevail until the last few years of her life, when she at last was moved to lift the veil covering this sacred moment.


Putting It All Together


As I worked on our constitutions in the Bronx, I began to ask myself if there might be a connection between Mother Teresa's experience on the train and Jesus’ words, “I thirst.” Could they both be part of the same grace; could it be that Mother Teresa’s encounter on the train was, at its core, an encounter with Jesus’ thirst? If that were the case, the words on the wall would simply be her way of telling us, without training the spotlight on herself, yet in a way we would not forget, the essence of what had happened that grace-filled day on the train.


As I prayed and thought over it in those months, I became more persuaded that the grace of the train had been, at least in part, Mother Teresa’s own overpowering experience of Jesus’ thirst. The only thing left to complete my quest was to seek her confirmation.


On her next visit to New York, in early 1984, I finally had both reason and opportunity to ask her about the experience of the train. A few days into her visit, when I was alone with her in the front garden outside our house in the Bronx, I told her of what had been my long search to better understand her “inspiration,” and my desire to describe it accurately in our community’s constitutions. I explained to her that, for me, the only thing that made sense of her placing “I thirst” in her chapels, was that it grew out of her own experience of the thirst of Jesus -- and most importantly, that her encounter with the divine thirst had been the heart and essence of September 10th. If this were true, I did not want to leave it out of our constitutions, but if it were not, I did not want to continue being in error.


I waited in silence for an answer. She lowered her head for a moment, then looked up and said, “Yes, it is true.” Then after a pause, she added, “And one day you must tell the others…”


At last I had the confirmation I was seeking, and the answer to the questions sown in my soul years before in a Roman bookstore. Here, finally, was the core of Mother Teresa’s secret. In the end, it had not been some dry command to “work for the poor” that had made Mother Teresa who she was. What had forged Mother Teresa’s soul and fueled her work had been an intimate encounter with the divine thirst -- for her, for the poor, and for us all.


More than a confirmation, her words that day were a mandate. This was not to be the end of my quest, nor of delving into the words on the chapel wall. It was, instead, another beginning. I had to somehow “tell the others;” and while I felt entirely inadequate to the task, I needed to find some way to share her words, not only with her Sisters, but with a wider public.


In the most indirect and humble of ways, not unlike the Virgin Mary, Mother Teresa had wished to exalt the goodness of the God she had met on the train, and the divine message that, after changing her life, held the power to change our own. She had always known, as I later realized, that her message was meant for us all -- for the neediest and furthest away first of all. And the message of Jesus’ thirst, of his longing to love us, silently conveyed in her works of love as much as by her few and gentle words, was bearing fruit all around her and all around the world. Already, in the time I had known her, I had seen with my own eyes how her unspoken message could touch, and heal, and change lives.


Her Message Launched


Mother Teresa’s understanding of the thirst of God was entirely simple, yet deep, powerful and engaging. She learned that God not only accepts us with all our misery, but that he longs for us, “thirsts” for us, with all the intensity of his divine heart, no matter who we are or what we have done.


But how can God “thirst” for us if there is no lack in God? While thirst can imply lack, it also has another sense. In Mother Teresa’s lexicon, thirst signifies deep, intense desire. Rather than indicating lack, the symbol of divine thirst points to the mystery of God’s freely chosen longing for man. Simply put, though nothing in God needs us, everything in God wants us -- deeply and intensely, as he shows throughout Scripture.


Mother Teresa’s insights reveal something important, even essential, in the depths of God’s being. Mother Teresa insists that the thirst of Christ reveals something not only about Jesus, but about God himself. Jesus’ thirsts points us toward a great mystery in the very bosom of the Godhead -- what Mother Teresa describes as “the depths of God's infinite longing to love and be loved.” As ardent a statement as this is, her insights are confirmed by no less a source than the Fathers of the Church. The great St. Augustine would write that “God thirsts to be thirsted for by man” (see Appendix Three for a collection of patristic quotes on the divine thirst). In our own day, Benedict XVI would affirm that “the thirst of Christ is a gateway into the mystery of God.”


The mystery of God’s thirst for us was the one great light Mother Teresa held high in the night, hers and ours. This was the banner she raised for the poor and suffering of Calcutta and beyond. It was as witness to this message that Jesus commissioned her, soon after the experience of the train, to “Be My light;” and this she would energetically do, in season and out of season. She would spend her whole life proclaiming the light of divine love, even when her words fell silent, her hands spoke more eloquently still.

Continue reading the rest of this amazing excerpt from Mother Teresa's Secret Firt at Zenit.

Zenit also has an interview with Father Joseph Lanford, MC

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Joe Carter: "Unplugging the Info-Tech God"

After somewhat of an unintended hiatus from blogging, tweeting, and barely showing signs of life on facebook, I had to chuckle at this piece written by Joe Carter over at First Things. I can truly relate to this.  I just hadn't been home much the last two weeks, and when I was, it was to get some important things done and off to bed. 

People often ask me how I have time for my online activities. I looked around my house recently and thought to myself that it appears as if I hadn't picked up the place in two weeks. Then I realized, it has been two weeks since I picked up the place. With the holiday weekend, I'll be spending some time.... mostly at home if I can help it... working.

I give you just the beginning of Joes piece. Even if you don't write blogposts, I'm sure many of you will relate to what he writes, as well.

I never find the time to be alone with God during the week, so I’ve dedicated this Sunday afternoon to prayer. But before I do I should check my e-mail so I won’t be distracted. It won’t take long before. . . Thirty-two new messages, including one from the boss? I better reply right now. They might be important.


Some invitations from Facebook. Those are easy to clear out so let me accept them and I’m . . . hmm, I didn’t realize I had more notifications. Looks like Stacy finally launched a blog; I’ll just click through really quickly to check it out. Some great stuff. I really should add her blog to my RSS reader before I forget. What, “More than 100+ items”? Didn’t I just check this yesterday? I should really whittle these down a bit before it gets worse.


Wow, here I was about to focus on prayer and Bible study and my favorite theology-blogger has an excellent post on spiritual disciples. I have to share that with my own blog readers. That’s a topic that’s really on my heart today, and it won’t take long.


Hmm, looks like some comments are hung up in our spam filter again. Better fix that, or people will be discouraged from commenting. Oh man, does this guy misrepresent what I wrote. I can’t let that go unchallenged. Readers might be led astray. It won’t take long.


OK, now I need to buckle down and pray. Let me check the time on my iPhone—no way, it’s been four hours?—and who are these voicemails from?


I better check them in case my boss is calling to see why I didn’t answer that email, which would be really rude of him since this is Sunday, and I told everyone that I now devote Sunday to church and prayer and Bible Study and—no, not him, it’s my buddy asking if I got his e-mail. All right, that’s it. I really need to spend some quality time with the Lord.


But before I get started I should check my e-mail. It’s been four hours . . .

Continue reading Joe Carter at First Things - On the Square

As an aside, I actually have some unfinished posts in draft.  However, I cannot let the house go for another week, so ... it's time to pick it up and do some cleaning this weekend.  Besides, readership always drops significantly on holiday weekends.  I may drop a post if I need a break from working.  But, hey! That five minutes could stretch to.... 4 hours.


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Dawn Eden: Avoiding the Errors of 'Sexualism'

Dawn Eden, who is now beginning her doctorate in Moral Theology, has released a column at Headline Bistro which continues the discussion on Christopher West's interpretation and presentation of Pope John Paul II's, "Theology of the Body".  This follows her master's thesis which is now hosted for free download at Catholic News Agency in it's third revision, which adds further clarification.

Go read:

- Avoiding the Errors of 'Sexualism': Wojtyla's Words Offer Wisdom for Christopher West

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Mother Teresa born 100 years ago today...

Most of the world, even many among those who are not Catholic or even Christian, recognize the heroic virtue of Mother Teresa.  While there are people out there who are not happy unless they are unhappy, the focus today should be on the life of this great woman, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.  She was born on August 26, 2010.

Not everything is out yet, but here are some articles popping out this morning.  I do offer an update on the disappointing Empire State Building's decision not to illuminate in her colors tonight.

• The world celebrates Mother Teresa (NC Register)
• Pope Benedict, Mother Mary Prema remember Mother Teresa for anniversary (CNA)
• Non-Catholic India Goes Big on Mother Teresa Centenary (NC Register)
• ‘Do ordinary things with extraordinary love’ (NC Register) 
• Mother Teresa at 100 (NC Register - exclusive interview with postulator)
• Mother Teresa vs. the Empire State Building (WSJ)
• Catholic League notice for rally at 6:00pm tonight in front of Empire State Building

And, EWTN has some programming coming up...

A Day With Mother Teresa



Fri. August 27 at 3 AM & 6:30 PM ET


These talks by Mother Teresa were given in Chicago, IL in 1981, at a conference sponsored by Institute on Religious Life. In a question and answer forum questions ranging from the details of her order to her opinions on the state of the Church

.





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Archbishop Vigneron to Lead Pro-Life Vigil on Sept 11

(click and use "view-zoom" to enlarge)

The Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan is holding their 3rd prayer vigil of the year.  From Mary B.

Dear ProLife Friends:


The next "Helpers" Prayer Vigil for Life will be led by Archbishop Vigneron on Saturday, September 11 at St. Michael Church in Livonia [Mass begins at 7:30am]

He will lead us in prayer outside of a nearby abortion mill, after which we will return to St. Michael's for Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Refreshments will be provided following benediction. Please see the attached flyer.

Please help in spreading the word to your clergy, parish, family, and friends - please invite them to this most important Prayer Vigil.

Thank you, and may God bless and reward you! Don't miss this grace-filled opportunity to pray for the end of abortion with our Archbishop! Hope to see you there!

See photostories from past vigils, including one with Archbishop Vigneron from last year.

• HGPI vigil with Archbishop Vigneron at St. Joan of Arc
• HGPI vigil with Bishop Daniel Flores at Shrine of the Little Flower (Fall 2008)
• HGPI vigil with Bishop John M. Quinn (Spring 2008)
• HGPI vigil with Bishop Schoenherr (Summer 2006)

Thousands of women choose to have their babies after speaking with "Helper's" sidewalk counselors who guide them to crisis pregnancy centers and offer other forms of assistance.  It is amazing to hear the stories told by these counselors of how people come back to show them the baby that was spared the horrors of abortion.

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On EWTN tonight - St. John Bosco - the movie

[This is a repeat post from the past. I am reposting it here, with some addition info at the bottom because EWTN will air the first part of a movie on Saint John Bosco which is among my favorites... catch it if you can. I'm sure it is probably broken up into two parts].

Edit: Part 2 is airing tonite, so I would recommend watching it another time when you can see the first part. Do read my review below.

I can't remember when I last sat down to watch a movie. Normally, my day consists of work (job), prayer, managing my house, assisting my elderly mother, and endless "Grotto projects" including this blog. Ideally, I like to read before going to bed, but I needed a change in routine and borrowed a movie on the life of Don Bosco from the Grotto Giftshop (yes, they loan out movies - just ask).

This movie was outstanding. It was in Italian (with English subtitles, or dubbed English) and actor Flavio Insinna did an outstanding job. I had no idea the movie was over 3 hours long. I just remember getting up once at the intermission and diving right back into it.

It is an incredible story - the life of Don Bosco, who founded the Salesians. His profound charity is worth examining for our daily life. If you want to see how to deal with adversity, watch this movie because he had plenty of challenges in just trying to provide a home for homeless and deliquent boys. Some of those challenges were coming from the government while others from the local Church.

The movie also introduces us to important characters in the history of the oratory founded by Saint John Bosco and the Salesians, among whom is Saint Dominic Savio (pictured at right). Many other young men were inspired to pursue holiness in daily life and his oratory yielded many priests, religious, and secular order vocations. The heroic level to which the boys lived their lives through the inspiration and teachings of Don Bosco leaves us with much to contemplate and learn from. The importance of holy obedience is visible, but charity is at the forefront. I found myself thinking how interiorly, I was reacting like the boys in certain situations - wanting to confront the offenders, only to find myself humbled by the lessons this saint taught.

I highly recommend watching the movie tonight, and/or buying or renting this movie.
I have also read the Forty Dreams of Saint John Bosco. This is a fantasic read. I am currently reading the kindle version of the Life of Saint Dominic Savio by Don Bosco. These books, and the movie can be purchased by following the links in the carousel widget below.

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Two Tornadoes Confirmed in Macomb County...

It has been confirmed that the thing I was photographing the other day was not just a funnel cloud, but a dying twister. 

The twister already passed the area it is said to have hit (15 & Groesbeck/16 & Garfield).  The sirens were screaming from that direction shortly before (definitely would be within earshot of sirens from that part of Clinton Twp).  When I was taking this pic, I felt an intense wind burst coming from behind me.  It was wierd because all the action was in front of me, and I was shooting at an angle that was perpendicular to movement.  I kept turning around to make sure there were no other formations coming from this cell on any side.  It was clear on 3 sides of me and above me, with some blue showing through.

Notice how dark it was in the photo above taken at 7:57 pm. 

At 8:01, the skies lightened as the cell passed (the large tree in the photo below is seen partially in the right of the pic above).  After taking this photo, I got into my car and headed to the north end of the lot to shoot southeast. 

The next pic below was taken at 8:05, now facing southeast.  Behind me, the sun was already visible through a mist, and another 5 minutes later, was out completely.

Here is a great slideshow by local ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV. One of my pics of the tornado dissipating was used when it was probably over St. Clair Shores between 10-11 mile, or perhaps it had gone out over the water at that point.  Some of the photos of damage are bizarre.  There's one of a trampoline up against the house - like at the 2nd floor level.  There's another shot of a hot tub that was shoved off a porch.  Now that's force if it was filled with water, and given it's low center of gravity.  Many large trees were toppled.

If you want to see video, watch this.  If you are short on time, slide over to the 3 minute mark and you will see filmed exactly what I was witnessing in the parking lot, from a further distance, and from a different angle. 

EDIT:  Here's great footage of it coming and then taking out the yard of these folks.  Watch where the small canopy they were under landed. 

I'm told that my photos were used on Fox 2 news in a broadcast.  I had sent the pics to both the ABC and Fox affiliates.  The latter I had used the form on their website.  I suggested the pics may be used by the Weather Service investigating since the camera was fixed and rotation could be seen between the shots.  I'm sure they found enough evidence on the ground, by the looks of it.  Often times, straightline winds will have enough force to do the same kind of heavy damage.  There are various signs they use to discern whether it was straightline winds or a tornado, such as the direction the trees  had fallen.  They can be all in one direction close to each other, but a block or two away, they might be laying in a different direction.  Or, actual twists can be seen in the wood of a tree stump, versus straight splinters.

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!

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Video: Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. with Abp Raymond L Burke

Thanks to EWTN's new YouTube channel, here is that excellent interview with Archbishop Raymond L Burke. It's the full show, so save it for when you have time. In it, he talks about his job as Prefect for the Signatura, and he goes indepth on Fr. John A. Hardon's cause.

Further Reading/Listening:

• Patrick Coffin interviews Archbishop Burke on.... "obedience"
• New website for Fr. John Hardon's cause

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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!

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Apparent funnel cloud caught on camera...

The rotation is seen in a photo sequence I captured (8:05 - 8:08pm) from the parking lot of St. Edmund's parish in Warren. 

Edit August 21, 2010: The Weather Service confirmed that there were two tornados - one of them in the area of 15 & Groesbeck in Clinton Twp, which is where I thought the sirens were coming from at about the time that the wind kicked up.  I recall that what spooked me, was that the skies were clear behind me, yet that is the direction the wind was coming from.  This formation I shot, was that of a dying tornado - the one which crossed that intersection.

Published : Thursday, 19 Aug 2010, 9:02 PM EDT



myFOXDetroit.com Staff Reports


SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Metro Detroiters are cleaning up after another round of severe summer storms. Oakland and Northern Macomb counties took the brunt of the blow.


The National Weather Service confirms a tornado touched down at 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck in Clinton Township and another touched down in Shelby Township.

That which I captured is not among the most spectacular of photographs of yesterday's supercell, which left a trail of damage, mostly in Macomb County.  But the sequence does reveal rotation in the clouds.  Read more below...

The sun was shining as I went into a local Kroger, with no sign of storms coming.  15 minutes later, while at the back of the store, I received a text from a weather service telling me that a tornado warning was up for my county.   I dismissed it thinking someone punched in a wrong county code.  Then, I went into checkout, took one look out the window which faced the north, and realized, it was no error.  It was still sunny where I was at, but looking at the outer cloud bands, I could see rotation.  The lightening was intense.

As I drove home, I tossed my cold groceries in, then grabbed my camera and tripod.  I went to a parking lot with a better view thinking, "this is really stupid - that lightening is all hitting the ground".  I literally said my "act of contrition" as I stood in the parking lot of St. Edmund's and shot away.  I was trying to capture lightening and instead snagged a funnel cloud. 

I began shooting north where I saw the lightening.  I had an unusual side view (most storms come from the southwest here, not the northwest traveling southeast)  I normally see the back side of a storm at best when it is south of me.  This was the first time I watched it move from north on a southeast path.  The X is about where I was standing, and you can see the storm cell path.

The sirens were going off northeast of my location where I saw this all. The wind just kicked up out of nowhere and things got spooky.  I looked up, around and behind me and it was still clear, so all of that wind was coming from what I was watching north of me.  As I watched the storm cell shift rapidly to the southeast, I got in my car and drove to the other side of the lot so I could shoot east/southeast.  That is when I spotted the apparent funnel and saw the rotation in the surrounding clouds. 

Rotation in clouds seen in photosequence

If you go to my smugmug page for this storm, single-click each photo first to load it.  After you have done that, you will be able to toggle between the photographs to see the rotation in the clouds.  Try pictures 2-3 first.  Then, rotation is visible in the last 4 photos after it had dissipated (it's best after you have the pics loaded to toggle back and forth between the 5th and 8th photos). These were shot some 15-30 seconds apart.  In all cases, look at the full picture where you can see the outer bands going in one direction at the top, and those where the apparent funnel was traveling going in another direction.

From start to finish, the photo sequence lasted from about 8:05 through 8:08pm.  A friend who lives in St. Clair Shores, which is where I thought it was over when I first spotted it, said it sounded like a freight train.  She lost power for a while.  Looking at the radar map, here is the path circled, and where I was standing. 

There are some really awesome pics by other in this collection at local WXYZ-TV.  Click "photo" above the picture and use the slideshow feature.  Also view the videos. 

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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!

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