Family & Life: 0-2 as politicians cast their votes

From Fox News...

House Rejects Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage
Tuesday, July 18, 2006

(AP)WASHINGTON — The House rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on Tuesday, a setback that conservatives hope to turn to their advantage in the fall elections.

"Be assured that this issue is not over," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

The vote was 236-187 with one member voting "present," a slight improvement over the last House vote just before the 2004 election but still 47 short of the two-thirds majority needed to advance a constitutional amendment.

Click here to see how your representative voted.

Continue reading gay marriage at Fox


And, then there is this. Will we see a veto from Bush?

Senate Approves Expanding Funds for Embryonic Stem Cell Research


Tuesday, July 18, 2006
FoxNews

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a bill Tuesday allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

The vote was 63-37. President Bush has vowed to veto the measure, the first of his five-and-a-half year old administration.

"The simple answer is he thinks murder's wrong," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "The president is not going to get on the slippery slope of taking something living and making it dead for the purposes of scientific research."

Snow said the president had issued 141 veto threats during his time in the White House, often against spending increases for domestic programs. None came to fruition after deals were cut with lawmakers to avoid that outcome. This was the first time no deal could be cut, Snow said.

Continue reading stem cell at Foxnews...



Go to LifeNews to read even more...

Archbishop Ranjith: V2 does not mandate priest facing assembly

Fr. Zuhlsdorf, in his weekly column in The Wanderer, and blog of the same name, "What does the prayer really say?", digs into one of our favorite topics here - the ad orientem posture of the priest seen at Grotto, when he faces the high wall altar during Mass. It is seen in pictures peppered throughout this blog. If you are new to this blog, some of the most stunning can be seen if you click through my April Archives around Easter, among other months.

I've written about this before, and in one blog entry, I dig in to my reasons for how this posture actually prompts me to focus on God more intently during my worship.

It was such a welcome relief to read Fr. Z's article for many reasons. Archbishop Ranjith confirms that some of younger seminarians are showing an inclination towards it, in part with their attraction to the Tridentine. I'm not alone in my perception, it would seem. Fr. Z's analysis and commentary on the interview is the second provided here on this same interview with Archbishop Ranjith, which took place on June 25, 2006, by La Croix magazine. As Sandro Magister points out in his coverage of it:

POSTSCRIPT – Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith's interview with “La Croix” is from June 25. But three days earlier, on the 22nd, Ranjith had given a more detailed interview on the same subject to Antoine-Marie Izoard of the French news agency I.MEDIA, which specializes in Vatican coverage

I lead you now, into Fr. Z's column where he targets posture....

What Does the Prayer Really Say? 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN The Wanderer in 2006

We have known ever since the close of the Synod of Bishops in October 2005, which discussed the Eucharist, that Pope Benedict would more than likely issue a post-synodal document on liturgy. The committee which was assigned the task of preparing the Synods summary document completed its work and handed it in to the Pope. So now the Holy Father is working his own document. The Secretary of the Congregation for divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, gave an interview to La Croix (25 June 2006) and provided a glimpse into the papal document (emphasis mine):

Today, the problems of the liturgy center around language (vernacular or Latin) and the position of the priest, whether he faces the assembly or faces God. I will surprise you here: nowhere in the conciliar decree does it say that the priest must face the assembly, nor that the use of Latin is forbidden! If the use of the common tongue is permitted, notably in the liturgy of the Word, the decree is very clear that the use of the Latin language should be maintained in the Latin rite. We are waiting for the pope to give us his guidelines on these subjects.

Can you imagine this sort of talk, open talk, from a highly place curial official even ten years ago? Going on:

I have noticed how much the young priests here love to celebrate the Tridentine rite. It must be clarified that this ritual, following the missal of Pius V, has not been “outlawed.” Should its use be encouraged even more? That’s for the pope to decide. But it is certain that a new generation is seeking a greater orientation toward mystery. This is not a question of form, but of substance.

Continue reading Fr. Zulsdorf on ad orientem

As with many blogs, you can get to his home page by clicking on the title.

National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families: "We Must Act Now" Campaign

Here was another good tidbit from Teresa Tomeo's morning show, picked up on EWTN Radio via Serius Satellite Radio....

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, is running a campaign called, "We Must Act Now". It reads, as follows:

When Van Toffler, president of MTV’s Music/Films/Logo Group, told attendees at the CTIA - The Wireless Association national convention that “the mobile handset is the holy grail of devices” for teenagers, our heart sank.

Mr. Toffler went on to say mobile phones are more desirable among teens than lap-top computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles. And MTV has 1.3 billion viewers worldwide, easily making it the most international network in the world! According to an article published in BusinessWeek Online, executives at MTV state the distribution channels for mobile devices are as high as their cable channel distribution and they are anxious to reach teens through mobile entertainment.

It then hit us…we must act, we must act now, and we need your help!

Why?

• Because the average teenager is exposed to nearly 14,000 sexual messages a year and fewer than 2% of these have any reference to abstinence, self-discipline or concern about sexually transmitted diseases.
  
  
• Because the American teenager is the most sexually active teen in all the industrialized nations.
  
  
• Because American teenagers lead the entire world in unwanted pregnancies, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases.
  
  
• Because 65% of young people have sex before finishing high school.
  Why? Because the lives of young people are being destroyed by sexual brokenness, guilt and shame.
  

We must work together and we must act now to help our young people navigate safely through our sex-saturated culture.

That is why the National Coalition is launching the “We Must Act Now" campaign and why we need your help.


Go to the National Coaltion to see how you can help, and to breeze through the many resources available on media and families & children. Just click through various topics at the top.

URGENT: Call your Senator Today! Stem Cell Issue

A vote will take place tomorrow and various sources, from Priests for Life to Teresa Tomeo on AveMaria Radio/EWTN Radio have been pleading for people to contact their senators about this vote coming up tomorrow. Make your feelings known.

Teresa gave out a web site for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, headed up by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk.. At that website, Fr. Tad gives us the Top 10 Myths about Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning.

Brief yourself on this so you can educate others.

In the meanwhile, please contact your senator regardless of how you think or know they will vote. They need to hear from a lot of people.

Cute: Papal Music Video by Curt Jester

This was cute. The blogosphere's resident Catholic "jester" gives us a "Papal Music Video".

Go to Curt Jester

Summer leaves, retreats, and confession lines...

Many of you who came to Grotto this morning, probably noticed that one confessional which seems to ALWAYS be occupied, was empty. One of the Fathers of the Holy Cross, who spends considerable time helping out at Grotto is off temporarily in Mexico giving retreats. He won't be with us on August 15, but we will post photos for him to see. Hopefully, he can share some with us too!

For those of you who weren't at Grotto, or didn't pick up on who was missing, here is yet one more clue, from the last 40 Hours Devotion.




SATURDAY CONFESSION TIMES

Missing one priest, and given that we are without our pastor, who is probably got his feet up, reading a good book (well-earned), we need to think about those who are carrying a heavier load at the moment.

I'd like to use this opportunity to encourage those who don't live too far away, to come to Grotto on Saturday during regular confession hours. Scheduled time is 2:30-3:30, but generally it goes on until the 4:00 Mass, unless there is only one priest available. Sometimes it doesn't start until 3:00 as a result. I've often been there on Saturdays when the lines were not long. If these priests are going to sit in those very hot confessionals, in that very hot Church on Saturdays, the least we could do is come and make it worth their while!


A PASTOR CONSPIRING WITH THE HOLY ANGELS?

That brings me to the next point concerning heat. Last year, having been a parishioner a mere week or so, I recall the first hot Sunday of the Year. It was in June and it was like today - in the 90's. I sweat real easy, and I was afraid I was going to flood the pew. The Church can actually get hotter than it is outdoors, when the back doors are closed. Usually they open them in really hot weather, but sometimes, it just doesn't matter. I had my cousin with me, who was attending Grotto for the first time ever. It was the noon Mass. Just before it began and still clinging to irreverent ways, I leaned over to her and said, "That's it - I think I'll retreat to the air-conditioned parish near my home and come back in the fall."

Well, there are lots of ways this could have went down, but my theory is that being in a parish where the Priests of Opus Angelorum work, my Guardian Angel squealed on me to Fr. Perrone's Guardian Angel. Several things happened that made me feel very sheepish, the moment Mass began....

As the altar boys and Fr. Perrone processed, he had to pause and I was in an end pew. He paused just a few steps in front of me, and I noticed something unusual about the way he had vested. I had grown accustomed to seeing a priests collar, but this priest seemed to have something wrapped tightly up his neck, covering his collar. I would later learn, it was an amice. I would also later learn in the GIRM (ref 119, 336), that street clothing, including the collar, is to be covered. Despite the heat, he stood there stoic, without even a hint of discomfort. It made me think for a moment about what I was wearing versus all those layers he had on. Ditto with the altar boys, and the lector.

If that wasn't enough to get me feeling a bit guilty, the conspiracy between pastor and angels continued...

At Grotto there are signs at every entrance reminding people of the Real Presence, and the need to be dressed appropriately - specifically, no shorts, tank tops, etc. I was not dressed inappropriately, I already figured it out long before then. Father finished his homily, then said he wanted to take this warm day to reiterate all of this. He reminded us first that the Mass was a sacrifice where the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. He said that Mass is not a fashion show where we dress to impress others. At the same time, he told us that price had nothing to do with decent clothing because there were low cost options, such as St. Vincent de Paul. Then, he extended his arms swiftly and said, "Will someone please tell me that anything you could find to wear that is proper for Mass is hotter than what I have on right now!"

Both my cousin and I crouched down in our pew and suddenly began to appreciate the open window not too far from where we were, and the fact that we didn't have all those layers of vestments on.


HOT PARISHES - SOLIDARITY WITH OUR PRIESTS

At the close of his homily, I apologized to God, then told him in my heart, and my cousin AFTER Mass, that my place each Sunday is right here, in solidarity with my pastor and all of the priests who endure the heat of that unairconditioned Church in those vestments. Who am I to escape into the suburbs for a comfy seat in a cool parish when the priests who work so hard to bring me closer to God are toasting in their cassocks?

Some cannot come into the heat for legitimate health reasons, such as my mother with uncontrolled high blood pressure. But the rest of us - lets practice solidarity and appreciation by sweating right alongside our priests, and simply "offer it up". The Mass is a sacrifice, so why not use this as an opportunity to make one.

All of this doesn't apply just to Grotto-goers, but could apply to other urban parishes without air, like St. John Cantius, or St. Josaphat's, or Sweetest Heart of Mary. If you like what you get there when it's comfy, don't run the other way when things start getting hot. Grotto was there for me when I really needed her the most, and I hope to be with her until I die, barring any strange appointments which would radically alter what we so treasure there.

More on Archbishop Burke's new appointment from Ed Peters

In his blog, Canon Lawyer, Ed Peters give his thoughts on the appointment of Archbishop Burke to Apostolic Signatura, which Ed describes as, "(the Church's highest administrative law court, 1983 CIC 1445)."

Be sure to follow the link he has at the bottom, which leads to another blog, authored by reporter, Tom Szyszkiewicz. Then, after his own analysis, Tom supplies links to others with similar thoughts.

I know many of the Marian Catechists have been wondering if he will be able to maintain his leadership role for that organization. If someone hears anything, please let me know.

Transcript of USCCB Meeting involving liturgical translation

I was just perusing Adoremus.org, and found they have posted a rather detailed transcript of at least a portion of the dialogue which took place involving the proposed translations.

I was going to copy and paste some sections out, but there is just too much. If you are interested in how various bishops commented, go to Adoremus. Some of it is verrrrrryyy interesting.

Off Topic: Ukulele player you just gotta hear and see

I ran across this post in, of all places, First Things Magazine blog. It's about a phenomenol ukulele player and if you don't believe that ukelele can sound awesome, go check this guy out. If you play a stringed instrument, or have ever tried, you will be able to appreciate the work of his fingers. He talks a little in the beginning, then, I'm surprised smoke doesn't come from the thing!

Go to First Things and click on the video links

EDIT: Ok, it got the best of me. I've signed up for YouTube so I can plug it in directly here. Just press the play button. I'm not sure how this will affect dialup users, so approach with caution if you don't have high speed.




The article gives some background, and then links you to several other videos the guy has made.

Feast Day: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

All Carmelites are celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. There is a good write-up, with some interesting history at Catholic Culture. I lead you into it here and you can continue there.

Sacred Scripture celebrated the beauty of Carmel where the prophet Elijah defended the purity of Israel's faith in the living God. In the twelfth century, hermits withdrew to that mountain and later founded the Carmelite order devoted to the contemplative life under the patronage of Mary, the holy Mother of God.

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is worldwide, and most Catholics are familiar with the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular. Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251, and gave him the scapular with the following words, which are preserved in a fourteenth century narrative: "This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire." The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was instituted for the Carmelites in 1332, and extended to the whole Church by Benedict XIII in 1726.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Today is the principal feast day of the Carmelite Order. Through the efforts of the crusader Berthold, a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel were organized into an Order after the traditional Western type about the year 1150. Oppressed by the Saracens, the monks slowly emigrated to Europe. During the night preceding the sixteenth of July, 1225, the Blessed Virgin is said to have commanded Pope Honorius III to approve the foundation. Since the Carmelites were still under constant harassment, the sixth General of the Order, St. Simon Stock, pleaded with the Blessed Virgin for some special sign of her protection. On July 16, 1251, she designated the scapular as the special mark of her maternal love. That is why the present feast is also known as the feast of the Scapular. The scapular, as part of the habit, is common to many religious Orders, but it is a special feature of the Carmelites. A smaller form of the scapular is given to lay persons in order that they may share in the great graces associated with it. Such a grace is the "Sabbatine privilege." In the so-called Bulla Sabbatina John XXII affirmed that wearers of the scapular are soon freed from the flames of purgatory, at least by the Saturday after death. The latest confirmation of the Bulla Sabbatina was promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, July 4, 1908. — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Continue reading Carmel....

If you want to send this picture as an email post card or print it out, the originating site of the photo, can be found by clicking the picture.

Don't forget to watch Fr. Pablo Straub on EWTN at 5:30pm EST today, where he will offer Meditations on Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Fr. Straub is an awesome speaker, having seen him in person when he came to St. Edmund's parish near my house, at their invitation. He held a parish retreat and I was able to go the first day and get some shots.

New Compendium of the Catechism fully Online at the Vatican site!

Bookmark this, and if you are a blogger, add it to your side bar.

New Compendium of the Catholic Catechism at vatican.va

If you haven't bought one yet - get it!!! Do it through the Grotto Giftshop and Cafe if you are local, otherwise you can get it at Amazon.com. While you are at it, Fr. Frank Pavone really emphasized the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He said everyone should have a copy of this book, right along side the CCC. Of course, anything out of Ignatius is solid, so you can supplement your study with the Ignatius companion book.

Of Parish Closings/Mergings and "off topic" Detroit Blog

I just ran across this blog about Detroit. H/T to Tim Ferguson in a comment box here at Amy Welborn's Open Book blog. If you are in a parish anywhere, affected by closing, merging, etc., you will be interested in Amy's original post which was about a letter sent by the Congregation for the Clergy to Bishop William Skylstad, which opens as follows:

This Congregation deems it opportune to write to you regarding the closure of parishes in the dioceses of the United States, since in recent times certain dioceses have wrongly applied canon 123 CIC and stating that a parish has been "suppressed" when in reality it has been merged or amalgamated.

Dom over at Bettnet followed up with commentary on the letter about parish closings in Boston, many of which he claims have been "suppressed".

Down below this post, we see in the comment box Tim's lead to the Detroit Blog.

Every time I head to Assumption Grotto, I look at all of the old homes, with their beautiful brick work.....empty, boarded up, burned out, etc. Every now and then, amidst a row of homes that look like they had been through a war, is an oasis. It will have a neatly manicured lawn, nice looking trim and painting. Most often it has grates over the windows, but sometimes just thick security glass.

There's actually a piece of me that would love to have one of those old homes. But, I have to wonder, what happens when the sun goes down? How long will it take police or EMS to get to my home if I call? How long will trash sit out in the street? I have seen the same TV sitting at a curb for probably 6 weeks in front of one house, along with much smaller items that just kept getting passed-up on garbage day. Other homes were in need of a large trash bin. What is sickening are the poor children who must play around these things because they are not being dealt with by the city. Why not use inmates?

This blog is rather interesting - especially the opening shot in this archive post with the trees growing on top of the old abandoned building. Click the picture to go there.

The text is rather interesting to read....

Dogs and cats aren’t the only animals roaming the city; true wildlife has made its way back into Detroit after being pushed to the edges of the suburbs years ago. Pheasants have become commonplace in areas like Brush Park and Woodbridge, along the East riverfront, and in grassy parts of Highland Park. Even foxes, opossums, turkeys, roosters and raccoons have been spotted deep inside the city, some animals even roaming downtown where very little street-level brush exists as places to hide.

This is sssoooooooooooo true. I almost spit my coffee out while driving to one of the automotive plants downtown upon seeing my first pheasant ever. I didn't know what it was and wondered if something had gotten loose from the zoo. Areas are indeed prairie-like as the author suggests.

Its very saddening that the neighborhoods have to look like they do. I give credit to the many residents who work hard at keeping their property up nicely, which on many streets I cross, is the greater number. On others, there might be only one or two decent houses, and the rest...well, you know.

Who knows - if the economy keeps going the way it is, we may all end up repopulating the place. I hear you can get a home quite cheap there nowadays. I can't imagine why.

Go to the June 29, 2006 entry and you will see some of the most beautiful building work anywhere. It just breaks my heart when I see many of these kinds of buildings abandoned, rather than being gutted on the inside and renovated. These buildings are real classics and remind us of the skillful artistry of those who did such work long ago.

Home Page for the Detroit Blog

Meltdown of Liberal Christianity

Well, I suppose it's not my imagination that all of those pictures involving progressive groups within the Catholic Church are really.......gray. You know, the kind that say abortion under certain circumstances is ok, and want same-sex marriages, among other things that run contrary to Church doctrine and dogma.

Kevin Knight over at NewAdvent.org has a write up that sums it up, and it uses our poor battered Episcopalian brethren in many of the examples. I really do feel for them right now and could never feel more proud that Holy Mother Church has continued to stand her ground despite what the world wants.

"The meltdown of liberal Christianity"
Beliefnet's Charlotte Allen hit one out of the park in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. Here are a few quotes, but you really should go read the whole piece:

"The accelerating fragmentation of the strife-torn Episcopal Church USA, in which several parishes and even a few dioceses are opting out of the church, isn't simply about gay bishops, the blessing of same-sex unions or the election of a woman as presiding bishop. It also is about the meltdown of liberal Christianity."

"Embraced by the leadership of all the mainline Protestant denominations, as well as large segments of American Catholicism, liberal Christianity has been hailed by its boosters for 40 years as the future of the Christian church. Instead, as all but a few die-hards now admit, all the mainline churches and movements within churches that have blurred doctrine and softened moral precepts are demographically declining and, in the case of the Episcopal Church, disintegrating."

Continue reading at New Advent, and be sure to click the link to read the whole segment (in the opening line there)

July 9 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 7

Here is the last set of photos from the Day of Recollection which took place on July 9. While a brief, 30 minute Adoration took place, with some 60-75 people remaining after the talk, Confessions were heard, then it ended with this Benediction - the 2nd of the day!









July 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 1

July 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 2

July 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 3

July 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 4

July 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 5

July 2006 Day of Recollection - Photo Post 6

Sandro Magister: Ratzinger’s New Team Trains in the Holy Office

I always check with anticipation for the latest article from Sandro Magister. He has many on Vatican affairs. In his July 15, article he speaks about the new team in the Holy Office. I'll get you started here and you can follow the link:

Dias, Bertone, Lajolo, Lombardi... Appointment by appointment, Benedict XVI is changing the face of the Church’s central governance. At the center is the pope himself, and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, July 14, 2006 – Benedict XVI’s second summer as pope opened with a lightning visit to Valencia, Spain, and will close with a visit to his native land of Bavaria, from September 9 to 14. He has already announced, after his return to Rome, that his first act of governance will be the change of the secretary of state, with cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (see photo) replacing cardinal Angelo Sodano.

Benedict XVI’s initial plans did not include making the announcement as early as he did, with an official statement last June 22. But the resistance he encountered within the curia convinced him to nip the opposition in the bud.

Bertone is not a career diplomat – as almost all the secretaries of state have been in recent centuries - but he comes from the ranks of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of which he was the secretary from 1995 to 2003. He was the number two man, with Joseph Ratzinger as prefect, and now he is again becoming the main collaborator of the new pope.

continue reading Magister 15JL06