L.A. Catholic

Hi and hola, after a while away from the blog

2010-11-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hi, hola, and thank you very, very much for checking in here.

For the last four months, since July, I've been not posting, because of extra pressures of trying to earn a living. But I'll try to post again sometimes, "like we did last summer" (did you ever hear of that dance craze song from the Sixties, "Let's Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer?").

But today is the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of bishops, so let's ask this great saint to pray for all our intentions today and every day.

Let's keep our Cardinal, our Coadjutor, our bishops, all our clergy and all our religious in our prayers, and all our lay people, too.

Also, let's keep in prayer the success of the pro-life baby-savers in this Archdiocese, saints among us.

Que Dios te bendiga! / God bless you!

Happy Third Anniversary, Summorum Pontificum! Many happy returns!

2010-07-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 7 July 2007 Pope Benedict XVI issued an Apostolic Letter on the celebration of the Roman Rite according to the Missal of 1962. Click on this post's title for the unofficial Vatican Information Service translation of the official Latin text.

Here are resources for the Traditional Latin Mass:
http://www.ewtn.com/liturgy/traditional/Resources.htm

It's great to hear from many sources that around the USA and the world, more and more seminarians and young priests are learning the Traditional Latin Mass / Extraordinary Form Mass.

It's also great to recall that Pope Benedict XVI has asked seminaries to teach Latin so seminarians will be able to say the Latin Mass and sing Gregorian Chant.

But as we know, many in our hierarchy and clergy had their formation in the 1960's and 1970's. Those were the worst "spirit [sic] of Vatican II" / "new [sic] theology" / loosey-goosey decades of dissent and "throw the baby out with the bath water" error.

Sadly, too many of those members of the hierarchy and clergy are still stuck in that remote, bygone, irrelevant era. They need to update themselves.

They need to see that young people have good ideas. They need to open their minds to new ideas, fresh ideas.

Our hierarchy and clergy need to drop their rigidity and their prejudices against the Latin Mass. They need to start learning about the Latin Mass and all it has to offer themselves and all our fellow Catholics.

They need to become more pastoral and start fostering the Latin Mass in their dioceses and their parishes.

Change is hard for some people. But our hierarchy and clergy need to stop being afraid of change. They need to try new things.

That's what Summorum Pontificum is all about.

Archbishop says: You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion

2010-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

First off: Thank you very much for being faithful to this blogspot and for being patient with Ole Q for not posting for a couple of weeks. Now:

"You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion!" That's the slogan we see on the t-shirts of pro-life Catholic young people (and older ones, too).

Catholic young people, as a matter of fact, such as those noble young souls whom ushers a while back wouldn't let enter the Cathedral here (no, not St. Vibiana, which, sadly, is history) because they (the pro-lifers, not the ushers) wore those t-shirts.

(The powers that be finally did let the pro-life kids enter God's house that day.)

If memory serves, the usher fuss was at the not exactly edifying service in the Cathedral for the inauguration of pro-abortion, pro-homosexual-agenda Tony Villar, aka Antonio Villaraigosa, as our alcalde / mayor.

By the way, and it's neither here nor there, but far-left-wingers used to call presidential inaugurations in-hog-urations -- until they got one of their own, BHO, elected.

Anyway, pro-life teenagers who proclaim, "You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion!" now have some company: Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis.

You can see what he said in his column in the July 6 issue of his newspaper, the St. Louis Review (click on this post's title). Here are excerpts:

"Since the first century, the Church has addressed the moral evil of abortion and the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb. People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment.

"You cannot be 'pro-choice' (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing. That's why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion. We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life.

"The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said, 'God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and human life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes' ('Gaudium et Spes,' No. 51.3). "

So: "You cannot be 'pro-choice' (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing."

Sure would be nice if every Ordinary of every See in the USA would say the same thing, no?

Anyone who truly cares about Hispanics in this country will start warning us that the Democrats and liberal Republicans are our mortal enemies

2010-06-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Far too many Americans, and especially Hispanics, think the Democrats and the liberal Republicans are their friends.

They need to hear otherwise; they need to hear reality, the truth.

No one can say any longer that the Democrats and the liberal Republicans are friends to Americans and to Hispanics in particular -- not that they ever could say that in the last nearly 40 years.

Everyone -- lay Catholics, religious, deacons, clergy, bishops -- needs to start telling people, openly and loudly and in no unmistakable terms, that the Democrats and the liberal Republicans are nothing less than their mortal enemies.

They are our mortal enemies because they promote and fund the abortions of our babies, and they promote the family-destroying homosexual takeover agenda.

We already knew that Obama, for example, is an abortion extremist.

We also knew that Obama, for example, is a homosexual-agenda extremist. But look at these two new proofs of that from just the past 30 days or so:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-mothers-day

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-fathers-day

Yes, these are this year's Mother's Day and Father's Day presidential proclamations.

You will see that Obama has perverted each of these beloved national holidays. He has injected the homosexual takeover agenda into them.

He has done so by praising mothers and fathers, respectively, but including "two mothers" and "two fathers" among them.

That is sick.

Yes, all of us, lay Catholics, deacons, religious, clergy and bishops, will fail to do our duty to our fellow Americans, including Hispanics, if we do not give them the truth -- namely, that Democrats and liberal Republicans are threats to their babies, their families, their morality, their religious liberty, and their way of life.

Bishops fret about "judgmental" blogspots

2010-06-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

On June 3, our own Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, who heads our U.S. Bishops’ communications committee, addressed the annual Catholic Media Association convention.

His topic was, "What Does It Mean To be a Faithful Catholic Media Organization in the 21st Century?" (Click on this post's title.)

Bishop Zavala said:

"...I also do not think that we should...simply say that faithful Catholic media organizations are those who engage in apologetics to defend bishops at all costs. That is too simplistic and does not respect the intelligence of Catholics in North America. They deserve a Catholic media that takes a more nuanced perspective."

He also said:

"...I do not believe that faithful Catholic media organizations should present themselves as speaking for the Magisterium. Only the Magisterium can speak for the Magisterium. While this sounds self-evident, it bears saying because there appear to be some organizations who do not see this point."

But when the bishop said, "Only the Magisterium can speak for the Magisterium," did he mean that no one may ever quote from the Magisterium?

Seriously -- is it wrong for people to quote the Magisterium against, say, aborting babies, committing sodomy, giving pro-abortion politicians Communion?

And if you quote from the Magisterium, are you really presenting yourself "as speaking for the Magisterium?" Seriously -- are Catholics to act as if the Magisterium is not for them to know about and discuss and find of relevance to the Church and the world?

Bishop Zavala also said:

“There was consistent agreement [among the bishops] that one aspect that is most alarming to us about media is when it becomes unchristian and hurtful to individuals. For example, we are particularly concerned about blogs that engage in attacks and hurtful, judgmental language.

"We are very troubled by blogs and other elements of media that assume the role of Magisterium and judge others in the Church. Such actions shatter the communion of the Church that we hold so precious.”

Now, I'd like to think that in mentioning "blogs that engage in attacks and hurtful, judgmental language" and "blogs and other elements...that assume the role of Magisterium and judge others in the Church," Bishop Zavala was talking about all the dissenters who pour vitriol, name-calling, mockery and false charges upon pro-orthodoxy, pro-Latin Mass and pro-life Catholics.

After all, there is no one who makes attacks, uses hurtful language, judges others and confers infallibility upon themselves (but not upon the Pope) more than liberal Catholics do.

I'm sure the bishop knows that when pro-Tradition and pro-life Catholics carefully point out blatant problems and urge faithfulness to the Magisterium as the solution, that is not being "judgmental" or "shattering communion." To do those things is not to judge the state of anyone's soul; and it is seeking to repair unity that dissenters have shattered.

All Catholic bloggers need to pray, to seek the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to proceed in charity, justice and truth.

God bless Bishop Zavala and all our bishops. We owe them obedience and love, and let's keep them all in our prayers. Amen!

Deposition released

2010-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today's L.A. Times has a story (click on this post's title) about the release of Cardinal Roger Mahony's deposition from this past January 25 in the Michael Baker case.

The Times article reports this:

"Asked about confidential files kept by the archdiocese vicar for clergy prior to his arrival in Los Angeles in 1985, Mahony said he never looked into the dossiers of reported molestations by priests. He said he preferred to get acquainted with the clergy in his domain through personal interaction."

Cleveland archbishop plans to close 50 beautiful churches. What can we learn from this?

2010-06-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Lennon of Cleveland is closing 50 parishes and their beautiful churches, as the L.A. Times reported (click on this post's title) yesterday.

The parishioners do not believe the archdiocese's claims that the closings are "necessary."

Cleveland's so-called ethnic parishes are being hardest hit. Their parishioners, many of them, are from Eastern Europe. Some are valiant Hungarian Freedom Fighters who fled Hungary after the Hungarian Revolution against the atheistic Communists in 1956.

What is wrong with this picture?

Mosques are going up across the USA.

Protestant Evangelicals get many Catholics to apostasize from the True Faith.

So do Protestant Pentecostals, sects, Buddhism, New Age.

They are growing. And how is our Catholic Church doing?

Our American Catholic hierarchy is finding any and every excuse to shut down our Catholic churches everywhere -- hundreds, by now. And our parochial schools. And our seminaries, including right here in our Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Many of the closings around the USA are, and have been, of stable and even thriving parishes. These parishes typically have beautiful, majestic, traditional, and obviously Catholic churches -- exactly the kind that far too many in our hierarchy and clergy despise.

Bishops who close parishes claim they don't have enough money anymore. Why is there not enough money?

Well, the gargantuan sex abuse settlements, of course. But also...

Don't look now, but we have many fewer Catholics around than we used to, many fewer than we should have. Why?

Many Catholic bishops and many, many Catholic priests thought they were so smart and so trendy in 1968 when they publicly, and in their confessionals, defied Pope Paul VI and disobeyed his pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-woman, anti-contraception encyclical letter Humanae Vitae.

Now they, and we, are reaping the harsh and evil consequences of their aping the wicked way of the world and disregarding God's providence and plans for our well-being.

We have too few Catholics today. Unnaturally too few!

Countless Catholics contracept out of existence the children God plans to give them. Countless Catholics abort the children God gives them. They are endangering their souls with these sins.

Catholic pro-lifers prophetically warned, right from the start and all along, that this would happen if American Catholics disobeyed Humanae Vitae.

Catholic pro-lifers are right, but Catholic liberals never listen to them.

Our Church in America needs to make a formal apology to all Catholics for being pro-contraception, and to make a major push against contraception.

This is all the more urgent because so many Catholics coming here from other countries are liable to start endangering their souls by contracepting and aborting their children.

Things would start getting better if all Catholics trusted God and obeyed Catholic truth... and listened to pro-lifers.

Will Cardinal's deposition be released soon?

2010-06-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Probably you saw any of several stories (click on this post's title) late last week that a judge wants Cardinal Mahony's deposition from this past January released soon.

We'll see what happens.

The D.A.'s office wrote a report

2010-06-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

Did you see the L.A. Times article (click on this post's title) last Wednesday about a May 26 three-page report from the L.A. District Attorney's office on the L.A. clergy abuse scandals?

The Times article says:

"In its eight-year investigation of sexual abuse by clergymen, Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's office has found information suggesting possible 'criminal culpability' by leaders of the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese, but lacks enough evidence to bring charges, according to a memorandum released Tuesday...

"The document, written by the prosecutor who heads the investigation, William Hodgman, says statutes of limitations make the 'prospect of developing any criminal case' against archdiocese officials 'more and more remote with each passing day'...

"Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg said in an e-mail that 'any suggestion of criminal conduct is totally false and without factual basis.'"

Cooley, by the way, is a candidate in the primary election this Tuesday. He wants to be the Republican nominee for California attorney general.

RealClearPolitics ran an AP article that was reporting on the L.A. Times article. The AP story is at: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/us_news/2010/Jun/02/da__insufficient_evidence_found_to_charge_cardinal.html

Let's keep praying for our Archdiocese.

The L.A. Times actually had a Catholic-friendly article last week

2010-05-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Did you see the L.A. Times article (click on this post's title) last Wednesday about St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Reseda and its pastor, Fr. Paul Griesgraber, and the parishioners?

It's pretty good!

News stories and photos for the Reception Mass for Archbishop Gomez

2010-05-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

Click on this post's title for the L.A. Times story.

See the Daily Breeze story here: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_15169180?source=rss

See the Daily News story here: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15166706

KABC photos are here: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news&id=7464109&photo=3

Watch the welcoming Mass for Archbishop Gomez

2010-05-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Click on this post's title to watch today's (May 26) historic welcoming Mass. (I don't know how long this video will be available online like this.)

There were many touching moments in the Mass, of course.

It was so great when Archbishop Gomez entrusted us all to Nuestra Senora -- Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Let's keep praying for our Archdiocese, for Archbishop Gomez, for Cardinal Mahony, and for all our bishops and priests and deacons. Let's pray too for all consecrated religious and all laity.

The Year for Priests is drawing to a close, but let's perpetuate it and remember all priests, always, with this tremendous prayer

2010-05-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

This venerable prayer is on the great blogspot A Catholic Mom in Hawaii (click on this post's title):

Prayer: Year for Priests
O Jesus, Eternal Priest;
keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your
Sacred Heart, where none may harm them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands
which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood.
Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the
sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood.
Let Your holy love surround them and shield them
from the world's contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit,
and may the souls to whom they have ministered to
be their joy and consolation
and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us;
obtain for us many holy priests.

Archbishop Gomez's welcoming Mass is this Wednesday

2010-05-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

The big day is almost here -- and by the way, I'm sorry for not posting for almost two weeks. Please forgive me, and I'll try to do much better.

Yes, the big day is almost here, the welcoming Mass for Archbishop Gomez. Have you seen Rocco Palmo's predictions about it (click on this post's title)?

Lots of info there, including this:

"The rite is rare: only twice before has an American cardinal ever welcomed the coadjutor who would succeed him... and only once since 1890 has it taken place on these shores."

Mr. Palmo predicts the Mass will be "Congress"-style but -- gasp! -- will have some Latin.

He says the Mass will be webstreamed. I'll try to find out where, or maybe you already know?

Our Lady, Queen of the Angels, pray for our Archdiocese, for Archbishop Gomez, for Cardinal Mahony and for all our bishops!

Remember to keep Archbishop Gomez in our prayers every day, and Cardinal Mahony too, and all our L.A. bishops. Here are prayers for bishops...

2010-05-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're a good pray-er and already praying daily for Archbishop Gomez, Cardinal Mahony and all our L.A. bishops. But maybe someone else needs to hear a reminder like this.

So, let us pray / oremus / oremos!

Click on this post's title to read about Archbishop Gomez.

Here is a prayer for bishops that was posted on the Catholic Answers forum in 2004:

Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your Apostles to proclaim the Good News with Peter at their head and you strengthened them with the Holy Spirit. Remind us that our bishops are appointed by that same Spirit and are the successors of the Apostles as Pastors of Souls.

Together with the Pope and under his authority they have been sent throughout the world to continue your work. Help our bishop to teach all members of his diocese, to sanctify them in the truth, and to give them your nourishment.

Make us obey his teachings and love him as the Church obeys and loves you. May we remain united with him, growing in faith and love, and attain eternal life with you. Amen.

Here is a Knights of Columbus prayer, from the same 2004 source:

Heavenly Father, in these trying times when the spirit of the age threatens Christian values, give our (arch)bishop holiness of life and wisdom to direct and guide our (arch)diocesan family so that we may grow in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

And here is a Diocese of Orange (County) prayer for bishops, from the same 2004 source:

Heavenly Father, in (Arch)Bishop N., you send us a shepherd in the model of your Son.

Hear our prayer for (Arch)Bishop N., as he asks your grace in this time of need.

Purify him, Lord. Make him strong, loving and wise. Remake his shepherd's heart once again: conformed to the Sacred Heart of your Son, who knows his sheep, whose sheep know him, and who alone can lead us through the valley of death.

Fill (Arch)Bishop N. with your heavenly gifts. May he show Christ's compassion to all who are in pain. May he be the sure path to God for all who are lost. May he preach the unwavering Gospel to the victims of lies and sin.

May he show patience and sound teaching to those confused and afraid. May he show Christ the teacher to those who know no hope. May he show Christ's healing to those caught up in sin's deceit. May he be the gentle good shepherd to the victims of violence and abuse.

Make him a good shepherd, Lord. May he repent of his sins and accept your mercy. May he consecrate himself to the truth with the strength of your grace. May he worthily celebrate the Sacred mysteries and wisely govern and protect your Holy Church. May he know the peace of those who do your will and the fortitude entrusted to him by Holy Orders. May he know his sheep, and knowing him, may they be led to you, through Christ Jesus, your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.

The U.S. Left hates and excludes refugees, and lots of them: The anti-Communist,, liberty-loving ones, who deserve first place in line

2010-05-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

Nobody should imagine that U.S. Leftists are really "pro-immigrant" and want to let everyone into the USA. On the contrary, they have fought to keep many deserving people out.

The Left does not want in our country anyone who's a refugee from Communism.

By "Left" I naturally include the jerks who were toting all those RED flags at the pro-illegal alien marches and rallies around the USA last Saturday, including the one right here in L.A.

The RED flag, of course, is the Communist flag. "The people's flag is deepest red," goes the Communist lyric.

Now, I admit I didn't see any hammer-and-sickle symbols on those RED flags. And some people who were toting those RED flags might be naive and might attempt some explanation about their RED flags. Nevertheless...

And by "Left" I also include the marchers who were giving the clenched-fist salute.

The clenched fist is a COMMUNIST salute. For example, look up the photo of JFK's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, as he gives the very same clenched-fist salute after his arrest.

Granted, many people who give the clenched-fist salute don't know its Communist nature and origin. Still, it's more than safe to say that anyone who uses it is a leftist.

But to my main point: The list is long, indeed, of people whom U.S. leftists, including liberals in our federal government, despise and have kept out of our USA, and continue to.

You won't find much documentation on it, but in 1946 and 1947 the U.S. and British governments, in their Operation Keelhaul, used literal brutality to force 2 million displaced persons (including families, women, children) and POWs into immediate mass execution, torture, rape, and slave labor by Stalin's Communist murderers. Some of the victims were brutally keelhauled to Stalin even though they were in the USA -- at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Various U.S. administrations have refused entrance to many, many anti-Communist refugees, such as the Montagnards and Hmong who fought alongside us in Vietnam; Vietnamese; Laotians; Central Americans; and Cubans.

Yes, some have gotten in, but far, far too many have not and have paid a dire price.

Pinko Bill Clinton ended the longstanding traditional U.S. pro-freedom policy of welcoming to our shores the brave Cuban refugees who risk their very lives for liberty. He had the Coast Guard capture them and keelhaul them back to the Communist Castro regime. Disgracefully, George W. Bush continued that injustice. And of course, Barack H------ Obama to this day continues to keelhaul freedom-loving Cuban refugees back to Communist tyranny.

So let's remember that many people who claim to be for "immigration" hate and exclude lots of immigrants: the liberty-loving anti-Communists of the world.

An update about the archdiocesan personnel files

2010-05-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today's (Tuesday) L.A. Times has an article (click on this post's title) with the latest on the L.A. Archdiocesan personnel files.

"Why don't they come legally? They can't"

2010-05-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

That is the title of an April 29 column (click on this post's title) by Andres Oppenheimer in the Miami Herald.

He argues that the problem is that the U.S. legal-immigration system is dysfunctional, thanks to small quotas for unskilled workers and U.S. government bureaucrats' huge backlogs for processing immigration applications.

Columnist George Will vs. Cardinal Mahony's comments

2010-05-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

In a column (click on this post's title) in today's Washington Post, pundit George Will criticizes L.A.'s Cardinal Roger Mahony's comments about the Arizona law.

I don't have time now to evaluate Will's column, but I wonder if Cardinal Mahony or Tod Tamberg will respond to it.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York City has criticized the Arizona law as being prompted by "nativism" -- sorry, I don't have a link to his essay right now.

Cardinal Mahony attended the immigration march

2010-05-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Our Cardinal Roger Mahony attended the immigration march, the L.A. Times says (click on this post's title).

The march, with possibly 60,000 attending, was smaller than expected, the Times said in another article.

Notice that the Times refused to even mention the huge, 400,000-strong March for Life of this past January in Washington, D.C.

Arizona modified that law already

2010-05-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

The state government of Arizona quickly modified its law about illegal aliens, reports the L.A. Times (click on this post's title):

"Lawmakers on Thursday night changed the language to require scrutiny only of people who police stop, detain or arrest.

"They also changed a section of the bill that barred officers from 'solely' using race as grounds for suspecting someone is in the country illegally; opponents had argued that that would allow race to be a factor. The legislators removed the word 'solely' to bar race from being used by officers enforcing the law."

Opponents of the law say these changes are "cosmetic" and not enough.

The Holy See will appoint a special delegate and commission to overhaul the Legionaries of Christ

2010-05-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

In a notably blunt statement yesterday, the Holy See announced that Pope Benedict XVI will select a special delegate and commission to overhaul the Legionaries of Christ, and that he will name a visitator to Regnum Christi.

To read Vatican Radio's English translation of the announcement, click on this post's title.

The Holy See's statement concludes with this encouraging note:

"...7. Finally, to all Legionaries of Christ, their families, committed lay people in the Regnum Christi movement, the Holy Father renews his encouragement during this difficult time for the Congregation and each one of them. He urges them not to lose sight that their vocation, which originated from Christ’s call and is animated by the ideal to witness his love to the world, is a true gift from God, a treasure for the Church, the indestructible foundation on which to build their personal future and that of the Legion."

May all go well during the overhaul process. Oremus.

Charlotte Allen demolishes the anti-Catholics

2010-05-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

In a magnificent op-ed piece (click on this post's title) in today's L.A. Times, Charlotte Allen exposes the hypocrisy and contradictions of the anti-Catholic bigots who are attacking the Church and the Holy Father.

Charlotte Allen hits the nail on the head when she writes:

"The latest round of abuse allegations, only one of which can be said to have occurred on Ratzinger's watch, aren't really about supposed Vatican cover-ups of sexual exploitation of children by clerics.

"They are yet another effort to discredit the Roman Catholic Church wholesale by people whose beefs with Catholicism rest on entirely different grounds — namely that it forbids abortion and homosexual conduct, it doesn't allow women to be priests, and it requires men who enter the priesthood to remain celibate."

Great op-ed, Charlotte!

Holy See okays Third Edition of the Roman Missal

2010-04-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Our U.S. bishops announced today (click on this post's title) that the Holy See has okayed the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

Roman Missal workshops are now taking place in dioceses around the USA to help teach priests and diocesan leaders how to prepare parishioners for the new translation.

One workshop is scheduled for the Diocese of Orange, on June 21-22. Another is scheduled for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, on August 24-25.

Let's pray for peace

2010-04-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

Let's pray for peace and civility here in L.A. tomorrow, and in Phoenix. May those who are against the new Arizona law not resort to hate speech and violence.

Notice that the liberal politicians and "news" media call the peaceful people who go to Tea Party rallies "angry" and "violent" and "stirring up hate," but they do not say that about the far-left rioters of recent years who did so much damage in the downtowns of Seattle and Pittsburgh.

Pray for peace, and for protection for everyone, tomorrow, May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Pope Benedict will visit Fatima, May 11-14

2010-04-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hope you'll be able to watch on EWTN when Pope Benedict visits Fatima May 11-14.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us poor sinners who have recourse to thee! Amen.

Pope Benedict to visit Holy Shroud this weekend

2010-04-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

Hope you can watch EWTN this Saturday and Sunday as Pope Benedict goes to Turin to visit the Holy Shroud.

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Amen.

Meeting tomorrow about the Legionaries of Christ

2010-04-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've heard them, too -- reports that the Pope will meet tomorrow with the task force, including Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, who have investigated the Legionaries of Christ.

There will be a statement from the Vatican about the meeting, the reports say, but whatever action is to be taken will be announced later and the Pope will be the one deciding, of course.

Cardinal Levada on apologetics

2010-04-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Zenit daily news bulletin reports on a talk that our Cardinal William Levada from L.A., the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave today at a conference about "A New Apologetics for a New Millennium."

Cardinal Levada said, "A new apologetics for the new millennium should focus on the beauty of God's creation.... we must pay greater attention to the mystery and the beauty of Catholic worship, of a sacramental vision of the world that lets us recognize and value the beauty of creation as a foreshadowing of the new heavens and the new earth."

Zenit reports that Cardinal Levada concluded with these words:

"... it should be possible after all to find the truth of the mind and of the heart in just such a dialogue where there emerges what Christians have learned to be the mind and strength and heart and soul of the Gospel revealed in Jesus: that God is love, and that our creation in God's image and likeness makes all humanity able to love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourselves."

It is nice, isn't it, to hear Cardinal Levada speak of the need to pay more attention to the mystery and beauty of Catholic worship. Somehow, when I hear those words, the Latin Mass comes to mind; how about you?

It would be nice if the cardinal's mentions of emphasizing "the beauty of creation" and of "our creation in God's image and likeness" would prompt more Catholics to include preborn babies in the mix when they think and pray about and act upon those things.

So let's you and I give witness, in our example and words every day, to the rights, dignity and profound worth of God's beautiful preborn babies and the place they deserve in everyone's heart and mind and soul.

Loyola Marymount defies U.S. bishops by naming pro-aborts as commencement speakers

2010-04-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

Loyola Marymount University has invited two pro-aborts to give its commencement addresses this year, the online California Catholic Daily reported yesterday (click on this post's title).

The two selectees are Deval Patrick, the governor of Taxachusetts, and Marlene Canter, a former member of the board of the L.A. Unified School District.

Both Patrick and Miss Canter also support homosexual pseudo-marriage, the Daily reports.

As the Daily points out, in June 2004 our U.S. bishops stipulated, in their document, “Catholics in Political Life,” that:

“The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” [emphasis in original]

Um, don't look now, LMU, but making someone your commencement speaker is giving them a platform. It is also honoring them. If you don't care what the U.S. bishops say, how about caring about all the little unborn babies whose slayings America's pro-aborts make possible?

Bishop Edward Slattery's unforgettable sermon at the historic Latin Mass in the National Shrine

2010-04-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

Did you see, on EWTN this past Saturday afternoon, the Tridentine Pontifical High Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception?

Deo gratias that the Mass of the Ages was celebrated at the Shrine once again after more than 40 years in exile. The holy and reverent rite, in the beautiful Latin tongue of the universal Catholic Church, was seen and heard once more, at long last.

The huge Shrine, which holds 7,000, was full, and many of the congregation were young Catholics. So much for the anti-Latin Mass propaganda that nobody, especially any young person, could love the Latin Mass.

Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, the celebrant, gave a holy sermon, and you can find it, hear it and read the text of it at Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's excellent blogspot (click on this post's title).

Fr. Zuhlsdorf was a commentator on EWTN's live telecast of the historic Latin Mass. On his blogspot he has a photo of himself with Fr. John Trigilio at dinner afterwards; they look happy indeed, and they deserve to.

Wonder when the Latin Mass will next be celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels here in ole L.A.? Imagine...

Cardinal Mahony in the news

2010-04-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today's L.A. Times carries some letters to the editor (click on this post's title) about our Cardinal Roger Mahony's comments last Sunday about the Arizona bill to take on illegal immigration.

You can see the cardinal's comments at his blogspot: http://cardinalrogermahonyblogsla.blogspot.com/

Now, the whole matter of people who enter the USA illegally is a thorny one. Ole Q is not supporting the Arizona bill (which is now the law in that state), and he does not hold with roundups and mass deportations. Ole Q also decries all racism, of course, and sympathizes with poor people who seek a chance to better their lives.

So do not accuse me of supporting any of those things, if I nevertheless point out some puzzling things about Cardinal Mahony's comments on illegal immigration, now and in the past.

Invariably he just says, "immigrants." He does not distinguish between immigrants who enter the USA legally and those who enter illegally. Is there really no difference?

He does not cite Catholic teachings that countries have a right to maintain their territorial integrity and that immigrants must respect a country's laws. (Refugees are a different case.)

He does not express even a syllable of sympathy and respect for American citizens in his flock and of every faith who are struggling to support their families in the face of rampant job losses and unemployment, and a recession / depression, and yet are expected to keep doing so under soon-to-increase, ever-more-oppressive taxation, much of it for social spending.

Is there any limit to the tax burden that American breadwinners are expected to absorb? (And by "American breadwinners" I'm including all immigrants who come here legally -- which they do with difficulty and at great sacrifice.)

He never explains whether there is any limit whatsoever to the number of people from other countries whom the American people are expected to support. (He rightly points out that "immigrants" contribute to the economy, but he does not point out the equal truth that "immigrants" create a burden on welfare, education, and medical systems.)

On a related note, the cardinal asks this question: "The Census Bureau reports that every day a minimum of 10,000 baby boomers retire. How are we going to provide the labor pool to fill all of these jobs in the coming years?"

Well, we would not be in that fix, of having too few American workers around, if our U.S. (and specifically L.A.) hierarchy and clergy had for the past 42 years, since the wise and beautiful encyclical Humanae Vitae, taught all Catholics, from the pulpit and in Confession, the eternal truths that artificial contraception and sterilization are grave sins and are not negotiable.

Nor would we be in that fix if our hierarchy and clergy had for the past 42 years recognized and spoken against the contraceptive mentality, the anti-life, anti-child, pagan mindset.

We would have lots more Catholic American workers and breadwinners and taxpayers around today if our shepherds had shepherded us rightly according to Catholic pro-life truth.

Now, once again, let me emphasize again -- Ole Q loves and respects everyone and is not anti-immigrant; he just believes we have to take everyone into account and work out solutions for the common good of all, including beleaguered American citizens-taxpayers-breadwinners.

Fr. Pavone applauds Archbishop Gomez

2010-04-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today's Los Angeles Times (click on this post's title) has an excellent letter to the editor from Fr. Frank Pavone, the founder and national director of Priests for Life. Here it is:

"Anyone chosen to take over as leader of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles must be 'concerned about doctrinal purity,' as Loyola professor Father Thomas P. Rausch put it in The Times, and should insist that Catholics adhere to church teachings on abortion and other issues.

"It's hard to tell if Rausch agrees this is a good thing, but at Priests for Life, we applaud the selection of Archbishop Gomez to lead Catholics in 'laid-back Southern California.'

"To have someone with an unambiguous commitment to life leading the nation's largest diocese can only help our cause, which is saving the lives of thousands of babies every day.

"Also, a bishop has every right, indeed an obligation, to inject the church into national debates. Pope Benedict XVI has given us a clear mandate to do so.

"Father Frank Pavone
Staten Island, N.Y.
The writer is national director of Priests for Life."

In defense of Archbishop Gomez and the priesthood

2010-04-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

The Sacred Page blogspot (click on this post's title) in the last few days has run some good defenses of Archbishop Gomez and the Catholic priesthood itself.

Good sign: The L.A. Times's Tim Rutten is worried about Archbishop Gomez

2010-04-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

L.A. Times columnist Tim Rutten, a liberal, is really worried (click on this post's title) about Archbishop Jose Gomez. That's a good sign!

Rutten says, "Mahony is the last of the politically progressive, pastorally centered American prelates selected in the wake of Vatican II. Gomez belongs to a traditionalist generation."

Rutten frets that Archbishop Gomez's appointment could be "disruptive" and could bring "wrenching" changes to us L.A. Catholics, such as maintaining distinctions between priests and laymen.

Rutten smears Opus Dei at length and is upset about Archbishop Gomez's links to it. He also doesn't like the Archbishop's "close association" with pro-life Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, who, says Rutten, practices "confrontational leadership" -- in other words, he doesn't pal around with Catholic pro-abortion politicians, he says they should be denied Communion.

And the editorialists at the Times are spouting advice already:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bishop7-2010apr07,0,6057074.story

They say they hope Archbishop Gomez won't be "confrontational" and will have "circumspection" like Cardinal Mahony in not "calling on pro-choice [sic; read, "pro-abortion"] Catholic politicians not to take Holy Communion."

Let's keep Archbishop Gomez in prayer, and Cardinal Mahony and all our Archdiocese.

Habemus Coadjutorem!

2010-04-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ole Q isn't quite sure what the accusative case of "coadjutor" is, but never mind that. Our Archdiocese of Los Angeles now has a coadjutor archbishop (click on this post's title).

He is Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, 58, of San Antonio, and the word is that he loves the Latin Mass and he very publicly opposed Notre Dame's honoring of Obama last year. He was ordained a priest in the Opus Dei Prelature in Spain in 1978.

Archbishop Gomez will succeed Cardinal Mahony early next year.

Cardinal Mahony introduced Archbishop Gomez at a news conference at the Cathedral this morning at 10. A Mass of Reception for Archbishop Gomez will take place May 26.

Included in Archbishop Gomez's official statement are the following words:

"Los Angeles, like no other city in the world, has the global face of the Catholic Church.

"That fact invites us to do two things: first, to thank God for our diversity and the energy it creates; and second, to commit ourselves more deeply to the things that unite us – a zeal for Jesus Christ; confidence in the Gospel; reverence for the Eucharist; service to the poor; defense of the unborn child, the immigrant and the disabled; and a love for the Church as our mother and teacher. These are the things that have purified and renewed the Church in every generation... [emphasis added]

"To Cardinal Mahony I promise my fraternal love and fidelity, and all the energy of my days. To my brother bishops, priests and deacons, I promise to listen well and learn well. And I promise to love and support you as a brother. Please pray for me that I serve the Church and her people in a manner that honors God, honors them and honors the witness of Cardinal Mahony and his predecessors."

Deo gratias! Let's all pray for Archbishop Gomez, for Cardinal Mahony and our auxiliary bishops, for our clergy, religious, and laity, and for all abortion-targeted babies and their moms throughout our vast archdiocese. Amen.

Some perspective about the Cesar Chavez exhibition at the Cathedral

2010-04-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed the publicity blitz going on about Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), the co-founder, along with pro-abortion Dolores Huerta, of the United Farm Workers union?

He would have been 83 on March 31. Lots of news articles are appearing about him. A report (click on this post's title) notes that the Cathedral is hosting an exhibition about him.

The Los Angeles archdiocesan newspaper at http://www.vida-nueva.com/ had a cover story about Chavez, and other stories about him are in that issue, too.

A campaign, which the far Left is part of, has been going on for two years or more to make March 31 a Cesar Chavez national holiday. That date is already a California observance.

And now it turns out that Obama, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis -- abortion zealots all -- will have the National Park Service study various places, such as Delano, California, as Chavez-oriented possible historic landmarks or even new parts of the national park system. You can read about that here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/02/nation/la-na-cesar-chavez2-2010apr02

My point is simply that Chavez does not deserve the unqualified and uninformed adulation that the Left demands we have for him.

The Left has always loved Chavez, but not all farm workers did. It is obviously true that farm workers were terribly exploited and that they still endure difficult conditions. It is also obvious that they deserve the best representation.

It is also true that Chavez and the UFW did win reforms that have helped farm workers. But the fact remains that many farm workers wanted, and want, nothing to do with the UFW.

And since when is the Left ever a totally sincere defender of workers and ever without ulterior motives?

The following info about Chavez is interesting. (Now, it is from a Wikipedia entry, and we all know that those are not necessarily the best scholarly sources. But we also know that properly footnoted sources in Wikipedia entries are legitimate.) Here goes:

"On a few occasions, concerns that undocumented migrant labor would undermine UFW strike campaigns led to a number of controversial events, which the UFW describes as anti-strikebreaking events, but which have also been interpreted as being anti-immigrant. In 1969, Chávez and members of the UFW marched through the Imperial and Coachella Valleys to the border of Mexico to protest growers' use of undocumented immigrants as strikebreakers... [emphasis added]

"In its early years, Chávez and the UFW went so far as to report undocumented immigrants who served as strikebreaking replacement workers, as well as those who refused to unionize, to the [INS]. [emphasis added]

"In 1973, the United Farm Workers set up a "wet line" along the United States-Mexico border to prevent Mexican immigrants from entering the United States illegally and potentially undermining the UFW's unionization efforts. During one such event in which Chávez was not involved, some UFW members, under the guidance of Chávez's cousin Manuel, physically attacked the strikebreakers, after attempts to peacefully persuade them not to cross the border failed." [emphasis added]

Today's pushers of amnesty for illegals never mention these inconvenient facts.

Of course, the left will smear all criticism of Chavez as being anti-labor, but that charge is obviously not true at all. Quintero wholeheartedly subscribes to Catholic social justice doctrine, which reminds us all that we must believe in and support all the dignity and rights of labor.

We must all remember, too, that of the four sins that Scripture says cry to Heaven for vengeance, two involve sins against workers -- oppressing the poor and cheating workers of their wages. (The other two such sins are murder and sodomy.)

Please come to the 26th annual Good Friday Pro-Life Stations of the Cross in Glendale

2010-04-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

You can do something pro-life this Good Friday, April 2!

Our Lady of Refuge Chapter of Shield of Roses, the tremendously effective baby-saving sidewalk counseling group, invites you to pray with them at their 26th annual Good Friday Stations of the Cross. A padre will be present.

Shield of Roses says the time is 7 p.m. Friday, April 2, and the place is outside the Glendale abortion center, 372 W. Arden Avenue between Central and Pacific Avenues.

Shield of Roses also says families and children are welcome, and people should please bring flashlights but NO candles. For more info, phone Geri at 818-242-3912.

Shield of Roses explains:

"Each time we stand outside an abortion facility, we're at the scene of the cross. St. John, St. Mary Magdalene, and the Blessed Mother all stood at the foot of the cross affirming Christ's dignity as He silently suffered and died.

"Even though they could not remove Our Lord from the cross nor relieve His temporal suffering, they remained steadfast, offering Him the dignity that others had tried to strip from Him.

"Witnessing at an abortion facility serves the same purpose. Babies are being led to their deaths. We try to save them; but if that fails, our presence witnesses to the dignity that others try to strip from them."

Now, if you're visiting this site and and are someone who doesn't like Ole Quintero, please don't let your dislike of me influence your view of the wonderful pro-life group Shield of Roses. I'm sure they have no idea that Ole Q even exists, and they certainly don't know I'm plugging their Good Friday pro-life witness. Thank you for listening to my request.

How did you spend your March 21?

2010-03-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

How did you spend your Sunday, March 21?

The online California Catholic Daily reports that Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles says he spent part of his March 21 addressing a big amnesty-for-illegals rally in Washington, D.C.

On his blogspot, the Cardinal tells about his day, praises the rally, and writes this:

"Health care reform passed on Sunday night, and brought millions of people out of the shadows of living without health care coverage. We have reached out to them precisely to include them fully into American life and protections."

As we know, many Catholics spent part of their March 21 praying that the "health [sic] care [sic] reform [sic]" would not pass.

That is because the massive federal takeover of U.S. medical care is extremely anti-life, blatantly unconstitutional, and, some bishops say, against Catholic teaching in many ways.

The federal takeover of medicine will not provide "protections" to lots of Americans, such as the USA's millions of abortion-targeted babies but also the many elderly, ill, and vulnerable people to whom it will deny (ration) necessary and even life-saving treatment.

Maybe the Cardinal mentioned the right to life in his address on March 21. But his blog post does not say so.

What did you do on your March 21?

U.S. Catholic bishops are complicit as the anti-life Catholic politicians run wild

2010-03-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ole Q said it last week: If socialized medicine passes, our Catholic bishops are to blame, because they keep enabling all the defiant Catholic anti-lifers in Congress, just as they have for decades.

Of 136 Catholic Democrat politicians in the House, 127 voted for the anti-life socialized medicine bill last Sunday, March 21. Only nine voted pro-life. That's 94% anti-life, 6% pro-life. (Thanks to Michael Voris of RealCatholicTV.com for the tally.)

Our Catholic bishops are fine with that, obviously. They never actually do anything to the anti-life Catholic politicians. Do they?

Our bishops' inaction constitutes complicity.

Imagine if even just a few more of the Catholic Democrats had voted pro-life. They would have saved the lives of many unborn babies and elderly and vulnerable Americans. And they would have saved all of us from anti-life tyranny.

By the way, big among the Catholic politician anti-lifers, as we know, is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California), shown above (photo from WorldNetDaily).

Did you hear that last Friday, March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, Nancy Pelosi announced to the USA that the day was the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker! Never mind that the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, of course, actually is May 1.

Anti-life fanatic Nancy Pelosi was blasphemously implying that St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Mother and the foster father of Baby Jesus, must be for the Democrats' anti-life socialized medicine tyrannical monstrosity because it would help (hah!) workers.

Like I say, our Catholic bishops are complicit as the anti-life Catholic politicians run wild.

Plans to wreckovate beautiful, traditional St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood

2010-03-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today's (March 22) online California Catholic Daily reports that another of Cardinal Roger Mahony's wreckovations of traditional Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of L.A. is afoot.

The target of the jack-hammering this time is a real treasure: Beautiful, venerable St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood.

The parishioners protested another plan in 2002 and preserved the church until now.

The St. Charles Borromeo Preservation Guild (click on this post's title), which is trying to preserve the church's priceless interior, says the wreckovation plan is to "remodel" the interior and demolish most of the altar rail.

The Guild says:

"We are St. Charles parishioners who love our church and the parish. We want to preserve and retain the following: the current configuration of the sanctuary, including the baldacchino and crucifix; keeping the altar within the sanctuary as it is at present; the altar rail; the forward facing orientation of all pews; kneelers for the pews; private confessionals; the choir loft; the stained glass windows; the baptismal font; all side altars and statues; and the stations of the cross. We further seek restoration of the Blessed Sacrament to its place of honor in the tabernacle behind the altar."

To fight the mayhem, the Guild has a "What you can do" page.

By the way, see the following informative article about what the Holy See said (and did) in 2001 about the notorious Archbishop Rembert Weakland's plot to wreckovate Milwaukee's cathedral:
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=20489

Two books you can look for are:

Ugly as Sin: Why They Changed Our Churches from Sacred Places to Meeting Spaces -- and How We Can Change Them Back Again, by Michael S. Rose

The Renovation Manipulation: Church Counter Renovation Handbook, by Michael S. Rose

On a related note, have you heard about the liberals closing the, I believe, five beautiful traditional churches in Clinton, Iowa, some time ago? They have bulldozed one or more by now and are planning to keep one of the churches -- as a museum of Catholicism.

+ Fr. Paul Marx, O.S.B., Ph.D., the pioneering pro-life missionary, has entered eternal life +

2010-03-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Let us pray for the repose of the soul of the great pro-life missionary, Fr. Paul Marx, O.S.B., Ph.D., who entered eternal life at 8:10 U.S. Central Time this morning, Saturday, March 20.

Steve Mosher, founder of the Population Research Institute, reports that those who were at Fr. Marx's bedside say that at the moment of his death, he stretched forth his hands to Heaven and said, "Take me home."

Click on this post's title to read about Fr. Marx. You can also read about him at the websites of the Population Research Council and Human Life International.

Fr. Marx was born in 1920 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1947. He was a sociologist, and he taught marriage and family life in college. From the start, he was a loyal supporter of Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, and he was a pioneer in pointing out the contraception-abortion link and slamming the contraceptive mentality.

Fr. Marx founded Human Life International three decades ago. He held annual international conferences that drew thousands; and through those meetings and his travels to dozens of countries, he organized effective right to life movements all over the world.

Catholic liberals, including some right here in L.A., disliked and criticized Fr. Marx for upholding Catholic doctrine on contraception, for his fearless and tireless pro-life activism, and for his opposition to Catholic anti-life politicians and their cronies in the hierarchy and clergy.

Fr. Marx used to go right into abortion mills and start counseling the moms in the waiting rooms. When the abortion staffers would ask, "Who are you?" he would reply, "I'm the chaplain."

I don't think Fr. Marx ever actually sat in at a rescue, but he was present at some, and several times he was arrested. One time, the cops who were driving him away said, "Our wives will give us hell for this. Do you think we'll go to hell?" and Fr. Marx replied, "I wouldn't rule it out."

Pope John Paul II received Fr. Marx more than once. The first time, he mischievously asked Fr. Marx, "Is there any of Karl [Marx] in you?" and Fr. Marx replied, humorously, "Only through Adam." Another time, His Holiness called Fr. Marx "The Apostle of Life" and told him, "You are doing the most important work on Earth."

Think of all the little babies welcoming their champion, Fr. Paul Marx, to Heaven.

God rest the soul of heroic and faithful Fr. Paul Marx and raise up many worthy successors to him in the hierarchy, clergy, religious, and laity. Amen.

Did you know Fr. Marx, ever meet him, ever hear him speak, or ever pray with him outside an abortion mill? If you have a chance, please tell us about it.

Hey, liberals, what about our fellow Catholics who are being persecuted by the Vietnamese Red regime even as we speak?

2010-03-18T23:25:00.001-07:00

Did you hear the news -- at http://wwrn.org/articles/32879/ -- that the vile and illegitimate Vietnamese Communist regime this week let Catholic hero Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly, 62 (above, being forcibly silenced by cruel Red thugs in court in 2007), out of one of their prison hell-holes -- temporarily, note! -- because they do not want him to die in their hands?

In the atheistic, totalitarian, Catholic-hating Reds' custody since 2007, brave Father Nguyen has gotten a brain tumor and has suffered three strokes. Now he is outside the prison walls, but he still is not free: The merciless Reds have him under house arrest and they want him back in prison a year from now, after he supposedly gets medical treatment and if he is still alive.

Father Nguyen was serving an eight-year prison sentence given him in 2007 and had previously served 14 years. His crimes were being a faithful Catholic and a defender of individual liberty.

So it is sad indeed that Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony's archdiocesan newspaper, The Tidings, this week runs an essay (click on this post's title), previously published elsewhere, that criticizes liberty-loving Vietnamese exiles.

The essay is by Dr. Michael Downey. The Tidings identifies him as "the Cardinal's Theologian, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Professor of Systematic Theology and Spirituality at St. John's Seminary."

A note says the essay "appears in The Tidings at the request of Cardinal Roger Mahony, Auxiliary Bishop Alex Salazar, Vicar for Ethnic Ministries, and the Archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace."

Downey's essay accuses unnamed Vietnamese exiles of unfairly criticizing Cardinal Pham Minh Man of Saigon because in June 2008 he counseled three Vietnamese bishops against, as the essay puts it, "waving the flag of the [anti-Communist former] Republic of Vietnam" at the Sydney World Youth Day later that year, on the grounds that anyone's flying the flag of Free Vietnam is, the essay says,"a sign of disunity at odds with the spirit of World Youth Day."

The essay says, "[Cardinal] Pham wondered aloud [in a talk with the author]: If Christians are drawn together by the love of Christ, can they not in that love overlook political differences?" [emphasis added]

Sorry, but totalitarianism and hatred of the Faith are far more than "politics."

The essay actually criticizes Vietnamese exiles for their "unequivocal demands for religious freedom in Vietnam." I am not making this up.

The essay also accuses Vietnamese exiles of "efforts...to fuel hatred for 'the Communists' in Vietnam..." It puts the word "Communists" in quotation marks!

And notice the characterization of opposition to Communism as "fuel[ing] hatred."

Now, I am not saying whether anyone's supposed criticism of Saigon's cardinal is correct or incorrect, just or unjust. My concern is that the essay contains not one syllable of mention of, let alone sympathy or admiration for, any of the Vietnamese Reds' prisoners of conscience today.

Maybe the cardinal of Saigon does defend prisoners of conscience and does stand up to the Reds. That would be great. But the essay in The Tidings certainly does not tell us anything about that.

The essay proceeds to say that "the way forward" is in using "gracefulness, moderation, balance and respect for the other."

Don't look now, but that's what Jimmy Carter tried, and on his watch international Communism and its ruthless oppression of the people of the world progressed.

On the other hand, President Ronald Reagan coupled resolute firmness and clear calls for liberty -- "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" -- with personal reconciliation with the Soviet dictator, and the Evil Empire soon crumpled and hundreds of millions of people gained liberty.

Study the photo of Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly above and see what you think about overlooking "political differences" with atheistic, Catholic-hating Communist oppressors.

Let's pray for our fellow Catholics who are imprisoned in Vietnam and around the world for Jesus and the Faith. And let's act on their behalf, through legitimate prisoner of conscience groups.

Let's remember that Almighty God tells us in Sacred Scripture: "Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body." -- Hebrews 13:3. I don't see the word "overlook" there, do you?

If socialized medicine happens, it'll be the bishops' fault

2010-03-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, if Congress passes socialized medicine, it'll be our U.S. bishops' fault. Here's how.

It's now more than 40 years since Catholic politicians, almost all of them Democrat, and numbering in the thousands, have been voting in our national and state legislatures to protect and pay abortionists. As we know, some 52 million babies have paid the ultimate price.

As we also know, in those more than 40 years, tens of millions of Catholic voters have been voting, nationally and locally, every election, for those pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Our U.S. bishops have done nothing -- nothing! -- to actually stop Catholic politicians from perpetuating the mass murder of our preborn babies.

Too, the bishops have done nothing -- nothing! -- to actually stop Catholic voters from keeping the pro-abortion Catholic politicians in office over and over and over.

Too many bishops continue to peddle the discredited but still widely held "broad range of issues" / "seamless garment" rationalization that lets Catholic politicians and voters off the hook as they take the babies' lives and disregard Catholic doctrine that the sanctity of human lives is and must forever be the paramount issue.

Plus, the bishops have actually been telegraphing the message politically in recent months and years that they want the socialized medicine if aborting babies could be kept out of it -- which it can't, of course, because (1) the pro-abortion politicians are deeply wedded to aborting babies and (2) if aborting babies were kept out of it, federal judges would immediately and forever invalidate those provisions as being "unconstitutional," which they are not.

And not only that, the bishops, as a whole, have been silent on all the ways the socialized medicine violates Catholic doctrine.

The bishops, as a whole, say nothing about the socialized medicine's planned denial of care to vulnerable Americans, its government takeover of a sixth of the economy, its totalitarian regimentation of Americans and ending of their privacy and personal autonomy, and its blatant violation of subsidiarity, the Catholic principle that people should be able to run their own lives and that any government actions should be at the level closest to people.

It is absolutely disgraceful that after more than 40 years of mass baby-killing, our bishops still will not excommunicate the 150 or so Catholics in the House and Senate who vote pro-abortion.

It is also absolutely disgraceful that our bishops do not tell Catholic voters they may not perpetuate pro-abortion politicians in office.

So if Congress and Barack H. Obama impose anti-life socialized medicine on you and me and all Americans, you'll know where the blame squarely lies: Our Catholic bishops.

Tricky language

2010-03-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Nowadays we have to be on the alert all the time for language tricks that try to manipulate us into changing our thinking.

Whether it was intended to be so or not, one term introduced years ago amounts to a language trick: When the Mass in the vernacular was introduced to take the place of the venerable Mass in Latin, it got a title in Latin -- "Novus Ordo" ("novus" meaning "new.")

Our bishops have said all dioceses must make every Jan. 22 a day of penance for abortions

2010-03-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right. And they said that in 2001. Here's what went down.

Ole Q has learned that Cardinal Francis George of Chicago wrote all his pastors on the last day of 2009 to ask them to hold right to life observances in their parishes on or around January 22, the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's heinous abortion ukase.

Look at what is in this excerpt from Cardinal George's December 31, 2009, letter to his pastors:

"...my brother bishops and I in 2001 received permission from the Holy See to make the following adaptations to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

"In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.

"The Mass 'For Peace and Justice'... should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day... On January 22, a 'day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life' will be mandatory in the dioceses of the U.S...."

(Okay, so it was Ole Q who put the bishops' words "shall" and "mandatory" in bold face.)

The cardinal also asked his pastors to make sure they arrange things so that "intercessory prayers, bulletin information, and homilies at all Masses that weekend focus on abortion and post-abortion healing."

Finally, Cardinal George said this to his pastors:

"I hope that every parish will offer a Holy Hour for Life or some form of prayerful activity around the January 22 date... Now is also a good time to identify a volunteer in your parish to serve as your Parish Respect Life Coordinator if you do not already have one. My hope is that every parish in the Archdiocese will have an active Respect Life Committee."

Wouldn't it be great to see all this happen in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles?

Adoremus.org is a good Catholic resource

2010-03-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a good Catholic resource about liturgy, Latin, and many other things, visit: www.adoremus.org

For Lent, we can save babies and help moms

2010-02-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

Do you know about 40 Days for Life? It's the babies-saving, moms-helping, 'round-the-clock prayer-and-fasting-outside-abortion-businesses effort (for info, click on this post's title) that's been saving thousands of babies' lives in the last few years around the USA and elsewhere.

One such effort in our Archdiocese that Ole Q has heard of is in Ventura:
http://www.40daysforlife.com/ventura/

Are you in the current (Ash Wednesday-Passion Sunday, Feb. 17-Mar. 28) 40 Days for Life effort in your area? If you are, feel free to comment here to let everyone know how it's going.

And if you're not yet taking part, that's okay -- you can start anytime!

You'll save babies' lives; help moms and dads; deepen your spiritual life; make your Lent extra-fruit-filled; and meet tremendous people who make super friends.

Think of it: You can save the lives of babies! Don't miss your chance.

Happy Birthday, Cardinal Mahony

2010-02-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

Today, February 27, Cardinal Roger Mahony has turned 74. Let's keep him in prayer.

We've all heard the rumor that the Pope will name a coadjutor bishop some time this year, in advance of the required resignation at age 75 that Cardinal Mahony, like all bishops, must submit. The web site of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (click on this post's title) provides a prayer for a successor that will now be said at Masses in every parish:

"Lord, God, You are our eternal shepherd and guide. In your mercy, grant to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles a shepherd who will walk in your ways and whose watchful care will bring us your blessing. In your love for us, give us the joy of receiving a shepherd who will be an example of goodness to your people and who will fill our hearts and minds with the truth of the gospel.

"We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Read John Zmirak on the Tridentine Mass and the New Mass...

2010-02-19T21:40:00.000-08:00

John Zmirak at insidecatholic.com has an informative and thought-provoking post (click on this post's title) about the Tridentine Mass and the New Mass.

You owe it to yourself to read it.

You'll also find the comments that follow the post very interesting. And here is an excerpt from a reply that John Zmirak has made to a commenter:

* "The New Mass was created in plain violation of the explicit instructions given by Vatican II for a moderate, organic liturgical reform that put the scriptures into the vernacular but left the canon in Latin.

* "The change from facing the altar to facing the people was accomplished by fraud (it is NOT recommended, but speculatively tolerated, in the conciliar documents) and resulted in the smashing of more Catholic altars than at any time since the Reformation. The current pope has written that it was a bad idea.

* "The Council called for the extension and preservation of Gregorian chant. The committee set up by Pope Paul VI to create the new liturgy did nothing to accomplish this, and allowed national bishops' conferences to basically eliminate chant. Then came the banjos and the dancing nuns...

* "The translations from Latin to vernacular languages were uniformly, except for the case of Poland, fraudulent.

* "The post-1970 innovations, such as Communion in the hand, the demolition of altar rails, standing for Communion, and universal abuse of Extraordinary Ministers were ALL accomplished by bishops or their bureaucrats lying about what the Vatican had reluctantly tolerated..."

So writes John Zmirak.

Pope calls bishops on the carpet

2010-02-19T20:36:00.001-08:00

The Irish bishops, that is. The photo above, from the February 18, 2010, issue of The Irish Catholic, is of Pope Benedict meeting with Ireland's 24 bishops earlier this week about the scandals of clerical sex abuse and hierarchical failings.

His Holiness would have to use a larger hall if he were to ever call the U.S. bishops on the carpet and take them to the woodshed.

And yes, I know there's no carpet in the above photo!

Bishops to do public penance for their failings

2010-02-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

The Irish bishops, that is, as the February 18 issue of The Irish Catholic reports in a story (click on this post's title) about the scandals of clerical sex abuse and hierarchical complicity.

The article in The Irish Catholic says:

"The Irish bishops will perform an act of penance during Lent, equivalent to putting on 'sackcloth and ashes' to demonstrate their humility and their empathy with victims of clerical child sexual abuse, Cardinal Brady has said.

"Speaking after the 24 Irish bishops' meeting with the Pope and flanked by four bishops, Cardinal Seán Brady told the world's media that a victim told him that he wanted the see the bishops humiliated and this is what is happening.

"He said that the bishops had discussed penitential acts, such as climbing Croagh Patrick or going to Lough Derg but that whatever they do, it will be the equivalent of 'sackcloth and ashes.'

"Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns said that he knew that victims ''feel disillusioned but that they also want the bishops to hang in there with them...'"

No word on when any of our U.S. bishops will be donning sackcloth and ashes.

Have you heard any rumors?

2010-02-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Have you heard any rumors about a possible new Archbishop of Los Angeles? Feel free to share them here.

Pray about the selection of a new archbishop for L.A.

2010-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Here in our Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we will soon be praying an official prayer, during Masses, for the selection of a successor to Cardinal Mahony.

You can read about all that, including the English text of the prayer, here:
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/

The L.A. Times has an article (click on this post's title) about all this, too.

Have you seen Cardinal Mahony's blogspot?

2010-02-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony has a blogspot:
http://cardinalrogermahonyblogsla.blogspot.com/

New group: Rosary for the Bishop

2010-02-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

This new group is urging all Catholics to pray the Rosary for their bishop:

http://rosaryforthebishop.org/

Speculation about Cardinal Mahony's successor

2010-02-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

Click on this post's title for some lengthy speculation from late January about a successor to Cardinal Mahony.

Among other things, the article says this:

"In early January, three independent sources outside the archdiocese indicated to Whispers that the consultation stage of a selection process had been underway at least since mid-autumn, with one adding that the cardinal's request for a coadjutor had been granted by the Holy See in October. From there, the cardinal is credibly understood to have been given the privilege of approving the terna of his potential successors -- not the final choice -- with at least one Mahony aide anticipating an announcement sometime around the cardinal's 74th birthday, February 27th [2010]."

"Terna" is Italian for "trio" or "threesome."

Cardinal Mahony, as we know, must submit his resignation, as all bishops must, when he turns 75 -- in his case , February 27, 2011. Popes do not have to accept resignations right away.

Let's all pray for our Archdiocese of Los Angeles, now and always.

Cardinal Mahony deposition

2010-02-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

You might have read (click on this post's title) at the beginning of this month that in January, Cardinal Roger Mahony was deposed for five hours before a grand jury in a civil case.

I had this story at the beginning of this month, but only now have I gotten around to posting it. Sorry for the delay.

Some more sound advice...

2010-02-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Years ago I came across this sound advice: "Live right, or it don't mean a thing."

In other words, it doesn't do you or me any good just to look good in public; we have to be genuinely good and not be hypocritical.

You and I have to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, repent of our sins, love God with our whole heart, mind and soul, love our neighbor as ourselves, obey the Ten Commandments, follow the laws of the Church, follow the promptings of grace, pray and do penance, read the Bible and Catholic spiritual classics, and seek holiness and closeness to Jesus.

"O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

"Jesus, Mary, I love You, save souls!"

"Our help is in the Name of the Lord, Who made Heaven and Earth."

Amen.

Some sound advice...

2010-02-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

Years ago I came across this sound advice, said to be from a Trappist:

"Always assume that the other fellow is holier than you."

This is the second time I've run this, but it's one of those always worthwhile counsels.

Our priests are hearing about the coming new Roman Missal

2010-02-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

Bishop Blase Cupich of Rapid City, South Dakota, is orienting our priests about the new Roman Missal at five churches, each in a different pastoral region, around the Archdiocese from February 2 to February 4. So says the web site of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Our U.S. bishops have a web page about the new Roman Missal:
http://usccb.org/romanmissal/

Some other good resources:
http://www.adoremus.org/
http://wdtprs.com/blog/

At this latter web site, Fr. Zuhlsdorf has quoted a Catholic News Service article:

"Vatican making final review of English liturgical translations
By Cindy Wooden – Catholic News Service Monday, 01 February 2010

"The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments is pulling together the final version of the English translation of the complete Roman Missal, the book of prayers used at Mass...

"Marist Father Anthony Ward, an official of the congregation for worship, said that because bishops’ conferences approved the Roman Missal in sections over a period of years, a final review and minor edits were needed to ensure consistency..."

Fr. Zuhlsdorf says the Vatican is making some changes to translations approved by the various bishops' conferences. He also says it looks as if the new Roman Missal will be introduced in U.S. parishes at the beginning of Advent 2011.

Incidentally, Happy Feast of St. Blaise/San Blas, Wednesday, February 3! Hope you can have your throat blessed at Mass.

Our U.S. Catholic bishops are still lobbying for socialized medicine

2010-01-31T21:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, just when Obamacare socialized medicine is having problems, our U.S. Catholic bishops are lobbying as hard as they can to revive it and inflict it upon us. Click on this post's title to see what they admit they are up to.

There are many and grave problems with what the bishops are doing. Here are a few:

The bishops are saying they want the socialized medicine as long as it doesn't fund baby-aborting and includes conscience protections for pro-life medical personnel. They are ignoring other ways in which the SOCIALIZED MEDICINE VIOLATES CATHOLIC TEACHING.

Excuse me for "shouting" by using those capital letters. But this is a serious situation.

First of all, as Pope Pius XI wrote, "No one can be at the same time a true Catholic and a true socialist." The socialized medicine will exercise totalitarian control over every one of us and over our loved ones. It will also take control of our gigantic Catholic hospital system.

Next, the Obamacare socialized medicine is unconstitutional. Nowhere does the Constitution give the federal government any authority over medical care, or give it any authority to make the American people buy anything at all, let alone health insurance. The Constitution's 10th Amendment reads:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

The socialized medicine violates the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which affirms that people should be able to handle their own affairs, with the help of their local institutions if needed, but not any more remote and centralized government bodies. More than 50 U.S. bishops have already individually condemned the socialized medicine on this basis.

The socialized medicine will give $750 million to Planned Parenthood, the abortion giant that admits its abortionists took the lives of 305,310 American babies in their 2007-2008 year. The socialized medicine will also institutionalize Planned Parenthood as a basic community resource and the operator of pro-abortion, pro-contraception "clinics' in government (public) schools.

The socialized medicine will also inflict soul-killing, pro-abortion, anti-life sex miseducation upon students in America's government (public) schools.

The socialized medicine bill would create a new, gargantuan government bureaucracy that will regiment everyone, crush our individual freedom, and subject us to "rationing" (read: "DENIAL OF") needed medical care -- and, for many vulnerable Americans, even of food and water.

The socialized medicine will necessitate the infliction of new and completely unjust massive tax burdens upon American families and individuals.

Worst of all, even if a socialized medicine bill did not include paying for baby-aborting and did include conscience protections, literally AS SOON AS that bill would be signed into law, and before the ink was even dry, the pro-abortion industry and lobby would file suit in federal court and get the federal judges to file injunctions against, and invalidate, the pro-life provisions on the grounds that they violate Roe vs. Wade and women's "right" to baby-killing.

So the socialized medicine bill that the bishops are lobbying for would end up being totally anti-life.

There is more wrong with the socialized medicine, but that is enough for now.

Our bishops should not be giving CPR to the socialized medicine. They should be hanging a "Do Not Resuscitate" sign on it.

Rumor: Coadjutor bishop coming as successor to Cdl. Mahony

2010-01-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

On January 21, "American Papist" blogger Thomas Peters wrote the following (click on this post's title):

"I am hearing, on reliable authority, that the Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles, Roger Mahony, has approved a coadjutor bishop recently selected for him by the Holy See. This news – and the name – will be publicly announced 'soon.'

"This new bishop, once announced and appointed, will automatically succeed Mahony as the Archbishop of Los Angeles as soon as Mahony retires, presumably before Mahony’s mandatory retirement at age 75 (February 27, 2011). Mahony has said that the current class of seminarians will be the last one he personally ordains..."

Thomas Peters quotes archdiocesan spokesman Tod Tamberg as calling the rumor "speculation" -- but that is not a denial.

Thanks to today's (January 25) online New Oxford Review Daily Feed for reporting about this.

Msgr. Charles Benoit died saving the Host in the Haiti quake

2010-01-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

You and I must forever revere the memory of Msgr. Charles Benoit, the archdiocesan vicar general in Port-au-Prince. When his body was found in the destroyed cathedral some days after the January 12 earthquake, in his hands was a reliquary containing the Host.

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Here are quotes from a Catholic Relief Services (click on this post's title) article today (January 24):

"Leaders of Catholic Relief Services joined mourners at the [January 23] funeral Mass of Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince, who died in the January 12 earthquake.

"Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, chairman of the board of Catholic Relief Services, was a celebrant at Saturday's Mass.

"More than 1,000 people came to the grounds of Port-au-Prince's cathedral and gathered in front of two coffins holding the remains of two Haitian clergy, Archbishop [Joseph Serge] Miot and Monsignor Charles Benoit, the vicar general...

"Behind the mourners—in full view of the Mass celebrants—were the ruins of Port-au-Prince's impressive cathedral, destroyed in the quake. Many Haitians were celebrating Mass and died there when the quake struck. A statement from Caritas, the Church's organization of humanitarian aid agencies, said that when Monsignor Benoit's body was found in the cathedral ruins, his hands were around a reliquary with a [H]ost inside. Archbishop Miot was killed when he fell from a balcony at his nearby residence when the quake struck..."

This year's gigantic March for Life in our Nation's capital was the biggest ever

2010-01-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

Click on this post's title to see a photo of this year's leadoff marchers -- all young women, contrary to some pro-aborts' preposterous and demonically evil lie that NO young women took part in the 400,000-strong march -- and a brief paragraph about the success of this year's March.

At the March's web site you can also learn a lot about the history of the giant annual anti-abortion event.

Last Saturday's Walk for Life West Coast 2010 was a big success

2010-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the photo here (and click on this post's title to see more photos), this year's Walk for Life West Coast was a big success. Our friends at johnmalloysdb.blogspot.com in San Francisco say this year's Walk was the biggest ever.

Contrary to the pro-aborts' perennial lies, half or, more likely, more than half of the marchers in San Francisco this past Saturday, as well as those at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., this past Friday, were under 25 and half or more of them were female.

Being anti-abortion has become a young women's issue nowadays, and the pro-aborts can't stand to admit that.

You heard it here: The Walk for Life West Coast 2010 had 30,000 or more pro-lifers marching. The March for Life 2010 in D.C. had 400,000 pro-lifers. A recent pro-life march in Paris had 25,000. Pro-life marches/rallies last year in Madrid had hundreds of thousands of attendees.

The news (read, propaganda) media won't tell you any of this. Last Saturday, I didn't see ANY reports on the gigantic March for Life (the D.C. one) in the online New York Times, L.A. Times, S.F. Chronicle, Boston Globe or Philadelphia Inquirer.

But let's be encouraged at the new wave of pro-lifers who are under 25. They know they are survivors of Roe v. Wade: They know that one-third of their generation has been aborted. They know they themselves could easily have been aborted, too. They are anti-abortion and will stay that way.

Let's pray they all become year-'round anti-abortion activists! Amen.

Attend the L.A. Archdiocesan Requiem Mass for Aborted Babies at the cathedral on Sat., Jan. 23 -- but also protect babies all year long!

2010-01-10T22:08:00.001-08:00

Are you looking for a pro-life event to attend in our L.A. area on or around the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court's infamous abortion-on-demand-at-all-nine-months-of-gestation decision of January 22, 1973?

Here is such an event! The Tidings's schedule (click on this post's title) of events in early 2010 for our L.A. Archdiocese has this:

"Requiem Mass for abortion victims: Jan. 23

"The archdiocese's annual Respect Life Mass commemorating lives lost to abortion will take place Jan. 23, 6 p.m., at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Cardinal Roger Mahony will preside at the concelebrated liturgy with auxiliary bishops and archdiocesan priests.

"As Cardinal Mahony stated in a recent letter to campus ministers encouraging student participation in the event, 'The Shantigarh Requiem for the Unborn is a very effective way to help our people come together in prayer and in mutual support for protecting all human life from the moment of conception.'

"A candle lighting ceremony in remembrance of lives lost to abortion daily in the County of Los Angeles will take place again this year. 'Honoring these brief lives,' said the cardinal, 'is a most poignant and inspiring moment, the memory of which will remain long after all have returned home.'"

The best pro-life intention and focus at this Mass, in my humble opinion, is, as the cardinal says, "to help our people come together in prayer and in mutual support for protecting all human life from the moment of conception." [emphasis added]

That intention, which implies that each attendee must take subsequent actual action to actually protect and save abortion-targeted babies, is the only way to give concrete meaning and purpose to the Mass's other intentions of, as the cardinal says, "remembrance," "commemorating lives lost to abortion," "honoring these brief lives" and having "a most poignant and inspiring moment." [emphasis added]

What good would it be if we were to let thousands and thousands and thousands of babies be aborted in our L.A. all year long and and then once a year only "have a most poignant and inspiring moment" about them???

Our once-a-year Mass can be especially meaningful if our local hierarchy and clergy will all year long start fighting abortions as hard as possible. That means having:

* meaningful (e.g., actually anti-abortion and active) Respect Life committees in every parish

* pro-life literature racks in the vestibule

* pro-life announcements and information in the parish bulletin every week

* frequent parish prayer vigils and sidewalk counseling at L.A.'s abortion mills

* support of and cooperation with local pro-life centers and homes for unwed moms

* frequent anti-abortion homilies (that are kindly put and that mention Project Rachel)

* frequent homilies about purity and against fornication, which leads to abortions

* frequent homilies about the blessings of having babies, who are gifts from God

* anti-abortion intentions read at every Mass

* age-appropriate instruction in parish schools, high schools and CCD about the blessings and goodness of marriage and babies and the necessity of being anti-abortion

* regularly scheduled pro-life Masses, Benedictions, Adoration and Rosaries

* actual observance of Respect Life Sunday and Respect Life Month every October

* refusal to honor or appear in public with pro-abortion politicians for any reason

What do you think? With all the babies being killed around us every day, are these basic pro-life steps too much to ask of our bishops and clergy and the rest of us?

But in any case, a good start is for us to be sure to attend, if our schedules permit, our Archdiocesan Requiem Mass for Aborted Babies at the cathedral on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m.

Amen? What do you say?

A good way to start the new year 2010

2010-01-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

"Jesus, Mary, I love you, save souls!"

Use this good, wise counsel from St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622):

"Consider the past as nothing and say, like David, 'Now I begin to love my God.'"

Happy New Year!

A great resolution for the new year: Make holy hours before the Blessed Sacrament

2009-12-31T21:05:00.000-08:00

"Could you not spend one hour with Me?" (St. Mark 14:37)

Think of how Jesus will love your company when you visit Him in holy hours this year! Think of all the graces that will flow into you when you visit Jesus! Think of all the reparation you can make!

"O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament!" -- The Eucharistic Adoration Prayer, Fatima

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. " -- The Angel's Prayer at Fatima

"My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee." -- The Angel's Pardon Prayer, Fatima, 1916

For excellent resources on Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, click on this post's title.

The photo above is from another Adoration site:
http://www.acfp2000.com/PopeJPII/pope.html

Does your parish or school offer Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament? Holy hours? Perpetual Adoration? Please write in here and let everyone know!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS!

Let's remember our abortion-targeted babies on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28

2009-12-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

On the Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28, let's remember L.A.'s abortion-targeted babies and those of all California and our entire country.

The great Catholic group Women for Faith & Family has resources (click on this post's title) for observing the Feast of the Holy Innocents, including a Novena for Protection of the Unborn.

Did you know that the Holy Innocents Reparation Committee used to hold a big pro-life candlelight march in the heart of Hollywood on the evening of every December 28, and movie stars such as Ricardo Montalban and Ann Blyth used to lead decades of the Rosary at Blessed Sacrament Church after the march? God bless everyone who took part.

By the way, Women for Faith & Family is my source for the painting above, Giotto's Massacre of the Innocents (1304-1306). Pro-lifers will notice that the pile of slain babies in Giotto's 700-year-old painting closely resembles today's actual photos of aborted babies.

Raymond Arroyo says it appears "The Catholic Health Association supports the 'morally unacceptable' abortion compromise"

2009-12-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

In his post for December 26, EWTN newscaster and blogger Raymond Arroyo says the following (click on this post's title):

"...it appears that the Catholic Health Association, the trade organization for the nation's Catholic hospitals[,] is backing the Senate Health Reform Bill and the most recent 'abortion compromise.' This is in open defiance of the Bishops['] position."

It's just about entirely the case that liberal Catholics have never seen a pro-abortion Democrat bill that they didn't love, or for that matter a pro-abortion Democrat politician whom they didn't love.

And not only do the liberal Catholics love the pro-abortion Democrats, they love them more than they love Catholic doctrine -- and they love the pro-abortion Democrats far, far more than they love our abortion-targeted preborn babies.

The liberal Catholics' words and actions, both, prove the truth of these assessments.

Have a Holy and Merry Christmas! And keep opposing the totalitarian, anti-life socialized medicine

2009-12-23T22:06:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas 2009, and God bless you! Thank you so much for being a friend of this blogspot and for checking in.

As we know, at this Christmas season you and I have to keep opposing the totalitarian, anti-life, unconstitutional, and un-Catholic socialized medicine.

We have to do that -- for the sake of America's abortion-targeted babies, the euthanasia-targeted elderly and all vulnerable Americans, our 624 Catholic hospitals and their 640,000 staffers, all the American people, and our American rights and liberty and way of life.

Baby Jesus, pray for us! Holy Mary, pray for us! St. Joseph, pray for us! Holy Family, pray for us!

The painting above is by Raphael (1483-1520). And here is a poem from the year 1900:

A Christmas Carol
by G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936).

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown.
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.

Do you know about the Nican Mopohua?

2009-12-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

If you were able to take part in any Guadalupana events this past week, you know how beautiful and unforgettable they are, and why we look forward to them all year long.

What love everyone has for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the True God, and what pride and consolation we take in Her and in St. Juan Diego!

Do you know about the Nican Mopohua? It is a very moving account, from around 1560, of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego. Antonio Valeriano, a Catholic Aztec and scholar, wrote it in Nahuatl, the Aztec language.

Click on this post's title for a site where you can learn all about the Nican Mopohua. You can even see it in Nahuatl and find English and Spanish translations. Your love for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Her Son, and St. Juan Diego will grow and bloom.

A related site, in Spanish:

http://www.ssjuandiego.org/sjd.html

Our bishops should sign the Manhattan Declaration

2009-12-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

Probably you've heard about the Manhattan Declaration (click on this post's title), the manifesto that Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox clerical, religious and lay leaders signed and released in Washington, D.C., on November 20.

The declaration is a statement of Christian conscience in which the leaders reaffirm Christian morality and announce their intent to refuse to obey any and all future evil anti-life laws. They say:

"Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality. . . . We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's." [emphasis added]

On November 28, an L.A. Times editorial slammed the declaration. Wouldn't it be nice if Cardinal Mahony would slam the Times and defend the declaration and its signers? And...

Cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests are among the prominent signers of the Manhattan Declaration. So wouldn't it be nice if Cardinal Mahony and all our California bishops would sign it, too?

Our Lady of Guadalupe Procession and Mass, Sunday, December 6, in East L.A. ... and ...

2009-12-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

The annual procession and Mass for Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe will take place this Sunday, December 6, en el Este de L.A. Click on this post's title for all the details.

People will gather at 12 noon at the corner of Ford Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Avenue and process to East Los Angeles College Stadium on Cesar Chavez Avenue in Monterey Park for Mass at 1:30 p.m. Pilgrim images of La Virgencita and of San Juan Diego will be present.

Cardinal Mahony will preside at Mass and Bishop Zavala will give the homily.

Also, I'm told that an annual Rosary and procession for Our Lady of Guadalupe will take place up in Santa Barbara this Sunday, December 6. People will gather at 5 p.m. at De La Guerra Plaza downtown for a Rosary. Then, at 5:45 p.m., they will process about eight blocks up State Street to Our Lady of Sorrows Church, where there will be Vespers and a reenactment of the Nican Mopohua, the ca. 1560 account of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego.

Please check with your local parish to find out about other Guadalupana celebrations on Sunday and about the Mananitas celebrations on December 12.

How to talk about pro-life: Two words we must always use

2009-11-25T21:58:00.000-08:00

A pro-life old pal was telling me yesterday that back in 1974 he heard one of the founders of the U.S. pro-life movement, John Willke, M.D., dispense real wisdom about how to talk about pro-life.

Dr. Willke wrote the pioneering pro-life Handbook on Abortion in 1971. In an address in 1974, he said there are two words that pro-lifers must always use: "Baby" and "kill."

The reason is that only those two words truly, accurately say what abortion is. Killing the baby is what abortion is.

We pro-lifers need to take Dr. Willke's counsel today. The babies need us to take his counsel, if we are to have any hope of saving them from being aborted.

Why am I writing about this now?

Because even some of the most prominent pro-life leaders today have gotten away, far away, from Dr. Willke's truth-telling, life-saving wisdom.

They do not say "baby." They say, "life." Or they say, "unborn life."

Nor do they say "kill." They say, "destroy."

The trouble is that "life" is an abstraction, whereas "baby" is a person, an individual.

And "destroy" is what is done to an injured racehorse on the track -- an animal -- not to people.

No headlines say, "Psychiatrist destroys life at Army base."

You and I need to treat our little brothers and sisters in the womb as we would want people to treat us if we were in their position -- as real persons, real individuals, who are of dignity and worth equal to us and to everyone who is already born.

So let's be sure to always say, "baby" and "kill."

That way we'll keep the babies, and what happens to them, at the center of things. And that will make people think, and will even touch their hearts. And that in turn will end up saving some babies, and maybe many, from being aborted.

Daily Prayer During the Year for Priests

2009-11-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

Daily Prayer During the Year for Priests

O Jesus, Eternal Priest,
Keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your
Sacred Heart, where none may harm them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands
which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood.
Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the
sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood.
Let Your holy love surround them and shield them
from the world's contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit,
and may the souls to whom they have ministered
be their joy and consolation
and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us;
obtain for us many holy priests.

(Thanks to hicatholicmom.blogspot.com for posting this venerable prayer!)

Did Vatican II really say THAT?

2009-11-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

Probably you heard this summer (click on this post's title) that the Archdiocese of Boston was resuming Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after dropping it for 40 years.

If anyone you know is not familiar with Perpetual Adoration, send them here:
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchd3.htm

I don't know for sure why Boston dropped Perpetual Adoration back in 1969. But it couldn't be just a coincidence that 1969 was in the middle of the U.S. and worldwide liberals' phony "spirit of Vatican II" hijacking of the true intent of the Second Vatican Council.

So it shouldn't need to be said, but I guess one of the things we have to tell Catholic liberals is that, no, the Vatican II Council Fathers did not say to stop Perpetual Adoration.

And if you're like me, you probably have your own list of things that Vatican II did not say. I'd love to hear from you about that.

Here are a couple: As we know, Vatican II did not say to exchange the Tridentine Latin Mass for the vernacular or to turn the altar and the priest around. Nor did Vatican II say to drop catechetics in favor of liberal lies and dumbing-down.

You can read here about some relevant facts that Fr. Joseph Fessio related:
http://hicatholicmom.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-vatican-ii-did-not-say.html

Okay, your turn, now. What else did Vatican II not say?

U.S. bishops finally quash Bishop Trautman's 10 years of defending faulty translation of the Roman Missal

2009-11-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

Maybe you've heard the good news: At their semi-annual fall meeting this week, the U.S. bishops finished approving, overwhelmingly, the final portions of the Vatican-okayed accurate English translations of the Roman Missal. Click on this post's title to see the official news.

This is good news for almost everyone except Bishop Donald Trautman, who has complained long and loud about the translation, which stresses accuracy -- fidelity to the Latin texts.

No doubt he would say he doesn't object to the translation's accuracy. But given his strident criticisms of the translation, Catholics can be forgiven for wondering about that.

To read some background about the faulty translation, go to:
http://www.adoremus.org/0908MassTranslation.html

The translation now goes to Rome for approval sometime in 2010 and for implementation here in the USA about a year after that.

Let's pray that the accurate translation gets implemented here sooner than expected and that it will help bring back to the Sacraments everyone who has left the Church in the last 45 years.

Bishop Patrick Ziemann has died at age 68. Oremus.

2009-10-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Resigned Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann died at a monastery in Arizona yesterday of pancreatic cancer at age 68, the Los Angeles Times reports today (click on this link's title).

Fr. Henri Capdeville, superior of the monastery, said of Bishop Ziemann, "He did some reparations [sic] for the harms he did in the best way he could."

Let us pray for the repose of Bishop Ziemann's soul. Let us also pray for everyone affected because of the scandals. May anyone who left the Church return to the Sacraments.

A good prayer to offer for these and all such intentions is, "Jesus, Mary, I love you, save souls!"

Wow! Bishop says so-called spirit of Vatican II "is a ghost or demon that must be exorcised..."

2009-10-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! Big news!

The online National Catholic Register (click on this post's title) reports that a U.S. bishop -- Bishop R. Walker Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City -- has just issued a pastoral letter in which he rips the phony "spirit of Vatican II" with which liberal Catholics have been tearing apart our Church for the last almost five decades.

You can find a pdf file of Bishop Nickless's new pastoral letter, Ecclesia Semper Reformanda, or "The Church Is Always in Need of Reform," at his diocesan website: http://www.scdiocese.org

Bishop Nickless writes:

"There can be no split, however, between the Church and her faith before and after the Council. We must stop speaking of the 'Pre-Vatican II' and 'Post-Vatican II' Church, and stop seeing various characteristics of the Church as 'pre' and 'post' Vatican II. Only the 'hermeneutic of reform' [is legitimate and] has borne and is bearing fruit."

Bishop Nickless adds, "The 'spirit of Vatican II' must be found only in the letter of the documents themselves." Then he drops this bombshell: "The so-called 'spirit' of the Council… is a ghost or demon that must be exorcised if we are to proceed with the Lord’s work."

"DEMON that MUST be EXORCISED" -- think about and pray about the implications of that statement! Then tell everyone you know to look up the pastoral letter, read it, and alert their own contacts, and so on.

Spread the word far and wide.

This is something that's needed to be said for almost 50 years. So it's big news, for sure!

Deo gratias!

(By the way, sorry I haven't been able to post anything for the past couple of weeks. Thank you for checking in here and being a friend of Ole Q. Please keep looking in! God bless you!)

The Polanski case reveals liberals' hypocrisy and depravity

2009-10-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Did you hear about the recent arrest of movie-maker Roman Polanski, 76, in Switzerland, for his sex crimes against a 13-year-old some 32 years ago?

Some big-name liberals are decrying the arrest and trying to minimize Polanski's crimes -- and some are even denying that his crimes were crimes at all.

Of course, no doubt many of these same liberals have attacked the entire Catholic Church for the clergy sex abuse crimes.

And it is a sure bet that virtually none of these liberals ever blast the government ("public") schools for all the rampant sex crimes that those places' employees commit against students.

My point here obviously is not to minimize or excuse clergy sex crimes, but to say again what I've said before: That people who truly want to protect all children from sex crimes need to target all the sex criminals, not just those among the clergy. And if these people do not do that, then they are guilty of hypocrisy, and some of them are guilty of depraved ideology, too.

To see the Catholic League's excellent commentary on all this, click on this post's title.

Can donate to help American Samoa, Indonesia, etc.

2009-10-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

You have probably heard about the earthquakes that have devastated Indonesia and the tsunamis that have devastated American Samoa.

To help the people of American Samoa and Indonesia and elsewhere in those regions, we can contribute to Catholic Relief Services (click on this post's title).

Let us pray for the people of American Samoa and for their relatives and friends here in the Southland, and the same for the people of Indonesia and everywhere affected by the disasters.

Look who's a "single-issue" cardinal!

2009-09-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the American Papist blogspot for pointing out that by saying the other day that his field was immigration, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles was labeling himself a single-issue man.

Cardinal Mahony and countless other liberal Catholics have lectured us pro-life Catholics for years and years and years that: "Abortion is only one issue. You can't be truly pro-life if you only oppose abortion. You have to accept the broad spectrum of life issues."

So how come Cardinal Mahony says he has only one issue?

Don't look now, but: "Immigration is ONLY ONE ISSUE."

And, of course, liberal Catholics should admit that abortion is a big part of the illegal aliens issue: L.A.'s many abortionists prey on women and girls who are illegals.

You would think that anyone who really and truly wants to help illegal aliens would fight the abortionists hard -- and would also fight the politicians who protect the abortionists and funnel the taxpayers' money to them for the babies they kill.

Cardinal Mahony: "I spend all my time on" lobbying for illegals, none on looking into abortion funding in Obamacare

2009-09-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles had made his priorities clear in the past, but in an interview (click on this post's title) with CNSNews on Sept. 22 he really left no doubt about them.

And in doing so, the Cardinal refused to back up an old friend of his, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia -- and in fact gave more credence to Barack H. Obama than to Cardinal Rigali!

Asked if he agrees with Cardinal Rigali that the House health care (read, "socialized medicine") bill uses tax dollars to pay for aborting babies and therefore needs to be amended to keep that from happening, Cardinal Mahony replied this way:

"This is 'way beyond my field. My field is immigration. I really haven’t kept up on that, and I spend all my time on this other. You have to get somebody who spends time on that."

Obviously, Cardinal Mahony could have replied instead, "If that's what my old friend Cardinal Rigali says, he must be right." Why didn't he do that?

Then, asked if he believes the bill should pay for aborting babies, Cardinal Mahony answered, "No, but that’s what the president said, too, so."

Recall that Cardinal Mahony once was the chairman of our U.S. bishops' pro-life committee. Recall also that L.A.'s predatory abortionists kill 108 babies every day in our fair area. Does our Cardinal Archbishop really have no time anymore to spend on saving our babies from being aborted?

At the bottom of the CNSNews article I've cited, you can read damage-control-attempts comments by the Archdiocesan spokesman, Tod Tamberg, and people's rebuttals of him.

More claims about the Michael Baker case

2009-09-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Steve Lopez is not exactly a friend of the Church, so bear that in mind if you read his column (click on this post's title) in today's Los Angeles Times.

Lopez's column is about court testimony by Msgr. Richard Loomis last week that in 2000 he wrote a memo that said the Archdiocese of Los Angeles should tell the police about sexual abuse allegations against since-defrocked Fr. Michael Baker. Msgr. Loomis testified that Cardinal Roger Mahony told him not to report the allegations.

Lopez says it is possible that Msgr. Loomis is making up these claims because he was put on leave of absence when sexual abuse allegations were made against himself.

But Lopez also says Archdiocesan spokesman Tod Tamberg, in an e-mail, did not "come right out and say" no such memo from Msgr. Loomis exists.

To see if the Archdiocese issues any statement on all of this, you can always visit these sites:

http://www.la-archdiocese.org

http://www.the-tidings.com

Let us keep praying for our Archdiocese and all of Holy Mother Church.

Fr. Roger Landry to bishops: You haven't converted ANY pro-abortion politicians, so it's time to try a new approach

2009-09-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

As Ole Q mentioned yesterday, Fr. Roger Landry, editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, has been writing about the funeral Mass for Teddy Kennedy and its implications for the U.S. bishops' decades-long useless policy of futilely "educating" Catholic pro-abortion politicians instead of warning and then disciplining them for their own good.

Fr. Landry's editorial (click on this post's title) in the September 11 issue of The Anchor is about that subject, too. He notes that the bishops' "educating" policy has not converted any politician, has not made any politician less pro-abortion, and in fact has taught these politicians that they can be 100% pro-abortion and still go to Communion. Fr. Landry writes:

"Jesus spoke of a different way in the Gospel (Mt 18:15-18). It involves not merely general educational statements that we hope offenders will apply to themselves in conscience, but the type of one-on-one instruction traditionally called fraternal correction. If that fails, and fails repeatedly, Jesus enjoined us to regard the offender as someone who no longer belongs to the community, who is no longer a member in good standing.

"This may seem harsh, but we should remember that Jesus always seeks nothing but the best for His Church and for individual sinners, even obstinate sinners. Implied in Jesus' strategy is that education involves not just information but formation, and that you can't form disciples without discipline. This is a lesson that after four decades of the undeniable failure of another approach, we need to consider anew."

Cardinal Mahony, are you listening? Auxiliary bishops, are you listening? Reverend clergy, are you listening? Is Fr. Landry right? What should you do about all the pro-abortion Catholic politicians in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles? What are you going to do to save the little babies of our Archdiocese from these defiant politicians? Nothing? Or something (in fact, something new)?

Fr. Roger Landry calls our bishops' decades-long "educate the pro-abortion politicians" strategy a total failure

2009-09-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

LifeSiteNews.com notes that in his column (click on this post's title) in the Sept. 4 issue of The Anchor, the Fall River (Massachusetts) diocesan newspaper he edits, Fr. Roger Landry wrote that the U.S. bishops' policy of trying to "educate" pro-abortion politicians has never worked.

Fr. Landry penned these obviously accurate words:

"...one of the reasons why [Teddy] Kennedy’s example was so injurious to the Church was because the pastors of the Church, for the most part, made the imprudent call to do little or nothing about it beyond general teaching statements that they hoped offending politicians would apply to themselves.

"There were no real consequences, and as a result, Senator Kennedy, scores of other Catholic politicians, and millions of American Catholic lay people concluded that the Church’s teachings in defense of human life cannot be that important if those who publicly and repeatedly act in violation of it do so with impunity."

Fr. Landry went on to write the following:

"This leads to one of the most important lessons that pastors in the United States need to draw from the history of the Church’s interactions with Senator Kennedy for its future engagement of other pro-abortion Catholic politicians. Despite the good intentions to try to engage him, teach him, and help bring him to conversion, the strategy failed.

"There were many words given at the Senator’s exequies about his 'private faith,' but private faith is not enough. 'Faith without deeds is dead,' as St. James poignantly reminds us. The Church has a responsibility to help bring people from 'private faith' to see the consequences of it in public actions, and, in the Senator’s case, we didn’t succeed."

Thank you, Fr. Landry.

Now, we might recall that Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles issued a statement --
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/08/cardinal_mahony_on_ted_ke.php -- on August 26 on the death of Teddy Kennedy.

That was the one in which Cardinal Mahony praised Teddy Kennedy as "a great champion" of "the voiceless, the powerless, and the most needy of our citizens." Yes, all of the "voiceless, powerless, and most needy" -- except, of course, for our millions of abortion-targeted preborn babies.

In that same statement, the following words of Cardinal Mahony totally illustrate Fr. Landry's point that the U.S. bishops' "educate politicians, but without any consequences for them" policy is a dismal failure:

"Over the years [writes Cardinal Mahony], however, I was never able to bring him to promote fundamental rights for one important group in our society—the unborn. But he did struggle with this aspect of his Catholic faith, and I was hopeful that at some point he would see that all of his work for the most needy had to begin with a commitment to every person—born and unborn."

The lesson is clear: If we are ever to get anywhere in saving babies from losing their lives to abortion, our bishops need to start warning our politicians that they cannot stay actively Catholic if they keep aiding and abetting the mass murder of God's little babies.

May Cardinal Mahony come to agree with this assessment and then defend the preborn babies in his jurisdiction by truly disciplining the pro-abortion Catholic politicians in his same jurisdiction. (No, I'm not really expecting this to happen. But it sure ought to.)

Fr. Roger Landry writes about the funeral Mass for Teddy Kennedy

2009-09-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

LifeSiteNews.com points out that in his column (click on this post's title) in the September 18 issue of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, Fr. Roger Landry, the paper's editor, writes about the funeral Mass for pro-abort Teddy Kennedy.

Fr. Landry says that the elaborate funeral Mass "seemed to communicate that it was more a public, political apotheosis of Senator Kennedy than a humble, insistent prayer of the Church his mother for the forgiveness of his sins and the repose of his soul."

Fr. Landry adds, "This was probably not helpful to the Senator eschatologically, obviously scandalous to devout pro-lifers spiritually, and likely injurious to the Church both doctrinally and practically." He concludes:

"This...controversy was totally avoidable; all that was necessary was to adhere to the letter and spirit of the Catholic funeral rite. And the Senator, pro-lifers and the Church as a whole certainly deserved that the Senator’s funeral be an unambiguous and undiluted expression of the Church’s faith."

A pro-life, pro-population verse from the Book of Isaiah

2009-09-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

For thus says the LORD, the creator of the heavens, who is God, the designer and maker of the Earth who established it, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in: I am the LORD, and there is no other. -- Isaiah 45:18

(Passed along by e-activist Robert Jason, who got it from T. Bloedow.)

How to find rest for your soul

2009-09-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

Thus says the LORD: Stand beside the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old
Which is the way to good, and walk it; thus you will find rest for your souls...
-- Jeremiah 6:16

Prayer for the Closing of an Abortion Mill

2009-09-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

PRAYER FOR THE CLOSING OF AN ABORTION MILL
www.priestsforlife.org

Father, all life is in Your care.
You have entrusted us to one another,
that we may show our brothers and sisters
the same love You have for us.

We pray, then, for the least among us,
the children in the womb.
Protect them from the violence of abortion.
We pray for those who are scheduled to die at
(Name the abortion mill assigned to you).

Save them from death.
Give new hope to their parents, that they may
turn away from the desperate act of abortion.
Grant conversion to the abortionist and to the staff.

Show us how we are to respond to the bloodshed
in our midst, and lead us to the day when this place
of death will be transformed into a haven of life.

Guard us with Your joy and Your peace,
for in You, life is victorious.

We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

-- Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life

The Serran Prayer for Vocations

2009-09-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

THE SERRAN PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

O God, Who will not the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and live,
grant, we beseech You, through the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
Saint Joseph, Her spouse, Blessed Junipero Serra, and all the saints, an increase of
laborers for Your Church, fellow laborers with Christ, to spend and consume themselves
for souls through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

For the Blessed Virgin, on Her birthday

2009-09-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Ave, Maria! This being September 8, here is a prayer for Our Blessed Mother from the Edmundite Missions, Selma, Alabama.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, I, your unworthy servant, do
this day choose You as my Queen, Protectress and Advocate.

I resolve never to forsake You,
never to say anything against You.

I promise to love and serve You and to promote Your cause
before all so that they may also come to love and serve You.

Accept me, I beseech You, as Your servant forever. Stand
by me in my daily activities so that they give glory to God.

Please do not abandon me, ever. Grant me the gift of death [with
God's grace] and an eternity of happiness with You and Your Son Jesus.

Amen.

Prayer in Honor of the Sacred Wounds

2009-09-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Probably you know this prayer? Not everyone does.

PRAYER IN HONOR OF THE SACRED WOUNDS

My crucified Jesus!

I adore the Wounds in Thy Sacred Head
With sorrow deep and true.
May every thought of mine today
Be an act of Love for You.

I adore the Wounds of Thy Sacred Hands
With sorrow deep and true.
May every work of my hands today
Be an act of Love for You.

I adore the Wounds of Thy Sacred Feet
With sorrow deep and true.
May every step I take today
Be an act of Love for You.

I adore the Wound in Thy Sacred Heart
With sorrow deep and true.
May every beat of my heart today
Be an act of Love for You.

Prayer for Daily Neglects

2009-09-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Probably you know this prayer? Not everyone might.

A PRAYER FOR DAILY NEGLECTS

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all Its love, all Its sufferings and all Its merits.

First -- To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. (Glory be...)

Second -- To purify the good I have done badly this day and during all my life. (Glory be...)

Third -- To minister for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected, this day and during all my life. (Glory be...)

Amen.

Cardinal Mahony has praised the late Teddy Kennedy but has also lamented his having been pro-abortion

2009-08-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

Cardinal Mahony has said this to the Catholic News Service:

"...the voiceless, the powerless and the most needy of our citizens have lost a great champion..." in Teddy Kennedy. "His deep and personal commitment to causes affecting the poor and needy among us flowed from his deep Catholic faith, and the life and outreach of Jesus Christ.

"Over the years, however, I was never able to bring him to promote fundamental rights for one important group in our society -- the unborn. But he did struggle with this aspect of his Catholic faith, and I was hopeful that at some point he would see that all of his work for the most needy had to begin with a commitment to every person, born and unborn."

Pro-abortion Obama to eulogize pro-abortion Teddy Kennedy at funeral Mass

2009-08-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

We must pray for the repose of the soul of pro-abortion Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D-Mass.), who succumbed to brain cancer yesterday (Tuesday).

The AP is reporting tonight (Wednesday) that pro-abortion Barack H. Obama will give a eulogy at Sen. Kennedy's funeral Mass this Saturday in Boston. The Mass will be at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica, Boston's beloved "Mission Church."

Teddy Kennedy's fellow pro-aborts are praising him for being so relentlessly pro-abortion (click on this post's title). The Reverend Carlton Veazey stated today:

"The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice extends our deepest sympathy to the family of Senator Edward Kennedy, who died after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Senator Kennedy was a strong supporter of reproductive health care and rights.... He stood for strong constitutional protections - including equal protection and the right to privacy - and worked to ensure that the federal judiciary would respect those protections. He was instrumental in the passage of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which has helped keep abortion providers and their patients safe. His tireless advocacy during more than 40 years in the Senate for the rights of women and health care providers will be missed.

"A Roman Catholic, he was a public servant in the best tradition of social justice - a man who followed his conscience and a champion for the most vulnerable and needy among us."

Two New Latin Mass How-To DVDs from the CDF

2009-08-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Good news!

The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, now part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has published two instructional DVDs to help priests and laity understand and learn the Tridentine Latin Mass, the Catholic News Agency reports (click on this post's title).

The DVDs will be available in Italian, English, Spanish and French.

No word yet on when or how the public can obtain the DVDs.

When the DVDs become available, let's ask the L.A. Archdiocesan and cathedral web sites to link (prominently and conveniently) to them.

Let's ask the gift shop at the Cathedral to stock the DVDs.

We need someone to apply to teach a workshop, using the DVDs, at the Religious Education Congress. The powers that be should graciously accept such an offer.

The Michael Stephen Baker case resurfaces

2009-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Did you see the L.A. Times story (click on this post's title) the other day about defrocked Michael Stephen Baker, formerly of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles?

Cardinal Roger Mahony returned Baker to priestly ministry in the 1980's (having first sent him to a "rehab" facility) after Baker admitted molesting two boys. Baker then went on to molest more boys. The cardinal has apologized several times for having returned him to ministry.

It turns out that this summer, Baker was called to testify before a federal grand jury.

The Times article says this:

"The probe is aimed at determining whether Mahony, and possibly other church leaders, committed 'honest services fraud' by failing to adequately deal with priests accused of sexually abusing children, sources said.

"Mahony's attorney has said Mahony is not a target of the federal inquiry, adding the cardinal was fully cooperating with federal officials."

You can read an Associated Press article about the case at:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/08/14/ap6781806.html

That article says Baker is in federal protective custody.