Be This Guy

From World Youth Day:

Next time someone asks a Cardinal to do a dance like this, here's some advice for him:

The Trouble With Jesuits, Part 9

 From Rod Dreher in The American Conservative:

During my years as a Catholic, more than a few times I would meet someone who had left the faith, and would credit their Jesuit education for having opened their eyes. Just now, I heard the Muslim scholar Reza Aslan on Fresh Air, talking about his new book. Terry Gross mentioned that he (Aslan) had been born into Islam, but his parents fled with him from Iranian Revolution. In America, his father became atheist, but Aslan became an Evangelical Christian. His mother followed him into Christianity. But then, studying at the Jesuit-run Santa Clara University, Aslan encountered Jesuit priests who encouraged him to go deeper into Islam, the religion of his forefathers.
Aslan did, and subsequently renounced Christianity to return to Islam."

As Mr. Dreher says, another Jesuit success story.

We Salute You, Diocese of Charleston, SC!

Pope Pius VII established the Diocese of Charleston in 1820 (James Madison was President). John Bishop was consecrated as the first Bishop while still in Ireland, and caused a stir but not reciting the oath of allegiance to the Crown - he said he intended on becoming an American.

Bishop England was quite a character. His See covered three states - North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Most of the Catholics in the diocese (the Bishop estimated there were about 11,000) were poor Irish and Dominican refugees. He established a seminary and college called,""The Philosophical and Classical Seminary of Charleston", where he taught Classics and was a Professor of Theology. He organized a Book Society for each parish, published the first Catholic newspaper in America, compiled a catechism, wrote a new Missal in English, was a member of the Philosophical Society of Charleston, and helped in organizing the Antiduelling Society. He founded free schools for Black boys and girls, and said Mass for the local free and slave Blacks every Sunday in the Cathedral.


Four diocese have since been carved out of the original - Atlanta, Raleigh, Savannah, and Charlotte.

The current Bishop is Robert Gugliemone, a New Yorker and fourth degree Knight of Columbus!

The Trouble with Jesuits, Part 8 AND Islamic Outreach, Part XX

From an earlier post on this blog:

Pope Francis spoke to the diplomatic corps and amongst other things, said, "Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam."

From the Messenger:

" A Jesuit priest (Father Thomas Michel) delivered what he said was the most important message of a day of study about Muslim Christian relations as knowing and understanding what the church means by “esteem” for Muslims....Father Michel’s message and what he considers most important: “At the Second Vatican Council we were taught we should have esteem for Muslims,” he said....At its most basic, “Islam is a faith, a living before God,” Father Michel said. “I realize that God stands at the center, a driving force of all that occurs.”

From Father Michel's blog:

 Among the medieval mystical poets, the one who speaks most clearly and directly to the modern world is  Jalaluddin Rumi known simply in the Muslim world as “Mevlana,” Our Master.

 MEANWHILE.....from the Hoover Institute:


"Few people realize that we are today living through the largest persecution of Christians in history, worse even than the famous attacks under ancient Roman emperors like Diocletian and Nero. Estimates of the numbers of Christians under assault range from 100-200 million. According to one estimate, a Christian is martyred every five minutes. And most of this persecution is taking place at the hands of Muslims. Of the top fifty countries persecuting Christians, forty-two have either a Muslim majority or have sizeable Muslim populations."

Could that be true, Mister Angry Muslim Guy?

And Now, A Public Service Announcement

This is from the Papal Bull,  Effraenatam, written in 1588 by Pope Sixtus V ( I wonder if theer will ever be a Pope Sixtus the Sixth?). It excommunicated anyone directly involved with abortion, and asked civil authorities to punish them severely.

Who will not condemn to a most grave punishment the impiety of him… who has deprived children of life before they could naturally see light or could be protected by maternal body from ferocious cruelty? Who will not abhor the cruelty and unrestrained debauchery of impious men who have arrived into such a state of mind that they procure poisons in order to extinguish the conceived fetuses within the viscera, and pour them out, trying to provoke by a nefarious crime a violent and untimely death and killing of their progeny?  Finally who will not condemn to a most grave punishment the crimes of those who with poisons, potions and evil actions sterilize women or impede that they conceive or give birth by pernicious medicines and drugs?
We are willing to exterminate in our times also this evil as much as a We can by the strength given to Us by the Lord….

 Got that, fellow Catholics?

E-Badgemaker.com Feast of St. Kunegunda, July 24

St. Kunegunda was married to King Boleslaus V of Poland, but when he died in 1279 she joined the Poor Claires and became a phila...phila...phlin....good deed doer. This her introduction in Wikipedia:

"Saint Kinga of Poland (also known as Cunegunda, Kunigunda, Kunegunda, Cunegundes, Kioga, Zinga; Polish: Święta Kinga, Hungarian: Szent Kinga)".

I think this guy may be related....

Holy Smoke!

I had no idea that we (the Allies) bombed Rome during WWII, but we did - on this day, 1943. The first bombing took placeon May 16, but this one was bigger - 521 bombers with three main targets: the San Lorenzo freight yard, the north side of Rome, and the Ciampino airport on south-east side of Rome

View of San Lorenzo

Some damage was done to the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, so Pope Pius XII and  Monsignor Montini (better known in a later incarnation as Pope Paul VI) showed up and handed out cash money to the neighbors. The remains of St. Lawrence and the Proto-martyr St Steven were not affected.

 

Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls

 

The Vatican was bombed twice, once by the British (one bomb) and Germans (6 bombs) but little was damaged.

Rome was liberated on June 4, 1944.

Miracle Ear Feast of St. Frederick, July 18

St. Frederick was born around 780, and died somewhere around 834 and 838. WE do know for sure that whatever year it was, he was killed. We also know he was the Bishop of Utrecht when he was killed. We know that he is the Patron Saint for the deaf, but I don't know why. Here's the thing that caught my eye....from Catholic Online:

 "According to tradition St. Frederick became involved in the difficulties between the sons of the emperor, Louis the Debonair, and their father and step-mother. During these disturbances the party of the young princes charged the Empress Judith with numerous immoralities."

 

 Whoa! Louis the Debonair??? It turns out that he was the King of Aquitaine, Emperor of the Franks, andCo-Emperor  of the Holy Roman Empire. His dad was Charlemagne! Not only was he called debonair, he also was called Louis the Pious and Louis the Fair.

 

Charlemagne and Louis the Debonair

Buster Brown Decalced Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, July 17

These martyred Carmelites were caught up in the French Revolution. In 1790, the Revolutionary government ordered their monastery closed. Four years later, 16 of them were accused of living in a religious community. They were arrested, and were imprisoned in the Visitation Convent in Compiegne, then transported to Paris.

Compiegne, France

From Wikipedia:
 

" They were sent to the guillotine on 17 July 1794. They were notable in the manner of their deaths, as, at the foot of the scaffold, the community jointly renewed their vows and began to chant the Veni Creator Spiritus, the hymn sung at the ceremony for the profession of vows. They continued their singing as, one by one, they mounted the scaffold to meet their death."

Islamic Outreach, Part XIX

From an earlier post on this blog:

Pope Francis spoke to the diplomatic corps and amongst other things, said, "Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam."

Al-Arish, Egypt

From Catholic Culture:

"Following the murder of a Coptic Orthodox priest and a Coptic Christian shop owner, 100 Christian families have fled their homes in Arish, the capital of North Sinai, after they received death threats from Islamic militants.
“Currently, Coptic churches in northern Sinai have cancelled all services and meetings, except for a Mass on Friday,” AsiaNews reported. “No Christians are left in the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zowayd.”

What is your opinion, Mister Angry Muslim Guy?

Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. July 16

In the late 12th century, there was a group of hermits living on Mt. Carmel. The built a chapel there dedicated to "Our Lady of the Place", and the Carmelites were created.By the 13th Century they had expanded to England. One of the Carmelites, Saint Simon Stock, was visited by Mary who gave him a brown scapular with a promise that those who die wearing one would be saved.

Mount Carmel in Israel

Is that true? It could be but there is precious little to document it - it was 800 years ago, for cryin' out loud! But devotion to the sacramental brown scapular lives on. Pope John Paul told the Carmelites, " "Over time this rich Marian heritage of Carmel has become, through the spread of the Holy Scapular devotion, a treasure for the whole Church."

 

 

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is Patroness of Chile

And He Will Raise You Up....

And all this time, I thought it was just  a stupid song.

And Jesus Wept...

The Pope is going to Brazil for World Youth Day. While he is there he should fire Bishop Edson Tasquetto Damian for presiding over this...what ever it is:



Father Z points has this to say about the music:

"The name of the march used in the video is really “Entrance of the Gladiators”.  Composed in the 19th century, it was originally a military march.  When played at a quicker tempo and removed to a different context, the sound of this particular march will invoke only one thing… at least to Americans.  What it means to Brazilians is hard to gauge."

Armour Bacon Feast of St. Swithin, July 15

You can call him Swithun, or you can call him Swithin...either way, the name is believed to have been derived from "Pig Man". Or it might mean "Strong". No. I'm going with Pig Man. Anyway, he was British and was the Bishop of Westminster and eventually the Patron Saint of Winchester Cathedral.

St. Swithin died in 862 but his remains were moved in 971. According the the website of Winchester Cathedral, "The church was made bigger and grander by its 10th-century bishop, Aethelwold. The bones of St. Swithun, a former bishop, were dug up from its forecourt and housed in a splendid new shrine inside.St Swithun’s fame spread far and wide. All round his tomb, the walls were hung with the crutches of people he’d healed.

There's a legend attached to St. Swithun's Day (and as I write this, it's raining). From Wikipedia:
 
"The name of Swithun is best known today for a British weather lore proverb, which says that if it rains on Saint Swithun's day, 15 July, it will rain for 40 days.

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain

For forty days it will remain

St Swithun's day if thou be fair

For forty days 'twill rain nae mare"

 

 

 

 

All Star Laundry Service Feast of St. Veronica, July 12

What we know...not much. There's nothing in the Gospels about a woman wiping the face of Christ, and an image of his face appearing on it. It supposedly appeared in Rome in the 8th Century so Pope Boniface VIII confiscated it and put it in a reliquary in St. Peter's.

Interestingly, a veronica in bullfighting is a move in which the matador holds a cape out and pivots slowly as the bull charges past it.

Where Am I?

EASTER ISLAND

NOT EASTER ISLAND

What Do the Two Newest Saints Have in Common?

They both were Time Magazine's Man of the Year.

Pope John XXIII (1962)                 Pope John Paul II (1994)

The Inner Mountain Outfitters Feast of St. Benedict, July 11

St. Benedict by Pietro Periguno 1446 - 1524

St. Benedict of Nursia is the Father of Western Monasticism , the Patron Saint of speliologists and Europe, and brother of St. Scholastica. I assume he is the patron of cave explorers because he lived in a cave for three years. When the abbot of a  nearby monastery died, the community came to him and asked him to take over the joint. He wasn't keen on the idea, but did it anyway. The monks liked his style so much they tried to poison Benedict, first with drink (Benedict prayed over the cup and it shattered) and then by bread (a raven flew in the window and stole the loaf). So off to the cave again.

He finally emerged and went on to found 12 different monasteries - including the fantastic Monte Cassino, where he died in 543, or maybe it was 547.

Monte Cassino

Stay Classy, Pro-abortionists!

The State of Texas legislature is entertaining a bill that would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. The pro-abortionists are not happy. When a group of pro-lifers gathered to sing "Amazing Grace", the bad guys surrounded them chanting "Hail Satan!"

EWTN reported that "consultants" recommended that pro-abortionists tone it down a little - they were hurting the cause. The Texas House passed the new law yesterday, and the pro-abortionist cleaned up their chant. Instead of "Hail Satan", they chanted F*** the Church".

That's much better. Stay classy!

We Salute You, Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska!

If you lived in what was to become Nebraska during 1682-1776, you would have been the French Bishop of Quebec. From 1776-1781, you were part of the Bishopric of Cuba. If you were living in the Territory of Nebraska, form 1781 -1802, you were under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Cuba, who was living in New Orleans. You were then handed off to the Bishop of New Orleans until 1827, at which point you were transferred to the Bishop of St. Louis. until 1850. Then along came the Apostolic Vicariate east of the Rocky Mountains.

FINALLY, in 1887, the diocese of Lincoln is created with Bishop Bonacum in residence. 

From the time of the establishment of the Diocese, Catholics have encountered opposition. A primary example of this was the American Protective Association, or the APA, which was founded in 1887. Its members affirmed that Catholics could not be good Americans because they had to obey an Italian Pope. The epitome of their fanatical propaganda was probably reached in the accusation that Catholics were massing arms in the basement of the convent of the Ursuline Sisters in York, Nebraska.

The current bishop, Most Rev. James D. Conley, is part Wea Indian.

Pray for Surf: Nuns’ Beach

What a great story!

"Along a certain stretch of the Jersey Shore, the t-shirts seen advertising Nuns’ Beach seem to be just another bit of satirical beachwear targeted at the tourist trade. But the beach in question is very real, as are the nuns who have flocked to the popular surfing spot for the last 75 years.

Nuns’ Beach is a one-block strip of sand in Stone Harbor, N.J., a hamlet 40 miles south of Atlantic City. The beach is attached to a facility owned by the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a teaching order based in Pennsylvania. Each summer, the property fills with nuns weary from nine long months in the classroom.

In the 1990s, when the order was struggling to pay a property-tax bill of more than $100,000 and maintain their large facility, they took ownership of the Nuns’ Beach brand and began capitalizing on their status as a righteous oddity on the sometimes profane Jersey Shore.

The Nuns’ Beach Surf Invitational was launched in 1996 as a fund-raising vehicle, and the contest now attracts an array of local sponsors like Pete Smith’s Surf Shop, Kindle Auto Plaza and the Windrift Hotel. Surfers come from as far as California to compete."

The Christian Family Tree

Sister Mary Martha explains:

"All Christians were Catholics until the 16th century when:

Martin Luther got mad at the Catholic Church (he was a Catholic priest) and the corruption of the times. He wasn't wrong. He put a list of grievances on the church door to open a discussion (which was how it was done back then). When the Church didn't respond the way he liked he quit. The Church did address the problems he had pointed out eventually. That's called the Reformation.  Luther's followers are called Lutherans.  They are followers of Jesus through the teaching of a Catholic priest who lived in the 16th century.

 Around the same time, Henry the Eighth got mad that the Church would not approve of him divorcing his first wife so he could marry a younger woman in the hopes of begetting a son and heir.  He quit and founded the Anglican Church, which is called the Episcopal Church in the US.  The Anglicans and the Episcopals are the followers of Jesus through a guy who wanted to dump his wife for a new model.

Then Calvin took exception with some of the things Luther said. Those are the Calvinists. They are the followers of Jesus through a guy who was mad at Luther who was mad at the Catholic church."

You Can't Fire Me...I QUIT!

The Acts of Apostasy blog has the scoop:

"(AoftheAP) In what’s being called “one of the most unprecedented theological events ever”, Nancy Pelosi’s guardian angel has tendered his resignation, apparently in reaction to her statement “It is sacred ground”, with regards to late-term abortions.

AoftheA News received a copy of his resignation letter, in which he cites “I can no longer handle accompanying the most unfathomable degree of stupid ever, so I’m calling it quits”, and “I’ve done my best, but when all is said and done, even I can’t believe all the idiocy she has said and done”.
A representative of Celestial Helpers for Eternal Reward Union Brotherhood, Local 94103, told AoftheA News – speaking on the condition of anonymity – that the resignation came as a total surprise. “To be honest, based on Pelosi’s recent actions and statements, I had assumed he resigned years ago.”
  Questions to the Celestial Helpers for Eternal Reward Union Brotherhood regarding the status of VP Joe Biden’s guardian angel remain unanswered at the time of publication.

If This Sign Makes You Chuckle....

You might be a Catholic. This is the parking spot for His Excellency Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino., Bishop of Madison, WI.

For our Separated Brethren, Canon 1340:

Can. 1340 §1. A penance, which can be imposed in the external forum, is the performance of some work of religion, piety, or charity.

Lumen Fidei

Popes Benedict XVI and Francis have teamed up for "Lumen Fidei". You can get a copy HERE.

And Jesus Wept

Live! From the Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish, Berkeley, CA (or maybe it's the “Fluffy Lamb like Nice Jesus Pastoral Center”) ! While you watch, think who in your parish would be willing to do this. Or better yet, who would you like to SEE dancing away?