The Dreaded Exhortation Draws Near

It has been announced that the much-dreaded post-synodal exhortation (called Amoris Laetitia, "Joye of Love") will be published April 8th.  All reports are that the thing will probably be much worse than originally anticipated.  It will be trumpeted by Cardinals Baldisseri and Schonborn - both progressives.  Cardinal Kasper, another progressive, has already promised that this thing will be "revolutionary".  Sadly, I believe him.

Here are reports from Eponymous Flower and two from Catholic Family News (here and here).  Take a look at these.  For now, let's focus on the one from Eponymous Flower, for in it is a phrase that I find quite curious: "The letter is the result of double Synod on marriage and family, which took place in 2014 and, 2015. It is to replace the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio  (1981) by Pope John Paul II."

Replace?  This is the first time I ever heard of a predecessor's writings being replaced.  I can understand "being supplemented" or even "being clarified", but this makes it sound like the writings of a previous pontiff (and a canonized one at that) is being declared obsolete.  What gives with that?

The first CFN article states that we faithful Catholics must pray, learn our doctrine and be prepared to publicly resist the approaching menace.

Carhart Carnage Department - Eighth Woman Hospitalized As A Result Of The Butchery In Germantown

Less than two weeks ago I made mention of the seventh woman to be hospitalized by abortionist Leroy Carhart; that happened March 20th to be precise.  Exactly ten (10) days later on March 30, an ambulance pulled up to take yet another woman to Shady Grove Hospital.  That makes eight of them to go to the hospital as a result of an abortionist ripping their children from their wombs, and sometimes ripping the wombs themselves.  One of those women, Jennifer Morbelli, died.  Another woman died at his Nebraska abortuary and two others were injured there.

LifeSiteNews reports that this is the fourth woman taken away from the Germantown location since December.  I believe they are correct.  So lately one woman has been taken to the hospital every month.  Let's do some math here.  Say that Carhart takes in 8-10 women every week at Germantown, or 32-40 women every month.  That means that every woman who submits to Carhart's butchery at Germantown has at least a 2.5% chance of being taken away in an ambulance.  That's quite a high percentage.  Any woman who goes to Carhart is playing Russian Roulette with her life - never mind (for now) the fact that she is party to the destruction of her own child, with all the attendant post-abortive stress that will be hers for many years to come.

What will it take for the Maryland Board of Physicians to do their job and close down this hell hole?  Will another woman have to die?  At this rate, that tragedy may happen sooner rather than later.

Forget The "Tone"; Just Tell The Truth Unabashedly

Many of us are quite aware that because of political correctness, many of our so-called places of "higher learning" are nothing more than nursery schools for overgrown toddlers.  That point was driven home as we watched the spectacle at Emory University.  Slogans favorable to Donald Trump were written in chalk in various places, causing some delicate little snowflakes (laughingly calling themselves "students") to have emotional meltdowns.  Because they saw this hated slogan (careful!  I'm going to type it!  Brace yourselves!) "Trump 2016"  (deep breaths, now!), they grabbed their security blankets and headed to their "safe environments" where they could huddle together in fear while sucking their thumbs.

The Catholic Church is no stranger to this silliness.  Those of us who speak the truth have been reviled by others as being "mean spirited" and "negative", etc.  Note that we're rarely challenged on the substance of what we say, just how we say it.  I myself have received such vitriol and thus can attest to the truth of today's Vortex.  Because it's not in youtube format (at least not yet) I'll link to their page that has the video.

Regarding the flack that I've received, I've not been one to just meekly accept the bull-crap.  Certain individuals can attest to that.  Today's Vortex inspires me - and I hope many others - to rebuke the wimps/bullies who seek to silence us and to redouble our truth-telling.

Should Jesus have softened His "tone"?

Church Militant On Mother Angelica

Church Militant TV posted today a panel discussion on Mother Angelica's history and the legacy that she left faithful Catholics, especially those of us who engage the Church and culture in electronic media.  Again we pray for her repose and for her intercession and guidance as we carry on.

Mother Angelica Has Passed Away

The founder of the EWTN network passed away today, Easter Sunday.  I personally take it as a favorable sign that she has gone straight to heaven.  She suffered immensely during her last years, both in her illnesses and in the horrific way in which EWTN was wrested from her capable hands and deformed into a "church of nice" mouthpiece.  Both of these would at least have greatly reduced any time she might have needed in Purgatory.

We also know that Father Thomas Uzhunnalil was crucified by ISIS on Good Friday.  He died a martyr's death.

While we pray for the repose of the souls of both these witnesses for Christ and His Church, we can ask their intercession for the Church Militant that they have now left behind.  Eternal light grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.  May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.

I post now a video in which Mother gave some progressives a much-needed rebuke.

Solemn High Mass For Easter In the Tridentine Rite

This Mass occurred in 1941 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Chicago.  The clergy are of the Order of Servites (hence the cowls).  Then-Mgr. Fulton Sheen is narrating for the video.

Pope Francis Revised Canon Law And Broke It Anyway

Until Pope Francis ascended to the papal chair the Pontiffs had always obeyed Church law by restricting the washing of feet to Catholic men on Holy Thursday.  They respected the authority of the Church that devised canon law and in so doing assented to the purpose of the washing as a reflection on the sacerdotal priesthood which is open only to men.  Of course too many bishops (mine included) have flagrantly disobeyed this canon law as they tried to portray themselves as oh-so-inclusive.

Ever since he assumed the papacy, this pope has broken Church law in this regard.  While no one gainsays his authority to change canon law, we must still acknowledge that there is a huge difference between amending Church law and violating Church law.  The former is done while respecting the existence and purpose of canon law.  The latter shows abysmal indifference, if not utter contempt for the authority of the Church and of the previous leaders who crafted these laws.

This past January Pope Francis announced his amendment of Church law to allow for the washing of women's feet on Holy Thursday.  While it is truly regrettable to undermine the linkage to the sacerdotal priesthood we do acknowledge his right to do so.  Now look closely at his statement that he made while so doing: "After careful consideration I have decided to make a change to the Roman Missal. I therefore decree that the section according to which those persons chosen for the washing of the feet must be men or boys, so that from now on the pastors of the Church may choose the participants in the rite from among all the members of the People of God."

Take note of the underlined part for that is crucial.  It does mean that those chosen, man or woman, must be Catholic.  That is straight from the Pope's mouth.  Those are his words from last January.

Today the pope broke canon law once again.  This time, though, he also broke his own word.  Vatican Radio announced that today during Holy Thursday services, the pope washed the feet of quite a diverse (Note!  My clever usage of the word "diverse" should win me some brownie points with the p.c. crowd!) bunch.  Included in that hodge-podge were Muslims and Hindus.  So he went outside the bounds of "people of God", violating his own precept.  One wonders why he bothered to go through the trouble of amending a law that he violated anyway.  Did he do so just to mock it?  I think that's a fair question.

Can this example of disregard for Church law be a harbinger of what we can expect when the exhortation is released?  Will that also be chock-full of "pastoral" changes?  If so, these "pastoral changes" often serve as trojan horses to allow doctrine to be ignored to the eternal peril of all concerned.

During this Triduum and Easter, when we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus and the institution of the Church, let us pray that the efforts to undermine the Church from within and on high are thwarted.

What Has Gotten Into The Drinking Water At Aleteia?

Pewsitter published today two rather dopey articles from them, straight out of "church of nice".  Both of them purport to give "meaningful" (be careful of that word "meaningful" for it is full of subjective gobblygoop) ways of preparing for Easter.  One author shares how his family prepares by turning off electrical conveniences and using only candlelight.  The other talks about "being present".   None of these concepts are bad in and of themselves - but they have nothing to do with the essential truths of Easter.

Laced throughout these two pieces is a theme of "what can we get from Easter".  In fact the second author writes, "I want to taste and touch and feel every moment of this Holy Triduum, this pause in our year, this gift that allows us to celebrate the fact that we have been saved."  Taste? Touch? Feel?  Seems rather sensual, wouldn't you say?  It certainly betrays a focus on subjective experience.  Except for the word "saved" there is no hint whatsoever regarding eternal salvation.

I've no need to tell regular readers what happened.  Christ laid down His life for us to ransom us from the power of sin.  His Precious Blood was shed for our redemption.  He rose from the dead; Scripture says that was a type of "first fruits" of salvation.  Three Sacraments were instituted: Holy Eucharist, Holy Orders, Penance.  I'm sure I'm missing other important aspects, but "feeling every moment" and other "smell the flowers" stuff is not on that list.

Let's look at what's not mentioned in these two articles as ways of preparation for Easter - ways that have been promoted by the Church for hundreds of years.

1. Confession.  In the comment section of the second article, one reader does mention it.  It seems he/she wants to remind the author of that.
2. Prayer. For the first author, I wonder if family prayer was more emphasized.
3. Fasting.  There are 40 days during which that should be done, not just the last week.
4. Almsgiving.  How about prayer in front of an abortion mill?

On the surface, what these authors wrote might seem somewhat harmless.  However, if the most one can say about a given object is that "it's harmless", then I'd tend to wonder about any benefit from the same.  I don't think it's harmless at all.  To imply that such "fluffy-puff stuff" ideas are in any way on a par with authentic preparation for or significance of Easter poses serious dangers of obscuring the truth of our salvation.  Yes, we are talking about eternal salvation versus eternal damnation: truths that transcend "nice experiences".

I'd be willing to bet that similar examples of sentimentality exist.  While they may seem rather innocuous, I'd hope that no one would assume that the things suggested therein are in any manner on a par with the Catholic understanding of Lent and Easter.

Another Courageous Priest - In Montana

Normally I would be loathe to link to anything from New Ways Ministry, but they seem to have the only account of this incident.  Of course, being advocates for perversion, they will be putting onto it their own warped perspective.  I needn't rehash the entire account here but will attempt to shine the light of the Teaching of Jesus Christ onto the matter.

Two years ago, Father Spiering of St. Leo's Catholic Church in Lewistown MT had denied Holy Communion to two gay men who pretended to be "married".  He also expelled them from parish apostolates.  A number of parishioners got into a huff; several members of the choir, including the director, immediately resigned.

It seems that an elderly member of the parish also had her nose put out of joint.  Her own son was engaged in ongoing sodomite mortal sin.  She passed away and expressly asked that the choir director - who had stomped off on her own volition - be allowed to lead the singing.  A former pastor, who was obviously sympathetic to the gays, defended the woman's "right" to sing.  Father Spiering said "no", correctly stating that no such "right" existed.  Do consider that Father Spiering, as pastor, had complete responsibility for the occurrences in that parish and for the upholding of the Teachings of Jesus Christ.  He and the former pastor argued, but Spiering stood his ground, stating that he would ban the former pastor from the parish if necessary.  He informed the family that he would be conducting the funeral.

Enter now the wimps of the local chancery.  Father Peterson, vicar general for the Diocese of Great Falls - Billings, conducted the service and allowed the ex-choir director to lead the singing.  He himself is a personal friend of the deceased woman's family, presumably including the gay "couple".  In other words, he undermined Father Spiering's authority in that situation.  He acknowledged Father Spiering's canonical rights, but said the actions weren't "pastoral".  Don't you just love that word "pastoral" and how it's used to justify all manners of disobedience to Our Lord?

The New Ways screed closes by stating that "Father Spierling's minsterial competencies and role in active ministry should be questioned".  The fact is that New Ways Ministry is steeped in dissent from the Teachings of the Church.  As far as "ministerial competencies" are concerned, New Ways simply doesn't know apple butter from cow pie.  That won't stop them from calling the diocese and screeching at them to remove Father Spierling - much like they did to Father Marcel Guarnizo of my own parish four years ago.

Just as I suggested yesterday that we support Father Mann, so too must we support Father Spierling.  Many of my readers will recall the similarities between these two cases and what happened to Father Guarnizo.  Please - we must raise our own voices in defense of good priests.  Here is the contact information for the Diocese of Great Falls - Billings, headed by Bishop Michael Warfel.

Please spread the word.

From The Carhart Carnage Department: Germantown - Seven And Counting

Yesterday, March 20, at approximately 6pm, two emergency vehicles pulled in front of Germantown Reproductive Health Choices.  Shortly thereafter, they wheeled out a young girl who had started an abortion procedure earlier that afternoon.  She was taken to Shady Grove Hospital.  At this time her condition is unknown.  Maryland Coalition for Life has more detail, including video.

MCL urges action to move the political movers and shakers.  I think the other occupants of Germantown Executive Park Terrace need to be held accountable for tolerating this atrocity and murderous conduct in their midst.  If any readers conducts business with an outfit headquartered therein, please ask them what they are doing to eradicate baby-murder from their midst.

Courageous Priest Evicts Gay Group From His Parish

As I listened to the reading of the Passion this past Palm Sunday, I couldn't help but think that the examples of Judas and Barabbas are to be found too often in our Churches and hierarchy today.  We have the revolting public betrayal of Our Lord being done by Cardinal Dolan at the St Patrick's Day parade in New York a few days ago; by his affirmation of gays in their depravity, he is depriving them of the much-needed message of repentance to save their souls.   Similarly, in nearby Baltimore we have the ongoing scandal at St. Matthew's, seemingly being aided and abetted by Auxiliary Bishop Denis Madden.  Again, many souls are marching to their eternal damnation as their priests and bishops applaud them on their deadly march.

After seeing these scandals, I was delighted to hear of a priest who is actually caring for his flock.  Father Gordon Mann, pastor of St. Mary's parish in Evansville Indiana, told a gay group that they could no longer use parish facilities for their meetings.  The group calls themselves "Rainbow Catholics in Christ".  Like their LEAD counterparts in Baltimore, they shill for the normalization of gay perversions.  Father Mann did say they could remain IF they followed the models set forth by Courage/Encourage.  Sadly, the RCC folks want nothing of true grace and spiritual help.

As I read another account, it seems that the Diocese of Evansville is not entirely supportive of Father Mann's move to uphold the Faith in his parish.  I hope my take on that is incorrect.  Here is the contact information for the diocese.  Ask Bishop Charles Thompson to support Father Mann.  You may rest assured that the gay-nazis are making their displeasure known to the diocese.  We must counteract that.

Please spread the word.  Thank you.

Mass Rock In The Glen

This might have been more appropriate for St. Patrick's day but I just saw this.  God bless these people for staying faithful.

Some Future Priests?

The National Catholic Register published an article a while back.  Embedded in the article are five clips of little boys "saying Mass".  There are many, many priests today who got started by doing precisely that.  These little guys are cute and do quite well for their ages, and even despite the fact that they may not be able to read yet.

Enjoy and pray for holy vocations!

St. Patrick's Day

Today we honor a saint who played a pivotal role in the conversion of Ireland to the One True Faith.  As a result of that conversion many monasteries were built and armies of priests and religious went forth to spread the Faith; the United States was a beneficiary of their efforts.

Because I abhor the adulteration of such feast days with sentimentality, I do not believe it appropriate to "muddy the waters" by trying to make such feast days about celebrating ethnicity.  We honor St. Patrick, a very holy man.  We don't do so my pouring green food dye into copious amounts of beer and then consuming the same to the point of sinful drunkedness.  Similarly, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is not about the Latino culture.  Leave the feastdays alone and unpolluted by trivialities.  I've posted before on all this here and here.

 It is said that St. Patrick drove serpents from Ireland.  Let us pray to him that the serpents of abortion, contraception, homosexuality and other mortal sins be driven from our culture and that all be converted to Jesus Christ and His One True Church.

Beware The Post-Synodal Exhortation

Two days ago I mentioned that the Post-Synodal Exhortation on Marriage would most likely be released.  That likelihood has now increased.  Edward Pentin has published an announcement by Cardinal Walter Kasper that the thing could indeed be released on Saturday March 19.  Kasper said that this document will be a "first step in a reform..after 1700 years", and that "we must not repeat past formulas and barricade ourselves behind the wall of exclusivism and clericalism".

My!  How the Church must have wallowed in despair and darkness, lo these past 1700 years, just pining for the "god of surprises"!

Kasper did get specific about allowing civilly remarried divorced Catholics - in other words, those living in adultery - to receive Holy Communion.  He gave lip-service to the "penitential period" crock, conveniently overlooking the critical detail that authentic penitence necessitates the cessation of sin and the occasions of such sin.  I've written quite a bit about Kasper in the past: enough to say that this announcement of his is quite typical for him.

Voice of the Family has put together quite a thorough analysis of this exhortation.  They warn of many dangers embedded in this exhortation.  In addition to adulterers being allowed to receive Holy Communion sacrilegiously, the Church's teachings on contraception are undermined, parental rights are undermined, etc.  I suggest that all read it and beware of what will soon be unleashed upon the Catholics in the pew.  Be prepared to shield yourselves from temptation and to assist your fellow Catholics through the confusion that this exhortation will foist on them.

Cardinal Sarah: Priests Do NOT Have To Wash Women's Feet On Holy Thursday

Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments made clear that priests are not obliged to wash the feet of women on Holy Thursday.  Please read the articles at the Wanderer and Aletia

As we all know, Pope Francis amended Canon Law to permit the washing of women's feet this past January.  Prior to that, the washing of women's feet on Holy Thursday was a direct violation of canon law.  However, some of the more progressively-inclined bishops, in the wake of the canon law change, have taken it upon themselves to require their priests to wash women's feet.  The latter is actually a misrepresentation of the canon law change, and most likely a deliberate misrepresentation.

Mindful of the moral and theological quandary in which faithful priests now find themselves (including some in my diocese who, for obvious reasons, must not be named), Cardinal Sarah stated that the individual priest "has to decide in accord with his own conscience, and according to the purpose for which the Lord instituted this feast".

So what is this purpose for which the Lord established this feast?  We all know from basic catechesis that the purpose was two-fold: the institution of the Eucharist AND the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  The Wanderer article picks up on an important point.  We read in John 13 of the washing of the feet of the Apostles.  After He is finished, Jesus exhorts them to wash one another's feet.  Notice that He doesn't say "wash the feet of any random person".  It would appear that the priests are to wash the feet only of men who are in Holy Orders or preparing for the same.  It is unseemly, therefore, to wash the feet of women and even more so of non-Catholics.

Regrettably the pope is preparing to depart once again from the focus on the priesthood.  He intends to wash the feet of some Islamic refugees.  It's supposed to be a "powerful symbolic gesture", you see.  At a time when many countries are waking up to the dangers to which they've exposed their citizens by unbridled immigration, when they are starting to take measures to protect their own people, the pope will try to lull their consciences back to sleep.  This "symbolic gesture" is really quite political in nature, one that if heeded, will contribute to the endangerment of Christians throughout Europe.

Getting back to Cardinal Sarah's statement, priests are reassured that they can decline to wash the feet of women.  They cannot be coerced into doing so.  It is my understanding that the washing of feet itself is entirely optional.  I hope and pray that many priests will take heart and stand strong against progressive tyranny, even from their own chanceries.

Please spread this, as many priests may not be aware of Cardinal Sarah's pronouncement.

Some Great Takes On The Third "Pope Video"

Yes, I saw it but was a bit slow on the uptake.  Perhaps I was just happy that there was no overt heresy, blasphemy, or sacrilege and that the word "Jesus" was mentioned (albeit just once).  However, both akacatholic and Corbinian's Bear took a much more thorough look at it than did I.

At the bottom of this post I'll show the video and below that, akacatholic's version of the same.  Corbinian's Bear did articulate some serious flaws with it: flaws that have been all too typical with this pontificate.

• The implication that problems such as spousal abuse can be solved by throwing money at poor people.  While that might bring some temporary relief, the root problems remain addressed such as:
• Attacks on the family via contraception, gay perversion of marriage, governments undermining the proper roles of parents, lack of solid instruction in Church teaching (often because clergy are so often ignorant and/or rebellious to the same Church teaching)
• The none-too-subtle implication that the ideal family size is two children, three at maximum.  This is shown in the various drawings of families by the children in the video.

CB opines that this might be the worst one yet.  I respectfully disagree.  In my opinion, this one doesn't sink to the level of the previous one where Buddha was placed on a par with Jesus Christ - which constitutes unabashed idolatry.

I wonder if this video is meant to prepare us for the Post-Synodal Exhortation on Marriage that's supposed to be released this coming Saturday?  I hope not, for if that is the case then this exhortation will at best be both vapid and banal.  Now the videos.

Cleaning Out The Trash From St Cecilia Cathedral - Would We Do The Same?

"Cultural presentation" - my arse!

A Mary Poppins mannequin hanging from the ceiling of a Catholic cathedral.  A Buddha statue in one of the side chapels.  These abominations really occurred in St. Cecilia Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Omaha last January.  What I just described isn't mere sacrilege; the Buddha statue raised the ante to idolatry.  At least one faithful Catholic had enough - and did something about it!

First let's set forth some details.  In late January, the cathedral hosted its 31st "Flower Festival" and this year's "theme" (?) was "A Night At The Movies".  Mark Kenney, a custodian of the cathedral - in the true sense of the word - recognized the insult to the Faith and Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.  He cut down the Mary Poppins thing from the ceiling and tossed out the Buddha idol and a few other  monstrosities as well.  The pastor confronted him. Kenney admitted to his deeds, saying, "Father, this is bullshit! We can’t have this in the church. This isn’t culture, it’s Disney crap!"  Later Kenney correctly stated that what happened was sacrilege for the most part, idolatry with respect to the Buddha junk.  He did not resist arrest when the police came for him.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, Holy Thursday.  I think it's rather appropriate since it was on the evening of Holy Thursday that Jesus was arrested in preparation for His Crucifixion.

Let's look at some facets of this matter, shall we?  Firstly this pastor, allegedly a canon lawyer, stated, "Cathedrals are kind of the epicenter for culture presentation and development."  No they aren't!  They are sacred places dedicated to the worship of the One True God!  They should NOT be used to "present culture" that is idolatrous and at enmity with the teachings of Jesus Christ.  As I read further down the article, I saw that one of the exhibits was one devoted to Queen Elizabeth I of England - you know, the English protestant monarch who was responsible for the large-scale persecution and murders of hundreds of English Catholics.  So "cultural development" means heaping honor on an unrepentant persecutor of Catholics?

Our Lord Damaging Personal Property

The article states that Kenney was fired and that his "safe environment" certificate was revoked, prohibiting him from volunteering or working when children are present.  In a sane world, such revocation would also have occurred with regard to the pastor and the other masterminds behind the obscenity.  Clearly they pose a serious threat to the immortal souls of all parishioners, owing to their allowance of idolatry in the Cathedral.

The writer of the article, towards the end, engages in a bit of "editorializing".  He opines that the damage to personal property was not appropriate.  Normally I might agree, except that this "personal property" was used to commit multiple sins against the First Commandment.  Think of it this way; had swastikas been affixed to the walls of the cathedral, would anyone in their right mind have had any bones about ripping them from the walls?  Of course not (cowardice issues notwithstanding)!  Once again I think the Principle of Double Effect applies.  The good effect is the cessation of the idolatry by its removal; any damage is corollary.

Kenney hopes that the incident will spark some conversation in the Church about what is permissible in a Catholic Church wherein the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.  I do too.  I also hope that it causes us all to consider what we might do if we should ever find ourselves confronted with blatant affronts to Our Lord in His church.  Will we have the courage and resolve to correct the situation?

This debacle occurred in the Archdiocese of Omaha.  Let's have some "conversation" with them, particularly in relation to the sentencing on Holy Thursday.  These charges should be dropped in the name of decency.  Here is the contact information.

UPDATE - On Father Z's blog, a commenter left this link to the rest of the abomination that was part of this debacle.  It includes "displays" from "The King and I", "Dr Zhivago (to celebrate adultery)", "ET", "Grease" and others.  It's a shame that Kenney couldn't eject the entire mess.

Father Z And Catholic Lane Are Wrong Big-Time

Today, via Pewsitter, I read two particularly vapid and banal pieces that had as their end the minimizing of the damage being done by Pope Francis' ill-advised utterances.  See here and here.  A rebuttal is needed, and Mundabor stepped up admirably to the plate.  I suspect Mundabor was commenting on Father Z's piece but it could apply to the Catholic Lane one as well.

Both of the authors of the articles seemed hell-bent on trying to stifle some very appropriate concern and even indignation.  Their "don't worry, be happy" approach is, in my opinion, does not conform to what Scripture and Tradition teaches as the appropriate response to evil.

These authors who attempt to paint "smiley-faces" on outright heresies emanating from the Vatican must be contradicted as vehemently as the heresies themselves for they give the Vatican heretics aid and comfort by their (hopefully misguided) attempts to silence our warnings and rebuttals.

The Filth Continues to Ooze From The Archdiocese Of New York

Yesterday Church Militant released a video showing a panel discussion among members of Church Militant as they reveal more details regarding the corruption in the New York chancery.  I'll post it below.  Much of the mess seemed to be emanating from the New York vicar general, Msgr Mustaciolo.  Did you notice talk of him being groomed to be bishop of Metuchen?  Yes, that diocese!  Small world.  Well, we know that's not happening now.

Today Church Militant broke news of another of Mustaciolo's gay pals, Father Gary Mead, being promoted after he was caught by police in a sex sting a few years ago.  He's now director of a television outreach for the archdiocese  In his current situation, Mead has regular access to seminarians and children.  His arrest should have caused him to be defrocked but instead he is promoted?

Watch this and pass it along.  Also be alert to things that might be happening in your own locales.

Oklahoma Takes Major Steps In Combating Abortion

Many localities have attempted bans on abortion, many of them with exceptions.  But Oklahoma State Senator Joe Silk has introduced a bill that would classify the commission of abortion as first-degree murder.  This is the latest of a string of pro-life bills to be filed in the Oklahoma legislature, to be deliberated upon very soon.

Kudos to the State of Oklahoma!

Bishop Bootkowski Retires, Deo Gratias

On Pewsitter I stumbled across an announcement that Bishop Paul Bootkoski of the Diocese of Metuchen (NY) is retiring and his successor has been named.  I knew the name "Bootkoski" sounded familiar so I pulled up some old posts.  Now I know we can rejoice at his retirement.

Last year a theology teacher at Immaculata High School named Patricia Jannuzzi was fired from her job with full public approval of Bootkoski.  The reason for discharge?  Because she upheld the Church's teachings on marriage and correctly stated that at the heart of the gay agenda was the deconstruction of western civilization.  That's right!  She upheld the Church's teachings and that got her fired from a Catholic school.  Fortunately enough uproar ensued from Catholic blogosphere to shine the light on cockroaches as it were.  She was reinstated.

Bootkowski is to be succeeded by Msgr James Checchio, who was rector of North American College.  Let us pray for the bishop-elect.

Catholics Of Archdiocese Of Baltimore - Is This Scenario Playing Out In Your Parishes?

I have written about Cardinal Dolan and his chicaneries within the Archdiocese of New York many times.  Church Militant has been at the forefront of exposing the slime and corruption within that archdiocese.  In particular, they helped shed the light on the sex-and-embezzlement case regarding Father Peter Miqueli.  This case, combined with the stonewalling by Dolan et al that parishioners received as they attempted to seek redress in accordance with canon law protocols, has caused these parishioners to resort to legal action.  I hope they prevail in court.

But it seems that the Miqueli situation is simply one tip of the iceberg.  Again, Church Militant has attempted to get clarification from the New York chancery.  Of course the chancery has engaged in their usual stonewalling.  Meanwhile an employee of the Archdiocese of New York agreed to an interview with Voris under cover of anonymity.  I present the video below.  Because the voice distortion may make some of "Bob's" remarks difficult to understand, I now link to the transcript.

As you listen to "Bob", you'll hear him remark that the New York scenario is most likely being repeated all over the country, if not the world.  With that, I ask you to review the findings regarding the de facto gay occupation that exists within the parish of St. Matthew's in Baltimore (Loch Raven Boulevard).  I have reason to suspect that indeed a very similar, if not identical situation exists within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as evinced within the Archdiocese of New York.  I know for a fact that the revelations of the debauchery in St. Matthew's have ruffled many feathers, causing certain individuals to lash out.  At this time I am not at liberty to divulge details.

Faithful Catholics of the Archdiocese of Baltimore (and elsewhere), please keep your eyes and ears open.  There is a saying that many of us see displayed over interstates from time to time: "If you see something, say something."  Please do so.  If you get no satisfaction from official church channels, please start organizing among yourselves and take some actions, such as organized collection boycotts.  You are not helpless, especially if you stick together.  Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said that it will be up to the laity to save the Church.  That time is most likely now.

Turning Confession, The Sacrament Of Mercy, Into An Abysmal Joke

The Catholic blogosphere is alight with the latest heresy (that's what it is) to come to light.  On February 11, eve of Ash Wednesday, the pope met with those priests designated to be "missionaries of mercy" and gave them instructions and I use the word "instructions" loosely.  The text of the message can be found on Zenit.  Within that address are directives to the priests which, if followed, would render any confession invalid.  I quote below the heresy:

"If someone comes to you and feels something must be removed from him, but perhaps he is unable to say it, but you understand … it’s all right, he says it this way, with the gesture of coming. First condition. Second, he is repentant. If someone comes to you it is because he doesn’t want to fall into these situations, but he doesn’t dare say it, he is afraid to say it and then not be able to do it. But if he cannot do it, ad impossibila nemo tenetur. And the Lord understands these things, the language of gestures. Have open arms, to understand what is inside that heart that cannot be said or said this way … somewhat because of shame … you understand me. You must receive everyone with the language with which they can speak."

Any second-grader preparing to receive the sacraments is taught that in order to receive the Sacrament, they must tell at least their mortal sins to the priest.  No "silent treatment" will suffice.  The blog One Peter Five has a number of passages from relevant Church teaching promulgated over the centuries, including an excerpt from the Council of Trent that states plainly that anyone holding such an opinion that the pope seems to hold is to be anathematized.  At the blog What's Up With The Synod, we see the predicament in which this practice would place an unwitting soul.

Consider for a moment what that last blogger is saying.  Without the recitation of sins to the priest, there is a lack of valid matter to cause the Confession to be valid.  That means any absolution is invalid.  Someone who has mortal sin on their soul who does not confess it would think he/she has received absolution when they really haven't.  They might receive Holy Communion in that state (In that case, I'm not sure they would be culpable of the sin of sacrilege if they, in good faith, thought they were validly absolved).  They might die in that state; I wouldn't want to presume upon their eternal fate.

This is the so-called "year of mercy", right?  But here we have the pope sabotaging the very Sacrament that was instituted to confer God's forgiveness for sins.  He's instructing priests to offer absolution invalidly.  That is to say he's instructing his priests to offer false comfort while still leaving penitents in their wretched states.  The convoluted thinking behind that is the very antithesis of true mercy - at least the pure mercy that God wishes to extend to all of us sinners.

Georgetown University To Host Cecile Richards In April

Georgetown University, a DC-based Jesuit university infamous for rejection and even hatred of its Catholic heritage and even of God Himself, will again play the whore this coming April.  The Lecture Fund at Georgetown will host Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The Cardinal Newman Society has broken the news today.  The Lecture Fund has not yet disclosed an exact date and time or the topic of discussion.  Perhaps they recall when Kathleen Sebelius gave a commencement address there nearly four years ago, many of us were down there to raise loud protest.

Perhaps some are shocked, wondering how a Catholic institution could host the president of this nation's largest chain of baby-murderers, especially in light of the videos put forth by the Center for Medical Progress.  I'm not shocked; I've written about them many, many times.  I could list some of their offenses here, but even that list would be too long.

I will advise when I learn further details.

Center For Medical Progress Releases Its Twelfth Video

On Wednesday March 2, the US Supreme Court began hearing arguments in the case of Whole Women's Health v Hellerstedt regarding Texas' 2013 law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

In anticipation of this hearing, the Center for Medical Progress has released its twelfth video.  Please watch this and spread the word.  Above all, pray.

Immorality Of Boycotting Election Day

Today is called "Super Tuesday", when many key states are holding their presidential primaries.  I heard from one commentator that this evening's election might well determine the composition of 25% of convention delegates.  I believe he was speaking of Republican delegates.  My focus in this post is on the GOP side.  As far as I'm concerned, the Democratic primary is essentially a choice between Lucifer and Beelzebub.

Already I'm hearing from some good Catholics who say "if my favored candidate does not win the nomination, I'm not voting in the general election".  To be frank, much of the sterling veneer is falling off Donald Trump but he still continues to poll favorably.  The next closest two are Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and they too have their flaws.  In short, we don't have a perfect candidate.  That's the situation.

Both Sanders and Clinton pose clear threats to our nation.  What might help the Democratic nominee ascend to the White House are those faithful Catholics who will be inclined to stay away from the polls in November.  I believe that is a key factor as to why Obama won in 2012.  We knew Romney wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination.  However, four years after that election, can anyone really doubt that Romney would have been worlds better?  If nothing else, he most likely would not have proactively engaged in the disasters that occurred these past four years.

Shortly before the 2012 election, we heard the snortings from faithful but disgruntled Catholics who said they'd stay home (and many did).  I'll be frank again; in many if not most cases, these Catholics sounded like petulant two-year-olds who were mad because they didn't get their way during the primaries.  Their rancorous declarations of their intent to boycott the election really did resemble temper tantrums.  The same foot-stomping is beginning to happen, and the primaries aren't even over yet.

At that time, I made efforts to examine the "not going to vote" question by applying to it the Principle of Double Effect.  It is something that many mistake for the "lesser of two evils" mindset, but these two ideas are considerably different.  Here is one post.  This is a follow-up post.  Those were from August 2012.  These next two are from the following October - here and here.  Please read the comments in these posts; they can be quite telling.

This time I'm not hearing so much "third-party" talk as much as I'm hearing talk about not voting at all.  Let's look at that, shall we?  Again we're going to examine this question rigorously, attempting to apply traditional Catholic moral principles to it.  And yes, we really do have to take the time and effort to methodically work through these questions, as opposed to making these decisions on the basis of impulsive, "seat of the pants" emotions.

Again, applying the Principle of Double Effect, we have to first address the nature of the act of abstaining from voting.  We, as American citizens have a civic duty to make our voices heard via the electoral process.  How else will Catholic values be brought into the political arena if we don't vote?  Some might say, "the system is so corrupt that our votes most likely won't matter".  Be that as it may, if we don't vote, then we guarantee that our input won't even be registered, let alone matter.

Some erroneously hold that they abstain from voting then they won't commit sin by voting under less than ideal circumstances.  I believe, however, that given what I stated in the previous paragraph, that such abstention would constitute its own sin.  We can sin by omission as well as by commission.  I quote from Baltimore Catechism question 64: "What is actual sin?  Actual sin is any willful thought, desire, word, action, or omission forbidden by the law of God".

Obviously someone sitting out the November election is omitting to vote.  Is such omission sinful?  That's a key question; I think the answer is "yes" (barring illness or some other emergency).  How can deliberate refusal to mitigate probable harm to the moral character of our nation and indeed all civilization not be sinful?  For the sake of our nation and yes, your own souls, I beg disgruntled Catholics to man up (or woman up, as the case may be) and fulfill your duty this November.

I welcome comments from my readers and issue to them a challenge.  Please base your comments on faith and reason as opposed to emotion and "gut reaction".  Thank you.