Catholics! Will We Fill Charlie's Shoes?

Regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk and the ramifications on our nation, I came across this excellent article entitled "The End Of Illusion: On The Assassination of Charlie Kirk And The Way Forward".  It was written by Richard Y. Rodgers and David F.X. Army and published by the Harvard Salient.   It appears here, but for the sake of discussion, I will copy and paste the article now.  Below the article will appear some thoughts on what this portends for faithful Catholics.  Now the article.

Charlie Kirk’s murder is first and last a private calamity: a wife now without her husband, children without their father, a circle of friends and kin bereft of a steady presence. That grief is immediate, awful, and beyond any contestation. We owe the dead our sorrow and the bereaved our silence and our service. But grief has its civic logic too. The taking of a life for some desperate, ill-conceived political conviction—in the courtyard of a university, in front of young witnesses—forces a public diagnosis: we are at war, and too many of us still pretend otherwise.

Those who knew Charlie will tell you what the cameras too often obscured. He could be theatrical, florid, and exasperating in the delightfully modern register of political showmanship. He could also be unexpectedly, almost annoyingly, moderate: a man who prized argument over obliteration, outreach over insularity, whose modus operandi was to cross campus thresholds and address anyone curious enough to ask a question. He exhorted a generation, plainly and insistently, to love God, love their family, and love their country. That was enough to get him killed.

Let us be unsentimental about the nature of the enemy. Leftism is not merely a rival policy set or an alternate party program. Leftism is a mental illness. There is no risk in naming the condition plainly when the symptoms are so evident: systematic hatred for inherited institutions, a taste for moral monstrosity, and a bloodlust that sanctifies obliteration—of traditions, of customs, of human life—as signs of progress. If you are on the Right and have been told this language is excessive, look instead at the evidence of behavior: celebration when opponents are deplatformed, undone—or worse—killed. They hate you. They want you dead. To say it this way is necessary, for it is in the flowery meadows of euphemism that rot truly spreads.

This is not a rhetorical flourish. It is a warning. To those who treat conservative life on campus or in civic society as an agreeable pastime—“a club,” “a journal,” “a debating society”—recognize that there is no safe neutral. The adjective “just” in front of any conservative endeavor is an attempt to be dismissed as harmless, but it is precisely the seemingly harmless that activists of the other persuasion seek to erase first. If you wear your conviction visibly, if you sign your name to a cause, if you instruct others in the habits that sustain a free and ordered society, you place yourself on the line, and, if the Left wins, they will place you on the gallows. That is not martyr rhetoric; that is realism.

For those of conservative disposition who wish only to lead a private life, cloistered away from the political fray, I am sorry. That is not possible. They won’t allow it. The logic of our hour is simple: if our institutions and formative practices fall, the private life you cherish will be the first to go. To wish for quiet while our enemies reconfigure the moral architecture of the nation is to wish for exile in place.

And yet, despair is not an option. Charlie’s death must not be allowed to calcify into a paralyzing fatalism. It must harden into a militant diligence. Reverence must be translated into work.

First, we must outlast personalities. Charisma withers; institutions endure. Do not treat conservative talent as an end in itself but as the seedbed of durable structures: parish schools that catechize the young, neighborhood reading groups that form habits of mind, free associations that forge the brave and the learned, scholarship funds that free talent from petit politics. Endowments, curricula, and local cells of study should be built now, not as ephemeral projects but as a conservative infrastructure: slow, networked, and resilient against the fashions and fury of the moment. Make the long game irreversible.

Second, cultivate an education of courage. The modern university offers an education in the art of dissent. We must answer with an alternative catechesis: rhetoric, logic, history, theology, liturgy, and philosophy of civic friendship, whatever remains of it. Courage is an acquired disposition: to speak the truth as you see it, to stand when others flee, to accept cost without cynicism. We should produce men and women who can withstand slander, who can retain composure under siege, and who can outlast the moral fashions of an age.

Third, refuse the counterfeit civility that is merely cowardice. There was a civic civility that governed honest bargaining and, insofar as it still exists, that ethic is worth preserving. Too often, the best case scenario is that “civility” is deployed as a plea to disappear, to shrink one’s claims until the public square is emptied of all meaningful assertion. The worst case scenario is that any attempt at discourse, even of the most reasonable, accommodating kind, will be met, Left on Right, with violence. If it can happen to a lion of free speech and civil discourse like Charlie, it can happen to anyone. Regardless of whether or not the age of reasons debate ended two days ago, the counterfeit civility imposed upon the Right must be exposed. Practice a measured politeness toward persons while being implacable in defense of public truth and the institutions that sustain it.

Finally, be precise and uncompromising in your politics: the stakes are metaphysical as well as administrative. Elections are only punctuation marks in the politics of man. Family, church, law, education, and public memory are the true battlegrounds. If we cede the formative structures, policy wins will be temporary because the habits that sustain a free people will have been hollowed out. Organize, staff, fund, and harden those institutions now so that when the hour grows harder we answer with political intelligence and moral readiness, not surprise.

Charlie Kirk’s life was a mixture of exuberance and seriousness; his death should compel us to the latter without surrendering the former. To grieve is human; to pick up the mantle and persevere is a fitting tribute. We have been offered a summons by the worst of circumstances. Let us answer with the best of ourselves: with learning sharpened into resolve, with institutions of habit and formation, and with a courage that understands the cost of action—and inaction. The hour is harsh. The work is hard. The loss is great. The choice, however, is ours.

END OF ARTICLE

This article, for many faithful Catholics and pro-lifers, particularly those who consider themselves "retired from the fray", provides a much-needed kick in the pants, as it were.  Too many think that if they just concentrate on their families and churches - to the exclusion of society at large - that God will protect them and theirs.  That pipe dream needs to end yesterday!   That is why I high-lighted that paragraph in red.

This blog, as do the others on the right side bar, give information as to how to become aware of the threats to the Church and all our families, and what we can - and must - do about it.

Some Root Causes Of The Church's Current Malaise

I'd suggest taking the time to watch this.  Please see below for comments.



Hichborn ends with some suggestions to combat these evils.  With all due respect, his list is somewhat lacking, in my opinion.  Yes, the Mass, Rosary, Scapular, prayer, etc are absolutely crucial, but by themselves they are wholly inadequate.  Hichborn is focusing on actions that one can take within the relatively safe confines of the Church and home.

But we must actually confront the evil head-on, where it occurs.  That goes for each and every one of us - no exceptions whatsoever.  We are going to have to get some dirt under our fingernails.  We must face the fact that when we speak out, we will be tossed out of Church roles and positions, we will be pilloried, we will be shunned as "rad-trad nuts" or what-have-you.

One key action that we can all take is to boycott some of the second collections that are foisted upon all US dioceses.  Four that come to mind are:

1. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection
2. The Catholic Relief Services collection
3. The Catholic Charities collection
4. The Peter's Pence collection

There is much information regarding these organizations on this blog and other sites (including Lepanto).  Please, in your collection envelopes, let the parish know why there is no money therein and sign your names.  Take a public, non-anonymous stand.

If dissidents are being honored at Catholic venues in your area, raise a firm but polite protest with the venue and your bishop.  Should your communications be unheeded, picket the events.  Again, we must make public stands.  We must make the malefactors uncomfortable in their dissidence.  That requires a willingness on our part to step out of our own comfort zones.

Ora et labora.

We Can't Use Private Revalation As An Excuse Not To Do Anything, Not To Fight

These words are uttered by Michael Matt at the 13:08 point of this video.  He goes on, "Soldiers of Christ, which we are by Confirmation, we must continue to fight".  He is speaking of those  who try to use the apparitions of Mary (I'm speaking of just the approved ones), particularly that of La Salette, as justification for praying only.  Nope!  It's ora et labora.

Think about it.  At last week's picket of Shriver at the Mount's commencement, why did only nine of us show up to protest?  I'm not asking that of those who were in front of abortuaries at that time for they were standing and fighting.  I'm speaking of those who, quite frankly, refuse to take a public stand for God's truth, out of cowardice and/or laziness.  Those in front of abortuaries likewise find themselves stretched thin.  If many people don't do some serious soul-searching on this point, they might find themselves unpleasantly surprised at their Particular Judgment at the moment of their deaths.

Catholic Activists Save Theological College From Father Martin

Two months ago I posted that Jesuit heretic Father James Martin was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a symposium being conducted by Washington Theological College.  In that post, you'll see that commenter "kiwiinamerica" lamented that Martin would probably never be disinvited.  At the time, his/her doubts were well-founded.  He/she can now rejoice for now Martin is disinvited, thanks be to God.

Left-wing rags are wailing and bemoaning Martin's well-deserved comeuppance.  Take a look at this whiny pout from the Not-At-All-Catholic Reporter.  They interviewed Martin, who puts the blame on "far-right church websites such as Church Militant, LifeSiteNews and the blog run by Father Zuhlsdorf".  Of course those sites also include many other blogs run by faithful Catholics - such as this one.  I'll have more to say on this point later in the post.

Church Militant has some more details.  Not only was Martin dumped from the Theological College event, but he was also axed as a speaker for a gala to be held by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.  In that situation, their leadership faced backlash from outraged knights.  Martin himself snivels and pouts about the cancellations on his facebook and twitter pages.

Despite the "poor widdle me" tripe that Martin exudes on his pages, the record tells the story of his attempt to normalize the mortal sin of sodomy.  In this clip he actually calls for "reverence" of sinful situations.  Note that his gay friend, who thinks he's "married" to his accomplice in sin, is the chair of the theology department at Fordham University.  Both he and Martin, unless they repent and confess their sins, will be accountable for leading many young souls down a path to perdition.  For clarification on that point, I now link to a piece by Msgr Charles Pope that summarizes Christ's teachings on homosexual conduct.

When I wrote my piece two months ago, I too didn't think there was much chance that Martin would be disinvited from the symposium, seeing how he enjoys the favor of both Pope Francis and Cardinal Wuerl.  In retrospect I believe there were several factors, and some lessons we can learn in combating similar threats to Church integrity that will present themselves in the future.  I'll list them in "bullet" format.

• Prayer for God's protection  Nothing of this sort can happen without God's grace.  We must continue to pray.  Frequent the sacraments and pray the Rosary daily.  Mention these threats by name when you pray.
• Social media  Martin himself alluded to that as he blamed "far right sites" for stopping his appearances.  Please watch not only the sites he mentioned but smaller sites as well.  Often it is the smaller sites that will carry news pertaining to their localities; these also deserve the attention of faithful Catholics local to those areas.  The mainstream media (including diocesan publications and faux-katholic liberal rags) are not reliable sources of information.  Of course when you see topics such as these, pass them along your own social sites and email lists.
• Action It is critical that when we are notified of these situations, that we not only pray but we must act as well.  Such action will include:
• Phone calls  Martin specifically blamed phone calls to Theological College as a primary cause for his ejection from the symposium.  If you called to protest his planned appearance, you share the credit just as much as any one of us bloggers.
• Boycotts I'd suspect that many callers to CU made plain that if Martin did appear, that they'd never contribute anymore to them.  Sometimes money talks louder than Catholic duty, so let's not be reticent about using that language.
• Protests/pickets One of my facebook friends, when she learned of the cancellation, remarked that she now "had the day off".  She was planning to protest the appearance.  Even the possibility of a protest is a strong deterrent to misbehavior.

Make no mistake about this.  The Theological College did not cancel Martin because they suddenly remembered that they were Catholics.  Far from it.  Take a look at their announcement below; they make plain why they earned the nickname "theological closet".  They cancelled because we behaved like the Church Militant (not the site) that we are.  Let's take heart from this and remember, for these situations will crop up again - although they might crop up with less frequency now.

Taking The Mantle Of Church Militant

Faithful Catholics are the Church Militant.  That sounds like a rather simplistic, trite statement, doesn't it?  Well, perhaps that term "church militant" may take on more significance for us.  For several years now, we've been watching this papacy unfold into something that threatens the integrity of Holy Mother Church.  So far much of the mischief has been confined to the Vatican, but the spiritual poison is working its way into the souls of the Catholics in the pews.  Many of us have been offering prayers and intercessions for the Church, but we are also called to act.  The phrase in Latin is "ora et labora".  Most of us are down with the "ora" part, but some of us get downright squeamish when it comes to the "labora" part.  We're comfortable praying within the confines of our churches, homes and small gatherings of like-minded Catholics, but balk at the thought of stepping out of our comfort zones into the public arena where we might well face forces hostile to us.  But that is precisely what we must be prepared to do.

Two days ago, Lianne Lawrence of LifeSiteNews reported on Pope Francis' growing alliance with pro-death elements of the United Nations.  The latest sign of this alliance is the Vatican's support of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.  I'm not going to rehash all the horrors behind this alliance as the LSN piece does an admirable job of that.  It links to an analysis done by Voice of the Family.  Therein we see the role that Amoris Laetitia plays in facilitating the SDGs.  The analysis ends by saying that "Catholics must resist in the manner most appropriate for their position with the Church, this alliance".  Most people reading this blog are lay, as am I.  Our "position" is much more far-reaching than the "pray, pay and obey" motto that informally defined the role of the laity in the Church.

Phil Lawler of Catholic Culture said something similar.  In the early days of this papacy, Lawler had done his level best to put the performance of Pope Francis in the most favorable light possible.  However he seems to realize that despite all the lipstick one might put on a pig, the pig is a pig.  While acknowledging that Pope Francis is indeed the pontiff, he then asks, "In a large family, how should a son behave when he realizes that his father’s pathological behavior threatens the welfare of the whole household? He should certainly continue to show respect for his father, but he cannot indefinitely deny the danger. Eventually, a dysfunctional family needs an intervention."

We the Church Militant are being confronted with the same question.  How will we, the laity, answer it?  I for one do not think that our default stance should be to sit on our hands and suffer the insults in silence.  The insults fall not on us alone, but on our children and those for whom we care and who may well be scandalized by all the progressive skulduggery in the Vatican to the point of losing their souls.

Yesterday I posted on Catholic street activism.  That's part of the answer.  However, what are we going to do when:

• we see flaming gays strutting up the Communion line (as happened at my parish five years ago).  The Rainbow Coalition pulls this stunt quite frequently.
• pro-abortion people (politicians and even abortionists) receiving Holy Communion
• we are confronted with liturgical dancers strutting their stuff, as in the video below
• vile heresies spew forth from the homily pulpit
• we see the nave turn into a social hall before or after Mass
• women get their feet washed during Holy Thursday Mass

The above list is by no means exhaustive.  We must start thinking about these matters and contemplate what we are willing to do.  Several years ago, a group of Catholic gentlemen, distraught by pro-aborts brazenly taking Holy Communion, banded together to take action.  Calling themselves "Ushers of the Eucharist", they would walk up to a candidate for Canon 915 treatment in the communion line and entreat him not to receive.  This caused quite a stir.  For some reason, this effort was short-lived.  As I said, it caused quite a stir, but the Ushers didn't cause scandal.  The scandal laid with those who were complicit in the sin of sacrilege.  Perhaps Catholics in the pew might want to revisit such actions and consider them for their own situations.  As you watch the video below, you might opine that this parish (Sts Simon and Jude in Huntington Beach CA) might benefit from some intervention.  Comments welcome.

Shall We Resist At Georgetown?

Last month the Cardinal Newman Society announced the scandal of Georgetown University's plan to honor Cecile Richards this coming April.  At the time details weren't known.  Now (thanks to the Cardinal Newman Society) we know that the travesty will occur on April 20th (exactly two weeks from today) at 2:00 pm at the Lohrfink Auditorium.  This lecture is closed to all but GU students and security will be tight.

We all know that Richards, as president of the largest chain of baby-killing mills, directs the murders of thousands (if not millions) of helpless children.  The ruthlessness of Planned Parenthood is becoming more and more evident, as typified in the ransacking of the home of David Daleiden in California.  This travesty against justice was orchestrated by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who seems to be in Planned Parenthood's back pocket.

Cecile Richards has no business being honored on a Catholic campus, even if the leaders of the school have long scorned their own Catholic heritage.

On Monday we heard from Bishop Gracida that it's way past time that we laity protested loudly.  We should do so on April 20th.  Who, especially those in the MD/DC/VA area, will be there to stand up to this insult of Our Lord being committed on Catholic grounds?  Again, I'll post as soon as details of a protest are clarified.

Indifference To The World Is NOT An Option

"All that's necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke

I was reminded of the above-cited quote when I came across this LifeSiteNews article that takes to task good people who absented themselves from the culture wars.  This article struck a chord within me for I have often wondered how society could have undergone such a profound decay since the time I was a child until now.

I remember as a child being able to play outside at night with no thought of perverts attempting to kidnap me; nor were my parents overly concerned about that.  This was in the city of Baltimore, by the way.  No normal person would have dreamed of slaughtering their unborn children or attempting to justify homosexual conduct, let alone celebrate it.  Of course, looking back, we can all see how the forces of evil were quietly working in the background, fomenting rot at the foundations of society.  But how and why did we, as a populace, as a Church, just passively let it happen without barely a peep being uttered in protest?

When I was a child, the adults at the time were all World War II veterans.  By no means were they strangers to conflict.  They were trained in battle and trained to be vigilant.  But something happened at the end of the war, when they took off their uniforms, laid aside their weapons, and returned to their civilian lives.  They ceased to be vigilant and assumed attitudes of complacency and indifference to the world outside their isolated, insular spheres of existence.  They were good people, as the LifeSiteNews article states.  But by and large, they took western society and its cultural underpinnings (based in Christianty) for granted.  They did not see their spiritual and cultural patrimony as something they needed to guard and cherish; I daresay they didn't give it much second thought.  Consequently, as the progressive forces started to chip away at western civilization, little by little, the good people didn't notice until the damage and destruction could no longer be ignored.

Many see the 1960s as the era in which massive changes occurred.  While it's true that many events converged in that decade (Vatican II, Viet Nam War, etc) all they did was make apparent the rot that had been systematically put in place decades earlier.  Good people were unprepared and unwilling to face the truth.  Sadly, many still are.  A main reason why I write this blog is to shine some light on the cockroaches around us.  I appreciate the support that I do get (particularly from blogging colleagues).  However, I am targeted with resentment by too many who'd rather play the ostrich as they berate me for being "negative and mean".  Well the truth is the truth.  I thank the Lord for social media, for it allows us to examine and discuss it.  Without knowing the "lay of the land", how else can we pray and act in the intelligent manner in which God desires?

Time marches on.  We need to pray and act now, for the salvation of souls and preservation of Christian society.

Faithful Catholics! We Must Step Outside Our Comfort Zones!

Today's Vortex is a report of the escapades of Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, former head of the Dominicans who has jumped the tracks, so to speak, to shill for acceptance of the mortal sin of homosexual behavior.

Radcliffe had just concluded a speaking tour in the Diocese of San Diego.  Voris features some reactions of faithful Catholics in that diocese, and their frustrations at having their pleas for correction ignored and rebuffed by the chancery.  Question!  Is there more that faithful Catholics can do in such situations?  Most likely, yes BUT it will mean that we must step outside our comfort zones and raise our voices that will cause the dissidents and their supporters to lose their comfort.  More after the video.



My first experience of this was in September 2012.  A Montgomery County parish was planning a commemoration of the 9-11-01 attacks.  One feature of their commemoration was to allow Connie Morella to address the congregation from the pulpit (although I don't think this would have been during Mass).  At the time she was a "katholyc" US Representative.  Some of us got wind of this a few days beforehand and made clear that a picket would happen if she spoke (I bought a bull-horn for that occasion).  They saw the light of day and canceled her talk.  On that occasion a picket wasn't necessary - not so other occasions.

We found ourselves picketing Catholic high school commencements when the convocation addresses were being given by flagrant pro-aborts.  I link now to the protest we did outside Gonzaga's 2010 commencement, when Sr Carol Keehan was the main attraction.  We've also shed light on other planned travesties, such as the Catholic Businessmen's Network planned hosting of Mark Shriver last month.  After a number of us protested, it was determined that Shriver "had a scheduling conflict".

My point is that we cannot allow these scandalous events to proceed without pricking their consciences.  We have to aim to make them uncomfortable in the conduct of these debacles.  Yes, many will hate and despise us (as you might have noticed in the comments on my Gonzaga post).  So what?  They want to conduct their squalid sorties in quiet, low-key fashions.  We cannot reward them by being "polite" as these talks, etc are conducted.  Ideally, when we protest first in writing, phone calls, etc, they'll see the light and cancel.  If not, we must go into action.  We must be willing to raise protests, taking to the streets when advantageous.  Leaflet cars and parking lots where dissidents are speaking.  Picket outside the events.  Go inside and ask probing questions.  Who among us will commit to that?  If not, complaints to the chanceries will be useless.

Kreeft's Steubenville Talk: Vulnerable To Big-Time Misinterpretation

Tom Crowe of Catholic Vote (see right side-bar) posted a video of a talk given by Peter Kreeft at Steubenville University.  His post contains a link to that talk plus his own commentary.  In order to understand both Crowe and what I wrote below, you'll need to watch the entire clip.

I just posted the comment (in italics) below to Crowe's post.  Whether or not he publishes it, I don't know.  So here is what I wrote:

Tom, you write, "I must confess that some of what he proposes is a 'hard teaching' for me personally, and I have to examine some of my own thought processes and positions in light of what he points out."


I think I know to what you refer: a tendency to elevate contemplation to the detriment of activism. Let's bear in mind that as a theologian only, Kreeft cannot speak "ex cathedra". Certainly let's ponder, but let us not be biased or fall into the trap of false humility. For example, did you notice the tacit interpretation of the "Mary vs Martha" passage to mean that Jesus rebuked Martha's being busy? As I read it, He chided her anxiety, not activisim. Besides, I'd be willing to bet that He did eat what she set before Him as a result of her activism.

I'm going to go into more detail of this in my own blog post. I will be addressing a regretable tendency amongst faithful Catholics to glom unquestioningly onto the sayings of theologians like Kreeft. Mind you, I think in many and even most respects he's spot-on, but like the rest of us, he's only human.
 
I suppose my concern is not so much with what Kreeft said, but the unfortunate tendency of faithful Catholics to put people like Kreeft and others on pedestels and to take their words as though they're Holy Writ - or rather, to take selected snippets of Kreeft's words as Holy Writ outside the context of the rest of Sacred Tradition.  In this particular case, I can see how folks who tend to eschew activism could take Kreeft's clip as a justification for their laxity (which I'm sure Kreeft would regret).
 
Here is my take on the matter.  With the exception of those who are called to consecrated comtemplative lives and those whose circumstances do not permit activism, we are called to obey the maxim, "ora et labora".  While it is true that our first duty is to see to our own eternal salvation and sanctity, part and parcel of that duty is an active apostolate that encapsulates the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.  By the way - lay people are enjoined to practice all the Spiritual Works as well as the Corporal Works.  I've heard some ridiculous things on Catholic radio that outright opine that we lay folks should avoid the Spiritual Works because we're too ignorant to practice them.  Nonsense!  What a shameless cop-out, not to mention outright disregard for the Sacrament of Confirmation!
 
I've heard the analogy of prayer being a foundation to the building of activism.  In my opinion, that's quite accurate.  There is no doubt that we can only move under Divine guidance, inspiration and strength.  But once He grants us those, He requires that we do something with them.  They make a firm, deep foundation - necessary for any ediface.  But once that foundation is in place, the building MUST be erected, lest that foundation become a glorified hole in the ground.  The building without a sure foundation will be destroyed - I think we all see that.  However, what some refuse to see is that the foundation without a building on top of it will likewise be destroyed.
 
I spoke of the Sacrament of Confirmation above.  Those of us who have been confirmed have the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  To be sure, they must all be developed and some like Kreeft have gone that extra step in studying theology and philosophy.  However, if something rubs the wrong way or doesn't pass our "smell test" we cannot automatically assume that we're in the wrong.  We really need to work with it a bit.  We must also combat our tendency to place people like Kreeft and others on pedestels.  That tendency is understandable, given the lack of leadership displayed by too many bishops.  But still, it is a tendency filled with many boobytraps.
 
In my post just prior to this, I announce one excellent opportunity for activism that will occur tomorrow morning.  It is also activisim that encompasses prayer.  Be there.  It is NOT enough to pray for an end to abortion.  We MUST work for it as well.

And That's How It's Done!

The above is a sentence in Jill Stanek's blog describing the victory won by a dedicated group of pro-life Catholics in their parish.

The parish in question is Our Lady of Fatima Church in Oak Park, Michigan.  There they are misrepresented by U.S. Congressman Ed Rivet.  Throughout his career (including an earlier stint as State Senator), he has voted to foster abortion and euthanasia.  Last summer he headlined a Planned Parenthood fundraiser.  So what did the "social justice" cabal at Our Lady of Fatima do?  They invited Rivet to give a talk on "The Dignity of the Human Person".  One might think that was a macabre joke, given his anti-life history.

The announcement gave only one week's notice, but the faithful Catholics of that parish immediately sprung into action.  They protested to both the pastor and to the Archdiocese of Detroit.  At the same time, they mobilized various groups and made known that they would stage a protest of the event.   Apparently, not wishing to face the music, the parish relented and canceled the appearance.

And that's how it's done!

Let's review some key points.

• Someone was paying attention and noticed what was about to happen, and they sounded the alarm.  In your own churches, do you have a network of people willing to keep their eyes and ears open at all times?  If not, form one!
• The faithful Catholics at that parish were prepared to drop what they had otherwise planned to take action.
• They were prepared to step out of their "comfort zones" and to get out into the streets, if necessary.  Folks, street activism is necessary, and not just for a few of us;  all of us (this means you) need to get off our duffs and on our feet and in the streets.
• In this case, the prospect of a public stink was enough to cause the pastor to see the errors of his ways.  Had he not done so, it appears that the people were intent on following through.  So must we be.

If we're going to take back our Church and our culture from progressive lemmings, we need to have this sort of thing happen over and over again.  That's how it's done!