Mark Shriver And The Mount - Rebuked Via Picket

On the morning of May 11, I joined eight young men from a PA chapter of the TFP Student Action as we stood outside the Knott Arena at the Mount.  We were there to protest their honoring of pro-abortion Mark Shriver in disobedience to the USCCB statement "Catholics in Political Life".

First, let me draw your attention to the picture at the right.  This is taken from our cordoned-off location across a driveway.  The red "x" marks the location where we were originally supposed to be.  We were told by the campus police officer who guided us to the location that the officials were "afraid we might slip and fall because the previous evening's rain had dampened the grass".  Well, bless their hearts!  Wasn't that just so, so ... thoughtful of them?  That yarn was so hokey that the police officer seemed embarrassed to say it.  In the video below, I made a point to show the difference from the original location to the place where we eventually were situated.

Also observe that woman leaning against the sign.  She was no doubt assigned to babysit us as she was there the whole time we were there.  The Mount officials really must have been afraid that we might (gasp!) talk with some of the people.  Such a horrifying prospect that must have been to them!

While our opportunities for conversation were somewhat curtailed, we still made our point.  The gentlemen from TFP have done similar protests.  One of their trademarks are bagpipes.  It's rather difficult not to notice bagpipes.  Oh yes, some attendees just breezed on by us, but they knew we were there, and these signs were quite prominent.

We did have some opportunity for conversation.  In the video you'll see one irate father who just didn't want to acknowledge that a pro-abort would be spouting "sweet nothings" into all their ears.  I suppose it didn't dawn on him (and many others) that quite a few who should have been graduating college that day never got the opportunity to even draw the breath of life, and that baby-murder was occurring in many Maryland localities as we were speaking, thanks in part to Shriver's abortion promotion.

However, a mother came up later to thank us for being there.  She disapproved of Shriver and affirmed our suspicions that the decision to invite Shriver caused much tension and division in the Mount community - as well it should have.

Let us pray that the leadership of Mount St Mary's never again is derelict in their responsibilities to provide Catholic example to their students and that they remember that they are Catholic first and foremost.

More On The Mount St Mary Situation

As stated last Sunday, Mark Shriver is a high-ranking official with the Save The Children Foundation.  It is ostensibly for that reason that Mount St Mary's asked him to do the 2019 commencement address.  It turns out that while his pro-abortion record alone should have disqualified him from this engagement, this Save The Children Foundation is problematic by itself.

Michael Hichborn of Lepanto Institute did some research into this foundation and discovered its advocacy of contraception and sterilization.  Hichborn ended his piece by stating that no faithful Catholic can provide funds or praise for an organization that promotes contraception under the guise of "helping children".  That would apply to the Mount as well.

A petition is being circulated to ask Dr. Trainor to rescind this invitation to Shriver and to get another who honors Catholic moral teachings.  I urge you to sign it and circulate it.  However, let me be clear - this petition by itself will not suffice to discharge our duties to stop this Shriver outrage.  Your phone calls and emails to both Dr. Trainor and Archbishop Lori are needed as well.

Some students and staff may recognize this flyer, as it was distributed on campus today.  If not, here it is.  Please feel free to reproduce it and to pass it around.  Please also call Dr Trainor and Archbishop Lori now.  Pray too that decency and common sense prevail.  If not, a picket may have to occur.  Thanks.

DC Catholic Charities To Profane Lent With Their Gala On A Friday In Lent

Before we delve into the topic as stated in the title of this piece, let's look at DC Catholic Charities in general.

This evening I had been taking a look at the website of DC Catholic Charities because I hadn't done so in a while.  Noting prior problems with Catholic Charities as a whole, I believe it behooves us to keep tabs on them.  One of the key indicators of the direction that a given organization will take is the composition of its leadership and the mindsets of the individuals in leadership.  So let's take a look at the Board of Directors of DC Catholic Charities.  

We see that its chairman is Robert Trone.  Because my district's mis-representative is David Trone, I thought it worth a close examination.  Robert Trone is co-owner of a winery called Total Wine and More.  The other co-owner is (you guessed it!) David Trone.  From David's website, you can see his positions on marriage and baby-slaughter are at complete loggerheads with authentic morality and decency.  Now some might object that David's views don't necessarily reflect Robert's.  Ok.  Let's do some examination there.  Recalling that a person's politics is simply the person's beliefs and commitments as lived in the public arena, we can examine his/her political donations (which are public record) on the website of the Federal Elections Commission.  When I put in Robert Trone's name we see that he has contributed to Demorats from Obama to John Delaney.  I thought it odd that Robert Trone didn't contribute to his brother's campaign, but I see that Catholic Charities vice chair, Kevin Virostek did.  Interesting.

Scott Brickman, Debbi Jarvis, John Veihmeyer - all board members of Catholic Charities - contributed heavily to Democrats.  Oh, a few might have thrown some crumbs to RINO candidates, but they have ponied over a lot more to pro-aborts.  Patricia McGuire is also president of Trinity University/ naturally she would have made multiple contributions to Hillary Clinton's campaign.  Featured frequently in these lists are contributions to John Delaney and David Trone.

As I perused this site, I wished I had done so a week or two ago, for I see that they are having their fundraising gala next week.  But wait!  Isn't that a lenten Friday?  No problemo!  Right there you see that attendees (who will be expected to kick over mucho buckos) are dispensed from the observance, provided they perform some other penance - like hefty contributions to Catholic Charities?  Or perhaps this crowd doesn't really care about Lent!  If they did, could they not have scheduled their little "evening of dinner and dancing" outside of Lent?

Now look who the co-chairs are?  They are all either pro-abortion Democrats and/or they have contributed to the campaigns of pro-abortion Democrats.  This profanation of lent will most likely net thousands and thousands of dollars.  Since the leadership of Catholic Charities DC is being so blase about the lenten observance, does anyone really think that they will scrupulously apply Catholic moral principles in the spending of all that money?  Consider their pathetic history before answering that question.

Why Does The Catholic Standard Insist On Fawning All Over Pro-Aborts?

This past Saturday I opened the latest issue of the Catholic Standard (official publication of the Archdiocese of Washington).  I was happy to see that there was at least mention of the assisted suicide bill - even if it was stuffed inside as opposed to the front page.  Alas, as I proceeded through the paper, I saw behavior that is too typical of this propaganda mouthpiece.

The headline for this travesty reads "For Sister Carol Keehan, Faith And Health Care Go Together".  It's not much more than a shill piece extolling the Obama Hell-Care bill.  The author, who happens to be the wife of the Standard's editor,   Of Keehan, Carol Zimmerman says she "worked hard behind the scenes to help craft the language of the Affordable Care Act passed by President Barack Obama.."  I suspect that sentence is objectively correct.  Obama thanked her and said "We would not have gotten the Affordable Health Care Act done had it not been for her."  Again, that is objectively true; that is to her great shame and I pray that is not to her eternal damnation.  She still has time to repent for her role in the advancement of socialized medicine and worse, further entrenching into our social fabric the slaughter of babies and the introduction of death panels.  The article even makes mention of her Pen of Perfidy.

She had no apologies for those evils or for forcing other religious communities to fund contraception, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor.  The latter had to go to court several times to rid themselves of that onerous mandate. She did complain about faithful Catholics who rebuked her, saying that "people screamed at her, picketed events that she attended.."  I am happy to remind readers that in 2010, shortly after her betrayal, she gave the commencement address for Gonzaga High School in DC.  We were there to greet and rebuke her.  I will repost the video after we discuss the Standard's second slobber-fest.

This article was written by the Catholic News Service.  I cannot seem to locate it on the online version, but it did appear in print, on page 13 of the March 7th edition.  It's entitled, "Dingell, Longest Serving Member Of Congress, Recalled At Funeral As Doer".  He was a "doer", all right, but was what he did moral and in line with common decency, let alone Catholic morality?  The answer is a resounding "no".  This article admits that he facilitated legalized baby-murder.  But other than that teensy little detail, the US bishops and he saw eye to eye; of course that included the Obama Hell-Care Bill that I mentioned in relation to Sr Keehan just a few paragraphs up.

He had two funeral Masses: one at Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, MI and the second at Holy Trinity Church near Georgetown University.  I understand from Church Militant that Catholics were outraged that he was receiving a public funeral.  I'm assuming that most of those Catholics were addressing the Dearborn debacle.  As for Holy Trinity?  Well, it's a Jesuit-run parish and is the same that gave Joe Biden a standing ovation during Mass just after he and Obama were elected to office, so need I say more?

I still am trying to figure out a reason why the Standard wasted so much news print over those two.  Whatever the reason, they once again insulted faithful Catholics by lauding the "praises" of those who betrayed the Church, the babies and ultimately Jesus Christ.

Now here's the video of our protest of Keehan at Gonzaga,  McCarrick was there and he too got an earful; watch all the way to the end.  This exemplifies how we must rebuke them, for the bishops are just going to pat them on the back.

Pro-Life Activists Protest Knights Of Columbus Betrayal In Norfolk VA

Two weeks ago I posted of a number of then-planned debacles committed by the Knights of Columbus.  One of them occurred in Norfolk VA with the Knights council there featuring Terry McAullife as their parade's grand marshal.  A group of faithful Virginia Catholics were there to rebuke him and the Knights (Note - "Rebuke the sinner" is the first Spiritual Work of Mercy).

They posted their video on youtube and I'll post that below.  But first I'll advise of another remedial effort.  As I've always believed, there are many good Knights who are distressed to see the errors among their ranks.  One of them is Pete Barker, a Knight from a neighboring council in Virginia Beach.  He is promoting a petition to have the errant Norfolk council, the Fr. Robert B. Kealey Council # 3548 be formally terminated and disbanded as a council of the Knights of Columbus.  From the text of his petition, this parade fiasco is not the first for this council.

I signed the petition.  I urge you all to sign it and circulate it to your own contacts.  Here's the link.   And now, the video.

Catholic Business Network Of Montgomery County MD To Host Mark Shriver - Act Now To Forestall This Outrage

In their 2004 Statement on Catholics in Political Life, the nations' bishops had this to say: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

The Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County is preparing to act in defiance of the bishops, not to mention in defiance of decency, common sense and God's laws regarding human life.  On Friday, Sept 12, the featured speaker at their monthly breakfast will be Mark Shriver - unless of course the light of reason shines upon them and they rescind that invitation.  Here's a picture of their main web page - just in case that invitation gets (ahem!) "disappears" from that site.

My church bulletin alerted me to this.  Unfortunately that bulletin is not online yet.  The advertisement (most likely submitted by CBN) gave a glowing account of his political career and the book that Shriver wrote about his father.  Conveniently missing from that write-up is the unabashed support that Shriver has lent to abortion while in Annapolis.  In his failed bid for US Congress, he ran on a pro-abortion platform.  Even as he was touting his book on his father, he did not apologize for the fact that he took issue with his father's pro-life convictions.

As the bishops made clear in 2004, the CBN acted in appropriately by inviting Shriver to speak at their Catholic community.  Here is the contact information from their website and more contacts.  Please contact these individuals.  Politely but firmly insist that the invitation to Shriver be rescinded.  Please spread this word.

Tonight's Dog-And-Pony Show

My blogging colleague An Archdiocese of Washington Catholic commented on the forum for the Montgomery County Executive candidates being held as I write this.  He's right.  The areas of focus are "soft-ball" matters.  The "Justice and Advocacy Council of Montgomery County" (an arm of the Archdiocese of Washington, I believe) refuse to allow discussion of issues that have real moral substance.

Interestingly enough, the flyer that appeared in the parish bulletins didn't even list the names of the four candidates.  There is a reason.  First, pro-abortion "katholyc" Doug Duncan is running again.  Second, pro-abortion Ike Leggett, who helped ram through the bill four years ago that was designed to cripple pro-life pregnancy centers is also running.  Phil Andrews is also pro-choice, although to his credit, he opposed that pregnancy center gag bill.  The GOP candidate, Jim Shalleck, is pro-life (I believe).  So there you have it: this "council" did not want faithful Catholics to know that they were providing rabid pro-abortion candidates a platform (St Jude's in Rockville, to be precise) so that they could come off smelling like roses, given the namby-pamby subject matter being spoon-fed to them.

I was at a similar forum four years ago (at St Jane de Chantal).  It was a complete waste of time.  Again there were the morally-neutral issues being bandied about.  There was no opportunity for audience questioning or input.  All they wanted were warm bodies in the audience so that they could brag about the "valuable service" they were affording to Catholic voters.  Tonight I decided I was not going to waste my time just so I could increase their "body count".  I certainly hope the attendance was paltry.  Maybe then the Archdiocese of Washington will learn that faithful Catholics will not be stage props to aid and abet their kiss-ups to the progressive pols that do dominate Montgomery County.

Picket! Mark Shriver To Be Honored At Blessed Sacrament!

Several months ago we picketed Blessed Sacrament Church in Washington DC (just east of Chevy Chase Circle) when they allowed raving pro-abortion Chris Matthews to peddle his book on church grounds.  I thank the person who commented on my report to alert us that apparently Blessed Sacrament has not yet seen the errors behind letting pro-abortion celebrities use Catholic grounds to promote themselves.

This Sunday, June 10th, again at 11:30am in the parish library, they're letting Mark Shriver peddle his wares on Catholic property.  You can see the mess announced on the church web site.  A sad ironic twist to this is that he wrote the book to honor his parents.  Most people will recall that Eunice Kennedy Shriver was most likely the only Kennedy who did not sell out her faith to promote the baby-murder known as abortion.  Most of her family - including Mark - promote baby-murder.  Thus it can be opined that Mark Shriver, in his embrace of abortion, dishonors his parents.

We will be there, as we were several months ago, to speak truth to the lie that "one can be pro-abortion and Catholic".   Please join us!

Truth Was Spoken To Georgetown University On May 18, 2012

Banner Displayed by American TFP

Concerned Catholics and other pro-life Christians went to Georgetown University Friday morning (May 18) to protest the self-defilement committed by Georgetown in allowing Kathleen Sebelius to address their graduates.  Her latest slap in the face to the babies occurred in the form of the HHS mandate that she engineered and that Obama is attempting to cram down our throats.  Even if she hadn't committed that atrocity, her chequered record as governor of Kansas should have been enough to disqualify her as any role model for Catholic youth.  To refresh memories, she was an accomplice to Kansas' late-term abortionist, the late George Tiller.  Just google their two names together and you will see an eyeful.

I'd like to recommend for your reading another first-hand account by Charles, a college student home on summer break who joined us.  See http://modernletters.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/1415/

I've a number of photos and videos to show (all taken by me).  I'll place them after the jump break so..

Kathleen Sebelius To Give Georgetown Commencement Address

Put her name next to the little magnifying glass at the top left and see how many times I reported on her many atrocities.  The latest one, of course, is the HHS mandate that crams down the throats of all decent people the onus of paying for contraceptives and abortifacients in health-coverage plans.  She has been rightly chided by bishops and laity alike.

Therefore I can only assume that Georgetown University is deliberately thumbing its nose at the Magisterium by extending an invitation to her to speak at the commencement of one of Georgetown's schools on Friday May 18th.  The disgrace will occur at 11:00am at the Leavey Center Ballroom.

The Cardinal Newman Society has a link by which you may send a petition to protest this inappropriate invitation.  You may sign it if you wish - or contact the Georgetown administration yourselves to protest.

Will we have to picket???