"Just Faith" = Junk Faith

In my post this past Thursday regarding the "environmental events" in the Archdiocese of Washington, you noticed that Just Faith has a hand in all this nonsense.  In conjunction with this post regarding Just Faith, I'd suggest you review the posts about "progressives" - particularly the Real Catholic videos regarding the same.  The characteristics of progressives can all be found in the Just Faith program.  Indeed, the website of Just Faith unabashedly proclaims its progressive proclivities.  I also recommend the reading of an excellent article on the Just Faith debacle entitled "Just Faith Is a Big Part of the Problem", written by my friend and colleague, Stephanie Block, who regularly writes for Spero News.

Two or three years ago, the Just Faith program was introduced into the Archdiocese of Washington; that was before I operated this blog.  However, I was quite aware that a Trojan Horse was being introduced into the archdiocese and tried to sound an alert.  My warnings were rebuffed by people whom I thought would be keen to the dangers.  One told me that her parish implemented Just Faith without the ill effects, and that my warnings were destructive.  While I've no problem believing that her particular parish may have been successful in separating the wheat from the chaff, it is my contention that there is inherently much more chaff than wheat in the Just Faith program.  The writings and afilliations of the founder, Jack Jezreel, corroborate my conclusions.

Important Information On Just Faith

While all readers can surely benefit from what follows, I especially address this post to those of you who attended the presentation by Jack Jezreel at St Mark's today.  I've no doubt that what you heard seems to be at least benign and even helpful.  However, the Just Faith program is designed to instill in its participants sympathy for liberation theology, "gay" rights, women's "ordination" and other sundry dissidence from authentic Catholic social teaching.

My friend and Catholic Media Coalition colleague, Stephanie Block, has spent countless hours researching the programs of Just Faith, along with the books they recommend.  She has written eleven articles in her series about Just Faith.  With what she is discovering, the number of articles may yet grow.  I link to them below.

1. Setting the Stage
2. Growing in Compassion
3. The Seven Themes of Catholic Social Justice
4. Challenge and Spirituality of Catholic Social Teachings
5. Tattoos on the Heart
6. Waging a Living
7. Portrait of a Radical
8. Rising to Common Ground
9. How Much Is Enough?
10. Keeping the Earth: Just Faith and the Environment
11. Solidarity Will Transform the World
12. Journey to Justice Day

Two years ago I wrote a piece on Just Faith, focusing on the problematic individuals who were board members of Just Faith at that time.  I have found that much of the character and philosophy of any organization can be determined by the composition of its board of directors.  Right below the highlighted sentence is a link to a biographical article written by Jack Jezreel himself.  Pay very close attention to the "conversion stories" at the end.  You'll see people getting involved in "homosexual rights", "women's voices from the pulpit" (women's ordination), etc.

In all these articles, you'll notice that problematic teachings occur at the end of the recommended books and/or articles.  That seems to be a pattern, one which might suggest that while Just Faith seems innocuous enough, it is a Trojan Horse that insinuates (ever so subtly) erroneous philosophies.  While I'd like to think that such is accidental, the regularity and frequency of it indicates deliberation.

Beware before making any commitment to Just Faith.

Exposing Just Faith

My colleague Stephanie Block has commenced a series on Just Faith.  I'd suggest that one and all read it - particularly if you are contemplating the assumption of this program into your parish.  My suggestion is even stronger if you are contemplating personal investment in Just Faith.  Ms. Block's article is well-researched.  As you review her sources at the bottom, you'll see that many sources come from Just Faith materials.  Peruse that material for yourselves as you read Ms Block's article - or as you do your own analysis.  You might as well see for yourselves what you are being asked to believe.

This blog has spoken on Just Faith in earlier posts.  See:
http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2010/04/just-faith-junk-faith.html
http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2010/05/just-faith-reading-list-introduction-to.html
http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2010/12/just-faith-proverbial-snake-in-grass.html

"Just Faith" - The Proverbial "Snake In The Grass"

Strong language, you say?  Well, consider the evidence, amply given to us by Just Faith itself.

First, here's some background.  On Fox News, we read of a New Hampshire couple who pulled their son out of school because he was forced to read a book that described Jesus as a "wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist" and was full of foul language.  The book is called "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich.  An aside: I commend the young man for raising his parents' concerns, and for his refusal to read the book.

This same book was recommended by Just Faith in their Fall 2009 newsletter.  It is online here (by the way, should it "mysteriously" disappear, please advise as I have saved it.  You may wish to do the same).  Look on page 3.  Just Faith recommends it so you can "be informed". 

Our tour of this newsletter is not yet complete.  Scrolling down just a tad from the book recommendation, we are invited to "join others working on women's issues".  One of these "others" whom we're urged to join is the Institute for Women's Policy Research.  Go to that page.  In the first white box to the left, you see "health and safety".  Click on that, and scroll all the way to the bottom.  Yes, you knew that had to be coming!  We get to read about "making birth control more accessible to women" and "safe and legal abortion".  Now notice that the "other resources" includes Planned Parenthood and National Women's Law Center - both huge proponents of abortion who profit off the same.  And we're not finished yet.

Going to page 8, we see an advertisement about an 8-session module in "engaging our conflicts", produced by Pace E Bene Nonviolence Service.  This outfit claims as its partner Soulforce, a "gay-rights" advocacy bunch.  The essay to which I just linked tells of a Protesant minister who renounced Christian truth to take up the mortal sin of sodomy.

I know there are good people involved in Just Faith, who insist that the "bad can be filtered out".  I must ask, but why are there so many of these squalid associations?  There's just too many of them not to be deliberate.  I can only conclude that one of the purposes of Just Faith is to numb the good sense of decent Catholics to these perilous elements, those that would insinuate their progressive, anti-life and anti-God philosophies into the Church.  That is why I renew my call to expel this Just Faith monster from the Archdiocese of Washington and the entire Church.

Just Faith Rears Its Ugly Head At Blessed Sacrament In DC

We read on page 3 of Blessed Sacrament's "Aug 1 / Aug 8" bulletin (bottom right corner) that the parish Social Concerns office plans to inaugurate Just Faith in their parish.  I've written previously about the numerous problems with Just Faith, and will supply links to some prior posts.  Please read these and research the links found in those posts.

http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2010/05/just-faith-reading-list-introduction-to.html
http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2010/05/seiu-our-heroes-not.html
http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2010/04/just-faith-junk-faith.html

Here is the contact information for this parish.  Please contact them and let them know of your concerns with Just Faith.  Perhaps if they hear from enough of us, they will sit up and take some notice.

I also ask that you advise of any other outbreaks of the Just Faith thing via a comment.

Just Faith Reading List - Introduction to Dissent

The "Just Faith" program is a 30-week session where attendees learn the ropes of "social teaching" or at least the progressive version according to Jack Jezreel, the founder.  Much reading is done, and there is a reading list.  The Just Faith people have put this reading list on Amazon, so that the attendees can just click once to buy the whole kit and kaboodle.  Here it is.  A perusal of this list will tell a lot.  A goodly portion is benign, but there are a few clues contained therein of the real progressive nature of Just Faith. 

One such book is entitled "The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium".  It's by Walter Wink.  A google search of his name reveals that he has written other books.  One is "Homosexuality and the Bible".  A glowing review of this book is to be found on Soulforce's webpage (that says a lot right there, doesn't it?).  Here is a key snippet as he puts his spin on the Old Testament.   He says of Jewish prohibitions against homosexual relations: "One can appreciate how a tribe struggling to populate a country in which its people were outnumbered would value procreation highly, but such values are rendered questionable in a world facing uncontrolled overpopulation." (emphasis mine)  In other words, one can understand the reasons why sodomy was prohibited in ancient Israel, but now that we've got "overpopulation" (another progressive myth) on our hands anyway, there's no real reason to forbid sodomy or other perversions - got that?  Please read that page for other gems, e.g., how he tries to make the claim that St Paul was ignorant of homosexuality.  Now how's this for an article on social justice - entitled "Jesus and Alinsky"?  Is this the sort of man whom Catholics should be studying?

Holy Father: "Social Justice" Must Shape Up

That is the gist of the Motu Proprio that Pope Benedict XVI recently released.  I link to it now and suggest that all read it carefully.  It's not long, but it is full of sorely-needed directives.  Look at the very first paragraph.  The Holy Father makes clear that charitable works cannot be separated from the proclamation of God's truth) all of God's truth such as salvation versus damnation, the sanctity of life, the proper use of sexuality, etc) and the sacraments.  In other words, you have all three, or you have none.

Here are other salient points:

SEIU - Our Heroes! NOT!!!

NOTE - This is a long read, but it is important that you read this to the end.  It is of particular relevance to those living in Montgomery County, MD and to those who are partaking of "social justice" projects of the Archdiocese of Washington, particularly of Just Faith.

When I downloaded the cartoon to the left, I thought it a bit farcical, although the SEIU did display some hints of anti-social behavior at some tea parties and town halls during this past year.

Silly me!  It turns out that the cartoon is really all-too-accurate in depicting the sentiments and actions of these thugs.  On May 16th, the SEIU brought 14 busloads of protestors to the home of Greg Baer, deputy general counsel for corporate law for Bank of America.  They were joined by an outfit called National Political Action that hails from Chicago (kinda makes sense, doesn't it?).  Over 500 of these individuals protested at Baer's home.

Did they confine themselves to the sidewalk?  No!  They were all over his front lawn and even went onto the front porch!  Boys and girls, can we all say "trespassing on private property"?  The only one home at the time was Baer's 14-year-old son.  Needless to say, the poor kid was frightened out of his wits.  Nina Easton is a neighbor of Baer's and a columnist.  She had much to say about the travesty.  As you read her column, take a look at the photo.  Click "read more" for more crucial details.

Cdl Wuerl: "Reflecting On The State Of The Church"

That is the title of an email that someone sent to me, from Cardinal Wuerl.  In italics below is the text of that email dated January 9th.  Actually, because this is a long read...

After The Synod, Bishop Strickland Challenges The US Bishops - What Will It Take?

On Wednesday, November 13, outside the USCCB meeting in Baltimore MD, Defend Life coordinated a Rosary to pray for our bishops.  As he had in previous years, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Bishop Emeritus of Tyler, TX, led the attendees in that day's Rosary.  

Recall that His Excellency was ousted from his diocese by Pope Francis for daring to challenge the bilge that spews forth from the Vatican on a regular basis.  That happened almost exactly one year ago.  That was an insult to not only His Excellency but to all faithful Catholics.  A few days ago, we received word that the Traditional Latin Mass was banned from Bishop Strickland's former cathedral in Tyler.  The Latin Mass was also banned in four other parishes in the diocese.  This move happened exactly one year after Strickland's ouster.  Now, only St. Joseph the Worker parish, entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, is permitted to celebrate that Mass. I've no doubt this is a direct slap in the face to Bishop Strickland and the Catholics who have appreciated him.  The timing of this move is too coincidental.

Getting back to Wednesday's event, Bishop Strickland led the gathering in the recitation of the Angeles, and then the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.

After the Rosary concluded, Bishop Strickland read an open letter to the bishops.  The text appears below, and a video recording of his verbal delivery is embedded in this article.  As you will see as you read below, Bishop Strickland rebukes the great majority of his brother bishops, not only of the US, but from other countries.  In particular, he excoriates them for their silence regarding the synod that just recently ended.  The pope's document is found here.  In his letter, Strickland points out the all-too-obvious truth that the pope has abdicated his responsibility to guard the Deposit of Faith, and is endeavoring to deform it into a monstrous mockery of the same.  Indeed, in this synod, Francis has attempted to shatter the structure of the Church into a disparate conglomeration of local "synods", facilitating Francis' abdication of his God-given responsibility as Guardian of the Deposit of Faith.  Indeed, we now see a so-called "Mayan rite" in Mexico, newly approved by the Vatican, replete with pagan rituals and trappings.  We will be hearing of future similar episodes.

Strickland asked the bishops, "what will it take" for the them to act in accordance with their own Divinely-ordained mandates.

We laity are also likewise challenged to take our responsibilities.  He asks "what will it take" for us to speak out if our shepherds won't.  Let's face it, Marylanders!  That is our situation.  Our shepherds aren't speaking out.  In fact, they are openly contributing to the decay of the Church.  I've written enough about that in this blog.  The latest just happened over this election cycle, with the Maryland bishops deliberately hobbling worthwhile efforts to stop the "reproductive freedom amendment", that sadly became a part of our state constitution.

Bishop Strickland is correct.  No more do we dare, in the face of episcopal malfeasance, look the other way and pretend that we don't see it.  We cannot go merrily along in our own parishes and pretend that this ever-worsening debacle won't impact our children and grandchildren.  We must learn our faith ourselves and teach it to one another ourselves, so that when it is preached from the pulpit that same-sex marriage is just an alternative lifestyle or that hell is not a reality or that the Sacraments are optional and so forth, that our loved ones can discern the error and not be afraid to rebuke the one spreading that spiritual poison.

My lay friends, it will cost us.  It may cost us friends in our parish.  We may find ourselves kicked off the parish council, the choir, religious education, Knights of Columbus councils, etc.  I believe that is what is known as "white martyrdom".  We cannot fear it, for we cannot deny the truth nor Our Lord. 

What will it take?  And now, Bishop Strickland's letter.

The Letter Is Delivered

Dear Bishops, 

You gather here today, present-day apostles, as the Church and, therefore, the world stand perched on the edge of a cliff. And yet you who are entrusted with the keeping of souls choose to speak not a word of the spiritual danger which abounds. Today we stand on the cusp of all that has been prophesied about the Church and the abominations which would come forth in these times, a time when all of hell attacks the Church of Jesus Christ, and a time when the fallen angels of hell no longer seek entry into her sacred halls but instead stand inside, peeking out of her windows and unlocking doors to welcome in more diabolical destruction.

I think that St. Jude had men such as many of you in mind when he described men who feast “together without fear, feeding themselves, clouds without water, which are carried about by winds, trees of the autumn, unfruitful, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own confusion; wandering stars…” (Jude 1:12-13).                     

Many people have asked what it will take for more than a few bishops to finally speak up against the false messages constantly flowing from the Vatican under the leadership of Pope Francis, and I ask myself the same question over and over: 

WHAT WILL IT TAKE? 

Do you not know that Our Lord will send forth His avenging angels to heap coals of fire upon the heads of those who were called to be His apostles and who have not guarded what He has given unto them?

And yet almost all of you, my brothers, stood by silently watching as the Synod on Synodality took place, an abomination constructed not to guard the Deposit of Faith but to dismantle it, and yet few were the cries heard from you – men who should be willing to die for Christ and His Church.

The Synod’s final document has been released, yet with the sleight of hand which is so characteristic of the Francis-controlled Vatican. By drawing attention to the issues which worried many, they have slipped in what was always their real goal without anyone even noticing. What they were after in the first place was the dismantling of Christ’s Church by replacing the structure of the Church as Our Lord instituted it with a diabolically-inspired new structure of “synodality” which in actuality is a new church that is in no way Catholic.

We now see the prophetic words of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen unfolding before our eyes: “Because his religion will be brotherhood of Man without the fatherhood of God, he will set up a counter church which will be the ape of the Church, because he, the Devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content, it will be a mystical body of the Antichrist that will in all externals resemble the mystical body of Christ …” (Radio Broadcast; January 26, 1947). 

With the push for “synodality,” we see that the enemies of Christ are putting before us, as Archbishop Sheen says: “a new religion without a Cross, a liturgy without a world to come, a religion to destroy a religion, or a politics which is a religion – one that renders unto Caesar even the things that are God’s.”

WHAT WILL IT TAKE? 

A rudimentary understanding of the papacy leaves us with the reality that Pope Francis has abdicated his responsibility to serve as the primary guardian of the Deposit of Faith. Every bishop makes this solemn promise to guard the Deposit of Faith, but the Petrine office exists primarily to be the guardian of the guardians and the servant of the servants. St. Peter received the office which bears his name when, after the Resurrection, Christ asked him three times, “Do you love me?” and St. Peter responded, “You know that I love you,” thus healing his betrayal as Christ endured His Passion. And Who is this Jesus Who Peter professes to love? He is of course Truth Incarnate; thus St. Peter is stating that he loves Truth. This leaves us with this question, “Does Pope Francis love the Truth that Jesus Christ incarnates?” Sadly, his actions and his policies which promote a relativized version of truth that is not truth at all propel us to a devastating conclusion: the man who occupies the Chair of St. Peter does not love the truth and seeks to reshape it in the image of man. 

There can be no bishop who is unaware of statements that Pope Francis has made that are unambiguous denials of the Catholic faith. For example, Francis has stated publicly that God wills the existence of all religions and that all religions are a path to God. In this statement, Pope Francis has denied an integral part of the Catholic faith. How many souls will be lost who will accept his erroneous statement that all religions will lead to salvation? What I find so difficult to understand is that modern-day apostles, men who are ordained to be guardians of the faith, refuse to acknowledge this and instead ignore or even promote this deadly falsehood. Every bishop and cardinal should publicly and unequivocally state that Francis no longer teaches the Catholic faith. Souls are at stake!

Therefore, I ask again: 

WHAT WILL IT TAKE? 

As successors of the Apostles, this situation must force the bishops of Christ’s Church to answer the pivotal question ourselves: “Do we truly love Jesus Christ, Truth Incarnate?” With a Pope who is actively opposing the divine truths of our Catholic faith, the responsibility falls to the bishops of the world to profess their own love of Our Lord, to guard the Sacred Deposit of Faith, and to oppose any attempt to dismantle the Truth.

Let us return to the fateful conversation between our risen Lord and St. Peter. When Peter responds, “Lord, you know I love you,” Jesus responds: “Feed my lambs” and again “Feed my sheep.” How is Peter to feed Christ’s lambs? With the Truth of course – with Jesus Christ Himself who IS Truth. 

And yet, where are those men whom the Lord has called to feed His sheep? Where are the successors of the Apostles who have promised to defend the sheep with their lives? They sit a few feet away, patting one another on the back, listening to words that they know beyond a doubt are not the Truth, frolicking with the darkness, and blaspheming the very Truth that the original Apostles died to preserve.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

You have words from those who spoke in Sacred Scripture, wisdom from the Sacred Tradition of the Church, and guidance from former Popes and a great multitude of saints that false teachers would come and that the holy faith would be attacked, and yet most of you have gone out into the battle wearing no armor, and have then reacted as one bewildered that his skin has been pierced by poison arrows. You have been given all that was needed to ensure that your heads were not turned by the lies of Satan. Why then have you gone out without the armor of God? It is YOUR responsibility, when you see poison arrows of falsehood falling upon men, to call out to them and say, “Put on the armor of Our Lord which is Truth, and you shall not be wounded.”  

And to the faithful, I put forth the same question –  

WHAT WILL IT TAKE? 

What if your shepherds do not rally? What if they have all accepted thirty pieces of silver, and they remain silent in the face of falsehood which further pierces the hands and feet of Our Lord? Then what will it take for you to speak up?

Many might say that it is not your responsibility; you can live Truth quietly in your heart. However, to speak Truth can never simply be the responsibility of someone else, because God has etched Truth onto the heart of every person. Therefore, Truth is each man’s property as a sacred gift from God. And never can anyone say that they had no Truth in them – and never can a man claim rightly that to find Truth he had to gather it from the wind, or he could only gather it from the words of another. The soul recognizes Truth and is nourished by it, and those who wither away from lack of Truth do not wither because they were given no portion of Truth in their own soul.

Indeed, Truth has instead been so suppressed again and again by such a person – and has been told so often to “stand down” – until it dares not raise its head. And this is why a man finds himself in such a sad state and why when he cries out, “It is not the fault of my own that I had no Truth or that I knew it not when I encountered it,” he speaks in error. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, granting free will to those He loves, which is each and every person without exception, has given the gift of Truth to each and every one of us, so that if there is any predisposition in a man’s heart, then it is the propensity of the soul to vibrate to His Truth. Therefore, the soul when deprived of Truth lies dormant until it withers into something cold and hard. Have you not seen how even the angels of darkness recognize Truth and cannot do other than what Our Lord commands them – and yet they strive to hide Truth from every man unto each man’s eternal damnation? 

So I ask again – WHAT WILL IT TAKE? WILL YOU DIE FOR HIM? 

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland 

Bishop Emeritus 

As I bring to a close this letter that asks the question, “What will it take?” I would like to thank my collaborators, the Apostles and Evangelists, especially Saints Nathaniel and Jude. Why these two? Because they are not the most well-known or often cited of the Apostles and, therefore, I feel a kinship with them because I was an obscure bishop who should have remained obscure.

In the ballroom a few feet from here, men are meeting who could be described as a Catholic brain-trust. Many of them are brilliant, talented men who could have been at the top of any profession they chose, but they are bishops, successors of the Apostles.

Sadly, they are for the most part silent shepherds, unwilling to risk speaking up in the face of evil and destructive forces that threaten the Church. These forces have attempted to silence me, but there was no need to silence these men – they never made a sound.

I ask the faithful to pray fervently that all shepherds find their voices and say with me, “Que viva Cristo Rey – long live Christ the King, Truth Incarnate!”

Another Reasone Why the Underhanded Syndicate of Corrupt Communist Bishops Must Be Defunded

A few days ago, Donna Toliver Grimes, an official at the United States Conferenc of Catholic bishops, waxed lyrical about the selection of Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for Vice President.  She thinks that Harris will benefit marginalized people.  Obviously Grimes is not thinking of the millions of babies slaughtered via abortion, that Harris loudly applauds.  Some good people are stating that Grimes should be fired for these remarks.   Be that ever so true, Grimes simply demonstrated that she fits right in with the progressives who skulk about the halls of the USCCB.

Let's take a look at Ms. Grimes history, shall we?  Open Secrets details her donations in 2008 to Obama's presidential campaign.  Eight years ago, she gave an interview to a Pax Christi publication, wherein she mentioned that she herself was on Pax Christi's national council, and in that capacity worked with Just Faith.  I have written about Pax Christi and Just Faith many times in the past.  Protestations of being "pro-life" aside, she has allied herself with progressive, anti-life forces for many years.  One might wonder how these facts escaped the scrutiny of the USCCB as they allowed her to take a position of influence.  I believe the USCCB is well aware of her proclivities, and far from finding them at odds with their standards, they believe her to be well-suited to their own mindsets and goals.  The powers-that-be in the USCCB embrace her dissidence because they themselves are dissidents.

If you are still contributing to your parishes, please make sure you are doing so in a way that no portion of your donations goes to the diocese.  Just as parishes are assessed by the dioceses, so too are the dioceses assessed by the USCCB.  They deserve not one red cent of your money.

The Angry Right-Wing Housewife

That's what she calls herself.  "Judy" from Arizona is standing up to the SEIU.  Apparently the latter has called for a boycott of Arizona due to the governor's tough stance on illegal immigration.  If the name "SEIU" sounds familiar, it should.  Recall last May when several hundred of these union thugs descended upon a bank's home and went onto the man's front porch.  I need not repeat my entire post; please read it here.

I like this lady!  See in the video below how she's giving them a taste of their own medicine.  But there are some differences.  There's only one of her versus a whole office-full of them.  In May, there were hundreds of them versus the banker's young son who was understandably frightened.  But she stands her ground, as we all must.

In my posts, I pointed out the unsavory connections between SEIU and Just Faith, which is festering in too many Catholic parishes in the area.  Stay clear of Just Faith, if the course is offered in your parish, and don't be afraid to let the pastor know why.

Click here if you can't see embedded video.

Bishops - From Scandalous To Heroic

First, we'll get the scandals out of the way.  That way, this post can end on an upbeat note.

Rorate Caeli has broken the news that in Argentina, two lesbians will have their "daughter" baptized in the Cathedral of Cordova.  They received the authorization of Archbishop Carlos Nanez.  On that same day, the two lesbians will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Ponder all this for a second.  The Sacrament of Confirmation confers grace to live out the Christian life in a more committed fashion.  The confirmandi vow to do so.  But their perverted lifestyles already render such vows an abysmal lie.  They are now in a state of mortal sin.  No sacramental grace can accrue to them and they most likely will be committing sacrilege by presenting themselves for Confirmation.  Regarding the baptism, one condition for baptism of children is that the parents promise to raise the child in the Faith.  They will, in fact, be raising the child to embrace the mortal sin of homosexual relations.  In other words, they may well be facilitators for that child's damnation, barring some intervention in that poor child's life.  Now consider that all this is occurring with the authorization, if not blessing, of Archbishop Nanez!  Is he a bishop or cowering politician??

The second piece of episcopal nonsense is brought to us courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (so what else is new?).  They are calling us to pray and fast - for what they consider to be immigration reform.  Of course that clarions call would be for a pet project of progressives - not for anything mundane like - I dunno - maybe the slaughter of 3,500 babies every day via abortion, the attacks on marriage, Obamacare being crammed down our throats..those sorts of boring things.

This coming Tuesday bishops from all over the country will be gathering at Nogales AZ to offer Mass for those immigrants who died while trying to enter the United States illegally.  In other news, we see that amnesty rallies will be occurring all over the country this coming weekend.  But of course the Mass and these rallies are totally unrelated; we know - we just know in the depths of our li'l naive hearts that there is no coordination going on between these progressive groups!  No-sir-eee!  Ahem!

Enough with the bad.  Now for some good news (for a change).

In July of 2011, Father Jerry Zawada, a Franciscan Friar in Milwaukee WI "concelebrated" a Mass.  The word "concelebrated" is in quotes for the other "celebrant" is a woman pretending to be "ordained" by some "woman priest" bunch.  The Vatican, specifically the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has spoken.  Father Zawada is no longer permitted to function as a priest, and he must retire to a monastery run by his order to spend the remainder of his life in prayer and penance.  At this time, Zawada appears to be defiant.  It remains to see what further action will be necessary, but the Vatican is showing healthy resolve here.

More good news!  The Not-At-All Catholic Reporter snivvels reports that Oakland (CA) Bishop Michael Barber has changed the leadership of Holy Spirit Parish, which serves the campus of University of CA at Berkeley.  The poor little progressive "community" (you mean it isn't a parish?) is "angry and mystified".  While they all grab some hankies and shed some tears, let's look more closely, shall we?  It appears that the bishop wants "new direction" and some of this "community" don't understand.  Why, it has all these delightful little accouterments:

• LGTB groups (In other words, a gay "matchmaking" service)
• Dance ministry
• Taize prayer
• Just Faith
• membership in Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action - a member of the Alinskyian PICO network 

All five of these are signs of a parish headed straight towards progressive hell.  God bless Bishop Barber for his courage in standing up to the progressive lemmings that are so prevalent in Berkeley.

And now for our last courageous bishop - at least for this post.  Madison (WI) Bishop Robert Morlino has reaffirmed canon law that states that at the Holy Thursday service, only men may have their feet washed by the priest (it is permissible to omit that washing altogether).  This is significant in light of the fact that Pope Francis himself broke that law when he washed the feet of some Muslim women during Holy Thursday services last year.  It was anticipated that the Pope's actions might spur similar disregard for Canon Law on the part of prelates and priests.  That appears not to be the case in Madison.

The Myth of the "Good Enough" Catholic

There's no doubt that many of us have wondered how the Catholic Church today has been reduced to a pathetic shadow of what she was a mere hundred years ago - or even fifty.  I've spent some time reading about the matter to try to understand the myriad influences, both internal and external, that have contributed to the Church's obvious decline (and western civilization's too, for that matter).  On the website, I've listed some books to read and now repeat those recommendations.  In addition, please examine the Land O'Lakes Statement that has provided the game plan for undermining Catholic higher education and the various versions of the Humanist Manifesto (the first one was signed by John Dewey, reputed "father of American public education").  I also recommend the book "Behind the Lodge Door" by Paul A. Fisher.  Google the title and many sites (including Amazon) appear, from where you can order the book.  In that book is discussed the many ways that Freemasonry has had detrimental impacts on American culture.  I'd also recommend the dvd movie "Maafa 21" that details the rise of the pro-death movement in America.  Hint: watch the movie and read Fisher's book together; there are common linkages!

So now that I've described some detrimental and even demonic influences upon American and Catholic culture, did all that mean we were doomed sitting ducks?  I think not, but that means more questions must be answered.  Consider the generation that fought in World War II, the so-called "Greatest Generation."  Now let me be clear; they did indeed, at great sacrifice, fend off and defeat some of the worst totalitarians ever to walk the earth.  Because of them, civilization was saved - for the time being.  Yet we must admit that much mischief happened just a few years later, when this Greatest Generation had laid aside its military uniforms and weapons and took their places in political offices.  Under their watch, Lyndon Johnson foisted the so-called "Great Society" with its destructive welfare system on us.  Crime skyrocketed.  To top things off, the Roe v Wade decision came down, courtesy of justices appointed by presidents who were WWII veterans.  We can only conclude that they were indeed asleep at the switch.  It seems that many (not all!) forgot that "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance" - with emphasis on the word "eternal".

While I think that much can be explained by Carlin's book (again, check the website book list), something more fundamental went awry.  In the December issue of Homiletic and Pastoral Review is an article written by John Young entitled "From Order to Chaos in Ten Years".  (It's not online yet, but when it is, I'll post the link.)  He points out that the current problems in the Church didn't just magically appear during the turbulent 1960s.  He mentions that Pope St Pius X understood the problem of modernism and issued Pascendi Dominici Gregis.  His encyclical was followed by Pope Pius XII's encyclical Hamani Generis. (Go to the side bar to see encyclicals from Leo XIII onward).

He then talks of his experience of Catholicism in his life and his fellow Catholics.  I was a child during that time, but a fairly observant one.  I can corroborate what Young says based on my own observations.  He points out that while the "rank and file" Catholic during the 1950s generally didn't question what they were taught, they really didn't have a deep grasp of the truths of their faith.  They (like I) could recite the Baltimore Catechism, but couldn't give answers that represented intellectual depth and integration of the truths into their personal lives. They didn't take it seriously.  They did not strive for the highest level of sanctity that they could achieve.  In a word, they didn't make the Faith to heart and make it their own.  In fact, while they may have accepted the directives of the Magisterium in matters of faith and morals, many of them chafed under what they thought were joy-robbing restrictions.  This was particularly true in matters pertaining to sexuality.

At that time, the 1930 Lambeth Conference had already occurred - that conference in which the Anglicans shamed themselves by admitting the usage of contraception.  After the Vatican II conference (and the various misinterpretations regarding it), many matters of discipline were relaxed (fasting before Communion, etc).  There was talk of the Church admitting the usage of contraception.  Of course, that didn't happen - Humanae Vitae happened instead.

I write all this to explain what I believe are the reasons for the faith of Catholics melting like snow in hell during the 1960s: how fairly loyal Catholics could just fall like dominoes into rebellion against the True Church and ultimately against Our Lord Himself.  They did not make heaven their ultimate aim in life.  They did not make holiness a prime personal goal.  I think Mr. Young's lessons are worth the read.

Advent started today, as did a new liturgical year.  This would be an excellent time to take stock, to make the Kingdom of God our ultimate aim.  There is no such thing as a "good enough" Catholic.  The minute anyone thinks he or she is "good enough", that may well be a warning sign of complacency or worse.

Pope Francis Needs To Fire His Current Ghostwriter

Apparently Pope Francis has been using the services of a ghostwriter.  From One Peter Five we read that Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, also from Buenos Aires, is the ghostwriter behind this much ballyhooed environmental encyclical that we all await with bated (?) breath.  He and the pope go back a good bit, as the Glora TV clip will illustrate.  Fernandez apparently had a hand in the writing of the Evangelii Gaudium encyclical.

Now it seems that this environmental encyclical will be delayed by Cardinal Gerhard Muller in his capacity as Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith owing to theological deficiencies.  As the Cardinal stated in an interview, the mission of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith is "to provide the theological structure of a pontificate".   Moreover, the Apostolic Constitution states that the Congregation must "promote and safeguard the doctrine on faith and morals in the whole Catholic world".

Cardinal Muller is to be commended for putting the breaks on this encyclical.  Besides the many serious shortcomings of this new papal envirowhacko fad (and I'll elaborate in a few minutes), I wonder if Muller is concerned about some of Fernandez's other mindsets,such as the ones evinced in Fernandez's book entitled "Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art Of Kissing".  My!  He certainly is a man with, uh, many interests!  Or is he just getting the "smell of sheep" on himself?

I wrote a bit about that one-day envirowhacko meeting hosted by the Pontifical Academy for Sciences last week.  Elaborating on that, I penned an article on this topic that will appear in a local pro-life publication.  When it comes out I'll link to it.  Meanwhile I'll post below an excerpt from that article that elaborates upon the anti-life screed (see here) that is the report from the meeting.

(begin excerpt)
A thorough read of the document makes plain that it is nothing more than an apologia for the United Nations Sustainable Goals initiatives.  The authors make no attempt to disguise it.  Another key attendee at this summit was none other than UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who also has been known to advocate for abortion.  I refer you to this UN link: http://www.unece.org/sustainable-development/sustainable-development/home.html.  Interestingly enough, scrubbed from this link is any mention of Agenda 21, an action plan that arose out of several meetings with regard to “sustainable development”.  Wikipedia gives some details of it, albeit rather sympathetic, owing to wikipedia’s own leftist bias: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21.   Many see Agenda 21 for the snake in the grass that it is and are sounding the alarm; see http://www.teaparty911.com/issues/what_is_agenda_21.htm  and http://www.freedomadvocates.org/.
The information available about “sustainable development” and Agenda 21 makes clear the betrayal of the Faith that the Vatican hierarchy is committing by lending its moral voice to “one-world-government” and even to “population control”.  It is particularly scandalous that these Vatican agencies signed onto a thinly-disguised apologetics effort for abortion – in the name of the “environment” – just a few weeks prior to the anticipated papal encyclical on the environment.  Catholics are reminded that while the Magisterium can pronounce infallibly only on matters pertaining to Faith and Morals, it does not have the same authority regarding matters scientific and/or economic.
(end excerpt)

Did Cardinal Muller see similar issues in the encyclical itself?  Now the link to the GloriaTV expose of Archbishop Fernandez..

Father Thomas Weinandy Continues To Articulate The Truth - His Full Article Here

A few days ago, a piece by Father Thomas Weinandy was published by Sandro Magister on his blog.  Father Weinandy, who was sacked by the increasingly inimical USCCB for speaking truth, demonstrates how the so-called "pastoral" approach is in fact deadly to souls.   This piece is the keynote address that Father gave at Notre Dame University in Sydney Australia where I believe he currently teaches.

Many Catholic sites linked to the address as it appeared on Sandro Magister's blog.  However, when I went to look for it there, I found that it had been pulled.   After some searching, I found it at the Catholic World Report.  To guard against another (ahem!) "mysterious disappearance", I'll copy and paste it in its entirety.

This piece is lengthy, so I'll put the jump break here.

Cardinal Wuerl Is Complaining About Us

That actually is a good thing.  He isn't playing the aloof stoic any longer.  If he's trying to poo-poo us, we must be having some beneficial effect.  He gave an interview to America magazine (that should say a lot right there) from which Joan Desmond of National Catholic Register draws.  I won't pick the whole thing apart, but will focus a bit one one very telling tidbit, a "Freudian slip", if you will.  Read the following.

"Pope Francis is calling for a church that, to my mind, is much more in contact with the Gospel, with the living out of the Gospel. Not just the articulation of the Gospel, the voicing of the Gospel, the proclaiming of the Gospel, but the personal living of it, and that seems to be what is the most attractive part of this pope, why so many people find him inviting, who so many people follow him, why so many people are coming back to the practice of the faith."

This "much more in contact with the Gospel" bit is, uh..intriguing!  "Much more" in comparison with what, pray tell?  "Much more" than:

• The Fathers and Doctors of the Church who helped crystalize and expound the teachings of Our Lord?
• Those missionaries who spread the Faith to pagans, often at the cost of martyrdom?
• Those parents of today who sacrifice to teach their children at home lest they lose their Faith in public and yes, diocesan schools?
• Those Christians who suffer for upholding the teachings of Jesus Christ in the face of opposition? Kim Davis, Linda Gibbons and (pay attention, Your Eminence!) Father Marcel Guarnizo are among that number.

My heavens!  How bereft we Catholics have been during these last 20 centuries of "contact with the Gospel"!  Now we have a pope whom many "find inviting"!  Yes indeedee!  Just ask Elton John!  As far as having lots of followers, that is no measure of anything.  Read John 6.  Many people followed Jesus - until He taught of the nature of the Eucharist.  Then they up and left.  Jesus kept proclaiming the truth of Who He is.  These truths of the Church are eternal and immutable, regardless of the number of "followers".   I will make no statement whatsoever regarding the pope's personal "living of the gospel", be it "yay" or "nay".  I wonder how the Cardinal dares to do so.

He also said that those who question the synodal process "just don't like this pope".  I suppose that would include his brother Cardinals Pell, Burke and now Arinze?  See here and here.

I do consider this braying by Cardinal Wuerl to be a good sign.  We bloggers must be doing something right to arouse their ire and to cause them to squint their eyes at the light of truth.  Let's keep it up.

Obama Moves Embassy From Vatican City After He Appoints Hackett - Red Flags Should Be Flying

Just weeks after Ken Hackett, former director of the Catholic Relief Services and not-so-secret Obama henchman, was appointed Ambassador to the Vatican comes this rather strange news.  The Messiah Most Miserable and his Minions Most Mindless are closing the American embassy at the Vatican and "relocating" it to a portion of its Italian embassy.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is quite a snub.  Here we have prima facae evidence of the disdain, if not malevolence, that this regime harbors against the Catholic church.

From their warped vantage point this move is quite understandable.  The Roman Catholic Church stands in stark opposition to the depraved mindset that drives so many of the policies of the Obama cartel.  From the Catholic businesses suing the feds so that they can live by their consciences to those of us who stand outside the Planned Parenthood murder centers to save children, we faithful Catholics - just by the very course of our actions - show to the world how evil this administration is at its core.  The mainstream media, despite its best efforts, cannot completely silence us.  Those in academia and the entertainment industry may hate us and mock us, but they just cannot ignore us.  They are upping the ante on us; we cannot be silent in its face.

Sadly some of these enemies of the faith are in our ranks, just as Judas was one of the Twelve at one point.  Some fly under the radar and some have been quite flagrant in their treachery.  It is no coincidence that Obama made this move just weeks after Ken Hackett took the helm at our Vatican embassy.  As Hackett was on his way to his new digs, he spewed forth pot-shots at pro-life Catholics.  Now he's playing an integral part in snubbing the Vatican itself: a move that five of Hackett's predecessors have denounced.  I mentioned in the post just previous to this that Pope Francis has spoken forcefully against abortion; might this have triggered Obama's move?

I post now a homily given by a priest in Springfield VA last month, regarding the growing hostility harbored by this regime against the Church.  I urge its reading in light of this arguably ominous development.

Refreshing Change At The USCCB?

As I mentioned before, John Carr is leaving his post as Director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the USCCB.  As I wrote before, Michelle Boorstein thinks we're worried.  I suspect she's the one who's beside herself at this time.  A few days ago it was announced that Carr's replacement will be Jonathan J. Reyes.  He's a former director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver, who made plain his beliefs that evangelism and Christian charity are inseparable.  Moreover, he's a former vice-president of Christendom College, a traditional Catholic college that has yet to accept one penny of government funding.

Much of the Catholic blogosphere is overjoyed by this appointment.  I'm happy, but my optimism is guarded.  Folks, I just don't trust these nameless bureaucrats at the USCCB.  If they manage to hog-tie Reyes, he won't be their first victim.  Moreover, bear in mind that after January, John Carr will be setting up shop at Catholic University.  Those unfamiliar with the layout of Washington DC probably don't realize that the USCCB offices and Catholic University are within easy walking distance of each other.  Carr could still make his influence felt; the impact of a 25-year tenure doesn't just vanish overnight.

So pardon me for sounding cynical, but I'm not prepared to break out the bubbly just yet.  However,I believe the optimism generated by Reyes' appointment will be justified if:

• Ralph McCloud, current national director of CCHD (and former campaign treasurer for pro-abort Texan Wendy Davis), is fired and replaced with someone with traditional credentials similar to Reyes's
• Serious, immediate and palpable reforms are made to the CCHD grant-awarding processes - with transparency
• Reyes dismantles that Catholic Climate Covenant boondoggle
• Reyes expels Just Faith from the social concerns offices of all levels of Catholic ecclesiastical structures
• The mishmosh known as Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship is replaced by a clear, unambiguous document that clearly lays out the necessity of voting for pro-life, pro-traditional-marriage candidates and the sinfulness of voting for a "pro-choice" candidate.

This list of needed reforms is by no means exhaustive.  I'll be happy if he can make steady progress on these.  Who knows?  Maybe I can cease calling for the abolition of the USCCB!

Pope Embracing Envirowhackoism For Deconstruction Of The Faith

The blog Non Veni Pacem put up some commentary regarding the murder of Natacha Jaitt in Argentina that occurred two weeks before she was to testify against Gustavo Vera, long-time friend of Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis.  Security cameras detected suspicious activity in the area just after Jaitt died.  The blogger pointed out that Vera and Jeffrey Sachs were speakers at a Vatican conference held March 4-5.  The conference focused on Laudato Si and Sachs shilled for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.  Journalists were not invited to this pow-wow.  Well, golly-jee!  I wonder why???

Just a few days after that gab-fest, Pope Francis spoke at another - this with a specific goal of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.  Now read closely what the pope is saying.  He's talking about conversion in implementing this thinly-disguised propaganda for population control and earth-worship.  One does not talk of "conversion" unless one is changing their beliefs and actions regarding God and morality.  He's advocating rank idolatry.  The blogger whom I cited in the main paragraph states that Raul Duarte has some "splainin" to do.  Well he's not the only one with "splainin" to do - I refer to the pope.  By the way, as you read the CNA piece, did you notice all the people who seem to be leaders of false religions?  If the pope wanted actual conversions, he passed up a golden opportunity for preaching the Faith (as is his mission); that's more "splainin" that he'll need to do.

In more toadying to envirowhacko population-control enthusiasts, the pope will participate in a "Pan Amazon Synod" in Brazil in October.  As Bradley Eli put it, "The Pan-Amazon Synod will be focusing on environmentalism and social justice issues rather than on strengthening the faith of Catholics, who are losing their religion."  Once upon a time, I thought that this lack of proper focus was merely thoughtless neglect.  I now believe that this loss of Godly faith is by design.  Take a look at that picture of the pope.  It is most inappropriate for the Vicar of Christ to festoon himself in pagan gee-gaw, and grin while holding a picture of himself surrounded by pagan imagery.