Leader Of CCHD-Funded Organization Performs Same-Sex "Marriages"

The Lepanto Institute reports that a recipient of $40,000.00 from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is led by a clergyman that performs same-sex "marriage".  The organization in question is the Inland Empire Sponsoring Committee.  Its president is Michael Fronk, who happens to be pastor of First Christian Church in Pomana, California.  Both Fronk and the church he leads show themselves to be facilitating the abomination of homosexual conduct, as you can see on Lepanto's page.

Because the local bishop defunded another aberrant organization, there is hope that he will also defund this one as well.  Still, this incident is just the latest in a long string of such scandalous grants in CCHD's history.  This is not a "failure to vet" on the part of the national CCHD, which is still headed by the scandal-ridden Ralph McCloud.  They know full well what they're doing.  It's high time we all, once and for all, said #no2cchd.

CCHD Currently Funding A Planned Parenthood Partner

Here is Reason # 5,289 why no Catholic should ever donate one penny to CCHD.  It may well go towards aiding and abetting Planned Parenthood.

The Lepanto Institute, under the leadership of Michael Hichborn, has discovered that the CCHD is granting money to the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center, a Massachusetts-based "community-organizing" outfit.  On its Title X grant application, Planned Parenthood listed Cleghorn as a "community partner" - a partner that has referred young people to Planned Parenthood for "services" - including contraceptives and abortions.  I need not rehash the Lepanto report; please read for yourselves.

"But that's Massachusetts!  What does that have to do with our CCHD collection across the country?" you might ask.  Bear in mind that 75% of all collections are earmarked for the national CCHD office; only 25% of the collections are permitted to remain for local grants.  That means that the bulk of your donations are at the disposal of Ralph McCloud and company - should you choose to donate.  Please don't.

Very Good Reason To Say #no2cchd This Weekend

If you are having difficulty selecting one of the various ills of the CCHD to include on your donation refusal note, may I suggest one?  The reason's name is Ralph McCloud.  He is the current director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  He held that position when he was campaign treasurer for Texas' Wendy Davis, aka "Abortion Barbie".  Although he was closely associated with her during their several years together in Texas politics - and took a prominent role in her campaign against a pro-life incumbent - he claims not to have known anything of her pro-abortion proclivities.  Either the man is 1) lying through his teeth, or 2) is so utterly oblivious to his surroundings that he has no business occupying a position of responsibility at the CCHD.

He also sits on the board of Interfaith Worker Justice.  Isn't it odd how his bio there is completely scrubbed of any mention of Wendy Davis?  They needn't have bothered.  This group was founded by a number of community organizers, including Alinskyian disciple Msgr Jack Egan (founder of the CCHD) and Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany.  Bishop Hubbard also sits on the IWJ board.  For a run-down on the mess he made in Albany, check this out.

What sane person would trust their donation dollars to McCloud?

CCHD To Try New Schtick To Reduce Poverty??

First , ht to Catholic Culture.

CCHD Director Ralph McCloud (the same fellow who indirectly hindered last month's pro-life victory in Texas) has, according to America magazine, thinks he's discovered "the best antidote to lessening poverty".  Now think a bit on the grammatical structure of that phrase, and keep it on the back-burner.  I'll get to that shortly.

First, just what does McCloud claim this magic bullet to be?  Are you ready?  Drum roll, please.  It is reforming prison-sentence guidelines!

And all the sane people said, "Huh??  What??!??!"

I thought one idea behind these "anti-poverty" efforts was to keep people from committing actions that might get them into jail in the first place.  If they don't commit criminal activity, then prison sentences are irrelevant to them, right?  Isn't CCHD more or less admitting that their clientele will wind up in prison?  Is this a tacit admission that they (CCHD) aren't all they're cracked up to be?

To all the CCHD trolls reading this: if you want to reduce poverty, please listen and implement what Holy Mother Church has been saying for hundreds of years - and what honest secular leaders acknowledge.  The greatest indicator and cause of poverty is a broken family.  What causes families to dissolve?  Sexual immorality: that is, the divorcing of the conjugal act from its ends of engendering life and fostering unity between husband and wife.  Conversely, a deterrent to poverty is an intact family where children are living with both biological parents who are married to each other.  Promote that, as opposed to partnering with "community-organizing" rackets that undermine Church teaching, and you'll make decent strides towards eradicating poverty.

Now let's get back to that odd phrase "best antidote to lessening poverty".  I would ask how that slop ever escaped the proofreaders of America, but since so much theological error whizzes right by them, why not simple logical errors?  I could see the sense in this phrase: "best antidote to poverty", or "best antidote to increasing poverty".  C'mon!  Does McCloud really want the "best antidote to lessening poverty"? Wouldn't he want poverty to lessen?  Why would he want an antidote to that?

On the other hand, since one maxim of Alinskyian thinking is "never let a good crisis go to waste", perhaps the statement as originally laid out expresses their true sentiments.  CCHD was founded by Msgr Jack Egan, a disciple of Saul Alinsky.  Perhaps they'd like poverty to continue, since it provides so much "crisis" to justify their existence and constant agitation for "community-organizing" while they continue to fund nefarious groups.

Vortex On Wendy Davis / CCHD Cozy Connections

Here's an expose done by Michael Voris on the relationship between rabid pro-abort Wendy Davis of the Texas State Senate and the CCHD, vis-a-vis Ralph McCloud.  Until I saw this, I was unaware that the two had worked together in Texas politics for six years.  That being said, there can be no shadow of a doubt that McCloud was fully aware that he was supporting abortion in the person of Wendy Davis as the two worked to unseat her pro-life opponent.

In the clip, Voris makes mention of some reports on the CCHD.  I have watched these and can attest that they are worth your investment in time to learn about this "snake in the grass" known as the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

• Special Report with American Life League
• CCHD and Saul Alinsky
• Social Injustice

A note to readers of the Archdiocese of Washington:

• The archdiocesan collection for CCHD will occur during the weekend of Aug 10-11.  Please note that they have tweaked the name of the collection to read "Catholic Communications and Human Development".  Do not be deceived by this silly ploy.  This is  the CCHD collection.
• Within the next week or two, this blog will announce steps that you can take to stanch the flow of Catholic cash to this collection and thus to Culture-of-Death organizations.  Stay tuned.

And now the video..

Mob Scene In Texas Legislature - CCHD's Hand In It

Last night the Texas State Senate was to vote on SB 5, which would have forbade abortions past 20 weeks in Texas.  Pro-abortion State Senator Wendy Davis conducted an 11-hour filibuster to prevent the vote.  According to their protocol, if procedures are violated 3 times, the filibuster is declared over.  When Davis committed her third foul, that's when pro-abortion spectators in the gallery started making boors and  hyenas of themselves.  They did so deliberately to prevent the vote, impeding legislative order.  As this series of tweets shows, Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood, egged on the debacle; she probably picked up some important "mob-action" tips from her SEIU-bigwig husband.  In that link is a youtube showing the pro-aborts, in orange shirts, howling and cackling away.

The above happened during a special session called by Governor Rick Perry.  Today he announced another special session to resume the business that was interrupted in typical progressive community-organizing fashion.  I congratulate him and trust that the rule of law will prevail.

But now comes the revelation of the ties between Wendy Davis and - wait for it! - Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  I had learned of this two years ago, but it slipped my memory until some Facebook posts jogged my memory.  Here is a post by Creative Minority Report from two years ago.  During her 2008 campaign for office, Davis had the assistance of Ralph McCloud as her campaign treasurer.  This was during (not before,not after but during) his first year as head of the CCHD.  Of course everyone on this list has seen various pieces of campaign material: flyers, yard signs, etc.  By law they all bear the name of the campaign treasurer: meaning that everyone knew that McCloud was associated with a proponent of abortion.  Read the CMR link for more details, including alleged hanky-panky.  To this day McCloud is still head of the CCHD.  McCloud helped facilitate this woman's election - and her subsequent shilling for the murders of babies as exemplified in her filibuster.  Can we trust this man with one penny of Catholic donations?  Of course not!

So we have yet one more reason to boycott the CCHD collections within the next few months.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if more "reasons" pop out of the woodwork.

USCCB's Upcoming Catholic Social Ministry Gathering

This year's gabfest is scheduled for Feb 10-13 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.  With John Carr, Ralph McCloud and Mary Wright of Just Faith on the Planning Committee, one can safely assume that the stench of progressivism will drift throughout the meeting halls and workshops.

Among the featured speakers is Mark Shields of PBS.  Of course that means his salary is paid in part by you and me via our tax dollars.  Therefore, is it any wonder that he complained that "no Republican in the House or Senate for 22 years has voted to increase taxes"?  No tax increase, no raise - the poor fella!  But that was in December.  Now he must be breathing sighs of relief after the GOP capitulation over the "fiscal cliff" deal.  In this clip you'll hear him say, "losing their virginity on the issue of tax cuts is an important thing to these Republicans who have not voted to increase taxes...".  Actually, the GOP lost their virtue with the fiscal cliff deal, but I digress.  I certainly hope that such metaphors will not spew forth from Shields' mouth at this USCCB session.  The clip is below the jump break so

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!

CCHD Director Explains His Support Of A Pro-Abort Pol - Kinda!

Creative Minority Report does an excellent job of exposing the verbal tap dance that Ralph McCloud attempted in his lame "defense" of his support of a pro-abortion politician.   I won't rehash the whole thing here, as there is no need.  Please read it.  I will differ with him on one point.  He opines that McCloud is not fit to head the CCHD and should resign.  Au contraire!  He is an appropriate director for the CCHD, becaue it's the CCHD that is rotten to the core and from its inception.  It's not so much the case that McCloud should resign.  Rather, the whole entire USCCB - with CCHD included - should be scuttled immediately.  Its very existence is a bane to the Catholic Church, draining its resources to progressive organizations as Egan et al intended all along.

CCHD Head Campaigned For Pro-Abortion Political Candidate

That's right.  Creative Minority Report tells us that during the 2008 election cycle, Ralph McCloud, while working in his capacity as CCHD director, worked as campaign treasurer for Texan Wendy Davis.  The public record is here.  Ms Davis was endorsed by Planned Parenthood.  Unfortunately, Davis defeated her pro-life opponent.  Therefore we can conclude that Ralph McCloud worked directly against a candidate who would have helped unborn children and worked for someone who would facilitate their murder.

That campaign itself ran afoul of some ethics guidelines.  Planned Parenthood of North Texas was fined several thousand dollars for not reporting just how much money they gave to Davis' campaign.  Please study the CMR post carefully.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development touts itself as an organization that works to empower the disenfranchised.  McCloud has made clear the lie that is the CCHD motto.

Here's a very interesting, and telling aside.  As you read the comments, note the one about the USCCB logo encompassing the logo for gnosticism.  I went to the wikipedia site, and sure enough, the resemblance between the two logos is quite uncanny.  That is not an accident!

One more time - let's scrap the CCHD and the entire USCCB!  Get the filthy rot out of the Church!

Open Letter to CCHD and USCCB

The open letter copied below was just now emailed to Ralph McCloud and John Carr
_________________________________________________________________

Open Letter to the Directors and Staff of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in Particular, and to Those of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a Whole
Ladies and gentlemen:
For many years now, monies donated to the CCHD have been funneled to groups that have actively worked to trivialize Church teachings on the life issues (abortion, euthanasia, homosexual behavior, various abuses of embryonic children) in favor of causes favored by left-wing elements in high places (such as supposed “climate change”, “poverty”, “health care reform”,etc). In some cases these groups have allied themselves with those who seek to actively undermine the Church on life-issue matters. Despite any pretenses that you may attempt to offer, you are well aware of our deep grievances with you on these matters. It is no stretch of the imagination to suggest that the election of the most pro-abortion President in the history of this country would not have been possible without the financial backing of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the recipients of CCHD grants. However, should there still be some in your organization who insist on feigning ignorance, we invite them to peruse the following websites and blogs and to follow their documentation.
http://www.reformcchdnow.com/
www.all.org
http://bellarmineveritasministry.org/
www.catholicmediacoalition.org
and our own http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com

For years now, concerned Catholics have been pleading with you to stop the funding of these aberrant groups, most notably ACORN. Only when the embezzlement scandal of the Rathke brothers broke (along with voter registration fraud allegations) did the CCHD cease funding of ACORN. However, funding and other support of other anti-God organizations continues.

Recently your support of left-wing organizations took on an offensive and even blasphemous dimension as the CCHD hijacked and attempted to deform the Stations of the Cross to be celebrations of some of these anti-Church outfits. I need not go into the disgusting details in this letter, as they are already exposed on our blog as well as others. Of course you were already aware of that. Hours after the first expose went online, you pulled your so-called “stations” from your website. You did so with no notice nor apology for offense caused, indicating that this removal was just another sorry attempt at damage control.

Happily, though, your attempt was a failure and the profaned “stations” are available for all of the world to see. And what do they see? They see that the USCCB is still supporting organizations whose philosophies and governing members are openly at odds with the Magisterium on the non-negotiable life issues. These “stations”, and their subsequent disingenuous removal adds resolve to many of us as we call upon His Holiness to dissolve the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and in particular, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Should you be interested at all in restoring any shred of goodwill, we urge you to post an unequivocal apology on your website, apologizing for the support of any and all left-wing “community-organizing” outfits, making plain that you will immediately cease any and all types of support for the same. You should then support only those organizations that uphold the Church’s teachings on the life issues and who perform the various Works of Mercy – both Spiritual as well as Corporal.

Please be advised that this letter is open and even now appears on our blog. Any replies from you to us will likewise be posted thereon.