November and we pray for the dead

November 2nd is the feast of All Souls -


God bless all those past friends and family of ours.

Day of All Saints

November 1st is the feast of all Saints.

The picture above is from Albrech Durer, a German artist. It is called All Saints and was completed in 1511. It is considered to be done in the northern Renaissance Style and is done in Oil.

What a beautiful piece of art to remember a beautiful day for all Christs Saints.

What pope Francis says on the issues

The Catholic League has issued a list of quotes and circumstances that determine Pope Francis' stand on issues - despite what some in the press say :

Abortion

 "It is God who gives life. Let us respect and love human life, especially vulnerable life in a mother's womb."

 "A pregnant woman isn't carrying a toothbrush in her belly, or a tumor…We are in the presence of a human being."

 "The right to life is the first human right. Abortion is killing someone that cannot defend him or herself."

 

Anti-Catholicism

 "The world does not tolerate the divinity of Christ. It doesn't tolerate the announcement of the Gospel. It does not tolerate the Beatitudes. And we have persecutions: with words, with insults, the things that they said about Christians in the early centuries, the condemnations, imprisonment...But we easily forget. We think of the many Christians, 60 years ago, in the labor camps, in the camps of the Nazis, of the communists: So many of them! For being Christians! And even today...But [people say] 'today we are better educated and these things no longer exist.' Yes they do!...They are condemned for having a Bible. They can't wear a crucifix."

Catholic Colleges

 "Essential in this regard is the uncompromising witness of Catholic universities to the church's moral teaching, and the defense of her freedom, precisely in and through her institutions, to uphold that teaching as authoritatively proclaimed by the magisterium of her pastors....Your own identity—as it was intended from the beginning—to defend it, preserve it, carry it forward."

 

Catholic Dissidents

 "Those with alternative teachings and doctrines [have] a partial belonging to the church. [They] have one foot outside the church. They rent the church."

 In 2014, the Tablet (U.K.) reported that "The head of pro-reform movement We Are Church in Austria has been excommunicated by Pope Francis for 'celebrating' Mass, the Austrian press has reported."

 

Catholics and Politics

 "A good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of himself, so that those who govern can govern."

 

Euthanasia

 "A civilization whose technological advancements do not seek to protect the most vulnerable, from conception until natural death, fails to live up to its responsibility."

 "A just society recognizes the right to life from conception to natural death as paramount."

False Compassion

 "The dominant thinking sometimes suggests a 'false compassion,' that which believes that it is: helpful to women to promote abortion; an act of dignity to obtain euthanasia; a scientific breakthrough to 'produce' a child and to consider it to be a right rather than a gift to welcome; or to use human lives as guinea pigs presumably to save others. Instead, the compassion of the Gospel is that which accompanies in times of need, that is, the compassion of the Good Samaritan, who 'sees,' 'has compassion,' approaches and provides concrete help."

 

Freedom of Expression (Charlie Hebdo)

 "In theory, it may be said that the Gospel says we must turn the other cheek. In theory, we can say that we have the freedom to express ourselves, and this is important. In theory we are all in agreement, but we are human, and so there is prudence, which is a virtue in human coexistence. I cannot continually provoke or insult someone, because I would risk angering them, I risk receiving a reaction that is not right, not right. But it is human. Therefore, I say that the freedom of expression must take into consideration the reality of humanity, and for this reason I say that we must be prudent. This means we must be polite and prudent, as prudence is the virtue that regulates human relations."

 "If someone says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It's normal. It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others."

 

Gay Marriage

 "Let us not be naive: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God's plan. It is not just a bill (a mere instrument) but a 'move' of the Father of Lies [the Devil] who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God."

 "At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother, and children."

 "At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts."

 

Gays

 "If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?"

 "You have to distinguish between the fact of a person being gay, and the fact of a lobby. The problem isn't the orientation. The problem is making a lobby."

 

Gender Ideology

 "I ask myself, if the so-called gender theory is not, at the same time, an expression of frustration and resignation, which seeks to cancel out sexual difference because it no longer knows how to confront it. Yes, we risk taking a step backwards."

 "The crisis of the family is a social reality. Then there are ideological colonizations of the family, modes and proposals from Europe and also from overseas. The error of the human mind that is gender theory creates a lot of confusion."

 "Gender ideology is demonic!"

Immigration

 "Migrants from Central America and Mexico...who cross the border with the United States under extreme conditions and in pursuit of a hope that in most cases turns out to be vain. They are increasing day by day. This humanitarian emergency requires, as a first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected. These measures, however, will not be sufficient, unless they are accompanied by policies that inform people about the dangers of such a journey, and above all, that promote development in their countries of origin."

 

Marriage and the Family

 "Complementarity will take many forms as each man and woman brings his or her distinctive contributions to their marriage and to the formation of their children—his or her personal richness, personal charisma."

 "Children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child's development and emotional maturity."

 

Marxism

 "The Marxist ideology is wrong."

 

Moral Destitution

 "Moral destitution...consists in slavery to vice and sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members—often a young person—is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling or pornography!...In such cases moral destitution can be considered impending suicide."

Pope Francis' Positions on Sexual Issues

 "The position of the Church. I am a son of the Church."

 

Pope Pius XII

 "What worries me regarding this subject is the figure of Pius XII, the Pope that led the Church during World War II. They have said all sorts of things about poor Pius XII. But we need to remember that before he was seen as the great defender of the Jews. He hid many in convents in Rome and in other Italian cities, and also in the residence of Castel Gandolfo. Forty-two babies, children of Jews and other persecuted who sought refuge there were born there, in the Pope's room, in his own bed. I don't want to say that Pius XII did not make any mistakes—I myself make many—but one needs to see his role in the context of the time. For example, was it better for him not to speak so that more Jews would not be killed or for him to speak?"

 

Priestly Sexual Abuse

 "On this path, the Church has done much, perhaps more than all others. The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution that has moved with transparency and responsibility. No one has done more, and yet the Church is the only one that is being attacked."

 

Sin

 "The loose minister washed his hands by simply saying, 'This is not a sin,' or something like that."

 

Spanking

 "One time, I heard a father in a meeting with married couples say, 'I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face so as not to humiliate them.' How beautiful! He knows the sense of dignity! He has to punish them but does it justly and moves on."

Women

 "We cannot forget the irreplaceable role of women in the family. The qualities of gentleness, of particular sensitivity and tenderness, which is abundant in the female soul, represent not only a genuine force for the life of families, for the irradiation of a climate of peace and harmony, but also a reality without which the human vocation would be unfeasible."

 "They are the strawberries on the cake, but we want more!"

 

Women Cardinals

 "I don't know where this idea sprang from. Women in the church must be valued, not clericalized. Whoever thinks of women as cardinals suffers a bit from clericalism."

 

Women Priests

 "The Church has spoken and said: 'No.' John Paul II said it, but with a definitive formulation. That door is closed

 

Archbishop Chaput causes rise in Seminarians - The Good Eagle Rocks the Wind that rustles the leaves in the Trees.

What is Charles J Chaput, the Archbishop of Philadelphia doing right. Well, I don't know, but under his leadership in the American city  of Denver and now Philadelphia, there has been an increase in Seminarians. The Good Work continues thanks to this son of the American Soil.

But more than being an Archbishop, he is a Franciscan, and more than him being an American, he is Native. According to Wikipedia, he is a Potawatmi Indian, at least that is his tribe. His name in that language is "The wind that rustles the leaves in the tree". He is also called "Good Eagle"

This man has been famous for his orthodox stand on issues, and it has led to people loving him for standing up and not being "wishy-washy". People are fed up with too many compromises. They want strong leaders that would motivate them to act.

Probably that is why Donald Trump is doing so well in the polls. It would be interesting to see how that pans out when it comes to the actual US elections.

Well Bill Donahue of the Catholic League thinks that Chaput is rocking his Archbishop roll to the fullest. Here is what he has to say:

August 20, 2015

Bill Donohue comments on a news story in today's Philadelphia Inquirer on the surge in seminarians in the Philadelphia Archdiocese:

Finally, the Philadelphia Inquirer writes a positive piece on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Unfortunately, reporter David O'Reilly does not give Archbishop Charles Chaput his due in accounting for the spike in ordinations under his tenure. It is not "the Francis effect" that explains the surge in seminarians; it is "the Chaput effect."

How do I know this? Because if it were "the Francis effect," there would be an increase in men studying for the priesthood throughout much of the nation. This hasn't happened. To be sure, there has been an increase, but it is not widespread: a small number of dioceses disproportionately account for the uptick.

If "the Chaput effect" explains the increase, then there should be evidence from the Archdiocese of Denver, Chaput's previous assignment, that seminarians increased under his tenure. There is. In 1997, Chaput took over the Denver archdiocese, and by 2006 it ranked third among all the dioceses in ordination. Under his leadership, the Denver archdiocese was typically in the top ten in the nation in attracting men to the priesthood. That he has brought his special gifts to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is evident in the latest data.

O'Reilly errs—there is no reason to believe it was intentional—when he says there are 28,215 priests in the U.S. The correct figure is over 38,000

Pope Francis Plays Steel Pan... Featured on Stamps

There is a great article in the local news paper the Newsday of Wednesday June 24th 2015 talking about stamps issued of the Pope playing the Steel pan. That national Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. This was a steel pan given to the Pope by the President of Trinidad and Tobago Anthony Carmona ( a good Catholic) on his visit to the Vatican for an audience with Pope Francis.

Here is the Article:

PRESIDENT Anthony Carmona was yesterday presented with a framed copy of two sets of postage stamps respectively from Ghana and Grenada, each commemorative set featuring His Excellency with Pope Francis the latter playing the steelpan.

The presentation at the Office of the President, St Ann’s, was made by Trinidad and Tobago Philatelic Society, vice-president, Albert Sidney.

Also present was Papal Nuncio, Nicola Girasoli, and Apostolic Nunciature Chargé d’Affaires, Monsignor Pawel Obiedzinski.

At their meeting on July 6, 2013, at Vatican City, Carmona presented a tenor pan to Pope Francis, who immediately tried his hand at playing it.

Upon being presented with the stamp sets yesterday, Carmona said, “Thank you very much. I will certainly cherish it.”

Sidney said the issuance of the stamp-sets was very historic, saying the last time a Trinidad and Tobago head of State had been featured in an international postage-stamp had been in 2003 when former president Arthur NR Robinson had been honoured for his role in setting up the International Criminal Court.

“So it is very significant that the international community focussed on President Carmona and Pope Francis and steelpan,” said Sidney.

“It’s very good in terms of the deepening of relations between the two countries, and in terms of promoting the steelpan.”

Sidney thanked Girasoli for his help towards the event by having liaised with his Ghanaian counterpart.

 

 

 

Corpus Christi Trinidad 2015

Corpus Christi in Trinidad and Tobago. Such a beautiful and Holy day. Mass started at the
Queens Park Savannah at 8:30am

After Mass, thousands took to the street in procession. With the Monstrance covered by a canopy carried by School children and flower petal being strewn on the street before it.

Along the way we stopped for Benediction which was said by the Nuncio Nicolas Girasoli.

HUGE CROSS ERRECTED IN PAKISTAN

Wow! there is a cross being built in Pakistan. It is against the law to build a christian church. This guy is getting away with the cross probably because it is inside a christian cemetary. Christians are being killed regularly in Pakistan just because of their faith. There is something to be said for a man who glorifies Christ with the money he has, even though he knows that he very well may be killed for his actions. Praise God for people like him. Here is the article taken from google dated 31st May 2015 -

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Now towering over this violent port city in Pakistan, where Islamic militant attacks and gangland shootings remain common, is an uncommon sight in this Muslim-majority country: a 42-meter (140-foot) Christian cross.

The cross, being built by a businessman who said the idea came to him in a dream, is rising as Christians here often face discrimination. A tiny minority of Pakistan's 180 million people are Christians who eke out livings in menial jobs like garbage collection.

Christians have faced mob violence in blasphemy cases, which often turn out to be false allegations over personal disputes. Under Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, anyone accused of insulting Islam, the Prophet Muhammad or other religious Islamic figures can be sentenced to death.

Christians also face extremist attacks. A Taliban suicide attack outside two churches in Lahore in March killed 15 people during services. In 2013, another Taliban suicide attack killed over 80 people at the All Saints Church in Peshawar.

The persecution has forced some Christians to flee, though some remain, like businessman Parvez Henry Gill. Gill said he had a dream some two years ago in which God told him to do something for his community.

"I want to show the world the Christian community in Pakistan has religious freedom," he said.

Gill said some people have criticized the cross, but "I leave that to God."

Likely to be completed in a few months, the cross stands at the entrance of a Christian cemetery in the center of Karachi. The cemetery, built under British rule, is nearly 200 years old and its administrators will take care of the cross once it's constructed.

The construction of the cross came as a surprise to many living around it, neighbor Adnan Ali said. But Bishop Sadiq Danial of Church of Pakistan, an Episcopal church, said he offered to demolish the cross if it becomes too divisive, though he doubted it would come to pass.

"We spread peace," he said.