UNACCEPTABLE

The Becket Fund Statement has been signed by religious leaders all over the United States, including Timothy Cardinal Dolan. The HHS mandate is unacceptable.

Read it here, and read about it here.

The National Abortion Federation

So the National Abortion Federation is looking for a Security Director. The job posting is here: NAF Security Director. you have to scroll down the page a little.

Among the required dutes: 

• Track the activities of anti-choice extremists and provide this to members, NAF staff and law enforcement officials to enhance members' security. 
• Travel to areas of planned anti-choice demonstrations to document activities, liaise with law enforcement officials, and provide security and support to clinics.

Here's how the NAF describes abortion: "...abortion care...an essential component of women's health...basic reproductive health care."

 In fact, this statement is trumpeted as part of their front page: "Abortion is an integral part of reproductive health care. Learn the truth about abortion, women's access to care, anti-abortion violence, and common questions and myths."

 You can see how those who advocate and facilitate baby-murder are describing pro-life people--as violent, as people to be spied on, informed on and tracked. The NAF is surely a child of the father of lies.

Prayer

Fr. Z has a great prayer against persecutors and evil-doers, like those imposing the HHS mandate on Catholics and other people of faith.

Hostium nostrorum, quaesumus, Domine, elide superbiam: et eorum contumaciam dexterae tuae virtute prosterne. Per Dominum.

Crush, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the pride of our enemies: and prostrate their arrogance by the might of Thy right hand. Through our Lord.

Weekend Good News Story

Remember the old Spencer Tracy film about Boys Town? The real Fr. Flanagan is being promoted for sainthood. Read about it here. And just 'cause, here's the trailer from the film. And here's a little bio from the Boys Town website. It's still going strong.

Rotten to the core

Looking at the underbelly of the political ideology that approved the HHS mandate and you see its utter rottenness. Great post here at What Does the Research Really Say? It's long but is a good primer on what the Church is dealing with. A bit:

To understand the commitment of the Obama administration to the Sexual Left’s agenda, consider the appointment of Chai Feldblum, an openly lesbian woman, as a Commissioner Of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In a 2006 article entitled “Moral Conflict andLiberty: Gay Rights and Religion,” she wrote: ”Protecting one groups’ identity liberty may at times, require that we burden others’ belief liberty…But in dealing with this conflict, I believe it is essential that we not privilege moral beliefs that are religiously based over other sincerely held core, moral beliefs. Laws passed pursuant to public policies may burden the belief liberty of those who adhere to either religious or secular beliefs.”[8] In the article she acknowledges that the demands of GLBTQ persons will necessarily impinge on freedom of religion, but it is clear from the examples she presents that, except in very narrow areas, she believes that in a conflict between gay rights and freedom of religion, freedom of religion should lose. This kind of thinking clearly undergirds the Obama administration’s “accommodation” on the health care mandate. (My emphasis)

Righteous Priest Dude

Catholic Education is the best

Yes it is! Read about it here.

It's all been done before

A letter from Leni

And here is President Obama's record on abortion, minus his record as a state senator when he voted to ensure that babies born alive after an abortion were left to die with no care or comfort. Really. This is the man that 54% of Catholics voted for.

Meat and not Milk

Deacon Dean gave a thorough and excellent homily this morning regarding religious liberty, and as it pertains to the HHS mandate. He framed it in terms of the religious liberties enshrined in this nation's founding documents. I noticed afterward that many parishioners approached him in gratitude.

If Catholics and other Christians can remain united on this front, Obama's tyrannical mandate will be toast. Let us pray.

Lent is almost upon us

Taylor Marshall over at Canterbury Tales has a wonderful guide for Lent.

This is what happens...

...when a charity becomes dependent upon federal dollars: they have a hard, hard time thinking of going on without government 'crack'.

That Catholic Charities USA is so confused over the HHS mandate and Obama's subsequent 'accommodation' for religious organizations, is telling.

First they liked it, they really really liked it. Now they're not so sure. Mucho handwringing going on.

The Manifesto Finale -- Part Nine

Chapter Six

Deacon Dean’s thesis, “Effective Church Operational Systems” comes to a close with Chapter Six. It is a reiteration of the challenges the Roman Catholic Church has recently faced and a short summary of the transformational process at All Saints Parish with the implementation of The Strategic Way.

He again compares parishes to the human body. He writes, “If the body has a depressed immune system, it is vulnerable to all sorts of things. The same is true in congregations.” This continues the type of thinking that is aligned with New Age ideas.

Then under the sub-heading ‘Biblical Foundations’ he states, “Biblical leadership is all about integrity…The top leader must first be an individual of integrity.”

Then under the sub-heading ‘Creating and Implementing an Operational System,’ he says his first step was to “develop an effective team.” Deacon Dean writes, “Here is where I experienced the greatest level of success, but experienced the highest level of difficulty. Coming in as a new leader, I did not choose the staff. Initially, they did not all want to be a team, and some of them were not interested in being coached into anything and just wanted to be left alone. Applying the basic principles of accountability and casting a vision for team [sic] caused some of the biggest problem individuals to withdraw themselves. Eventually, through hiring and dismissals, it took four years to develop the team that would be capable and desirous of working together to make this implementation really work.”

Now realize that when he talks about “problem individuals” withdrawing themselves, he is speaking of Marie McCaig the former youth minister, who had (and continues to have) a very large and successful lay apostolate serving the young people in the Corning area. Her rapport with teens and their families was so well-known and respected that when she finally left the position of youth minister, many teens and families left the parish. Today she has a very large and successful youth ministry program, continuing to provide for the spiritual and material needs of area teens. The youth ministry program at All Saints Parish has not recovered.

Secondly, Deacon Dean himself states that dismissals (the dictionary defines dismissal as being ‘axed’ or ‘discharged’, with ‘layoff’ being an inferior synonym) occurred over a four-year period of developing a team “capable and desirous of working together…” This can only refer to Alene Goodman and Eleanor Black, two well-respected employees. Parishioners will remember a weekly bulletin article that said Alene and Eleanor were ‘laid off’ for financial reasons only. However, that does not seem to be the case.

The trauma of the dismissals on parishioners already reeling from the youth ministry debacle, the sale and eventual destruction of St. Patrick’s, and the complete shock of the proposed sale of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as Immaculate Heart of Mary, caused even more families to leave the parish. Most have not returned.

These kinds of blows to a parish family have wide-ranging negative effects, and they continue to reverberate at All Saints. For instance, attendance at parish events is not what it once was, and those who do attend are often the same faces over and over again – parish staff, parish council and committee members, their family/friends and some active volunteers.

Again, this cannot be termed a successful team building experience. Sadly appropriate is the expression used to describe how this effort at team building is being implemented throughout the parish. Deacon Dean writes, “It is now beginning to bleed into the wider parish.”

Further on, he states it will take another two years to fully implement the new system in the parish. That means a six-year process! Under the heading ‘Where to Go From Here’ it is clear the intent is to market this system to a wider audience. “The beauty of this system is in its ability to be universally applied. This methodology need not be restricted to churches, but has multiple application potentials. In addition to congregational ministry it can easily be transferred to secular industry or non-profit organizations of all types. Perhaps the most fascinating application that I see for this system is for the family.”

Later Deacon Dean speaks of developing four books with accompanying manuals to equip different organizations to implement his system.

The thesis ends with a quote from II Corinthians 12:7-10, the famous request of St. Paul to have a messenger of Satan, the ‘thorn in [Paul’s] side,’ removed. It is obvious from the tumult in All Saints Parish over the last six years, that there are thorns aplenty to go around.

End Note---------

To sum up what I have learned from “Effective Church OperationalSystems” is that some people are not gifted to lead, especially if their view differs in essential ways from an existing organizational structure. I believe that while the Catholic Church is being challenged on many levels, its basic structure and hierarchy (founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and tested over many centuries) is spiritually and structurally sound.

One does not upend an intact and working system because of challenges, either within or without the organization. Adjust, of course. Reform if needed. But bringing in an amalgamation of secular, New Age, and Protestant beliefs, and attempting to insert them into a sacramental Church, is dangerous and has proven protracted and problematic.

Either the organization with its members will eventually become Catholic in name only, having succumbed to the infection of false belief systems, or they will resist in various ways and fight to remain true to authentic Roman Catholicism. I believe that while Deacon Dean had good intentions, the foundation of his transformational system is based on ideas that are not Catholic and do not belong in a Catholic parish. The foundation of true spiritual transformation—the sacraments—were ignored or merely paid lip service. This is a profound defect, but one that could not be avoided in the attempt to build up a parish that is led by the laity.

Perhaps the end-game question for parishioners is this: What does it mean to be Catholic?

The Question -- UPDATED

Shall Catholics let the State determine what religious liberty rights they are able to enjoy?

That is the question.

The USCCB's statement

Fr. Z's take on it

The dissenting catholyc nun, Sr. Keehan, supports the 'accommodation' from HHS. Realize this, her statement was released through the White House's website, along with another dissenting Catholic group. The President is pitting the faithful against one another in his game of chess. That said, I am not sure how faithful Sr. Keehan is. Here's Te Deum laudamus! on Sr. Keehan. Both Planned Parenthood and Sr. Keehan are pleased by the 'accommodation'. That kinda tells you where this gal is at spiritually. She needs prayers, poor thing.

Cardinal-designate Archbishop Timothy Dolan's cagey response here.

Government as Religion (a must read). Here's a snippet:

In this case, the Obama Administration has ruled unilaterally that health insurance programs provided by the Catholic Church must pay for abortions. Forget about the welter of discussion about whether the Federal mandate extends beyond those of many states. That’s not the core issue here.


For the government to say, as it has, that its goals are prior to the Catholic Church’s core beliefs, is precisely to say that government power is unambiguously senior to all other claims.
This is radically counter to the doctrines of the American founding. It’s more radical than anything that even FDR said during the New Deal. It quite simply elevates government to the level of a religion.

Political Theater (from the Cardinal Newman Society)

Fr. Longenecker's favorite take on the so-called accommodation. Another must read. This one makes it very clear that what is at stake is religious freedom.

Read the bishops' leaked memo here.

Here's a rundown of articles about the HHS battle against religious liberty, and a little bit of talk about excommunication. Perhaps it's a 'Come to Jesus moment'.

Update: Understand this: it really is about eugenics and eliminating poor people. George Neumayr's searing take on the HHS mandate.

The Prez and his peeps are trying to frame the mandate as 'preventive healthcare' for all women, blah, blah, blah. Uh, as so many have already said, pregnancy is not a disease. The man is not our God, no matter how much he is portrayed as the messiah by the press. Bowing down to Obama is idolatry.

It seems the man is not going to budge. He thinks he can divide us over this issue and thereby boost his reelection chances, garner more power, and continue the implementation of the culture of death in our country and around the world.

I propose that to counter this evil influence, our parish begin a period of sustained adoration, and that we come together before the Blessed Sacrament to pray for our bishops and priests, our Catholic hospitals, schools, and businesses, and that the HHS mandate be fully rescinded.

Faustian bargains

A friend sent along a link to this WSJ article titled "Transformers." Dealing largely with the HHS healthcare mandate that has caused such an uproar, the article also frames the issue through the Catholic Church's relationship with the federal government. And it's not pretty:

"For many years, Catholic Charities U.S.A. has taken federal money to enlarge its budget. The people who run the Catholic Church, though not everyone in the pews, thought this was a good bargain. Here is the head of Catholic Charities, in 1997, describing the relationship: 'We have been partners with government to help government do what it wants to do and what we believe it should do'..."

And this:

"Over decades, this deal with the federal government didn't change, even as Catholic bishops closed churches and parochial schools across the country for lack of funds...So here we are, with the government demanding that the church hold up its end of a Faustian bargain that was supposed to permit it to perform limitless acts of virtue. Instead, what the government believes the deal is about, more than anything else, is compliance."

Indeed.

From Cartoonist Michael Ramirez

Click on the image to enlarge.

Scattering the flock

The parish council at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha have voted to remove the Blessed Sacrament from both St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Salome churches. Read about it here. Of course, this council has no power other than to recommend, but their vote does give cover to the pastor, who apparently desires to shutter these beautiful churches, and which serves to scatter the flock.

Folks, when the overriding concern is mammon and not souls, then Satan has the upper hand. The Catholic faith is moving into a period of open persecution by the State, and we are seeing evidence of that in the US with the Obama administration's HHS mandate. To think that the persecution is also coming from within, from those who are trusted with the care of eternal souls, is more than tragic.

The devil knows his time is short, however. The faithful must endure. Pray for the parishioners at Blessed Kateri...and for All Saints Parish.

A great resource

Check out BibliaClerus. Ever wondered what the Church Fathers thought about a particular Bible verse? Find it here. Want some Cross references from the Fathers to Sunday's liturgy? It's here. Need to access the texts of the Magisterium? Right here. Need to look up something in Canon Law? Here again. You can even download the entire site of BibliaClerus.

This is a beautiful resource for the faithful from The Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican.

Oppose the HHS Mandate

For your Friday viewing pleasure

The text is in Swedish, but the song is in English. You'll see. If the song gets too much, just turn down the sound. Enjoy!