"I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion is already born." - Ronald Reagan

Pope Names Coadjutor Archbishop For Cincinnati

The Holy See announced today that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr, currently bishop of Duluth, Minn., and treasurer of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, to be coadjutor archbishop of Cincinnati.
As coadjutor, he will assist Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk and then succeed him upon Archbishop Pilarczyk’s retirement. Roman Catholic bishops are required to submit their resignation to the pope upon the age of 75, which Archbishop Pilarczyk reaches in August 2009. The pope may accept the resignation immediately or after some time.
“I hope that all the members of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are as happy as I am about the appointment of Archbishop Dennis Schnurr as coadjutor archbishop of our local church,” said Archbishop Pilarczyk. “I wish Archbishop Schnurr many years of fruitful and joyous service in our midst. I know that the days of all of us will be bright because of his ministry here.”
Archbishop Schnurr, 60, organized the highly successful 1993 World Youth Day which brought the late Pope John Paul II to the United States in 1993. A canon lawyer, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, in 1974 after studies in Rome. He spent three years in parish ministry, three years in graduate studies and five years in diocesan administration before working on the staff of the papal nuncio to the United States from 1985 to 1989.

In 1989, he was hired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to oversee the Conference’s peace and social justice projects. As general secretary of the USCCB from 1995 until 2001, he oversaw a staff of 350 and a budget of $50 million. He became bishop of Duluth in 2001. Today he remains highly active in the USCCB as its treasurer.
“It is humbling to be called by the Holy Father to serve as the Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,” he said today. “Relying upon the help of God and the prayers of the People of God, I have accepted the nomination. I am grateful to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for the confidence he places in me.”
“I am particularly thankful to the Holy Father for asking me to serve with Archbishop Pilarczyk, whom I have known for nearly twenty years and for whom I have the highest esteem,” Archbishop Schnurr added. “He served as President of the NCCB/USCC when I was Associate General Secretary, and I had the opportunity to work closely with him on a number of Conference projects. He appointed me National Executive Director of World Youth Day 1993, which brought the Holy Father and 500,000 young people for a week-long celebration of the faith in Denver, Colorado. I look forward to once again being able to collaborate closely with and work under the leadership of Archbishop Pilarczyk.”
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 26th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with almost 500,000 Catholics, and has the eighth largest network of Catholic schools in terms of enrollment. The 19-county territory includes 220 parishes and 113 Catholic primary and secondary schools.

A nation without women

I came across this from a friend.

Indian filmgoers have a weakness for feel-good song-and-dance spectaculars. So it's not surprising that Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women won a handful of international prizes, but flopped at home. It is a tale of unrelieved horror. An innocent young girl is sold to a rural family of five sons and married to all five, plus the father. In the end, the whole woman-less village gets into the act and murderous fights break out for her favours. The film ends with the lass giving birth to a daughter.
Is this a nightmarish fantasy dreamed up by man-hating feminists?
To Western audiences, perhaps, but in India, the notion of “a nation without women” is no fantasy. It could be the future. So many unborn and newly-born girls are being killed as a result of a deep-seated preference for male heirs that millions of young men will find it hard to marry.
At the moment, according to figures from the 2001 census, the national ratio of girls aged 0-to-6 to boys is 927 to 1,000. The normal figure should be 950 to 1,000. However, this conceals enormous regional and social differences. According to the British NGO ActionAid, the situation is worst in the northern state of Punjab. "The most extreme case that we found in our research was among wealthy Punjabi families where in some communities there's only 300 girls to every 1,000 boys,” says Laura Turquet, ActionAid's women's rights policy official.
"The real horror of the situation is that, for women, avoiding having daughters is a rational choice. But for wider society it's creating an appalling and desperate state of affairs," said Ms Turquet. Despite India's growing prosperity – or perhaps because of it -- there is growing pressure on women to produce sons, because girls are seen as an expense, rather than an asset. To marry them off, parents have to pay a huge dowry. “Spend 500 rupees now and save 50,000 rupees later,” is a slogan which every parent has heard.
Check out the rest at: http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/a_nation_without_women/
Talk at ya Later

What are You Going to do With Your Vote?

Osteen Said What?

Father Barron on "The Dark Knight" (Spoilers)

Palladio

I love this song.

Just a Question

Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?

Marriage's Meaning "Given, Not Constructed"

L.A. Prelates Clarify That Redefinition Isn't Possible
LOS ANGELES, JUNE 16, 2008 (Zenit.org).- As California's approval of same-sex marriage was set to go into effect this evening, the bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reiterated that marriage cannot simply be redefined, since it comes from God.In a statement today, the prelates noted that "persons with a homosexual orientation 'must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity,'" referring to statements from the national episcopal conference."Accordingly," they continued, "the bishops condemn all forms of violence, scorn, and hatred -- whether subtle or overt -- against men and women who are homosexual. All people, regardless of sexual inclination, are called to holiness; and 'should be encouraged to take an active role in the faith community' and to live according to its teachings.'"But respect, compassion and sensitivity for homosexuals does not mean that marriage can be redefined, the bishops affirmed, since marriage "has a unique place in God's creation, joining a man and a woman in a committed relationship in order to nurture and support the new life for which marriage is intended.""The meaning of marriage is deeply rooted in history and culture, and has been shaped considerably by Christian tradition," they wrote. "Its meaning is given, not constructed."The Los Angeles prelates suggested that benefits are already given to same-sex couples, without a need for marital status."For example, individuals can agree to own property jointly with another, and they can generally designate anyone they choose to be a beneficiary of their will or to make health care decisions in case they become incompetent," they explained. "Other desired benefits such as sharing in a partner's health insurance could be made available without the drastic step of a cultural or legal redefinition of marriage.""Let us strengthen our resolve to respect the dignity of each human being and to protect the sanctity of marriage, asking God's guidance in our efforts to promote the common good central to a free and democratic society," the bishops concluded.Marriage licenses for same-sex couples were set to be issued today at 5 p.m. Unlike Massachusetts, the first state to approve same-sex marriage, California does not have a residency requirement for marriages performed in the state. Thus, it is expected that same-sex couples from across the nation will now seek to marry in California.However, a proposed constitutional amendment on the California ballot in November would undo the ruling and again ban same-sex marriage.

The Eucharist From The Outside Looking In

I'm coming to realize I am a closed minded fool! I don't give two thoughts to what the Catholic faith must look like from the outside looking in. Lets take the Eucharist!

The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is truly and completely the Body, Blood, soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread. I say AMEN!!! But I've never thought what that statement looks like to someone looking in. Without faith in who the Eucharist is, us Catholics look like we're off our rocker!

The most honest question to ask is "How can a person be a piece of bread?". Well... I could point out scripture that help explain the Eucharist. Then quote Church fathers. But I won't right now. I'll just give the answer. It's a very simple answer. The answer is "I don't know".

So looking from the outside my response to that answer is shocking. Catholics don't know how Jesus can be a piece of bread, yet still believe in the Eucharist?

Looking at things from this perspective I'm starting to understand why non-Catholics think we're out in left field.

I think the problem is with the question. Or a word in the question. "How?" There are many, many, many, many things the Catholic Church cannot explain, in detail "how" God does things. For example, creation of time, space and matter. We know God did create these things, but not how. We know when God speaks, things happen. literally! But how exactly that happens, we can only speculate.

A bigger problem with the question is a lack of understanding of the Eucharist. What I mean is, the question itself miss-represents what the Catholic Church teaches. The question doesn't take into account a very important part of the understanding of the Eucharist. "under the appearance of bread"!!!

It's not "Catholics believe the Eucharist is a piece of bread that is Jesus Christ." That is stated the wrong way and confuses the true understanding in the Eucharist. It should say "Catholics believe the Eucharist is Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread."

Sometimes the question itself assumes things that aren't there.

Talk at ya Later

A constitutional amendment making marriage legal only between a man and a woman introduced in U.S. House

A constitutional amendment making marriage legal only between a man and a woman introduced in U.S. House
The Marriage Protection Amendment of 2008 needs your support!
June 4, 2008
Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia has introduced the Marriage Protection Amendment of 2008 (H.J. RES. 89). This amendment to the U.S. Constitution would make marriage legal only between a man and a woman.
If you haven't heard about this, it is because the liberal media opposes it. So if they simply refuse to report it, citizens will know nothing about it and will not act on it.
As you know, Massachusetts has already legalized marriage of homosexuals, while the California Supreme Court has ruled all laws restricting homosexual marriage illegal. In both places, the courts ruled by a one vote margin. The goal of homosexual activists is to see homosexual marriage legal in all 50 states.
Rep. Broun needs co-sponsors for H.J. RES. 89. Please contact you Representative and ask him or her to co-sponsor H.J. RES. 89. Homosexual activists are determined to force homosexual marriage on America by using activist liberal judges, like those in Massachusetts and California. A Federal Marriage Amendment will finally put an end to activist judges tampering with the will of the people.

Take Action!
Send an e-mail your representative asking him or her to co-sponsor H.J. RES. 89.
Our system will automatically detect if your representative is one of the 18 co-sponsors and present you with a suggested "thank you" e-mail. If he or she is not a co-sponsor, our system will present you with an e-mail message urging your Member of Congress to support H.J. RES. 89 - the Marriage Protection Amendment (2008).
This is urgent -- please act today! This is very important: Please forward this to all your family and friends. They are probably unaware of H.J. RES. 89 because the media hasn't reported on it.