Category Archives: catholic

Support Cardinal-designate Dolan Sign the Religious Freedom Petition

January 22, 2012

The Obama Administration announced that Catholics MUST pay into insurance policies that cover abortion, contraception, and sterilization — NO conscience clauses will be accepted.

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan released this video: http://bcove.me/ob5itz9v

Please sign the petition to support Cardinal-designate Dolan and stand for religious freedom! We’ll send the petition to President Obama, members of Congress, and HHS Secretary Sebelius.

Your signature will only count after you confirm your e-mail address.  Please check your e-mail inbox for a confirmation.

 

I stand for religious freedom

I stand for religious freedom and support Cardinal-Designate Dolan and pro-life conscience rights.

President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that Catholics MUST pay into insurance policies that cover abortion, contraception, and sterilization -- NO conscience clauses will be accepted. Dolan said in a statement: “In effect, you and the president are saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.”

Cardinal-designate Dolan also urged Catholics and the public at large to speak out in protest. “Let your elected leaders know that you want religious liberty and rights of conscience restored and that you want the administration’s contraceptive mandate rescinded,” he said.

We urge you to stand up for life, for the constitution and for religious liberty. Rescind the anti religious liberty mandate.

SIGN NOW
11,711 signatures

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An Architectural Guide to the Spiritual Life

December 1, 2011

Conscience Examination as Church Renovation: An Architectural Guide to the Spiritual Life

Fr. Daniel Scheidt—Queen of Peace Parish—Advent 2011

Baptismal Font [Nov. 27-28] Who am I to the world? What do I witness to be most important? Who am I to Christ? How can I be more peacefully immersed in His life rather than drowning in my own preoccupations?

Confessional [Nov. 29-30] Where in my life do I need to seek God’s mercy? How in my life do I need to share God’s mercy?

Welcome Portal and Doors of the Church [Dec. 1-2] How is my Catholic identity visible in its beauty? How is my life an open invitation for others “outside the Church” to come into the life of the Church and find their true home?

Bell Tower [Dec. 3-4] How do I survey the passing of the world from the highest perspective, the Lord’s perspective, rather than from that of other people, or the media, or advertisers? What melody does the ringing of my life play?

The Nave (Interior Space) and Cruciform Shape of the Church [Dec. 5-6] How do I accommodate the wide variety of people in my life—old friend and potential new friend, those I dislike, the faithful and the lost? Where is my natural family located in my spiritual family?

Foundation and Pillars of the Church [Dec. 7-8] Who are the supports—visible and invisible—of my faith and mission in life? Who from the past, and in the present, supports (or bears the weight!) of my life and work?

Saints in the Stained Glass Windows and Statuary [Dec. 9-10] Who in my family of earth and our extended family of Heaven surrounds my life and radiantly shines with the love of Christ? Who in my solitude most reminds me that I am never alone in the spiritual life?

Bishop’s Cathedra (Seat of Authority) [Dec. 11-12] How do I relate to those above me in authority? To those below me in authority?

Stations of the Cross [Dec. 13-14] How recently has my life most palpably felt like a Way of the Cross? What have been the heaviest burdens and sufferings of my life and mission?

Tabernacle [Dec. 15-16] When are the still points—and where is the contemplative center—of my life with Christ? How, like the Blessed Sacrament, is my life hidden and reserved in Christ?

Pulpit [Dec. 17-18] What place do I make for the contemplative reading and thoughtful proclamation of the Word of God? How does my life—like that of Our Blessed Lady, the Virgin Mary—proclaim the greatness of the Lord?

Side Chapels [Dec. 19-20] How do the various concerns of my life (persistent needs, key events, significant losses, special devotions) find their center arranged around the “High Altar” of my relation and service to Christ?

High Altar [Dec. 21-22] What are the sacrifices in my life that must be united to the Sacrifice of Christ? How does my life and mission bear the form: “Take, this is my body, given up for you”? In other words, how have I like the Living Bread of the Eucharist been “taken,” “blessed,” “broken,” and “given” by Christ?

Hidden Works of Art [Dec. 23-24] What are my acts of love that only God can see? How am I going to make room for Jesus this Christmas?

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An Attitude of Gratitude

November 23, 2011

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, we have an opportunity to reflect on all the blessing in our lives. It is so easy to focus on all the problems, challenges and disappointments that we encounter in our lives that we can lose perspective on the blessing that God has given us.

I am reminded of this line from a famous poem, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”

My mother taught for 12 years in inner city Catholic schools. She was in daily contact with the materially poor. But when my mom asked them how are you doing they would respond, “ I am too blessed to be depressed.” This response always touched me. It reminds me that Jesus says, “ Blessed are the poor, for the Kingdom of God is theirs.”

One of the ways that we can develop an “Attitude of Gratitude” is by remembering daily all the ways that we have been blessed. It is a good practice to think of 5 things each day that we are thankful for. This practice helps us to see with new eyes the blessings in our life. May we remember the words of Meister Eckhart, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

Giving thanks is at the center of our faith. Even the word Eucharist means thanksgiving. So every time that we celebrate Eucharist we are giving thanks. There is a beautiful songs that says, “Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He given Jesus Christ, His Son.”

May we all have an Attitude of Gratitude.

Blessing Fr Stefan

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Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry.

September 23, 2011

Padre Pio,  would often tell people who came to him, “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry.”  These words give comfort and healing to millions of people.

Padre Pio was born May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, a small town in southern Italy, and he died on Sept 23, 1968.

Who was this man who has inspired millions around the world? And what does  he tell us today?

First of all he was a Capuchin. This means that he was a son of St Francis. When people think of Padre Pio they connect him with many spiritual gifts such as having the stigmata, perfume, prophecy, gifts of healing and bilocation.

If we didn’t know we might think he was a figure out of the middle ages. He was a contemporary saint. He lived thru the first and second World Wars,  the Second Vatican council, and the revolution of the 60’s.

God gave us Padre Pio to remind a skeptical world that God Exist. His supernatural gifts were in stark contrast to modern world rationalism, unbelief.  Padre Pio’s spiritual gifts remind our world that God can still confound the world and its unbelief.

Padre Pio was not a saint because he had such spiritual gifts. Padre Pio was a saint because he was faithful to Jesus and His Church. Padre Pio would hear confession for the thousands of people who came to him from all around the world. He had the gift to read hearts. One of the pilgrims that came to him was none other than John Paul II.

Because tens of thousands came to him from all over the world he had his detractors as well.  On June 1922, restrictions were placed on the public access to him.  He was ordered not to answer letter written to him. From the years 1924-1931 the Vatican issued a statement denying anything supernatural about Padre Pio. On June 9, 1931 Padre Pio was ordered by the Holy See to stop all activities, even hearing confessions, except the mass which was to be celebrated in private. This ban was reversed in early 1933 by the Holy See.

He was a saint because he loved Jesus and His Church. During this time the restrictions were placed on him he never once complained against the Church. He would often say when people pointed out the unfairness of how he was being treated, “we must love the Church She is our Mother.”

Padre Pio reminds us that the Church is our Mother. He reminds us of the value of obedience for the church, even when we have been hurt by the Church.

It is for His love for Jesus and His Church that we call Padre Pio  Saint Padre Pio

Padre Pio Pray for Us – May we Follow the Words of Padre Pio, “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry.”

Father Stefan Starzynski is the author of Miracles: Healing for a Broken World and the Spiritual Director of the Paul Stefan Home for Mothers

 

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Also posted in Catholic culture, Catholic Life – 2 Comments

In Christ, “I Do”

May 25, 2011

Summer is nearly here and wedding season is offically upon us.

“You may kiss the cross” is not exactly a phrase we’re used to hearing as the happy couple exchanges vows.

But it should be!

There is a beautiful tradition in the Croatian culture for weddings that we recently learned about from a column on RenewAmerica. It is a custom using a crucifix that centers the bride and groom on their life in Christ Jesus and His cross ”represents the greatest love and the crucifix is the treasure of the home.

When the bride and groom set off for the church, they bring a crucifix with them. The priest blesses the crucifix, which takes on a central role during the exchange of vows. The bride places her right hand on the crucifix and the groom places his hand over hers. Thus the two hands are bound together on the cross. The priest covers their hands with his stole as they proclaim their vows to be faithful, according to the rites of the Church…. the bride and groom do not then kiss each other, they rather kiss the cross. They know that they are kissing the source of love. Anyone close enough to see their two hands joined over the cross understands clearly that if the husband abandons his wife or if the wife abandons her husband, they let go of the cross. And if they abandon the cross, they have nothing left. They have lost everything for they have abandoned Jesus. They have lost Jesus.

Read more about  this custom, how it has transformed the Croatian people and the beauty of making the cross the center of the wedding ceremony and marriage here.

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Also posted in Catholic culture, Catholic Life, Catholic Moment, marriage – 1 Comment

Trusting God and His Methods

April 27, 2011

God is our Creator. He knows what is best for us. But don’t you find yourself sometimes as a perpetual teenager, thinking your Creator doesn’t know best?

 

Well, here’s yet another testament that He truly knows best. Dr. Lazar Greenfield, a highly respected surgeon and inventor, published an article recently that touted the Zen-like benefits of semen on women.  He cited research that said that women who had sex without any barriers (condoms, etc.) were significantly less depressed than women who used condoms or were abstinent. Unfortunately, Dr. Greenfield resigned this week because of significant public pressure from feminist groups who aren’t happy that a high-profile medical professional was touting the benefits of male-female relations or “sexism” as they call it. Confused? So are we.

 

When married couples engage in relations as God intended, without any barriers, they get some great rewards in the mental health department. The Catholic Church has always recognized the holiness of the marital act (Genesis even says that a man should leave his family and “cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh”) and in her wisdom, decidedly condemned the birth control pill when other faiths were saying that it’s fine to use for contraception, even in marriage (see Humanae Vitae).

 

Which is why it was really disappointing to see a study by the Guttmacher Institute (the research arm of Planned Parenthood) say that 98% of Catholic women use birth control methods banned by the Catholic Church. 98%! In several dioceses across the country, engaged couples have to go through a Natural Family Planning course before they get married where they learn all about why the Church teaches NFP and how to go about implementing it in their marriage. What happened to them? Or their parents?

 

For those who do adhere to NFP, the benefits are immense. Not only are these couples following the Church’s teachings, but they are a reflection of Christ and his bride, the Church, in that He gave fully of himself to her, holding nothing back. Husband and wives are called to imitate that love, holding nothing back from each other, including their fertility. If used correctly, NFP has a 99% success rate in helping couples avoid a pregnancy if they are called to hold off on having kids for the time being.

 

The marital act, as God intended it to be, is something wonderful for husbands and wives and gives each of them immense benefits not only spiritually but as science has proven, physically and mentally as well.

 

Time and time again, God shows us one way or another that He knows best. Let’s stop fighting Him like teenagers and follow His will because He surely has our best interests in mind.

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Journey Into the Desert

March 11, 2011

Journey Into the Desert

By Father Stefan Starzynski

How many times have we said at the end of Lent, “I wish that I had a better Lent”? Here we are at the beginning of a new Lent. We have another opportunity to begin anew. Lent is about preparing our hearts to receive Jesus on Easter Sunday.

We are told in the scriptures that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. The same Spirit drives us into the desert. The desert has two purposes in the scriptures. The desert is the place where we are tested and stripped of the illusions that we have created about ourselves. The Desert is the place where we can hear and meet God.

We find an example of this desert experience in the life of Moses. Moses went into the desert for forty years in exile, but Moses experiences God on Mount Sinai. Moses had to go into the desert for forty years before he met the Living God in the Burning Bush. The Prophet Hosea says that God in the desert comes to us as a Groom meeting His Bride. God prepares us to become his bride in the desert.

One of the titles of Mary is the Rose of Sharon. This rose is a desert Rose. It is small, delicate and beautiful. This Rose springs up in the desert.  In the morning the petals capture a single drop of dew. The rose protects the dew from the heat of the desert. The dew also gives nourishment to the rose. In the desert we meet God and God meets us. The Rose of Sharon is an image of the Blessed Mother and of every Christian. The Dew is an Image of Jesus.

We are called to be like Mary and receive the dew of God’s Word. In the desert of Lent our hearts are made more sensitive to the small ways that God comes to us.

How many people say that they have a hard time hearing God? In order to be able to hear God we first have to enter into the desert. May this Lent be a time when we make a journey into the desert in order to hear the still small voice of God.

May we come to know that we are God’s precious rose in the desert of the world.

Fr. Stefan Starzynski is Parochial Vicar of St. Marry of Sorrows in Falls Church, VA and serves as Spiritual Adviser to the Paul Stefan Foundation and its Maternity Homes for Women in Need.

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A Priest’s Hour of “Spiritual Warfare”

January 30, 2011

It has been said that if you defend the cross, you better be ready to take up the cross.

Lately I have been reading many disturbing things about Fr. Tom Euteneuer’s departure from Human Life International (HLI), speculation on where he is, and outrageous theories and accusations circulating on the internet. As I sort through the speculation, gossip and hearsay, I see clearly that Father Tom has been handed his cross and is carrying it in silence.

Those with eyes to see and a Christian heart will understand that he is engaged in spiritual warfare. Let us review what we know …

This is the beginning of an excellent post by a faithful Catholic, pro-life activist, mother of nine children and good friend of the St Michael Society Jennifer Giroux. Read the rest of her column here and as you do, read the Gospel reading for today about Jesus driving the unclean spirit named “Legion” out from those it tormented.

It should help us remember that driving out demons was founded by Jesus himself.

May God bless all of those special priests chosen to continue this difficult ministry, especially Fr. Tom Euteneuer, and ask St Michael the Archangel to defend them in battle.

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Also posted in Catholic Life, Catholic Moment, civility, prayer request, Priests – 2 Comments

“Catholic” Group Encouraging Dissent at Mass

December 9, 2010

Ever see a person at Mass typing away on their Blackberry or surfing the Web on their iPhone? It’s incredibly distracting, not to mention irreverent.

One group, Catholics for Equality, has started a campaign using an app that urges Catholics to bring their mobile devices to Mass and report any “hostile activity in their parish or make a special contribution to the campaign as the Holy Spirit moves them.”

This group is a homosexual activist group that wants gay marriage and homosexual acts to be perfectly fine within the Church, without any trace of immorality. This group is a fraud and are not Catholics. The Archbishop of Washington DC last night called this group “is not a Catholic organization”  and that just because they label themselves as “Catholic” doesn’t make them a Catholic group in line with the Church’s teachings.

Thom Peters at CatholicVote sounded the alarm on Catholics for Equality thankfully and St. Michael Society wants to echo his sentiments and tell Catholics not to be confused.

Gay activists will claim their movement is about tolerance and getting along, but their actual tactics – tactics I have experienced personally – favor intimidation and forcing those who disagree (especially Catholics and other Christians) to “change” in response to their dictates, or else face sophisticated in-your-face campaigns like this one.

Besides being in direct opposition to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, they are encouraging actions that are also opposed to the sanctity and holiness of the Mass itself.

Don’t be fooled by this group, or others, like Catholics for Free Choice, who label themselves as Catholic but are actually on the opposing side of the Church’s teachings.

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New Dear Gabby: A gay family member and culture wars

December 3, 2010

Dear Gabby,

 I have a serious question but don’t even know really where to start it.  My cousin told me her and her boyfriend confronted her son about whether or not he was a homosexual and turns out he admitted he was.  She told him it didn’t matter if he was and that she loved him no matter what.  She told me about it and also and I praised her for loving her son unconditionally but that I could not condone his homosexuality. Needless to say, she got very upset with me and our relationship became almost non-existent.  We got past it and started chatting again.  Then, she was watching a show called Sex and the City and I told her my husband calls the show Sluts in the City and she really did not like that and told us we are seriously wrong about the show and that her and her girlfriends go out on the town and I guess relates their actions to the actions of the people on this show.  Well, we no longer talk.  Her brother no longer talks to me and her mom doesn’t either.  They are my family.  Was I wrong in telling her either of these things?  What, as Catholics, are we to say to family and friends about things like these?  Nothing?  Tolerate it?  Or, do what I did?  I am unsure.  Thank you.

Maria Mendoza
Dear Maria,

Thank you for the tough questions. I’ll try to answer them separately.

The Catholic Church strives to be considerate and compassionate in its approach to the issue of homosexuality. Every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and therefore holds a unique and special dignity, no matter what their sexual preference is. The Church recognizes homosexual desires as disordered. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies . . . must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” (2358)

Because homosexual acts are regarded as “intrinsically disordered” and against natural law, the Catechism states that “[Homosexual acts] close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.” (2357) So condoning homosexuality itself is different than supporting homosexual acts.

Of course you can love your cousin and her son but condoning homosexual acts themselves is against Church law.

Regarding your question about what to say regarding television shows that support behavior contrary to Church teachings – today’s culture seems to praise everything against Church teachings like promiscuous behavior, abortion, gay marriage, artificial contraception, and the like while condemning actions that Catholics are intended to follow like chastity and traditional marriage.

A quote often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” Your actions will speak to your beliefs and while we are called to preach Church teachings, we should remember to do it compassionately and with love.

Hope this helps.

For Him,
Gabby

 Have a question for Gabby? Send to stmichaelsociety@gmail.com.

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