"Reverend Death" Coming to North Carolina?

 If You Think It Can't Happen In Your State...Think Again!

There is a news story from The Charlotte Observer, regarding a Unitarian Universalist “minister”, who purchased a piece of property in Gastonia, NC in 2007.

The headline for the story reads as follows: "Reverend wants to open assisted suicide facility in Gastonia".

Reverend George Exoo said at first, he wanted to use the property as a rental property, but then said he always envisioned using the smaller house on the back of the property as a "hospice" for terminally ill people.

It seems according to Jon Ronson, in regard to his documentary, Reverend Death (that was shown on Channel 4 a British public-service television broadcaster), that many, if not most of Exoo's clients seem to be suffering from depression and are not terminally ill. Exoo claims to have assisted over 100 people in committing suicide.

In January 2002, it was reported in the Irish news that a woman's body was found in a house in Dublin, Ireland. The police said that the woman had been suffering from depression. The suicide might have gone unnoticed except that she had been seen the day before at Dublin Airport picking up two Americans at arrivals. The three were later seen drinking Jack Daniels and coke at a hotel in County Mayo. Other drinkers said that when the woman got up to go to the restroom she danced a little jig at the table. The next day she was dead, and that night the two Americans left Dublin.

The next day, the Irish police released the names of their suspects, the Reverend George Exoo and his partner Thomas McGurrin of Beckley, West Virginia. The Irish police were seeking the arrest and extradition of Exoo and his partner for the crime of assisting a suicide which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years under Irish law.

In 2004 the Irish police formally instigated extradition proceedings against Exoo, and asked the FBI to arrest him, which they did in 2007. On October 25, 2007, a federal judge in Charleston, West Virginia freed Exoo on the grounds that he could not allow an Irish prosecutor to try Exoo in Dublin, since assisted suicide is not a crime in 25 of the 50 states.

The thing is, here in North Carolina there is in reality, not much in the way of the local governments having any authority or power. They receive their authority and power from the state. If the state so chooses, it can render a local government totally impotent over any or all particular city or county affairs. So, with that in mind, what happens in one community, can in theory, and many times in practice within North Carolina, happen in all.

One of the reasons Exoo said he was considering Gastonia, North Carolina is that he likes the location of the property because "of its proximity to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and laws in North Carolina". Exoo said he thinks renovating the house and turning it into a "hospice" where terminally ill patients can end their lives is only a year away, and that is only if he gets enough "funding" for his "project".

You can  read what Jon Ronson wrote about his meetings with Reverend Death, as well as see a short  video clip from the piece, by clicking here, and you can read The Charlotte Observer story here.

Assisted suicide or euthanasia, just as abortion in all of its forms are grave mortal sins that should never be condoned or assisted by anyone for any reason.

In February 2009 in regard to euthanasia, Pope Benedict XVI said, “The true answer cannot be putting someone to death, however 'kindly,' but to bear witness to the love that helps us to face pain and agony in a human way. We are certain: No tear, whether it be of those who suffer or those who stand by them, goes unnoticed before God.”

In May 2005 Pope Benedict also stated, "Freedom to kill is not a true freedom but a tyranny that reduces the human being into slavery."

The Catholic Catechism states in the following excerpts from paragraphs 2277–2279 on euthanasia and paragraphs 2280–2281 on suicide:

#2277 ...Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator....

#2278 Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of "over–zealous" treatment....

#2279 Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged.

#2280....It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

#2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

Suit Threatens Planned Parenthood Funds « Liveshots

Suit Threatens Planned Parenthood Funds « Liveshots

And you are shocked that Planned Parenthood would overbill the government? Not me. I would only be shocked if the government actually did anything about it. Not going to hold my breath on that one. I don't look good in blue.

FOXNews.com - Under Heavy Pressure, Florida Pastor Calls Off Koran Burning on 9/11

FOXNews.com - Under Heavy Pressure, Florida Pastor Calls Off Koran Burning on 9/11

Pastor and Church Plans to Burn Koran

Pastor Terry Jones of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, plans to burn the Koran, the Muslim holy book, on September 11, 2010.

The rumors of this plan to burn the Koran --considered a major offense in the Islamic community-- has already sparked protests in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Indonesia. General David Petraeus has warned that any plans to burn the Koran would jeopardize U.S. military efforts, and he said further "images of the burning of a Koran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan -- and around the world -- to inflame public opinion and incite violence. Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult."

So here is my take on this, in the form of an open letter to Pastor Jones and his church members.

To Pastor Terry Jones and members of Dove World Outreach Center,

On September 11, 2010, you plan to “protest” radical Islam and the terror attacks of 9/11 by burning the Koran.

I have to agree with General Petraeus‘ statement that this would only serve to put our soldiers and civilians in jeopardy. This can only lead to more violence, more death, and more mistrust on all sides concerned.

As Christians we must remember that any act of violence, bloodshed, or hatred committed in God’s name is to take God’s name in vain. Whether those acts are committed by Muslims, Christians, or anyone else, it is taking God’s name in vain and is blasphemy in the first degree.

God is a God of love not hate. Throughout the Holy Scriptures we see the love of God, and especially in the actions of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Nowhere in any of the four Gospels or in any of the other books of the New Testament does Jesus Christ or any of the Apostles speak of, or encourage hatred or the killing of others. In fact we are told time and again to love and not hate as in 1 John 2: 9 - 11--He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother, abideth in the light, and there is no scandal in him. But he that hateth his brother, is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth; because the darkness hath blinded his eyes.

This act of burning the Koran actually is pouring gasoline on an already burning fire, and will only lead to an increase in the number of recruits to the army of radical Islam. Pastor Jones, you stated that America must stand up, and you asked, “how long are we going to be controlled by radical Islam?”

Pastor Jones, you already are being controlled and manipulated by radical Islam. You can rest assured that radical Islam has an “ear” to events and happenings in this country. You can also rest assured that they will make sure that there are more protests to come, and more violence, especially if the burning takes place. Radical Islam has already attempted, and in some cases has succeeded in convincing Muslims that the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan are not wars against radical Islam, but are wars against Islam in general. They preach that America and all Christians seek to destroy Islam, and that the wars are those ideals being carried out. The action of burning the Koran will only serve to prove them right. So, they hope that you do burn the Koran. It would truly be to their benefit.

I recall several years ago a conversation I had with a young woman from Saudi Arabia. She told me about a “movie made in America that shows American soldiers desecrating a mosque and the Koran”. She told me it was very popular in America and that the movie goers stood up and cheered the desecrations. I told her I had never heard of such a movie and asked her the title. She couldn’t remember the name of the movie but assured me she had seen it.

I doubt the existence of such a movie, and I really do not think she had actually seen it. I think that she and others had been told there was such a movie and were ready and willing to believe it, because they are convinced that America and all Christians are bent on the destruction of Islam.

Also, please do keep in mind that in many of the Islamic countries there are minority populations of Christians living in those countries. They include the Palestinian Territory, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and Jordan just to name a few.

In many of these countries there have been riots, murders, persecutions, wars, and oppression of Christians by Muslims. There is an intense hatred, and suspicion of Christians and Christianity. To the Islamic radicals, the terms “American” and “Christian” are synonymous with “infidel“ and “enemy”. It is the “infidel”, the “enemy” that radical Islam claims to be fighting against. Burning the Koran will increase those Christians suffering many times over.

Muslims who have not taken part in any of the violence, in any of the propaganda, or in any steps of hatred against America and Christians, will be inclined to do so if Dove World Outreach Center proceeds with plans to burn copies of the Koran.

We know that the main stream media won’t be able to control itself and will cover your Koran burning event. That coverage will only serve to be a recruiting poster for radical Islam. Many Muslims who have been quiet and peaceful will no longer be so.

Let me give you and your members an example of the kind of company you are in with burning the Koran. That company is, Nazi Germany.

On May 10, 1933, across Germany in 34 university towns, occurred the planned burning of books called "Action Against the Un-German Spirit". This burning of books was excused by the German students who organized it, as a literary purge or "cleansing" by fire. This was one of the many beginnings of the madness that was Nazi Germany.

Among the works burned were the writings of the nineteenth century German Jewish poet Heinrich Heine. He had written in his play of 1820-1821 a famous warning: "Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people".

People will burn. In roadside bombings, suicide bombings, direct attacks, murders, assassinations, and persecutions.

You stated that you and the 50 members of your church have received death threats and are taking them seriously. You say that if something happened, it would not be your fault. You also said, “we will not be responsible. We are only reacting to the violence that is already there in that religion.”

If you do carry out the burning of the Koran, are you and your members prepared for the responsibility of your irresponsibility? For it is your actions in carrying out this plan that will show to the world your irresponsibility to God, to your fellow Americans, and to your fellow Christians.

Are you prepared for the responsibility and the possibility of hundreds, and maybe even thousands of deaths and injuries?

I pray to God you aren’t prepared for that responsibility and stop this plan to burn the Koran now.

ADDENDUM
The Vatican has issued the following statement regarding the plans to burn the Koran. Below is taken from the Vatican Information Service News for 09/08/2010:

COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING "KORAN BURNING DAY"

VATICAN CITY, 8 SEP 2010 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue today released an English-language communique describing its "great concern at the news of the proposed 'Koran Burning Day' on the occasion of the anniversary of the 11 September tragic terrorist attacks in 2001 which resulted in the loss of many innocent lives and considerable material damage.

  "These deplorable acts of violence, in fact, cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community. Each religion, with its respective sacred books, places of worship and symbols, has the right to respect and protection. We are speaking about the respect to be accorded the dignity of the person who is an adherent of that religion and his/her free choice in religious matters.

  "The reflection which necessarily should be fostered on the occasion of the remembrance of 11 September would be, first of all, to offer our deep sentiments of solidarity with those who were struck by these horrendous terrorist attacks. To this feeling of solidarity we join our prayers for them and their loved ones who lost their lives.

  "Each religious leader and believer is also called to renew the firm condemnation of all forms of violence, in particular those committed in the name of religion. Pope John Paul II affirmed: 'Recourse to violence in the name of religious belief is a perversion of the very teachings of the major religions' (address to the new ambassador of Pakistan, 16 December 1999). His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI similarly expressed, 'violence as a response to offences can never be justified, for this type of response is incompatible with the sacred principles of religion' (address of His Holiness Benedict XVI, to the new ambassador of Morocco, 6 February 2006)".
CON-DIR/                                                                                        VIS 20100908 (300)
 

Three Posts From Other Blogs To Read

 

 

In my last post, I mentioned my blog list on the right hand sidebar of Faith of the Fathers blogs, and I want to call your attention to three of those and a post from each that you should read.

The first is from Creative Minority Report, and the title of the article is "Abortion Clinic Director Faked Bomb Scare". The title pretty much gives you the gist of the story, but it is informative reading.

The second post comes from Voices For Life, and the article there is must reading esoecially for those with elderly parents in the United States. The article is entitled "Modern Murder: Euthanasia is Here!" Please read it for yourself and for your loved ones.

Last but not least is from the blog of National Catholic Register called  "Frontline Faith Catholic Content for Sacrament-Starved Troops". It relates the efforts of  Cheri Lomonte to get the ball rolling to send Catholic content MP3 players to our Catholic American troops overseas. To give you an idea of the importance of this work, keep in mind that there are over 300,000 Catholics serving in the United States armed forces, and just 280 Catholic chaplains.

I hope you find these posts to be worthwhile reading as I did.

Just To Let You Know

I have been busy making a few needed changes on the Faith of the Fathers blogs.

Primarily the changes are to both of the sidebars of all the blogs. No longer will the first things a visitor sees be the advertisments and promotions on these blogs. They are still there, just located at the bottom of each sidebar. That way it's not so "in your face" with those items anymore. They have never been of the primary importance to these blogs in the first place.

On top of the left sidebar of each blog is a link to the Welcome page, and a link to our Privacy Policy. I instituted a Privacy Policy as the Google Ads program required one, and so I complied. Below that are some links to some important sites, such as Priests for Life, and 2 Catholic Charitable organizations.

As you scroll on down the left sidebar I have added an area called "Faith of the Fathers Blogs Recent Posts". These link to the most popular Faith of the Fathers blogs, and give the title of the most recent post on each blog. The most recently updated blog will be listed first in that section. Just below that is "More Faith of the Fathers Blogs" with text links to all of our blogs, and then below that are links to (in my opinion) "Some Great Catholic Blogs".

On the right hand sidebar, I kept the language translation tool, BabelFish at the top of the sidebar, with the profile block just below that. There now is a section called "My Blog List" which is a list of the blogs I visit most often. The blogs are listed alphabetically. Below that is a section called "Some Great Catholic Sites" that all Catholics might be interested in.

Speaking of sites, there are two that I want to call your attention to. The first actually only appears on two of the blogs, "Favorite Prayers and Scripture" and "Prayer Requests". The site linked to there is called "Virtual Rosary". Virtual Rosary calls itself "The Original Free Multimedia Rosary and Prayer Network". The program there is free, and it is a big help to anyone wanting to learn to pray the rosary . It also will give you the option of a daily reminder to pray the rosary on the startup of your computer. There are different modules you can add (also free) that you can use such as Saint Louis de Montfort Meditations, a scriptural rosary from Workers of Our Lady of Moint Carmel among others, and modules available for different languages such as Spanish, Chinese, German and Hungarian.

The second site I want to direct your attention to, especially the women readers of these blogs, is a site called "Women for Faith and Family". After all the talk (once again) of the ordination of women, it is wonderful  to find a site for orthodox Catholic women who follow the teachings, Traditions and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and who are loyal to the Pope. Their about page says in part:

• To assist orthodox Catholic women in their effort to provide witness to their faith, both to their families and to the world.
• To aid women in their efforts to deepen their understanding of the Catholic Faith.
• To aid faithful Catholic women in their desire for fellowship with others who share their faith and commitment.
• To serve as a channel through which questions from Catholic women seeking guidance or information can be directed.

I hope these changes are helpful, and I hope you do visit all the sites and blogs that we link to on Faith of the Fathers blogs.

ZENIT - Pope to Brave Persecution in UK

ZENIT - Pope to Brave Persecution in UK

N.C. Court of Appeals: Religious NC College Can't Have Police

 

 

You read that headline right.

Davidson College, is a private liberal arts college located in North Carolina, just 20 miles north of Charlotte. Davidson is a Presbyterian college of about 1,800 students and is rated as one of the best liberal arts schools in the United States. Like many other schools in the state, Davidson College has its own police department.

Under North Carolina law, a police department for a school or a community must be certified by the North Carolina Attorney General’s office. The department must have undergone the training required to certify the department and its officers must meet the law enforcement standards and training required by state law.

Now, let’s get to how this started.

In 2006, a Davidson College police officer stopped a car on a street adjacent to the college campus. The driver, Julie Ann Yencer, who was not a Davidson student, pleaded guilty to driving while impaired but appealed.

The Court of Appeals ruled that because Davidson College has a religious affiliation, it's officers should not be allowed to carry out laws on behalf of the state. The court called it a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of laws establishing religion. Judge Jim Wynn in writing the unanimous opinion for the court said that allowing the officers to do so created "an excessive government entanglement with religion".

Wynn, who left the state bench last week to join the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also said in the opinion that the school's police power "is an unconstitutional delegation of 'an important discretionary governmental power' to a religious institution in the context of the First Amendment".

The unanimous ruling by the state Court of Appeals means that there is no automatic appeal to the state Supreme Court. If an appeal is sought, the other two judges urged the Supreme Court to consider the case so as to clarify whether a religious affiliated college or university should be delegated the authority to carry out the state’s laws if that school does not seek to impose it’s beliefs  or indoctrinate students.

At no point in this case was it ever claimed that the officer chastised Ms. Yencer in any way that had any religious context or undertones. He cited her for driving while impaired, and she pleaded guilty.

So, just how far reaching can this ruling go? If a police officer is wearing a Cross, a Crucifix, or a Star of David, could it not be possibly claimed that delegating that officer the power to enforce laws for the state is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of laws establishing religion? Could not some other court, or even this court say that would be “an unconstitutional delegation of an important discretionary governmental power” to a religious individual?

What about hospitals, nursing homes, retirement centers, children’s homes and orphanages that have a religious affiliation? Could not someone somewhere bring court proceedings against these because they are recipients of some governmental fundings? After all, why would the courts not rule that this was also a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of  establishing religion?

The Digital Catholic Bible

There is a free version of the Catholic Bible available for download. It is called the Digital Catholic Bible (DCB).

Here is the information available from the DCB website:

Digital Catholic Bible contains 9 free distributable bible versions:

    * Nova Vulgata (Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio) / VATICAN (Latin)

    * Christian Community Bible / SOBICAIN (English)

    * Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner Revision) / JMC (English)

    * La Bibbia / SOBICAIN (Italian)

    * Biblia Sagrada / SOBICAIN (Portuguese)

    * La Bible Des Communautés Chrétiennes / SOBICAIN (French)

    * El Libro del Pueblo de Dios / SOBICAIN (Spanish)

    * La Biblia Latinoamericana / SOBICAIN (Spanish)

    * La Santa Biblia / SOBICAIN (Spanish)

DCB also offers 4 bible text operations:

    * Read - read a chapter or specific verses of a book.

    * Search - search the bible text for specific text.

    * Query - invoke the bible text directly from a short biblic notation.

    * Compare - compare a chapter of a book from two different bible versions.

DCB supports 5 interface languagues:

    * English

    * Spanish

    * Portuguese

    * French

    * Italian

On their download page, there are also versions available for almost any java-enabled mobile device. You can download one language version for your device.

There is also an Android version that works with Android version 1.6 and higher, and the setup includes all 9 Bible versions.

The PC version works on any version of Windows and in Linux and MacOS under WINE, and includes all 9 Bible versions available in DCB.

You may download DCB by going to: Digital Catholic Bible

The two images on this post are my screenshots of DCB. Both show the first chapter of The Gospel of John.  The one at the top is the Douay-Rheims version in DCB, and the bottom is the Latin version.

My Faith Journey

I came into this old world in the year 1955, the first of three sons to be born to my parents.

There were three hospitals in Asheville, North Carolina where I was born. The smallest was Aston Park Hospital that ceased to serve as a hospital sometime in the 80's. The other two hospitals were Memorial Mission Hospital, and Saint Joseph's Hospital which was a Catholic hospital operated by the Sisters of Mercy. Memorial Mission and Saint Joseph's merged in the 1990's when Saint Joseph's was purchased by Memorial Mission.

That bit of hospital history aside, I will continue.

My parents were both Baptists, yet when I was born they had chosen Saint Joseph’s Hospital maternity ward (I am assuming it was a ward, as I was extremely young and don't remember much about it) over the one at Memorial Mission. As my mother later told me, “because patients got better care and treatment at Saint Joseph’s, and the sisters made sure of it”. So there was my first Catholic “connection” in my life.

Time went on, and I became old enough to start school, and my parents enrolled me in Saint Joan of Arc's school in West Asheville. The school was operated by the Catholic parish of the same name. I don't recall much about the school, except for one event that somehow stayed with me. The priest was talking to the kids in my class (we were 5 or 6 years old), and he began to teach us about the tabernacle. I realize now that he was explaining to us about Christ's Presence, but I only recalled what impressed me the most. I remember telling my mother that “Father showed us this box (tabernacle was too big a word for me then), and he said that this man died, and they have all his blood in it”. That was my second Catholic “connection”.

My youngest brother had been born about a month before I started school. I went to Saint Joan of Arc school that first year only. I suppose the financial strain and expense of three young boys didn't justify sending the oldest to a private parochial school. Especially since my mom was a stay at home mom then and my dad's job was the sole source of income.

I recall one other event that was related to my time at Saint Joan of Arc School. There was a lady who came to visit my mom often. She was a Sunday School teacher at a local Baptist church, and she once told my mom, “you should be careful sending Stevie to Saint Joan of Arc. They'll try to turn him Catholic”. Now my mom was not the kind of person who would take any intrusive suggestions from anyone when it came to her family. She looked straight at that woman, and without so much as blinking an eye said, “and what would it matter if he became Catholic? Catholics are just as good as anybody else, and a whole lot better than most”. The woman didn't say another word, and she never brought up Catholics in our house again, either.

Time went on, and when I was about 10, I started attending church at a baptist church with a school friend, and when I was about 11 or 12 years old, I went up to the altar where I accepted Jesus, and then was later baptized. I remember when I went up for the altar call, I told the preacher that I was a sinner and wanted to confess my sins to Jesus. I don't recall his response, but looking back, I don't think he thought much of an 11 or 12 year old kid wanting to “confess”. In fact, when he came to our house to visit later that same week, I remember he told me that baptism wouldn't save me and that I needed to be “sure” this was what I wanted to do. I was more sure than he was, and I was baptized at the church a few weeks later.

I grew older, and began to attend church less and less. By the time I got out of high school my church attendance went from little to none. I started working nights at a store after my junior year at high school and continued working there for several years after. I still read the Bible, went to work, went home, and often felt very guilty for not going to church. I wasn't a party animal or trouble maker, and had no social life to speak of. It was a life of going to work, then going home, with an occasional fishing or hunting excursion thrown in.

My dad passed away in 1978, and then my mom in 1995. I had attended church a few times. I felt a call to go but was not happy with what I was finding. I tried going to different protestant churches. I went from Baptist to Presbyterian to Baptist and then Evangelical Presbyterian. There was the desire to go, but I was never happy with what I found. I prayed on it. Read the Bible, talked to some friends about it, and talked to some ministers about it, but still had an unfulfilled spiritual yearning and hunger.

A couple of years before my mom died, I remember looking at some classified ads in the back of a newspaper from another state, and there was an ad that simply said “thank you Saint Jude for prayers answered”. The ad went on below that, and said something about Jude being the patron of desperate cases. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “who is Jude?” I did some researching (this was before I ever had a computer or heard about the internet), and discovered Jude is one of the Twelve Apostles. My curiosity satisfied, I didn't think much more about it. That was my third Catholic “connection”.

Time went on, and again I continued my spiritual search but to no avail. Looking back now, one would think that the “introduction” to Saint Jude would have given me more of a direction to follow, but it didn't. It's kind of like the old saying, “I can't see for looking”. I would think about the classified ad that was thanking Saint Jude from time to time, but otherwise didn't give it any further thought until some few years later.

Now, I am going to tell you about my fourth Catholic “connection”. There was a show that was on the A&E cable channel called “Mysteries of the Bible”. I would watch it on occasion, and I really thought (and still do) that the show was more bent on disproving the Bible than providing any enlightenment or information about the Bible.

Then one night I was watching “Mysteries of the Bible”, and it was about the Maccabees. I had never heard of the Maccabees, and they kept mentioning it being in the Old Testament. Being something of a student of the Old Testament, I knew that Maccabees was not in my King James version of the Bible. So once again I did some investigating and discovered what Maccabees was. It somehow didn't sink in that the Maccabees were two books that had been removed from protestant Bibles. I still was on my search and still didn't realize that I was being “nudged” towards the truth once again.

A few years later, I got a computer and went online. I discovered new things, and met new people from around the world. I met one lady from Britain who was living in the United States in Arkansas at the time. We became good friends and spoke on the phone occasionally. We were talking on the phone one day, and somehow religion was brought up. She then said to me that I might not want to talk to her again. When I asked why she said “because I am Catholic”. I told her that her being Catholic was no reason not to talk to her or be friends. That was my fifth Catholic “connection”.

We began talking about the Catholic faith, starting then and continuing for several months. The more I learned, the more it sounded like where I wanted to be. I told her this, and she suggested I attend Mass and read “Catholic Christianity”, a book by Peter Kreeft. This became my sixth Catholic “connection”.

I decided to read the book first, as I didn't want to attend a Catholic “service” without some idea about what the Church taught, and an idea of what was going on during the Mass. After several months of reading and studying the book and then comparing what I learned with scripture, I decided to go to Mass. What parish should I go to though?

There are five Catholic parishes in Buncombe County where I live. I was trying to decide. Should I go to the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Asheville, Saint Eugene, Saint Joan of Arc or another? I had started going to a Catholic chat group, and was still trying to decide. A friend in Kentucky asked me if I had ever been to Saint Barnabas Roman Catholic Church in Arden. I replied no, but I was familiar with it because a former co-worker had attended Mass there. He told me that I should go there, because Father Roger Arnsparger was an excellent preacher. So Saint Barnabas is where I went. This was Catholic “connection” number seven.

I cannot explain it, but the very moment I went into that church, I felt at home. It was not anything someone said. It was not anything someone did. I was at home and I knew it deep in my heart. I took a seat in a pew, saw the crucifix on the stone wall, the altar and the tabernacle, and I had a feeling of peace, a feeling I had been looking for, searching for.

Father Arnsparger's reputation as an excellent preacher was understated. His homilies were well thought out, presented and explained. Here was a man who truly saw himself as a shepherd of his flock.

I finally decided that I wanted to be Catholic and not just an outside observer at a Catholic parish. I started going to the RCIA classes in September, and I was welcomed and well received by Father Arnsparger and the people of Saint Barnabas. Every Wednesday evening I attended Mass and then went to the RCIA class.

Then in December, about 3 weeks before Christmas, an obstacle was thrown in my way. I and some others lost our jobs when the company we worked for began closing its locations one at a time. I had to take a job at a call center for a dial-up internet service company, and the job was working all nights. I had to work on Wednesday nights and could not continue RCIA.

I still attended Mass whenever I could, but my conversion was temporarily put on hold.

When I first lost my job, I was desperate to find employment. Jobs are not easy to come by in December in a town where tourism is the main industry. I was talking to a Catholic friend in Texas online one night late after work. For some reason, the ad I had read years earlier thanking Saint Jude came to mind. I mentioned this to her, and asked her about Saint Jude. She had a great devotion to Saint Jude, and sent me a pamphlet in the mail with a Novena to Saint Jude. She told me to pray the Novena since I was certainly in a desperate situation. So, I did pray the Novena, and two days after completing the Novena, I was hired at the call center. Four months after that, I got a second job. I tried working both jobs for a while, and then I left the first job, since the second job paid better and was only 4 miles from my home.

That fall, I again started going to the RCIA classes. I continued the RCIA classes, and the week before my entering the Church, I went to confession for the first time.

That was quite an experience, let me tell you. Father Arnsparger had done a wonderful job in preparing us for our first confession. He explained that we were not confessing to him, but to Jesus through him. I was nervous about my first confession but Father Arnsparger explained to us that we would not be confessing anything that had not been heard before. He also explained the Seal of the Confession which is the grave duty of keeping absolutely secret all sins that are told in confession.

So early one Sunday morning I went to my first confession. Father Arnsparger helped guide me along, and I received absolution. No one can ever explain to you the wonderful, euphoric feeling, that finally being able to confess your sins gives you. It is a feeling of extreme joy and happiness that no mere words can convey. It is joy in knowing that your sins are forgiven and that your guilt is gone.

So on the Easter Vigil Mass of April 10, 2004, I “came home” to the Catholic Church, and received the Holy Eucharist for the first time. That was the epitome of joy and happiness for me. I finally found where I belonged, and most importantly, I found the fullness of the Truth that is Christ's Church. The Roman Catholic Church.

Thanks be to God!

May the Good Lord Bless you and Our Lady keep you in her care.

Copyright © 2010 Steve Smith. All Rights Reserved.

I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Catholic Blogs.

Our Five Year Anniversary

August 1, 2010 marks an important date for “Faith of the Fathers” blogs. That is the day these blogs will be 5 years old.

I would not have guessed that we would still be “blogging” about Catholicism five years later when we began on August 1, 2005.

If I had known we were going to last this long, I would have taken better care of myself.

Seriously, we would not have made it this long without our regular readers, and especially without the good writing and insights of Marie, Ginny, and Emmy. They, and our regular readers and subscribers are what have kept this blog going.

I also want to thank Matthew at A Catholic Life, Andrea at Catholic Blog Directory, and John at Saint Blogs Parish for being the first pages to link to us. Their following and reputation brought us readers, and I dare say friends in the Catholic blogging community. We will always be grateful.

We have undergone a few changes since these blogs began. We began with 14 blogs, and later added some additional blogs, including the “Kids Corner” blogs for the younger set of Catholics, that swelled our number to 24 blogs. Of our four original contributors to these blogs, I am the last left. The look of the blogs may have changed but the essential message of the truth that is the Catholic Church is unchanged, and never will change.

In the five years of these blogs existence there have been (as of today’s date) 457,124 page loads, and 304,299 visitors. These blogs have had visitors from around the world. They have come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Poland, the Holy See, and more places than I can list here.

From the beginning, we obtained permission from the Vatican Information Service to reproduce their news in its entirety on the blog “Pope Benedict XVI”. I always found it amusing that when these blogs were visited by The Holy See, that was the only blog they ever went to.

Once again, thank you to our readers, our subscribers, our contributors and all who have helped to keep these blogs going.

I hope we can last another five years!

May God Bless you and Our Lady keep you in her care.

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The Holy Fathers Prayer Intentions For August 2010

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That those who are without work or homes or who are otherwise in serious need may find understanding and welcome, as well as concrete help in overcoming their difficulties".

His mission intention is: "That the Church may be a 'home' for all people, ready to open her doors to any who are suffering from racial or religious discrimination, hunger or wars forcing them to emigrate to other countries".

Read more on Pope Benedict XVI.

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Join Us In Prayer

The current economic situation has found many people struggling to meet their needs and obligations. They struggle to feed their families, to keep their homes, and to pay their bills. Many have seen their jobs disappear, not just for a time, but gone for good.

The politicians in this country, and around the world have shown repeatedly that they do not know how to handle this economic mess they have gotten us in to. They have done more to create it, than they have to alleviate it. They seem only capable of digging us into a deeper hole. A hole in which we are in danger of not being able to climb out of for a long time.

The politicans for all their bravado and endlessly empty rhetoric (how they love to talk, especially in front of the television cameras and all those microphones) are either incapable or unwilling to fix the problems they have created.

They may not be able to do anything, but you and I know someone who can.

God.

God alone is in charge, and everything is under His control, and His control alone. No president, no earthly king, no earthly prince, no chairman, no bank, no one of this world can help us, can save us, can give us true salvation, and true freedom in these times and for all eternity, like God can. Our so-called leaders may think they are in charge, may believe they are in charge, and no doubt have people who have faith in them, when we all know that the only One we should have faith in, and believe in, to do all things is God.

Therefore, I ask the readers of "Faith of the Fathers" blogs, and the readers and owners of other Catholic blogs, to join us in praying to God for the spiritual and economic salvation of our country and for the whole world.

Let us begin this period of prayers to our most merciful and loving Heavenly Father, with a Novena to Saint Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of desperate situations. I ask all of you, to include your prayer intentions in this novena.

For non-catholics who visit these blogs, a novena is defined as follows : "Nine days of public or private prayer for some special occasion or intention. Its origin goes back to the nine days that the Disciples and Mary spent together in prayer between Ascension and Pentecost Sunday. Over the centuries many novenas have been highly indulgenced by the Church. In modern times the one before Pentecost was prescribed for parochial churches." (Etym. Latin novem, nine.) (From The Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by Father John A. Hardon, S.J., page 287)

The novena is below.

Your brother in Christ,

Steve Smith

*       *       *       *       *       *       *

Novena to Saint Jude

Come to my aid, O God.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies

and giver of all good gifts,

I come before you to honor you in your saints,

and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised that those who ask, would receive,

those who seek, would find, those who knock,

would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests,

and pardon my sins.

Amen

Good St. Jude, chose by Jesus as a messenger of His kingdom,

and bearer of God's power,

I entrust myself to your care

and place in your hands this request of mine (make your request)

You are a witness that nothing is impossible with God and

that all will be well by God's grace.

Pray that I may have a simple faith

and strong hope to believe and trust in God,

my Master, who makes all things possible

and brings all things to good.

Amen

Day 1

Lord Jesus Christ,

you promised that mountains would move for someone with faith

the size of a mustard seed. Plant the seed of faith in my

heart and help me believe in the power of your promises.

Amen

Day 2

Lord Jesus Christ,

You taught that God who cares for the lilies of the field

and the birds of the air, also cares for those of little faith.

Lord, come and care for me.

Amen

Day 3

Lord Jesus Christ,

In the storm at sea you told your disciples not to fear

but to believe in your power to calm the winds and the sea.

Speak to my troubled spirit, and calm my fears.

Amen

Day 4

Lord Jesus Christ,

no one comes to you, even those desperate and poor,

whom you do not welcome and refresh,

I come tired and burdened, make my spirit light.

Amen

Day 5

Lord Jesus Christ,

you listen to our prayers, and grant what we ask.

Hear my prayers and listen to my voice,

for I am in need.

Amen

Day 6

Lord Jesus Christ,

in the Garden of Gethsemane you prayed in fear and sorrow.

Turn to me when I am afraid, and give me strength to bear

my cross.

Amen

Day 7

Lord Jesus Christ,

when you died on the cross, all seemed lost and gone,

yet you came to life again.

When all seems lost for me, bring me life again,

O Lord.

Amen

Day 8

Lord Jesus Christ,

you rose from the dead and brought life to all creation.

I hope in your promise of life.

Bring me the joy of your resurrection.

Amen

Day 9

Lord Jesus Christ,

you prepare a place for us in your heavenly kingdom.

Grant me a place at your side and bring us all safely home.

Amen

To conclude this novena, say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

Our Father

Our Father

Who art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

Amen

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of Grace

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women

And Blessed is the Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners,

Now, and at the hour of our death

Amen

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now,

And ever shall be.

World without end.

Amen

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FOXNews.com - GOP Lawmaker Blasts White House for $23M Spent on Kenya Constitution Vote

FOXNews.com - GOP Lawmaker Blasts White House for $23M Spent on Kenya Constitution Vote

What did I tell you? See article below or by clicking here.


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From Pope Benedict XVI

'It is inconceivable', as Benedict XVI remarked, 'that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature'".


Read more here

Some Explanations and Other Stuff

As many long time readers and followers already know, when these blogs began almost five years ago (Faith of the Fathers blogs will celebrate our five year anniversary on July 31), there was a total of four contributors to these blogs.

As time has passed, only I remain. One contributor, Marie in fact, became very ill, and was forced to cut back on many activities for the sake of her health. I hope all of you will keep her in your prayers. The other two contributors have had many other pressing obligations that have prohibited them from being able to participate on these blogs as before.

So, I alone remain, and let me tell you, it is quite a job for me to try to keep 24 blogs going, and I am afraid that my best is not good enough. I have been primarily concentrating on Saint Quote of the Day, Daily Mass Readings, and Pope Benedict XVI.

I have attempted to post to the others as time permits, and to be frank, I do not have the insight, knowledge and wisdom of Marie when it comes to such topics as Spirituality and Mysticism, Spiritual Warfare, or Saints of the Faith. She wrote her posts with a lively style and insight that I could never hope to equal or remotely imitate. At least that’s my opinion.

Ginny always had a way of "speaking" to the younger generation...her generation... that is far beyond my meager abilities. She also knew how to talk with, and "explain" our Faith to kids, and that is why she was the one who undertook the "Kids Corner" blogs (five of those) for our younger readers. She did such a great job, that one young lady (I think she was about 8 or 9 years old) wrote a comment about a year back in which she said, among other things, "I love your sight". That was a compliment that belonged entirely to Ginny and her efforts.

Lastly, Emmy had a way of finding many prayers from various saints, to Our Lady, and more that made me want to learn more of these prayers and include them in my prayer life. She also provided some very good articles on Approved Apparitions.

All in all, I have some very big shoes to try to fill, and I find myself lacking. I will try to do better, as time and my job permit.

Now, let me address one thing here also. There have been a few questions about some of the advertisements and items that have been placed on "Faith of the Fathers" blogs sidebars.

I have placed these items there in order to attempt to earn a little extra to help pay for my internet access and other expenses related to research materials, and some hard to find traditional materials related to the Church and our faith. With the economy as it is, I am very blessed to still have a job. However my hours have been cut, but my bills have not. I know I am not the only one in this boat and I am not complaining.

There are book offerings on various Catholic topics from Barnes & Noble for example. Some of those sidebar ads show particular books that are relative to the blog on which they are displayed. It is not an attempt to get you to buy those particular books, but a suggestion as to the types of books that are available on that particular topic. I  hope to be able to offer books and items from the husband and wife author team of Bob and Penny Lord very soon.

I also created an e-book called "My Daily Saint Quotations" for $1.99 that is in PDF format. I worked hard on this little 30-page offering,. So far, the people who have purchased it have been pleased with it.

Lastly, I created a free toolbar that can be downloaded and installed in your browser if you have Internet Explorer (versions 6 and above) or Mozilla Firefox (versions 1 and above). I make a few cents from it when you download, install, and use it. The search box in it is Google Search (by default), it has a menu with shortcuts to Faith of the Fathers blogs, a news ticker, a radio player (Catholic radio stations such as EWTN, and Catholic podcasts by default), and some other functions you might find useful or entertaining. I also joined the Conduit (creators of free toolbars) Affiliate program that enables me to earn some cash for those who create toolbars for their blogs or web sites. You can create your own toolbar by a Click Here.

I just wanted to explain to everyone what is going on and why I have taken the steps that I have. I hope to make this blog as good as it once was, and with your continued readership, and most especially, your prayers, I know that I can.

Thnak you, and God Bless you all!

Abortion Lobbying By White House In Kenya Alleged

 

 

The Obama administration is alleged to have offered “incentives” to Kenya to approve a new constitution that would legalize abortion in that country for the first time.

Three members of the United States Congress have asked in letters to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Government Accountability Office, and U.S. Agency for International Development for a federal probe to determine whether the administration violated federal law with its assistance. The letters were sent to the three named departments by Republican Reps. Darrell Issa of California, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Chris Smith of New Jersey.

One of the letters sent this past May states, "Any advocacy by the administration in support of the proposed new constitution would constitute lobbying for abortion. There is no doubt that the administration is advocating for adoption of the proposed constitution."

Article 26 of the proposed constitution states that abortion is allowed if "in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger or if permitted by any other written law."

Many pro-life organizations point out that this wording of the Article is too broad to interpretation. Some have said that a “trained health professional” could be anyone who has health training “including a student or physical therapist”. They also say that this includes any kind of health including psychological or emotional health. They also point out that it leaves the way open for the passage of more pro-abortion laws.

Vice-President Joe Biden gave a speech in Kenya last month in which he urged the Kenyan people to pass the constitution in a referendum scheduled for August 4. In the speech Biden said, “The United States strongly supports the process of constitutional reform. ... Dare to reach for transformative change, the kind of change that might come around only once in a lifetime.” He also added, "If you make these changes, I promise you, new foreign private investment will come in like you've never seen."

It has also been alleged in reports that the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger told Kenyan officials last May that the U.S. has offered 2 million dollars in taxpayer funds for civic education to support the process of enacting the new constitution.

It has not been a healthy climate in Kenya for those who oppose the new constitution. Three members of the Kenyan parliament were arrested for “hate speech” that related to their prominence in opposing the new constitution. Three more opponents of the new constitution were accused of hate speech including the Higher Education Minister. A Kenyan newspaper, The Standard also reported that a peaceful anti-constitution protest and prayer service turned deadly when 2 bombs exploed killing 6 and injuring 100.

A federal law known as the Siljander Amendment passed in 2006 makes it illegal for the U.S. government to lobby on abortion in other countries, whether the lobbying is either for or against abortion.

The Roman Cafeteria is closed!

Thanks to Saint Jude

Thank you Saint Jude, for prayers answered.

From Pope Benedict XVI

"It is up to the lay faithful to show - in their personal and family life, in social cultural and political life - that the faith enables them to read reality in a new and profound way, and to transform it", he said.

  "It is also the duty of the laity to participate actively in political life, in a manner coherent with the teaching of the Church, bringing their well-founded reasoning and great ideals into the democratic debate, and into the search for a broad consensus among everyone who cares about the defence of life and freedom, the protection of truth and the good of the family, solidarity with the needy, and the vital search for the common good". -- Pope Benedict XVI

Read this topic on News Vatican Information Service 05/21/2010 on our Pope Benedict XVI page.

Posts For Your Consideration

 

 

There are a few items on “Faith of the Fathers” blogs I’d like to call to your attention if you haven’t seen them  yet.

First, on Favorite Prayers and Scriptures there is “Feast of the Ascension of the Lord” from Father Leonard Goffine’s Devout Instructions.

There is several days’ coverage by the Vatican Information Service on Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic trip to Portugal, including his pilgrimage to Fatima.

Speaking of Fatima, in May of 2006 Marie wrote a good piece on Approved Apparitions about Our Lady of Fatima.

The Daily Mass Readings for Friday, May 14, Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 17 are all posted and ready for reading and reflection.

Saint Quote of the Day has some quotations from Saint John Vianney, Saint Epiphanius of Salamis (an Early Church Father), Saint Leopold Mandic, Saint Ignatius of  Laconi, and many more.

Current Posts

We have a few posts that you might want to take a look at, if you haven't already.

First, on Daily Mass Readings, the Mass Readings for Saturday, April 24 are posted, and the Mass Readings for Sunday, April 25 as well.

While we are talking about Mass Readings, go to Spiritual Warfare, and click the link post there for this article:  "Predestination, Free Will, Faith and Grace: Do You Hear My Voice?" by Marcellino D'Ambrosio. It goes with Sunday's Mass Readings, but I felt belonged in a post for Spiritual Warfare as well.

Let's not forget Saint Quote of the Day, where there is a quote from Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, who's Feast Day is Saturday.

Finally, go to the Pope Benedict XVI blog, and read the news from the Vatican Information Service. Particularly note the "Declaration of U.S. Lawyer Concerning Sex Abuse Case".

Urgent Prayer Request For Scott

My heart is aching this evening, please keep my son Scott in your thoughts and prayers!!! His blood work has shown some areas of concern and he's facing further tests....

Susan

Continued On Prayer Requests

New from Faith of the Fathers

 My Daily Saints Quotations

The author of this blog has put together a little ebook of about 30 pages. This "book" contains a different saint quotation for each day of the year. On those days where it is the feast or memorial of the saint being quoted, the saints name appears in bold type.

I spent a good deal of time on this little project, and I am offering it to our blog readers for $1.99. Unlike this blog however, there are no illustrations of the various saints.

I know with the economy as it is right now, everyone is having to struggle, including yours truly. This is just a way of my attempting to earn a little extra for myself, and give you, our readers something in return.

So if you would like to help this blogger out,  you can order it by clicking the "PDF Booklet" icon :

Your ebook will be sent to you by email as an attachment in PDF format (sorry only english is available) within 24-48 hours of the processing of your payment. You will need Adobe Reader or another PDF reader to view it. You may download Adobe Reader by clicking here:

  .