Day 7 -- Saint Jude Novena

Today is the 7th day of the Novena to Saint Jude.

Please go to "Pray More Novenas" where you can get the daily prayers for this novena as well as find the intentions of others praying this novena with us.

Day 6 -- Saint Jude Novena

Today is day 6 of the Novena to Saint Jude.

Please go to "Pray More Novenas" where you can get the daily prayers for this novena as well as find the intentions of others praying this novena with us.

Day 5 -- Saint Jude Novena

Today is the fifth day of the Novena to Saint Jude.

Please go to "Pray More Novenas" where you can get the daily prayers for this novena as well as find the intentions of others praying this novena with us.

Novena to Saint Jude -- Day 4

Just a reminder that today is the fourth day of the Novena to Saint Jude.

Once again you can go to "Pray More Novenas" where you can get the daily prayers for this novena as well as find the intentions of others praying this novena with us.

Day 3 -- The Novena to Saint Jude

Today is day 3 of the Novena to Saint Jude.

Please join us, and the thousands of Catholics participating from around the world in this novena to the Apsotle and martye Saint Jude Thaddeus.

You may go to "Pray More Novenas" where you can get the daily prayers for this novena. Also, when you look at the comments when you scroll down, there you will find the various intentions being prayed for. You can add your intentions there and include the intentions of others in your prayer.

Missal Moment #6: Bowing during the Creed

A video about the new english language translation of the Roman Missal from the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Day 2-- The Novena to Saint Jude

Just a reminder that today is day 2 of the Novena to Saint Jude, the Patron of desperate situations and impossible causes.

You can go to "Pray More Novenas" where you will find the daily prayers for this novena as well as the intentions of others praying this novena.

Saint Jude Novena--Day 1

Today is the day that we begin the Novena to Saint Jude, the Patron of impossible causes and desperate situations.

You can go to Pray More Novena's to find the prayers for each day, read the over 740 intentions posted for the novena, and to add your own intentions, by clicking here.

Please join us in this novena to the Apostle and martyr, Saint Jude Thaddeus.

POPE BENEDICT XVI : APOSTOLIC LETTER "MOTU PROPRIO DATA", "PORTA FIDEI"

VATICAN CITY, 17 OCT 2011 (VIS) - Made public today was "Porta fidei", the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" with which Benedict XVI proclaims a "Year of Faith", to begin on 11 October 2012, fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, and due to end on 24 November 2013, Feast of Christ the King. Extracts from the English-language version of the Letter are given below:

"The 'door of faith' is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into His Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace".

"Ever since the start of my ministry as Successor of Peter, I have spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ. ... Whereas in the past it was possible to recognise a unitary cultural matrix, broadly accepted in its appeal to the content of the faith and the values inspired by it, today this no longer seems to be the case in large swathes of society, because of a profound crisis of faith that has affected many people".

"In the light of all this, I have decided to announce a Year of Faith. It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, and it will end on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November 2013. The starting date of 11 October 2012 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text promulgated by my Predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, with a view to illustrating for all the faithful the power and beauty of the faith".

"Moreover, the theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that I have convoked for October 2012 is 'The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith'. This will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith. It is not the first time that the Church has been called to celebrate a Year of Faith. My venerable Predecessor the Servant of God Paul VI announced one in 1967. ... It concluded with the Credo of the People of God, intended to show how much the essential content that for centuries has formed the heritage of all believers needs to be confirmed, understood and explored ever anew, so as to bear consistent witness in historical circumstances very different from those of the past".

"It seemed to me that timing the launch of the Year of Faith to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II would provide a good opportunity to help people understand that the texts bequeathed by the Council Fathers. ... I would also like to emphasise strongly what I had occasion to say concerning the Council a few months after my election as Successor of Peter: 'if we interpret and implement it guided by a right hermeneutic, it can be and can become increasingly powerful for the ever necessary renewal of the Church'.

"The renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers: by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us. The Council itself, in the Dogmatic Constitution 'Lumen Gentium', said this: ... the Church ... clasping sinners to her bosom, is at once holy and always in need of purification".

The Year of Faith, from this perspective, is a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world. In the mystery of His death and resurrection, God has revealed in its fullness the Love that saves and calls us to conversion of life through the forgiveness of sins. For St. Paul, this Love ushers us into a new life. ... Through faith, this new life shapes the whole of human existence according to the radical new reality of the resurrection. ... 'Faith working through love' becomes a new criterion of understanding and action that changes the whole of man's life".

"Through His love, Jesus Christ attracts to Himself the people of every generation: in every age He convokes the Church, entrusting her with the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new. Today too, there is a need for stronger ecclesial commitment to new evangelisation in order to rediscover the joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating the faith. In rediscovering His love day by day, the missionary commitment of believers attains force and vigour that can never fade away. Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy".

"Only through believing, then, does faith grow and become stronger; there is no other possibility for possessing certitude with regard to one's life apart from self-abandonment, in a continuous crescendo, into the hands of a love that seems to grow constantly because it has its origin in God".

"We want to celebrate this Year in a worthy and fruitful manner. Reflection on the faith will have to be intensified, so as to help all believers in Christ to acquire a more conscious and vigorous adherence to the Gospel, especially at a time of profound change such as humanity is currently experiencing. We will have the opportunity to profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world; in our homes and among our families, so that everyone may feel a strong need to know better and to transmit to future generations the faith of all times. Religious communities as well as parish communities, and all ecclesial bodies old and new, are to find a way, during this Year, to make a public profession of the Credo.

"We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. It will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is 'the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; ... and also the source from which all its power flows.' At the same time, we make it our prayer that believers' witness of life may grow in credibility. To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year".

"A Christian may never think of belief as a private act. Faith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as to live with Him. This 'standing with Him' points towards an understanding of the reasons for believing. Faith, precisely because it is a free act, also demands social responsibility for what one believes. ... Profession of faith is an act both personal and communitarian. It is the Church that is the primary subject of faith. In the faith of the Christian community, each individual receives Baptism, an effective sign of entry into the people of believers in order to obtain salvation".

"Evidently, knowledge of the content of faith is essential for giving one's own assent, that is to say for adhering fully with intellect and will to what the Church proposes. Knowledge of faith opens a door into the fullness of the saving mystery revealed by God. The giving of assent implies that, when we believe, we freely accept the whole mystery of faith, because the guarantor of its truth is God who reveals Himself and allows us to know His mystery of love.

"On the other hand, we must not forget that in our cultural context, very many people, while not claiming to have the gift of faith, are nevertheless sincerely searching for the ultimate meaning and definitive truth of their lives and of the world. This search is an authentic 'preamble' to the faith, because it guides people onto the path that leads to the mystery of God. Human reason, in fact, bears within itself a demand for 'what is perennially valid and lasting'. This demand constitutes a permanent summons, indelibly written into the human heart, to set out to find the One Whom we would not be seeking had He not already set out to meet us. To this encounter, faith invites us and it opens us in fullness.

"In order to arrive at a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, all can find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensable tool. It is one of the most important fruits of Vatican Council II. ... It is in this sense that that the Year of Faith will have to see a concerted effort to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith that receives its systematic and organic synthesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. ... The Catechism provides a permanent record of the many ways in which the Church has meditated on the faith and made progress in doctrine so as to offer certitude to believers in their lives of faith".

"In this Year, then, the Catechism of the Catholic Church will serve as a tool providing real support for the faith, especially for those concerned with the formation of Christians, so crucial in our cultural context. To this end, I have invited the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, by agreement with the competent Dicasteries of the Holy See, to draw up a note, providing the Church and individual believers with some guidelines on how to live this Year of Faith in the most effective and appropriate ways, at the service of belief and evangelisation.

"To a greater extent than in the past, faith is now being subjected to a series of questions arising from a changed mentality which, especially today, limits the field of rational certainties to that of scientific and technological discoveries. Nevertheless, the Church has never been afraid of demonstrating that there cannot be any conflict between faith and genuine science, because both, albeit via different routes, tend towards the truth.

"One thing that will be of decisive importance in this Year is retracing the history of our faith, marked as it is by the unfathomable mystery of the interweaving of holiness and sin. While the former highlights the great contribution that men and women have made to the growth and development of the community through the witness of their lives, the latter must provoke in each person a sincere and continuing work of conversion in order to experience the mercy of the Father which is held out to everyone".

"The Year of Faith will also be a good opportunity to intensify the witness of charity. ... Faith and charity each require the other, in such a way that each allows the other to set out along its respective path. Indeed, many Christians dedicate their lives with love to those who are lonely, marginalised or excluded, as to those who are the first with a claim on our attention and the most important for us to support, because it is in them that the reflection of Christ's own face is seen. Through faith, we can recognise the face of the risen Lord in those who ask for our love".

"Having reached the end of his life, St. Paul asks his disciple Timothy to 'aim at faith' with the same constancy as when he was a boy. We hear this invitation directed to each of us, that none of us grow lazy in the faith. It is the lifelong companion that makes it possible to perceive, ever anew, the marvels that God works for us. Intent on gathering the signs of the times in the present of history, faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world. What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end".

LIT/ VIS 20111017 (2100)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Saint Jude Novena Starts October 19, 2011

Beginning Wednesday, October 19, 2011, Faith of the Fathers blogs will be joining "Pray More Novena's" and 5,000 Catholics from around the world in praying a Saint Jude Novena.

For those of you who may not know, Saint Jude is my Patron Saint, and I am extremely happy to be participating in this novena (nine days of prayer) to such a wonderful Apostle, martyr, and powerful intercessor.

Saint Jude (also known as Jude of James and Judas Thaddeus) was a blood relative of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and one of the Twelve Apostles. He was the brother of Saint James the Lesser, and a nephew of Mary and Joseph.

Saint Jude is the patron of lost or impossible causes, desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospitals, hospital workers, and the diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida.

His patronage of lost or impossible causes derives from the confusion by many early Christians between the names of Jude and the traitor Judas Iscariot. Failing to grasp the difference between the names they never prayed for Saint Jude's help, so devotion to him became something of a lost cause.

So, we invite you to join us, as well as thousands of others in praying the Saint Jude Novena beginning October 19. I will be posting daily reminders here to join the novena in concert with "Pray More Novena's".

POPE CALLS FOR RESPECT FOR MINORITIES IN EGYPT

VATICAN CITY, 12 OCT 2011 (VIS) - "I am profoundly saddened by the episodes of violence that took place in Cairo last Sunday", said the Pope today following his customary language greetings at the end of his Wednesday general audience.

  "I share the suffering of the families of the victims and of all the Egyptian people, lacerated by attempts to undermine peaceful coexistence among their communities, a coexistence which it is vital to safeguard, especially in this moment of transition", the Holy Father went on. "I exhort the faithful to pray that that society might enjoy true peace, based on justice and respect for the freedom and dignity of all citizens.

  "I support the efforts made by the civil and religious authorities in Egypt to foster a society in which everyone's human rights are respected, in particular those of minorities, for the benefit of national unity".

  During his greetings to pilgrim groups participating in the audience, the Holy Father also recalled the fact that the month of October is dedicated to the Rosary, inviting the faithful "to discover the beauty of this simple but effective prayer".

AC/                                                                                                   VIS 20111012 (200)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Defiance: Catholic World Report

The Catholic governor of Maryland joins the gay-marriage juggernaut.

The following is an excerpt from an editorial on "Catholic World Report":

• One would think this state of affairs might shock bishops into a reassertion of their authority under canon law. But for the most part it doesn’t. Cardinal Raymond Burke’s position remains a lonely one. The head of the Vatican’s Supreme Court has said repeatedly that bishops have not only the right but the duty to withhold Communion from defiant Catholic public figures for the good of souls, the prevention of scandal, and the protection of the sacraments. To the familiar argument from bishops that withholding Communion is contrary to proper pastoral practice, Cardinal Burke says, “What would be profoundly more sorrowful would be the failure of a bishop to call a soul to conversion, the failure to protect the flock from scandal, and the failure to safeguard the worthy reception of Communion.” 

Click the link below to read the entire editorial article, which we wholeheartedly agree with:

Defiance: Catholic World Report

Bishop Aquila predicts state attempts to silence Catholic Church :: EWTN News

An excerpt from this article is below:

An American bishop has predicted that government authorities may one day attempt to silence the Catholic Church in the United States.

“We could see the possibility of it within the United States where we are no longer free to preach the truth from the pulpit or to present Catholic teaching,” Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota, told CNA on a visit to Rome October 7.

Click the link below to read the entire article from EWTN News:

Bishop Aquila predicts state attempts to silence Catholic Church :: EWTN News

Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Father Pavone to meet with Bishop Zurek on October 13

Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Father Pavone to meet with Bishop Zurek on October 13

More than 2,000 Evangelical, Orthodox Chaplains Join Catholics in Opposing Pentagon Directive on Same-Sex Marriage | CNSnews.com

More than 2,000 Evangelical, Orthodox Chaplains Join Catholics in Opposing Pentagon Directive on Same-Sex Marriage | CNSnews.com

Suggested Reading

Here are some of our most popular posts (according to Blogger) from four of our blogs:

• On Approved Apparitions -  "Our Lady of Kibeho"

• On Spiritual Warfare - "The Seven Deadly Sins -Envy"

• On Favorite Prayers and Scripture - "Prayer For Non-Believers"

• On Spirituality and Mysticism - "Mystical Suffering of The Victim Soul"

ZENIT - Anti-Christian Censorship and New Media

Read this report from ZENIT regarding censorship of Christian content from Apple, Google, Facebook and others. The study was done by the organization National Religious Broadcasters. Read the article from ZENIT by clicking the link at the bottom of this post, or by clicking the post title. 

If you want to read the entire report on the study "True Liberty In A New Media Age" from the National Religious Broadcasters you can click here to read it in pdf format. Please note that the report is 47 pages.

ZENIT - Anti-Christian Censorship and New Media

Comfort In Christ or Comfort In Self?

Note:The following was first posted in August 2005 on our blog "Church Under Attack".

There is a most disturbing trend today, and that trend is going unnoticed and unchallenged by a great number of people, especially, in the Christian Community at large. It is something that has began slowly, and continues to grow at an alarming rate, and within every community in the United States, Canada, and around the world in general. That trend is called “Political Correctness”(PC), and people have been beguiled into being “PC” at the expense of their own self-respect, and even more disturbing to the point of denying their faith, and even being ashamed of their faith.

An even more alarming trend, is that “PC” has governments from the local, to the state, provincial, and national levels passing laws with the intent of inhibiting, and in most cases prohibiting Christian morals and Law being expressed from the pulpit. If a Catholic priest or Protestant minister gives a sermon in which homosexuality as seen in God's Law is the subject, they can be charged in many places with inciting “hate crimes”(as if perpetrators of hate crimes need inciting), and face fines and/or jail time. If a Christian opposes heterosexual couples living together outside the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony they are seen as repressive, puritanical, and “old fashioned”. Christians opposing abortion are seen as being “invasive of privacy”. Does Freedom of Religion no longer apply in Christian teaching on morality? Does only freedom from religion apply? Sadly, the answer to both questions is... yes.

This trend raises several questions. Why have people, particularly Christian, people remained so deafeningly silent with the passage of these laws? Why are we allowing ourselves to be so blinded by “PC” that we will not see that we are being told to deny GOD in a very open and yet subtle way? Why do we remain silent on these issues? Why do we want to seem “nice”, “progressive”, or “open minded” when these are code terms for denial of God? Why do we use the feeble excuse, that it “doesn't matter because it doesn't affect me”?

When Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, the great Bishop of Smyrna, was martyred, he was asked to deny Christ by the proconsul, and he refused. When threatened with the “wild beasts” by the proconsul his reply was, “Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous”. In essence, Polycarp proclaimed himself Christian, and refused to exchange God and Eternal Life for what was absolutely evil and unholy. Where is this Spirit of Faith today? Does it exist? I am afraid it exists in too far small numbers anymore, especially with todays “PC” mentality. It is apparent, that today there would be a very, very few who would and could stand like Saint Polycarp did, like Saint Ignatius of Antioch did, like the Apostles did, and not “repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil”.

We have become unwilling, even afraid to call sin just what it is...SIN! We don't do this for the other person, no not at all. We do it for self! Because self has become more important to us than God! We want people to think of us as “nice”, as “kind” and we think only of how we appear to people, when we should be more concerned about how we appear to God! Whenever we say that what God calls sin, is not sin, but, that it is alright, it's OK, then we are denying God and God's Law! When we say what someone else does has no affect on us, we just lied to ourselves, because by saying evil is just, we have called God unjust, and that most assuredly does affect us!

Granted, we are not called to judge, we are not to condemn, because “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”. Yet, we ARE called to correct and by not correcting we fail to properly instruct those who falter. We as Christians should place our trust in God who will uphold His Law and those who follow His Law through Christ Jesus and not deny Him by any word from man or man's law.

Luke 17:1-3 He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

1 Peter 4:14-16 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour.

Copyright © 2005-2011 Steve Smith. All rights reserved.

POPE BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER

VATICAN CITY, 30 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for October is: "That the terminally ill may be supported by their faith in God and the love of their brothers and sisters".

  His mission intention is: "That the celebration of World Mission Day may foster in the People of God a passion for evangelisation with the willingness to support the missions with prayer and economic aid for the poorest Churches".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/                                                       VIS 20110930 (80)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011.......Day Nine

Today is day nine, the final day of the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Come and join in the novena at Pray More Novena's.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

There are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011.......Day Eight

Today is day eight of the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Come and join in the novena at Pray More Novena's. One more day of our joining with other Catholics from around the world in praying this novena remain after today.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us, and over 5,000 people from around the world in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

There are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011... Day Seven

 Once more, it's time to go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Today is day seven of the novena. Two more days of our joining with other Catholics from around the world in praying this novena remain.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us, and the other 5,000 people from around the world in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

There are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011... Day Six

 It's time to go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Today is day six of the novena.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us, and the other 5,000 people from around the world in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

There are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011... Day 5

 If you haven't been yet, let's go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Today is day five of the novena.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us, and the other 5,000 people from around the world in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

There are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011... Day 4

Please remember to go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Today is day four of the novena.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us, and the other 5,000 people from around the world in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

There are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011... Day Three

Let's not forget to go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Today is the third day of the novena.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us, and the other 5,000 people from around the world in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

Also, there are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011... Day Two

Don't forget to go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux. Today is the second day of the novena.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.

Join us in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

Also, there are over 450 prayer intentions posted for this novena. You can go to read these intentions and post your own as well here.

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011...Today is Day One

Don't forget to go to Pray More Novena's, and join in the novena to Saint Therese of Lisieux.

If you go to the site, you will find all the prayers for the novena, as well as the intentions of many people.


Join us in praying this novena to "The Little Flower".

CNS STORY: Tribunal studies healing attributed to intercession of Archbishop Sheen

 A short excerpt from a story from "Catholic News Service:

• "Considered stillborn one year ago after his mother's healthy pregnancy and "a beautiful, short labor," James was without a pulse for the first 61 minutes of his life. It was only when doctors at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria were ready to call the time of death that his little heart started beating."

Click the link below to read the whole article:

CNS STORY: Tribunal studies healing attributed to intercession of Archbishop Sheen

Saturday's Mass will feature preview of revised Missal's new musical settings

Saturday's Mass will feature preview of revised Missal's new musical settings

2011 Eucharistic Congress

The following link will take you to a website with complete information on the 2011 Eucharistic Congress hosted by the Diocese of Charlotte, NC.

2011 Eucharistic Congress

Saint Therese of Lisieux Novena 2011

I will be joining over 3600 Catholics to pray the St. Therese Novena.

I thought that perhaps regular readers of “Faith of the Fathers” blogs would like to join us in praying the novena, too.

There are thousands of people praying through this novena website and there will be millions praying around the world.

+ Sign up for handy email reminders to get the the novena prayers here: St. Therese Novena
+ If you have a website or blog, post about it there.
+ Email your friends and family and get them praying too!

Let’s get all the Catholics we know to pray this novena together to St. Therese.

Remember, the last thing the enemy wants any of us to do is pray, and certainly not for us to pray in unity through one of God's saints. So let's pray together, and give the enemy one more reason to quake in fear.

College Campus Censorship: Abortion Activists Don't Trust Women | LifeNews.com

The following comes from this article on LifeNews.com:

• Even if one agreed (which we don’t, of course) that a woman has the right to choose abortion, isn’t it a worthy conversation to talk about what results from that “choice”, both individually and societally? Obesity, anorexia, and bulimia are all the resultants of food “choice”. Should we shut down all conversation about those destructive consequences simply because people have the right to eat?  When I tried to engage these protesters to discuss the results of those choices (high abortion rates, poverty, fatherlessness) they could only respond with more chanting.
• This attempt at censorship goes way beyond silencing prolife speech. Americans need to be concerned about the dangerous environment our nation’s colleges and universities have become that allow such behavior to quell freedom of expression. Unbeknownst to me, Lance Wheeler, of CampusReform.org, captured the whole bizarre scene on video. He works for The Leadership Institute, which launched the college campus watchdog group to visually document liberal censorship across the country.

Click below to read the entire article.

College Campus Censorship: Abortion Activists Don't Trust Women | LifeNews.com

COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING THE SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X

VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2011 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy See Press Office released the following communique concerning the postion of the Society of St. Pius X:

  "On 14 September at the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the congregation and president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'; Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer S.J., secretary of the congregation, and Msgr. Guido Pozzo, secretary of the pontifical commission, met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, who was accompanied by Fr. Niklaus Pfluger and Fr. Alain-Marc Nely, respectively first and second assistant general to the society.

  "Following the appeal of 15 December 2008, addressed by the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Father decided to remove the excommunication against the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre. At the same time, he approved the opening of discussions with the society in order to clarify doctrinal problems and to heal the existing rift.

  "In order to put the Holy Father's instructions into effect, a joint study commission was set up, composed of experts from the Society of St. Pius X and from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who met in Rome on eight occasions between October 2009 and April 2011. Their discussions, which aimed to identify and study the essential doctrinal difficulties in the controversial issues, had the result of clarifying the positions of the two sides and their respective motivations.

  "While bearing in mind the concerns and demands presented by the Society of St. Pius X about protecting the integrity of the Catholic faith against Vatican Council II's 'hermeneutic of rupture' with Tradition (a theme addressed by Pope Benedict XVI in his address to the Roman Curia on 22 December 2005), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith maintains that the fundamental basis for achieving full reconciliation with the Apostolic See is the acceptance of the text of the Doctrinal Preamble, which was handed over during a meeting on 14 September 2011. The Preamble defines certain doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation Catholic doctrine, which are necessary to ensure faithfulness to the Church Magisterium and 'sentire cum Ecclesia'. At the same time, it leaves open to legitimate discussion the examination and theological explanation of individual expressions and formulations contained in the documents of Vatican Council II and later Magisterium.

  "At the same meeting, certain suggestions were made for a canonical solution to the position of the Society of St. Pius X, with a view to achieving the desired reconciliation".

OP/                                                                                                   VIS 20110914 (450)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Vatican, SSPX close to agreement?

Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Vatican, SSPX close to agreement?

Senator Santorum dominates CNN/Tea Party Debate

Senator Santorum dominates CNN/Tea Party Debate

Why I Won't Watch (or Listen To) The 9-11 Memorial Service

With this being the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9-11, one would hope that it would be a somber, reverent occasion. Somber it may be, but hardly any reverence is to be expected. 

This ten year "memorial service" has had reverence thrown out the front door, when Mayor Bloomberg decided to exclude the clergy. Not only that, the New York Police Department and Fire Departments have also been excluded as well. As far as I know, the Port Authority Police won't be there either.

As it has been so aptly pointed out numerous times by people more well known than myself, the police and fire departments weren't exactly invited the day of the attacks, but they showed up....did their jobs...and many lost their lives as a result.

It has also been pointed out, that Mayor Bloomberg's predecessor Rudy Giuliani made it a point to call Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York. Cardinal Edward Egan went immediately where for the next several days he would be anointing the dead, distributing rosaries to workers as they searched for survivors, and presiding over funerals. 

As a Christian, I can not fathom a memorial service with no clergy. I can fathom no memorial service where the police, firemen, and other first responders are excluded from giving honor and remembrance to their fallen comrades.

Do the politicians really and truly believe that they can take the place of excluded clergy? Do they think that they can take the place of the NYPD and NYFD to offer proper remembrance and honor to all the fallen first responders? Do the politicians think that they can comfort those who lost parents, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters?

I sure don't have as much faith in politicians as polticians seem to have faith in themselves. I expect this memorial service to turn into a political fiasco. I have a feeling, that this is going to turn into one big political campaign rally, with ample reminders from the media and the politicans present, that President Obama was the one who "got" Osama bin Laden, the "mastermind" behind the attacks.

Nope. If the NYPD, NYFD, first responders and the clergy are excluded, this is one American who won't be watching the politicians puff out their chests and make their grand proclamations. I have had enough of their grandstanding as it is. Don't need any more.

A Minor Change Or Two

I made a couple of changes to the blogs (most have the changes) and wanted to let "Faith of the Fathers" readers know about them.

First of all, I have taken the Welcome Page, Privacy Policy, etc., from the sidebar and moved them to the top of page as tabs located just under the title header of each blog. You can click the picture to enlarge it if you like.

I think it makes them more noticeable, especially since some advertisers whose ads appear on these blogs require a  "Privacy Policy" on websites and blogs where their ads appear.

The second change was for the "blogroll" or bloglists for Faith of the Fathers Blogs and My Favorite Catholic blogs, etc.. The list of favorite blogs was getting longer and longer, and as a result the load times for the blogs was also getting longer and longer.

This is the new "look" for the blogs lists and for the links for Faith of the Fathers blogs as well. Yes, just a good old fashioned scroll bar. The most  recently updated blogs appear first in the list, which means a blog showing listed first now, may not be a few minutes later. No blogs have been removed from the list, you just have to scroll down to find them.

This has made the pages load a bit faster (or so it seems to me, anyway), and prevents a l-o-n-g list taking up an entire sidebar.

I hope this makes the blogs better, and I appreciate all the subscribers and regular readers of Faith of the Fathers blogs.

One last thing, we now have a Facebook Page for "Faith of the Fathers" blogs, which you can go to here, and click the "Like" button. We still have our Group on Facebook here as well. Both get regular "updates" for new posts on all of our blogs, so if you are on Facebook you might want to join the group or "Like" our new page.

Once again, thank you to all of our readers and subscribers. We appreciate your support.

Pro-Choice to Pro-Life . . . in Seconds!

The following clip is a from a documentary that will premiere September 26, 2011. You can watch the premiere on that day by going here 180 movie.com

POPE BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2011

 

 

VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for September is: "That all teachers may know how to communicate love of the truth and instil authentic moral and spiritual values".

  His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of Asia may proclaim the Gospel with fervour, witnessing to its beauty with the joy of faith".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/                                                       VIS 20110901 (70)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Santorum: If marriage is for people who ‘love,’ why limit it ‘to just two people? Why not 10?’ | LifeSiteNews.com

Santorum: If marriage is for people who ‘love,’ why limit it ‘to just two people? Why not 10?’ | LifeSiteNews.com

Today's Christianity

Note: The following post originally appeared on our blog “Spiritual Warfare” in July 2006

Pick and Choose Theology

There is a trend in today’s Christianity that is ever growing, and is an alarming trend that threatens the very foundations and tenets of our faith. That trend is not limited to any one geographical or denominational identifier, but is widespread among all nations, all peoples, and all systems of Christian belief. Thousands and thousands of people who would identify themselves as Christian have willingly been led into “pick and choose theology”. Most of these pick and choosers tend to identify themselves as “progressive Christians”.

What was that? You’re asking me what is a "progressive Christian"? You sure you want the answer? Especially coming from me, one who is an unabashed conservative. You really want my answer? OK, then…you asked for it…too late to cry now, so here it is: A “progressive Christian” is a person or group of people who though they claim to be nominally Christian, do not have the faith, courage, integrity or intestinal fortitude to stand up for God and His truth, but, have the unwavering, unflinching, unmitigated gall to stand up for anything and everything that opposes God, opposes His Church, opposes the teachings of His prophets and His Apostles. They are the ones who will call sin good, and call that which is good evil.

We see these people making their outlandish and ungodly stands on television, radio, the internet, and in the print media as well. If there is a camera, a microphone or pen and paper to be had, they will do all that they can to try to destroy all that God has wrought. You will see them use terms like “social justice” where they accuse the conservatives of ignoring the poor and vulnerable while focusing on issues like abortion and same sex marriage.

I tend to think they want we conservatives to ignore abortion and same sex marriage issues, because deep down they know that theologically the “progressives” don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to those two issues. The “progressives” would like for us all to think…no... to believe that because man changes, God changes, too. I think they actually believe that God should reform to suit what they think and what they believe, and that God and His law are merely words written in a book that can be taken or discarded at will.

They really don’t understand scripture or the teachings of the Apostles and the Church, and they tend to prove so each and every time they open their mouths. For instance, when conservatives oppose the gay lifestyle that is so often promoted by these “progressives”, the progressives will tell us, and in quite a smug manner, too, that “if Jesus was walking on earth today, He would be spending His time with the gays and lesbians” and so forth. I have to agree. He more than likely would. What they fail to comprehend with what they have said, is that they themselves have just made an admission of the gay lifestyle being a sin, and that they are in need of His redemption! For when Jesus taught in Palestine, He was always with the sinners, and in Mark 2: 16-17: And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing that he ate with publicans and sinners, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat and drink with publicans and sinners? Jesus hearing this, saith to them: They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. For I came not to call the just, but sinners. Further, they also should realize, that as His instructions to them would be as His instructions to the woman caught in adultery in John 8: 10-11: Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee? Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.

So, yes. I agree Jesus would be with them, and He would tell them, as He tells us all to “go and sin no more". His being with them would not be to approve their lifestyle, but, to reprove it.

What people do not want to realize, do not want to admit, is that no matter how much man changes, no matter how much the times may change, God does not change. God is not bound by time, He is beyond all time, and His ways and His thoughts are above our ways and our thoughts. God is not bound by what we may think is right or wrong, but, man is bound to honor and obey what God says is right and what He says is wrong, and there is nothing or no one who can change what God’s law is, and no matter what man may think it should be, God has told us all what His law is, and a feeble excuse on His Day of Judgment that “the times had changed” is not going to hold up. We know what His law is. It is up to each of us to do it. Calling oneself “progressive” is just an excuse to live as we please, and not as God pleases. After all, God’s way is tough. The progressive way is not, and is a way of denying that sin is indeed, sin.

Isaiah 5:20-24 Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe to you that rue wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own conceits. Woe to you that are mighty to drink wine, and stout men at drunkenness. That justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him. Therefore as the tongue of the fire devoureth the stubble, and the heat of the dame consumeth it: so shall their root be as ashes, and their bud shall go up as dust: for they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and have blasphemed the word of the Holy One of Israel.

2 Timothy 1-5: I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, and his kingdom: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry. Be sober.

TURKEY Historic decision: Erdogan returns seized property to religious minorities - Asia News

A decree published last night for the return of thousands of properties seized in 1936, just hours before an Iftar of the Prime Minister with representatives of religious minorities. The beneficiaries are Greek-orthodox Christians, Armenians, Jews. Roman Catholics do not fall within the recognized minorities. The Prime Minister’s hopes: end to era of discrimination.

TURKEY Historic decision: Erdogan returns seized property to religious minorities - Asia News

More arrests and Bibles seized in Iran | Christian News on Christian Today

More arrests and Bibles seized in Iran | Christian News on Christian Today

Missal Moment #5: 'Consubstantial'

Another video about the new english language translation of the Roman Missal from the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Column: For these millennials, faith trumps relativism - USATODAY.com

This article was written by Anna Williams an editorial page intern at USA TODAY. The excerpt below is from the article with my emphases added:

Sometime in the past century, a new creed emerged, saying everyone should make his own creed. This tolerant, open-minded ethos seemed to promise freedom: safe sex with many partners, drugs and alcohol galore and quick, no-fault divorce. So our Baby Boomer parents partied hard, yet in so many cases left us only the hangover: heartbreak, addiction and broken homes, plus rising rates of teenage depression and suicide.

The anything-goes religion of the late 20th century cannot prevent nor even explain these consequences. (After all, if I'm OK, you're OK, and we can do whatever we want, why are so many people unhappy?) When every member of a society does whatever makes him feel good, the inevitable results are not personal fulfillment and communal harmony but selfishness and social breakdown.

With these realizations in mind, many millennials reject the assumptions of 1960s liberationists in favor of something more substantial: the creeds, practices and moral codes that defined religious life for centuries. Unlike reductionistic scientism or vague romanticism, traditional religions propose specific, compelling explanations for the world in front of us — broken, fraught with suffering, enslaved to sin, but nonetheless revealing glimpses of beauty and greatness.

More intellectually coherent than relativism, orthodoxy is also more demanding. It makes us place others above ourselves, the truth above what we'd like to be true, the fight for virtue above the pursuit of pleasure. In a word, it preaches sacrifice.

Click below to read the entire article:

Column: For these millennials, faith trumps relativism - USATODAY.com

Rick Santorum gets straw poll bump - Dan Hirschhorn - POLITICO.com

 The following is by Dan Hirschhorn on POLITICO.           

• Energized by a surprising Iowa straw poll finish, Rick Santorum is heading straight for the limelight Sunday: the stage where Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are speaking.
• Just hours after taking fourth place in Ames—barely behind Tim Pawlenty, who devoted considerably more resources to the poll—Santorum canceled plans to leave Iowa Sunday and took up an invitation to speak at the Black Hawk County GOP dinner in Waterloo. There he’ll join Bachmann, the Ames winner, and Perry, the Texas governor whose late entry scrambled the 2012 race this weekend.

Read more by clicking below:

Rick Santorum gets straw poll bump - Dan Hirschhorn - POLITICO.com

Missal Moment #4: 'I believe in one God'

POPE BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

 

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That World Youth Day in Madrid may encourage young people throughout the world to have their lives rooted and built up in Christ".

  His mission intention is: "That Western Christians may be open to the action of the Holy Spirit and rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/                                                       VIS 20110729 (80)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

In This Brave New World, 160 Million Girls Are 'Missing' - Debra J. Saunders - Townhall Conservative

Just a couple of highlights from this story:

• But in a world where technology moves faster than ethical thinking, giving would-be parents the gender they prefer is good business. So you get fertility clinics like the Los Angeles outfit that advertises, "Be certain your next child will be the gender you're hoping for."

• Authors interviewed 65 immigrant women who had sex-selection abortions in America. Some feared that a daughter would engage in consensual sex and bring shame on the family. Some told of coercion -- from their husbands and mothers-in-law -- to produce a male heir. Many lied to their doctors, saying that they could not afford a baby, when their families did not want them to have another girl.

Read the full story by clicking below:

In This Brave New World, 160 Million Girls Are 'Missing' - Debra J. Saunders - Townhall Conservative