Bishops Call for 'Rosary Novena for Life and Liberty'

From National Catholic Register: 

Sunday, Oct. 14, begins the "Rosary Novena for Life and Liberty" proposed by the U.S. bishops. The novena ends on Monday, Oct. 22.

The Church celebrates October as the month of the holy Rosary, and it is an apt time for Rosary campaigns.

For months, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged a strong prayer effort for religious freedom. The USCCB has said October “seems an appropriate time to ask for Our Lady's intercession for these intentions.”

The novena is jointly offered by the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

In the novena booklet’s introduction, the bishops write:

"This year, believers have faced an unprecedented new threat. In the two centuries since the Bill of Rights was ratified, Americans had the assurance that the U.S. Constitution secured their God-given rights to religious liberty and freedom of conscience. But in 2011, a federal agency mandated that virtually all employers would be required to include sterilization, abortifacient drugs and contraceptives among the benefits covered in the health-care plans they offer employees."

The bishops’ novena comes with a short reflection that ties each day’s saint into the novena with specific intentions for that day regarding respecting life and religious freedom.

The reflections-intentions take only two minutes to read before praying the Rosary. Notably, some old and new American saints are included.

It is most important that we continue to pray that religious liberty is protected in America, one of our most important Constitutional and God-given rights, and that we elect the right candidates that will do this. 

Update from Cardinal Dolan on Restoring and Defending Our Religious Liberty

Cardinal Dolan has posted an update to his fellow bishops on the USCCB's continued resolve in fighting to ensure every individual's right to live out the beliefs that they believe in their daily lives, to ensure religious freedom for all. Since blogger html is giving me a wee bit of trouble I will publish part of his update below with a link to the rest.


My brother bishops,
Twice in recent weeks, I have written you to express my gratitude for our unity in faith
and action as we move forward to protect our religious freedom from unprecedented intrusion
from a government bureau, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I remain
deeply grateful to you for your determined resolve, to the Chairmen of our committees directly
engaged in these efforts - Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Bishop Stephen
Blaire and Bishop William Lori -who have again shown themselves to be such excellent leaders
during these past weeks, and to all our staff at the USCCB who work so diligently under the
direction of the Conference leadership.


How fortunate that we as a body have had opportunities during our past plenary
assemblies to manifest our strong unity in defense of religious freedom. We rely on that unity
now more than ever as HHS seeks to define what constitutes church ministry and how it can be
exercised. We will once again dedicate ample time at our Administrative Committee meeting
next week, and at the June Plenary Assembly, to this critical subject. We will continue to listen, discuss, deliberate and act.


Thank you, brothers, for the opportunity to provide this update to you and the dioceses
you serve. Many of you have expressed your thanks for what we have achieved together in so
few weeks, especially the data provided and the leadership given by brother bishops, our
conference staff and Catholic faithful. And you now ask the obvious question, “What’s next?”
Please allow me to share with you now some thoughts about events and efforts to date and where
we might go next.


Since January 20, when the final, restrictive HHS Rule was first announced, we have
become certain of two things: religious freedom is under attack, and we will not cease our
struggle to protect it. We recall the words of our Holy Father Benedict XVI to our brother
bishops on their recent ad limina visit: “Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.” Bishop Stephen Blaire and Bishop William Lori, with so many others, have admirably kept us focused on this one
priority of protecting religious freedom. We have made it clear in no uncertain terms to the
government that we are not at peace with its invasive attempt to curtail the religious freedom we cherish as Catholics and Americans. We did not ask for this fight, but we will not run from it.


As pastors and shepherds, each of us would prefer to spend our energy engaged in and
promoting the works of mercy to which the Church is dedicated: healing the sick, teaching our
youth, and helping the poor. Yet, precisely because we are pastors and shepherds, we recognize
that each of the ministries entrusted to us by Jesus is now in jeopardy due to this bureaucratic
intrusion into the internal life of the church. You and I both know well that we were doing those extensive and noble works rather well without these radical new constrictive and forbidding mandates. Our Church has a long tradition of effective partnership with government and the 1wider community in the service of the sick, our children, our elders, and the poor at home and abroad, and we sure hope to continue it.


Of course, we maintained from the start that this is not a “Catholic” fight alone. I like to
quote as often as possible a nurse who emailed me, “I’m not so much mad about all this as a
Catholic, but as an American.” And as we recall, a Baptist minister, Governor Mike Huckabee,
observed, “In this matter, we’re all Catholics.” No doubt you have heard numerous statements
just like these. We are grateful to know so many of our fellow Americans, especially our friends in the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, stand together in this important moment in our country. They know that this is not just about sterilization, abortifacients, and chemical contraception. It’s about religious freedom, the sacred right of any Church to define its own teaching and ministry. CONTINUED

Social Justice, Population Control and Fighting the Myth Which Progressives Perpetuate

This is weird.  As I was about to post a video by ALL it said that "it was pulled by the user".  I wonder for what reason the video was pulled?  It was about how Catholic social justice has been corrupted by certain people who are progressives.  And how these progressives are advocating for population control.  This is true so this leaves me puzzled, wondering why this video was taken down.

Here is a summary from LifeSiteNews:

In a video released today, American Life League, the nation’s largest Catholic pro-life group, has called for a complete investigation of Catholic social justice organizations for embracing population control advocate Dr. Jeffrey Sachs.

Entitled “Aborting Poverty”, the investigative video outlines Dr. Jeffrey Sachs’ history of population control as the primary means for ending poverty.  According to the video, Dr. Sachs, a professor of economics at Columbia University, has said one of the best ways to fight poverty rates is to reduce population growth and fertility rates with voluntary birth control, sterilizations, and abortion.

Dr. Sachs is head of the Earth Institute and the Millennium Project.  ALL’s concern is that in recent years, Sachs has also been lauded and commended by the U.S. Roundtable Association for Diocesan Social Action (http://www.catholicroundtable.org/), which includes partnerships with Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In 2002, the USCCB invited Sachs to speak at “Humanizing the Global Economy.” He was invited in 2006 to keynote the USCCB-sponsored “Point 7 Now” conference.  In 2005, the president of Catholic Relief Services wrote a book review of Sachs’ “The End of Poverty,” calling it a “must read.”  In that book, Sachs argues population control through “reproductive services” and artificial contraception is central to reducing poverty.

“Sachs’ unapologetic promotion of abortion and population control has no place in Catholic social justice,” said Michael Hichborn, host of the American Life League Report.

“These theories define children as causing poverty rather than as victims of it. Killing the preborn to reduce poverty does not promote prosperity; it perverts the human person into livestock to be properly managed.”

ALL has sent “Aborting Poverty” to the bishop of every diocese in the country.

“The social justice movement in the Catholic Church is being co-opted and corrupted into secular humanism.  This is just the tip of the iceberg,” concluded Hichborn. “The Church must investigate, remove misdirected individuals from positions of authority, and make certain that supposed ‘Catholic’ organizations carry out the true principles of Catholicism.”

American Life League will issue an “explosive” 100 page investigative report on Church social justice funds going to anti-Catholic organizations in the immediate future.

“Until these professional Catholics stop collaborating with and promoting ideologues who undermine the Church’s work for the gospel of life, we will continue to flounder, more babies will die, and more souls will be lost,” concludes Hichborn. “It’s time that the Catholic Church thoroughly investigated the activities of these Catholic social justice organizations.”

This has me wondering did ALL ruffle a few feathers? Why are the bishops in the USCCB associating themselves with this guy Sachs who clearly is causing scandal to the Church by distorting the teachings on social justice? 

Then here we have the UN calling for population control measures to reduce poverty even though there has been a dramatic decline in birth rates in quite a few countries.  What the UN fails to realize is that the rapid decline in the birth rate since after the 60's is proving harder and harder for the working population to be able to support the ever growing number of retirees.  

"Russia is not the only country with a fertility rate that is below replacement. Most of Europe is suffering from this demographic crisis. Italy, Spain, Germany, and Portugal and others had fertility rates close to 1.4 children per woman from 2005 to 2010.[6] Furthermore, worldwide fertility rates have dropped by nearly 50% since 1950.[7]" 

The population is continuing to rise because there were high birthrates in the 1950’s and 1960’s and people are living longer than ever before because of advances in medical technology and food production. However, the future of these countries will be determined by coming generations.

Countries with birthrates that are significantly below replacement rate face the challenge of decreased workforce, decreased consumption, and decreased ability to defend their borders. The impact of years of “population control” propaganda and abortion, on the world’s fertility has been devastating. Instead of continuing down that path, the United Nations should take a leaf out of Russia’s book and try to think of ways to strengthen the family and increase fertility worldwide.

Archbishop Chullikatt responds to the UN's call for population control: 

Unfortunately many discussions in the present day continue to be led by a false notion that, in the context of population growth, the very act of giving life is something to be feared rather than affirmed. Such thinking is based on a radical individualism which sees human reproduction as a commodity that must be regulated and improved in order to encourage greater market efficiency and development. How can such a view be consistent with the objectives of the United Nations? Put most candidly, it cannot.

This flawed understanding leads to the distorted view that population growth, especially among the poor, must be decreased in order to address poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition. It is also based upon the consistently disproven theory that population increase will devastate the environment, lead to global competition and confrontation for resources and undermine the ability of women to interact fully with society. These apprehensions contribute to the advancement of forms of reproductive technology which denigrate the nature of human sexuality. The combination of these misconceptions have led some national governments to adopt laws and policies which discourage parents from exercising their fundamental and non-derogable right to have children free of coercion and which even make it illegal for mothers to give birth in some cases or for a child to have one’s own brothers and sisters.

CONTINUED 

Obamacare Effect: Three Catholic Hospitals Closing in Scranton & the Power of a Social Justice Nun

There has been much controversy surrounding the closing and sale of three Catholic hospitals in Scranton, Pa. The controversy includes: Kevin Cook - Mercy Health Partners CEO, three different statements, two Catholic Representatives, the Affordable Care Act - A.K.A. - Obamacare, and Obama’s nun.


- In Review

Sr. Carol Keehan, Obama’s nun, is the nun who dissented from Bishops and threw her weight to support Obamacare. She is the nun who used her clout as head of the CHA, falsely claimed that abortion wasn’t covered in Obamacare, and provided “legitimacy” for Bart Stupak and the rest of the so called pro-life Democrats to support and vote for Obamacare even though there were no safeguards protecting against abortion coverage and federal funding in Obamacare.  The Congressional Research Report Confirms this. She wanted us, as Catholics to trust our government over our Bishops’ prudential judgment on a matter related to morals. That sounds so nonsensical. Misplaced trust?

For anyone to think that our government is going to do the right thing in matters of faith and morals, look out for you and me, is complete and utter naivete when our government has sanctioned the murders of countless innocents since Roe v. Wade was enacted in 1973.

When Sr. Carol Keehan became a religious sister she took a vow of obedience and in fact has more of an obligation than ordinary laity to heed the Bishops’ prudential judgment with relation to abortion and Obamacare. Since the Church Teaching is that abortion is an intrinsic evil is Catholic Dogma has Sr. Keehan broken her vow of obedience by dissenting from the Bishops in order to support Obamacare?

The common good must not be pursued at the expense of the morally reprehensible murders of innocent human lives.


In his first statement Kevin Cook stated, "Health care reform is absolutely playing a role. Was it the precipitating factor in this decision? No, but was it a factor in our planning over the next five years? Absolutely."

Notice that Cook stated “absolutely” twice.

48 hours later Cook said, sale discussion were being discussed "long before the passage of the Affordable Care Act. The decision was due to many factors."

Perhaps, there was something occurring behind the scenes?

That same day Sr. Carol Keehan made this statement, "Reports that health reform is the primary motive behind the sale are completely false, misleading and politically motivated. Deliberations to sell the facilities began well before the Affordable Care Act became law and did not hinge on enactment of the legislation." Okay… Like she isn’t politically

Motivated to ensure her support for Obamacare isn’t for naught.

Then about a couple days later Cook announced: “Mercy Health Partners recently announced our intention to explore the sale of our facilities in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The rationale for our initiative has been mischaracterized by certain politicized media outlets and severely distorted by some special interest groups.”

Coincidental? Or Coordinated?

Perhaps, there was something occurring behind the scenes?

Would a social justice political activist nun misuse her power as CEO of the CHA to silence the truth in both instances with Obamacare and the main factor for this three Catholic hospitals closing? Did this Left wing activist nun “lower the boom” on Kevin Cook and force him to change his tune in those last two statements? Well, it kinda looks that way.

Oh - how could one forget? Since she bucked both the Bishops and the Catholic faith and instead staunchly supported Obama and his health care bill she was rewarded with one of the 21 pens that Obama used to signed the health care law. What a trade -- fidelity to Church teaching and to her vows sacrificed for fame, power, recognition, and on top of all that, a pen.

From The American Spectator - “One doctor in Scranton -- who was deeply disturbed by the announcement -- is certain he knows the answer. That answer? Mr. Cook was absolutely right the very first time he spoke to WNEP on camera. Hospitals, said this doctor -- frequently run a debt. "What's different? Why now?" he said in terms of the rationale for selling the Mercy hospitals. The reason is exactly as CEO Cook originally said it was. ObamaCare cuts in Medicare reimbursement have changed the rules so drastically for hospitals "you [Mercy Health Partners] are in an untenable situation," said this physician. Most hospitals have accumulating debt because of capital investments, says the doctor. But they can't deal with that debt if in fact their ability to earn money is cut off or drastically reduced over time.


Alarmingly, the doctor, with a lifetime of practice in hand, says that "hospitals close in clusters where there is decreased income in terms of relatively low Medicare reimbursement…because they are the most vulnerable." He adds that what is happening in Scranton, Nanticoke, and Tunkhannock with the Mercy hospitals "is just the beginning. It will happen everywhere because reimbursements will be reduced" under ObamaCare. Particularly, he adds, in areas where you have a high elderly population.”


‘The explosion, all recent with its implications of White House pressure and lost Catholic hospitals, is about to bring in media ads from CatholicVote.org. Says Communications Director Joshua Mercer: "Paul Kanjorski and Chris Carney are Catholic and they both voted for ObamaCare." Citing the sale of the three Mercy hospitals, Mercer says that the pro-ObamaCare votes of the two "has had a real impact on the community." Mercer added a sentiment voiced as well by the Scranton doctor: "There are a lot of Kevin Cooks across the country…the CEO's of small Catholic hospitals are all facing the same realities of more [ObamaCare] mandates and regulations.”’

Seems like there is something fishy going on. I live in Pennsylvania, but unfortunately I don’t live in either of their districts, otherwise I would vote for the opposition.

Here is the political ad that CatholicVote.org has put out.



Cross posted at Teresamerica

Marriage: Unique for a Reason

The USCCB Ad Hoc Committee has just launched a new initiative called Marriage: Unique For a Reason. Here is the first video in a series helping to catechize and educate Catholics as to the uniqueness of marriage and why it is meant to be shared between a man and a woman.

The launch comes with the release of the first of five videos. The first video is called Made for Each Other and includes a Viewer’s Guide and Resource Booklet. It explores sexual difference and the complementarity between man and woman as husband and wife in marriage. Later videos will treat the good of children, the good of society and what constitutes discrimination, religious liberty, and issues particular to a Latino/a audience.

“The Committee’s efforts are grounded in the recognition that marriage, as the union of one man and one woman, is at the heart of a flourishing society and culture,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, chairman of the Committee. “The truth of marriage lies at the very core of a true concern for justice and the common good. Promoting marriage is crucial to the New Evangelization. These initial materials seek to provide a key starting point, a compass, for assisting Catholics and all people of good will in understanding why marriage is and can only be the union of one man and one woman.”

Archbishop Kurtz points out a couple of passages from the bible which support that marriage belongs between a man and a woman. Heterosexual marriage is both sacred and a necessity. "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh."



Matthew 19:4-6; cf. Genesis 2:23-24

A group of about a dozen evangelical Twin Cities pastors support this Catholic anti-gay marriage initiative.


"A strong and documented case can be made for society being harmed by too much same-sex marriage. No such case can be made for natural marriage. Natural marriage poses no danger to society, no matter how pervasive," said Pastor Jim Anderson.

The Vortex: The Horse You Back