tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90033299290422383842024-03-13T15:17:41.588-07:00Ab OppositoJust another Catholic blog.The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-24387771488549644532009-08-18T17:58:00.000-07:002009-08-18T18:04:38.267-07:00Ad Orientem<a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=3820">Mass at the cathedral in Tulsa</a>, Oklahoma will now be said ad orientem. His Excellency Edward Slattery explains why a priest facing East is superior to one facing the pews:<br /><br /><blockquote>Unfortunately this change had a number of unforeseen and largely negative effects. First of all, it was a serious rupture with the Church’s ancient tradition. Secondly, it can give the appearance that the priest and the people were engaged in a conversation about God, rather than the worship of God. Thirdly, it places an inordinate importance on the personality of the celebrant by placing him on a kind of liturgical stage.</blockquote>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-47689705593916024752009-06-01T22:25:00.000-07:002009-06-01T22:37:31.149-07:00Don't impose your morality onto me<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.9ea937445ae71bcf5056c436c0955d4d.1731&show_article=1">Doublespeak.</a><br /><br /><blockquote>"The danger I think is when the United States or any country thinks that we can simply impose these values on another country with a different history and a different culture," the president told the broadcaster. <br /><br />But he stressed: "Democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion -- those are not simply principles of the West to be hoisted on these countries, but rather what I believe to be universal principles that they can embrace and affirm as part of their national identity." <br /></blockquote><br /><br />If I didn't know any better I would think he's saying that the United States cannot simply impose its values on another country unless President Obama believes those values (democracy, rule of law, freedom of religion, etc.) should be imposed on another country.<br /><br />Talk about a major typo. Breitbart got the headline completely wrong: "Obama says US cannot impose its values."<br /><br />...or did they? I dunno. I'll have to re-read it again.The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-15490194366988065392009-04-12T03:15:00.000-07:002009-04-12T03:16:30.639-07:00Hope and Change<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yREOUxo6Qdc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yREOUxo6Qdc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-15190425658462766072009-02-05T14:10:00.000-08:002009-02-05T14:17:31.682-08:00Define: Tax Cut<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090205/ap_on_go_pr_wh/congress_stimulus_126">Hmm</a>.<br /><blockquote>Democrats turned back an attempt to strip out a provision that Obama has said was essential. <strong>It would provide a tax cut of up to $1,000 for working couples, including those who do not make enough to pay income taxes.</strong></blockquote><br />Interesting way of putting it. I wonder if General Electric Company has ever considered offering a quarterly dividend payment for its stock holders, including those who, like myself, do not own any GE stock?The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-75763660274320911742009-02-04T15:16:00.000-08:002009-02-04T15:17:57.875-08:00Blago<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SYoiDsJ6T-I/AAAAAAAAArQ/iG3Kbt_NPAw/s1600-h/blago.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SYoiDsJ6T-I/AAAAAAAAArQ/iG3Kbt_NPAw/s400/blago.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299085358342492130" /></a>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-58527733238652136012009-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:002009-02-04T09:27:19.904-08:00Universal Health CareWhat we have to <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,487686,00.html">look forward to</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>An angry doctor allegedly threw a baby and twisted its arm and an elderly patient was left to die in a hallway at Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland, Australia, staff claim.<br /><br />Three hospital staff have sought whistleblower protection after detailing allegations of gross medical neglect and incompetence, overcrowding, bullying, intimidation and cover-ups to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.<br /><br />A nurse who spoke to The Courier-Mail said she was repeatedly made to falsify records to hide lengthy waiting times in the emergency department.<br /><br />She said triage cases were improperly and dangerously downgraded because of understaffing. She said a troubled teenager who waited five hours without seeing a doctor ran away and slashed her wrists.<br /><br />And a doctor said he was too busy to see a boy who had been stabbed in the leg in a suspected child abuse case. The cases are among 100 serious and minor procedural errors on the hospital's prime reporting database.<br /><br />Dismissed as a troublemaker and frustrated at the lack of response, the nurse and two others took complaints to Burnett Parliament member Rob Messenger, who first raised allegations against the hospital in Parliament in 2005.<br /><br />Messenger called for an inquiry, saying it was clear patients and employees of Bundaberg Hospital were "in continuing danger of physical and psychological danger."</blockquote><br />I don't know about you, but I just can't wait for Obama's changes.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SYnPrMpssTI/AAAAAAAAArI/1okaoIEoMy0/s1600-h/emergency-room-crowded.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SYnPrMpssTI/AAAAAAAAArI/1okaoIEoMy0/s400/emergency-room-crowded.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298994777615544626" /></a>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-42836250926375941072009-01-29T08:40:00.000-08:002009-01-29T09:24:23.215-08:00MystifiedCardinal Mahony is <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D960T74G0&show_article=1">making headlines again</a>. Whenever he does, you can be sure it is another sad day for faithful Catholics worldwide.<br /><br />The head of the largest archdiocese in the U.S. for the last 18 years, Mahony is being investigated by the feds for his handling of child abuse cases. Understandably, the Cardinal is "mystified and puzzled by the whole thing."<br /><br />In July 2007 Cardinal Mahony managed to drain the coffers of $660,000,000 in settlement monies to avoid further testimony and proceedings in court. (Something perhaps worth remembering the next time collection plates are passed around and LA Catholics are asked to "give until it hurts" in the annual diocesan appeal.)<br /><br />Anyhow, it appears Mahony will have a tougher time bribing a grand jury.<br /><br />In light of the scandal this investigation will be for Catholics and non-Catholics everywhere, has there been any mention to the Holy Father of the <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1E.HTM">Canon 401.2</a> provision?<br /><br />I'm just asking...<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SYHmFZPB9BI/AAAAAAAAApI/rZHZ7pk6TCI/s1600-h/mahony.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 371px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SYHmFZPB9BI/AAAAAAAAApI/rZHZ7pk6TCI/s400/mahony.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296767617112077330" /></a>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-7712285082938636372009-01-24T09:41:00.000-08:002009-01-24T09:44:37.984-08:00StimulusThe NY Post has <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/01232009/news/politics/prez_zings_gop_foe_in_a_timulating_talk_151572.htm">a piece</a> about President Obama and the proposed stimulus package. One Republican is trying to get his arms around it:<br /><br /><blockquote><br />"You know, I'm concerned about the size of the package. And I'm concerned about some of the spending that's in there, [about] ... how you can spend hundreds of millions on contraceptives," House GOP Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) later said. <br /><br />"How does that stimulate the economy?" <br /></blockquote><br /><br />Good question.The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-45359924280607353452008-12-21T22:02:00.000-08:002008-12-21T22:04:59.297-08:00Someone tell me this is a joke.<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zSEaHyzbqTA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zSEaHyzbqTA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />H/T: Neil MuellerThe Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-56139986311494269692008-12-17T12:04:00.000-08:002008-12-17T12:19:03.245-08:00Brick by brickThe Holy Father continues to make exceptional appointments in the Curia. On December 9th Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera (in Spain, sometimes called the "Little Ratzinger") took the helm as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. <br /><br />In an interview this last Sunday granted to Spanish daily <em>La Razón</em>, Cardinal Llovera had this to say:<br /><br /><blockquote>[La Razón:] Nevertheless, Benedict XVI has reiterated in some instances the propriety of receiving communion kneeling and in the mouth. Is it something important, or is it a mere matter of form?<br /><br /><br /><br />[Cañizares:] - No, it is not just a matter of form. What does it mean to receive communion in the mouth? What does it mean to kneel before the Most Holy Sacrament? What dies it mean to kneel during the consecration at Mass? It means adoration, it means recognizing the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; it means respect and an attitude of faith of a man who prostrates before God because he knows that everything comes from Him, and we feel speechless, dumbfounded, before the wondrousness, his goodness, and his mercy. That is why it is not the same to place the hand, and to receive communion in any fashion, than doing it in a respectful way; it is not the same to receive communion kneeling or standing up, because all these signs indicate a profound meaning. What we have to grasp is that profound attitude of the man who prostrates himself before God, and that is what the Pope wants.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Awesome.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SUlepSVz_yI/AAAAAAAAAoA/kduRYp3ACow/s1600-h/llovera.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 254px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SUlepSVz_yI/AAAAAAAAAoA/kduRYp3ACow/s400/llovera.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280856101459590946" /></a>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-83597981204397749612008-12-03T10:31:00.000-08:002008-12-03T10:41:15.144-08:00Something else Obama and the Christ Child have in commonThe One also has his own <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Dec03/0,4670,ObamaHoliday,00.html">holiday</a>.<br /><blockquote>MARION, Ala. — A small central Alabama county whose mainly black residents gave Barack Obama more than 70 percent of the vote on Election Day has created an annual holiday in honor of the president-elect.<br /><br />The Perry County Commission voted 4 to 1 to observe the second Monday in November as "The Barack Obama Day." County offices will close and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid holiday.<br /><br />The sponsoring commissioner, Albert Turner Jr., said the holiday is meant to highlight the Democratic president-elect's victory as a way to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved.<br /></blockquote><br />The AP also interviewed the racist commissioner who voted against the measure.<br /><blockquote>"I'm a Democrat, but just in these financial times, it's not using the county's money wisely," Harrison told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday.</blockquote>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-75200596608118836122008-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:002008-11-09T21:23:07.269-08:00I have a dreamI have a dream that one day we will live in a nation where presidents are elected not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NyvqhdllXgU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NyvqhdllXgU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-5735562149658272302008-10-31T22:27:00.000-07:002008-10-31T22:28:50.030-07:00Entertaining...and true<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ksUkpGSeM4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ksUkpGSeM4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />H/T to Andrew St.HilaireThe Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-71317749144385866412008-10-31T18:51:00.000-07:002008-10-31T19:41:09.461-07:00Obama video gemsMichelle Obama in 2004<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nyDqQW2adPk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nyDqQW2adPk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Opposing government confiscation of income is "selfish"<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1V3FNh3mAuY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1V3FNh3mAuY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-77458585466586713672008-10-30T19:38:00.000-07:002008-10-30T19:41:35.613-07:0049 million reasons to vote against Obama<a href="http://www.abortionno.org">Abortion.</a><br />(Warning: Very graphic video. Not for the faint of heart.)The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-31036506694837378692008-10-29T20:01:00.000-07:002008-10-29T20:05:24.711-07:00Obama family treeI figured that, as a good American, I ought to familiarize myself with our soon-to-be First Family: <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5042571.ece">the Obamas</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>"Aunt Zeituni and Uncle Omar are the children of Mr Obama’s grandfather Hussein Onyango Obama, by his third wife – the woman Mr Obama calls “Granny” because she raised his father. Mr Obama’s father, Barack Sr, was Onyango Obama’s son by his second wife, Akumu. That makes Zeituni and Omar a half-sister and half-brother of Mr Obama’s father, or Mr Obama’s half-aunt and half-uncle."</blockquote><br />Come again?The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-8412649618678881212008-10-07T10:41:00.000-07:002008-10-07T11:23:10.534-07:00making some-things newThis time last year our church had a capital campaign to raise funds for a renovation project. Unlike many Catholic parish undertakings these days, ours is not a wreckovation but a real restoration of beauty. The estimated cost was somewhere near $2 million and included much needed repairs (new heating system, roof work, etc.) as well as much appreciated aesthetics. <br /><br />Rather than going straight into debt, our pastor had the good sense to raise the cash before hand. All costs were raised or pledged by parishoners at Star of the Sea before the first paint brush came out.<br /><br />Here are some before and during/after pictures.<br /><br />Before (sorry about how dark it is!):<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.slide.com/s/oAVp6p9WyD8vJGEkeDwojSAvXD16gks6?referrer=hlnk"><img src="http://widget.slide.com/rdr/1/1/1/W/290000000371ad99/1/0/3crIPYJB5D_7p44OFH21a-f-SHLvTKkX.jpg" border="0" alt="Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!" title="Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!" /></a><br /><br />During/After:<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.slide.com/s/2MaWaY5i1D8S3yKcjt_kazAOxWhWmR3J?referrer=hlnk"><img src="http://widget.slide.com/rdr/1/1/1/W/2900000005ad4252/1/0/QK3DYox-qz8jmLT3ULYTktEOivaQORkK.jpg" border="0" alt="Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!" title="Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!" /></a><br /><br />Some things to note:<br /><br />* marble columns (they aren't solid marble, but who would know any different?)<br />* Holy Spirit artwork<br />* the parking lot look to the back wall of the sanctuary is gone<br />* the sanctuary/altar has been raised (can't really tell looking at the first picture)<br />* the side altars will have their statues mounted against a white background<br />* the arches in the church look more natural (wood vs. the black covering you can't make out in the first photo)<br />* tile covering the sanctuary instead of carpet (again, not visible in these pictures)<br /><br />There are other improvements, but these are some of my favorite.The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-31768788991258224452008-09-10T16:12:00.000-07:002008-09-10T20:02:37.960-07:00Stand up, Chuck, lemme see you!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C2mzbuRgnI4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C2mzbuRgnI4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />We couldn't have asked Obama for a better VP pick. (Chuck is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.) Can you imagine what the media coverage would have been like if this had been George Bush?The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-44096435150134312232008-08-29T07:08:00.000-07:002008-08-29T07:15:28.068-07:00fundamental beliefs<blockquote>"That's the promise of America -- the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper" -Barack Obama, acceptance speech, 8/28/08</blockquote><br /><br />Which reminds me. How <em>is</em> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2590614/Barack-Obamas-lost-brother-found-in-Kenya.html">Georgie</a> doing these days, Barry?<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SLgD-gbmKfI/AAAAAAAAAaw/blJgZIUCyFY/s1600-h/220-obama-brother_793467f.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SLgD-gbmKfI/AAAAAAAAAaw/blJgZIUCyFY/s400/220-obama-brother_793467f.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239942538838026738" /></a>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-38410693278818367892008-08-20T10:22:00.000-07:002008-08-20T10:28:39.520-07:00Live and LearnI was walking past the mental hospital the other day,and all the patients were shouting ,'13....13....13' <br /><br />The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks and looked through to see what was going on. <br /><br />Some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick. <br /><br />Then -- they all started shouting '14....14....14'...The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-83231828348155688722008-08-14T21:56:00.000-07:002008-08-14T21:58:45.333-07:00NObama<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pir-etUBKKU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pir-etUBKKU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-77778666155976847522008-07-31T17:00:00.000-07:002008-07-31T21:05:53.341-07:00Dogs not able to barkAn article in New Jersey's <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1217390961251120.xml&coll=5&thispage=1">The Times</a> is aptly titled, <em>'U.S. bishops: Vote your conscience.'</em> (This is a riveting news headline as the bishops are known for their incessant urging of Catholics to <strong>not</strong> vote in accord with their conscience.)<br /><br />But I say the headline is befitting (most of) our American bishops because it conveys all at once the jejune, almost meaningless platitudes routinely dressed up and fed to the faithful as "spiritual guidance." As an aside, I should mention that from a purely human standpoint, I can not see how salvation is possible for those Catholics who have the misfortune of being guided by these men alone. I have hope that all will be saved; but that is only because my hope is not limited to the natural. I hope, too, that Fr. Amorth was right in his belief that ignorance is the eighth sacrament and the eighth saves more than all the others together. <br /><br />But I digress. Rather than state the painfully obvious, a good shepherd would do well to instruct his faithful to <em>inform</em> their conscience. A Catholic who votes in accordance with his malformed conscience does his countrymen, his Church, and his God no service. And a bishop who encourages us to vote our conscience, at the same time keeping silent about how to <em>form</em> a Catholic conscience will have much (...many?) to answer for.<br /><br />The recently appointed prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Archbishop Raymond Burke, warned of as much during his homily on March 31 of this year for the newly ordained Bishop James Vann Johnston. He quoted St. Gregory the Great whose admonition was inspired by a reading of the prophet Isaiah and the Parable of the Good Shepherd:<br /><br /><em>"The ruler should be discreet in keeping silence and profitable in speech, lest he utter what should be kept secret, or keep secret what should be uttered. For just as incautious speech leads men into error, so, too, unseasonable silence leaves in error those who might have been instructed. Often, indeed, incautious rulers, being afraid of losing human favor, fear to speak freely of what is right, and, in the words of the truth, do not exercise the zeal of shepherds caring for the flock, but serve the role of mercenaries; for when the wolf appears, they flee and hide themselves in silence. Wherefore, the Lord reproves them through the prophet, saying: They are all dumb dogs, not able to bark."</em><br /><br />If there was ever a time in our political history when ecclesial dogs should be barking, it is now. The Supreme Court which legalized abortion on demand for all fifty states in 1973 by a vote of 7-2 is today evenly divided on the issue (4-4) with one justice -- Kennedy -- who can't make up his mind. The average age of the four justices who favor baby-killing is 75. David Souter, the youngest of the bunch, turns 69 in September, while John Paul Stevens celebrated his 88th last April. On the pro-life side, the Chief Justice is 53, Alito is 58, Clarence Thomas is 60, and Scalia is 72.<br /><br />Whoever is elected president this November will, by all estimations, have the chance to appoint at least one new Supreme Court justice and perhaps as many as three. Those to be replaced will most likely be of the pro-abortion persuasion. This means the Court has the potential to swing pro-life for the first time in 35 years, overturning the disaster that was Roe, and drastically slowing the killing (a national genocide with a body count somewhere near 47 million...and climbing).<br /><br />One would think this alone would be cause for bishops everywhere to rally Catholics to the polls and turn the corner on this blemish -- one arguably worse than slavery -- in our nation's history. We have the Republican John McCain who, for all his faults, has a pro-life track record and promises to appoint justices in the mold of Alito and Roberts. And we have one Barack Obama who has made it thus far on promises of hope and change; but not with respect to abortion. With a President Obama there will be no change on the issue of abortion, there will be no hope for unwanted, unborn babies. For when it comes to killing in the womb, he's two enthusiastic thumbs up. And when it comes to a bill ensuring medical care to babies who slipped past the abortionist's knife and into this world, the most he can muster is a senate vote of 'present.' We can be sure each of his appointments to the highest court in the land (as well as our lower courts) will be staunch defenders of a woman's <a href="http://www.abortionno.org/beta">'right to choose.'</a><br /><br />It is almost as though God has set before us life and death, the blessing and the curse. One would think it enough to inspire our bishops to instruct Catholics everywhere to "Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him." (Dt 30:19-20)<br /><br />This, it seems, is too much to ask. From yesterday's news article:<br /><br /><blockquote>"This is the most prickly point," said the Rev. Ronald J. Cioffi, director of the Office of Social Concerns for the Diocese of Trenton. "You may vote for a person who is pro-choice if you feel you have a moral reason to support the candidate for his stand on other issues." </blockquote><br />Yes, this is true -- but it is only permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons. There are few things in this world proportionate to/worse than killing babies, and there are no Hitlers to vote against in 2008, so I'm having not a little trouble with Fr. Cioffi's moral theology and instruction. <br /><br /><blockquote>Cioffi presented an outline of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" at a meeting of about 30 staff members at the diocese's Pastoral Center yesterday. <br /><br />"It's hard to find a candidate who supports all of the church's teaching," Bishop John M. Smith admitted to his staff at the meeting. <br /><br />"It's a difficult time to decide how we're voting, especially this year," Smith said. </blockquote><br />No, not such a difficult decision at all Your Excellency. Admittedly, since Senator Brownback dropped out, it has been hard to find a candidate who supports all of the Church's teaching. Perhaps the blame can go out to the bishops who failed to educate their flocks while he was still in the race. But that's water under the bridge and there are now two men left standing. For a Catholic, the choice could not be any easier. <br /><br /><blockquote>"For those who want to be told what to do -- this document does not tell them," said Rayanne Bennett, chief communications officer for the diocese. </blockquote><br />No doubt there were riots in New Jersey when this hit the news stands from all those Catholics who want to be told what to do.<br /><br /><blockquote>"The reason this is important is no candidate this year and few candidates historically have perfectly lined up with Catholic social teaching," she said. <br /><br />For instance, conservatives who oppose abortion often support the death penalty, Bennett said. The Catholic Church opposes both. </blockquote><br />Wrong. Someone should hand Rayanne a copy of then-Cardinal <a href="http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0503fea2.asp">Ratzinger's memo</a> to the American bishops back in 2004. (Surely Bishop Smith still has his copy laying around somewhere...)<br /><br /><em>"There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."</em> -Cardinal Ratzinger, as Prefect of the CDF<br /><br /><blockquote>"Catholics who vote for Republican presidential candidate John McCain because of his anti-abortion record also are voting for a candidate who supports the war in Iraq -- a war Pope Benedict XVI clearly has opposed. <br /><br />"If you vote for someone who supports the war, be actively involved in trying to change his mind," Bennett said of the bishops' stand.</blockquote><br />She really needs to read the memo. But more to the point, since we were not born yesterday and are well aware that Miss Bennett will be casting her vote for Obama in November, does that mean she will also "be actively involved in trying to change his mind" with regard to his far more problematic stance on abortion? <br /><br />I'm not going to hold my breath.The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-76363374819455832082008-07-29T11:27:00.000-07:002008-07-29T12:42:04.656-07:00Holy Toledo!Dottie Zimmerman of Toledo, OH, and former Ursuline nun has a <a href="http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080712/NEWS10/807120354">gift</a>. For the last five years she's been 'channeling' Padre Pio, who she hears from almost daily.<br /><br /><blockquote>Last month, Mrs. Zimmerman channeled the saint during a meeting of the Toledo Lightworkers Co-op, a group of people who explore alternative spirituality.<br /><br />"He'll make these pithy little comments. He has a wonderful sense of humor," she said. "One of the things that he insists is that we breathe deeply and we laugh - love, laugh, and breathe are his three words."</blockquote><br />Oh, we're laughing, Dottie.<br /><br />Apparently it took a word of encouragement from her adopted daughter, K.C., and her younger brother (and ex-Jesuit priest), Jim Uhl to start listening to the voices she once thought were only imaginary.<br /><br /><blockquote>"In this dream I kept seeing a Merlin character," she said. "… So he [Mr. Uhl] said if he's reoccurring that much, there's some energy there that we need to look into, and he gave me a couple exercises where in fact I would start asking Merlin what he meant or why this happened in the dream. … And I would write answers, and it's like the answers would just come automatically. … Well, pretty soon I couldn't write fast enough, they were just going in the computer, and then one day he just says to me, 'You know, I am not Merlin. I am Padre Pio.'•"</blockquote><br />Then why the funny hat?<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SI9k_OdrHHI/AAAAAAAAAag/19KMHhcsaIg/s1600-h/MERLIN.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SI9k_OdrHHI/AAAAAAAAAag/19KMHhcsaIg/s400/MERLIN.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228508729777527922" /></a><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>"I revered this man. I put him on a pedestal - a big pedestal," she said. "So one day I said to him, 'How come me? You are one of my favorite saints, why are you talking to me?' He said, 'Well, because <strong>you have the gift</strong>. You have something that you have to do with it. <strong>You have this gift</strong> but you weren't accepting it. <strong>The angels kept telling you</strong> but you wouldn't listen, so we sent in the big guns.'•"</blockquote> (emphases mine)<br /><br />The reason I highlight some of Dottie's message is to contrast it with authentic visions approved by the Church. Take, for instance, this communication between Our Blessed Lord and <a href="http://saints.sqpn.com/saintm14.htm">St. Margaret Mary Alacoque</a>:<br /><br />The saint begins by asking, <em>"But, oh Lord, why dost though address Thyself to so miserable a creature, to so poor a sinner, that by her unworthiness she is calculated to hinder the accomplishment of Thy design, when Thou hast so many generous souls to execute Thy desires?"</em><br /><br />He answers, <em>"Dost thou not know that I make use of the weakest subjects to confound the strong? That it is generally in the most insignificant and the poor in spirit that I manifest my power, in order that they may attribute nothing to themselves?"</em><br /><br />She accuses herself of being a miserable creature (remember now, this is a saintly nun living in a convent) and He <strong>confirms</strong> her accusation explaining that it is necessary lest anything be attributed to herself.<br /><br />...but Dottie (a used-to-be-nun), Heaven tells us, "has the gift."<br /><br />This whole story from Toledo would be amusing if only Mrs. Zimmerman were a used-to-be-catechist.<br /><br />She is an award winning teacher of religion at a Catholic school.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SI9wFgj9RUI/AAAAAAAAAao/M7GAbcBT-Nk/s1600-h/dottie"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SI9wFgj9RUI/AAAAAAAAAao/M7GAbcBT-Nk/s400/dottie" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228520932342842690" /></a>The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-25207492301391036212008-07-14T22:49:00.000-07:002008-07-14T23:48:53.574-07:00Where's Waldo?I've already sent out the email, so this would be the follow-up blog post to my fifteen minutes of Traditional-Catholic fame. My use of the word 'fame' is something of a stretch of course. Nowhere is my name to be found, and even my face remains hidden.<br /><br />But I was nothing shy of ecstatic to stumble across a photo of Yours Truly on Fr. Z's popular blog, <a href="http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/04/knoxville-tlm-success-and-eye-candy/">What Does The Prayer Really Say?</a> I'm joined in the picture by a few hundred fellow Catholics who share an appreciation for the Mass of 1962, and my torso from behind is about all you can make out. But there I am just as sure as you're sitting here now.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SHxHFHFtaaI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/A9Q5ry9gcVg/s1600-h/045_IMG_0345.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_XRzn_x3GnPQ/SHxHFHFtaaI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/A9Q5ry9gcVg/s400/045_IMG_0345.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223127820970846626" /></a><br /><br /><br />Among other things, you may be wondering what an obscure Catholic from Seattle is doing at a Latin Mass in Knoxville. I'm glad you asked. My work had sent me for five weeks of training to Oak Ridge, TN, a town just outside of Knoxville. When Saturday rolled around I naturally began the hunt for an orthodox parish in the area. That Saturday happened to be Holy Saturday, and I knew <a href="http://www.allsaintsknoxville.org/">my first choice</a> was a bad one when kneeling in silent prayer moments before Sunday morning Mass the pastor came bustling down the aisle shouting "He is risen!! Be glad! He is risen!"<br /><br />Needless to say I was back on the prowl for a good parish come Divine Mercy Sunday.<br /><br />And I found it. <br /><br />St. John Neumann was still celebrating Mass in their 1970-something excuse for a church. But what they lacked in architecture they made up for in liturgy and worship. I was impressed. All the more so when I learned they were in the process of selling the building to the Presbyterians and <a href="http://sjnknox.org/content/view/1/1/">building a real church</a> at another location.<br /><br />Anyhow, it seems St. John Neumann was supportive and encouraging celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass on a regular basis (in another chapel some few miles away), and was going to do so with their own parish to mark completion of the new church which happened to coincide with the five-week stint I had in Tennessee. Sort of.<br /><br />As you can read in Father's post, there were some delays in the construction. But the scheduling of the Latin Mass had been done months in advance and could not be postponed. So another church had to be used -- the beautiful Holy Ghost Catholic Church.<br /><br />To get an feel for what it was like, you really should read the post at <a href="http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/04/knoxville-tlm-success-and-eye-candy/">WDTPRS</a>.<br /><br />Oh, and if you haven't yet found me...I'm on the left, about five rows from the back wearing a white, long sleeve dress shirt.The Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9003329929042238384.post-31412663598077528562008-07-13T01:07:00.000-07:002008-07-13T01:20:00.237-07:00AntiquatedThere's a rather interesting and insightful interview that you really should see. <a href="http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/sanger_margaret.html">In 1957 Mike Wallace sat down with Margaret Sanger.</a> What an amazing thing to look back more than half a century later and see the train wreck before it happened. <br /><br />Overpopulation, divorce, 'free-love', birth control, homosexuality, moral relativism, new ageism, abortion...and, of course, the Roman Catholic Church. Sanger has thoughts on them all.<br /><br />It was the Catholic Church yesterday. It is the Catholic Church today. It will always be the Catholic Church which does not get along well with the world.<br /><br />H/T: John WhiteThe Herring familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06693214404821651082noreply@blogger.com1