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August 18, 2016 Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ez 36:23-28 Thus says the LORD:I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it.Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.For I will take you away from among the nations,gather you from all the foreign lands,and bring you back to your own land.I will sprinkle clean water upon youto cleanse you from all your impurities,and from all your idols I...

Bloomsbury announces November publication of English versionPope Emeritus Benedict XVI has a new book coming out next month, and it’s just been announced that the title of the English version will be Last Testament: In His Own Words. Bloomsbury announced the publication of the 224-page hardcover book on its website: Last Testament is nearest to an autobiography from the shy and private man who has remained “hidden to the world” in a former convent in the Vatican gardens. He breaks his silence on issues such as: – The “Vatileaks” case in which his butler leaked some of his personal letters...

Vatican expert Dr. Sandro Magister revealed yesterday – a day before the announcement was officially made – the troubling news that Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia has been chosen by Pope Francis to be the new head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, as well as of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Paglia is already the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family. With this decision, Pope Francis makes another move in order to strengthen the progressive direction of his papal teaching concerning moral matters. Paglia is known to be a strong supporter of...

Summoned, Sure, and Strong: Proverbs for Pro-Lifers Msgr. Charles Pope • August 16, 2016 • By way of spiritually preparing for a pro-life project here in my parish and deanery, I asked the Lord to show me any biblical text He wanted me to see. I randomly opened the Bible and my eyes fell on Proverbs 24, which has some very good material for reflection for any and all engaged in pro-life witness.Consider some lessons drawn from the 24th chapter of the Book of Proverbs: OUR SUMMONS – If you remain indifferent in times of adversity, your strength will...

DAY 3 – HOLY VIRGIN OF VIRGINS, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE VIRTUE OF HOPE! GOD’S WORD “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (v 10:23) HEROES’ WORDS “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” -St. Pio of Pietrelcina MEDITATION Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1817). The virtue of hope responds to the...

August 17, 2016 Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ez 34:1-11 The word of the Lord came to me:Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,in these words prophesy to them to the shepherds:Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israelwho have been pasturing themselves!Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?You have fed off their milk, worn their wool,and slaughtered the fatlings,but the sheep you have not pastured.You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sicknor bind up the injured.You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost,but you...

 On the evening of Sunday, August 14, 2016, famed Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won gold in a characteristically dynamic and seemingly effortless 100-meter performance at his third consecutive Olympics, this time in Rio de Janeiro, making him the first athlete to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter dash.Bolt’s rocketry on this celebrated night follows equally impressive performances in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. There is little doubt as to why Bolt is easily regarded as the world’s fastest man.However, perhaps not as readily in the spotlight is notice of Bolt’s deep Catholic faith. In...

Pope Francis is decrying "ideological colonization" of gender ideology. In an interview conducted in late July, published Thursday by the Vatican, the Pope slammed the indoctrination of children by educational institutions. "In Europe, America, Latin America, Africa, and in some countries of Asia, there are genuine forms of ideological colonization taking place," the pontiff claimed, responding to a question from Bp. Christopher Zadarko of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg. And one of these — I will call it clearly by its name — is [the ideology of] 'gender.' Today children — children! — are taught in school that everyone can choose his or her...

Noted theologian Monsignor Nicola Bux strongly criticizes decision to allow readings from the Quran and participation by Muslim imams in liturgies held in several Italian cities. Rome, Italy, Aug 9, 2016 | Among the thousands of people in Rouen cathedral on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016, for the funeral of Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest who was stabbed to death in his church by an Islamist terrorist, were also Muslims and Jews, in a show of solidarity similar to that of interfaith services that took place Sunday, August 31st, in France and Italy. The presence of Muslim delegations at Sunday’s...

The Pope has issued a strange apology: Last Friday, when Francis visited a Rome center for women rescued from prostitution rackets, he delivered an apology for one of these issues through both deeds and words, asking forgiveness from the women there, in the name of Christianity, for the suffering they’ve endured. Although the Vatican didn’t give much information regarding the visit – it usually never does, when these encounters are considered private – Italian Father Aldo Bonaiuto, spiritual director of the Pope John XXIII Community Francis visited, spoke to Vatican Radio about it. “[Francis] used very beautiful, yet very strong...

The Apostles’ Creed (updated version): I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the peaceful nature of Islam. Amen. Or, anyway, that’s how it ought to read according to Monsignor Stuart Swetland, President of Donnelly College in Kansas City. No, Msgr. Swetland didn’t actually propose a revision to the Apostles’ Creed, but he does seem to be saying that Catholics have a religious obligation to affirm that Islam is a religion of peace. In a long statement following up on a radio debate with Robert Spencer on Relevant Radio’s...

Since the beginning of this year, I have been sharing with you the growing concerns of Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong as regards the Vatican’s increasingly conciliatory stance with the Chinese government, which controls the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, an ersatz replacement for the true Chinese Catholic Church, which has been forced underground, and is regularly persecuted. In January, Cardinal Zen warned about a new “formula” allegedly under discussion at the time for the appointment of new Chinese bishops: A recent article “A winter of darkness for religions in China” by Bernardo Cervellera on AsiaNews, says: “From information that has...

DAY 2 – HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE VIRTUE OF FAITH! GOD’S WORD “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) HEROES’ WORDS “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” -Attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas MEDITATION The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to...

The Blessing of Pilgrimage – A Journey in Faith! Msgr. Charles Pope • August 15, 2016 • This coming March (19th – 30th), Patrick Coffin (of Catholic Answers) and I will lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. You are invited to come! Details are available here: Catholic Holy Land Pilgrimage.As I prepare for that trip I recall that one of the greatest moments in my entire life, and certainly in my life as a priest, was celebrating Holy Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at the Latin altar on Golgotha, the very site of the crucifixion....

August 16, 2016 Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ez 28:1-10 The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,say to the prince of Tyre: Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are haughty of heart,you say, “A god am I!I occupy a godly thronein the heart of the sea!”—And yet you are a man, and not a god,however you may think yourself like a god.Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,there is no secret that is beyond you.By your wisdom and your intelligenceyou have made riches for yourself;You have put gold and...

BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) – A major announcement Monday for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay: The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion was officially designated a National Shrine. Bishop David Ricken announced the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help is now designated a national shrine by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as hundreds of pilgrims arrived for the annual August 15 mass celebrating the Solemnity of the Assumption. “We have the unique distinction of being the only place in the United States of America that has an officially approved apparition of the Blessed Mother...

During the month of August, ‘Casa Santa Marta’ in the Vatican is emptied of its guests, but Pope Francis will spend the entire month in the Vatican, just like the past three years. Francis has announced he will forego a traditional papal appointment - the National Eucharistic Congress to take place this year in Genoa from the 15th to the 18th of August, while on the 19th of August the Pope will go to Assisi to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the encounter among religions, organized by the Community of St. Egidio. The Vatican Press Office did not communicate this...

[ELCA News] The 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly took several significant steps Aug. 10 moving forward the mission of this church as a church for the sake of the world. By a vote of 931 to 9, the assembly overwhelmingly accepted the “Declaration on the Way,” a unique ecumenical document that marks a path toward greater unity between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. Following the vote, an emotional assembly stood to applaud the momentous decision. At the heart of the document are 32 “Statements of Agreement” that state where Lutherans and Roman Catholics do not have church-dividing...

Newtown's church becomes one of the first in the world to apologise to LGBTI peopleNEWTOWN’S Catholic Church has become one of the world’s first churches to apologise to LGBTI people for the hurt caused by the action and inaction of Catholic and Christian people and churches. In June, Pope Francis called for an apology to gay and lesbian people and St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Newtown become one of the first to respond holding a Liturgy of Apology organised by the Rainbow Catholic Interagency for Ministry on Friday. “It was difficult to choose which personal stories to share during the...

Robert Spencer says behavior is "suspicious in the extreme"KETTERING, Ohio (ChurchMilitant.com) - Three Arab men were caught recording footage in Ascension Catholic Church in Kettering, Ohio Sunday, claiming they were only "studying" Christianity — but JihadWatch's Robert Spencer is calling their behavior "suspicious in the extreme." The men, who were visiting their families from Saudi Arabia, had all passed background checks and, according to church authorities, simply breached "proper etiquette." While their actions did arouse suspicion, we believe their actions were simply a breach of proper etiquette," a statement on Ascension's website read Thursday morning. "While current evidence suggests that...