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CNA).- Vitorrio Messori, the most popular Italian Catholic writer has slammed so-called “adult” Catholics who want to minimize the role of the Virgin Mary, just days before the presentation of his new book “Hypothesis About Mary” in Spain. The best-selling author of books such as “Crossing the Threshold of Hope,” addresses who Mary is for believers in his new work, the credibility of apparitions in Lourdes and Fatima and Mary’s role in Christian belief.  The new book has yet to be translated into English.Messori confesses that years ago he was asked to write a book about Mary, but the proposal...

YOUTUBE PRESENTATION - Planned Parenthood sends out fundraising letter for Mother's Day

Abortion is back in the news yet, understandably, many women still find it difficult to talk about. Here Lucy Cavendish – who has been through it twice – offers a candid view Virtually every woman I know of my generation has had an abortion. The problem is that no one talks about it. It is hidden away as if it were a dirty secret. This week, however, every time I've opened a newspaper or turned on the radio, abortion has been the topic du jour. First, Conservative MP Nadine Dorries called for the legal limit for terminations to be...

Text size – + Chelsea Clinton sends a Mother's Day tribute With Mother's Day on Sunday and with a campaign on the ropes, Hillary Clinton today released a video featuring her daughter Chelsea that makes public for the first time some family snapshots of Chelsea growing up. It also features some very personal feelings from a former first daughter whose privacy the Clintons have tried to protect ever since their days in the White House, but who has taken on a more public role in recent weeks stumping for her mother. "I’d like to tell you about my mom," an...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2008 – President Bush praised America’s mothers, especially those who’ve lost sons or daughters during the war on terror and those who gave their lives in service to their country, during his weekly radio address yesterday. An excerpt from the president’s remarks follows: “On this Mother’s Day weekend, we think of the many mothers who raised the brave men and women serving our country in uniform. And to those mothers, I offer the thanks of a grateful nation. “Your sons and daughters are defending our freedom with dignity and honor, and America appreciates the sacrifices that...

My sincerest wishes for a Happy Mother's Day go out to you all, especially to any Gold Star or Blue Star Mothers out there. "Blessed are the mothers of warriors. For their hearts must be that much stronger."

The Most Popular U.S. Baby Names Forget Britney and Brad—Americans can’t get enough of Emily and Jacob. Once again, those top the list of the nation’s favorite baby names, according to the Social Security Administration, which tracks names based upon card applications for newborns. This Mother’s Day, PARADE has the exclusive first look at the most popular names for girls and boys in 2007. To see more names popular around the country, as well as America’s favorite baby names of the last century, click here. Boys 1 Jacob (#1 since 1999) 2 Michael (last year: #2) 3 Ethan (#4) 4...

Time will heal all sorrow At least that's what they say And maybe-maybe I'll be healed Of this sadness some bright day...

ATLANTA - Former President Jimmy Carter often sent his mother to meet with foreign dignitaries and attend state funerals, but it wasn't until he started researching a new book about her life that he learned just what the woman known as "Miss Lillian" did on those visits. "Mama had developed a reputation for expressing unorthodox opinions and not being constrained by any outside advice," Carter writes in "A Remarkable Mother," which chronicles Lillian's life from her birth in 1898 to her death from cancer in 1983. "The officials in the State Department were always quite nervous about what she would...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryMay 10, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today is my daughter Jenna's wedding day. This is a joyous occasion for our family, as we celebrate the happy life ahead of her and her husband Henry. It's also a special time for Laura, who this Mother's Day weekend will watch a young woman we raised together walk down the aisle. Mother's Day is a special time for mothers all across America. On this holiday, we pause to celebrate the love and compassion of the women who have...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading post-abortion women's group is upset that Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards exploited Mother's Day for fundraising for the nation's largest abortion business. Planned Parenthood also came under fire for saying promoting abortion is more important than civil rights.As LifeNews.com reported this week, Richards honored Mother's Day by sharing part of an editorial her daughter wrote saying she got her pro-abortion views from her mother and grandmother, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.Richard couldn't wait until the third paragraph of her Mother's Day letter to PPFA supporters to ask them to open their wallets."This Mother's...

It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by FTD and Hallmark, but people have been taking time on the calendar to give a shout-out to Mom for a long time. The Greeks and Romans had mother goddess festivals—although their celebrations didn't involve the menfolk taking their underappreciated mothers out to dinner. A more recent tradition was Mothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday during Lent young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were allowed to return to their "mother churches," which usually meant...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Actresses Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow are at it again, asking abortion advocates across the country to donate money to the nation's largest abortion business. In an email Friday prior to Mother's Day, the mother and daughter Hollywood stars primped the pump for more donations for Planned Parenthood. "We are Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow, and this is the third time we've written a Mother's Day letter to people like you who support Planned Parenthood," they wrote in the email LifeNews.com received. The pair apparently believe promoting abortion is the best way to honor mothers. "We...

LITTLE ROCK - It’s a happy Mother’s Day for an Arkansas woman — she’s pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year’s Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins. "We’ve had three in January, three in December. Those two months are a busy time for us," she said, laughing.

All of us were guided by our mother's voice, wisdom and common sense, even if we didn't think so at the time. Whether we remember what she said fondly, or try to forget these phrases, they are still part of us. Ultimately, without even realizing it, we pass them along to our children, who will in most likelihood pass it on to their children. Here are a few that maybe you will remember!!!"Someday your face will freeze like that!" "You kids are trying to drive me crazy!" When you don't listen to your Mother, that's when you get into trouble....

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, has a message for moms: send us more money. Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, sent out a fund-raising request this week one pro-life advocate says is grotesque. Richards honored mother's day by sharing part of an editorial her daughter wrote saying she got her pro-abortion views from her mother and grandmother, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards. "It's true that I have had lots of rewarding moments in my career. So did my mother," Cecile wrote in the...

This article by Rebecca Eckler, author of Toddlers Gone Wild!, is so offensive in so many ways it's hard to know where to begin. Here's one. Rebecca writes: "On behalf of my four-year-old, who has a Yahoo account in her name, I recently sent an e-mail to her father, who lives in Alberta. "'Hi Daddy,' I typed, as my daughter was fast asleep. 'Mommy has been talking about Mother's Day. I only have 143 pennies in my piggy bank. She's the best mommy ever. She's been pretty exhausted. I'd like to get her something nice. Can you help? Love you.'...

05/06/2008 DON JACOBS: Memories of Mom and peach tree switches By: Don Jacobs , The Enterprise Sunday will be Mothers Day, so it's not too early to begin thinking of appreciative ways to express love toward those who live and fond remembrances for the ones no longer with us There are as many ways to commemorate the special occasion as there are mothers, and while all moms are unique, they generally share certain qualities. Perhaps readers will picture their own as I recall mine. Strict? She invented the word, or at least I thought so at 9. I would do...

LifeNews.com Note: Maria Vitale is a LifeNews.com Opinion Columnist and the Education Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. Vitale has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio. Mother's Day will be bittersweet in some segments of our nation this year.For some women, there will be no flowers, no chocolates—just the painful memory of a child lost forever to abortion.It may seem incongruous to talk about abortion in connection with Mother's Day. After all, this is a holiday meant to celebrate the amazing, life-affirming gift of motherhood. Yet,...

Soldiers' Angels founder Patti Patton Bader will appear on NBC's Today show on May 5, during the nine o'clock hour. She has been selected as a semi-finalist in NBC/Teleflora's America's Favorite Mom contest. Votes based on her appearance on the show with two other military moms will determine whether she moves on to the final round. On Mother's Day (May 11), NBC will broadcast a prime-time special featuring the crowning of "America's Favorite Mom," the results of which will be determined by how many votes are received from May 5 to May 9. Each mother can only receive votes during...

My father is a Korean War Vet and a retired policeman. I'm sure many of you feel your father's are amazing but I believe that mine is truly amazing and that's why I nominated him for Mr. Mom for mother's day. You see in addition to working a highly stressful job, in a metropolitan city that saw riots in the sixties and often recognized for being the murder capital of the United States. A friend of mine saw a contest which would allow you to name your recognize your father for mother's day and passed this on to me. You...

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- Maria Meneses has a vision, but in order to see it through, she needs help. The vision: to deliver a rose to all female patients in nursing homes on Mother's Day. Her inspiration came from a desire to pay tribute to her late mother, Eneyda Meneses, who cared for a sick aunt in a nursing home for many years. "I don't have a mom. How else can I celebrate?" said Meneses, a parishioner of St. Patrick's on Miami Beach who made an Emmaus retreat eight years ago. One of the central themes of Emmaus is...

Why motherhood is the greatest job of all22:13pm 29th February 2008 Motherhood is denigrated as never before. Yet here, in a tribute to Mums everywhere, the Mail's Allison Pearson says it's still the most joyous (and important) job in the world. Situation vacant: challenging managerial position in busy small organisation. Would suit flexible, energetic female who doesn't need any sleep. Shifts last 24 hours a day. Boss comes on holiday with you. You will be expected to be a teacher, a cook, a nurse, a chauffeur, a health and safety adviser, a cleaner, a management consultant and an agony aunt. Must...

Mother's Day is, to be honest, somewhat of an annoyance. It's manifestly one of those tedious Hallmark holidays wherein everyone is supposed to run out and support the revenue stream of cardboard manufacturers in the name of expressing gratitude to mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone else to whom we might be related. I imagine it won't be long until Sept. 18 is declared Anonymous Sperm Donor's Day, which will probably be celebrated by giving matching card sets to one's two mommies and lighting a candle for dear old anonymous sperm donor, whoever he might be. Mothers are not only important,...

A point of pride in my family is that my great-aunt, mother of my late Uncle Harvey Goodman, was once named Mother of the Year in New Hampshire. She was the mother of 13 children, and despite the family's very limited financial resources, 12 of them made it to college and went on to raise families and be good, productive members of society. That's the kind of story that, in the good old days, the CBS Evening News might have featured on Mothers Day. But times have changed. A lot. So to whom did the Evening News send its...

Every time the doctor looked at a new ultrasound of the baby growing inside her belly, he smiled: "Joy, you're going to have a beautiful baby girl." And then, on April 10, 1985, Joy gave birth to a 6-pound, 9-ounce baby boy. "He's my gift from God," the proud mother told her surprised doctor. On Mother's Day, Joy Marsico has long delighted in sharing the story that she says proves that medicine is as much art as science. "It's such a fun story," she said Thursday as she stood at a grave site at Palm Mortuary cemetery on Eastern Avenue,...

Growing up as a young girl there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a mother one day. Yes, there were other goals that I wanted to fulfill but I always thought that I could do it all. I could get an education, have a respectable career, prepare to be involved in a ministry of some kind, travel to exciting places, meet the man of my dreams and still include motherhood in my future. It happened that way, except in reverse order, and I’m so glad it did because God knew best. Putting motherhood at...

Mom's pride 25 years after his bleak beginning, adopted crack baby earns law degree Parents' love proves ultimate cure Dennis McCarthy, Columnist LA Daily News The kid came into this world with two strikes against him. Then he hit a home run. Ila Pawley became his mom. "I got lucky. So lucky," D.D. Pawley said Friday as he slipped on his cap and gown. "If it wasn't for her love and all the sacrifices she made for me, I wouldn't be standing here today." A young man with a bright future, getting his law degree from the Sandra Day O'Connor...

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Luke 1:28 "And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you."  The Greek kecharitomene means favored by grace, graced. Its tense suggests a permanent state of being "highly favored," thus full of grace. Charity, the divine love within us, comes from the same root. God is infinite Goodness, infinite Love. Mary is perfect created goodness, filled to the limit of her finite being with grace or charity. Blessed art thou among women Luke 1:41-42a "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in...

      For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.       Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!                                   FROM ONE MEAN MOMWe had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our...

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter*), "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England. During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day...

Y'all know the rules. No spittin', kickin', gougin', cussin', listin', or disobeying the grand poobah of the neeners, the Lord High Protector, yada, yada, rights and privileges apertaining thereunto. Special dispensations, indulgences, awards granted solely at the whim of the Lord High Protector. Absolutely NO lists!

(not to be cheesy, but....)Happy Mother's Day to all moms!!!And who said Mom's can't be silly? Being a Mother! Somebody said a mother is an unskilled laborer . . . Somebody never gave a squirmy infant a bath. Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby... Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother "normal" is now history. Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back . . .Somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies. Somebody said a...

LA HABRA, Calif. — An Orange County man cut off his mother's head with a circular saw and then died after trying to decapitate himself, authorities said. Police answered a 911 report of a family dispute at a Pinehurst Avenue home just after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, entered a locked bedroom and found the body of 60-year-old Guadalupe Ruiz on a bed, police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said. Arthur Ruiz Jr., 32, was on another bed with the saw nearby. He had died of neck injuries, police said. It was unclear why Ruiz attacked his mother, police said. A child and three...

A school has banned the making of Mother’s Day cards because the headteacher does not want to upset children without a mother. Helen Starkey has ended the tradition in the interests of "sensitivity". "More than five per cent of children here are separated from their birth mother and have either no contact or no regular contact with their mother," she said. "This decision was not taken because of any philosophical attitude towards the celebration of Mothering Sunday, but to protect a significant number of children in our school. "In all our dealings with these children we have to exercise great...

Orange County Judge Dismiss Case Against Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim http://www.knx1070.com/pages/203493.php?contentType=4&contentId=304887 SANTA ANA, CA (AP) -- A judge has dismissed a lawsuit claiming the Angels discriminated against men by giving tote bags to women during a Mother's Day baseball game. Orange County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Cannon ruled Thursday that the giveaway was not biased against men and that the May 8, 2005, event was a way to honor mothers. The lawsuit, filed by Los Angeles psychologist Michael Cohn, claimed thousands of men and fans under age 18 were each entitled to $4,000 in damages because they were treated...

What I really wanted for Mother's Day was my mother. For the first time in my life, this was not possible. My mother passed away four days before Christmas. This Mother's Day, I am a child (OK, really a middle-aged woman) without a mother. Those who have lost their mothers can understand the depth of the grieving you go through at any age. It is club you do not want to be a member of. But after you join, you seek out the others because only they understand the sadness that settles. Denial works for a while - until a...

Hallmark is diabolical. Its stores and ubiquitous card displays blare: "Mother's Day is May 14!" I pass the elegant, the humorous, and the flowery tributes to moms and feel like as little lost child. My mother's long and valiant battle for life ended just four months ago. Before the jewelers and internet matriarchal spammers hit, I had managed to step back onto life's moving walkway. Following the funeral, I had opted to stroll along manually and watch mortal fools hurry, rush, and cell-phone their ways to fame, fortune, or perhaps just a commission. Thanks to the marvels of marketing, the...

HOR AL BASH, Iraq, May 14, 2006 – In another place and in another time, Army Staff Sgt. Timothy Long may have been loading up the family to take them to a Mother's Day brunch. Instead, he was briefing his C Troop, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry team on the mission they were about to perform. A cavalry scout escorts an Iraqi to his car near Taji, Iraq, during a Mothers Day "presence patrol." The car was broken down at the side of the road. Soldiers check out all of these in case the occupants are using a ruse to...

Happy Mother's Day to all those who've earned it by the good graces and much effort of their dedication and love.

A four-year-old Greenwood boy will release a bunch of balloons today, hoping the wind will carry them and the messages of love they contain to his mother serving with the Canadian military in Afghanistan. Cpl. Karri Allison is a medic and single mom who was sent to Kandahar in February, leaving her son, Alexei, in the care of her own mother, Heather Allison. "We’re going to set off balloons with messages inside to his mother in Afghanistan and hope they float to her," Mrs. Allison said. "We’re hoping that if somebody does find them and read the messages they’ll realize...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI renewed his attack on homosexual "marriage" yesterday, saying Christians must defend marriage as a "pillar of humanity" benefiting both believers and nonbelievers. Calling on the faithful to stand up for traditional notions of marriage and procreation in the face of moves to recognize same-sex unions, he said: "Such a witness can only stimulate politicians and legislators to safeguard the rights of the family. "It's well-known that legal solutions like so-called 'civil unions' are gaining ever-greater acceptance, even if, while they exclude the responsibilities of marriage, they claim the same rights," he said in a...

Happy Mother's Day to All

MOTHERS across the world will be pampered by loved ones as they sleep in today, but Heather Callister will be unloading a plane in war-torn Iraq. Sgt Callister is a Detachment Commander in Baghdad for the Australian military. She's also the mother of a three-year-old son. After almost a decade at Victoria's Puckapunyal military base, the young mother was sent to Baghdad in early February. She won't have time for any Mother's Day festivities her son Mathew and husband Aaron Callister may have otherwise planned. "What can I say? We work seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Sgt...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady are spending the Mother's Day weekend at Camp David with family and invited guests, including former Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Following are two significant, if little noticed news items (to read the entire articles or just view the sources, click the links embedded in the titles). Cautious Optimism for President Bush's ID Theft Executive OrderPresident Bush this week created an "ID theft prevention" task force by executive order, and Internet security executives are reacting positively, if cautiously, to the new federal initiative. "This task force should help improve coordination...

Randi Anderson knew she was on her own the day her son was born 22 months ago when she drove herself to the hospital. Long before Anderson pulled up to Swedish Medical Center, her film-school boyfriend was gone. Twenty hours after she arrived at the hospital, she joined the growing ranks of single mothers. It is a group that often feels isolated, suffers higher-than-normal rates of depression and believes it carries a stigma in a culture that celebrates marriage. "I certainly feel like it's written across my face," Anderson, 34, said. "We've been told it's not OK to be a...

Is nothing sacred to her? (Of course, I kid.)Behold the momentous tidings from the latest Code Pink press release:Susan Sarandon, Cindy Sheehan, Randi Rhodes, Dolores Huerta, and Patch Adams Will Lead 24-Hour Mother’s Day Peace Vigil at White HouseMothers nationwide call for peace in Iraq and IranSAN FRANCISCO / WASHINGTON - May 11 - This weekend, on May 13-14, 2006, celebrities, peace activists, mothers and families will gather in front of the White House from 3pm on Saturday until 3pm on Sunday to call for an end to the war in Iraq and stand against a military attack on Iran....

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2006 – Spending Mother's Day thousands of miles away from their kids is going to be no picnic for more than 7,400 military moms deployed in support of the war on terror. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christine Buckley, deployed to Djibouti with Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, has been home only twice to celebrate Mother's Day with her sons, ages 8 and 6. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert S. Taylor, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Many say they're planning their own celebrations thinking of their children and calling home,...

ABOARD USS RONALD REAGAN, At Sea (NNS) -- Mothers aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) received a warm embrace from Sailors from the Supply Department as a special luncheon celebration was prepared for them on the aft mess decks May 10. The ceremony was designed to celebrate Mother’s Day for the hundreds of mothers assigned to Ronald Reagan, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 7 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, who will be away from their children on the special day. Culinary Specialists, food service attendants and members of the ship's 3 & 2 Association provided the...

This upcoming Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s the day when Americans remember and celebrate the contributions and sacrifices their moms have made on their behalf. In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like to tell you a story about one mother whose devotion shaped not only her son’s life but countless others, as well. Her name was Monica. A Christian, she was married to a prominent man who wasn’t a believer. He was unfaithful and even beat her at times. Monica’s response was to go to church every day and pray for his conversion. She hoped that by setting a godly...