Free Republic

September 4, 2005Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Psalm: Sunday 39 Reading IEz 33:7-9 Thus says the LORD:You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, ”and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,the wicked shall die for his guilt,but I will hold you responsible for his death.But if you warn the wicked,trying to turn him from his way,and he refuses to turn from his way,he shall die for his...

Gregorian Chant In the three centuries following the death of Saint Benedict, there emerged in the Western Church a marvelously unified tradition of liturgical music known as Gregorian Chant, taking its name from the sixth century Pope Saint Gregory the Great, who did much to promote the use of the chant.Characterized chiefly by its purely melodic form, without even the simplest harmonies, Gregorian Chant is sometimes known as "plainsong"; the word "plain" being used to distinguish it from the later harmonic music rather than to denote any lack of charm or interest.Noteworthy also is the unmeasured or "free" rhythm:...

September 3, 2005Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Psalm: Saturday 38 Reading ICol 1:21-23 Brothers and sisters:You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds;God has now reconciled youin the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,to present you holy, without blemish,and irreproachable before him,provided that you persevere in the faith,firmly grounded, stable,and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard,which has been preached to every creature under heaven,of which I, Paul, am a minister. Responsorial PsalmPs 54:3-4, 6 and 8 R. (6) God himself is my help.O...

This time it’s going to take more than writing a check.We have lost a city. We have lost a major city. There are a million homeless, desperate people overwhelming northern Louisiana and Mississippi, and pressing into Arkansas, Texas and elsewhere. Their homes are gone, their jobs are gone, and they won’t be going back for months, if ever. I believe that they will never go home. FEMA can rebuild the homes, but they can’t never rebuild the businesses. Those businesses will rebuild elsewhere. They will move to higher ground, and they will remember the looting. The parts of Washington DC...

RELATED NEWS: Catholic Church responds massively to Katrina refugees US Bishops issue call to help poorest dioceses affected by Katrina New Orleans Archbishop Hughes survives Katrina; continues to minister to fellow refugees US Bishops announce national collection for Hurricane Katrina relief Pro-life group criticizes Planned Parenthood for hurricane ‘publicity stunt’Stafford, VA, Sep. 02, 2005 (CNA) - Jim Sedlak, president of American Life League’s STOPP International group, heavily criticized Planned Parenthood this week for what he sees as a marketing stunt aimed at victims of Hurricane Katrina. Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas has offered free so-called “emergency contraceptives”...

RELATED NEWS: Catholic school honoring pro-abortion official, pro-lifers plan protest Catholic teachers rally to kick off school year Cardinal Newman Society calls for removal of ‘pro-choice’ Catholic college professors Mass. bishop attends program on Spanish language and culture in Mexico Back to school: Magisterium-friendly Catholic Colleges see largest enrollment everSteubenville, Sep. 02, 2005 (CNA) - Most people have never heard of Front Royal, Virginia or Steubenville, Ohio, but for throngs of faithful Catholics, these places are like small icons. Both towns are home to colleges who boast both faithfulness to the teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church and record...

KATRINA-ORDERS Sep-2-2005 (1,040 words) xxxn Hurricane devastation challenges religious orders, Catholic colleges By Jerry FilteauCatholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Gulf Coast devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in late August posed major challenges to some Catholic religious orders with headquarters or educational institutions in the hurricane's path. With the entire city of New Orleans being evacuated and shut down for months, the fall semester appeared to be entirely lost for the three Catholic colleges and universities there. The Jesuits' Loyola University of New Orleans has about 6,000 students. Xavier University of Louisiana, run by the Sisters of the Blessed...

September 2, 2005Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Friday 38 Reading ICol 1:15-20 Brothers and sisters:Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn of all creation.For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,the visible and the invisible,whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;all things were created through him and for him.He is before all things,and in him all things hold together.He is the head of the Body, the Church.He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,that in all things he himself might be preeminent.For in him all the fullness...

Psalm 17 (18): 2-7, 17I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord s my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support. Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies. The sorrows of death surround me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me. The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me. In my afflication I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my...

Louisiana, Mississippi Dioceses Devastated By Hurricane; Poorest Dioceses Hurt The Most WASHINGTON (September 1, 2005)—Dioceses in Louisiana and Mississippi face unparalleled devastation from Hurricane Katrina, reports from bishops in several of the dioceses indicate. The reports came in to the offices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops shortly after USCCB officials e-mailed and faxed the bishops of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama August 30 to advise them that USCCB president, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane (WA), had called for a national collection and prayers in churches for those afflicted by the disastrous hurricane. Some bishops in the affected...

Catholic Church Provides Food, Facilities, Medical Services For Gulf Coast People Displaced By Katrina WASHINGTON (September 1, 2005)--Catholic Church facilities nationwide, and especially in Louisiana, Mississippi and East Texas, are responding to emergency and long-term needs by providing shelters, food, medicine and schooling for Hurricane Katrina refugees. Virtually all dioceses nationwide planned parish collections the first weekends of September. In addition, further immediate assistance is coming through everything from Catholic Charities agencies, St. Vincent DePaul Societies, Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, parishes, retreat centers and families. Examples abound. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, where well over 30,000 storm refugees relocated from...

A Difficult Thing For Good People To Do And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, "These things says He whohas the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:  'I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.'" Revelation 3:1 It is difficult for good people to see that they need to seek God beyond the boundaries of their comfortable lifestyle.  The church in Sardis, for example, was made up of people who saw themselves as respectably good.  And others also saw them as praiseworthy.  We ourselves would...

KATRINA-BISHOPS Sep-1-2005 (800 words) xxxn Most bishops in hurricane's path accounted for By Mark PattisonCatholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Efforts by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Washington headquarters to get through to bishops whose dioceses were in the path of Hurricane Katrina generally met with success in the initial days after the hurricane, as power and telephone outages left bishops and laity alike incommunicado. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast Aug. 29. As of the morning of Sept. 1, the USCCB had yet not heard from Bishop Sam G. Jacobs of Houma-Thibodaux, La., but had heard...

September 1, 2005Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Thursday 38 Reading ICol 1:9-14 Brothers and sisters:From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for youand asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s willthrough all spiritual wisdom and understandingto walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruitand growing in the knowledge of God,strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,for all endurance and patience,with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to sharein...

ROMA, September 1, 2005 – Benedict XVI often enjoys speaking off the cuff. This is also true in the case of very demanding topics. He did so in his remarks to the priests of Valle d’Aosta, during his vacation in the mountains, at the end of July. He did it in his homily for the feast of the Assumption of Mary, in the little church of Castel Gandolfo. And he did so in Cologne, in his August 19 address to the representatives of the Protestant and Orthodox Churches. On that day, the journalists had received an advance copy of...

New York, NY - Following the devastating landfall of Hurricane Katrina on the shores of the Gulf Coast, Orthodox Churches throughout the United States and the world are responding to assist with the relief effort. The powerful storm hit portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama on Monday. Reports are stating that 80% of the city of New Orleans is flooded, and power and communications systems are not functioning throughout the region. In response to the disaster, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America called on all Orthodox faithful to offer their prayers and resources to meet the needs of hundreds of...

August 31, 2005Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Wednesday 38 Reading ICol 1:1-8 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,and Timothy our brother, to the holy ones and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,when we pray for you,for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesusand the love that you have for all the holy onesbecause of the hope reserved for you in heaven.Of this you have already heard...

Catholic League president: Church must start playing hardball against victimization New York, Aug. 30, 2005 (CNA) - Yesterday, William Donahue, president of the Catholic League for religious and civil rights called recent verbal attacks on Archbishop William Levada, and legal bullying in the diocese of Spokane, WA, “outrageous” and “no longer about” the alleged victims of the sexual abuse scandal. “The sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church”, he said, “is no longer about the alleged victims—they have had their day in court—it is about the victimization of the Catholic Church. The time has come for the Catholic Church to...

Diocese to appeal court decision that parishes can be liquidated; claims breach of church/state separation Spokane, Aug. 30, 2005 (CNA) - Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Washington has announced that his diocese will appeal a federal court ruling which, on Friday, declared all parishes in the diocese assets which can be liquidated to pay for claims by alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests. Bishop Skylstad, who also holds the post of president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement released from Eastern Europe, where he is currently traveling, that"The court's decision has national consequences.” “Its...

August 30, 2005Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Tuesday 38 Reading I1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11 Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,you have no need for anything to be written to you.For you yourselves know very wellthat the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.When people are saying, "Peace and security,"then sudden disaster comes upon them,like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,for that day to overtake you like a thief.For all of you are children of the light and...