Catholic Voters Take Note

Dear CatholicVoteAction.org Member,

You're not going to be believe this.

Planned Parenthood is asking Catholics to call Congress and demand taxpayer support for abortion. The billion-dollar organization already receives over $300 million in taxpayer money, and stands to strike it rich if nothing is changed in the current health care legislation. So this week the nation’s biggest abortion provider sent out an urgent message to counter the growing opposition by Catholics to taxpayer-funded abortion contained in the current health care bills.

The Catholic Bishops sprung into action late last week, announcing their strong opposition to the current health care legislation because the bills include taxpayer support for abortion and fail to provide a conscience clause for doctors.

The Bishops have asked all Catholics to petition Congress to remove any support for abortion from the health care bill. So Planned Parenthood is attacking the Catholic Bishops and calling their actions “dangerous.”

Here’s what Planned Parenthood’s President Cecile Richards said in a message this week to her supporters: “If you’re Catholic and you disagree with the bishops, please let your legislators know when you send your message. Your voice as a pro-choice Catholic needs to be heard NOW.”

What?!! How can you be a Catholic and support abortion, the killing of millions of our brothers and sisters?

The phones are ringing in the halls of Congress. Will activists claiming to be Catholic and pro-abortion be the only ones calling?

TAKE ACTION NOW

In the next 48 hours, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to try and ram through a vote to prevent any amendment from being offered to the current legislation. The vote on a “closed rule” would slam the door on any effort to offer a pro-life amendment to the healthcare bill.

Catholics, pro-life advocates and all people of faith need to move quickly!

Call 202-224-3121. Tell your Member of Congress to VOTE NO on the “closed rule” for H.R. 3962. Tell them to allow a vote on the Stupak Amendment.

If you do not know your representative, look him or her up here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt - With this directory you can lookup your Representative's local office phone number. Representatives pay more attention to calls made to their local office.

A bipartisan group led by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) want to amend the healthcare bill by adding pro-life protections. This is what the Catholic bishops have asked for, and what an overwhelming majority of Americans want.

Here’s what the Associated Press reported Oct. 23: “Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail, since it likely would attract the votes of most Republicans as well as some Democrats. So Democratic leaders won’t let Stupak offer it.”

If you have already called or written your Member of Congress, it is urgent that you contact them again right now.

So much is on the line. The Bishops know it. Planned Parenthood and Nancy Pelosi know it. Send this email to all your friends and family. And call your Representative at 202-224-3121 today!

Sincerely,

Brian Burch, President
CatholicVoteAction.org

A Good Cause

(this came into my email box, a very good cause for a courageous little girl and her family)

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910130331

Just wanted to share this article with you. http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910130331

Don't forget to check out www.stelladot.com/laurawalters - Stop SMA receives a portion of the proceeds.

Also, take a look at www.stopsma.org



Have a great day!

Letitia

Belmont Abbey Needs Help

Belmont Abbey is under attack by the current administration which is seeking to force this Catholic college to abandon it's faith. This is being done by the Federal government's attempt to force this Catholic institution into providing funding for abortions via their employees' health insurance plan. The Obama administration is using the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to strong arm the college into abandoning its faith. The EEOC has ruled that Belmont Abbey is violating Federal anti discrimination laws because it does not support and provide abortions to its women employees. The small and very courageous college has chosen to fight back and is using The Becket Fund.

Immediate support is needed for the defense of Belmont Abbey College. One can make a donation by using this link.

The Becket Fund

The attorneys and staff who make the Becket Fund so effective are not just another group of talented people doing good work. Their work is more than 'good' it is vital.

Archbishop Charles J Chaput

Catholic Colleges

ANNOUNCING: THE CARDINAL NEWMAN SOCIETY’S NEWLY EXPANDED, FREE ONLINE GUIDE TO CATHOLIC COLLEGES!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

If the Notre Dame scandal demonstrated that too many Catholic colleges do not fully embrace their mission as Catholic institutions, the colleges recommended in The Newman Guide are faith-filled examples of how a contemporary college can provide a quality education while remaining vibrantly Catholic.

Below I have included for you breaking information on today’s release of the new, second edition of this one-of-a-kind Guide for Catholic families.

For the first time we have made the entire contents of The Newman Guide available as a free online resource in addition to a handsome printed book (for purchase).

Just as Catholic families need these Newman Guide colleges, the colleges need your support and encouragement! Please help spread the word the about these terrific Catholic colleges by forwarding this message to friends and family.

May God bless you!

Yours in Christ,

Patrick J. Reilly

President

P.S. For 16 years The Cardinal Newman Society has been working to renew Catholic higher education, and we could not do it without the support of people like you. If you value our work fighting scandals and promoting renewal—and always with completely fidelity to the Magisterium—please consider making a gift to support our efforts. Thank you!

New Guide Recommends Faithful Catholic Colleges

Entire Contents of Guide Available as a Free Online Resource for Catholic Families

Manassas, Va.—Today The Cardinal Newman Society published a new, second edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, a unique resource for parents and students seeking a faithful Catholic education.

This comprehensive Guide recommends 21 colleges and universities in the United States plus eight international, online and unique programs based on the strength of their Catholic identity. In addition, the Guide includes several essays to help families better understand the search for a strong Catholic college.

The culmination of four years of research and hundreds of interviews, this edition of The Newman Guide builds substantially on the successful first edition which was published on All Saints Day in 2007. All told more than 8,000 copies of that edition were distributed to Catholic leaders and families.

“When we published the original Newman Guide in 2007 we did not know what to expect, but we found that families were eagerly searching for help in identifying Catholic colleges that truly embrace their Catholic mission in all facets of campus life,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society and one of the editors of the second edition of the Guide.

“The mission of The Cardinal Newman Society is to help renew Catholic higher education, and we can think of no better way to do that than by offering this edition of The Newman Guide as a book but also as a free online resource. We are doing this so that as many Catholic families as possible are able to learn about the quality academics and faithful campus life available at the recommended colleges,” said Reilly.

Every college or program recommended in the Guide includes a complete profile that examines academics, governance, spiritual life, student activities, and residence life. New additions to this edition’s profiles are a letter to families from each college president as well as information on financial aid packages.

The online version of the college profiles include additional campus pictures and videos, open house and other event details, as well as a form to request admissions or financial aid information directly from the college.

The recommended Catholic colleges are:

§ Aquinas College, Nashville, Tenn.

§ Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fla.

§ Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C.

§ Benedictine College, Atchison, Kan.

§ The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

§ Christendom College, Front Royal, Va.

§ The College of Saint Thomas More, Fort Worth, Tex.

§ DeSales University, Center Valley, Pa.

§ Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, Oh.

§ Holy Apostles College & Seminary, Cromwell, Conn.

§ John Paul the Great Catholic University, San Diego, Calif.

§ Magdalen College, Warner, N.H.

§ Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, Md.

§ Providence College, Providence, R.I.

§ St. Gregory’s University, Shawnee, Okla.

§ Southern Catholic College, Dawsonville, Ga.

§ Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.

§ The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack, N.H.

§ University of Dallas, Irving, Tex.

§ University of St. Thomas, Houston, Tex.

§ Wyoming Catholic College, Lander, Wyo.

A new section in this edition of The Newman Guide recommends international, online and unique Catholic colleges and programs to help provide options to families looking for non-traditional ways to obtain a faithful Catholic education.

The recommended international, online and unique programs are:

§ Angelicum Great Books Program, online

§ Campion College, Old Toongabbie, Australia

§ Catholic Distance University, online

§ Our Lady of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Tex.

§ Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada

§ Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (“the Angelicum”), Rome, Italy

§ Redeemer Pacific University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada

§ St. Bede’s Hall, Oxford, England

In addition to the recommended college profiles, The Newman Guide includes several essays to help families put the search for a Catholic college in context.

The essays are:

§ A foreword by Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.,
co-chairman of The Cardinal Newman Society’s National Advisory Board

§ “The Status of Catholic Higher Education,” by Patrick J. Reilly,
president of The Cardinal Newman Society

§ “Finding God on a Catholic Campus,” by Father C. John McCloskey, Ill,
a well-known spiritual advisor and college chaplain

§ “Why Study Philosophy and Theology,” by Dr. Peter Kreeft,
a well-respected author and professor

§ “The Value of a Catholic Education,” by Eileen Cubanski,
founder and executive director of the National Association of
Private, Catholic and Independent Schools

§ “Can You Afford a Catholic Education,” by Phil Lenahan,
president of Veritas Financial Ministries and Our Sunday Visitor columnist

§ “What’s Catholic About Campus Living,” by Kathryn Jean Lopez,
editor-at-large of National Review Online and a frequent writer on Catholic issues

A study of the first edition’s recommended colleges by The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education found that these institutions were not just faithful to their Catholic missions, but were generally also more affordable than other Catholic and private colleges and universities. That study is available online at CatholicHigherEd.org.

“If last spring’s Notre Dame scandal highlighted that there is still a long way to go to renew Catholic higher education, the colleges recommended in The Newman Guide are a prime example of how it is possible to have a quality academic program while remaining strongly Catholic,” said Tom Mead, executive vice president of The Cardinal Newman Society and one of The Newman Guide’s editors.

“As a Catholic father concerned with helping my children get to Heaven, I am personally grateful that there are so many options for a faithful, liberal arts education at the Newman Guide colleges. Our great hope in publishing this edition of the Guide is that tens of thousands of Catholic families will be introduced to these campuses where strong Catholic identity is a priority.”

The complete Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College is available at TheNewmanGuide.com.

Founded in 1993, The Cardinal Newman Society is dedicated to renewing and strengthening Catholic identity at Catholic colleges and universities. The Society focuses its work on assisting students, school officials and alumni; urging fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church; and researching activities both on campus and in the classroom. The Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization supported by more than 20,000 individuals. More than 367,000 individuals signed its 2009 petition concerning the Notre Dame commencement scandal.

In addition to publishing The Newman Guide, the Society houses The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education which provides research and analysis on strengthening Catholic higher education. The Society promotes Catholic values on life and sexual ethics on campuses through its Love & Responsibility Program and also operates a Campus Speaker Monitoring Project to support the guidelines the U.S. bishops have established to prohibit Catholic institutions from giving opponents of Catholic teachings honors or platforms for their views. Additionally, the Society promotes Eucharistic Adoration and is the national coordinator for the display of the Vatican’s International Exposition The Eucharistic Miracles of the World on college campuses.

Interview with Oxford's Keith Moore

This is part 1; I will post the rest of the interview as it becomes available.




To view the entire interview (which is excellent) visit this link:

Keith Moore Interview link

15 August Workshop On the Latin Mass

click on photo for details

Walker Percy: Diagnostician of the Modern Malaise

Walker Percy: Diagnostician of the Modern Malaise

CARL E. OLSON

I was first introduced to the writing of Walker Percy (1916-1990) several years ago and have been hooked ever since. The Moviegoer was the first book by Percy I read. It was also his first novel, the winner of the National Book Award in 1961.

I knew little about Percy, except that he was Southern and Catholic, and that a good friend of mine believed he was "required reading." As I read The Moviegoer two things immediately impressed me: the beauty of his writing and the spiritual longing which permeates the book. Soon afterward I began reading Signposts in a Strange Land, a collection of his essays, with topics ranging from "Bourbon" to "Novel-Writing in an Apocalyptic Time" to "A 'Cranky Novelist' Reflects on the Church." That was quickly followed by a side-splitting read of Lost In The Cosmos, subtitled "The Last Self-Help Book" and filled with an ingenious mixture of cutting satire, pop culture, and philosophical reflection, all aimed at questions such as: Why is modern man, master of technology and information, such a mystery to himself? And why is he in so much misery most of the time?







Walker Percy, 1916-1990








Percy was a seeker in the truest sense of the word. Orphaned as a young boy — his father committed suicide and his mother died under mysterious circumstances — he, along with his two brothers, was raised by his eccentric and literary Uncle Will. While attending medical school he contracted tuberculosis and spent the better part of three years bedridden. During that time he read extensively from the writings of existentialists such as Camus, Sartre, and Kierkegaard, and also works by Catholic thinkers, especially St. Thomas Aquinas. Shortly thereafter, in his mid-thirties, he made three major decisions: to become a full-time writer, to marry, and to become Catholic. The quest taken up in his writing would be to "diagnose" the "modern malaise," the emptiness of spirit and darkness of heart so prevalent in the 20th century, especially reflected in the fact that modern man is a stranger to himself. This would be accomplished through characters who were on "the search" for the Other, even while they didn't know who or what that "other" might be. Binx Bolling, the main character in The Moviegoer, reflects upon this search:

What do you seek — God? you ask with a smile.

I hesitate to answer, since all other Americans have settled the matter for themselves and to give such an answer would amount to setting myself a goal which everyone else has reached — and therefore raising a question in which no one has the slightest interest…. For, as everyone knows, the polls report that 98% of Americans believe in God and the remaining 2% are atheists and agnostics — which leaves not a single percentage point for a seeker…. Have 98% of Americans already found what I seek or are they so sunk in everydayness that not even the possibility of a search has occurred to them?

It was a happy coincidence that at the same time I was reading Percy, I was also reading G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man. Although very different in style, Percy and Chesterton are linked in many ways. They were both converts to the Catholic faith who were raised in agnostic homes and who claimed no formal theological or philosophical training. More importantly, they both had a high regard for Aquinas and had a view of humanity which was at once modern and orthodox. They understood the times they lived in and saw how far removed those times had become from the life-giving, intellectually sound sources of Western civilization. Both used satire to expose the stupidities and evils of their age — Chesterton with gentleness, Percy with a dark humor. Chesterton saw the evils of communism and Nazism on the horizon, even as Percy witnessed their reality and saw the practical implications of their philosophical underpinnings being worked out in the West in the forms of abortion and euthanasia. Both recognized that mankind, as it destroyed history and tradition, was "freeing" itself to wander the wastelands of despair, alienation and nihilism. They each pointed out that scientism, consumerism, behaviorism, and secular humanism were of no avail — they could not answer the questions of the human heart even while they promised to fulfill the deepest human desires. In a real way, Chesterton's What Wrong with the World and Percy's Lost in the Cosmos are fitting companions, as divergent in style as the authors were in personality — Chesterton ever optimistic and joyful, Percy somber and often caustic.

Much is made of Percy's reliance upon Kierkegaard, Camus and Sartre. But his debt to Aquinas is either ignored or passed over by most people, although Percy himself noted that Aquinas had more impact on the creation of his characters and their analytic methods than did Kierkegaard. And while the "malaise" which Percy writes about is distinctly modern, it is inherently ancient at its core, the cry of man for transcendent truth and meaning. As Percy said in more than one interview, his books are about rootless, despairing, sinful, messed up people looking for Other, for God. In his novels this is sometimes shown by the discovery of the human "other" — a human love, symbolizing the supernatural love which animates all love. Hence the title of one his novels: Love in the Ruins.

Percy talked of his novels as being "diagnostic." In this regard he turned to Aquinas and drew a distinction between art and morality. In an interview, he explained that "art is making; morality is doing…. This is not to say that art, fiction, is not moral in the most radical sense — if it is made right. But if you write a novel with the goal of trying to make somebody do right, you're writing a tract — which may be an admirable enterprise, but it is not literature." He goes on to say that what interests him as a novelist is the "looniness" of modern man, "the normal denizen of the Western world who, I think it is fair to say, doesn't know who he is, what he believes, or what he is doing. This unprecedented state of affairs is, I suggest, the domain of the 'diagnostic' novelist."

For those who are seeking truth and for all those who love truth and great literature, Walker Percy is their writer, a challenging guide to the "signposts in a strange land."

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Carl Olson. "Walker Percy: Diagnostician of the Modern Malaise." CatholicExchange.com (June 19, 2001).

This article reprinted with permission from CatholicExchange.com.

THE AUTHOR

Carl E. Olson is director of catechesis and evangelization at Nativity of the Mother of God Ukrainian Church in Springfield, Oregon. His articles have appeared in This Rock, Envoy, The Catholic Faith, and New Covenant.