Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Athletic members of Saint Mary Magdalene's CCD Youth Group 2011 - 2012??

They're already making the news!

In Brackettville, Texas 78832.

Two fine examples are:

Varsity Volleyball:

Brackett High School Junior Ms. Phyllis Aguirre -- "La reina de la cancha" is back. Helping her team sisters rack up the points. Bunchola of blocks & assists, etc.!

Varsity Football:

BHS Junior Mr. Adam "Charlie" Resendez -- Helping his teammates score points right & left. A hundred yards rushing against San Angelo, you name it!

Way to go, great people! :)



Tip of the 'ole cachucha to the Kinney County Post. Tuesday, August 30, 2011.


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Southwest Texas, U.S.A.

Kinney County Sheriff's Report


"Monday, August 15

"Brackett Border Patrol called into KSCO to report loose cattle on Hwy. 693 ..."

From the Brackett News Weekly. Thursday, August 25, 2011.


GottesMutter!?

"I remember my shock, as an Evangelical student...

"... when I heard a
German Catholic friend refer to Mary as
GottesMutter..."


Snippet from Father Dwight Longenecker's article Mother Goddess or Mother of God? In Catholic Answers magazine, September - October 2011.

As he continues ...

"The phrase means, Mother of God, but in my ignorance of the German language I thought he was calling Mary Goddess mother.

"It confirmed my suspicion that Catholics worshiped Mary as the mother goddess.

"It turned out I was wrong not only about the German language but about Catholic beliefs regarding Mary the Mother of Jesus..."

Father's conclusion some magazine pages later:

"The pagan mother goddesses were, therefore, hints and guesses of the true Mother of God and Queen of Heaven.

"They were imperfect pointers and foreshadowings of the young Jewish girl from Nazareth from whom God would be born, and who, therefore, is rightly called the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and the mother of us all..."

We're told re Father Dwight:

Visit his Web site at:

www.dwightlongenecker.com

Southwest Texas!

"Deputy finds stray buffalo ...

"So if you're missing one, please call Kinney County Sheriff LK Buddy Burgess ..."


Snippet from the Brackett News Weekly. Thursday, August 25, 2011.

"Kinney County Sheriff' Deputy David Palacio wrangled an adult buffalo along Highway 90 and through a ranch gate using his patrol vehicle like an old cowboy would use a horse, on August 18, approximately three miles east of Brackettville..."

Way to go, Deputy! :)

Monday, August 29, 2011

"¿De qué se trata todo ésto Javier? ¿Por qué tantas damas?"

Bishop of Torreón José Galván Galindo's jovial question asked of Father Javier Bernal.


On the occasion of the "first ACTS women's retreat at the Parish of San Pedro Apóstol of San Pedro Coahuila, May 26 through 29, 2011."

A snippet from Today's Catholic. Friday, August 26, 2011. By Lidia Carielo, this ACTS women's retreat director.

"Father Javier Bernal was completely focused on attending the treat as an observer while being a spiritual companion to those that may have required it.

"He received the team that arrived by bus to San Pedro Apóstol with a catered meal at the Parish and [then] proceeded to board the bus heading to Saulo the Retreat Center [in] neighboring Torreón, Coahuila.

"He became a team member from that moment on.

"He had determined that only 45 participants would attend and indeed 45 attended, 27 of them from his parish.

"At the closing of the final Mass Father Bernal asked the husbands and sons and dads of the participants to stand and take a look at their wives, moms and daughters and told them Do you want what they got? We will have it in abundance next October 20 and don't even try to find out what it is, just sign up!"

A good read and great ACTS News! :)

August 29. Feast Day of the Martyrdom of John the Baptist.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Southwest Texas: Eagle Pass.

Son of Maverick County Judge busted by Feds with 450 pounds of marijuana, rumor says.


Rumor likewise puts the estimated street value at $2 point something million dollars...


Humm ... "Good luck on your next election, your honor!" :)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

"What about the negation of the Shoa ...?"

The Iranian Ambassador Ali Akbar Naseri & ITV's ace Italian female reporter Serena Sartini interview!


Vatican - Iranian Diplomacy



Snippet from Inside The Vatican magazine. August / September 2011.

ITV's Serena Sartini asks the Ambassador:

"What about the negation of the Shoa?"

The Iranian Ambassador's reply:

"The Holocaust was a historical event like many others in the history of humanity.

"We think that the world and researchers are entitled to know the truth about this event, which requires in - depth study.

"Why must this research be considered a crime in Western countries?

"Why deny the right to investigate such an important event?

"As far as we are concerned, we authorize research on issues like the existence of God, provided this does not give rise to social unrest...

"This is not the case with Western countries: for example, why were the cartoons of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad -- peace be with him -- not treated as a crime, but rather as an instance of freedom of expression?

"Why is research on the Holocaust prohibited?'

"We do not deny the Holocaust and condemn all forms of massacre and genocide.

"But if the current version of the Holocaust is correct, if things really went as historians say, why should Palestinians pay for this massacre?

"Why should Palestinians be attacked and their land be occupied by the Jews?

"Our president does not deny the Holocaust on principle, but calls for academic freedom on this issue..."

A little later on, Serena Sartini asks her final question:

"Do you think that it will be difficult for the Pope to visit Iran?"


"Ambassador Naseri: At the moment there are mutual visits at the highest level between Iran and the Holy See.

"Needless to say, we hope that the Supreme Pontiff will visit Iran, as this is a country with a great cultural heritage and civilization.

"When President Ahmadinejad met Cardinal Tauran, he declared that if Benedict XVI should come to Iran, he would receive a warm welcome ...."

Wow! Guess we'll just have to see, huh??!! :)

August 25. Feast Day of Saint Louis of France.

August 25. Feast Day of Saint Joseph Calasanz.

Oops! The "Ross" in yesterday's posting should have been "Sul" Ross's brother -- Confederate Lt. Col. Peter F. Ross! :(

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The American Civil War, 1861 - 1865:

"Perhaps no other issue inspired so much greed and corruption on both sides during the Civil War as the cotton trade...

"[T]hese transactions enabled the Confederacy to purchase urgently needed arms and supplies ..."


Snippet from pages 210 - 211 of Douglas Hale's book The Third Texas Cavalry in the Civil War. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993.

SCENE: Confederate commander "Sul" Ross's brother, Lt. Col. Peter F. Ross, orders the 3rd. Texas & 9th. Texas Cavalry Regiments off on a raid down the Yazoo Valley on March 30, 1864:

"Their target was Yankee cotton.

"Perhaps no other issue inspired so much greed and corruption on both sides during the Civil War as the cotton trade.

"While possessing little else, the South had the cotton that the North needed to supply its own textile mills and to placate English and continental manufacturers who were cut off from their normal supply of the precious fiber.

"Since early in the war, both sides had therefore connived at trading with the enemy.

"Armed with authorization from the Federal government, and operating under the protection of the Union army, Yankee traders bought Southern cotton.

"The proceeds from these transactions enabled the Confederacy to purchase urgently needed arms and supplies.

"Such an underhanded trade fostered an atmosphere of speculation and chicanery and often frustrated Northern strategy.

"By its contribution to the Southern war effort, the contraband trade in cotton prolonged the war by at least a year...

"After the fall of Vicksburg the Mississippi Valley became the heart of this disreputable business.

"The Federal government developed ways to bypass the unscrupulous traders:

"One method was to lease out confiscated plantations in conquered territory, place reliable agents in charge of them, and protect the cotton crop until it might be grown, picked, and delivered securely into Union hands.

"There were such leased plantations in the Yazoo valley, and the recently recruited African - American troops were primarily responsible for their protection from marauding Rebels.

"Near Snyder's Bluff, which overlooked the Yazoo about ten miles north of Vicksburg, two high - ranking Union officers had been granted the lease to one such plantation.

"While the gentlemen were away fighting the war, their agents supervised black laborers in cultivating the cotton and sold the crop at a tidy profit.

"The Texans' mission was to destroy this plantation.

"The troopers descended out of the bluffs and onto the main valley road before dawn on March 31, and the two attacking regiments split up in order to bracket the Yankee earthworks that protected the plantation.

"The Third Regiment fell upon a squadron of black cavalry from the south, while the Ninth attacked them from the rear.

"The Rebels slaughtered about thirty of the black soldiers and raged unhindered around the plantation's main buildings.

"They destroyed all the equipment, burned the gin, and captured about one hundred mules.

"After a brief skirmish with the Yankee infantry nearby, the Texans rode back unscathed through the hills to their campground.

"The men of the Third Texas did not know it yet, but their raid at Snyder's Bluff would account for the last blood they shed in Mississippi ..."

"Smile away, and give your frown a rest!"

"When you meet temptation, turn right!"


From the marquee of the Rev. James Ham

Pastor of the Frontier Baptist Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.


Way to go, Reverend! :)

August 24. Feast Day of Saint Bartholomew.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Spofford, in Southwest Texas' Kinney County:

Parishioners with an open - handed generosity helping to remodel Saint Blaise / San Blas Catholic Church.

Originally built in 1884.



Snippet from the Brackett News Weekly. Thursday, August 18, 2011.

"Sunday afternoon Mass is still scheduled to continue while repairs are being done.

"Remodeling began on Monday, August 15 and the work is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

"The church was built in 1884..."

Way to go, good & generous neighbors! :)

La santita peruana ...

August 23. Feast Day of Saint Rose of Lima.

Monday, August 22, 2011

"Buffalo Bill's" godson laid to rest!

"Oldest Bataan Death March Survivor dies at age 105"



Snippet from the San Antonio EXPRESS - NEWS. Tuesday, August 16, 2011. By Jim Suhr / Associated Press.


"ST. LOUIS -- A doctor once told Albert Brown he shouldn't expect to make it to 50, given the toll taken by his years in a Japanese labor camp during World War II and the infamous, often - deadly march that got him there.

"But the former dentist made it to a 105, embodying the power of a positive spirit in the face of inordinate odds.

"Brown's account described the torment that came about every mile as the marchers passed wells U.S. troops dug for natives but weren't allowed to drink from once they became prisoners.

"Filipinos who tried to throw fruit to the marchers frequently were killed.

"Born in 1905 in North Platte, Nebraska, Brown was the godson of Wild West folk hero Buffalo Bill Cody, who often let the boy sit on his lap and tug his beard ..."

Man, talk about a slice of all - American history! :)

August 22. Feast Day of the Queenship of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Kinney County Sheriff's Report

Livestock on the loose in Kinney County, Texas!


"Sunday, August 14.

"A man called KCSO reporting livestock were loose on Hwy 90 west and 3008.

"A deputy was dispatched to the location ..."

Study by Esser and Company of Uvalde, Texas!

Confirms Brackettville's Third World Status!



As the Brackett News Weekly tells us:

"An extensive mapping process was completed and a global position was given to all 872 structures in the city.

"Of the 872 housing structures, 649 are occupied and 163 are vacant, of which 111 are dilapidated.

The study "found most of the streets in Brackettville to be in fair or poor condition, however the water system was in pretty good condition.

"The biggest problems with the water system are the undersized, deteriorating water lines and not enough fire hydrants ...

"The study estimates that by the year 2030, the population of Brackettville will be 2,030.

"The largest population for Brackettville is reported to have been in the thirties and forties with the number near 2,000 people..."

These snippets are from the Brackett New Weekly. Thursday, August 18, 2011.


August 20. Feast Day of Saint Bernard.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Next Monday -- August 22, 2001.

UTEP Fall 2011 begins!

Bad News?

Only 2% of entering UTEP freshmen:

Will complete their degrees in 4 years.

Only 27% of entering UTEP freshmen:

Will complete their degrees in 6 years.

Yes, indeed! :)

¡Ora, UTEP!

¡Ora, MEChA!

¡Adelante, DESTINO!

August 19. Feast Day of Saint John Eudes.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

RUSSIA!

"[I]n July the president of Russia signed into law a bill that requires abortion advertisements to include health warnings...

"... and that abortionists devote 10 percent of all advertising money to this purpose..."


Snippet from Father John Leies' timely article, "The church in today's world."

In Today's Catholic. Friday, August 12, 2011.

More:

"Advertisers must explain the medical risks that are run in having an abortion.

"Furthermore the new law forbids anyone from claiming that abortion is a safe medical procedure.

"Further abortion restrictions are expected to be passed in the fall, such as a waiting period of two weeks..."

Good for you, Señor Presidente! :)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

"[R]eality without Christ ..."

"Why study Latin and Greek?"


By Fr. John Michael McDermott, S.J.

Snippets from his article in the Homiletic & Pastoral Review. August / September 2011 issue.


"Christ's significance for civilization ought to be transmitted through the study of classical literature.

"The Greeks and Romans were highly intelligent and critical observers of reality without Christ, and they reported the human condition with sharp eyes, unwavering gaze, and often broken hearts.

"The possibilities and limitations of human existence are spelled out with unrivaled clarity.

"A miracle of anonymous grace alone can explain how they looked so clearly at the human tragedy, held out so long in its face, and thus achieved the magnanimity of which human nature is capable even in its frailty and failure.

"The ground was prepared for the Gospel's fructifying seed..."

Some good, thought - provoking points! :)

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Latest sizzlers from the marquee of:

The Reverend James Ham.

Pastor of the Frontier Baptist Church.


Brackettville, Texas, 78832.

"Count your blessings, not your worries!"

"The best things are not things!"


Way to go Reverend! :)

♪Good King Wencelaus fell out of bed..♫
♫Most likely bumped his 'ole head ...♪
♪On the Feast of Stephen... ♫

Texas kid's Christmas ditty from long, long ago! :)

August 16. Feast Day of Saint Stephen of Hungary.

Monday, August 15, 2011

August 15. Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.

And that means literally "body & soul!"


This was solemnly proclaimed officially by Pope Pius X 61 years ago today... :)


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Hey, UTEP!

¡Hey, FAMILIA!


Fall 2011's first class day is:

Monday August 22.

Enjoy the rest of your summer vacation, everyone... :)


¡Ora, UTEP!

¡Ora, MEChA!

¡Adelante, DESTINO!

August 13. Feast Day of Saint Pontian.

August 13. Feast Day of Saint Hippolytus.

Friday, August 12, 2011

County Donegal, Ireland!

"Hundreds of children abused by 20 priests.

"Shocking new report to reveal cover - up scandal in diocese:

"Bishop of Raphoe will publish report"


Snippet from the Irish newspaper, The Independent. By Greg Harkin. Published online. Thursday, August 11, 2011.


"A shocking new report will reveal how up to 20 pedophile priests abused hundreds of children in one diocese over a 40 - year period -- sparking a new cover - up scandal for the Catholic Church.

"Clergy are severely criticized for the way victims and their families were treated in the diocese of Raphoe, County Donegal.

"The report is due out later this month.

"[O]ne source told the Irish Independent: There were hundreds of victims, and they were abused again and again while the church actively prevented the investigations by the civil authorities.

"One victim, raped by a Catholic priest in the diocese, told the Irish Independent: I cannot begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing the audit being published. It will be like a dark cloud lifting off me.

"The Raphoe diocese set up a child protection committe in June 2006.

"Bishop [Philip] Boyce said last month that all abuse allegations are now reported to [the authorities].

"Each parish now has two or more child protection representatives who train all church personnel who have contact with children ..."

Cool! Better late than ever!

So what -- if anything! -- were the Knights of Columbus doing here locally in Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish, Brackettville, Texas 78832?

Between 1986 - 1995?! :)

Recent Words of Wisdom!

From the marquee of the Rev. James Ham.

Pastor of the Frontier Baptist Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.

"Make your words sweet.

"You may have to eat them!"


Good point, Reverend! :)

August 12. Feast Day of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

August 11. Feast Day of Saint Clare.

August 10. Feast Day of Saint Lawrence

En Ciudad Juarez: Día de San Lorenzo.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Could San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia - Siller be "soft" on so - called "Gay Pride" liturgies?

Because his former "boss" Cardinal Francis George, OMI most certainly is!



"NEWS

"Chicago: archdiocesan gay Mass regularly celebrates, affirms orientations and identities"



Source for this snippet: www.catholicculture.org/news August 08, 2011.


"The Archdiocese of Chicago's weekly gay and lesbian Mass celebrates and affirms participants' orientations and identities, according to a notice posted in the Windy City Times..."

AGLO - Chicago = The Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach.

GLBTQ = Gay - Lesbian - Bisexual - Transgendered - Queer.

O.K.?

Now, then, this published notice:

"The Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO - Chicago), which has held a weekly welcoming, open, and celebratory GLBTQ Roman Catholic mass on Sunday evenings at 690 W. Belmont [Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church] for the past 23 years, announces its first open search for the position of AGLO Choir Director ...

"AGLO - Chicago is one of only a few parish communities in the world that celebrates and affirms our community's orientations and identities, while providing our community with an opportunity to retain the rich traditions and culture of the mass ..."

Oh, yeah??!! :)

August 9. Feast Day of Saint Benedicta of the Cross.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Welcome to Brackettville, Texas 78832 -- Father Paul Ofoha, MSP!

Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church welcomed the current Vicar General of the Missionary Society of St. Paul this past weekend.


As the church bulletin tells us:

"Father Paul Ofoha, MSP of the Missionary Society of St. Paul will preach the [$$$] appeal in our parish.

"Father Paul was ordained a priest June 18, 1988 in Abuja, Nigeria.

"He has served in pastoral ministry in the United States since 1989, when he was assigned as pastor of Our Mother of Mercy in Ames, Texas -- then to St. Peter the Apostle parish in Houston until 2001.

"He is currently the Vicar General of the Missionary Society of St. Paul..."


NOTE: a year or so back we read that while there are maybe 50 French missionary priests in Africa today, there are 700 African priests ministering to French parishes in France!


Saint Blaze / San Blas Mission Church.


Spofford, Texas


Two of Sra. Paulita Solis' sons, the Dynamite Solis Brothers -- Julio & Eddie -- reportedly installed up to date modern church plumibing in one marathon 13 - hour day this past Saturday!

Thus, in time for the 1:00 p.m. Sunday Mass ...

Way to go guys, and thanks to the off the record donor of all that $$$ for the supplies, too!

Way to go, Brothers! :)

August 8. Feast Day of Saint Dominic.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

"... the permanent and universal Yom Kippur"

Rome
, Italy


Cardinal Kurt Koch vs. Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni:

"Debate over the Cross threatens Jewish participation in Assisi event"


Snippet from www.catholicculture.org/news . Friday, August 5, 2011.

"Rome's Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, provoked by a statement from a leading Vatican official about the meaning of the Cross, has raised questions about whether he and other Italian Jews might pull out of the interfaith gathering for peace in Assisi.

"The debate began [when] Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, referred to the Cross as the permanent and universal Yom Kippur.

"Rabbi Di Segni strongly objected, saying that the cardinal's statement trivialized the meaning of the Yom Kippur that Jews still observe.

"Cardinal Koch acknowledged that this discussion touches on one of the most central and sensitive questions in Catholic - Jewish dialogue.

"Seeking to find common ground without backing off [from] his point, Cardinal Koch wrote in L'Osservatore Romano ..."

The Cardinal's views:

"We absolutely maintain that the Jews should look at the Cross as we Christians do, in order to set out on the road to Assisi together.

"[T]he question [is] how to reconcile the conviction, binding for Christians as well, that God's covenant with the people of Israel has permanent validity with the Christian faith in universal redemption in Jesus Christ, in such a way that, on the one side, the Jews should not get the impression that their religion is seen by Christians as obsolete, and on the other that Christians should not renounce any aspect of their faith ..."

Good points, Cardinal Kurt Koch! :)

August 6. Feast Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Friday, August 05, 2011

"I spoke on the emergence of Evangelical Catholicism -- as the fruit of Vatican II"

George Weigel looks at
London's St. Patrick's Church:

"Miracles in Soho ..."


A snippet from his article in Today's Catholic. Friday, July 29, 2011.

"Up in the church's bell tower is a chapel for eucharistic adoration, where volunteers pray from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. every night, and where two telephones bring requests from all over the world to an SOS Prayer Line.

"The Eucharist is at the heart of St. Patrick's life for, as Steve White put it after his eight months of work there, the demands of discipleship in that environment leave no room for lukewarmness. Anyone who was going to leave left long ago. The Eucharist quite simply drives the life and work of the parish ...

"The Eucharist, in a daily rhythm of Mass and Eucharistic adoration is the dynamic force behind the church's street evangelization programs and its work with the homeless.

"After more than a year of renovation (during which the parish's many ministries continued), the church was re - opened in early June with three days of festivities, including Masses celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Cardinal Pell of Sydney.

"I was invited to give a lecture on thr middle day of the three and spoke on the emergence of Evangelical Catholicism -- sacramental, biblical, robustly missionary, service - oriented -- as the fruit of Vatican II.

"It seemed an appropriate theme, for St. Patrick's today embodies exactly what the council imagined for the world church: a new Pentecost..."

You bet!

"See ACTS 2:16 for details!" :)

Texas Ranger H. Joaquin Jackson on Murder and Mayhem in the West Texas - Mexican Border:

late
1980s ...


"[S]ome part of all this mayhem gets carried out under the flag of some bogus popular - resistance movement ..."

Snippet from One Ranger Returns, by H. Joaquin Jackson, page 166.

"Inevitably, some part of this mayhem gets carried out under the flag of of some popular resistance movement.

"In western Chihuahua there is an organization, the Comité de Defensa Popular (Popular Defense Committee),that goes under the acronym CDP, whose member pose as resistance fighters to give some justification for the presence of Cuban and Salvadoran advisers.*

"They are generous to local peasants, who are in turn loyal to them, but the bulk of their financing comes from drug smuggling.

"At one time there was an isolated camp of them in a bowl - shaped canyon about twenty - fives south of Lajitias and about two miles distant from a two - acre field of marijuana...."

*One San Antonio paper even mentioned the presence of East German "advisers," too! :)

August 5. Feast Day of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

August 4. Feast Day of Saint John Mary Vianney.


Saint John Vianney was a great promoter of Saint Philomena. In turn she is known to many of us today as The Patroness of the Living Rosary.

Current literature from a Ms. Patty Melvin of P.O. Box 1303 Dickinson, Texas 77539 USA gives a cite from the reign of Pope Saint Pius X.

He "raised the Archconfraternity of St. Philomena to a Universal Archconfraternity and named St. John Vianney its Patron.

"This Pope and great Saint of Holy Mother the Church solemnly declared..."

The Pope's declaration:

"... to discredit the present decisions and declarations concerning St. Philomena as not being permanent, stable, valid and effective, necessary of obedience, and in full - effect for all eternity, proceeds from an element that is null and void and without merit or authority (1912)."

Way to go, Holy Father! :)

Speaking for myself, I seem to have somehow literally inherited my own decade of Saint Philomena's Living Rosary -- the First Joyful Mystery! -- from my own father dead these past 25 years.

But!

Have I been consist in keeping to my end of the assignment?

No way, José! :(

Maybe an accumulated total of 5 years out of a quarter century!

Nada más ... :)


Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Wow!

¡Guau!

The Texas Education Agency kicks a*s at last!

Too bad UTEP's exempt! :(

"Accountability ratings released Friday..."

"Brackett Educational Academy -- Academically Unacceptable ..." :)

Snippet from the Kinney County Post. Tuesday. August 2, 2011.


"AUSTIN - The Texas Education Agency [TEA] released state accountability ratings shortly after 1 p.m. Friday.

"Commissioner of Education Robert Scott will also a press briefing at 1 p.m. -- next Thursday -- in room 2 - 195 in the William Barret Travis State Office Building at 1701 N. Congress Avenue in Austin.

"2011 Accountability Ratings for Brackett Independent School District.

"Brackett High School -- Academically Acceptable.

"Brackett Junior High -- Recognized.

"Jones Elementary -- Recognized.

"Brackett Educational Academy -- Academically Unacceptable.

"Brackett ISD -- Recognized"

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

"RUSSIA

"First Corpus Christi procession since 1918

"City gives permission



Snippet from The Catholic World Report, August / September 2011.

"The Russian city of St. Petersburg -- known for decades as Leningrad -- granted permission for a Corpus Christi procession this year, for the first time since the Russian Revolution in 1918.

"Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of Moscow led the Eucharistic procession down the main street of St. Petersburg on Sunday, June 26 ...."

Wow! Way to go! :)

"ISRAEL

"Israel envoy praises Pius XII

"Recognizes efforts to save Jews"


Snippet from The Catholic World Report, August / September 2011.


"Israel's ambassador to the Holy See has confirmed that Pope Pius XII was responsible for protecting many Jews from the Holocaust.

"Speaking at an event honoring Father Gaetano Piccinini as a righteous gentile for his efforts to save Jews during World War II, Mordechai Lewy said that it is inaccurate to claim that Pope Pius XII and the wartime Vatican failed to act on behalf of Jews.

"[H]e said They always gave the help they could.

"Lewy noted that after Nazis organized a raid to round up Jewish residents of Rome, Catholic religious institutions quickly begin taking in Jews, sheltering them from arrest.

"That policy, Lewy added, clearly had the approval of the highest authorities of the Vatican.

"The Israeli envoy acknowledged that his statement would be unpopular with Jewish critics of Pope Pius XII.

"He made a careful distinction, however, saying that his statement refers to saving Jews, which Pius did, and does not refer to talking about Jews, which he did not do and which Jews were expecting from him ..."

Sounds like a sound, well - balanced account, huh? :)

August 2. Feast Day of Saint Eusebius of Vercelli.

August 2. Feast Day of Saint Peter Julian Eymard.

Monday, August 01, 2011

"4oth anniversary

"1971 was Lee Trevino's year

"The El Paso golfer won US, Canadian and British national titles in 1 month

Snippet from Bill Knight's article in the El Paso Times. Sunday, July 17, 2011.


"... Lee Trevino, the kid who hit horse apples with a wood shafted 5 - iron, played on ... piecing together an outstanding career.

"He won the U.S. Open twice, the British Open twice, the PGA twice and the Canadian Open three times.

"He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981 and retired from the PGA Tour in 1984...

"The game -- simple and complex, beautiful and frustrating -- has taken Trevino on a magic carpet ride.

"And, 40 years ago, when all those forces aligned, he shared some of that magic with us all ..."

Indeed he did! :)