Friday, September 30, 2011

"Diocese may push for assassin's canonization"

Catholic Culture: Latest Headlines. September 30, 2011.

"The Archdiocese of Seoul may launch a cause for the beatification of Thomas An Jung - geun, a Korean Catholic who assassinated the Japanese prime minister when Korea was under Japanese rule.

"[T]he late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou - hwan said of the 1909 killing, [t]he assassin acted in righteous defense of the nation. The Catholic Church does not regard killing committed to defend the nation from unjust aggression as a crime ..."


Humm ... you don't say! Well, my, my! :)

Southwest Texas, U.S.A.

The conclusion to Vaughn Monroe's cowboy song, Ghost Riders in the Sky is hereby given a "theologically - correct" 10 - minutes - worth of spin! :)

♪As the riders went by overhead an angel did appear,

♫He even called my name!

♪He said Cowboy if you want to save your soul from hell,

♪And from riding forever on this ghostly range,

♪Then Cowboy you'd better change your ways,


Or with these condemned souls for all eternity,

♫Someday you too, will ride ...

♫A'try'in to catch the Devil's herd ....

♪All across these vast and lonely southwest Texas skies ...♫

Not bad for 10 minutes - worth of "work," huh? :)

Southwest Texas, U.S.A.

Brackettville, 78832.

And more Marquee Magic from the Frontier Baptist Church.

Reverend Ned Sitzes, Pastor.

"God's plans for us are better than our own"

"The Fear of God cancels the Fear of Death"

Way to go, pastor! :)

September 30. Feast Day of Saint Jerome.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

"Iran: convert awaits execution, refuses last chance to revert to Islam"

Snippet from Catholic Culture: Latest Headlines. Thursday, September 29, 2011.

"An Iranian Protestant pastor, sentenced to death in 2010 for apostasy, refused to renounce his Christian faith and revert to Islam during a third and final court hearing this week on September 28."

"A Washington Post blog reported that at one hearing..."

Here follows the blog!

"When asked to repent by the judges Yousef Nadarkhani stated, Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?

"The judges replied, To the religion of your ancestors, Islam.

"To which he replied, I cannot ...."

"Sierra Leone: in wake of brutal war, churches full"

From Catholic Culture: Latest Headlines. Wednesday, September 28, 2011.

"Nearly a decade after a civil war in which 50,000 were killed, thousands were mutilated, and every church in the nation's largest diocese was destroyed, Sierra Leone's leading prelate has offered an overview of the state of the Church and society.

"[S]ays Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles of Freetown and Bo, That is the one difference between us and the rest of the world,, Europe and America. Our churches are full of young people; actually they constitute the vitality of the church. Since the war the churches are really full. People are coming back ...

"5% of the nation's 5.9 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics; another 5% are Protestant, and 60% are Muslim ..."

September 29. Feast Day of the Three Archangels: Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel & Saint Raphael.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Snippet from the Hindustan Times, Islamabad. September 26, 2011

"Pak girl's fate uncertain after blasphemous spelling"

"A teenage Pakistani Christian girl who misspelt a word while answering a question on a poem written in praise of Prophet Mohammed was accused of blasphemy and expelled from school, according to a media report on Sunday.

"Faryal Bhatti, an eighth - grade student at Sir Syed Girls' High School in the Pakistan Ordinance Factories colony in Havelian near Abbottabad, misspelt the word in an Urdu examination on Thursday.

"Bhatti misspelt the word naat (hymn) as lanaat (curse).

"This was an easy error for a child to make as the written versions of the words are similar, The Express Tribune daily reported ...

"The error led to accusations of blasphemy against Bhatti and uproar among religious leaders..."

Folks, stories like this one make me glad as "heck" I live in Brackettville, Texas 78832 U.S.A.! :)

Test in written Urdu makes life - threatening problems for Pakistani Christian girl??

"Spelling error leads to blasphemy charge for Pakistani schoolgirl"

From www.catholicculture.org/news. Posted Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

"A 10 - year - old Christian girl in Pakistan has been charged with blasphemy because she misspelled a word in a reference to Mohammed in response to a test question.

"Faryal Bhatti was expelled from her school after she wrote the word for curse rather than a similar word meaning hymn of praise to describe a poem about Mohammed.

"Her parents have been forced to leave the local community, as Muslim crowds have taken to the streets chanting anti - Christian slogans, after the girl's spelling error was reported to religious leaders ... "

September 28. Feast Day of Saint Wenceslaus.

September 28. Feast Day of Saint Lawrence Ruiz and his Companions.

¿ Musica que mueve la gente ? :)

♪ No necesito silencio ...♫

♫Andar y andar por los caminos ...♪

♪Yo no tengo en que pensar ...♫

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

"Programa del Voluntariado de Coahuila

"Dan Café con pan a adultos mayores -- beneficiando así a un total de 500 abuelos ..."

Abuelos no se quedarán sin desayunar...

Maribel Valtierra Ríos, Coordinadora del Voluntariado:

"En estos momentos se está llevando a cabo el programa Café con pan."


Por Alma Proa. Zócalo Acuña. Miércoles 21 de septiembre de 2011.


También, la Coordinadora del programa "Agregó que otra de las actividades que se han programado por parte de la primera dama del estado -- Carlota Llaguno de Torres -- es que sean impartidos los talleres de manualidades, a fin de que puedan ellos desempeñar un oficio que les permita autoemplearse, obtener un recurso y solventar así un poco en su economía ..."

September 27. Feast Day of Saint Vincent De Paul.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Hey, UTEP! ¡Hey, Familia!

From Monday, August 22 to Monday, September 26, 2011 -- the first month of UTEP's Fall 2011 semester is already history... :)

And now? Midterms can't be too many weeks away! :(

¡Ora, UTEP!

¡Ora, MEChA!

¡Adelante, Destino!

Father Frank Pavone's turn??!!

Jesuits' NEWS BRIEFS

From their America magazine. Monday, September 26, 2011.

First it was S - E - X, and nowadays it's M - O - N - E - Y?

Yet another priest bites the dust over $$$$ issues!

"The Rev. Frank Pavone has been suspended from ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, because of financial questions related to his leadership of Priests for Life..."

More from the Pope Benedict XVI - endorsed 2011 YOU CAT!

Question:

"65 What about people who feel they are homosexual?"

Answer:


"The Church believes that, in the order if creation, man and woman are designed to need each other's complementary traits and to enter into a mutual relationship so as to give life to children.

"That is why homosexual practices cannot be approved by the Church.

"Christians owe all persons respect and love, however, regardless if their sexual orientation, because all people are respected and loved by God [Catechism of the Catholic Church 2358 - 2359].

"There is no man on earth who is not descended from a union of a mother and a father.

"Therefore it is a painful experience for many homosexually oriented people that they do not feel erotically attracted to the opposite sex and necessarily miss out on the physical fruitfulness of the union between man and woman according to human nature and the divine order of creation.

"Nevertheless, God often leads souls to himself along unusual paths: a lack, a loss or a wound -- if accepted and affirmed -- can become a springboard for throwing oneself into the arms of God: the God who brings good out of everything and whose greatness can be discovered in redemption even more than in creation..."

Romancing the Gay??!!

Professor Randall B. Smith and Melinda Selmys.

Snippet from his Dialogue Without Compromise, Without Fear. Followed by a snippet from her A Reply to Randall B. Smith. Both in the New Oxford Review. September 2011.


Professor Smith:

"A final question about ex - gays: Why are their stories not acceptable?

"I have seen several self - described ex - gays give talks about their experiences and they told stories very similar to the one told by Melinda Selmys.

"They all agreed that there is no psychological cure.

"They did not pray away the gay.

"But many of them found that once they began to deal with some of the serious underlying issues, their same - sex attractions diminished..."

And yet! -- as he assures us is the case of ex - gay public speakers right here in good 'ole Freedom of Expression U.S.A...

"Why are ex - gays the only group in America whose life stories can't be told publicly or even out spoken out loud....?"

Good point, Professor! :)

And now, ex - lesbian activist and these days happily married mother of six Melinda Selmys:

"As Prof. Smith points out, most ex - gay speakers don't believe in behavioral therapies or in praying away the gay..."

Good points, you all! :)

September 26. Feast Day of Saint Cosmas & his twin brother Saint Damian.

Friday, September 23, 2011

German economist Max Otte was right! :(


Snippet from an unsigned article, I Am He Who Comforts You, in the Catholic evangelical magazine, The Word Among Us. October 2011.

"In his 2006 book, The Crash Comes, a German economist named Max Otte predicted that the practices of mortgage lending at the time would lead to a financial crash.

"As he saw it, financial institutions' habit of approving unsustainable loans would leave a lot of home owners overextended with debts they could not possibly repay.

"Otte predicted that the the value of the U.S. dollar would fall significantly, triggering a world - wide economic crisis.

"Sadly, Otte's predictions have come true.

"In the past few years, millions of people have lost their jobs.

"Home foreclosures are at an all - time high.

"Government debt has risen astronomically, with some countries needing massive bailouts to keep them from defaulting.

"Families are trying their best to cope, but the pressures they are facing are enormous.

"Clearly, the Great Recession, as it has been called, has taken a severe toll...."

Inherent futility - issues in "Praying away the gay," II! :)

Former lesbian atheist Melinda Selmys "explains" Saint Paul's communications snafu with the LGBTQ community of nearly 2,000 years ago.

Oh, right on, Melinda!

In the Roman world of slow - witted Saint Paul's era, she tells us: "Homosexuality was socially acceptable - provided you were the active partner.

"This created an atmosphere in which homosexual relationships were, more often than not, expressions of dominance.

"Usually, the passive partner was either a social inferior or a slave.

"The contempt with which St. Paul, Epictetus, and other writers of the period refer to catamites reflects the fact than when such relationships were consensual at all, the passive partner usually got involved only to further his career, for the sake of monetary gain, or because he lacked the moral courage to refuse ..."

Oh, right - on, Melinda!

Snippets from her commentary, Effective Outreach to the Homosexual Community: Authentic Dialogue Is Possible. In the New Oxford Review. May 2011 issue.

Is there an inherent futility in "praying away the gay?"


Former atheist lesbian Melinda Selmys illustrates her problem of credibility with the LBGTQ community, as she tries to bring them Christianity, with what she shrewdly surmises is a typical lesbian response to her own personal message:

"Well, she was probably just bisexual in the first place.

"It's not possible for me to change -- but if people listen to what she has to say, they're going to think I just didn't try hard enough..."

Melinda Selmys in the New Oxford Review. September 2011 issue. Article title is Melinda Selmys Replies.

Good read! :)

September 23. Feast Day of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Jesuits' NEWS BRIEFS: Big turnout! :)

1
,400,000 people showed up for World Youth Day Madrid's overnight vigil for the Papal Mass.


One quarter of a million pilgrims "were turned away."


From the Jesuits' magazine America. Monday, September 19, 2011.

"About 1.4 million people showed up for World Youth Day's overnight vigil and closing Mass on Aug. 20 - 21 at Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid; but organizers had planned for only about a million, and more than 250,000 pilgrims were turned away...."

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

September 21. Feast Day of Saint Matthew.

The NAZI's "Black Camelot" at Wewelsburg Castle in Germany...

In Gerald Warner
and Stephen Klimczuk's book!


Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries: Uncovering Mysterious Sights, Symbols, and Societies.

Snippet from John Henry Crosby's interview with both authors in the New Oxford Review. September, 2011.


Question:

"Give NOR readers a sample of your book. Can you summarize your findings on one or two of your most interesting topics?

Answer:

"Perhaps the most important site we cover is one of the least known: Wewelsburg Castle in Germany, which was Heinrich Himmler's Black Camelot and Nazi Vatican -- the centerpiece if the NAZI pseudo - religion that brought so much suffering to the world.

"When visitors to Auschwitz ask, How could they do it? we think the answer lies partly in this too - little - known Westphalian castle.

"The details make one's flesh creep, as this is the place that was literally designed to be the spiritual center of a new, Nazi - run world.

"Imagine a kind of Arthurian castle remodeled in the 1930s to be a neo - pagan, even Satanic, religious headquarters for the SS, complete with richly detailed ritual chambers and a round table for the highest SS generals.

"A novelist could hardly have invented it.

"But this was not the meeting place of some obscure and in significant cult: It was the mystical shrine of a movement that conquered and ruled most of Europe for several years in the twentieth century ..."

Most interesting! :)

More Evangelical Christian Marquee Magic!

"God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!"

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Archbishop of San Antonio, Texas' in-house expert on all matters gay:

Christopher J. Stravitsch who "serves on the formation faculty at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio..."

"Parents teach true meaning of human sexuality"

A snippet from his original article in Today's Catholic. Friday, September 9, 2011.


"A push to normalize homosexual behaviors had its first victory when the American Psychological Association (APA) removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1973..."

"The APA now staffs a Concerns Office for LGBT issues ...

"So who will catch and run with the ball next?

"Who will push society's understanding of sexuality in even newer and more unpredictable and destructive directions?

"Today, it may be an organization called B4U - ACT, which consists of mental health professionals who are sympathetic to pedophilia and minor - attracted persons.

"However, what's most concerning is that they do not recognize the intrinsic disorder of sexual attraction toward prepubescent children.

"When answering the question of whether attraction to minors is a sickness, their website states, No ... we are not advocating treatment to change sexual feelings..."

THE AUTHOR'S FINAL CONCLUSION?

"The children in your life shouldn't be left to fend for themselves in the frenzy of constant attacks on healthy sexuality.

"Get in the game and catch the ball.

"Your beloved little ones will be edified as you teach them, over time, the true meaning of their sexuality.."

Amen, brother, amen! :)

September 20. Feast Day of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon & Saint Paul Chong Hasang & their Companions.

Marquee insights from the Reverend Ned Sitzes.

Pastor of the Frontier Baptist Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.


"Focus on a good life, Not a good living!"

"People don't fail, They give up trying!"

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Pope Benedict XVI - endorsed YOU CAT Catechism on Sex and the Ninth Commandment!

Article 462. THE NINTH COMMANDMENT: You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

Question:

"Why does the Ninth Commandment forbid sexual desire?"

Answer:

"The Ninth Commandment forbids, not desires per se, but rather disordered desires.

"The covetousness, against which Sacred Scripture warns is the rule of impulse over the mind, the dominion of urges over the whole person, and the sinfulness that that causes [Catechism of the Catholic Church {CCC} sections 2514, 2515, 2528, 2529].

"The erotic attraction between man and woman was created by God and is therefore good; it is part of a person's sexual nature and biological constitution.

"It ensures that man and woman can unite with one another and descendants can spring from their love.

"The Ninth Commandment is meant to protect this union.

"The shelter of marriage and family must not be endangered through playing with fire, in other words, through reckless indulgence in the erotic energy that crackles between man and woman.

"That is why it is a good rule, especially for Christians: Keep your hands off married men and women!"

"... through reckless indulgence in the erotic energy that crackles between man and woman ..."

In progress: The Pope Benedict XVI - inspired YOU CAT Catechism on the Ninth Commandment!

September 19. Feast Day of Saint Januarius.

Friday, September 16, 2011

September 17. Feast Day of Saint Robert Bellarmine.

¡Viva la Independencia Mexicana!

September 16. Feast Day of Saint Cornelius.

September 16. Feast Day of Saint Cyprian.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

September 15. Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Hey, UTEP! ¡Hey, Familia!

"Perry's bid for the GOP nomination creates buzz around campus"

And The UTEP Prospector's Mr. Adam Martinez has this week's blockbuster.

¡Adelante, Adam!



Snippet from his online version published Tuesday, September 13, 2011.

"With less than 14 months until the 2012 national election, the campaign for the GOP presidential nomination is in full swing.

"More than 10 individuals are vying to go head to head with President Barack Obama.

"Around campus, talk of politics and the candidates are bound to happen beyond political science classes, especially when one of the candidates in the 47th governor of Texas, Rick Perry.

"Among Perry's supporters is Thomas Gabriel, senior political science major and president of the UTEP College Republicans [sic.].

"Gabriel said, His presidential campaign is good for the Republican Party as a whole...

"Concerns about Perry's history as governor of Texas has some students questioning Perry's ability to run the country.

"Patrick Rabb, senior political science major, said he is not impressed with Perry's record in Texas.

"Rabb said Rick Perry has cut more money from public schools and universities, cut public health service, destroyed the ecology of Texas through corporate giveaways and regulatory failure ... and takes pride in having carried out more executions than George W. Bush during his tenure as governor... "

Good points gentlemen! :)


¡Ora, UTEP!

¡Ora, MEChA!

¡Adelante, DESTINO!

"Welcome to The New Roman Missal Third Edition"

Wednesday, September 14, 2011:


A very special day for the Catholic Rural Deanery of Uvalde, Texas!

From the Brackettville, Texas, St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church bulletin for the weekend of Saturday, September 10, 2011 & Sunday, September 11, 2011:

"Announcement

"A workshop on the New Roman Missal will be held for the Uvalde Deanery -- September 14, 2011 -- 7 - 9 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall -- located at 403 West Leona St., Uvalde, Texas.

"All are welcome!"

Way to go, friends and neighbors! :)

September 14. Feast Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Southwest Texas, U.S.A.

From the marquee of the Rev. James Ham.


Pastor of the Frontier Baptist Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832


"Freedom isn't Free,

"But let it Ring!"

"If you're going the wrong way,

"God allows U - Turns!"


Way to go, Reverend! :)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

"Martyrdom in Pakistan"

George Weigel on Mohammad Ali Jinnah' s legacy & Shabazz Bhatti's violent death.

As Weigel explains it, Mohammad Ali Jinnah was: "the leader of the Muslim League, a Scotch - drinking, pork - eating and rather secular lawyer. Jinnah's iron will created Pakistan out of several Muslim - dominated provinces in the Raj..."


Snippet from his article in Today's Catholic. Friday, September 9, 2011.

"Sixty - four years ago, on August 14, 1947, Great Britain's empire in the Indian subcontinent was divided into the independent, self - governing Dominions of India and Pakistan.

"A lot of the history of the last six and a half decades has at least something to do with the failure of British intelligence to figure out that Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a man whose time was running out just as the British Empire was preparing to divide its crown jewel at Jinnah's insistence -- including the personal history if Shabazz Bhatti, who was born a generation after Jinnah's will created Pakistan.

"The 42 - year - old Bhatti, a Catholic and Pakistan's federal minster for religious minorities, was murdered -- or to be more precise, martyred -- this past March 2 while being driven to work.

"His murderer left a note in which he explained that Bhatti had to die because he opposed Pakistan's blasphemy law, a crude attempt to [impose] a form of Islamic sharia on the country.

"Shabazz knew that his life was in danger.

"Some weeks before his death, he said My struggle will continue, despite the difficulties and threats I have received. I am prepared for any sacrifice for this mission which I carry out with the spirit of a servant of God...

"[I]f, as I am confident, the church will one day celebrate the feast of Blessed Shabaz Bhatti, martyr, this good and brave man's confession of faith to Al - Jazeera -- I know the meaning of the Cross and I am following the Cross -- would make an exemplary second reading in the Office and Readings ..."

You bet it will, amigo George Weigel! :)

September 13. Feast Day of Saint John Chrysostom.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Nigerian Religious Demographics:

"15% of the nation's 146.5 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics.

"An estimated 50% are Muslim, 25% are Protestant, and 10% retain indigenous beliefs..."

Source: online www. catholicculture.org/news/headlines/

This mornings Nigerian Vanguard says it all!

And Mr. Peter Okutu & Mr. Caleb Ayansina have today's headlines!

"Boko Haram: Catholic bishops blame FG, others for laxity"


Snippets from this mornings online original...


"ABAKALIKI -- CATHOLIC Bishops of Nigeria, this weekend, blamed the Federal Government [FG] and other governmental agencies for failing to check the menace caused by the Boko Haram sect in different parts of the country, especially in Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

"Relatedly, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, has charged President Goodluck Jonathan to be decisive on Jos killings and Boko Haram, warning that the country was gradually sliding into anarchy.

"PFN added that the ultimate objective of Boko Haram and those behind the Jos killings was a forceful and total islamisation of the country.

"The Catholic bishops also noted that State Security Service, SSS, and other security agencies had in the past five years furnished governments at all levels with information on activities of the sect but that nothing significant had been done to curtail their activities.

"Archbishop Felix Alaba Job, President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, who made the following assertion while declaring open the Second Plenary session of the Bishops Conference in Abakaliki, noted that the sect was not faithful to the norms and principle of Islam which they claim was the basis for their activities..."

Interesting, señores, very interesting! :)

September 12. Feast Day of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Friday, September 09, 2011

¡Viva Yago de la Cierva & World Youth Day Madrid!

World Youth Day
is not a luxurious party for a megalomaniacal octogenarian that drains a different nation's economy every three years
...


"Setting the record straight about World Youth Day"

Snippets from Christopher Stefanick's article in Today's Catholic. Friday, December 9, 2011.

"To set the record straight, in case you were successfully spun: World Youth Day is not a luxurious party for a megalomaniacal octogenarian that drains a different nation's economy every three years.

"According to the executive director of World Youth Day Madrid, Yago de la Cierva, not a dime of the event's expenses came from the taxpayers of Madrid.

"About 30 percent was from donations and 70 percent from fees the pilgrims paid.

"World Youth Day brings in about one million visitors who spend at least $20 per day for at least six days.

"That's a minumum of $120 million.

"Perhaps the rioters should turn their anger toward math illiteracy."

And that's not all! :)


"Have you ever waited 90 minutes to use a porta - potty?

"I have!

"Only at World Youth Day.

"It's a pilgrimage in the truest sense.

"While vacations are for rest and luxury -- if you can afford the latter -- pilgrimages tend to be packed with redemptive suffering.

"This can be especially true at a World Youth Day.

"Even if pilgrims attempt to avoid austerity, it has a way of finding you when you're in a crowd one million strong.

"There's simply no way for a city to gracefully accommodate such numbers.

"World Youth Day pilgrims are often hungry, thirsty, tired and without access to bathrooms, among other basic necessities.

"Though miraculously they're usually smiling! ..."

Way to go, Professor! :)

"Visit him at chris-stefanick . com "

September 9. Feast Day of Saint Peter Claver.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

George Weigel on:

Pope John Paul II's greeting to Empress Zita, widow of the Emperor Karl, last emperor of the Dual Monarchy of Austria - Hungary:

"[He] said that he was happy to receive the widow of my father's last sovereign..."


Snippet from George Weigel's article The first -- and last -- European? --- published in Today's Catholic, Friday, August 26, 2011.

Weigel tells that Archduke Otto von Hapsburg "died on July 4.

"Otto might have been thought an anachronism after his father, Emperor Karl, was driven from the throne of Austria - Hungary in the waning days of World War I."

But he wasn't!


"[T]he NAZI Fuhrer twice tried to meet the young Austrian nobleman when Archduke Otto was studying in Berlin in 1931 - 32.

"Otto von Hapsburg not only rebuffed Hitler on both occasions, thus putting himself firmly on the Gestapo's list of enemies: in 1938, as the NAZI vise was closing on an independent Austria, the archduke, at obvious risk to his life, volunteered to return to Austria as the head of government, to provide a national rallying point against NAZI paganism.

"In June 1940, the Luftwaffe bombed the Belgian castle in which Otto von Hapsburg and his family were living, just hours after the family had fled south ahead of the Wehrmacht's drive west.

"Archduke Otto and his family came to the United States at the invitation of President Franklin Roosevelt. and spent the Second World War years in America."

Time to fast - forward maybe as many as 60 years!

Now, it's the looming threat of "The dictatorship of relativism!"


"In 2006, I spent a memorable evening discussing this unhappy situation with the Archduke Otto, at an Acton Institute dinner in Rome at which we were seated across the table from one another.

"[H]e was concerned about Europe's future, and his concerns have turned out to be entirely justified.

"Otto von Hapburg's father, Emperor Karl, was beatified by John Paul II in 2004.

"The late pope once greeted Archduke Otto's mother, Empress Zita, by saying that he was happy to receive the widow of my father's last sovereign.

"It is entirely safe to say that we shall not see their likes again.

"May they rest in peace..."

Amen to that, Señor! :)


Southwest Texas, U.S.A. 78832.

Brackettville's Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Parish

Women's ACTS Retreat 2011 kicks - off tonight!



And will end at this Sunday's 2nd. a.m. Mass.

Legendary chef Mr. Carl Dalton has been brought in to coordinate that all important Saturday night event. too!

Knock'em dead, Brother Carl. :)

September 8. Feast Day of the Nativity of the Most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mary.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

$$ Party Time $$ U.S.A. ??!!

"Who Will Declare the Party's Over?"


A snippet from the TFP's Crusade magazine's Mr. John Horvat II's original article, in the September / October 2011 edition.

"The liberals on the left, in socialist fashion, call for bringing down to the common dance floor those chic partiers who are upstairs.

"The conservatives, in Gospel wedding fashion, announce the time has come to start serving everyone the inferior wine.

"Neither dares to declare the party's over.

"However, that is what we need to do.

"We need to face the fact that we cannot sustain this artificial environment of happiness entitlement.

"We must calmly face the reality of life's sufferings, tragedies and misfortunes outside the din of the party.

"We must avoid dramatic or instant push - button solutions that themselves take on the appearance of the great shows of the party.

"It will take much blood, sweat and tears to put the house back in order.

"We realize these considerations do not directly address the deficit or the state of our economy but they do point in the direction of a solution.

"We are not saying it will be easy.

"All we are saying is that the first step to a solution is to declare the party is over ...."

Way to go, Señor! :)

Kinney County, Southwest Texas....

Loose livestock create traffic - control issue!

Kinney County Sheriff's Report



"Saturday, August 27.

"A woman called into KCSO to assist with traffic control due to cattle out on the Highway [?].

"A deputy was notified..."

From the Brackett News Weekly. Thursday, September 1, 2011.

Friday, September 02, 2011

September 5. Feast Day of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

September 3. Feast Day of Saint Gregory the Great.

"Meet our ACTS Retreat Volunteer Coordinator:

"Vicki McKeen
!"



Snippet from Today's Catholic. Friday, August 26, 2011.


"Vicki McKeen was born in a small West Texas town called Morton to Christian parents.

"They attended Baptist church and made sure that Vicki and her sisters were brought up in the church.

"Vicki moved to San Antonio in 1988 after traveling around the world as a military wife and mother.

"She has a daughter, Tiffini, who also lives in San Antonio.

"In April of 2005, Vicki attended her first ACTS retreat in Slaton, in the Lubbock Diocese.

"Even though she was not a Catholic she knew something had happened to her as a Christian: Little did I know what God had planned for me. (Jer 29:11)

"Vicki decided at that point to be a liaison to Protestants who attend this Catholic retreat.

"In order to accomplish this, she attended RCIA at St. Francis of Assisi, to learn about Catholicism.

"In May of 2008, she was confirmed in the church.

"Vicki now attends St. Francis of Assisi.

"She has been on the team for five retreats, three of which were ACTS Missions...

"Comment from Vicki:

"I hope God plans for me to be on many more teams and to help spread His word..."

Way to go, Vicki!

¡Mexico!

Heriberto González Alejandro.

Titular de la Procuraduría de la Familia:

"Por más que existan programas en los que se busque unir,

"fomentar el respeto y demás valores a las familias,

"La mayor responsibilidad será de los padres..."

"Falta de atención tiende a desarrollar ideas suicidas"

Fuente original: por Jaime Hernández Cruz. Zócalo / Ciudad Acuña. Coahuila, México. Jueves 18 de agosto de 2011.

"La falta de atención de padres de familia en Acuña es factor por el cual los hijos menores de edad tienden en ocasiones a tener ideas suicidas y después se internan en las filas de las adicciones y se vonvierten en un problema para la sociedad.

"Heriberto González Alejandro, titular de la Procuraduría de la Familia, señalo que uno de los objetivo de la Procuraduría de la Familia es integrar a las familias desunidas, esto con ayuda del Centro de Atención a la Infancia (CAIF) y de sus sicólogas por medio de sus terapias..."

Thursday, September 01, 2011

"ACTS Missions sets out into the deep by sharing the Gospel with the youth..."

By Melissa Cervantes, Director of Teen ACTS Ministries.

Snippet from her article in Today's Catholic. Friday, August 26, 2011.

"Blessed John Paul II: Young people of the world, hear the voice of Christ! Hear His voice and follow Him!"

"It is often hard to hear God's call to follow Him, with the many distractions that our youth face today.

"There is a constant connection to Facebook, iPhones, i Pods and video games.

"It's hard for them to unplug and listen to the voice that calls them to follow, and be swept away by the only love that will satisfy their deepest desires and longings.

"It is through the ministry of Teen ACTS, that Jesus calls the youth away to listen to His voice.

"It is there that teens are able to discover the call of Christ too follow Him more closely.

"Let us set the world ablaze with His love through the ACTS retreat.

"If you are a youth minister who is currently using ACTS retreats at your parish, please let us know.

"We would like to create a network of support, to share skits, meditations, post - ACTS ideas and ways to spread His message around the world ..."