Thursday, March 31, 2011

George Weigel still fighting the Cold War?

Or at least our Russian brothers and sisters?

C'mon, George! :)

The L'viv Sobor (Council) of 1946.


"I ... noted that serious historians describe the L'viv Sobor as an act of the Stalinist state ..."


George Weigel's famous exchange with Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.


Snippets from Weigel's column, Rome and Moscow published in Today's Catholic. Friday, March 25, 2011.

"Hilarion is an impressive personality in many ways: he is entirely at home in English, he displays a nice sense of humor, and his curriculum vitae includes a large number of publications and musical compositions.

"Yet when I asked him whether the L'viv Sobor (Council) of 1946 -- which forcibly reincorporated the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine into Russian Orthodoxy, turning the Greek Catholics into the world's largest illegal religious body -- was a theologically legitimate ecclesial act, Hilarion unhesitatingly responded yes.

"I then noted that serious historians describe the L'viv Sobor as an act of the Stalinist state, carried out by the NKVD (predecessor to the KGB); Hilarion responded that the modalities of history are always complicated.

"In any event, he continued, it was always legitimate for straying members of the Russian Orthodox flock (as he regarded the Ukrainian Greek Catholics) to return to their true home (i.e., Russian Orthodoxy)...

"Throughout the meeting, Hilarion smoothly but unmistakably tried to drive a wedge between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II (whom two patriarchs of Moscow, both KGB - connected, refused to invite to Russia).

"He also suggested that Benedict's calls for a new evangelization in Europe, including a recovery of classic Christian morality, could be addressed by joint Catholic - Russian Orthodoxy initiatives..."

Humm ... you good people want to know something?

It almost sounds to yours truly as though Mr. George Weigel is trying to evoke some kind of almost tribal thing: let's call it The Spirit of Pope John Paul II -- to tie the hands of our current Pope, who has deliberately chosen the name of Benedict XVI!

As the March issue of Inside The Vatican makes clear, our current pope is very favorable to our Russian brothers and sisters, as well as to their civil and religious leaders.

So what the h*ll?

So, too, am I!

So maybe it's time to bury all this Cold War rhetoric & barnyard doo - doo -- and really start working together, o.k.?

O.K.!

As for our current pope, Pope Benedict XVI?

He's just doing his job,so to speak! :)

"American pilgrims at an apparition site in Spain are caught up in frightening visions

"... which appear to signal the end of the current Age..."


The Stigmatist

"A Novel of Mysticism & International Intrigue"

By Hurd Baruch.

Available through amazon . com or at:
www . the stigmatist . com

Editors' synopsis in the New Oxford Review. March 2011.

"American pilgrims at an apparition site in Spain are caught up in frightening visions, which appear to signal the end of the current age.

"Fr. Anthony Santorelli, sent by the Vatican to investigate, is given a message for the Pope foreshadowing future events.

"To authenticate his role as a messenger and prophet, the priest is mystically marked with stigmata in his hands, feet and side, replicating the five wounds of Christ on the Cross.

"[This novel] is the story of Fr. Santorelli's struggles to accept and fulfill his new calling as the visions spread inexorably from country to country, triggering plots within and against the Catholic Church and international intrigues, terrorist acts, and nuclear war ..."

Cool! :)

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

"UTEP community to honor Cesar Chavez"

And The UTEP Prospector's Ms. Diana Arrieta has the story!

¡Adelante, Diana!



Published online: Monday, March 28, 2010.

"The El Paso and UTEP communities will celebrate César Chavez Day March 31 by hosting several events including a march downtown to honor the activist.

"Last November, UTEP's Faculty Senate voted to revoke César Chavez Day from campus due to the limited number of holidays offered by the state, but students, advocates of farm workers, and public speakers urged the university to reinstate the holiday.

"Now, students will celebrate César Chavez Day March 31 by getting the day off from school.

"[S]aid Marcela Aguirre, senior communication studies major, I'm glad to see that César Chavez Day was ultimately not removed from this university. Chavez's work was truly admirable and it deserves to be celebrated. We have a community outreach to the farm workers that is driven by the heritage left by Chavez...

"While Chavez died in 1993, his legacy continues to live among today's generation of UTEP students..."

You bet!

Way to go, Ms. Diana Arrieta & Ms. Marcela Aguirre! :)


¡Ora, MEChA!

¡Ora, UTEP!

¡Adelante, DESTINO!

When the Union Pacific guns talked, bad a*s gamblers heard the word!

However briefly! :)

"General, they all died, but bought peace.


"Julesburg has been quiet since ..."



Stephen E. Ambrose's Western History Classic:

Nothing like it in the the World: The Men who built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863 - 1869.

A snippet from pages 219 - 220.


"Julesburg got so bad that Grenville Dodge, who had seen a lot of young Americans downing a lot of drinks during the Civil War, stepped in.

"He heard that gamblers had taken over and refused to obey the local UP officials.

"What bothered Dodge the most was that they had taken up lands he had set aside as belonging to the UP and refused to pay for them.

"He called Julesburg a much harder place than North Platte.

"Dodge told Jack Casement to take his train force into town and clean the place up.

"Casement, who was a teetotaler, was ready.

"He marched into town that night with two hundred men.

"They met with the gamblers, who spat contempt at him and refused to pay up.

"With a quiet voice, Casement ordered his men to open fire, not caring whom they hit.

"When Dodge came to town and asked what had happened, Casement led him to a nearby hill full of fresh graves.

"[H]e told Dodge General, they all died, but brought peace. Julesburg has been quiet since..."

Way to go, good people! :)

Pakistan's Shabaz Bhatti:

"It is argued that his assassination was a true martyrdom ... "

Father John Leies:


"Shabaz Bhatti, hero of our times"

... he was killed out of hatred for his Catholic faith ...




A snippet from his column in Today's Catholic. Friday, March 25, 2011.

As we're told: "Father John Leies, SM, Std, is president emeritus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas and was formerly head of the Theology Department there..."


"The age of heroes is not over yet.

"A case in point is Shabaz Bhatti, killed in Pakistan on March 2.

"Bhatti was a native of Pakistan who converted as a child to the Catholic Church.

"He was appointed in 2008 as Federal Minister of Minorities for his native land, a position to which he dedicated himself unstintingly.

"A million Catholics live in Pakistan, in four different dioceses.

"This is less than one percent of the population of the country.

"However, according to statistics for 2008, the Church conducts 534 schools, eight colleges, seven technical institutes and eight catechetical centers.

"In 1981 Pope John Paul II visited the country and the president of Pakistan has visited the pope..."


Shabaz Bhatti wasn't cowed by terroristic threats!


"In the midst of all this turmoil in his country, Bhatti continued to fight on behalf of religious minorities, declaring he was not afraid of dying.

"He dismissed his government bodyguards, not sure of their loyalties, and hired private ones.

"He switched sleeping at various homes and places at night.

"But on the morning of this year, as he was coming out of his mother's house in Islamabad, Bhatti was gunned down by a group of men associated with [Al Qaida] and the Taliban.

"Ten thousand people showed up for his funeral at Our Lady of Fatima Church, mostly poor Catholic people.

"Already voices have been raised, calling for the introduction of Bhatti's cause for canonization.

"It is argued that his assassination was a true martyrdom -- he was killed for his Catholic faith.

"Rome is careful to distinguish between killing for political reasons and for religious reasons.

"Certainly politics is intertwined with religion in the case of Bhatti.

"But his declarations offering himself to God, his dedicated life, his deep sense of religious freedom, all these are indications of a man who gave his life for the sake of the Kingdom.

"Let the investigation of his sanctity begin ... "


Good point, Father! :)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

... a strange man was hanging around the classrooms

... and approaching the children ...


Mr. Steve Martinez, Director

of the Office for Victim Assistance and Safe Environment

for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas:


"Do not wait till there is a strange person hanging around your parish,

"take the steps now to educate and prevent abuse..."



Snippet from his article in Today's Catholic. Friday March 25, 2011.


"I recently was given great news from St. Bonaventure Parish.

"A recent incident at the parish revealed the shortcomings and the bright spots of the abuse prevention program for the archdiocese.

"For several weeks during the religious education classes, a strange man was hanging around class rooms and approaching the children.

"Though no one knew who this man was, there was no major concern that he was a danger to others, especially to children.

"That quickly changed when one of the children told a catechist that he offered her money to go away with him.

"On an amazing display of unity, the community of St. Bonaventure took charge of the situation.

"Volunteer groups consisting of parents, teens, and members if the Knights of Columbus began patrolling the parish grounds during the religious education classes.

"A letter was sent to all the parents notifying them of the incident and warning them of this individual.

"The San Antonio Police Department was given reports of the incident and a description of the man.

"The catechists used this incident as an opportunity to remind the children and youth of abuse prevention.

"A week later the man returned to the parish.

"He was identified by the children and the authorities were notified,

"Father Raymond Shuster pastor, told the individual that he is not welcomed on parish property and the police apprehended him on a warrant for his arrest ..

"All these actions led to the removal of a possible child molester and to the decrease of victims in the area...

"Do not wait till there is a strange person hanging around your parish, take the steps now to educate and prevent abuse..."


Good points! :)

Unabridged Christianity: Biblical Answers to Common Questions About the Roman Catholic Faith.

By Father Mario P. Romero.


"This first book of mine is an attempt to put the beautiful light of my Roman Catholic faith on a lamp stand in hopes that all people may draw nearer to the ultimate light of the world (John 8:12) -- Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior...

"It is my wish that this book convey a warm invitation to all readers to prayerfully consider the wonderful truths espoused by the Roman Catholic Church -- truths revealed to us by Jesus Christ and kept alive by the Apostles and their successors ..."


Price $16.95
From: Queenship Publishing Company
Website: www. queenship . org
Order #3751.
Toll - Free: 1 - 800 - 647 - 9882.


Editors' Comment:


"Using some of the commonly - held misconceptions about the Catholic faith as points of departure, Fr. Romero examines various key passages from Scripture, looks at historical documentation found in secular sources and, at the end of each chapter, presents quotes from the writings of the first generations of Christians to show modern - day Catholic beliefs and practices have solid precedence in the beliefs and practices of the early Church..."

B.H.S. Graduating Seniors of the Class of 2011 have great plans!

Brackettville, Texas 78832.



Mr. Victor Robledo. To "see the world."

Ms. Valeria Garza. To "start college in the fall."

Ms. Rachel Nash. To "attend ASU."

Mr. Mike Flores. To "go to college."

Mr. Steven Rodriguez. To "go into the Army."

Way to go, great people!

We wish everyone the very best of luck! :)

From the Kinney County Post. Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

B.H.S. Drama Department - Spring 2011

Flowers for Algernon...

Congratulations to such
St. Mary Magdalene's CCD / Youth Group personalities as:


Ms. Susu Seargeant, Ms. Selina Gerardo, Ms. Abby Gutierrez --

For their roles in this B.H.S. Drama Department production!

Brackettville, Texas 78832.

Way to go, good people! :)

From the Kinney County Post. Tuesday, March
29, 2011.

Monday, March 28, 2011

"And unto dust you shall return"

Ash Wednesday is more than an empty ritual --

it is a reminder of our mortality and frailty...



By Dr. John - Mark L. Miravalle. A snippet from his article in the Homiletic & Pastoral Review. March 2011 edition.


"If death were fitting to our nature, we'd have no problem with it.

"Death, however, scares us: cemeteries and corpses unnerve us, and the thought of ourselves or a loved one in a casket is profoundly disturbing.

"This is because death wasn't supposed to happen.

"It's an effect of original sin; it is, perhaps, the most vivid and unnatural fact around.

"Fortunately, God brought good out of evil.

"He took the evil of death, and made it the occasion of redemption for the whole human race.

"God himself came to earth and died for the salvation of the world by rising again and thus giving us the opportunity to rise with him."


He quotes St. Paul here:


"If the Spirit of hi who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you (Rom 8.11)."


He summarizes:


"In other words, our Lord conquered death, and his conquest allows to us to hope for a new life beyond the threshold of our mortality.

"The consequence for the Christian is that death's terror is diluted: Oh, death, where is your sting? (I Cor 15:55).

"Death itself has now been charged with a new positive significance.

"Now, instead of just marking the end of our temporal life, death marks the beginning of our eternal life ..."


Thanks, Professor! :)

''The Drug, the Soul, and God: A Catholic Moral Perspective on Antidepressants.''

By:

Dr. John - Mark L. Miravalle.

This controversial volume will engage theologians and medical professionals alike...


From the website of The University of Chicago Press Books.

www.press.uchicago.edu


"Miravalle examines the stance of the Catholic Church regarding the prescription and consumption of antidepressants.

"After a careful investigation of Catholic moral theology and philosophy, Miravalle argues that treating depression with medication alone fails to address the underlying causes of the depression and does not facilitate the cognitive, interper4sonal, and environmental changes necessary for a patient's long - term health.

"In addition, he suggests that such medication may deprive sufferers of providential opportunities for personal and communal conversion and sanctification.

"This controversial volume will engage theologians and medical professionals alike..."

'Way to go, Doctor! My copy is hopefully already inbound on ILL Request! :)

Operation Palace Guard / Friendly -- $Financial$ -- Enablers.

'Way down in Southwest Texas -- where financial monkey shines are conducted in a forthright manner and with the support of dozens of tontos útiles! :)

Raw data from the bulletin labeled:

St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church
P.O. Box 95
Brackettville, Texas 78832

"The Weekend of Saturday, March 26th & Sunday March 27th, 2011

"Serving in the Following Ministries

'The Collection Counters for April 3, 2011

"Mary Meek, Hortencia Peña, Leticia Carter."

And now, totally unrelated to the above:

"ROSARY LEADER: April 3, 2011 [will be] Bernice Yandell..."


Both Sunday a.m. Masses well - served by dedicated youth.

Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.




Sunday. March 27, 2011. 8:00 a.m. Spanish - language Mass; TEAM Ms. Brenda Pacheco & Ms. Amy Herrera.

Sunday. March 27, 2011. 10:30 a.m. English - language F.C.S. Mass. TEAM Mr. J.T. Rosas & Mr. Roman Rosas.

Second Friday Lenten Fish Fry $$ Fundraiser $$ reputed a success!

Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish in Brackettville, Texas 78832.



Mrs. Janie DeHoyos' Confirmation Class youngsters said "to have made all the difference!"

Congratulations, great people! :)

NEXT ONE: Friday, April 8, 2011.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Girls Track!

Champions from
Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish community.

Brackettville
, Texas 78832.



Some random examples of participants in both Ingram & La Pryor Track Meets:

Ms. Icela Rueda.

Ms. Elvia Guerrero.

Ms. Alicia Guerrero.

Ms. Bianca Cruz.

Ms. Selina Gerardo.

Plus, so many more!

Congratulations, ladies! :)

From the Bracket Weekly News. Thursday, March 24, 2011.

Former KCL Summer Intern and B.H.S. Class of 2011 graduate Ms. Sahara Rodriguez, outbound for UT Austin!

Congratulations, Sahara! :)


From: The Bracket News Weekly. Thursday, March 24, 2011.

¡Tejones silvestres!

Flea - infested to the point of group insanity??!!

"Masked bandits vandalize funeral home''


Random snippets from the Brackett News Weekly. Thursday, March 24, 2011.

Contributing Writer Ms. Leigh Jenkins, reporting.

It seems that a Kinney County Sheriff's Deputy was dispatched in response to a mid - afternoon call and "found damage to the ceiling in every room, opened desk drawers, furniture knocked over, bent curtain rods, dented metal lamps, baseboard trim pulled from the walls and insulation pulled down from the ceiling.

"The [investigating officer's] report also stated the building was infested with fleas and the estimated damage was believed to be up to $2,500."

He was likewise able to positively identify the perpetrators "from claw marks and tracks on the glass doors, desks and in the rest room..."

"Kinney County Sheriff L.K. Buddy Burgess jokingly added [that] his deputy was able to apprehend all the bandits and they were all wearing masks..."


Way to go, good people!

"Jesuit group settles abuse suit"

"$166.1 million going to Native American, Alaska Native victims"

"About $6 million ... is being set aside for future claims"


From the San Antonio Express - News / A.P -- Saturday, March 26, 2011.

Byline: Donna Gordon Blankinship.

Snippets:

"Many of the abuses happened in remote villages and reservations.

"The [Jesuit] order was accused of using those areas as dumping grounds for problem priests."

Note: as was the case in both Brackettville, Texas and Rock Springs, Texas. The first under Archbishop Flores and the second under Archbishop Gomez.

"California attorney John Manley, who represented some of the abuse victims, said the Jesuits knowingly put molesters in a position to abuse children.

"Manley said It wasn't an accident. The evidence showed they did it on purpose and it was rape..."

Good point, Señor! :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Where else but in the vicinity of Rancho La Leona?

Saint Mary Magdalene's ACTS Retreat personality Mr. Jerry DeHoyos.

Brackettville, Texas 78832:


Kills 75 - pound mountain lion.


As the photo caption from the Brackett News Weekly for Thursday, March 24, 2011 tells us:

"Jerry DeHoyos, of Brackettville, took this mountain lion on some property behind the Leona Ranch north of Brackettville.

"DeHoyos reports the predator weighed nearly 75 pounds.

"Mountain lions are roaming animals that kill livestock such as lambs and goats, costing ranchers thousands of dollars in losses throughout the year..."


'Way to go, Jerry! :)

"Courthouse 100th Anniversary!"

Brackettville, Texas 78832.



Photo caption under a century - old B/W from the Brackett News Weekly, edition of Thursday, March 17, 2011, says it all:

"Pictured is the courthouse as it was in 1911."

Including the adjacent windmill!

"Judge Joe Veltmann and Precinct 1 Commissioner N. Castro, Precinct 2 Commissioner Albert Schwander, Precinct 3 Commissioner R.E. Cannon and Precinct 4 Commissioner J.F. McCormick certified the courthouse complete on March 22, 1911..."

NOTE: Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church parishioner and current Kinney County Auditor Mr. Gilbert Castro's great uncle -- a county commissioner -- "voted in favor of building the new courthouse in 1908."

Raw data in photo caption from the Brackett News Weekly. Edition of Thursday, March 24, 2011.


Pastor Ned Sitzes' marquee!

Frontier Baptist Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.


"Hear God's Word Here"

"Ask About Our Pray As You Go Plan"



Way, to go, Reverend, keep up the good work!:)

March 25. Feast Day of the Annunciation of the Lord.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

And The UTEP Prospector's Mr. Aaron Martinez has the story!

"Fear and loathing in a nuclear world"

¡Adelante, Aaron!



Snippet from the original published online Wednesday, March 23, 2011.


"After the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan March 11 left several nuclear power plants critically damaged, the debate over the safety of nuclear energy has intensified.

"Early this year, President Barack Obama announced that more than $8 billion in federal loan guarantees would be used to build the first nuclear power plant in more than 30 years in the United States.

"But now after the possible meltdown in Japan, support for Obama's plan to expand our country's use of nuclear energy is in serious jeopardy.

"The main arguments against nuclear energy include safety concerns of a meltdown and the problem of nuclear waste disposal.

"The haunting memories of the nuclear meltdowns at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island are used as examples of the dangers caused by a meltdown.

"As for the actual disposal of nuclear waste, the main argument people make is that they do not want nuclear waste disposal sites in their backyards.

"So the biggest issue for the government is to find good spots to put disposal sites.

"Currently, the U.S. is working on a disposal site in licensed deep, stable geologic structures in the Yucca Mountain..."

Good points, Aaron! :)


¡Ora, UTEP!

¡Ora, MEChA!

¡Adelante, DESTINO!


Archbishop Gustavo Garcia - Siller, MSpS:

"[W]e practice our faith by participating in the Eucharist and center our understanding in the Eucharistic prayer,

"the words of consecration..."



Snippets from Carol Baass Sowa's article Mid - Winter gathering of catechetical leaders focuses on the Eucharist, written for Today's Catholic. Friday, March 11, 2011.


"The archbishop related that we practice our faith by participating in the Eucharist and center our understanding in the Eucharistic prayer; the words of consecration.

"He noted that the wording in the new English translation of the Mass, the Roman Missal Translation, will serve to enhance this understanding."

Here the Ms. Sowa adds:

"Use of the new translation will begin November 1, the first Sunday of Advent."

Yes, indeed!

As twenty - odd households in zip code 78832 will be finding out from the sizzling March issue of Inside The Vatican magazine coming their way within 10 days or so, the watchword for the Catholic Church in America from now on will indeed be, as the ITV cover assures us:


"The Liturgy


"Between

"Old and New..."

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Kibeho, Rwanda

"... site of the first Church - approved Marian apparitions in Africa..."


And,

Father Leszek Czelusniak, MIC.

And,

Immaculee Ilibagiza.

"Marian opens school in Rwanda for 500 children.

"A school and a bakery among Marian priest's projects in Kibeho, Rwanda."


From Marian Helper magazine. Spring 2011. By Felix Carroll.

www. marian . org

"The school's opening day was beautiful, Fr. Leszek says, The children danced. The children sang. People came who have many different backgrounds -- religious and political. This is a simple building, but it's something really beautiful in a place where people have nothing...

"[S]ays Immaculee Ilibagiza, an author, speaker, and Rwandan genocide survivor, The school makes sense to people in Kibeho in every way. It is faith and love in action...."


$$ MONEY$$ from everywhere!


Kate Lesnar -- "a 15 - year - old from Worthington, Minn., held a golf fundraiser last summer and collected $10,000, which paid for the school's water system."

Youngster -- "A 10 - year - old boy in Minnesota spent two years saving his money to buy himself a $400 video game system. He gave his savings for the new school instead."

High school -- "A high school in Green Bay raised funds to install the school's sports fields."

The Green Bay Packers -- "... and their head coach Mike McCarthy also partnered to make a $100,000 donation to train Rwandans in bread baking and small - business skills..."

Great way to go, good people! :)

Plus: "Visit kibeho . org " -- We're advised!

March 23. Feast Day of Saint Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo.

Archbishop of Lima, Peru.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did a great job in FY 2010.


"For the first time,
DHS unmanned aerial capabilities now cover the Southwest border all the way from California to Texas ..."


Random snippets from the Kinney County Post. Tuesday, March 22, 2011.


"For the first time, DHS unmanned aerial capabilities now cover the Southwest border all the way from California to Texas -- providing critical aerial surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground.

"During FY2010, CBP also increased its collaboration with federal, state, local, tribal, and international partners, including through its continued leadership of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats -- a collaborative enforcement effort that leverages the capabilities and resources of over 60 federal, state, local and tribal agencies in Arizona and the government of Mexico to combat individuals and criminal organizations that pose a threat to communities on both sides of the border.

"Over the coming year, CBP will continue to deploy additional resources to the borders, including 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, 250 new CBP Officers, and additional CBP unmanned aircraft systems funded under the Southwest border security supplemental legislation passed by Congress..."



Way to go, good people!

Keeep up the good work.. :)

Japan Earthquake - Tsunami Relief Fund


"If you wish to send a personal check [or a PICO's international money order] to the Embassy of Japan.

Make it "Payable to: Embassy of Japan

Mark it "For: Earthquake Aid


Mailing Address:


"Accounting Section

"Embassy of Japan

"2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW

"Washington, D.C. 20008"


Source for the above: The Embassy of Japan's own website.

Monday, March 21, 2011

"NEWS BRIEF -- Monday, March 21, 2011."

Jesuit's magazine America.



"A federal judge in California ruled on Feb. 28 that a Mexican resident can use a law typically employed for international human rights cases to sue the Archdiocese of Los Angeles over charges he was sexually abused by a priest..."

"Philadelphia Suspends 21 Priests

"In a major reversal, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that it had placed 21 priests on administrative leave from active ministry from credible charges that they had sexually abused minors.

"The announcement on March 8 represented an embarrassing turnaround for Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, who had said in response to a devastating grand jury report in February that there were no priests in active ministry who have have an admitted or established allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against them ..."


And given this latest fallout in public outrage, time for damage control!


"Cardinal Rigali said, I pray that the efforts of the archdiocese to address these cases of concern and to re - evaluate our way of handling allegations will help rebuild that trust in truth and justice ..."


Tsk, tsk, TSK! :)

Creative "Mexican - Culture Bashing?" :)

Former
Legionaries of Christ priest, Father Richard Gill.


Tells ITV's Sandro Magister, in the March 2011 edition:


"The Legion recently began to install in all computers very aggressive industrial spy ware to monitor all email and internet traffic of the membership..."

Then, going back a ways, we're more or less told that it's time to blame most everything that went wrong with Fr. Maciel's original Legion on Mexican culture, huh?! :)

"However, the tragic blunders and deception in dealing with the scandal expose the fact that the largely Mexican leadership was much less concerned with getting to the facts, exposing them to the light, letting the truth be known plainly and dealing with the consequences.

"Latinos tend to be more tolerant of misconduct, corruption, and dishonesty...

"And it is now clear they did not feel the members of the congregation actually had a right to know the truth about the founder's lifestyle and kept it hidden.

"While Maciel was in power, it was considered simply a byproduct of a strictly hierarchical order, but now it rubs many as a gross form of paternalism.."


Problem!


We are told that Fr. "Richard Gill [was] for 29 years a priest of the Legionaries of Christ and a long time director of Regnum Christi in the United States..."

Oh, really? Yet for close to the last 10 of those 29 years, the Mexican press had been tireless in digging up all sorts of unsavory facts, figures and rumors about Fr. Maciel.

And if that's not enough, we're told, too, that only: "Approximately 70 priests of over 800 have abandoned the congregation... "

Twenty - nine years a priest loyal to Father Maciel, and Fr. Richard Gill never wavered?

Much less ever listened?

Much less ever cared to hear in the first place?

My, my, MY! :)

¡Viva MALTA!

"Diplomacy: Alberto Leoncini Bartoli

"Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Holy See"



By Viktoria Somogyi. Inside The Vatican magazine. March 2011 edition.


Question of Mr. Ambassador:

"The Order of Malta is a very small state with a very limited staff. How can you maintain relations with 104 countries?"

His answer:

"First of all, the Order of Malta has a significant number of volunteers worldwide.

"We are speaking about people who give their time and contribution with generosity and courage in different parts of the world.

"Then there are the Order of Malta's members.

"Currently there are 13,000 members with some 80,000 volunteers active worldwide.

"Our members and volunteers have a difficult task in coping with all the different needs they encounter.

"But we are optimistic and work with hope and motivation because we can see the positive results of our health care and humanitarian work....

"All of our ambassadors are volunteers.

"Most of them pay for the expenses of their embassies themselves.

"This is how we maintain our large diplomatic network.

"We don't a professional diplomatic corps.

"We have professional ambassadors, but they are a minority.

"For example, the Order's diplomatic representative in Italy is a former Italian ambassador, as is our ambassador to Russia, whereas our ambassador to the European Commission is a former Belgian ambassador.

"Obviously we get the maximum from their experience as ambassadors and as members of the Order.

"When ambassadors who are members of the Order of Malta retire, we frequently ask them if they are interested in representing the Order.

"This is the best solution for our diplomatic network..."

Way to go, Mr. Ambassador! :)

Operation Palace Guard / Friendly -- $Financial$ -- Enablers.

Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.



From the church bulletin labeled:

"The Weekend of Saturday March 19th & Sunday March 20th, 2011.

"Serving in the Following Ministries


"The Collection Counters for March 27, 2011.

"Shirley Donaldson, Mary & Flavio Talamantes, Patti Hidalgo."


Unrelated to the above:

"ROSARY LEADER: March 27, 2011; Frances Franklin."

Altar servers give dedicated service at 2nd. Sunday a.m. Mass.

Saint Mary Magdalene's Catholic Parish Church.

Brackettville, Texas 78832.




Sunday. March 20, 2011. 10:30 a.m. English - language F.C.S. Mass. TEAM Mr. Tony Flores & Mr. Patrick Ortiz + Mr. Moses Hernandez.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Slovenia and Kosovo.

Pope "Benedict XVI named Polish Archbishop Juliusz Janusz, 66, as apostolic nuncio to Slovenia...

"... with the responsibility of apostolic delegate in Kosovo..."



From ITV magazine, March 2011 edition.

"Jurkovic was born in Kocebje, Ljubljana ..."

Slovenian
- born Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic appointed as "Vatican ambassador to Russia..."



From the March 2011 edition of Inside The Vatican magazine.

"Jurkovic, who holds the degree of doctor of canon law, knows Italian, Russian, Spnaish, English, German, French and Ukrainian in addition to his native Slovenian.."

"4 toneladas de marijuana fueron decomisadas de un tráiler remolque encontrado en una bodega en Edinburg, Texas.

"En Tamaulipas abate el Ejército a 13.

"Militares repelen agresión; entre los muertos hay 4 mujeres..."


La Reforma / Zócalo / San Fernando, Tamaulipas. Martes 15 de marzo de 2011.

"El Ejército abatió a 10 sicarios, detuvo a cuatro delincuentes y decomisó casi 3 toneladas de mariguana [2 mil 979.87 kilogramos] en diferentes acciones realizadas en Tamaulipas, informó la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional [SEDENA]..."

Según nos dice la SEDENA, en el municipio de San Fernando, Tamaulipas:

"...personal militar repelió una agresión donde resultarom 10 agresores muertos -- seis masculinos y cuatro femeninos -- detuvo a cuatro agresores y cinco presuntos secuestrados y aseguró 11 vehículos - uno con blindaje artesanal -- ocho armas largas, dos armas cortas, 149 cargadores, 4 mil 264 cartuchos, 467 dosis de marijuana..

"También una cuatrimoto, 58 uniformes militares, 11 chalecos, cinco fornituras y 15 teléfonos celulares..."

Y, luego en Tampico, Tamaulipas:

".. el Ejército repelió una agresión, donde resultaron tres agresores muertos, detuvo a un presunto secuestrado y aseguró un vehículo blindado, un lanzacohetes, tres granadas, cuatro armas largas, cuatro armas cortas, 29 cargadores y 769 cartuches ..."