Chisitianity the most persecuted religion on the world November 30, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in Basics, Ecumenism, General Catholic, sadness.comments closed
I am not surprised by this, and I think we should expect increasingly foul treatment, especially in formerly Christian locales.
“Most Catholics get their ideas about the Faith more from the world than from the Church” November 30, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, General Catholic, sadness, scandals.comments closed
So says Msgr. Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington blog, the best diocesan blog in the country. The Washington Post recently had an article in which they interviewed Catholics about their views on the “Pope-condom” issue. The results uniformly show the results of decades of bad catechesis and a deep internalization of the cultural dictum that faith is, at most, a strictly private thing with no role in the public sphere:
The gray-haired chief usher for the Latin Mass was headed with his metal cane for the steps of Washington’s Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle when he paused to consider the latest church teaching on condom use. “As a Catholic,” said Lucius Robertson, 91, he opposed the use of condoms. “As a John Doe,” he said he approved. “It’s strictly personal,” he added, “a singular decision.” [Msgr Pope comments:]In this opening paragraph we quickly see into the heart of the problem: faith has been privatized. We live in the age of the designer religion wherein anyone gets to invent their own dogma, or selectively determine what dogmas they will accept [Like New Age! – ED]. Everyone gets to be their own pope. Catholics are often no exception to this trend and many seem perfectly willing and able to dispense with whatever doctrines displease them and still declare themselves to be a “good Catholic.” For such as these faith has no apparent communal dimension, nothing outside them self which should require adherence in order that to qualify for membership. No, such a notion that some one other than me gets to say what is the true faith is obnoxious to many. They insist that faith be a purely private declaration of what seems true “to me.” To suggest that certain criteria ought be met in order to “be Catholic” offends against their God-given right to design their own faith and, I would argue, their own God.
Our 91 year old usher here might not accept all these notions I have stated but his understanding of the faith is surely tainted by them. He insists that an important matter of Church moral teaching is “strictly personal” and “a singular decision.” Never mind that the Church, founded by Jesus Christ, has set forth a clear forbiddance of the use of condoms. Never mind that we as Catholics are expected to give assent and religious submission to what the Church formally teaches and proposes for belief in matters of faith and morals
Go read it all here. It is a veritable panoply of all the false myths and cultural shots at the Church. These people haven’t been formed in any real Catholic doctrine. They’ve been formed in a secular, pagan view of what the Church believes. I don’t know why they still go to church.
Oh, one more gem: A 2003 Washington Post poll found that 88 percent of Catholics believed that using a “birth control pill or condoms” was morally acceptable. Much of that sentiment was in evidence at St. Matthew’s Sunday.
88 percent! You can’t get 88 percent of people to agree to like chocolate chip cookies! I am telling you, this rejection of Church Doctrine on birth control is the hinge around which pivots all the other apostasies.
More on New Age, and I’m a filthy liar November 30, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in Basics, Dallas Diocese, foolishness, General Catholic, North Deanery, sadness, scandals.comments closed
If anyone has ever thought I have some master plan for what I post, they’re wrong, I don’t. I just post what the Spirit (or my insatiable ego) moves me to post. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that, as has become tradition in the northern part of the diocese, a couple of New Age endorsing speakers will be coming into local area parishes over Lent. Those “Collin County Catholic Church Association” churches that keep bringing these folks in (thanks Cecilia and Judy!!) are this year sponsoring a speaker, Sr. Maria Schwan, to talk up “centering prayer,” while, independently, St. Joseph is bringing in a wing dinger of a New Ager, Thomas Keating’s buddy Fr. Bill Sheehan, to talk up the same. It’s almost like there is a concerted effort going on or something, at a parish whose pastor is a Bishop!
I’m bringing this topic up again because I received some reinforcement recently on just how dangerous this New Age stuff is. Sharon Lee Giganti was on EWTN radio last night, and she was relating stories and taking calls on this subject. Centering prayer is a typical “gateway” into New Age. It’s a form of self-hypnosis/deep “dead” meditation. From there, many people will go onto more advanced practices like using power crystals, lighting candles set in geometric shapes (a powerful legacy of European paganism),etc. These practices can exercise a powerful hold over people. One caller into Ms. Giganti’s program begged for help to stop returning to New Age practices when she was stressed, threatened, etc. She constantly wanted to go back to the candle lighting, etc, even though she has come back to the Church and is trying to live an active Catholic Faith. Another woman named Linda Kelly had a program detailing her own experiences with New Age and what a terrible impact it had on her life. A disturbingly large number of people who play around with this New Age stuff wind up getting demonic infestations/obsessions/possessions, and those demons can exercise a hideous control over people’s lives, as Fr. Euteneuer related repeatedly in Exorcism and the Church Militant. Once even moderately “deep” into the lifestyle, it can be very hard to get out, either due to habit or supernatural influence.
I’m going to be frank. There is not a huge demand for these conferences, but there is a certain set from each parish who routinely attend these conferences, mostly the same people every year. These conferences appeal primarily to women, and, specifically, women aged 50-70. The vast majority of parishioners have no interest in these events, even if they have knowledge of them. Even though largely the same crowd attends every year, it is likely that a number of “first-timers,” probably ranging in the dozens, gets exposed to this New Age junk every year through these conferences, and some percentage of those probably get bogged down in it as a result. But the fact of the matter is, there is no great clamor from the pews for these events, they happen because a small group of staff at these parishes push for these New Age speakers, and, these New Age speaker events have been going on so long, they’ve virtually become a tradition. In addition, some of the pastors of the 5 parishes that make up the “Collin County Catholic Churches Association” have been, how should I say……..rather well disposed towards having these speakers come in (the parishes are Prince of Peace, St. Mark, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, all in Plano, St. Joseph in Richardson and Our Lady of Angels in Allen). Certainly, Msgr. Petter of St. Elizabeth Seton expressed to me excitement that Sr. Rupp came last year, and Prince of Peace and its former long time pastor Msgr. James Balint are well known in the area for being heterodox and open to theological novelties like New Age. The former pastor of St. Joseph in Richardson, Msgr. Don Fischer, who retired in June, was similarly disposed. The reason why I’m providing all this background, which, I am certain my detractors will say is “gossip,” is that its important to know why these events keep happening. While these events have a certain popularity with a narrow subset of the membership of these churches, it is known that there is also genuine desire for more orthodox (or, if you prefer, authentic) Catholic speakers at these parishes, and yet efforts over periods of years to bring in speakers of a different caliber seem to meet with the same result year after year: nil (I am not including St. Anthony in Wylie and their almost uniformly excellent speakers/conferences in this analysis, due to the fact that Wylie is pretty far out in the diocese).
I am genuinely concerned for the state of the souls of those who attend conferences like these upcoming New Age talks. I have been assured that our Ordinary, Bishop Farrell, always reviews and approves these speakers. I was told that last year with regard to Sr. Joyce Rupp’s conference. I think his approval was meant to assure me that she was fine. The widely available evidence did not support that view. These currently planned conferences are even more blatant in their focus on New Age practices – both focus on using centering prayer techniques that the Vatican and numerous other Catholic sources have specifically warned against for years. I am doubly concerned that these conferences are becoming viewed as “part of the fabric” of life in the diocese, a tradition, and that the parish of the Auxiliary Bishop with the highest administrative perview in the Diocese, Bishop Deshotel, is hosting a veritable paragon of “Catholic New Age” in this Fr. Sheehan. If one did not know better, judging by the apparent ecclesial support these new age conferences enjoy, one might get the impression that new age is becoming part of the recommended practice for Catholics in this Diocese.
More than likely, the worst that will happen is that more Catholics will get more lousy catechesis and more distancing from a full, tradtionally authentic practice of the Faith, but the more I read about New Age, the more dangerous I realize it is for the faith lives and the very state of the souls of those who participate in events like this.
If you feel strongly that this isn’t right, you might, in your charity, consider contacting those involved in hosting these confereces. If you do, please do so charitably, without foul language or extreme rhetoric like comparisons to demons, etc.
Mary Edlund Chancellor, Dallas Diocese chancellor@cathdal.org 214-379-2819
Elsa Espinoza, Secretary, Bishop Kevin Farrell: eespinoz@cathdal.org 214-379-2816
St. Mark Parish
Father Cliff Smith – cgsmith49@aol.com or 972 423-5600
St. Joseph Parish
Pastor – Bishop Doug Deshotel (972)231-2951
Keep praying!
Oh, and yesterday I said I wasn’t going to be confrontational! That’s why I’m a liar! Forgive me, Lord! You know I love You!
So, your local bishop was just made a Cardinal….. November 30, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Society.comments closed
…..what do you do? Well, in Sri Lanka, they go crazy with a parade, a giant red hat, and a huge witness to the Faith, in honor of the very great Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith:
What a brilliant witness and public demonstration of love for Church and for their local shepherd. With a fervor like this, is the future of the Church going to be outside its traditional environs of Western Europe and the Americas?
Cardinal Ranjith is also a great liturgical reformer, insisting on high standards for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and proclaiming the period of June 2010 – June 2011 a local Year of the Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Thank God, we’re safe November 30, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in asshatery, General Catholic, Society.comments closed
I was getting worried there, for a minute:
I’m sure the TSA staff don’t enjoy doing that kind of ridiculous search. The policy is idiotic.
Less confrontational – Chant November 29, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, General Catholic, Latin Mass.comments closed
Hopefully, everyone can enjoy this – Dies Irae (Day of Wrath):
I know we’ve now passed the “end times” at the end of the Liturgical year, but I think good chant is something that can be enjoyed at anytime. Now that we are in the penitential season of Advent, a time of preparation for the great Feast to come, I plan to try to focus more on spiritual topics and less on confrontational issues like this Pope-condom thing, which is really annoying me for a number of reasons (one, I really like this Pope, and, two, I’m just not really in the mood to be so confrontational, constantly).
Here’s another good English version of the hymn composed by that great author of Catholic hymnody, St. Ambrose, Veni Redemptor Gentium (from the same source):
What a great hymn for Advent!
Immaculate Conception Novena starts today November 29, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, North Deanery.comments closed
In anticipation of one of the few remaining weekday Holy Days of Obligation, you can start the Novena for the Immaculate Conception of Mary (when she conceived Jesus as a virgin) today. Thanks to my secret Carmelite link/diocesan insider!
Totally non sequitir November 29, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Society.comments closed
Since all the blogs seem to still largely be in “all Pope condom all the time” mode, here’s a non sequitir sure to bore many, but maybe Colleen will enjoy it. The air war in Vietnam was incredibly painful, most of all because of a senior civilian leadership deciding within weeks of the start of the conflict that bombing wouldn’t achieve their ends, and then, inexplicably, continuing in that bombing campaign, in fits and starts, for many more years. The handicaps placed on American airmen were ridiculous – so many high value targets were prohibited, and the North Vietnames proceeded to take every advantage of these self-imposed limitations to build the world’s most formidable air defense network.
Anyway, one aircraft that fought very hard in that misbegotten conflict was the F-105 Thunderchief, the Thud. It was designed as a high speed, low level nuclear strike aircraft, designed to take one tactical nuclear device at high subsonic speeds on a likely one way mission into Eastern Europe if the really big balloon had ever gone up. Instead, they wound up dropping iron bombs over N. Vietnam. Of 833 F-105s constructed, almost half, 398, were shot down over N. Vietnam. Many more were so badly wounded or war weary that they went to the boneyard at Davis Monthan immediately after the conflict. By the early 70s, there were only a couple of reserve wings and one active duty still flying the Thud.
During the Rolling Thunder period, from mid 1965 till mid 1968, F-105 pilots were required to fly 100 missions over N. Vietnam to get a ticket home. In the thick of this period, it was estimated that a pilot had an almost zero percent chance of flying 100 missions successfully. In the second video, you’ll see an F-105 pilot with a very hard earned “100 Missions North” patch flying ANOTHER tour. Not sure who that pilot is, but he has cast iron you know whats.
Why am I writing this today? I guess I’m posting on this because I read a book about Servant of God and Medal of Honor recipient Fr. Vincent Capoddano last week. He was killed in Operation Swift when attached to the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines near Da Nang in September 1967. Then, I also got to revel in my wife’s uncle’s stories about his 3 tours in “the Nam.” He was is a Marine and was in country when Fr. Capoddano was killed, but did not know him. Uncle Milo (Emilio Rendon) has had a hard time coming to terms with his experiences in Vietnam, but took a trip there this last summer and seems to be opening up a bit. He has a number of friends whose names are on that wall in Washington, DC.
You can see the 100 Missions North patch on the left sleeve of the pilot at the end of this clip:
Then there is this song by Dick Jonas, a former USAF fighter pilot who flew with the 433rd TFS (Satan’s Angels), 8th TFW, under the famous Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, USAF, Ret., called Thud Pilot:
I’m a Thud Pilot
I love my plane
It is my body
I am its brain
My Thunderchief loves me
and I love her, too,
but I get the creeps with only one seat
and one engine, too
She’s faster than lightning,
it says on her dials,
to get a Thud airborne,
takes only two miles**,
she’s packed with transistors,
black boxes, diodes
but stay alert
cuz you might get hurt,
when she explodes.
She totes more bombs,
than a B-17,
my F-105,
has a gun and she’s mean***,
but if I hit my hundred,
and I’m still alive,
I’ll have no grief,
goodbye Thunderchief,
my F-105
** – The F-105 Thunderchief was built by Republic Aviation, a company noted for building aircraft that were fast, very tough, but requiring seemingly endless amounts of runway to takeoff. At maximum takeoff weight, in the hot and humid conditions of SEA, Thunderchiefs routinely had trouble taking off in the 10-12,000 feet provided.
*** – Unlike most aircraft in the Vietnam conflict, especially most versions of the F-4 Phantom II, the F-105 mounted an internal M61A1 20mm 6 barrell rotary cannon (gatling gun). But the Thud was no dogfighter – with small wings designed to permit supersonic flight at low level, it had high wing loading and could not turn well at normal dogfighting speeds. But, a few F-105s did score MiG kills during the conflict.
Carmelite prayer vigil this Friday November 29, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Latin Mass, North Deanery.comments closed
All Night Adoration First Friday, Dec. 3/4
PRAY TO END ABORTION & ALL SANCTITY OF LIFE ISSUES
Pray for Our COUNTRY and its future
Discalced Carmelite Nuns Invite YOU!!
Starts Friday night come as early as 4 PM
Ends just before 7 AM Mass on Saturday, Dec. 4
First Mass (prayed in Latin) 8:00 PM
there are English/Latin and Spanish/Latin red books at back of church to follow
Food & Drink available in the room next to the chapel. Please help yourself!
2nd Mass (in Latin) 3:00 AM
Leave your personal prayer requests
The Nuns will storm heaven!
The Monastery is at 600 Flowers Ave., Dallas, 75211, off of Jefferson.
convenient from I-30 and Loop 12.
From downtown: take I-30 going west, exit LOOP 12 south,
Alleged priest abuser tries to murder victim November 29, 2010
Posted by Tantumblogo in General Catholic.comments closed
Many have probably heard of the story of an ostensible Catholic priest, already charged with child molestation, now facing murder charges after having tried to put out a hit on the victim of his pederasty. But since I am tied so very, very deeply into not just the local, or national, but the international Catholic community (re: my father in law knows a bunch of priests), I can perhaps add a bit to this story. Why? Because not only does my wife’s family have some experience with this “priest”, this “priest” pretty much freaked some of my wife’s family out.
So why am I putting priest in quotes? Because, this guy, this John Fiala, showed up at the SOLT facility down in Robstown, TX one day several years ago and claimed to be a priest. He claimed to have been ordained in the Phillipines, or in Mexico (I think the story changed), and wanted to get on with SOLT. SOLT asked for his records or ordination, seminary transcripts, etc., and he would not/could not provide them. On a personal note, he also started hanging out with a member of my wife’s family who had suffered a personal tragedy and during that time Fiala was behaving pretty oddly. My father in law did not trust the guy at all. Since he could not provide any of the requested information, he was never a priest with SOLT, although he may have claimed to be – SOLT never approved his joining their order. I guess he eventually went down to San Antonio and convinced them he was authentic, and he got on at a parish in Rocksprings, at the edge of the diocese. He began abusing a boy some time later. That odd behavior I mentioned earlier, it did involve his seeming to have an inordinate interest in both women and boys. He was a very strange person.
And so now he has not only allegedly abused a teenage boy, he then tried to put a hit out on him.
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