All of us are immersed in this politically charged atmosphere. Like lightning hitting dry brush, words can easily set off a firestorm. There are some who love this climate, mostly politicians I imagine, or perhaps those who have something to gain financially or otherwise in the process or outcome. The rest of us begrudgingly tolerate […]
Every so often the Holy See will update its web site to reflect new documents or to make available old documents to the public. Sometimes, the updates are so subtle and not made to fanfare that the public can mistake an update as seemingly small and insignificant. Today is not one of those days. The […]
Pro-life groups in Ireland fear that recommendations from a panel of experts appointed by Irish Health Minister James Reilly would be the first steps to introduce legal abortion in Ireland. The minister is expected to issue new regulations following the recommendations of an expert panel set up in January as a response to the European […]
The result of the Presidential Election was hardly a foregone conclusion, for while the “progressive” candidate won again, it was by a reduced margin. And there were moments when even his own most earnest supporters thought he might lose, given the bad shape of the economy. His opponent, a former state governor with a reputation […]
I first became a mother at the age of 38 when my husband and I became foster parents to three children under the age of five. Three frightened, angry, fragile kids who spent every waking minute – which, between them, constituted pretty much 24/7 that first year – thinking of creative ways to destroy the […]
The short answer to the very complex question posed in the title of this article is this: We actually don’t know, yet. That is to say that the official teaching body of the Catholic Church, the Magisterium, has not yet issued a final stance on this specific topic. The debate among Church theologians began in earnest […]
You would think that, with Louisiana State University’s 7-1 overall record and 3-1 Southeastern Conference record, fans of the No. 6-ranked college football team would focus all their attention on the upcoming game against No. 1-ranked Alabama. Face it, this will be a big game. But seriously, folks. An interesting issue has risen out of […]
Elizabeth Crnkovich also contributed to this article. The population controllers have long dreamed of chemically sterilizing women for extended periods of time. That was the idea behind Norplant I, which consisted of six silicon capsules loaded with levonorgestrel that, implanted permanently in a woman’s body, was intended to shut down her reproductive system for up […]
Reflections for Sunday, October 28, 2012 Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52) Saying Yes to Jesus’ Call “Get up, he is calling you.” (Mark 10:49) Today’s readings all involve a call from God. In the first reading, the Lord makes a joyful announcement, calling […]
Healed through Cancer by James Littleton is a treasure trove of faith, scripture quotes, and brotherly advice, as well as a personal account of one man’s journey through cancer and the fruits of that journey. With depth and understanding, Littleton takes his readers through the physical, spiritual, and emotional “valley of death” as he learns of […]
Today is the feast of Blessed John Paul II. He is often referred to as John Paul the Great, but I will always know him simply as JPII. No doubt he was a mighty world/religious leader, but to many of us who grew up under his pontificate, he was also a gentle and humble shepherd […]
Some days in life are just so stinkin’ hard. The most difficult part of hard days is the part I play in them. The failures that are mine, all mine. If I have twenty balls up in the air and manage to keep ten of them up, hoorah for me! But still I drop the […]
In these final few days of election season, wouldn’t it be a relief to read something informative, constructive, and positive? The political scene this year is filled with negativity and misinformation; yet, we are presented with two very clear choices, at least when it comes to the presidential race. The book Indivisible provides a positive […]
Editors note: This was given as a homily on Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Brighton, MN. The gospel was for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, Mark 10:17-30. Recently I spoke with a senior at a Catholic high school and he was telling me that […]
How can your family find healing, strength, and protection in the sacraments? They can learn how in the book, Seven from Heaven (The Crossroad Publishing Company) by Elizabeth Ficocelli. As a matter of fact, that question is the exact subtitle of her book. “God’s powerful presence in the seven sacraments is the reason they hold […]
I only wear mascara for special occasions: Easter, Christmas, Sunday Mass, an evening out with hubby, lunch with friends. It isn’t a daily, automatic thing for me. So when I was getting ready to attend the Paul Ryan rally in our area this past week, I thought it odd that my instinct was to put […]
As a former California girl, I am aware that my state of origin is full of contradictions like women who are on the Pill eating nothing but organically grown produce. Back in 2004 Californians overwhelmingly voted with Prop 71 to publicly fund embryonic stem cell research with billions of dollars because they were told that […]
Elizabeth Crnkovich also contributed to this article. Gardasil has been controversial from the beginning. While other vaccines protect against diseases spread by casual contact, Gardasil was developed to protect against a sexually transmitted disease called Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. Merck & Co., the manufacturer, has been very effective at lobbying governments around the world […]
A generation ago, in the 1970s, the U.S. intelligence community possessed the technology to discern whether or not a U.S. consulate was under attack by terrorists or by rioters run amok. Moreover, no one in the community ever wanted a superior, especially at the highest levels, to point to an article in the Washington Post […]
A new study by researchers at Yale found that at least 50% of young couples expecting a child actually desired the pregnancy. From a sample of 296 couples in which the female was 14-21, 49% of female participants and 53% of males reported wanting the pregnancy. Furthermore, another 18% of females and 24% of males reported being […]
If bananas thrived in Alabama, my family and I would be eating banana leaves using bare hands every single meal. Scratch that. For all meals, we’d have bananas all day long so I can dispense with cooking. Then we’d all have to wear disposable banana leaves uniforms as clothes every single day. Also, anyone under […]
In a recent talk during this 40 Days for Life campaign, I mentioned that the pro-life movement is made up of sinners. We are all sinners and the pro-life effort includes many who have had abortions, doctors who have done abortions and thousands who at one point sincerely defended abortion but are now pro-life. Many […]
Unless you’ve been living under the rock for the past month or so, you’ve probably noticed that the campaign season has kicked into overdrive. One of the critical voting blocks being targeted by Democrats are women. The airwaves are clogged and mailboxes stuffed with the message that the crusty old white men who comprise the […]
With the matter of legalized physician assisted suicide facing the Massachusetts voters this November (and a new law proposed in New Jersey), I thought it would be a good time to remind readers why the CBC opposes physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. To be clear, we support people dying a natural death. Sometimes the zeal for assisted legalized […]
