"The philosopher Plato taught often about truth, beauty and goodness. For me, the impact of truth and goodness would come to be appreciated early on in my young life. Beauty and its impact, however, would come to me much later as I began to appreciate how beauty could open the eyes and elevate the spirit of anyone whose senses were delighted by the experience."
Truth, Beauty, Goodness
Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki's latest
Love One Another column.
Law enforcement officers receive Mass of blessing in Milwaukee
continue at WTMJMilwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki offered a blessing to police officers Monday during a special Mass at the Basilica of St. Josaphat on South 6th Street.
Listecki's words of praise and encouragement were heard by a church filled with officers from throughout Southeast Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel agreed. Back in January, while Schimel recognized National Law Enforcement appreciation day, he referenced his faith.
“On behalf of all of us at the (Wisconsin) Department of Justice, I am grateful to all of our law enforcement partners on this day, and every day, and I pray for their safe return home at the end of every shift,” Schimel said.
Back in Milwaukee on Monday, the Archbishop honored current law enforcement personnel, retirees, and their families.
Monday’s blessing follows what has been a challenging month for authorities. An officer was shot by a suspected armed robber May 5. That officer had been on the force for more than a decade and was pursuing a man who allegedly robbed an auto parts store on Milwaukee’s northwest side.
Only about ten days later, two Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputies were thrown into a lane of traffic on I-43. The dash cam video that captured the incident has gone viral and made international headlines. A woman who had been pulled over for speeding threw her car into reverse and sped off, but not before injuring the two deputies.
Illinois Passes Bill Forcing Every Doctor, Pharmacist and Pregnancy Center to Promote Abortion
Illinois came one step closer to forcing its pro-life medical community to choose between violating state law and violating deeply held religious conscience Wednesday, as the state’s House approved Senate Bill 1564 and set the legislation on the governor’s desk.continue at LifeNews
The bill, which would introduce decisive changes to Illinois’ Health Care Right of Conscience Act, passed by a 61-54 margin and now awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Originally put forward in the summer of 2015, the legislation would require pro-life medical providers, including 51 Illinois nonprofit pregnancy centers offering free services including ultrasound and STI testing, to take action the bill’s opponents say amounts to participating in an abortion.
Particularly at issue is the bill’s requirement that every Illinois pro-life medical provider of any kind who chooses not to perform a procedure such as abortion or a prescription for birth control has one of three options: Either they must “refer the patient” to another provider, “transfer the patient” to another provider, or provide a list of “other health care providers who they reasonably believe may offer the health care service.”
Architect of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse wins Arthur Ross Award
The Arthur Ross Award is the oldest award for classical architecture in the United States. It “recognizes and celebrates excellence in the classical tradition.” This year, Duncan Stroik, practicing architect and professor at the University of Notre Dame, received the Arthur Ross Award in McKim, Mead & White’s historic University Club in New York City.continue at Catholic World Report
Stroik received his architectural education from the University of Virginia and Yale University. In 1990, after serving as a project designer for Allan Greenberg, he was invited to help implement a new curriculum in classical architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His work utilizes hand drawing, full-scale details, and watercolor renderings, as well as close collaboration with painters, sculptors, and other craftsmen. Learning from the great tradition has led him to visit and study buildings in situthroughout Europe, including the opportunity to measure the work of Andrea Palladio in the Veneto.
Stroik’s Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in California was the first classical chapel to be built on a college campus in sixty years. His Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is the grandest classical church built in decades. He is also known for the “creative restoration” of Saint Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which brought back the glory the cathedral never had. Presently, Stroik is working on a $28 million, 1300-seat chapel complete with a masonry dome, interior limestone columns, and two world-class organs for a college in Michigan.
Powerful! Trailer for new movie "Outcasts" documenting Friars of the Renewal
Warning, mature viewing.
Intense. I can't wait to watch.
Via Aletia:
Intense. I can't wait to watch.
Via Aletia:
So begins the trailer of a powerful new offering by Grassroots Films called Outcasts. Excerpting a long soundbite from Charlie Chaplin’s classic speech from The Great Dictator, and juxtaposing these words against haunting modern images, we’re shown snippets of people’s lives in five countries where the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal work and live. The film promises to prick our consciences and to consider the radical message of the Gospel, which is rooted in God’s profound love for every person, and the call to kindness — to find humanity in everyone, especially the desperate and forgotten.
Chicago area hospital dedicates part of cemetery for the unborn
The remains of 85 children who died before they were born were laid to rest May 9 at Assumption Cemetery in Glenwood.continue at Catholic New World
The remains were buried in a special area of the cemetery, near a new memorial stone installed by Franciscan St. James Health. All of them came from the south suburban health system’s hospitals.
Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry led the prayer service for the burial and dedicated the memorial on a cool, cloudy Monday afternoon.
He spoke of the sadness that accompanies the death of child before it is born.
“On a day a child dies before it is born, we think the sun shouldn’t shine, water shouldn’t flow and the world shouldn’t work in the pleasant, indifferent way it usually does,” Bishop Perry said. “Nothing can console you after losses like this and there are no answers to the question, ‘Why is a child allowed to die before it is born? What can make this all right? What can square this with the belief that God is good?’”
While parents might not be willing or able to see to the interment of their children’s remains, the church must reassure and support them.
“Today the need for that reassurance has not changed, even in times of miscarriage or fetal death, especially in these moments,” Bishop Perry said.
The object lesson
At the Twin Cities Archbankruptcy, a
Letter to Faithful from Archbishop Hebda Regarding Reorganization Plan Filing from Archishop Hebda includes this cautionary tale.
"Victims/survivors cannot be compensated until a Plan of Reorganization is finalized and approved. The longer the process lasts, more money is spent on attorneys’ fees and bankruptcy expenses; and, in turn, less money is available for victims/survivors. In other dioceses, that approval process has taken years. For example, in Milwaukee, the process took more than five years and only $21 million was available to compensate claimants. We are submitting our Plan now in the hope of compensating victims/survivors and promoting healing sooner rather than later."In the Milwaukee case an Order Approving Certain Final Fee Applications (page 4) shows fees and expenses for one of our Archdiocese's law firms totaled over $10 million.
Happy Silver Anniversary to Father Z!
more at Father Z's place
Most influential contemporary people in my faith journey in some order would be; Karl Keating, Mother Angelica, Father Z, probably Terry Nelson too.
Still probably my favorite all time Father Z post: ... I can't find it! It's the one where he slowly turns into a "Taliban Catholic." This was back before the left had a wider assortment of insults to use on us.
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| C.O.P.s Clergy on Patrol |
Diocese of New Ulm MN faces 98 sex abuse claims as statute of limitations expires
NEW ULM — The Diocese of New Ulm has received 98 claims from victims of sexual abuse in the three years since the passage of a state law that temporarily lifted the civil statute of limitations for such claims.continue at Mankato Free Press
Of the diocese's 75 parishes, 28 are named in lawsuits brought under the Minnesota Child Victims Act. The suits involve 15 priests.
In March, the Diocese of New Ulm became the last in the state to release the list of names of 16 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children.
The law has highlighted what Msgr. Douglas L. Grams described Wednesday as a "tragedy in this period of history for the church."
"We've had time to reflect and see it as a family experiencing a tragedy," Grams said.
SNAP moves to raid parishes and charitable foundations in Archdiocese of St Paul/Minn, claims archdiocese "shielded $1.7 billion in assets"
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| Parish of St. SNAP's |
Now victims are looking to force the archdiocese to dip into assets—like parishes and charitable foundations stocked with cash—they say the archdiocese has shielded using a legal playbook more often associated with large, for-profit corporations.continue at Wall Street Journal
In court papers filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Minneapolis late Monday, the victims, who are seeking compensation from the archdiocese, said its overall net worth, including property that is legally distinct but alleged to be controlled by the archdiocese, is about $1.7 billion. In bankruptcy court papers filed last year, the archdiocese pegged its total assets at about $45 million.
“The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has been fully cooperating with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court since filing in January of 2015,” Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis stated on Tuesday.continue at CNA
“Let me be clear: The Archdiocese has disclosed all of its assets and has followed all the rules set forth by the Court and all directives from the judge,” he continued.
An “unsecured creditors committee” and attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents hundreds of alleged Minnesota abuse victims, filed a motion on Monday claiming the archdiocese actually should have reported $1.7 billion in assets rather than the $49 million it reported in bankruptcy filings, according to the Associated Press.
Publicity stunt.
Also, today is the final day to file criminal charges (I assume SNAP has filed criminal charges for each of its clients?) with lifted statute of limitations in Minnesota.
Wednesday is the last day for older adults who were sexually abused when they were children to file suit against their abusers.CBS
The Minnesota Child Victims Act was passed in 2013, temporarily lifting the civil statute of limitations for these old cases
Before this act was passed three years ago, child sex abuse survivors had until age 24 to file suit. This law then allowed them to file civil lawsuits no matter how long ago the abuse happened.
Abortions only at Madison Planned Parenthood, drops contraception services
I must make an embarrassing confession: I am a complacent pro-lifer.continue at MadCatHerald
I never thought of myself this way, but it is true. And I have proof.
Abortions only
Beginning May 2, 2016, the Planned Parenthood abortion facility on Madison's east side began providing only abortion services; it will no longer provide screenings or dispense contraceptives.
Although Planned Parenthood purports that performing abortions accounts for only three percent of the services it provides to women, the organization will manage to only perform abortions full-time at the Orin Rd. location, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
That means that every car in the parking lot at Planned Parenthood represents someone seeking OR providing an abortion.
My heart hurts. The grief that this news brings me convicts me: are things worse now?
Also LifeSite: Planned Parenthood Clinic Drops Contraception, Now Only Kills Unborn Children in Abortions
Our Lady Help of Christians, patroness of Holy Hill, ora pro nobis!
Make sure to visit The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill!
Today also marks one of four major liturgical feast to celebrate military victories
Happy Feast of Mary, Help of Christians! Maria, Auxilium Christianorum, ora pro nobis! pic.twitter.com/v9foEWqgeh— Br. Joseph Gannon ن (@BrJosephOCD) May 24, 2016
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| The Carmelite Friars of Holy Hill |
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| photo via Johnny Manhattans |
- May 24, Our Lady Help of Christians, commemorates the defeat of one of history’s greatest generals (and most wicked men), Napoleon Bonaparte.
- August 6, The Transfiguration of Christ, was extended to the Universal Church by Pope Calixtus III to celebrate legendary Hungarian general János Hunyadi’s victory over the Turks at Belgrade in 1456. This feast has great significance for Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic churches.
- September 12, the Holy Name of Mary, celebrates the victory of John Sobieski and his Polish warriors over the Ottoman Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683.
- October 7, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, The Victory of Lepanto
Iowa priest not charged after using church credit card for gambling
ROCKWELL — The pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Rockwell will not face criminal charges after using the church credit card for gambling.continue at GlobeGaz
The Rev. Rod Allers also will remain at his current pastoral assignment unless it is determined it’s best he be reassigned, said John Robbins, director of communication for the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
Robbins would not disclose the amount charged to the credit card for gambling, or what kind of gambling it was.
He did say the amount “is not so much that it can’t be easily repaid.”
The archdiocese will repay Sacred Heart Parish and Allers will repay the archdiocese, according to Robbins.
Former Badgers FB standout visits home parish in Darlington, encourages development of God given talents
continue at MadCatHeraldAlex Erickson, former Wisconsin Badger football player, newly signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, visited Holy Rosary School in Darlington recently.
Erickson is a member of Holy Rosary Parish and a graduate of the Darlington Public Schools.
The former wide receiver for the Badgers gave a talk to the students and shared the role that faith played before and after each Badger game.
He also encouraged the children to develop the talents that God has given them by exploring different opportunities in sports or other areas of their lives. He reminded them not to be discouraged or give up when things do not come easily to them.
Sighting of a large influx of Catholic worshippers
From a friend
The church in the background is St. James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse. Perhaps inadvertent during group Yoga was any worshiping of the one True God present in every Catholic church around the world.
Look at all the pagans worshiping with Mother Church. This is a sign of hope.
The church in the background is St. James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse. Perhaps inadvertent during group Yoga was any worshiping of the one True God present in every Catholic church around the world.
Chicago Archdiocese launches staff reorganization
About 60 employees of the Chicago Archdiocese were told this week they must reapply for their jobs — the first wave in an overhaul of the nation's third-largest Roman Catholic archdiocese.continue at Chicago Tribune
The staff reorganization is part of a multiyear initiative to revitalize the 2.3 million-member church in Cook and Lake counties. Employees for 11 offices that exist to support parishes will no longer hold the same positions after July 31. The archdiocese employs about 15,000 part-time and full-time workers in its pastoral center, schools and parishes.
All of the staff affected are at the Cardinal Meyer Center, a South Side branch of the church's headquarters that houses the Department of Parish Life and Formation. By Aug. 1, that department's name will become Parish Vitality and Mission, and the 11 offices will be consolidated into four, named for the church's renewed priorities: evangelization, lifelong formation, divine worship, and human dignity and solidarity.
The reorganization is the first step of an effort unveiled this year by Archbishop Blase Cupich to determine how many of the archdiocese's 351 parishes should close by 2030.
Cardinal Burke: To Transform Society, Be Ready to Die
See more at: http://aleteia.org/2016/05/19/to-transform-society-be-ready-to-die-cardinal-advises/#sthash.TNzyt5ik.dpufWhen Catholics approach Cardinal Raymond L. Burke to express their concerns about evidence of decay in society and the Church, he urges them to “deepen their understanding of the constant teaching and discipline of the Church” and to make their voices heard by Church leaders.
In a May 7 talk addressing the “Rome Life Forum” sponsored by the group Voice of the Family, Cardinal Burke, patron of the Order of Malta, acknowledged concerns about possible confusion in the Church on fundamental dogmatic and moral truths, and said bishops need to “understand the urgent need to announce again with clarity and courage the truths of the faith.” He added that faithful Christians should be prepared for martyrdom out of love for Christ and His Church, and that martyrdom can take one of several different forms.
Cardinal Burke, who served for years as head of the Vatican’s supreme court, said he is concerned about a growing “man-centered and world-centered perspective, especially in the Church” which expresses itself in a “secular understanding of the divine realities which are part and parcel of our daily life.”
Image
A Tour of the Stunning St. John Cantius Parish, America’s Most Beautiful Church
It was almost destroyed in 1988, due to a bad financial situation and the movement to “update” church architecture. Thankfully, it was saved by a resourceful priest and with the help of Cardinal Francis George.
And now St. John Cantius church has been voted “America’s Most Beautiful Church”! Isn’t it amazing how fortunes can change?
The contest was called Church Madness and held on the website Art & Liturgy, which is run by Patrick Murray. It started wth 16 churches, separated out into four sections that met in the middle like the annual NCAA tournament. Each match-up was determined by polls held on the website.
continue at ChurchPop
I've got a photo set from a couple years ago on Ascension Thursday. A very photogenic church. I'd really like to go down around Christmastime some year. I love this place, a great story, and the Canon's whole philosophy is spot on. Such a perfect fit for Chicago too. I think they are also involved with the Chicago Academy for the Arts, correct me if I'm wrong.
I've got a photo set from a couple years ago on Ascension Thursday. A very photogenic church. I'd really like to go down around Christmastime some year. I love this place, a great story, and the Canon's whole philosophy is spot on. Such a perfect fit for Chicago too. I think they are also involved with the Chicago Academy for the Arts, correct me if I'm wrong.
Are Universities Sidestepping Faculty Due Process in Response to Social Media Crises?
In the social media age, one bad viral incident can outweigh an entire career. Across the country, a series of professor and faculty firings paint a troubling portrait of the way university administrators and trustees view the tradeoffs between employee due process and shielding their institution from the public relations hits that come with high-profile viral incidents.continue at Good Call
Linda Katehi, chancellor of the University of California at Davis was removed from her position last month following allegations that she hired an Internet consulting firm to help scrub and minimize web postings about an infamous pepper spray incident at the university. In March, Sujit Choudhry, dean of UC Berkeley’s law school, was placed on indefinite leave and eventually resigned after details of a sexual harassment lawsuit became public. Melissa Click, former associate professor at the University of Missouri, was fired after being captured on video calling for “muscle” to forcibly remove student journalists from filming protestors. John McAdams, a political science professor at Marquette University, was suspended without pay in 2014 for writing a post on his personal blog criticizing a fellow Marquette teaching assistant caught on tape telling a student that opposition to same-sex marriage was not permitted in her classroom. McAdams contends he has been fired, but the university has stated he remains under suspension throughout the 2016 fall semester.
While each case has its own wrinkles, these incidents all follow a common trend: the faculty members in question were all fired or suspended after their alleged transgressions “went viral” and captured the attention of the outside world. Another commonality is that many of the fired are accusing university administrators of ignoring or sidestepping established faculty due process procedures in order to speed up the termination process or avoid further negative public relations. Choudhry and McAdams are suing their former employers for denying them due process, while Click has stated her intention to do the same. Choudhry filed an official grievance in April with the UC Privilege and Tenure Committee over his dismissal.
140-year-old Allouez cemetary chapel headed for wrecking ball
Crumbling and collapsing from foundation to steeple, the little red brick chapel in the Allouez Cemetery is looking old for its age.continue at GBPG
And its age is considerable.
At 140 years old, it shares a birthday with the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay’s flagship structure, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, but it’s received little of the same TLC over the decades.
This is one of the oldest cemeteries in the state of Wisconsin, and the little red chapel presides over some of the oldest gravestones on the grounds. Most of the graves lying within the chapel’s shadow have been there for more than 100 years. Some of the nearby stones are no longer legible. There’s an angel standing nearby who long ago lost one of her wings.
Paul Ryan at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast: “Religious liberty is going to make a comeback. There is a growing need for faith in this nation.”
continue at Catholic SunPeople of faith have the responsibility to “advocate for their faith,” not only through good works, but on spiritual realms — one being through prayer, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, said May 17.
He made the comments at the 12th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, which drew a record high of about 1,300 attendees to a downtown Washington hotel.
...
In his address, in addition to highlighting the importance of prayer, Ryan also emphasized the need to advocate for the government to safeguard religious liberty.
“Religious liberty is going to make a comeback,” he said. “There is a growing need for faith in this nation.”
Ryan, who is Catholic, also emphasized the importance of good works, referencing the ministry of Sister Constance and the Little Sisters of Poor.
I think the Breitbart campaign against Paul Ryan is weird. Not to say that I agree with all Ryan policy, but I just don't get it.
Chicago Archdiocesan staff will now receive 12 weeks of paid time off after the birth or adoption of a child
The Archdiocese of Chicago will begin offering 12 weeks of paid parental leave to its staff beginning July 1.continue at CNW
The new policy is open to fathers and mothers who just had children or adopted children. Staff who are benefits-eligible (those who work at least 26 hours a week) and who have worked at the archdiocese at least one month qualify for parental leave. Archdiocesan employees who have worked less than one year will receive one week paid parental leave for every month they worked.
Under the previous policy, female staff who gave birth or adopted used sick time and vacation time for pay during their parental leave. Employees who worked for at least three years usually had accumulated enough sick time to cover about six weeks of leave.
“We’ve had a policy that met the needs of most people,” said Betsy Bohlen, chief operating officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago. “For most people it worked, because they accrued sick time and used it. In other organizations they would have lost it. Here they keep it.”
There were some instances when it didn’t work for everyone, such as in the case of newer employees, she said, or someone who had to use their sick time for other health reasons.
When Archbishop Cupich came on board he wanted to ensure that the personnel policies were in line with church teaching.
“Obviously we do want to be a voice for pro-life, family friendly kinds of policies,” Bohlen said. “The idea was to make sure that we have something that can work for all staff.”
The running joke is that the only employment one cannot support a large Catholic family is working for a Catholic non-profit. Bravo to the Archdiocese and Archbishop Cupich!
Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich Receives Honorary Degree From St. Thomas University
The Most Rev. Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago and a 1971 St. Thomas alumnus, has received an honorary degree from the university.continue at St. Thomas U
St. Thomas conferred a Doctor of Laws degree on Cupich during a May 11 ceremony in the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas. A reception for the 200 guests followed in Woulfe Alumni Hall.
Cupich, an Omaha native, enrolled at St. Thomas and St. John Vianney Seminary for his junior and senior years. He was ordained to the priesthood after four years of study at the North American College and Gregorian University in Rome, and returned to Omaha to serve as a pastor and teach at a Catholic high school at Creighton University.
STrib: Thousands welcome Hebda as new Twin Cities archbishop; pledges transparency, accountability
Archbishop Bernard Hebda was installed as the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Friday afternoon, pledging greater attention to the poor and a more open, accountable church.continue at Star Tribune
Hebda said Twin Cities Catholics have told him they want a church that is “more transparent, more accountable … and more engaged in the work of evangelization.”
“I’m all in,” he told the thousands of supporters who packed the Cathedral of St. Paul.
Hebda also repeatedly said that it’s not possessions, but “only Jesus,” that makes a difference in life. He noted that Jesus sent his apostles out to spread the gospel without provisions, not even walking sticks. He joked that would be the equivalent today of sending them off “without cellphones, Internet, legal counsel …”
Hebda’s first homily as archbishop was warmly received by those who traveled from across the metro and beyond to witness the historic installation of a new archbishop. The ceremony was steeped in ancient tradition, with processions of bishops, priests, sword-carrying Knights of Columbus, Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre in floor-length robes, and others.
.@ArchbishopHebda offers a blessing over the Handmaids at @c_dh reception following Installation #NewArchbishop pic.twitter.com/bh4pJ8rabl— Archdiocese SPM (@ArchdioceseSPM) May 13, 2016
JS: Basilica of St. Josaphat begins urgent repairs, $7.5 million campaign
More than a century ago, a thriving Polish church community had the ambition to build a church as beautiful as St. Peter's in Rome but the practical sense to make it out of the used parts of a Chicago post office.
The Basilica of St. Josaphat represents a quintessential Milwaukee story. Today, though, the landmark, one of the most architecturally significant churches in Wisconsin, is showing her age and in need of $7.5 million in repairs.
Some of the restoration work is quite urgent. Some masonry, particularly around the roof ledges, is crumbling. Scaffolding will be erected this week and some work will begin immediately.
The Rev. Michael Glastetter, the Basilica pastor, described the art and architecture of the church as a way to "experience the awesome presence of God" when he announced plans for the renovations during Sunday Mass.
"What we are doing right now is the Band-Aid, emergency work that can't wait for the fundraising to be done," said Susan Rabe, president and CEO of the St. Josaphat Basilica Foundation, adding that entire areas of the masonry have crumbled and fallen away.
continue at JS
My prrrrrrrrrecioussssss! I need to invest in a cardinal red drone I can fly around to get photos like the one above. One of the guys from the Diocese of La Crosse has one that he flew around the Cathedral here.
Back to the story, where do I donate?
Photos from my visit.
My prrrrrrrrrecioussssss! I need to invest in a cardinal red drone I can fly around to get photos like the one above. One of the guys from the Diocese of La Crosse has one that he flew around the Cathedral here.
Back to the story, where do I donate?
Photos from my visit.
Interview with lead singer from Paris attack: Atheists substitutes for religion: "Rehab is just Lent. Meditation is just Latin Mass. Seeing a therapist is just talking to your priest."
These atheists tell us we don’t need religion, yet everyone seems to be creating flimsy substitutes to replace it. Rehab is just Lent. Meditation is just Latin Mass. Seeing a therapist is just talking to your priest.
Interview of Jesse Hughes, the lead singer from Eagles of Death Metal, by Gavin McInnes is astounding and needs to be read by everyone. Read it. Every single answer. (warning: a little language)
HT The Transom
Faith guides Menominee Falls mom with cancer
continue at MkeCHMichelle Cascio is celebrating the birth of her fifth child this Mother’s Day. She and husband, Tim, members of St. Stanislaus Oratory, Milwaukee, welcomed Ciara Marie into their family on Palm Sunday, and because of their deep faith in God, they are rejoicing in her arrival in spite of the fact Michelle is waging her own battle against pancreatic cancer.
For more than a trimester of her pregnancy, Michelle lived with the knowledge she had pancreatic cancer. She went to the hospital in October with severe abdominal pain, anticipating she had kidney stones. Doctors performed tests and saw what they thought was a cyst on her pancreas. In November, she had surgery to remove the cyst, which was cancerous.
According to Michelle, who homeschools her two oldest children, the surgeon removed half her pancreas and all of her spleen. She was encouraged to undergo chemotherapy during her pregnancy, but she and her husband chose to forgo that decision until after their baby was born.
“I had a doctor tell me that it would be safe to go through a couple rounds of radiation while pregnant,” said Michelle. “He really had our best interest at heart – you could see it in his face. Some thought I was not informed, but I feel as if we have been guided and given so much information that has been incredibly helpful. When Tim and I decided we wouldn’t put (Ciara) at risk, a whole world opened up to us. Looking back, it makes total sense. God loves families.”
A good article, worth the read. "It wasn’t until we went through this experience that we realized how polarizing the topic of cancer treatments can be.” It gets into non-conventional treatment methods. "When Michelle asked about the five-year survival rate, she was told that 15 percent make it with chemotherapy and radiation. [an update corrected this to 8%]" It's got to be a terrifying journey for someone (especially someone in this scenario without faith). Many prayers for Michelle.
There is also a GoFundMe setup for the Cascio family.
LseTrib: Spunky Independence WI native donates $500,000 for elevator addition to church
At 88, Adeline Kulig Puccini remains spunkier than a cherub on Christmas Eve, with a devilish twinkle in her eye when asked where she got the half-million dollars to pay for an addition, including an elevator, for the church where she was baptized.continue at La Crosse Tribune
“None of your business,” Puccini said with a mischievous smile during an interview Friday, in advance of the dedication and celebration Sunday of her gift to Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Independence.
A knowledgeable fly on a pew hinted that Puccini had done well with investments.
Puccini, who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s from Northwestern University, confessed as much a few minutes later, saying, “I had a 40-year career as a speech pathologist. I’m vested well.”
So was her husband, the late Navy Capt. Joe Puccini, a Top Gun aviator, she said, adding quickly and firmly, “This is my charity. His charities are in Texas.”
If you are following along at home, Sts. Peter and Paul is also undergoing a good renovation (as opposed to those popular 1970's hack wreckovations).
St. Stanislaus in Milwaukee: Generations and Renovations
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| This is the design in the apse that will be restored. |
The sanctuary of Saint Stanislaus is undergoing its most extensive renovation in generations. After the installation of new, traditional stained-glass windows, the complete restoration of the ad orientem high altar and, just within the past few weeks, the arrival of a marble altar rail from Italy, our focus turns upward.continue at Cream City Catholic
More than 1,100 people attend Walk to Mary pilgrimage
More than 1,100 people made an annual walking pilgrimage in Brown County Saturday.continue at WBAY
The group started at St. Norbert College in De Pere and walked 21 miles to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion as part of the annual Walk to Mary event.
The pilgrimage supports catholic education for youth and is organized by the Green Bay Area Catholic Education System, Diocese of Green Bay and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help.
“Well it’s all about the blessed Mother, you know May is the month of Mary and most of these people if you would talk to an individual they all have their own personal intentions of why they’re doing this,” said Pat Deprey, event director.
It wasn’t just local people making the pilgrimage, people from around the country and world attended.
Photo
Conservative news site Breitbart News attacked Paul Ryan for sending his children to Catholic school
Ugh, hold on for a second. I need a glass of water—or maybe something stiffer…
continue at BREAKING: Breitbart Reveals Catholic Sends Son to Catholic School
Crazy. Hack. Job. Cheers!
HT CatholicVote
Journal-Sentinel’s Bizarre “Bullying” Attack on Warrior Blogger
It was a screaming headline: “MU report suggests pattern of bullying by suspended McAdams.”continue at Marquette Warrior
Written by education reporter Karen Herzog, it claims to be based on the Report of the Faculty Hearing Committee, which heard our case last September. Unfortunately, there are two massive problem with the story.
In the first place, Herzog has taken the claims of the Faculty Hearing Committee absolutely at face value, and never asked us or our lawyers for our side of the story.
In the second place, she mischaracterizes the Report. It nowhere in the 123 pages ever claims we were responsible for bullying anybody. [Whoops!] So where did Herzog get that? Our guess is that it came either from leftist faculty at Marquette, or from Marquette administrators who have been flailing around in a sea of bad publicity, and are desperately trying to discredit us.
If you are fed up with these liberal elite shaming methods, consider supporting Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. I just did.
Higher Calling Supplants SCOTUS Dreams
continue at MkeCHPatrick Behling had mapped out a pretty clear plan for his life. By junior year of high school, he seemed well on his way to make it happen.
The Whitefish Bay native’s grandmother was close friends with a Shorewood native, the late William Rehnquist, chief justice of the United States, 1986-2005, and Deacon Behling saw his life leading him in the same direction, eventually to a position on the highest court in the land.
By junior year at Whitefish Bay High School, he was well on his way to that goal, having already spent two summers in Washington, D.C. as an intern for then-Senator Herb Kohl.
College and law school were part of the plan for the young man who was a voracious reader, part of the high school forensics team, editor of the school newspaper, a volleyball player and cellist in the school orchestra as well as with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra.
“I had a whole plan for my life charted out,” he told the Catholic Herald in an interview in early April. “I would go to college, law school, become an attorney, clerk for a federal judge, become a federal judge myself and eventually be named to the Supreme Court.”
Bizarre animosity toward couple at New London Catholic parish leads to vandalism and death threats
continue at Waupaca NowA woman’s disability and the Texas background she and her husband share have been targeted by anonymous threats.
Timothy and Kristie Landwair of Oshkosh are asking for the public’s help in determining who’s behind three separate incidents this spring that they believe are linked.
The acts appear to stem from a parent or community member’s anger toward Timothy, who is coordinator of faith formation and youth ministry at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in New London.
The first occurrence was in February when Tim received an unsigned letter mailed to his Oshkosh apartment. The writer accused him of refusing to help parish families with expenses to send youth to the March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington, D.C.
The writer included jabs at Kristie, a wheelchair user who isn’t an MPB employee. The writer referred to her as Tim’s “invalid wife” and said he’s using her disability to make people feel sorry for him.
“Your (sic) trying so hard to show everyone how much smarter you are and showing how stupid you really are,” the sender wrote. “Your (sic) failing at everything. We don’t want you here. Your (sic) fat and pathetic take your crippled wife and go back to redneck Texas. No one will miss you!”
Always ironic when rednecks write letters about another persons stupidity. How very un-Wisconsinlike.
Loss of trust and the unraveling of institutions
Patrick Healy and Jonathan Martin's analysis in The New York Times of why and how the
Republican Party Unravels Over Donald Trump’s Takeover includes this.
"[Trump] quickly earned the trust that so many of those voters had lost in other fixtures of America — not just in its leaders, but in institutions like Congress, the Federal Reserve and the big-money campaign finance system that Mr. Trump has repudiated, as well as in corporations, the Roman Catholic Church and the news media."
Governor's Prayer Breakfast yesterday
Video at
WisconsinEye
"On May 5,2016, The Governor's Prayer Breakfast was held at the Italian Conference Center in Milwaukee...""
Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich on Challenges Facing the Church
The Archdiocese of Chicago is taking the temperature of parishioners – and facing a future with fewer churches.continue at WTTW
As part of a program called Renew My Church, parishioners were recently asked to fill out a wide-ranging survey on their spiritual life.
Amid major ongoing financial pressures, the Archdiocese is looking at how it can restructure and revitalize the Catholic Church in Chicago. Leading that charge is Archbishop Blase Cupich. He joined host Phil Ponce to discuss the Chicago Catholic Church's money woes, as well as Pope Francis and social issues in the church.
After a large coalition of social service agencies filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bruce Rauner and state agencies on Wednesday seeking funding, Cupich told host Phil Ponce that Catholic Charities isn’t on that list yet because it sees a lawsuit as a last resort.
“We’re going to continue to advocate on their behalf and work with the elected officials,” Cupich said.
The state currently owes Catholic Charities over $30 million, he said.
I listened, 30,000 people participated in the survey. Would be interesting to see what the results are.
I thought he was a good interviewee.
Theft during Mass at Good Help Shrine caught on surveillance video
A house of worship is probably the last place you would expect a theft going down but it was at The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help that authorities and the congregation found out recently that not even a church is immune to thieves.
This is a special place, and not just for the Town of Green Bay, but on a national scale too.
"This is the only place in the United States that the Blessed Virgin appeared that is recognized," says Dale Davister a parishioner of The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. Davister has been coming here for years with family and friends and says since the national acknowledgement traffic from out-of-towners has increased on a huge scale.
But it was what was seen at a Wednesday Mass on March 30th, by only a surveillance video camera that has the congregation talking.
"A lady was at mass and she went up to receive Holy Communion while leaving her purse in her pew and apparently someone grabbed her wallet," says Father Peter Stryker.
continue at NBC26 (with video)
The pilgrims interviewed give a great faith filled response to the incident.
The pilgrims interviewed give a great faith filled response to the incident.
Green Bay diocesan history comes to life at museum’s new kiosk
GREEN BAY — A new addition to the Diocesan Museum and Cultural Center allows guests to see and hear nuggets of local church history.continue at The Compass
The museum, located in the lower level of the Bishop Wycislo Center, adjacent to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, recently debuted its long-awaited interactive computer touch screen kiosk terminal. The kiosk was created by Digital Design Services, Inc., of Green Bay and features five main sections of church history, with subsections offering greater detail of topics.
The kiosk has been in development since February 2014, when a steering committee was tasked with developing an interactive, multimedia terminal.
Then Fr. Listecki gets a chuckle out of Pope John Paul II
On February 22, 1980, priests, seminarians and staff at the North American College in Rome celebrated the birthday of President George Washington. There was a special guest invited to celebrate the feast with us – the new pope, John Paul II.
Needless to say, a great deal of excitement was generated. In what will typify for future generations the graciousness of the person and office, the pope met each one of us individually.
Now, what do you say to the pope? Nice to meet you? Relying on my training as an altar boy in a Polish parish in Chicago, I greeted him in Polish with the phrase, “Praise be the name of Jesus Christ,” to which the pope responded, “Now and forever, Amen.”
In Polish, he asked me if I spoke Polish. I said, in Italian, “No, but I speak Italian.” He responded in Italian, “Why doesn’t a ‘Listecki’ speak Polish?” I answered, “Because I am the product of many generations in the United States.” Then, in English and with a heavy accent, he pulled me close to him and said, “Listecki, when are you going to visit Poland?” I told the pope that I hoped to visit that summer. “Good,” he said. “You know I have a few friends there.” “Yes,” I said. “About 36,000,000, and all of them claim to be your cousin.” He laughed.
continue at ArchMil (this leads up to talk about Holocaust Remembrance Day)
Retired Green Bay priest accused of exposing himself to a minor, charged with four felonies
A local retired priest faces multiple charges after he allegedly exposed himself to a minor.continue at Fox11 (GB Diocese statement)
Father Richard Thomas, 78, of Green Bay, was charged with four felonies Thursday.
SNAP wants to know what he was already seeking treatment for.
continue at Fox11
Thomas was living in Grellinger Hall, a home for retired priests in Allouez.
According to the criminal complaint, Thomas told investigators at the time of his arrest that "he is already seeking treatment." [Apparently forgetting his Miranda Rights]
"Why was he already in it if this was his first experience with some kind of sexual impropriety?" asked Alice Hodek.
What do you call Ambulance Chasers for abuse? SNApulance Chasers?
A fair question, but for all they know he was seeking treatment for dementia. Would SNAP still choose to pursue litigation against a patient with clinically diagnosed dementia doing the same? I'm not sure. But anyway, in this case it certainly appears more nefarious.
Investigators say they’re searching for any other potential victims of indecent exposure by a retired Catholic priest.
..
According to the criminal complaint, Thomas exposed himself to a 16-year-old boy on March 14, 15, 16 and 17.
..
The complaint says on March 16 the naked man called out “hey” to the teen after using a flashlight to get the boy’s attention.
The boy told managers of the facility.
On April 8, the administrator of the facility said he found Father Thomas in an unoccupied room — where the teen reported seeing him — dressed in a bathrobe and standing in front of a window. Thomas told him he was looking for a place to shower.
“On all four occasions he attempted to get the attention of that person to expose himself and to show himself specifically to that person,” Lt. Jim Valley with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office says.
The complaint goes on to say Thomas was surprised to learn he was being charged with felony crimes, not misdemeanors, because it didn’t involve sexual contact with a person. [Wow.]
MarquetteWire: Student at heart of McAdams controversy shares their story - Marquette releases Committee report
Here's the account of what happened that fateful October morning.
The incident happened 9 months before the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling which established a new Right to Marry at a federal level which has never existed previously. That is to say that student-teacher Abbate wouldn't even discuss current law and why it should be changed.
Marquette has never said if Abbate was corrected for her behavior. To read between the lines a bit, it would seem this is a common practice at Marquette, each instructor being their own classroom Leviathan. We've seen no correction given and no policy set forward that allows students to discuss issues deemed controversial.
Marquette is desperate to tie this to a teacher "harassing"(what he actually said seemed like a pretty light observation) a "student" (who's role at said time was in fact not a student as she was teaching a class, and authoritatively as well). Many(most?) faculty hate McAdams and wanted him fired long before this incident ever came to light. It sure smells like settling old grudges from here.
Oh yes, and news from Marquette today:
The class incident: Fall 2014And this is where "Marquette Values" comes in, apparently they have trained their student teachers in this matter. The university has never clarified(correct me if I'm wrong) whether class discussion on controversial topics like gay marriage is permitted. In this case it certainly wasn't.
A student, who will remain anonymous, disagreed with former teaching assistant Cheryl Abbate during her Theory of Ethics philosophy class Oct. 28, 2014. The class was discussing philosopher John Rawls’ Liberty Principle, which says every person has an equal right to the most extensive liberties compatible with similar liberties for all.
As part of the discussion, the student said class members contributed to a list of modern-day social issues and Abbate wrote that list on the board. The intent was for the class to discuss each of the issues written down. Once she was done with the list, the student said Abbate erased gay marriage from it because no one disagrees with gay marriage.
Abbate said the student didn’t “have the right, especially (in an ethics class) to make homophobic comments or racist comments.” [meaning that disagreeing with civil marriage laws was homophobic (assuming she meant the thought came from some debased emotion and could not be reasoned rationally - she would in fact never find out having engaged in "a tactic typical among liberals.")]read the whole thing at Marquette Wire
The incident happened 9 months before the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling which established a new Right to Marry at a federal level which has never existed previously. That is to say that student-teacher Abbate wouldn't even discuss current law and why it should be changed.
Marquette has never said if Abbate was corrected for her behavior. To read between the lines a bit, it would seem this is a common practice at Marquette, each instructor being their own classroom Leviathan. We've seen no correction given and no policy set forward that allows students to discuss issues deemed controversial.
McAdams said he reached out to Abbate via email nine hours before publishing the blog to tell her what he was doing. She did not respond to him.If Abbate didn't want him to publish the story, why didn't she just ask him not to?
Marquette is desperate to tie this to a teacher "harassing"(what he actually said seemed like a pretty light observation) a "student" (who's role at said time was in fact not a student as she was teaching a class, and authoritatively as well). Many(most?) faculty hate McAdams and wanted him fired long before this incident ever came to light. It sure smells like settling old grudges from here.
Oh yes, and news from Marquette today:
Marquette has now released the Report of the Faculty Hearing Committee that reviewed our case. Interestingly, they did it without our permission, in spite of insisting for months that they could not do it without our permission.I want to read it and post on that later. You can read what McAdams comments and the statement by Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty but let us conclude with one crystal clear insight on Lovell's still puzzling amendment to the committee recommendation.
[McAdams] That said, the Report may be a clumsy compromise between committee members who wanted us fired (which is what the University was demanding) and members who were willing to stand up for academic freedom. Given pressures for unanimity, both groups may have had to compromise on a one to two semester unpaid suspension.Oops. I just don't get how Marquette so immensely bungles this situation. Was the apology demand just Lovell's way of sticking it to McAdams? Did he think no one would notice? Amazing.
The Report makes clear, however, that Lovell was being flatly dishonest in implying that his demand for an abject apology followed the committee’s recommendation. There is nothing whatsoever about any apology in the Report.
The coronation - Elendil's Oath
 |
| Jan van Eyck |
Lyrics:
Et EärelloEndorenna utúlien
Sinome Maruvan
ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-Metta
English Lyrics
Out of the Great Sea
to Middle-earth I am come.
In this place I will abide,
and my heirs,
unto the ending of the world.
Pontifical Mass at the Throne at 7PM in Pine Bluff for Ascension Thursday
On Ascension Thursday, 5 May, at 7 PM, His Excellency Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino (aka The Extraordinary Ordinary) will celebrate Holy Mass in the traditional Roman Rite “at the Throne” at St. Mary’s Church in Pine Bluff, WI. All are welcome.Details at FatherZ
Man goes into women's locker room at UW-Milwaukee, claims he's discriminated against because he's transgender
A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student says she's been discriminated against by her school.continue at WTMJ
The transgender student said it happened at the school's fitness center, when she tried to use the women's locker room.
Justine Kramer identifies as a woman, but was born a man.
Kramer still went by Justin when she filed a complaint against the Klotsche Center. Since then, Kramer has legally changed her name, and soon her drivers license will reflect her female gender identity.
"A lot of people view me as a threat to their safety when I'm not," explained Kramer.
That's how Kramer said she felt she was viewed in the sauna at the Klotsche Center in January.
Build a third locker room.
HT Vicki
Wherein Terry Berres snarks of the finest quality
A simple change would make Ascension Thursday Sunday forty days after Easter Sunday Wednesday. https://t.co/WNMxKGtcqx— Terrence Berres (@TerrenceBerres) May 3, 2016
Dubuque couple adopts triplets from mother in crisis pregnancy
continue at MilCatHeraldAs Cari Campbell scrolled through the content of her Facebook newsfeed one day last August, the post of a friend living in Oregon caught her attention.
Campbell could not have foreseen at the time how quickly that social media post would turn her world upside down or the way in which God was about to bless her and her husband’s lives, threefold.
................
She learned that her friend’s mother was the pastor in a prayer group at a Christian clinic in Oregon. A woman there was pregnant with triplets but was planning on having an abortion if she couldn’t find someone to adopt all three of the children together.
The pregnant woman had contacted an agency and had found several people who wanted to adopt one of the babies but not anyone who would adopt all three.
God bless this couple and their children!
Photos of Canons of St. John Cantius visit to Guadalupe Shrine
I took some of these but with the Canons camera(which was a Canon like my Canon but a better Canon sort of like these Canons). Conference was good, but probably needed a bit more time to give more than a brief overview. Pleasantly surprised to see it well attended.
Full set on Flickr
Full set on Flickr
JS: Suspended professor John McAdams sues Marquette University
 |
| Fr. Wild and Michael Lovell |
Marquette University associate professor John McAdams and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit Monday against Marquette over the professor's suspension stemming from his public criticism of a teaching assistant.continue at JS
According to a news release, the lawsuit against Marquette is for "illegally suspending" McAdams and "making the decision to terminate his tenure and fire him from Marquette."
The lawsuit, filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, accuses Marquette of breach of contract.
"We welcome this issue being addressed in court, where the public will hear a comprehensive account of Dr. McAdams' mistreatment of our former graduate student, rather than the select details he has handpicked to promote his false narrative," Marquette said in a statement. "Once all the facts are made clear, Marquette fully expects that the decision to suspend him will be upheld."
...
When asked if there was a dollar figure for which he[McAdams] would walk away, he said "no."
I've read lots of what Marquette has published on its website, and it's suitable for PR, but I just don't see any way something that fluffy can stand in court. His supposed crime is "publicly shaming," which is apparently how they describe McAdams blogging that a grad student was "using a tactic typical among liberals." It hardly seems like a shaming.
Related: Letter to Lovell: Gay Marriage Can Be Discussed where McAdams succinctly puts it:
In fact, it is perfectly plausible that a large state university might be more open to a discussion of diverse ideas about sexuality than the nominally Catholic Marquette, just as places like the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Texas A & M have more vital Catholic ministries than does Marquette.Want to help?
There is a particular type of parochialism that afflicts the secularized “Catholic” institutions, but it it not Catholic parochialism. It’s the parochialism that believes it has right to enforce an orthodoxy by authoritarian top-down means. But it’s not a Catholic orthodoxy being enforced, but rather secular political correctness.
Will you join us in defending Marquette Professor John McAdams and free speech on America’s campuses?
St. Agnes Parish in St. Paul offers initial Mozart Mass for Mother Angelica
Father Z with the details
The Cities and Chicago have orchestra Masses, but I'm not sure I've seen any in Sconnieland. Correct me if I'm wrong Milwaukee or Madison Catholics.
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