Catholic Fire

British grandmother Peggy McAlpine celebrated her 100th birthday by becoming the world's oldest paraglider. Not content with her letter from the Queen, Peggy floated into the record books just three years after moving to "start a new life" in Cyprus. She had already bungee-jumped with members of the Royal Parachute Regiment as an 80-year-old "youngster." But cracking open a bottle of champagne after a safe landing, Peggy was already planning her next adventure. MORE

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for November is: "That those dedicated to medical research and all those engaged in legislative activity may always have deep respect for human life, from its beginning to its natural conclusion." His mission intention is: "That in the Korean peninsula the spirit of reconciliation and peace may grow."

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat. ~St. Josemaria Escriva Single Flame

Catholics Fear a National Campaign Targeting Church Hospitals HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is the latest battleground in a national campaign by abortion activists directed at Catholic hospitals. The goal? To persuade state legislatures to force Catholic hospitals to dispense the contraceptive known as Plan B. Catholic bioethics experts suggest the abortion lobby and its allies have an underlying agenda: The drug’s pro-abortion promoters hope to eradicate the religious freedom rights of Catholics to set their own policies at Catholic medical institutions. According to Dan O’Brien, vice president of ethics for St. Louis-based Ascension Health, which operates 65 Catholic acute care hospitals, said that 15 states have now passed legislation regarding hospitals’ provision of Plan B to rape victims. Three other states — Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin — are actively considering proposed bills. MORE

Happy Halloween! Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time; All Hallows' Eve Ideas for Sanctifying Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 834 - This evening became All Hallow’s Eve with the establishment of Nov 1 as Feast of All Saints by Pope Gregory IV. 1541 - "The Last Judgement" by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel at Rome was officially unveiled. It is one of the largest paintings in the world. 1982 - Pope John Paul II became the 1st pontiff to visit Spain. 1992 - The Roman Catholic church rehabilitated Galileo Galilei after 359 years. Pope John Paul II acknowledged that the church had erred in condemning Galileo. 1999 - In Augsburg, Germany, leaders of the Roman Catholic and modern Lutheran Churches signed the Augsburg Accord, a "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," in a step toward reconciliation. Birthdays: 1705 - Pope Clement XIV (d. 1774) 1711 - La

Bella Wins Top Prize for Dramatic Movie at Heartland Film Festival Bella, the touching drama that has inspired the pro-life community and took in the second highest per-theater amount last weekend, started off its premier with another film festival award. This time, the movie captured the Grand Prize Award for Best Dramatic Feature at the 16th annual Heartland Film Festival. The festival, based in Indiana, concluded its nine-day run on Friday, the same day Bella premiered in 31 cities across the country. Read the complete story . I have been posting on the movie, Bella , since January, 2007 and I'm still not tired of posting on it! It's a powerful movie and I can't wait to see it again! Bella Reviews: My Advance Review of Bella Kansas City Star Review National Catholic Register Review Catholic News Service Review Roger Ebert at The Chicago Sun Times Life Teen Review Recapturing Our Catholic Patrimony Review USCCB Review American Papist Mega Review Joan Frawley Desmond Revie

MARYSVILLE, PA, OCTOBER 30, 2007 - The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy respectfully asks the Bishops of the United States (USCCB) to disregard the recent letter from the National Coalition of American Nuns on Liturgical Translations . We totally disagree with their request to reject a literal and accurate English version of the Roman Missal based on the typical Latin text. It is our contention as ordained ministers who daily celebrate the sacred liturgy and who serve the spiritual needs of the faithful that they deserve nothing less than total and complete conformity to the authentic and official texts approved by the Holy See. Since the Eucharistic Sacrifice is the ‘source and summit of Christian life’, it is imperative that the Church’s ministers celebrate 'digne, atténte ac devote' (worthily, with attention and devotion). Reverence is achieved not only by diligently following the rubrics but also by having accurate texts which incorporate sacred language. Ritual (gestures)

My deepest thanks and gratitude go out to all who have been praying for my special intentions: the job for Bill and the success of our garage sale. After 8 months of searching for a full-time position, he was able to obtain a sales position, which he starts later this week. This means we will not have to sell our house or our car and will not need to relocate, as we had anticpated. Thank you also for the prayers for the success of our garage sale -it went well. We had many visitors and I discovered that the most popular items at our garage sale were: clothing, costume jewelry, and household cleaning products. May God bless you abundantly for your kindness! Image Source

What happens when an English phrase is translated (by computer) back and forth between 5 different languages? The authors of the Systran translation software probably never intended this application of their program and it is not equipped for 10 consecutive translations of the same piece. The resulting half-English, half-foreign, and totally non sequitur response bears almost no resemblance to the original. Remember the old game of "Telephone"? Something is lost, and sometimes something is gained. Try it for yourself! Here is just a sample I entered into the babelizer : (I got the idea for using this phrase from Spirit of Vatican 2.) "Gregorian chant is the opposite of rap." translates into "Gregoriano Cantili is opposition of the dry and hard effect." Hard and dry - what a great description for rap! Just enter a phrase here and babelize for yourself!

...and it's being hosted by K T Cat at The Scratching Post. As you might suspect, there is a cute feline photo posted there and, as a cat lover, I thoroughly approve. Be sure to read all the great posts there. The beautiful image here is courtesy of the creative and talented Esther.

St Alphonsus, or Alonzo as he was called in Spain, was born at Segovia in Spain, on July 12, 1531. From childhood he was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He loved her as his mother. This childlike devotion to her was the main reason for his sanctity. Alphonsus was destined to be an example of Christian perfection in many states of life. On the death of his father in 1545, he was called home from Alcala where he was studying, by his mother burdened with the care of eleven young children, and though a boy of fourteen, he was placed at the head of the family business, which involved the buying and selling of wool. At the request of his mother, Alphonsus married the virtuous Maria Suarez. His married life of four years was marked with much suffering. His wife died leaving behind a son; his mother, too, died leaving behind her eleven children. He was about 32 years old when his mother died. He bore his cross willingly. Alphonsus started a more fervent life. He wanted to become a Jesui

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~Albert Einstein, quoted in Des MacHale, Wisdom (London, 2002).

Mater Mea Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 1950 - Pope Pius XII witnesses the "Miracle of the Sun" while at the Vatican Birthdays: 1735 - John Adams , President of the United States (d. 1826) 1857 - Georges Gilles de la Tourette , French neurologist (d. 1904) 1911 - Ruth Hussey , American actress, The Philadelphia Story (d. 2005) 1945 - Henry Winkler , American Actor, best known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli in "Happy Days" 1958 - Joe Delaney , American football player, who died in the prime of his career while attempting to save three boys from drowning. (d. 1983)

Via Cause of Our Joy : Thank you to all who supported "Bella" Congratulations to Leticia whose movie review of Bella on Mercatornet has been picked up by Reuters News Service and USA Today here and here .

Jesus heals us of all our infirmities. In faith, let us pray: Jesus, heal our blindness! When we fail to see the light of Your truth: Jesus, heal our blindness! When we fail to respond to the suffering of the unfortunate, Jesus, heal our blindness! When we fail to see Your love at work in the world: Jesus, heal our blindness! Thank you, Lord, for: The success of our garage sale. Bill's new sales job, which begins later this week. We pray for the following intentions: Update: For this young woman and her baby. That the children who are now scheduled to be aborted may be protected. An end to abortion, euthanasia, contraception, and all sins against life. The continued success of the 40 Day Life Campaign. Continued success for Bella and that it will come to Kansas. All families who basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. For the elderly who are abandoned, neglected, and abused by our society. For all senior citizens who are being discriminated against in the w

If Saving Women is Really the Goal . . . by Mark Crutcher Now that the political season is back at our throats, we are again hearing the abortion lobby trot out its usual collection of distortions, half-truths and outright lies. Of course, one of their favorites is the old line that since women are going to have abortions regardless of what the law says, we have to protect them against dangerous back-alley abortions. This assumes that the legal abortions women are getting right now are safe, but we'll let that fairy tail slide for the moment. We'll also ignore the fact that, if abortion were outlawed today and illegal abortionists started springing up next week, every one of them would be someone who is pro-choice. In fact, every woman who was ever killed or maimed during an abortion was killed or maimed by someone who was pro-choice. That means the obvious solution to the back-alley abortion problem is for the pro-choice mob not to do them. But like I said, we'll ig

Once again, Hillary Rodham Clinton leads in a poll. This time, she was top choice when people were asked which major 2008 presidential candidate would make the scariest Halloween costume. Asked about costume choices, 37 percent in an Associated Press-Ipsos survey this month chose New York Sen. Clinton, the front-runner among Democratic presidential contenders. Fourteen percent selected former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who leads Republicans in national polls. No other candidate exceeded 6 percent. Clinton was the choice of four in 10 men and one-third of women. While a predictable two-thirds of Republicans picked her, she also was the choice of 18 percent of Democrats. Among members of her own party, that made her second only to Giuliani as the scariest costume. MORE That was a costume?

Pharmacists must be allowed to refuse to supply drugs that cause abortion or euthanasia, Pope Benedict said today, calling on health professionals to be "conscientious objectors" against such practices. Pope Benedict XVI told a convention of Roman Catholic pharmacists this morning that part of their job is to protect human life from conception until natural death -- the Church teaching that rules out any deliberate termination of pregnancy or euthanasia. "It is not possible to anaesthetise the conscience, for example, when it comes to molecules whose aim is to stop an embryo implanting or to cut short someone's life," the Pope said. The so-called abortion pill, which is available in many European Union countries and has had regulatory approval in the United States since 2000, has not been authorized in Italy. The Vatican has criticized moves by some Italian politicians who favor the pill, which blocks the action of the hormone progesterone that is needed to sust

Let's keep Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta in our prayers.

St. Gerard Majella, women the world over have adopted you as their patron in the joys and fears of childbearing. Today, we invoke your intercession for the pro-life movement. Pray that all will look upon human life as a great gift from God to be accepted and loved, not as an unwanted burden to be destroyed. Assist from Heaven the efforts of those on earth who are enlisted in the Christlike crusade of promoting the dignity and value of all human life, particularly the unborn. This we ask through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

"Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?" ~ St. Gerard Majella

German Autumn 2007 Monday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings Saint for Today: St. Narcissus On This Day in Catholic History: 1943 - Sister Restituta Kafka was beheaded by the Nazis for putting up crosses in a hospital. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1998. Birthdays: 1682 - Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix , French Canadian historian (d. 1761) 1815 - Daniel Emmett , American composer (d. 1904) 1940 - José Ulises Macías Salcedo , Catholic bishop 1981 - Amanda Beard , American swimmer, Seven-time Olympic medalist

Included in Pope Bededict's visit will be a speech made to the United Nations on April 18, a mass on April 19 at St Patrick's Cathedral and a larger outdoor Mass at Yankee Stadium on April 20, sources say.

Miller Brewing Company has issued a formal apology for the offense caused by the use of Miller brand logos on a poster promoting the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. The company said it has taken action to ensure that such an incident will not happen again. However, Catholic League President Bill Donohue finds the apology "insulting". Here is his reaction: The Miller Brewing Company and the Board of Directors of the Folsom Street Fair have both issued press statements this week apologizing for the offensive Last Supper poster that was used to promote the event. As such, they have insulted Catholics one more time. Let me be specific. “The poster was the least offensive part of this Catholic-bashing forum. What was even more offensive was the sight of Christian symbols being sold at this Miller-sponsored fair as sex toys. The obscene and blasphemous names of these vulgar sex toys are so disgusting that no mainstream newspaper would print them. Then there was the incredible

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Priesthood Sunday World Youth Day Today's Readings Today's Homily from Father Daren On This Day in Catholic History: 312 The outnumbered forces of Roman emperor Constantine (ca. 280–337) defeated the army of Maxentius, a contender for the throne, at Milvian Bridge. 1958 - Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected pope, taking the name John XXIII. 1965 - Pope Paul VI issued a decree absolving Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Birthdays: 1585 - Cornelius Jansen , Bishop of Ypres (Cornelius Jansenius Yprensis), from whom Jansenism derives its origin and name, (d.1638) 1718 - Ignacije Szentmartony , Croatian Jesuit missionary (d. 1793) 1903 - Evelyn Waugh , English writer (d. 1966) 1907 - Edith Head , American costume designer (d. 1981) 1914 - Jonas Salk , American physician and researcher; developed polio vaccine in the 1950's, (d. 1995) 1949 - Bruce Jenner , American athlete, Olympic track and field gold medalist 197

People of the Book posts on three new books written by the Holy Father: The Blessing of Christmas (Ignatius Press), a beautifully-presented edition of seven Advent and Christmas meditations that Joseph Ratzinger wrote while he was Archbishop of Munich, The Apostles (OSV) collects 21 talks that Benedict XVI gave during his weekly general audiences in 2006 and 2007, with an accompanying guide (OSV) A Study Guide for the Apostles by Amy Welborn, and The Essential Pope Benedict XVI by John F. Thornton and Susan Varenne (Harper SanFrancisco), a collection of his most important writings and speeches. Karen at Some Have Hats discusses "A Mother's Plea: Journey Into the Light" written by Fr. Anthony Bus, CR. in her post "Something Sacred". The Curt Jester reviews "The Diary of a Country Priest: A Novel" by George Bernanos.

Topeka, KS - The Kansas Supreme Court ruled today that the grand jury called to investigate late-term abortionist George Tiller by over 7,000 citizens of Sedgwick County will be delayed at least until November 16. Operation Rescue President Troy Newman issues the following statement in response to the ruling: Today the Kansas Supreme Court has ruled to ignore Kansas law that gives citizens the right to convene a grand jury to investigate criminal wrong-doing. In doing so, they have become contributors to the crisis in Kansas that has been caused by what we believe to be an out of control abortion industry that operates as if the laws do not apply to them. They have also become enablers to Tiller's illegal abortion ring that continues to take the lives of viable babies in a manner that we believe is contrary to Kansas law. The allegations that the citizens have asked a grand jury to consider, including illegal late term abortions from 2004-2007, have never been fully investigated. T

This Sunday is Priesthood Sunday. It is a special observance, spearheaded by Serra International, in order to thank and pray for our priests. Father Frank Pavone has prepared a special novena prayer. He is also request that we share our favorite “priest stories” and requests to offer specific prayer intentions for particular priests For more information , go here.

Now this is scary! Happy 60th, Hillary!

Today was the second day of our three day garage sale and things went OK today. We're expecting a crowd on our last day, as everything will be half price then. Thanks to all who have been praying! Please continue. I wish all of you could come!

About 50 youngsters and adults walked from Blessed Sacrament School, Wichita, to Tiller's abortion clinic Sunday during the annual Walk for Life. They raised money for Right to Life of Kansas. A video clip of Msgr. James Conley's comments before the Walk for Life is available on the Downloads page at catholicadvance.org. Source

Wichita, KS – Operation Rescue has send a letter to Lee Thompson, an attorney who is representing late-term abortionist George R. Tiller, demanding an apology for untrue and potentially slanderous comments he has repeatedly made in the media. Thompson has repeatedly referred the legal effort by citizens to convene a grand jury to investigate Tiller wrongdoing as “vigilantism.” Thompson was most recently quoted in the Wichita Eagle today as saying, “This is a proceeding brought for harassment and in bad faith by the petition gatherers. You approach the level of vigilantism, and I think we see that happening in this instance.” “This comment is nothing more than a vicious attack and patently false accusation against the integrity of the over 7,000 registered voters of Sedgwick County who exercised their citizenship by calling for the grand jury investigation,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in a letter to Thompson. “Vigilantism is when the people take the laws into their own

Washington, DC - In a noteworthy show of unity, a coalition of sixty pro-life/pro-family advocacy groups have sent a letter to each United States Senator and Congressman asking them to stop Federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Operation Rescue added its support to the letter, which included such a list of heavy-hitters in the conservative arena such as Concerned Women For America, Focus on the Family, Eagle Forum, American Family Association, Traditional Values Coalition, and Americans United for Life, to name a few. The letter was prompted by 107 criminal charges that were filed last week against Planned Parenthood by Kansas District Attorney Phill Kline alleging that Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri committed illegal abortions then made false statements regarding the abortions to governmental authorities to which they are required to report. "We are privileged to stand with 59 other groups in calling for a halt to the funding of Planned Parenthood. Tax payers shou

Getting Ready for the Sale Today We're getting ready for the huge garage sale today. Just a shot of the oak tree in front of our house. Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings Forty Martyrs of England and Wales On This Day in Catholic History: 625 Pope Boniface V died (pope from 619 to 625. He did much for the Christianising of England and enacted the decree by which churches became places of refuge for criminals. 1147 The German forces in the armies of the Second Crusade (1145–1149) were destroyed by the Saracens at Dorylaeum (modern western Turkey). 1147 Forces under King Afonso I of Portugal captured Lisbon from the Moors after a four-month siege during the Second Crusade. Birthdays: 1825 - Johann Strauss II , Austrian composer (d. 1899) 1864 - John Francis Dodge , American automobile pioneer (d. 1920) 1881- Pablo Picasso , Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1973) 1912 - Minnie Pearl , American comedian and singer (d. 1996) 1940 - Bobby Kni

It's light blogging for me this week as I'm involved in a garage sale project. I would appreciate it if you would pray for the success of the garage sale. With Bill being laid off for eight months now, we really need the money. Thanks and God bless!

Check it out here.

See Tiller's filing: HERE This means the Kansas law utilized to convene a grand jury to look into charges against Tiller because those charges were dropped by KS AG Morrison (whose election Tiller insured through massive political action and donations) will be the person defending the law in front of the Kansas Supreme Court! To read the AP story go HERE -- It made the Drudge Report! Via Kansans for Life. Previous Posts: Kansas Abortion Industry's Criminality Exposed! Tiller Loses Again 40 Days for Life Begins Today: What's Happening in Wichita

Homestretch 2 Optional Memorial of St. Anthony Claret, bishop Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 1260 The Cathedral of Chartres was dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France (1215–1270). Birthdays: 1710 - Alban Butler , English Catholic priest and writer (d. 1773) 1788 - Sarah Hale , American poet (d. 1879) 1855 - James S. Sherman , Vice President of the United States (d. 1912) 1904 - Moss Hart , Writer, Director, Theatre Owner/Operator, Performer, Producer, (My Fair Lady) 1935 - Malcolm Bilson , American pianist and music professor 1947 - Kevin Kline , American actor 1987 - Charlie White , American ice dancer

Today is the feast of St. Anthony Mary Claret -- a favorite saint that my husband introduced me to several years ago when he gave a teaching on this amazing man of God. I don't think I have heard of any saint who was filled with so much zeal for his apostolate. He was a monk and a mystic who exerted an unusual amount of influence over the laity by obeying the call of God. Born on Christmas eve, 1807, in the village of Sallent, in Catalonia, Spain, Anthony was a very pious child. When he was eleven years old, the bishop visited his school and asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Without the least bit of hesitation, he replied: "A priest." As a young adult, Anthony Claret excelled as a maker of cloth as a weaver in his father's textile factory. He then studied for the priesthood, desiring to be a Jesuit. Ill health prevented him from entering the Order, so he served as a diocesan priest. He was ordained at age 27 and busied himself preaching in rural areas,

MILLER BREWING PROTEST CONTINUES: MILWAUKEE CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS CONTACTED Catholic League president Bill Donohue explained the latest strategy for dealing with Miller’s sponsorship of anti-Catholicism: “We’re not going away. After having sent the most unbelievable photos of decadent anti-Catholicism to all the priests, ministers, rabbis and imams in Milwaukee, we are now hitting the civic associations. Because there are so many, we are choosing a select group each week..." MORE Hooray for the Catholic League! Keep up the excellent work, Bill!

"Everything and everyone is is won by the sweetness of our words and works." "Every virtue in your soul is a precious ornament which makes you dear to God and to man. But holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in Heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh." ~ St. John Bosco

Image source "God's greatest gift is human life ... We have a sacred duty to protect the innocent life of the unborn child ... Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is. And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." ~ President Ronald Reagan , Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series on Public Issues, September 9, 1982

Autumn Beauty "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus Optional Memorial of St. John of Capistrano, priest Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 787 - The Second Council of Nicea closed. Birthdays: 1869 - John Heisman , American football player and coach (d. 1936) 1870 - Bishop Francis Kelley , Catholic Bishop of Oklahoma (d. 1948) 1880 - Una O'Connor , Irish actress (d. 1959) 1894 - Rube Bressler , baseball player (d. 1966) 1905 - Gertrude Ederle , American swimmer (d. 2003) 1918 - James Daly , American actor (d. 1978) 1923 - Frank Sutton , American actor, Sgt. Carter in "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (d. 1974) 1956- Dwight Yoakam, American country singer 1975 - Keith Van Horn , American basketball player

God made an eternal covenant with his people, and continues his gifts to them still. So we give him thanks and turn to him in prayer:- Lord, give blessings to your people. Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance. Unite all who bear the name of Christians, so that the world may believe in Christ, whom you have sent. Pour out your grace onto our friends and acquaintances, so that they spread the sweetness of Christ through the world. Show your love for the dying and let them see your salvation with their own eyes. Show your compassion for the dead and let them rest together in Christ. Lord, we thank You for all the blessings of this day. Thank you, Lord, for Fr's remission from cancer. We pray for the following intentions: Our Holy Father's special intentions. All those who are suffering from bad weather conditions, especially those in southern California. the conversion of all those ensnared in the culture of death. For Tim. a preschool for Katrina. all those sufferin

While she is winning wide support in nationwide samples among Democrats in the race for their party’s presidential nomination, half of likely voters nationwide said they would never vote for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows. The online survey of 9,718 likely voters nationwide showed that 50% said Clinton would never get their presidential vote. This is up from 46% who said they could never vote for Clinton in a Zogby International telephone survey conducted in early March. Older voters are most resistant to Clinton—59% of those age 65 and older said they would never vote for the New York senator, but she is much more acceptable to younger voters: 42% of those age 18-29 said they would never vote for Clinton for President. MORE Related Posts: Most Ridiculous Story of the Day: Hillary Recruiting Catholics The Clintons’ God MOST BIZARRE NEWS OF THE DAY: IF HILLARY BECOMES PRESIDENT.... Hillary Clinton Won't Compromise on Abortion

He’s known as the “Brad Pitt of Mexico.” But after the crucial Oct. 26 opening weekend of his new movie, Eduardo Verástegui may be regarded as Mexico’s “Jim Caviezel.” He’s an actor as excited about his faith as his acting. Once a notorious playboy, the singer, actor, model and film producer experienced a powerful reversion to his Catholic faith four years ago. In the process, he gave up his fame and fortune to pursue film projects that glorify God. The first of those is Bella. The film won the prestigious People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival last fall. Bella will be out in theaters Oct. 26 (to find out where, visit BellatheMovie.com ). Register correspondent Patrick Novecosky sat down with Verástegui after a pre-release screening in Naples, Fla. MORE Related Posts: NCR: "Bella and Beyond" Causa Nostrae Laetitiae: Eduardo Verastegui on The World Over Movie Review: Bella Bella Set for Nation-wide Release in October Two Award-Winning Abortion Films - Updated

Massachusetts Abortion Death Case Slowly Progressing Via Operation Rescue: Hyannis, MA - October 22, 2007 - The abortion death of Laura Hope Smith has finally been reported Sunday - five weeks late - in a secular newspaper, The Cape Cod Times . The story of this tragic abortion death was also reported last week in the National Catholic Register . Laura's mother, Eileen Smith, has been working tirelessly to see to it that her daughter's death is not "swept under the rug," and that those responsible for it are brought to justice. Smith's attorney filed a Complaint for Discovery on October 4, for information from the Medical Examiner's office, the hospital, the abortion clinic, and abortionist Rapin Osathanondh, who committed Laura's abortion on September 13, in the 13th week of her pregnancy. MORE

Steve Dillard, founder of Catholics Against Rudy has a petition up here. The purpose of this petition is to allow faithful Catholics to speak out against Rudy Giuliani's abysmal record on non-negotiable "Culture of Life" issues (e.g., abortion, embryonic stem cell research) and traditional marriage, and to publicly oppose his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination. Go here to sign.

Autumn's Enchanted Moments Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings Video Daily Reflections Saint for the Day: Blessed Timothy Giaccardo, Pauline Priest Birthdays: 1558 - Jacques Sirmond , French scholar and Jesuit (d. 1651) 1811 Franz Liszt , Hungarian composer and musician, was born in Raiding, Hungary (d. 31 July 1886). 1821 - Collis Potter Huntington , American railroad executive (d. 1900) 1876 Karl Adam , German Roman Catholic theologian, was born in Bavaria (d. 1 April 1966). 1942 - Annette Funicello , American actress 1963 - Brian Boitano , American figure skater 1973 - Ichiro Suzuki , Japanese baseball player

Esther emailed me about this one, so here are my responses: 1. Who is your man? Sweet William - Bill 2. How long have you been together? 15 years 3. How long did you date? 1 year 4. How old is your man? 21 - That's what he always tells people. 5. Who eats more? I'm 5'6" and he's 6'6", so take a guess. If you said him, you're correct. :-) 6. Who said “I love you” first? He did. 7. Who is taller? He is. 8. Who sings better? We are both good singers. 9. Who is smarter? He is. 10. Whose temper is worse? I have a hot temper when provoked. Certain things trigger his temper and then watch out! 11. Who does the laundry? I do. 12. Who takes out the trash? He does. 13. Who sleeps on the right hand side of the bed? Me. 14. Who pays the bills? He does. His math and accounting skills are better than mine. I did this for many years when I was single and am happy to relinguish the reponsibility to him. 15. Who is better with the computer? Me. 16. Who mows the law

Even Hillary Clinton thinks this is ridiculous. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam reports on Hilliary's efforts to win over the "Catholic" vote . AMDG received this letter from the Clinton campaign and almost deleted it as spam: Dear friend: We are starting a conversation with Catholics across America and hope you will join us. Hillary shares your vision for the common good -- quality, affordable health care for all Americans, better educational opportunities for our children, and a plan for peace and stability from Baghdad to Darfur. Together we can make this vision a reality. Join Hillary's National Catholic Steering Committee to be a part of this campaign to make history. To sign up, visit our Faith Steering Committee website : http://www.hillaryclinton.com/faith MORE About the only type of Catholics Hillary can recruit are those who have been living in a cave for the past 50 years and don't know anything about her character, her voting record, her and her husband's

Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings A Personal Reflection and Witness on Today's Readings On This Day in Catholic History: The feast day of St. Viator and St. Ursula Birthdays: 1527- Louis I, Cardinal of Guise , French cardinal (d. 1578) 1581 - Domenico Zampieri , Italian painter (d. 1641) 1775 - Giuseppe Baini , Italian composer (d. 1844) 1833 - Alfred Nobel , Swedish inventor and founder of the Nobel Prize (d. 1896) 1847 - Giuseppe Giacosa , Italian writer (d. 1906) 1895 - Edna Purviance , American actress (d. 1958) 1907 - Jules Chevalier , French priest (b. 1824) 1924 - Joyce Randolph , American actress 1928 - Whitey Ford , American baseball player 1940 - Manfred Mann , English musician 1943 - Brian Piccolo , American football player (d. 1970) 1956 - Carrie Fisher, American actress and writer,(Princess Leia in Star Wars) 1978 - Will Estes , American actor,( JJ Pryor , on the NBC drama American Dreams .) Image Source