Catholic Fire

Sunday Housecall with Dr. Rosenfeld Isadore Rosenfeld , M.D., a professor of medicine at New York Hospital Weil Cornell Medical Center and and contributing editor of Parade Magazine, is widely recognized as one of this country's preeminent doctors. For more information about Juice Plus+, see my website here or email me at jean.heimann@gmail.com .

More than 50 members of Congress have asked the Health and Human Services Secretary to conduct an audit of Planned Parenthood over allegations that the abortion provider has overbilled the federal government. The request for the audit was initially made by a coalition of faith-based groups, including the American Family Association. Planned Parenthood receives federal funding through the Title X Family Planning Program, a 90-percent Medicaid match for family planning, and a federal program to purchase drugs from manufacturers at a reduced price. MORE

The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy requests that YouTube immediately remove all videos depicting the desecration of Catholic hosts (consecrated wafers of bread used in sacred worship). Currently, forty videos are online showing the blasphemous sacrilege against the Most Holy Eucharist (also known as the Blessed Sacrament). We urge YouTube to show the same respect and decency it recently extended to our Jewish brothers and sisters when a similar incident occurred that greatly offended the children of Abraham. YouTube recently removed a video showing a teenager urinating on the Holocaust memorial in Greece. It was taken down on August 27th, 2008, after five days of protests from Jewish communities around the world. Sadly, the same response has not been extended to Catholic Christians as the offensive videos showing desecration of the Eucharist have been up for more than two months. One of these forty videos shows a host being flushed down the toilet. Another video shows someone literal

Yesterday, while I was at Tiller's late - term abortion mill yesterday, I met Brandi Lozier. Here is her story and what she has to say to Barack Obama and others in this short video:

A complaint has been filed with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts demanding the emergency suspension of the medical licenses of George R. Tiller and Shelley Sella, whose involvement in a late-term abortion last week nearly cost the life of a 23-year old woman. Allegations include: Patient S.'s pregnancy was misdiagnosed by Tiller's staff to be 19 weeks, even though according to her last menstrual period and previous medical examinations, she was actually 23 weeks pregnant at the time of the abortion, beyond the legal limit. Patient S. developed severe pain and other complications after having received a digoxin injection from abortionist Sella that was meant to stop her pre-born baby's heart. Patient S. spiked a fever of 103.7 degrees, yet was not treated for possible infection by Tiller or his staff. Patient S. was locked in a room against her will for over 4 hours without treatment for over four hours while feverish and in pain, and was not allowed to communicate wit

FACT CHECK ORG. FAILURE! STATEMENT FROM JILL STANEK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BORNALIVETRUTH.ORG “FactCheck.org, a supposedly non-partisan organization, has produced an undocumented and misleading article to support its bias against the recent ad by Born AliveTruth.org featuring abortion survivor Gianna Jessen. The ad exposed Barack Obama for his radical opposition to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act as state senator. “The anti-life bias of Jess Henig’s piece was evident from its title onward. "Born Alive’ Baloney" is based on unsubstantiated claims and half-truths that mislead and misinformed the public. “For example, Ms. Henig repeated Obama’s contention that he would have voted for born alive legislation if he thought it did not threaten Roe v. Wade while failing to point out the fourth time Obama voted against Illinois’ Born Alive Act it was identical to the federal version that passed unanimously, 98-0, in the U.S. Senate. Even the pro-abortion group NARAL expressed neut

Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis? Barack Obama & Friends Caused U.S. Economic Crisis Obama, McCain React to Economic Crisis Breaking: McCain Halts Campaign to Focus on Financial Crisis Great Video on Biden and Obama!

The above quote is from Isaiah 52:14. In this mystery, the scourging of Jesus, we find that the Old Testament reveals some of Jesus at the time of the scourging. We also ask Mary to pray for us, not because we cannot pray directly to Jesus, but because we are all part of the Family of Jesus. Another beautiful reflection on the rosary from Steve Silivia.

'Saint Jerome and the Angel' by Simon Vouet, 1625 Today is the feast of St. Jerome, translator of the Bible into its official Latin version (the Vulgate), brilliant scholar, monk, traveller, teacher, letter writer, and consultant to Popes and Bishops, is one of the most important figures in the history of the Church. St. Jerome was born in Dalmatia (near Aquileia, north of Rome) around 340-342 AD to a wealthy Christian family. At the age of 20, Jerome was sent to study in Rome, where he became fluent in Latin and Greek and developed a love for the classical writers. Here he acquired many worldly ideas, made little effort to control his pleasure-loving instincts, and lost much of the piety that had been instilled in him at home. He travelled throughout western Europe with a friend but that ceased when he had a conversion experience in Trier and decided to become a monk. He joined a community in Aquileia in 370, where he met some who would become his close friends and others his

Wichita, KS – A life-threatening abortion complication landed a patient of late-term abortionist George R. Tiller in the hospital last Thursday. The woman has come forward to tell of her harrowing, near-death experience at Tiller’s Women’s Health Care Services. Patient S. has alleged that on Tuesday, September 23, abortionist Shelley Sella may have botched an injection into her abdomen, causing sepsis, a systemic infection that rapidly spreads throughout the body and can cause rapid death. She also accuses Sella of misdiagnosing her pregnancy at 19 weeks, even though previous medical examinations placed her pregnancy at 23 weeks, beyond the legal limit in Kansas. On Thursday, while sick, crying, and running a fever of 103.7°, she returned to WHCS where she was isolated in a locked room for four hours, during which time her pleas for release were ignored. Patient S. was told that she should be quiet because she was upsetting the other women, and was threatened that unless her attitude

The Democratic Party in the United States "risks transforming itself definitively into a 'party of death,'" said U.S. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Vatican's highest court. An interview with the former archbishop of St. Louis was published in the Sept. 27 edition of Avvenire, a daily Catholic newspaper sponsored by the Italian bishops' conference. The newspaper asked the archbishop, the new head of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, for his reaction to reports that his Vatican job was designed to get him away from St. Louis. "I have too much respect for the pope to believe that in order to move someone away from a diocese he would nominate him to a very sensitive dicastery like this one," said the archbishop, whose office is in charge of ensuring that lower church courts correctly administer justice in accordance with canon law. MORE

"You have not chosen Me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you." All of the services at Pluscarden Abbey are sung in Latin using Gregorian Chant. The monks have been recorded and broadcast by the BBC on several occasions and three recordings are available on CD or tape. Go here for more information.

Pro-lifers around the nation are called to give a voice to brothers, sisters, and friends we will never know because they were killed by abortion. October 6 is National Pro-Life Memorial Day. To learn how you can help, go to Go to www.ProLifeMemorialDay.com

Visit Peggy to see what the other women are thinking and doing today. For Today... Outside my Window...it's dark outside, but the stars are shining. I am thinking...I can't wait until my yellow mums open... it won't be long now. I am thankful for...for the beautiful weather here and for the opportunity to see Fireproof this past weekend...will post my review later... I loved it! From the kitchen...blackberry pineapple pancakes. I am wearing...jeans, a print, cotton top, dangling purple earrings, and am barefoot. I am reading...Spero by Anthony Horvath. I am hoping...that things go better for my sister, who is going through a rough time now. I am creating...a better looking, more organized blog. I am hearing...my dh in the refrigerator, moving bottles around. Around the house...it's pretty quiet now...very early in the AM. One of my favorite things...is long road trips in the country this time of year. I love being outdoors, just enjoying the fall. A Few Plans For The R

Excellent video which tells the truth about Barack Obama:

The three Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation. Michael's name means "who is like God?" Three books of the Bible speak of St. Michael: Daniel, Revelation and the Letter of Jude. In the book of Revelation or the Apocalypse, chapter 12:7-9, we read of a great war that went on in heaven. Michael and his angels battled with Satan. Michael became the champion of loyalty to God. We can ask St. Michael to make us strong in our love for Jesus and in our practice of the Catholic religion. Gabriel's name means "the power of God." He, too, is mentioned in the book of Daniel. He has become familiar to us because Gabriel is an important person in Luke's Gospel. This archangel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of our savior. Gabriel announced to Zechariah that he and St. Elizabeth would have a son and call him John. Gabriel is the announcer, t

Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Barack Obama & Friends Caused U.S. Economic Crisis Obama, McCain React to Economic Crisis Breaking: McCain Halts Campaign to Focus on Financial Crisis Great Video on Biden and Obama!

In a special report Barack Obama's close ties to Countrywide, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac and many key democrats such as Chris Dodd Barney Frank and John Kerry have helped cause the current U.S. Economic Crisis, and noted is the Advisory positions Scandel Riden Jim Johnson, and Franklin Raines have with The Obama Campaign. Confirm for yourself the Contributions made By Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae to Obama and others here: http://www.opensecrets.org/ Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Obama, McCain React to Economic Crisis Breaking: McCain Halts Campaign to Focus on Financial Crisis Great Video on Biden and Obama!

Via the Franciscan Friars: Today we begin a new Eucharistic series of No Apologies! The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is still on Earth in the Eucharist. This is founded on Scripture, the Church Fathers, and 2000 years of historical evidence! Ave Maria!

One of my favorite film stars, Paul Newman, died of cancer Friday , at the age of 83. The LA Times has some great photos of Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward (whom he was married to for 50 years) here. He was born Paul Leonard Newman on the 26th of January, 1925, in Shaker Heights, an affluent suburb of Cleveland. His father, Arthur, was Jewish and ran a profitable sports goods store. His mother, Theresa (nee Fetzer), was Catholic and helped out in the shop, while raising Paul and his brother Arthur (later a producer and production manager). Young Paul was bright and good at sports. He also showed an early interest in theatre, something that Theresa encouraged. He made his acting debut at 7, as the court jester in a school production of Robin Hood. Paul graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1943. He briefly attended Ohio University at Athens, but was expelled for (allegedly) crashing a keg of beer into the president's car. It was clear that young Newman was possessed of

Listen to Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui on abortion, hispanics and Barack Obama. Bella's Eduardo Verastegui's Hard Truth (shorter version - Spanish with English subtitles.) Eduardo Verastegui - Dura Realidad (Completo) Warning: Contains Graphic Pictures of an abortion, which Barack Obama supports "Abortion is an act of violence that kills babies," says Verastegui. "If you think this is an exaggeration, the next minutes are going to change your opinion." "Did you know that minority children are being aborted at a rate more than double that of Anglo-Saxon babies? According statistics from 1990, 28 percent of women in the United States belong to minority groups, and according to the Centers of Disease Control, 36 percent of abortions are committed by them. "Hispanics are the most affected by the abortion industry, and I want to know why. The majority of abortion clinics are located in places filled with Hispanics. Why? Newspapers and magazines, ra

Journey of Vincent : A recounting of the life of Vincent de Paul, narrated by John Freund, CM. Spiritual Insights from St. Vincent de Paul “No matter what others say or do, even if the wicked succeed, do not be troubled: commit everything to God and put your trust in him.” “Extend mercy towards others, so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for us if God should withdraw His mercy from us?” "But do you know what it is to labor in charity? It is to labor in God, for God is charity, and it is to labor for God purely and entirely; it is to do so in the grace of God." "Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances." "We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love." "The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know h

Thanks Esther , Leticia , and Alexandra for honoring me with this award! As a recipient of this award, there are rules to follow. I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to three others! The questions are as follows: 1. Where is your cell phone? purse 2. Where is your significant other? chair 3. Your hair color? auburn 4. Your mother? Heaven 5. Your father? Heaven 6. Your favorite thing? Heaven 7. Your dream last night? blank 8. Your dream/goal? Lourdes 9. The room you're in? office 10. Your hobby? walking 11. Your fear? Hell 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here 13. Where were you last night? home 14. What you're not? patient 15. One of your wish-list items? laptop 16. Where you grew up? IL 17. The last thing you did? read 18. What are you wearing? clothes 19. Your TV? on 20. Your pet? sweet 21. Your computer? fine 22. Your mood? content 23. Missing someone? yes 24. Your car? teal 25. Something you're

NuvaRing is a newer type of birth control manufactured by Organon Pharmaceuticals, which delivers medication through a ring inserted by the woman once a month to prevent pregnancy. Nuva Ring birth control is a hormonal contraceptive that prevents pregnancy by releasing low doses of the hormones estrogen and progestin. Otherwise healthy young women have reported suffering heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and other blood clot injuries while on the birth control ring. A growing number of Nuva Ring lawsuits have been filed in federal court and various state courts throughout the country. The cases allege that Organon failed to adequately warn about the risk of blood clots. For the latest information on Nuva ring and lawsuits, go here and here .

Watching this, I could hardly believe my eyes! You would think that some of these pro-aborts would be arrested because they are very provocative in their actions -- screaming, spitting, and directly confronting those who are praying peacefully.

State Rep. John LaBruzzo says the government should consider cash incentives for poor people to undergo reproductive sterilization , because society is careening toward a day when persons on public assistance outnumber taxpayers and the economy collapses. A look at Louisiana welfare numbers suggests his fear is unfounded. Figures from the state Department of Social Services show recipients of the main form of welfare, the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program, have plunged from a monthly average of 280,177 people in fiscal 1990-91 to 13,504 people in 2006-07. The monthly grant to a qualifying mother with two children is now $240. I don't understand this line of thinking -- how would this state representative feel if he himself were poor and someone suggested he be sterilized? People are not animals that you take and have neutered. This is an outrageous attitude! It reminds me of Hitler's way of thinking and what happenned in the Jewish prison camps during World War

Nothing is known of the lives of Saints Cosmas and Damien except that they suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of Diocletian. A church erected on the site of their burial place was enlarged by the emperor Justinian. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. A famous basilica was erected in their honor in Constantinople. Their names were placed in the canon of the Mass, probably in the sixth century. Legend says that they were twin brothers born in Arabia, who became skilled doctors. Known as the "moneyless" and the "silverless", they never accepted money for their services, but offered them in the spirit of charity. When the persecution under Diocletian broke out, their very prominence rendered them marked objects of persecution. Being apprehended by order of Lysias, governor of Cilicia, they were arrested, tortured, and beheaded in the year 283. St. Cosmas and St. Damian are patron saints of medicine, doctors and pharmacists. I

Barry, Barry, quite contrary, how does your cronyism grow? The Chicago Sun-Times reports on a new investigation of The One’s $100,000 botanic state garden grant to a crony… …. that never got built. Via Michelle Malkin . WorldNetDaily: Illinois AG probing grant by Obama Awarded $100,000 to onetime campaign volunteer, but project never done --Chicago Sun-Times

Today, September 25, is the feast of Blessed Hermann. Blessed Herman the Cripple was an 11th-century Benedictine monk from southern Germany. Born deformed with a cleft palate, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida, Herman was cared for from age 7 by the Benedictine monks of the Reichenau abbey of Germany. He was professed as a monk there at age 20. Although he was bedridden and a speech impediment made him nearly impossible to understand, Herman was a genius, who studied and wrote on astronomy, theology, math, history, poetry, Arabic, Greek, and Latin. He also built astonomical equipment and musical instruments and was the most famous religious poet of his day. When he eventually became blind, Herman began writing hymns. His "Salve Regina," or "Hail Holy Queen," is the best known. Blessed Herman died at the age of 40 of causes related to his afflictions in 1054. He was beatified in 1863. Lesson: Although Blessed Herman suffered much, he always smiled and was the joy o

This was created by Granny Grump at RealChoice.Com . It's the truth and it's powerful! Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Many of the bloggers have been linking to Catholic guides for voting, which are useful for those who take the time to read them. I recently found this article on Catholic Exchange which is an excellent guide. It contains one of my favorite quotes: " Disregard for the poor is a travesty, disregard for human life is an abomination." Here are a few more trustworthy guides/resources: Faithful Citizenship website from the USCCB A Guide to Catholic Teaching and Voting from EWTN Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Moral Principles for Catholic Voters by the Kansas Catholic Conference The Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics by Catholic Answers Action Where do the Presidential Candidates Stand on Key Issues? by Priests for Life Ten Easy Steps to… Voting with a Clear Conscience Fr. Frank Pavone DOCTRINAL NOTE on

Can you imagine what would happen if Sarah Palin had said this? Only Biden can get away with this idiocy! Even our middle school children can identify who was President at that time. As far as TV, he should know the answer to that simply as a result of his own life experiences - he grew up during that era .(when TV became popular.) I sometimes wonder if Biden isn't purposely making these mistakes to bail out of running for VP. Could it be that Hillary will return soon to replace him for VP? In any case, this video is hilarious!

Barack Obama who has decided to continue campaigning in the face of a possible failure on the bailout of the banking crisis may be called irresponsible considering the Democratic Congress has accepted money from Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during a time when Republicans Like John McCain were introducing legislation that could have averted this crisis , others like Chris Dodd and Barney Frank have stood in the way of such legislation while Senator Barack Obama seems to have been holding his tongue on the matter. See This Link for Contributions made to Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, John Kerry and others in congress responsible for the failures:: http://www.opensecrets.org/ Obama's Response: John McCain's Response: Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Breaking: McCain Halts Campaign to Focus on Financial Crisis Great Video on Biden and Obama!

by Raven Wenner, Our Lady of Walsingham Church, Houston, Texas In AD 2000, The Holy Father John Paul II decreed that the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, mediaeval patroness of England, and in modern times patroness of all English-speaking peoples, is now celebrated on September 24th in England. It is a solemnity for all parishes in any part of the world named for Our Lady under this title. Our Lady of Walsingham was formerly celebrated on March 25th, "Lady Day" (Feast of the Annunciation), but for ecumenical considerations was moved to September 24th. (September 24 in England had been the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, who was entreated for the re-conversion of England, "Our Lady's Dowery". The feast of Our Lady of Walsingham was celebrated for the first time on the new date in 2001. The feast of the Annunciation is increasingly celebrated as a pro-life feast, considering children in the womb; Our Lady of Walsingham's feast asks us to contemplate the joy of t

For information about the 40 Days for Life campaign that will take place outside abortion clinics in Overland Park and Wichita, and the annual Life Chain that will take place in MANY Kansas towns, go to the Kansans for Life web site at www.kfl.org . Click on the "Calendar of Events" tab in the menu list on the left side of the home page, and then select either 40 Days for Life or Life Chain for information on these events. 40 Days for Life is 40 consecutive days of prayer outside Planned Parenthood in Overland Park and George Tiller's abortion clinic in Wichita. The dates are Wednesday, Sept. 24th through Sunday, Nov. 2nd, and consist of standing outside those clinics in prayer. For more information on how to sign up to participate, see the website as directed above. Life Chain, on the other hand, consists of one hour of silent prayer/witness on heavily traveled thoroughfares while holding one of five pre-printed signs. It will take place in MANY Kansas cities/towns on e

The Senate approved a measure that requires doctors to give expectant mothers more comprehensive information if they receive a positive test for Down syndrome. The bill is the product of an unusual partnership between Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, an anti-abortion Republican, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, an abortion-rights advocate from Massachusetts. About 90% of women who learn they are carrying a fetus with the genetic disorder have an abortion. Kennedy is a longtime advocate of disabled and children with special needs. The bill requires doctors to give parents information about caring for children with disabilities and about support services. Via Kake News.

Forty Days for Life , a community-based pro-life group, kicks off their campaign of prayer, fasting, and presence today. According to the group’s website: Forty Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of his plan for the end of abortion in America. The 40-day campaign tracks biblical history, where God used forty-day periods to transform individuals, communities . . . and the entire world. From Noah in the flood to Moses on the mountain to the disciples after Christ’s resurrection, it is clear that God sees the transformative value of his people accepting and meeting a forty-day challenge. PRE-KICKOFF INTENTION: For God’s blessing upon all participating in the fall 2008 40 Days for Life campaign. Find More from Musings from a Catholic Bookstore. Marcel LeJeune from Texas A&M has a

Via WorldNet Daily : In a dramatic move, Republican Sen. John McCain announced he is suspending his presidential campaign to focus on addressing the Wall Street crisis and called on Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama to do the same. McCain also asked that the debate scheduled for Friday in Oxford, Miss., focused on foreign policy, considered his strong suit, be postponed. The Arizona senator said he believes the $700 billion bailout bill in Congress will not pass and urged Obama to join him in working out a new deal before Monday. McCain said lawmakers need to show the kind of patriotism displayed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and "temporarily set politics aside." "If we do not act, every corner of this country will be impacted," he said. "We cannot allow this to happen." The Obama campaign, according to Fox News, issued a statement suggesting it actually made the first move to set politics aside to address the country's financial woes. More to come.

This week’s Catholic Carnival is up at This That and the Other Thing . The theme for this week is "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church". Here are a few of my favorite posts there: Denise's post "The Insidious Creep of Evil" in which she writes about pre-natal diagnosis and its all too frequent bedfellow--abortion . Shawn's post " The Glory of Woman", which is about womanhood and femininity , as conveyed through the writings of Pope John Paul II and by Alice von Hildebrand. Kate Wicker's post "Baby's First Close-up", in which shares her first picture of her little one, as well as her thoughts and her feelings. There are some wonderfully inspiring posts at this week's carnival , so be sure to check out all of them!

Just a reminder.... FIREPROOF is coming this weekend! As FIREPROOF prepares to open in more than 800 theaters nationwide on Friday, September 26, people in the Church are excited about the impact this film could have on marriages. Catholic Endorsements for FIREPROOF Dozens of key Catholic leaders are endorsing FIREPROOF and encouraging the Catholic faithful to see it on opening weekend. Opening weekend for FIREPROOF (September 26-28) will determine how long it will play in the theaters where it's opening ... and how many additional theaters it might come to. "FIREPROOF follows the difficulties of a married couple who have decided to divorce. The movie is infused with evangelical Christianity's sense of marriage as a covenant, and Catholics can share that and complete it with our understanding of marriage as a sacrament. I don't see many movies, but this was one I watched and was moved by." ~Cardinal Francis George, Archdiocese of Chicago "FIREPROOF is a remar

Via my email today: Because of the wide-spread attention you gave our ALL Report on Planned Parenthood's DISGUSTING website , the story made its way onto the main-stream media. You can see our ALL report on it here and here. The resulting bad publicity forced Planned Parenthood to remove ALL of the offensive videos! This is the New Media in action! When you draw as much attention as you did to the nastiness of Planned Parenthood, the drive-by media can no longer ignore what's going on. Kudos to all of you for making this a big deal, and Glory be to God for His grace, aiding in our struggle. We will be sending out a press release on this soon, which we will forward on to all of you. Keep up the good fight. We forced the enemy to retreat, now let's press on! God Bless you all, and thank you for everything you do for the babies! ~Michael (Hitchborn) of American Life League.

Powerful Women's Motto: Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, satan shudders & says... 'Oh sh*t..........she's awake!!! ~Via Annie at After Abortion.

Knights of Columbus spot features beating heart of 10-week-old unborn child A 30-second radio spot encouraging people to “vote pro-life” in the November elections began running on radio stations around the United States Sept. 23 It will continue to air until the Nov. 4 election. The ad features the sound of an unborn baby’s heartbeat at 10 weeks, and the voice of a woman saying, “Listening to this makes me wonder – why would anyone question that her life has begun?” It concludes with the words, “Vote your heart. Vote Pro Life.” “The fact that the child whose heartbeat we hear is alive is simply a matter of science,” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said in announcing the beginning of the ad campaign. “We believe that it is vital that America’s pro-life community make it clear that they will reserve their votes for candidates of either party who are committed to protecting life from conception to natural death.” A similar ad is planned for broadcast in Canada, where general elections

~ Via John Francis Borra, SFO Used with permission. By guest blogger, John Francis Borra, SFO Barack Obama wants us to believe his words matter. And why not? Other than a brief voting record, he has nothing else to offer. Unfortunately, what figures most prominently in that record is unwavering support for killing our most vulnerable citizens: the unborn, newborn and disabled. It's a sobering comment on our society that someone as contemptuous of human life as Adolph Hitler, Margaret Sanger or Osama bin Laden may well become the next president of the United States. In a country whose majority claims to be Christian, this contest should not be close; indeed, Barack Obama should not even be in the running. Yet ours is a society lost in a pother of relativism, in which the term Christian is applied as easily to the most appalling of today's passing heretics as it is to the Apostles. Contrast Obama's objectification of people with Sarah Palin's affirmation of them. Never h

This is a beautiful, inspiring video from our Franciscan lay brother, Steve Silvia . "Start by doing what is necessary, than do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~St Francis of Assisi

St. Pio is one of my favorite saints. Miracles happened everyday of his life. He was a priest, a mystic, and a stigmatist who possessed many rare and mysterious gifts. He was bi-locational, that is, he appeared in two places at one time. He was able to communicate with others through mental telepathy. When he thought of them, they began to smell the scent of violets, which they associated with him. In the Confessional, he was able to tell people their sins in detail, even those which they did not confess to him. Through the simple means of touch, he was able to heal others. God had blessed him with an abundance of gifts that he used wisely to build up the body of Christ and to convert sinners. Padre Pio was born in the small village of Pietrelcina in southern Italy, the son of a shepherd. His baptized name was Francesco (Francis)Forgione. He joined the Capuchin friars at the age of 16 and was ordained as a priest seven years later. He spent fifty years at the monastery of San Giovanni