Catholic Fire

Summary of Articles remembering Henry Hyde Statement by the President on the Death of Henry Hyde The following is a statement by the President on the death of Henry Hyde: Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of former Congressman Henry Hyde. From his service in the Navy during World War II until his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives last year, Henry Hyde led a life devoted to public service. During more than 30 years as a Congressman, he represented the people of Illinois with character and dignity -- and always stood for a strong and purposeful America. This fine man believed in the power of freedom, and he was a tireless champion of the weak and forgotten. He used his talents to build a more hopeful America and promote a culture of life. Earlier this month, in recognition of his good and purposeful life, I was proud to award Henry Hyde the Medal of Freedom. Online at: http://christiannewswire.com/news/38104899.html Steve Peroutka, Chairman of National Pro-life

The new papal encyclical, Spe Salve, has arrived. You can read the full English text here. Here is what Catholic World News has to say about it: Spe Salvi, the 2nd encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI is a profound, tightly reasoned, but surprisingly accessible meditation on the theological virtue of hope. MORE

As most of you know, I am an avid movie watcher, so I couldn't resist this meme from Julie D. at Happy Catholic. Go to the AFI Top 100 list and pick: 1) Your favorite five movies that are on the list. Singin' in the Rain (1952) It's a Wonderful Life (1946) The Sound of Music (1965) Doctor Zhivago (1965) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 2) Five movies on the list you didn't like at all. Amadeus (1984) I love Mozart, but didn't like this film, which portrayed him as a buffoon. The Graduate (1967) - sleazy Psycho (1960) Bonnie and Clyde (1967) M*A*S*H (1970) I like the TV version, but didn't care for the movie at all. 3) Five movies on the list you haven't seen but want to. I have seen all the movies on this list that I want to, which is 90 of them. 4) Five movies on the list you haven't seen and have no interest in seeing. Taxi Driver (1976) Shane (1953) City Lights (1931) Modern Times (1936) The Wild Bunch (1969) Your favorite five movies that aren

Beginning on St. Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30, the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming. Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. Image: Jesus in Manger

Priests from the Community of St. John celebrating Holy Mass in Rome on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Order February, 2006 ~ taken from my personal photo files Memorial of St. Andrew, apostle Daily Mass Readings Reflection On This Day in Catholic History 374 St. Ambrose , Doctor of the Church (340–397) was baptized. 1979 Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) attended an Eastern Orthodox service, the first pope in a thousand years to do so. Birthdays: 539 - St. Gregory of Tours , French bishop and historian was born. (d. 594) 1667 - Jonathan Swift , Irish writer and satirist (d. 1745) 1835 - Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain ), American writer (d. 1910) 1872 - Dr. John McCrae , Canadian physician, soldier, poet. Author of " In Flanders Fields " (d. 1918 ) 1874 - Lucy Maud Montgomery , Canadian author (Anne of Green Gables) (d. 1942) 1874 - Sir Winston Churchill , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel laureate (d. 1965) 1918 - Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ,

The name "Andrew" (Greek, andreia for manhood, or valor), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the second or third century B.C. St. Andrew, son of Jonah, was born at Bethsaida in Galilee. He was a disciple of John the Baptist and became one of the first to follow Jesus, to whom he brought his brother, Simon Peter. Both were fishermen and at the beginning of Our Lord's public life occupied the same house at Capharnaum. As one of the twelve apostles, Andrew was very close to Our Lord during His public life; he was present at the Last Supper; beheld the risen Lord; witnessed the Ascension; shared in the graces and gifts of the first Pentecost, and helped, amid threats and persecution, to establish the Faith in Palestine. He was crucified by order of the Roman Governor, Aegeas at Patrae in Achaia, and was bound, not nailed, to the cross, in order to prolong his sufferings. He was martyred during the reign of Nero, on November 30, 60 A.D. St.

Many of you are already familiar with the Community of St. John 's Eucharistic Adoration program for children, "Children of Hope" led by Fr. Antoine, (who is a regular guest on EWTN and has filmed several series for them, as well as appearing on "Life on the Rock", “Mother Angelica Live”, and traveling throughout the United States and the world, implementing this program in parishes) but for those of you who are not, this is a wonderfully inspirational video about it. As an Oblate with the Community of St. John, I have seen this program in action firsthand and it is so beautiful to see the children grow in their love for the Lord through it. Recently, it has been under heavy criticism from Margaret C. Galitzin who authored "Muslim-Style Adoration for Catholic Children." When I read this I was shocked - I could not believe that anyone would oppose such a beautifully sacred program for children, which helps them grow so much in holiness and in their lov

Kansans for Life KS Supreme Court Refuses Tiller Request Lifesite News Outstanding Pro-Life U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde Died Today at Age 83 Following Debate, Republican Pro-life Candidates Poised for Success Gay Pride Clubs Erupt in Catholic Schools in Board Embroiled in Homosexuality Controversy British Clergy Say Blair Must Renounce Anti-Life, Anti-Family Views Before Becoming Catholic Archbishop Under Fire for Church Teaching on Homosexuality Supported by Catholic Parents Pro-life Blogs Free pro-life handbook from Focus on the Family CNN/YouTube Republican Debate: A Few Questions, A Few Answers Pro-life with Christ ALL 4D Ultrasound video Jill Stanek Tribute to Henry Hyde

Mary, Mother of Jesus as the Immaculate Conception. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. c. 1660-1665 Museo del Prado Let us celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary! Let us adore her Son, Christ our Lord! Glory be... You are all fair, Mary, and the stain of original sin is not in you. Your garments are white as snow, and your face is like the sun. Hail Mary... You are the Glory of Jerusalem; you are the Joy of Israel; you are the Honor of our people (Judith 15:10). You are the brightness of eternal light, the unspotted mirror of God's majesty, and the image of His goodness (Wis 7:26). Hail Mary... More than all other women upon earth, you, Virgin Mary, have been blessed by the Lord God most high. Draw us, Immaculate Virgin; we shall come after you, breathing the sweet fragrance of your virtues (Ecclus 1:3). Hail Mary... Mary speaks: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvati

Topeka, KS - Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Kay McFarland ruled today that the citizen-called grand jury set to investigate late-term abortionist George R. Tiller can move forward. The grand jury had originally been scheduled to convene on October 30, 2007, but was delayed while the Court considered a Writ of Mandamus filed by Tiller asking for a special exemption from the laws governing the convening of citizen-called grand jury investigations and demanding that the grand jury not be seated. Justice McFarland stated in her order, "The Court determines that petitioner has not established entitlement to the relief sought and that, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 9.01(e), the petition should be and is hereby denied, and the case is dismissed." The ruling comes one day after Operation Rescue filed its second motion in the case. The group had sought to intervene to insure that the Court based its decision on accurate information. That motion has now been dismissed as moot. &qu

After staying up all night writing, I fell ill to the CRA Syndrome ("can't remember anything") and put up a post on St. Andrew, the Apostle as Today's "Saint of the Day"; however, his feast day is tomorrow on November 30, so I promptly deleted that post. My thanks go out to Jackie for making me aware of this, who deserves my "Saved the Day" award. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Most holy and immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our loving Mother, being his Mother, you shared in his universal kingship. The prophets and angels proclaimed him King of peace. With loving fervor in our hearts we salute and honor you as Queen of peace. We pray that your intercession may protect us and all people from hated and discord, and direct our hearts into the ways of peace and justice which your Son taught and exemplified. We ask your maternal care for our Holy Father who works to reconcile the nations in peace. We seek your guidance for our President and other leaders as they strive for world peace. Glorious Queen of peace, grant us peace in our hearts, harmony in our families and concord throughout the world. Immaculate Mother, as patroness of our beloved country, watch over us and protect us with your motherly love. Amen. Mary, Queen of peace, pray for us! Image: Mary, Queen of Heaven

Thursday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Saturninus, martyr Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 1223 Pope Honorius III (1148–1227) formally confirmed the “Regula bullata,” which organized the Franciscan Order . 1964 Catholic Church in US replaced Latin with English. 2005 Thousands of people lined the streets as the Roman Catholic Church ordained 57 new priests in an unprecedented ceremony that added the single largest number of priests in Vietnam at one time. Birthdays 1803 - Christian Doppler , Austrian physicist (d. 1853) 1825 - Jean-Martin Charcot , French neurologist (d. 1893) 1832 - Louisa May Alcott , American novelist (d. 1888) 1898 C. S. Lewis , Anglican scholar and Christian writer, was born in Belfast, Ireland (d. 22 November 1963). 1918 - Madeleine L'Engle , American author, Newbery Medal -winner for A Wrinkle in Time (d. 2007) 1922 - Minnie Miñoso , Cuban baseball player 1927 - Vin Scully , American baseball announce

"God is awakening in more men the desire to be real men." This means making sacrifices, being "willing to pay the price to do the right thing." In order to make such a sacrifice a man must "draw on all his masculine strength, and in so doing he steers clear of the two extremes of false manhood that are "deadly to male participation in the Church": the "wimpish Christianity" that presents neither challenge nor reward, and the machismo that keeps proud men off their knees." ~ Steve Bollman as quoted in "The New Catholic Manliness", by Todd M. Aglialoro, Crisis Magazine , July / August 2007 , Catholic Culture Insights Today

Via Operation Rescue: Abortionist Is “No-Show” In Hit-and-Run Case; Judge Orders Him To Appear My Commentary: Wichita late - term abortionist George Tiller aka "Tiller the Killer" tried once again to show to the world that he is above the law and does not have to face the consequences of his actions. Today, Tiller ignored a subpoena to appear in small claims court where he is being sued for $4,000 for a hit-and-run incident on pro-life activist Mark Gietzen last year. However, for once, we obviously have a judge who believes in enforcing the law, instead of accepting Tiller's blood money as a bribe. Judge Steven K. Woodring told Tiller's abortion clinic security manager John Rayburn that he could not stand in for his employer, but that Tiller must appear in person like everyone else. The fact that Tiller sent this poor employee (I mean this in every sense of the word. He is notorious for underpaying his staff and for mistreating his employees.) to take his place show

Fashioned by the word of God, let our prayer rise like incense before the heavenly throne: open our ears to hear Your Word, O Lord. Lord, we place at Your altar the following prayer intentions: The Holy Father's special intentions. For courage and peace for Sue, who is dying of cancer and for spiritual healing. For Barb at SFO Mom's special intentions. Kim and her dear husband Greg, whose little one, Elizabeth Hope, miscarried at 5 weeks. For Historical Christian's friend Thomas , whose beloved wife, mother of their four small children, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. For healing for Hannah Cate, a little girl with Down syndrome from Georgia, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia through the intercession of Servant of God, Dr. Jerome Lejeune. For Fr. Stephanos of Me Monk, Me Meander , who is currently corresponding with two Satanists on his blog. We continue to lift up Tom and his mom, Therese at this difficult time. For the conversion of Phillip P

Image: The Last Judgement Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: St. Catherine Laboure More on St. Catherine Laboure here. Video: St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal "Oh, how beautiful it will be to hear it said: Mary is Queen of the universe. That will be a time of peace, joy and happiness which will be long... She will be borne like a banner and will make a tour of the world.” The Virgin foretold that this time would come only after “the entire world will be in sadness... Afterwards, peace.” ~ from St. Catherine's writings recounting the apparitions On This Day in Catholic History: 741 Pope Gregory III died. 1095 - On the last day of the Council of Clermont , Pope Urban II appoints Bishop Adhemar of Le Puy and Count Raymond IV of Toulouse to lead the First Crusade to the Holy Land. Today's Birthdays: 1757 - William Blake , British poet (d. 1827) 1853 - Helen Magill White , first Americ

Partial Birth Abortion Ban "Poster Child" Turns Sweet Sixteen Donna Joy Vance turned sixteen yesterday but if her mother had listened to her doctors, she would have been aborted at the gestational age of seven months. Fortunately for Donna Joy, her mother, Lori Vance, refused to go along. "We're celebrating Donna Joy's 16th birthday," Lori Vance said."It's a special day because it's a day the doctors and so-called experts way back when said would never come to be." In 1991 Doctors recommended that Donna Joy be killed by partial birth abortion, because a scan had found five major brain disorders. In the worst of these, most of her brain had formed outside her skull, a condition called Holoprosencephaly, or HPE. They said that Donna would be born completely blind, deaf, with no face, no ability to move limbs, suck or swallow. Despite these dire predictions, Donna Joy has grown to be a pretty, happy and active young girl who suffers only cereb

With the world premiere of Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass is scheduled in London tonight, Pullman had some nasty comments to make about those Catholics who plan to boycott the film due to its deceptive "atheist agenda" targeting children, calling them "nitwits". In response to Catholic League's Bill Donohue's recommendation to boycott the "atheistic" film Pullman was quoted by Newsweek as saying, "To regard it as this Donohue man has said - that I'm a militant atheist, and my intention is to convert people - how the hell does he know that?" "Why don't we trust readers? Why don't we trust filmgoers? Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world." So far no boycott has been called for in Britain, but some Catholic leaders in Canada and the United States are planning to boycott the film, when it opens on December 7. Bill Donohue points out that the secular media, whom

at Living Catholicism and is being hosted by Jay. This week's theme is Giving Not Receiving. Lots of good posts to read there so check it out.

Related Posts: Prayer to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal FEAST OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we unite ourselves to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a constant reminder of our filial duties towards you. While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives so that like you we may live and act according to the teaching and example of your Son. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death so that in union with you we may enjoy the happiness of heaven forever. Amen. V: O Mary, conceived without sin, R: Pray for us who have recourse to you.

Today, November 27, is the Feast of the Miraculous Medal. Devotion to and wearing of the Miraculous Medal is second to the Rosary in popularity among traditional Catholic devotions. History In 1830, the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the design of the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure in an apparition. In Paris, on June 6, 1830, the Lord appeared to the young (age 24) Daughter of Charity novice Catherine at Mass, and again on the nights of July 18-19 when she was summoned to the chapel by a beautiful "child clothed in white" to converse with the Virgin Mary. Catherine was told prophecies and charged with "a mission" that manifested itself on November 27 in an early morning (5:30am) appearance of the Blessed Virgin who was "clothed in white" standing on a globe and "a serpent." Rays of light issued forth from rings on her fingers and Catherine was told to commission a medal of what she was seeing. Then, turning the letter "M surmounted

Today's Liturgy: Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Mass Readings Reflection " The Lord is love; His coming shows Him as love most singular, the love that gives itself more freely, the love that is God's alone: agape. Because He is agape, He comes, and because His coming is agape, it is judgement. His mere presence passes judgement on the evil in us because that presence is love, because evil is its opposite. Love sets free the powers of redeemed life, the love of God given to us..." ~ Sister Amelia Lohr, German Benedictine nun (d. 1972) On This Day in Catholic History: 1095 Pope Urban II began promoting the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont. 1970 Pope Paul VI , visiting the Philippines, was slightly wounded at the Manila airport by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest. 1998 From the Vatican Pope John Paul II issued a papal bull, "Incarnationis Mysterium" (The Mystery of the Incarnation) that proclaimed 2000

Atlanta, Georgia – Bob Roethlisberger was arrested and jailed over Thanksgiving weekend in a northern suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, on the charge of “Disorderly Conduct” for driving Operation Rescue’s Truth Truck bearing signs with photos of aborted babies. The Truth Truck was impounded. Gwinnett County Police Department officers arrested Roethlisberger Saturday after telling him that signage on the Truth Truck was “vulgar and obscene.” Officers ransacked the back of the Truth Truck without a warrant and ordered Roethlisberger to change or remove the signs. When he refused, he was arrested and incarcerated for three days before being released on $1,000 bond. The Truth Truck was released from impound late Monday, however the both the signs and the mounting hardware on the truck were damaged when police forcibly ripped the signs off the sides of the truck. Monetary damage to the property is estimated to be in the thousands of dollars. “It is obvious that these police officers, under the di

Movies often are judged on their entertainment value, but one particular low-budget film gaining steam in theaters is being judged on something else –- the number of lives it has saved. It's a bold claim, but one that "Bella" -- a pro-life movie that surprised film observers by winning the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award –- apparently can support. "It's been amazing," lead actor Eduardo Verastegui told an audience in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 17. "We've received so many e-mails and letters from young ladies who just days before were scheduled to have an appointment to have an abortion and after they saw 'Bella' they kept their baby." Click here for the full story I thank God for this film and the transformation it has made in the lives of so many. It is truly the Gospel of Life in action.

By Deal Hudson An auxiliary bishop defeating an archbishop for a conference chairmanship is "very unusual" Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Archbishop Raymond Burke (St. Louis) lost an election at the annual meeting of the U.S. bishops Nov. 13-16. Over the past three years, Burke has assumed the mantle of the late Cardinal John O'Connor in pro-life matters, challenging fellow bishops to take stronger stances in the defense of innocent life. Nominated as chairman for the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, 60 percent of his fellow bishops preferred his opponent. As bishops' conference expert Rev. Thomas Reese noted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, an auxiliary bishop defeating an archbishop for a conference chairmanship is "very unusual." MORE

Caution: Explicit language and graphics. WASHINGTON, D.C. · November 19, 2007 / PRNewswire / – "Parents need to know what Planned Parenthood has in store for their children and this report is an excellent starting point," said Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League. "The book 'It's Perfectly Normal' is obscene and offensive to Christians." American Life League's second video report exposes the contents of the book "It's Perfectly Normal." Recently, a Washington State Prison rejected a fundraising letter that included censored images from the book for being "sexually explicit" and "obscene." American Life League released the report as a part of its continuing effort to educate the public on Planned Parenthood's activities. "This video report is just the beginning," said Sedlak. "We will continue to use this new media to expose the nation's largest abortion chain and we call on Christ

Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Sylvester, abbot; St. Peter of Alexandria, bishop and martyr; St. John Berchmans, priest RM Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 399 Pope Siricius died. 1095 Pope Urban urged the faithful to wrest the Holy Land from the Muslims, heralding start of Crusades. 1648 Pope Innocent X condemned the Peace of Westphalia, which ended 30 Years War one month earlier. 1858 St. Katharine Drexel , who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament was born (d. 3 March 1955). 1995 Thirty clergymen were elevated to the rank of cardinal in a Vatican ceremony presided over by Pope John Paul the Second. Birthdays: 1436 - Princess Catherine of Portugal , writer (d. 1463) 1894 - James Charles McGuigan , Catholic cardinal archbishop of Toronto (d. 1974) 1922 - Charles M. Schulz , American cartoonist, Peanuts (d. 2000) 1939 - Tina Turner , American singer and actress 1953 - Harry Carson , American football player 1975

In humble supplication, let us come before our Lord and King. Lord, we place at Your altar the following prayer intentions: Kim and her dear husband Greg, whose little one, Elizabeth Hope, miscarried at 5 weeks. For Historical Christian's friend Thomas , whose beloved wife, mother of their four small children, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. For healing for Hannah Cate, a little girl with Down syndrome from Georgia, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia through the intercession of Servant of God, Dr. Jerome Lejeune. For Fr. Stephanos of Me Monk, Me Meander , who is currently corresponding with two Satanists on his blog. We continue to lift up Tom and his mom, Therese at this difficult time. For continued healing for Donna - Marie. For Bill and his special intentions. For a special intention for MM. Lord God of earth and sea, yours is the dry land and yours the water, Have mercy on us who easily forget we are not gods but God's creatures and beloved chil

This video was produced by the Chicago Police Dept., but provides much information about the Eastern Orthodox Faith. They did an excellent job on this one!

The Kansas Coalition for Life has released a new video which calls for more volunteers to serve as peaceful sidewalk counselors near Tiller's late term abortion business in Wichita, KS. The video is titled "The Kansas Paradox." People generally associate charming things with Kansas: beautiful farms and views, Dorothy and Toto, sunflowers, etc. But Kansas has an ugly side. Kansas was known during the Civil War as "Bleeding Kansas." It deserves the title again but this time for its largest city, Wichita, being the world's late-term abortion capital. Prolifers from outside of Kansas may think that the Tiller abortion business is a "Kansas issue." But the reality is that people from all over the United States and many parts of the world come to Kansas to have late term abortions done at Tiller's abortion business. Far from a Kansas issue, it is everyone's concern. KCFL displays crosses in front of Tiller's abortion mill every day that it is

Pope elevates 23 new cardinals by Nicole Winfield . You can view the video here.

Lots of interesting posts today from the Telegraph.co.uk, including: Pope to purge the Vatican of modern music Damian Thompson: Why the Pope is right Catholic hospitals ban abortion referrals Pope gets radical and woos Anglicans

Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. Pope Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. At the time of Quas Primas , secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ’s authority, as well as the Church’s, and even doubting Christ’s very existence. Today's Mass establishes the titles for Christ's royalty over men: 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things; "All things were created by Him"; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; 3) Christ is Head of the Church, "holding in all things the primacy"; 4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as his special possession and dominion. Today's Mass also describes the qualities of Christ's kingdom. This kingdom is: 1) supreme, extending not only to all peoples but a

*Bella held over $1 million for the fourth week in a row and has earned a place at the table for Thanksgiving, the biggest movie season of the year! *Bella went from the #17 top film to the #12 top film and we have a higher ranking than films that are in thousands of theaters and we are in only 456theaters! *According to BoxOffice.com Bella is ranked #5 on their POWER SCORE going into Thanksgiving, ahead of Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium, Dan in Real Life, Lions for Lambs, Saw 4 and Love in the Time of Cholera. *Bella is still the #1 Top Rated Movie on Yahoo, Fandango and the New York Times readers poll *Eduardo gave an unbelievable Keynote speech at the White House Friday for National Adoption Day. After his speech he received a standing ovation. Here is a link to an article and video: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/271464.aspx Here is the excerpt from the Article & TV show: "A film called Bella is sparking nationwide debate about adoption. It's film's leading man, actor

My husband is a process server and his work takes him everywhere. Last week he had to serve a subpoena for medical records on a Planned Parenthood clinic. He could not help but overhear a girl asking for "Plan B" contraception. She could not provide identification to prove she was 19 years of age. Her friend asked, "I'm 19. Can I buy it for her?" "Sure!" was the answer from the clerk. More on Overheard in An Abortion Mill via causa nostrae laetitiae. Culture's pressure on our teen and "tween" girls and Pope's New Encyclical, "Saved by Hope" ready Before Christimas are excellent reads and can be found at Daily Donna - Marie: A Dose of Inspiration. Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii writes about Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro and shares some stunning photos in Feast Day of Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, S.J. The Curt Jester writes about The Birth of Christ , the contemporary contata, which will be aired on PBS this season and s

Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac, priest and martyr, and companions, martyrs Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 1713 Junipero Serra , Spanish Franciscan missionary to America, was born in Majorca, Spain (d. 28 August 1784). Birthdays: 1784 - Zachary Taylor , 12th President of the United States (d. 1850) 1833 - Antoine Labelle , Quebec catholic priest (d. 1891) 1888 - Dale Carnegie , American writer (d. 1955) 1938 - Oscar Robertson , American basketball player 1948 - Steve Yeager , baseball player

Today is Donna's Birthday ( of Daily Donna-Marie: A Dose of Inspiration) Praying for birthday blessings for you today, Donna Marie!

Inside Catholic produced this video and Zoe Romanowsky shares the following: InsideCatholic.com’s The Baby in the Box video has been getting a lot of play around the web. The brief spot poses a basic question: Should we not err on the side of caution when it comes to the way we treat the unborn? Even before I was a practicing Catholic, I was a pro-life feminist. It just made sense to me -- the right to life is the most fundamental right of all. And I believed then, as I do now, that solution-oriented approaches, focusing on the needs of women, will best bring about a culture of life. When I saw The Baby in the Box, I suspected pro-choice feminists might twist it into an anti-woman message. Sadly, I was right. The comments on various feminist blogs range from ignorant to bizarre to down right nasty. She shares some of the ridiculous examples here from these women who are obviously unaware of what a metaphor is. This is something that I would expect junior high students to know. Perh