Catholic Fire

Washington, DC -- Barack Obama marks his first 100 days in the White House today and his record is replete with aggressive promotion of abortion and attacks on pro-life advocates. Obama has used tax dollars to pay for abortion and embryonic stem cell research and stacked his administration with abortion advocates. Read the full story here.

Copies Are Being Rushed to Rome, Papal Nuncio, USCCB and ND Bishop John D’Arcy Manassas, Va. – Today, April 29, 2009, the first 300,000 names of individuals who signed the petition at NotreDameScandal.com — opposing the University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor President Barack Obama at commencement — are being delivered to Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the Board of Trustees and the Board of Fellows as they prepare for scheduled meetings on Friday, May 1, at Notre Dame. As of this morning, more than 344,000 people have signed the petition, but because of the overwhelming numbers it took The Cardinal Newman Society more than 24 hours to prepare the data and print more than 64,000 sheets of paper, double sided, which were then bound in notebooks and sent via FedEx to Father Jenkins and individual members of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees and Board of Fellows. Copies of the petitions are also being rushed by The Cardinal Newman Society, which sponsored the peti...

Washington, DC -- The Senate voted on a lopsided 2-1 margin in favor of pro-abortion Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to become the next Health Secretary. Pro-life groups had opposed her nomination because of her lengthy pro-abortion record voting pro-life bills and her close connection with late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. Senators voted 65 to 31 on Tuesday to confirm Sebelius as the secretary of Health and Human Services, approving yet another of President Barack Obama's pro-abortion nominees. Full story and vote tally here.

Today is the feast of my Confirmation saint, St. Catherine of Siena, Caterina di Giacomo di Benicasa (1347 - 1380). As a mystic, activist, reformer, contemplative, and Doctor of the Church, she is one of the most prominent figures in Christian history. Catherine, the youngest of twenty-five children, was born in Siena on March 25, 1347. During her youth she had to contend with great difficulties on the part of her parents. They were planning marriage for their favorite daughter; but Catherine, who at the age of seven had already taken a vow of virginity, refused. To break her resistance, her beautiful golden brown tresses were shorn to the very skin and she was forced to do the most menial tasks. Undone by her patience, her mother and father finally relented and their child entered the Third Order of St. Dominic -- a lay order. Catherine managed a large household of followers, all of whom called her "Mama". She served as spiritual director to royalty and religious. She live...

Get the full story at Zenit. Check out all the Notre Dame Shame news at American Papist on one page . (H/T: Wisconsin Catholic ) Let the prayers continue for Fr. Jenkins and this controversy.

Less than a month before Notre Dame's Commencement, the former Vatican ambassador Mary Ann Glendon has written President Jenkins to refuse the university's Laetare Medal, rebuffing his claim that her acceptance speech would somehow "balance" the event. Mary Ann Glendon, a pro-life feminist and Harvard professor, today released an open letter to Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins, in which she told Jenkins that she could not speak alongside President Obama at the May 17th Commencement exercises. In her letter, Glendon related that she was initially "profoundly moved" at the news that she would receive Notre Dame's coveted Laetare Medal. After hearing the news, she said she quickly began crafting an acceptance speech that she "hoped would be worthy of the occasion." In March, Glendon said that she received a phone call from Fr. Jenkins informing her that she would not be giving the commencement speech, but that instead President Obama would fi...

Please pray for Catholic writer and blogger Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle and her son. Here is her request: Please pray for my son who was just beat up by a gang of 8 or ten men outside his college dorm. He was protecting a friend who they were beating up and they said they were going to kill my son! He says he is doing okay. More later but putting out a urgent request for prayer. God bless and love, Donna

I will be taking a few days or so off from blogging in order to work on my book. I thought I could do both, but my body is telling me it needs time to eat and sleep. In the event that some dramatic event does occur, I will post on it. In the meantime, I bid you adieu for a very short time. See you soon.

Late-term abortionist George Tiller's Governor Kathleen Sebelius -- the Obama's appointee for Health and Human Services Secretary today vetoed a bill that would have required abortionists to report the specific reasons for post-viability abortions, reinforcing her reputation as a pro-abortion extremist. Here is what she vetoed today as specified by Kansans for Life. HB218 increases physician accountability. It: 1) clarifies late-term abortion medical diagnoses be reported instead of phony answers; • must report medical method used to arrive at fetal gestational age, • amplifies description of medical diagnosis required on state medical board form, • gives the state medical board additional rule-making authority needed for reporting, • allows lawsuits for intentional physician misreporting, • gives prosecutorial authority to AG or DA where constituent criminal acts occurred. 2) requires, not permits, state medical board to revoke license for late-term conviction; • revocatio...

Fox News shares a true, inspirational story about one couples way of dealing with the tragedy of abortion: A California man has signed papers to symbolically "adopt" and give his last name to his wife's two aborted fetuses. Stan Musil said he filed the posthumous "adoption" on Monday as a way to support his wife, Lisa, and help her heal from the pain of having those abortions, Lisa Musil told FOXNews.com. "He told me 'I love you and you are a part of me. Your babies are a part of you, and so that makes them a part of me also,'" she said. Musil, now 45, had her first abortion at 19 because she was too frightened to admit her pregnancy to anyone — including her then live-in boyfriend, the Assist News Service reported. But terminating the pregnancy caused her so much pain that she tried to cover it with "drugs, alcohol, partying and a promiscuous lifestyle," she told radio host Rich Buhler in an interview with KBRT AM-740. That lifestyl...

Watch Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey give Hillary Clinton a lecture here: Congressman Jeff Fortenberry dialogues with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on foreign policy. Related Posts: CNA: Secretary Clinton confirms U.S. thinks abortion access is ‘reproductive health’ Inside Catholic: Clinton confirms reproductive health includes abortion

~ Via rosaryfilms .

A 40 hour devotion and a Eucharistic Procession are scheduled at the University of Notre Dame. On Sunday April 26th, 2009 the University of Notre Dame will hold the Eucharistic Procession. Children of Mary is organizing a 40 Hour Devotion leading up to the Eucharistic Procession. Eucharistic Adoration will be held for 40 hours before the Procession According to an announcement for the procession, the group will pray for the following intentions: A greater respect for and protection of human life, from conception to natural death. An increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially in the Congregation of Holy Cross. For blessings upon the students, faculty, administration, and staff of Holy Cross College, Saint Mary's College, and the University of Notre Dame. ~ Via http://www.notredameprocession.com/ I will be uniting my prayers with theirs and will also be praying that the Holy Spirit enlighten Fr. Jenkins and guide him in following God's will, and ble...

There’s one more actor in the famed Murray clan that begat Oscar-nominated Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray: Their sister, Dominican Sister Nancy Murray, who does a one-woman show on St. Catherine of Siena. Barbara Beckwith at St. Anthony Messenger tells the story of this talented actor in St. Catherine of Siena: A Feisty Role for Sister Nancy Murray . This is fascinating reading guaranteed to brighten your day and enlighten your mind.

Today's saint of the day is St. George. St George is honored in the Catholic Church as one of the most illustrious martyrs of Christ. The Greeks have long distinguished him by the title of The Great Martyr, and keep his festival a holiday of obligation. However, very little is known about the life and martyrdom of any of the Early Christian martyrs and Saint George is no exception. It is certain that he lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. He is reputed to have come from Cappadocia, and reached the rank of Tribune in the Roman army. Several stories have been attached to Saint George, the best known of which is the Golden Legend . In it, a dragon lived in a lake near Silena, Libya. Whole armies had gone up against this fierce creature, and had gone down in painful defeat. The monster ate two sheep each day; when mutton was scarce, lots were drawn in local villages, and maidens were substituted for sheep. Into this country came Saint George. Hearing the story on ...

"As I speak a word of encouragement today I also want to tell you soberly, dear friends, 'We are at war!'" "The 'battle between believers,' who claim a certain 'common ground' with us, while at the same time, they attack the most fundamental tenets of the Church's teachings, or disavow the natural law - this opposition is one of the most discouraging, confusing, and dangerous." "Occasionally we still hear an elected official speak of his or her personal opposition to abortion, while they support the legal right to an abortion." "We should be very clear: Such a person places him or herself completely OUTSIDE the moral framework, the moral imperative of Evangelium Vitae and other Church teaching on these issues. ... They have abandoned their place in the citizenship of the Church. Quite simply they have become warriors for death rather than life." ~Bishop Robert Finn of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph speaking at...

Fr. Jenkins welcomes the Abortion President to Notre Dame "We are very proud and honored to welcome the first African-American President of the United States in a few weeks as our commencement speaker...This is a tremendous event for us. We're tremendously proud. President Obama clearly could have chosen any university in the country to give a commencement address, and they would have been just delighted to have him, but he's coming to Notre Dame, and we're exceptionally proud." ~ Reverend John L. Jenkins, President of Notre Dame Read the full story here.

It is better to be the child of God than king of the whole world. ~ St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Via Fox News: An official said the agency will announce that it is complying with a federal judge's order that overturns a Bush administration policy. The Food and Drug Administration, reversing field, will now let 17-year-olds get the 'morning-after' birth control pill without a doctor's prescription, a government health official said Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agency will announce that it is complying with a federal judge's order that overturns a Bush administration policy. The official was not authorized to speak publicly before the FDA announcement, expected later Wednesday. Last month, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled in a New York lawsuit that Bush administration appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to allow over-the-counter access to these pills only for women 18 and older. Korman ordered the agency to let 17-year-olds get the medication, and separately to evaluate whether all age rest...

Openly homosexual blogger calls contestant a b-tch and a c---, defaces her photos, and gives her 0 score Note: This post contains material that some readers might consider graphic and offensive. I have refrained from posting on this until today because I found it so disgusting; however, now my dander is up due to recent disclosures and I have to get this out of my system. There are a lot of injustices in the world, and this one might seem minor to some people, but not to me. I am appalled and outraged by this injustice! I am tired of the mainstream media and the entertainment world forcing the homosexual lifestyle and its values upon us and then expecting us to sit back and tolerate their abuse. I must contradict His Majesty, Barack Obama, and say that we are a Christian nation and we will not tolerate discrimination nor hate speech by homosexuals for our religious beliefs. In this case, I believe that at the very minimum a sincere apology should be made and this situation rectifie...

STOP SEBELIUS! Via Operation Rescue: Washington, DC - After yesterday’s closer-than-expected vote in the Finance Committee , Sebelius’ confirmation vote before the full Senate has yet to take place. There is still time to Blast Fax your opposition to Sebelius’ nomination as Health and Human Services Secretary to every Senator using our special link: Click here to Blast Fax your opposition to Sebelius to each senator. Opposition is growing, and now concerns have risen that Sebelius supports a plan to deny health care to individuals who require expensive treatments. This is an offshoot of her radical pro-abortion philosophy that allows her to determine who is fit to live and who will die. A final vote on Sebelius has yet to be scheduled, so there is still a little time to voice your opposition to this radical pro-abortion extremist. Please contact your senator today, or use our easy Blast Fax link , for a nominal charge. I did it and you can, too! It's not too late and well worth th...

I have heard this complaint by new converts as well as by cradle Catholics. Fr. Barron gives some great answers.

Via the St. Louis Archdiocesan website : St. Louis, MO – At noon today in Rome (5 a.m. CDT), the Press Office of the Holy See announced that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has appointed The Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, as Archbishop of St. Louis. He will serve as the 10th bishop and ninth Archbishop of St. Louis. Bishop Robert J. Hermann, Archdiocesan Administrator for St. Louis, called Archbishop-elect Carlson “a very energetic, articulate, warm and gifted pastor and administrator. He thinks and works with the Church he loves, and will continue to build upon the legacy of his predecessors here in St. Louis.” Archbishop–elect Carlson was installed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw on February 24, 2005 at the direction of Pope John Paul II. A native of Minneapolis, MN, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1970 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He was later ordained as an auxiliary bishop for his home archdiocese on...

The Archbishop Fulton John Sheen Foundation has announced that twelve archbishops and bishops have joined its Episcopal Board of Advisors for the cause for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification. The foundation told CNA on Monday that the famous archbishop's cause is progressing "quite well." The new members include Cardinal William Baum, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C; Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York City; Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles; Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit; Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C.; Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston; and Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia.Other new members include Bishop of Rockford, Illinois Thomas G. Doran; Bishop of Springfield, Illinois George J. Lucas; Bishop of St. Petersburg, Florida Robert N. Lynch; Bishop of Joliet, Illinois J. Peter Sartain; and Bishop of Paterson, New Jersey Arthur J. Serratelli. Cli...

Today is the optional memorial of St. Anselm, bishop and doctor of the Church. St. Anselm (1033-1109) was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbuy, England. St. Anselm's services to the Church are principally the following: First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he defended the rights and liberties of the Church against the encroachments of the English kings, who plundered the Church's lands, impeded the Archbishop's communications with the Holy See, and claimed the right to invest prelates with ring and crosier, symbols of the Church's spiritual jurisdiction. Second, as a philosopher and theologian he developed a method of reasoning which prepared the way for the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. Third, he had a great devotion to Our Lady and was the first to establish the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the West. You can find my favorite quotes, prayers, and writings of St. Anselm here.

You'll love this one! H/T: Marcel at Aggie Catholics.

Pro-Life Action League has purchased 2 billboards (above) on IN tollroad I80/90 within 20 miles of Notre Dame to the east and west. The world will begin seeing them April 27 for 1 month. They were expensive, so PLAL would appreciate donations . ~ Via Jill Stanek.

Is Quoting Scripture a Hate Crime? NAPOLITANO NASTINESS Laura Ingraham, The Mainstream Media, and Tea Parties Six More Bishops Criticize ND Over Obama Invite Planned Parenthood of Memphis caught covering up statutory rape St. Agnes of Monte Pulciano Reminder: ACTION ALERT -- STOP OBAMA'S ABORTION CZAR Waking Up at 5,000 ft. With No Parachute Christopher West: The Playboy and the Pope Priest Donates Kidney to Parishioner -- Priest hero story Angelina: "Jesus, I Trust in You" -- Amazing video! Divine Mercy Sunday Supermodel Kathy Ireland explains why she became pro-life Action Alert: Stop Obama's "Abortion Czar" Are Pro-lifers Now Officially 'Right Wing' Extremists? Updates on Notre Dame Scandal: The Battle is Heating Up Easter Friday Obama: Rescuing Dogs and Rending Babies Letter reveals Sebelius received another $200,000 from Tiller OBAMA NIXES “JESUS” AT GEORGETOWN My Brief Interview with Sam Brownback She Had a Dream Happy Birthday, Holy ...

On April 22 , the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark-up a hate crimes bill sponsored by Rep. John Conyers . Serious questions have been raised by religious leaders about this legislation, especially as it pertains to religious pronouncements against homosexuality. Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this issue today: “The idea of being prosecuted for reading Scripture may seem delirious, but it is just as crazy to think it couldn’t happen. Consider the facts. When this bill was being considered in 2007, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas asked Alabama Rep. Art Davis (his amendment is in the bill) the following question: ‘If a minister preaches that sexual relations outside of marriage of a man and a woman is wrong, and somebody within that congregation goes out and does an act of violence, and that person says that that minister counseled or induced him through the sermon to commit that act, are you saying under your amendment that in no way could that ever be introd...

I reported on this craziness earlier ... but now a lawsuit has been filed. Michael Savage has filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The Thomas More Law Center , a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced Thursday that it filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The lawsuit claims that her Department’s “Rightwing Extremism Policy,” as reflected in the recently publicized Intelligence Assessment, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs. Click here to read the complaint filed by the Thomas More Law Center. Napolitano tried to blunt the public furor over the Report by a half-hearted apology to veterans, but she left out of her apology all of the oth...

Update: CNN has attempted to block a video on YouTube.com that shows "tea party" protesters in Chicago confronting the network's reporter Susan Roesgen over her allegedly biased and "not fair" coverage of the event. The following videos show how the mainstream media is ignoring the Tea Parties, or trying to dismiss them. Warning: Parts of the following link make explicit references to graphic sex and will be objectionable to readers. It is not suitable for children . I am including it here so you can understand the references in the above video. Cooper, Gergen mum on 'tea-bagging' insult

Mass of Reparation to Be Held in Orlando Diocese Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of the Orlando Diocese, Bishop Robert W. Finn of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, Bishop Joseph Latino of the Jackson Diocese, Bishop Leonard Blair of the Toledo Diocese, and Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger of the Evansville Diocese have opposed the University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor President Obama at commencement, bringing the total number of bishops rebuking the university to 39. “It is clear now that Notre Dame’s actions have created a wound in the Catholic community, but fortunately the university still has time to end the scandal,” said Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), whose petition at NotreDameScandal.com has now passed 323,000 signers. Bishop Robert W. Finn of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese delivered a keynote speech entitled “Warriors for the Victory of Life” at the Gospel of Life Convention last S...

Lila Rose and Live Action have just released video #5 in their Mona Lisa series of undercover investigative sting videos of Planned Parenthoods across America. Lila Rose, 20-year-old UCLA student, entered Planned Parenthood's Memphis Health Center undercover and told a counselor that she was 14 years old, pregnant by her 31-year-old "boyfriend", and needed a secret abortion so her parents would not find out about her sexual relationship with the older man. Tennessee Code 37-1-605 requires health professionals to report suspected cases of sexual abuse of minors to law enforcement immediately. Although TN law is clear PP should have immediately reported the suspected sexual abuse, the counselor told Lila she wouldn't and then doubled her offense by telling Lila to lie about her perpetrator's age to a judge so she could get a bypass and avoid her parents finding out as well. This is the sixth Planned Parenthood clinic implicated in a developing multi-state child abu...

This holy virgin was a native of Monte Pulciano, in Tuscany. As a child, she often spent hours reciting the Our Father and Hail Mary on her knees in some private corner of a chamber. She was such a pious child that when she was nine years old her parents placed her in a Franciscan convent known as Sackins, so called because their habits or scapulars were made of sackcloth. Agnes was a model of all virtues to this austere community. She was also well-known for her gifts of miracles and prophecy. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Dominican Order at Proceno, in the county of Orvieto, and was appointed abbess by Pope Nicholas IV. She slept on the ground, with a stone under her head, and for fifteen years fasted on bread and water. The people of Montepulciano in Tuscany wanted so much for her to return to them that they destroyed a house of ill repute and in its place built a convent for Agnes. In her hometown, she established in this house nuns of the order of St. Dominic. Agnes conti...

I did it and you can, too! Obama has said He Would Kill His Unexpected Grand Child? "If my daughters make a mistake, I do not want to punish them with a baby." - President Barack Obama Now, abortion-extremist Barack Obama has nominated Kansas Gov. Sebelius to be the head of Health and Human Services (HHS)-which would make her the "Abortion Czar" of the Obama Administration and that would punish every unborn child. Governor Kathleen Sebelius is rightfully being called "America's Abortion Queen." "Abortion Queen" Sebelius's die-hard support for ALL forms of abortion-especially the gruesome late-term abortions performed by her biggest political ally and financial backer, Killer Dr. George Tiller of Wichita , Kansas makes her unfit to serve as head of (HHS)-. The Senate should not confirm her nomination. Tell the Congress to STOP Obama's "Abortion Czar" FAX All 535 Congressmen - Stop "Abortion Queen" Sebelius NOW! ...

Ray Noury, a World War II Army Air Corps Sergeant Veteran, recalls his amazing survival story. At an altitude of 15,000 ft, he was knocked unconscious when blown out of his B-24 Bomber. Waking up at around 5,000 ft., he beheld his shredded parachute streaming above, and reaching for his crucifix, exclaimed: This is it... ~ Via franciscanfriars .

Christopher West: An Introduction to the Theology of the Body

Normal, IL - A priest from Normal donated his left kidney on Monday to a parishioner with kidney failure, saying he wanted “to alleviate potential suffering and stand in solidarity with a sister in Christ.” Monsignor Eric Powell, pastor of Epiphany Roman Catholic Church in Normal, told The Pantagraph from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria that the transplant surgery “went remarkably well.” Dr. Beverly Ketel, transplant surgeon, said “Both the donor and recipient are doing fine.” Powell, 45, declined to identify the kidney recipient out of respect for her privacy. He said she is a parishioner with kidney failure whose condition had been worsening daily.“ The time is right for a kidney transplant,” he said. Click here to read the entire article.