Catholic Fire

Today is the seventh day in the octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Sylvester I, pope and confessor. St. Sylvester, a native Roman, was chosen by God to govern His holy Church during the first years of Her temporal prosperity and triumph over Her persecuting enemies. Pope Melchiades died in January, 314. St. Sylvester was chosen as his successor. He governed the Church for more than twenty-one years, ably organizing the discipline of the Roman Church, and taking part in the negotiations concerning Arianism and the Council of Nicaea. He also sent Legates to the first Ecumenical Council. During his Pontificate were built the great churches founded at Rome by Constantine — the Basilica and baptistery of the Lateran, the Basilica of the Sessorian palace (Santa Croce), the Church of St. Peter in the Vatican, and several cemeterial churches over the graves of martyrs. No doubt St. Sylvester helped towards the construction of these churches. He was a ...

Top 10 2010: Catholic Fire's most read posts written in 2010: 1 .  Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2 .   St. Jeanne Jugan, a Saint for our Time 3. Lila Rose, Jamie Thietten, and Todd Tiahrt celebrate Love for Life 2010 4.  LDI releases new Planned Parenthood Boycott List 5. ALL Calls for Sr. Carol Keehan's Dismissal as CHA Head 6 .  Memorial of St. Lucy: A Day of Celebration 7. Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels 8. Book Review: Theophilos 9. The 2010 March for Life in Pictures 10. Video: Abortion and Men Top 10 2010: Catholic Fire's most read tabs/posts written anytime during the past seven years: 1. My Favorite Padre Pio Quotes -Sep 23, 2006 2. Breaking: Mel Gibson's Wife Files for Divorce -Apr 13, 2009 3. St. Teresa of Avila: Favorite Quotes and Prayers -Apr 22, 2007 4. Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon - Apr 17, 2010 5. John Paul II: My Favorite Quotes - Apr 2, 2006 6. Feast of St. Ba...

The saint of the day for December 30th is Blessed Eugenia Ravasco (1845 - 1900). Eugenia Ravasco was born on  January 4, 1845 in Milan, Italy, the third of Francesco Matteo and Carolina Mozzoni Frosconi's six children. When she was three years old her mother died and her father moved to Genoa where his two brothers lived, taking with him his eldest son, Ambrose, and the youngest daughter, Elisa. Eugenia remained in Milan with her Aunt Marietta Anselmi, who became a second mother to her and carefully educated her in the faith. In 1852, the family was reunited in Genoa and following her father's death in March 1855, Eugenia went to live for some time with her uncle Luigi Ravasco and her aunt Elisa and their 10 children. Luigi Ravasco was careful to give his nephews and nieces a Christian upbringing. He was well aware of the anticlericalism on the rise in Italy at the time and of the efforts of the Freemasons, and was especially worried about Eugenia's brother, Ambrose, w...

I missed my blog's birthday (December 22, 2003) again this year, so I will celebrate it today. Please join me in celebrating Catholic Fire's seventh birthday. Catholic Fire started with a brief article on St. John of Kanty and progressed with posts about my pro-life experiences as a prayer warrior and sidewalk counselor first in Illinois and later in Kansas. I wrote about my spiritual growth via the Community of St. John and began including more posts on spirituality and the saints. Later on, I added book reviews and movies reviews and tried to incorporate humorous posts as well as some political posts pertaining to pro-life issues. Today, posts aren't always as frequent as they were in the past, as I have returned to graduate school to study for my Master of Arts degree in Theology, but I try to continue to post as often as possible. Today I wish to thank all of my loyal readers for their wonderful support -- you are amazing! God bless you!

Benedict XVI will turn 84 years old in April and it will mark his sixth year as Pope. However, this is not stopping him from planning a year with thousands of travel miles and preparing to publish more of his writings. According to his official agenda, he will make eight trips during 2011 and publish two volumes of his book "Jesus of Nazareth."

I love Archbishop Sheen! This was originally broadcast in 1959.

“The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God. Whenever I go out of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church.” ~ Mark Wahlberg, star of "The Fighter" Source Photo Source

Today is the fifth day in the octave of Christmas and the optional memorial of St. Thomas Becket, also known as St. Thomas of Canterbury. St. Thomas Becket was born in London, England in 1118. His father was a Norman knight, Gilbert, who had become a prosperous merchant in London; his mother was also Norman, and he had at least two sisters. Thomas was noted for his piety, his strong devotion to Our Lady, and his generosity to the poor. He was educated at the Merton Priory in Sussex and at the University of Paris. When he returned to England at twenty-one, he obtained an appointment as a clerk to the sheriff’s court, where he showed great ability. He was determined to make it on his own in the world now that his parents were both deceased. After three years, he was taken into the household of Theobald, the Norman monk-archbishop of Canterbury. The young Thomas gradually climbed up the ecclesiastical ladder of success via his charm, his generosity and his adaptability. He was am...

Kudos to Archbishop John Vlazny for standing up for life! At the direction of Archbishop John Vlazny of Portland, Catholic Community Services has withdrawn from United Way of Lane County because of United Way’s funding of Planned Parenthood. The decision will cost Catholic Community Services 4% of its budget. Two other Catholic agencies-- PeaceHealth and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-- receive funding from United Way of Lane County. Archdiocesan spokesman Bud Bunce said both agencies are expected to withdraw from United Way as well. Source Image Source

Children under the age of two in Bethlehem were massacred by Herod the Great in an attempt to kill the child Jesus. We call these Holy Innocents martyrs because they died in the place of Christ. St. Augustine called them "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves." In modern times, we have our own "holy innocents" -- those children who are killed daily in the place that should be the safest and most protective environment of all for them -- their mother's wombs. On this day, we recall the over 50 million children in our country alone (since 1973) and the vast number of children throughout the world who have been killed under the insane laws permitting abortion. Let us pray daily for an end to this tragedy. The Holy Innocents Today, dearest brethren, we celebrate the birthday of those children who were slaughtered, as the Gospel tells us, by that exceedingly cruel king, Herod. Let the earth, therefore, rejoice and the Chu...

Surprise! Surprise! Just in time for Christmas, the Obama Administration is making private death consultations a part of your health care. Obamacare solution to controlling costs: Make sure the patients don't live. Obama Returns to End-of-Life Plan That Caused Stir 'Death panels' controversy: Is Obama avoiding Congress? Obama administration installing “death panels.” Palin was right after all Photo Source

ROME REPORTS has listed the ten most important news stories from the Vatican in 2010, with its short and long term impacts.

Via Fr. Andrew Trapp: Cute guinea pigs driving their own spy car! The children at our school love to watch my guinea pigs cruise around in their remote-controlled Lego car, so with their encouragement I made this little adventure starring Carmy and Claire. H/T:  Charlene

Head of St. John the Evangelist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867) Today is the feast day of my Community -- the feast of St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist. St. John is also my patron saint and the saint I try most to emulate in my daily life. St. John, a fisherman, the son of Zebedee, and the brother of St. James the Great, was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry, and he travelled everywhere with Him. St. John is known as the Beloved Disciple , the Apostle of Love. Why was he identified in this way? John loved Jesus greatly, and he demonstrated a meek, mild, tender, humble, and peaceable disposition that made him very much like Our Lord himself. Also, his singular privilege of chastity, his virginal purity rendered him worthy of this more particular love. As St. Augustine explains, "He was chosen by our Lord, a virgin , and he always remained such. Christ was pleased to choose a virgin for his mother, a virgi...

Today is the feast of the Holy Family. I have a special fondness for this feast day as it has been my ongoing prayer that my family will imitate the Holy Family in holiness, which brings peace to my heart as I envision that happening. The primary purpose of the Church in instituting and promoting this feast is to present the Holy Family as the model and exemplar of all Christian families. On this special feast day of the Holy Family let us pray that we may emulate their holiness in our own family. Say a prayer dedicating your family to the Holy Family. Pray also for all families and for our country to uphold the sanctity of the marriage bond. Prayer for the Feast of the Holy Family Dear Lord, bless our family. Be so kind as to give us the unity, peace, and mutual love that You found in Your own family in the little town of Nazareth. Saint Joseph, bless the head of our family. Obtain for him the strength, the wisdom, and the prudence he needs to support and direct those unde...

" God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfills them. The child that was born in Bethlehem did indeed bring liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place - he was to be the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history. And it was not a political liberation that he brought, achieved through military means: rather, Christ destroyed death for ever and restored life by means of his shameful death on the Cross. And while he was born in poverty and obscurity, far from the centres of earthly power, he was none other than the Son of God. Out of love for us he took upon himself our human condition, our fragility, our vulnerability, and he opened up for us the path that leads to the fullness of life, to a share in the life of God himself. As we ponder this great mystery in our hearts this Christmas, let us give thanks to God for his goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around us the goo...

May the Infant Jesus  fill your hearts with the gift of Love,  encourage you with the gift of Hope, and bless you with the promise of Peace. Wishing you a holy and happy Christmas Season! In the love of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Jean

Check out some of Esther's favorites here. Here are mine: 1.  Carol of the Bells -- Boston Pops Orchestra 2. Jingle Bells -- Andre Rieu 3 . White Christmas -- Bing Crosby with Marjorie Reynolds (from the movie Holiday Inn ) 4. The Christmas Song -- Nat King Cole with Natalie Cole 5.  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- Judy Garland 6.  I'll Be Home For Christmas -- Bing Crosby 7.  Silver Bells -- Andy Williams

Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii gave me the idea for this post. I love Christmas music and, for many years, was very active in the music ministry. Here are a few of my favorite religious Christmas Carols that I hope you'll enjoy listening to, as much as I do. 1. Handel's Messiah Halleluiah Chorus -- From Andre Rieu's "Live From Radio City Music Hall" in New York City 2004, with the Johann Strauss Orchestra and the Harlem Gospel Choir. 2.  Joy to the World -- Bing Crosby with choir 3. And The Glory of the Lord -- Bow Valley Chorus 4. Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella -- The Fairfield County Children's Choir 5. O Holy Night -- Josh Groban 6.  Silent Night -- Andrea Bocelli with Mary J. Blige 7.  Silent Night -- Olivia Newton John

Why doesn't this surprise me? I suppose it's because the Catholic Health Association isn't really a Catholic organization -- no organization that upholds abortion can be Catholic. You can't be both Catholic and pro-abortion. Phoenix, Ariz., Dec 23, 2010 / 04:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Health Association has once again found itself at odds with Church authority– this time, over Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted's decision to revoke the Catholic status of a hospital that admitted to serious ethics violations, including a highly-publicized abortion. “Catholic Healthcare West and its system hospitals are valued members of the Catholic Health Association,” said that group's president, Sister Carol Keehan. Her remarks came less than 24 hours after the Bishop of Phoenix stripped one of those hospitals, St. Joseph's in Phoenix, of its Catholic affiliation. Continue reading.

Singer Tom Jones is best known for his classics such as "She's a Lady" and "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow." But he is turning a new leaf once again with the release of his album "Praise and Blame."

Today the Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. John of Kanty, priest. St. John was born at Kanty, in the Diocese of Krakow, Poland in 1390 to Stanislaus and Anne who were pious country people. He was educated at the Academy of Krakow, where he impressed his professors and colleagues with his pleasant and friendly disposition; always happy, but serious, humble, and holy, he won the hearts of all who came in contact with him. He earned his doctorate in theology and philosophy, was ordained priest and was then appointed professor of theology at the Academy of Krakow. Shortly afterwards, he was reassigned to the Diocese of Krakow, to be a parish priest. He was then re-appointed professor of Sacres Scripture at the Academy of Krakow, a position he held for the rest of his life. John taught his students this philosophy again and again, "Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause....

DELIRIUM OVERCOMES "THE VIEW" GIRLS Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today's episode of "The View" which featured a discussion about the Catholic Church and abortion: It is an ugly site: grown women sitting around bashing a religion that none belong to. Though at one time three did: Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are all ex-Catholics . They went bonkers today—the crosstalk makes them look downright delirious— ripping away about the Catholic Church because a nun was excommunicated for allowing an abortion at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. What they didn't say was that the nun gave her formal consent to the killing of an innocent child. More important, since none of the panelists are Catholic, it is none of their business anyway. The fact is (though one would never know it by watching this extended diatribe) the parent organization to this hospital, Catholic Healthcare West, has a long r...

The saint of the day for December 22 is Blessed Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306), an Italian noble from the Benedetti family of Todi and a successful lawyer at Bologna. He was married to Vanna di Guidone in 1267, who considered him too worldly, and did penance for him. In 1268, Jacomo insisted she attend a public tournament against her wishes; the stands in which she sat collapsed, and Vanna was killed. The shock of this event, and his discovery of her penance for him, caused a radical change in Jacomo. He gave his possessions to the poor, dressed in rags, and joined the Third Order of Saint Francis. His former associates called him Jacopone, Crazy Jim ; he embraced the name. After ten years of this penance and abuse, Jacomo tried to join the Franciscans; his reputation as Crazy Jim preceeded him, and he was refused. To prove his sanity and intentions, he wrote a beautiful poem about the vanities of the world; it swayed the Franciscans, and he joined the Order in 1278. He refused to be o...

Dr. Carlo Bellieni, a neonatal doctor in Siena, Italy, is working tirelessly to change the way the world looks at unborn children. In more than 20 years of work and study he has developed new channels of understanding the unborn and the newborn child and new methods of giving them medical assistance. He is an avid researcher, often collaborating with other scientists and doctors internationally to produce books, scientific papers and new studies examining pre-born and newborn babies. The Italian Neonatology Society, the European Society for Pediatric Research and the Pontifical Academy for Life count him as a member. He is a frequent contributor to the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. His particular passion is researching the way an unborn or a newborn child feels pain and finding ways to alleviate it through pioneering medical methods and strategies that don't use pharmaceutical drugs. Continue reading the full story at EWTN News/CNA .

Enough is enough! I was happy to hear that Bishop Olmstead is sticking to his guns and laying down the law, but sad to hear that this "Catholic" hospital is refusing to change its ways. Via CNA : Citing numerous and ongoing violations of Catholic teaching, including an instance of abortion, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix has declared that St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center can no longer call itself a Catholic institution. The bishop announced his decision in a press conference at diocesan headquarters Dec. 21. It follows months of negotiations with officials for St. Joseph’s and its parent company, Catholic Healthcare West. Continue reading Previous Posts: Phoenix Catholic doctors back Bishop Olmstead's stand on Catholic hospital abortion Catholic sister told bishop abortion was allowed by Church teaching Support Bishop Olmstead US Bishops Back Olmstead in Arizona Abortion Drama

For more information, read: Doctrine office says Pope’s words on condoms and AIDS were 'manipulated'

A New York nurse has lost her appeal of a court decision involving a work incident that she believes violated her conscience rights. The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused Nurse Kathy DeCarlo the right to sue for enforcement of the Church Amendment -- the federal law that protects healthcare workers against discrimination for their beliefs -- after she was threatened with disciplinary measures if she did not assist in a late-term abortion. Read the entire article.

Watch this incredibly amazing story of the wonderful life of Loren Krueger! H/T: Patrick Archbold at  The Creative Minority Report

Today is the optional memorial of St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor. Peter Canisius was born in Holland on May 8, 1521. Peter was a brilliant, but humble, young man, who studied at Cologne and received his license as doctor of civil law; he then went to Louvain (Belgium) to learn canon law. After he attended a retreat given by Blessed Peter Faber, the first disciple of St. Ignatius, he decided to become a Jesuit. On the day of his final vows, as he knelt in St. Peter's, Our Lord showed him a vision of His Sacred Heart. From that time forward, he never failed to make an offering of all his work to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sent to Germany, he worked strenuously for many years by his writings and teachings to confirm the Catholic faith. Of his numerous books, the Catechism is most renowned. It remains a monument of the triumph of the Church over error in the time of Luther. A man of great energy, he taught in several universities, founded 18 colleges, and authored 37 book...

Please join us in praying that this new abortion clinic will not open. Thank you! Wichita, Kansas - About seventy pro-life supporters representing several pro-life groups and churches gathered in unity on Saturday morning in spite the cold Kansas temperatures to stand in protest to plans to open a new abortion clinic in Wichita. Holding signs that read, "Stop Abortion Now!" pro-lifers lined Harry Street outside the office of abortionist Mila Means, who has been training at a Kansas City, Kansas, abortion mill over the past several months so that she can begin her own abortion business in Wichita. Another abortionist, Gregory S. Linhardt, has also been training with Means at the Aid for Women mill in Kansas City so he can also open up an abortion business in Wichita. The community has been abortion free for eighteen months since the family of late-term abortionist George Tiller permanently closed his abortion mill after his death. The protest and prayer vigil was cond...

“As Mother Theresa said, ‘abortion will end up bringing the world to nuclear war’. When a man kills a man in a war situation, it is bad, very sad. Attila [the Hun] went further. He said ‘not only am I going to kill men, but also women and children.’ He raised the bar to another level.“ "Abortion goes much further: when the mother herself kills her son she goes against her own nature, against her own instinct. People talk about ‘choice’, but when a woman does that, when she destroys the life of her unborn child, then we have arrived at the limit. The level cannot go higher regarding evil.” ~ Actor Jim Caviezel, as quoted by LifeSiteNews , December 20 H/T:   Jill Stanek

Today we commemorate St. Dominic of Silos, a Benedictine abbot born in 1000 in Cañas, Navarre, Spain. As a shepherd boy, Dominic enjoyed looking after his father's flocks as well as the solitude of the fields. He entered the Benedictine monastery in Navarre, where he became prior. When Dominic refused to hand over the monastery’s property and possessions to the King of Navarre, he and two other monks were exiled to Castille. There the king of Castille appointed him to be the abbot of the monastery of St. Sebastian at Silos. The monastery was in terrible shape physically and spiritually. Dominic rebuilt the dilapidated building, and restored its finances. He also renewed the spirit of the monastery, increasing its works of charity. Dominic died on December 10, 1073 in Silos, Spain. About 100 years after his death, a young woman made a pilgrimage to his tomb and prayed that she would conceive a child. There St. Dominic of Silos appeared to her and reassured her that ...

A new series from Arcadia Films for EWTN, the Global Catholic Network, is coming in 2011. Some of the great saints of human history come down from heaven to be interviewed on some of the most pressing issues of our time. This was shot on location in Waterbury, Connecticut at the Immaculate Conception Basilica, the parish where Fr. Michael McGivney grew up and was originally buried.

CatholicVote.org's Annual Top 10 Reasons for Hope from 2010. Our true hope, of course, is in Christ alone. But we live in a world of events, people, and stories that manifest this hope.

Father Dominick Fullam was drawn to cartooning at an early age but a higher calling erased any aspirations he ever had of becoming a full-time cartoonist. Recently, however, the St. Martin native, who is diocesan Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia as well as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Woolmarket, was at the Atlanta airport when something happened that rekindled his interest in cartooning. “I was at the airport in Atlanta drawing a cartoon character on an iPad, and a lady seated next to me asked if I drew cartoons for a living. I laughed and said I was just passing time, but that I used to do a not-so-great cartoon in my high school newspaper,” he said. “She told me what I'd done looked really good to her. A seed was planted.” That seed has since developed into a new comic strip titled “Off by a Mile.” Continue reading. To check out Father Dominick’s cartoons, visit www.offbyamile.com  .

In this privileged state [the religious life] there is a happy and wonderful exchange; for goods of this world are given up and in their place the goods of Heaven are received. Treasures that will pass away are surrendered in exchange for treasures that last forever. Articles of no value are swapped for articles of priceless value. ~ St. Basil

The saint of the day is Saint José Manyanet y Vives. He was born January 7, 1833 in Catalonia, Spain; died December 17, 1901 in Spain, and canonized on May 16, 2004 by Pope John Paul II. At the age of five, José’s mother dedicated him to the Virgin Mary , and he entered the seminary in as a youth. Was ordained in 1859 and served as the secretary of the bishop of Urgell, the seminary librarian, the chancery administrator before responding to the call to found two religious congregations. He founded the Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family in 1864 and the Missionary Daughters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 10 years later, both dedicated to the education and protection of the Christian family, and education and parish ministry. He also founded schools and centers, encouraged devotion to the Holy Family, wrote many books on family issues, and spiritual guidance . Also in the cultural ambit he worked for the construction of the Servant of God Antonio Gaudí’s masterpiec...

Here's the news from the Diocese of Wichita's Catholic Advance : Pope Benedict XVI announced Wednesday that he has appointed the Rev. John B. Brungardt of Wichita as the sixth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City. Bishop-elect Brungardt is currently pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Church in St. Mark and chancellor of the Diocese of Wichita. He will succeed the retiring Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore, a former priest of the Diocese of Wichita, who has served the Diocese of Dodge City since July of 1998. “I am humbled by Pope Benedict XVI’s appointment of me as the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City,” Bishop-elect Brungardt said Wednesday morning at a press conference at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City. “With trust in God, I hope to be a good shepherd to the people of southwest Kansas, from Odin to Elkhart, from Tribune to Kiowa. Building on the foundation of Bishop Gilmore and his predecessors, the priests, religious, and laity, I hope...