Catholic Fire

Archbishop Burke has done a wonderful job here -- he has been a strong defender of the faith and a staunch supporter of the unborn. We are sad to see him go, but are happy that he is moving to a position where he will have a greater influence on the Church. Read his farewell letter here. H/T: Leticia

I'm happy for Archbishop Burke, but am sad to see him leaving St. Louis. Congratulations, Archbishop Burke! The Archdiocese Press Release can be read here. †Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam†

Monday, June 2, His Grace The Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of Saint Louis conferred the Papal Medal “Bene Merenti” on Abbé Alexander Willwebber of the Institute of Christ the King for his restoration work on several historic Catholic churches here in the United States. This award is given by the Holy Father himself for outstanding good works for the Church. Abbé Willwebber has been the artistic consultant for several restoration projects entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King all over the world and in the USA, like St. Mary’s Oratory in Wasau, Wisconsin, the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Chicago, Illinois, Old St. Patrick’s Oratory in Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Francis de Sales Oratory here in St. Louis, Missouri. While each of these edifices were designed in a different style—St. Mary’s in American Neo-Gothic, the Christ the King Shrine according to early Baroque churches in Rome, and St. Francis de Sales in German Gothic—the work of Abbé Will...

Watch the Fox video here to see what this "learned media expert" has to say about St. Louis Archbishop Burke. He said this on air on November 15. WARNING Caution: Watching this video may cause vomiting. Here is a brief excerpt if you want to avoid this: Corcoran begins by saying he is not a practicing Catholic, admitting that “many years ago I gave up on religion basically because I thought it was silly.” “Burke is old school, but I’m not convinced old school works right now. Too many things have changed. What I see, again from the outside, is the Catholic Church pretty much at the end of its public relations rope. The sex scandals continue to mount, the flock is thinning, and young men and women aren’t exactly knocking down the doors of seminaries and convents trying to get in. And locally, instead of a respected spiritual leader in the community, you have a guy who’s been stomping around, alienating, threatening, intimidating, excommunicating and carrying on since the day...

Check out Peter Slevin's article on Archbishop Burke in the Washington Post . I could go on and on about all the issues this brings up, but since I have already addressed most of the issues here and need to leave for daily Mass soon, I just want to say Thank God we have clergy like Archbishop Burke who have the courage to stand up for the truth and the teachings of their faith. Thank God we have role models like him who don't back down to the pressures of our corrupt society. I look at what a wonderful example he is to all of us as Catholics and I pray that God will reward him abundantly for his strong Catholic pro-life stance and for being a humble and obedient servant of the Church. Let us praise the Lord for Archbishop Burke! Let us pray for many more clergy like him.

Missouri, May 8, 2007 / 11:28 am (CNA).- A Catholic all-girls high school withdrew its invitation to Sen. Claire McCaskill to speak at this year’s graduation ceremony because her positions on abortion and stem cell research are not in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Students at St. Joseph’s Academy in the St. Louis suburb of Frontenac, but the invitation was withdrawn last week. McCaskill’s daughter attends St. Joseph’s Academy. School president Sr. Michaela Zahner said she reluctantly made the decision after receiving a call from diocesan officials, reported The Associated Press. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese, Anne Steffens, said the decision was not made by the Archbishop Raymond Burke. But Sr. Zahner told the AP that the archdiocese’s policy, forbidding a public forum for speakers who diverge from Church teaching, clearly reflects Burke’s position. McCaskill said she was disappointed by the decision, but that it did “not diminish my respect and admiration for St...