Catholic Fire

By Jean M. Heimann Today is the feast day of Blessed Miguel Pro, a celebrated Christian hero of the twentieth century. This courageous young Jesuit priest was martyred by the Mexican government in 1927 for performing his priestly responsibilities. Miguel Agustin Pro was born January 13, 1891 in Guadalupe Mexico. He was the eldest son of eleven children born to Miguel Pro, an affluent mining engineer, and Josefa Juarez, a holy and loving mother. Miguel had an extraordinary empathy for the poor and the working classes. He was known for both his playfulness and his piety. He had a wonderful wit and a great sense of humor. At the same time, he had a strong prayer life and was zealous in living out his faith. In 1909, at the age of twenty, Miguel Augustin Pro joined the Jesuits as a novice in Mexico. One year later, a revolution broke out and by 1914 the Jesuits were forced to flee. Miguel received his seminary training en route to Belgium, where he was ordained in 1925. Father...

Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has questioned whether American Catholics might be subjected to a “religious test” when running for public office or seeking work at newspapers, universities, or hospitals. In a column about the arguments over same-sex marriage, written for the archdiocesan newspaper, Catholic New World, Cardinal George warns against the expansion of government power in the name of “protection of individual rights.” That expansion, he writes, threatens to banish religious principles from public life, and close the doors to Catholics who uphold the Church’s teaching. The cardinal writes:     Are we to have a religious test for public office that excludes Catholics serious about their faith from appointment to federal judgeships? Are Catholics who will not perform abortions to be excluded from medical school? Are Catholics to be unwelcome in the editorial offices of major newspapers, in the entertainment world, or on university faculties unless they put t...

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More than 4,000 Catholics from around the state stood in the drizzle on the north lawn of the state Capitol this morning to protest a bill that would have changed the way the church governs itself. The bill, initially scheduled for a public hearing today before the legislature's judiciary committee, was pulled amid questions over its constitutionality. But an informal hearing on the bill was called by Republican legislative leaders."The co-chairs decided for whatever reason to cancel everything ... but there are an awful lot of folks who feel very passionately about this issue," Sen. John Kissel of Enfield, the ranking Republican on the judiciary committee, said. "We don't have the authority to call a formal hearing. But we felt it would be good for those folks who wanted to come down here to express their views."At that hearing, John Garvey, dean of Boston College's law school, said that the bill as drafted is, indeed, unconstitutional." It violate...

A controversial bill that would change the way the Catholic church governs itself has been pulled and a public hearing planned Wednesday on the issue postponed until its constitutionality can be determined. The hearing had been expected to draw hundreds of people, many of whom where angry about what they view as the state's inappropriate and perhaps unconstitutional incursion into church affairs. At a press conference this morning at the legislative office building, Tom Gallagher of Greenwich, who has long advocated that lay people be given greater responsibilities within the church, said he has asked Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. Andrew McDonald, co-chairmen of the legislature's judiciary committee, to put off the hearing until Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has reviewed the matter. Lawlor and McDonald agreed. "At the request of the proponents who are advocating this legislation, we have decided to cancel the public hearing for tomorrow [and] table any further conside...

Video – Bishop Lori on Raised House Bill 1098 On Thursday, March 5, a bill was introduced in the Connecticut state legislature, and immediately referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. It targets one – and only one – church in the state, the Catholic Church, and would strip the bishops and priests of the state of any power to exercise administrative authority over their parishes. Raised Bill No. 1098 is a committee bill and does not bear the names of any individual sponsors. Both co-chairmen of the committee, State Sen. Andrew McDonald and State Rep. Michael Lawlor, are outspoken proponents of same-sex marriage in Connecticut and have been critical of the Catholic Church’s opposition to both civil unions and same-sex marriage. The stated purpose of the bill is to “provide for the investigation of the misappropriation of funds by religious corporations,” but it deals only with the corporate structure of the Catholic Church. No other church is mentioned, or would be subject t...

Catholic League president Bill Donohue announced today the start of an educational campaign informing the public about the agenda behind “Angels & Demons.” The movie, which opens May 15, is based on the book by Dan Brown. This is the first of several news releases scheduled on this subject: “Next week we will begin to make available to the public a booklet that I wrote on ‘Angels & Demons.’ It details the myths, lies and smears that are made against the Catholic Church. It also provides evidence of the anti-Catholic animus harbored by those associated with the film. “Author Dan Brown and director Ron Howard are getting good at this. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was replete with falsehoods presented as fact, and now the tag team is back again delivering a curious blend of fact and fiction. All done at the expense of the Catholic Church. “Brown-Howard are obsessed with Catholicism. It is not enough to criticize it—they are hell bent on demonizing it. It is not enough to drag out dirty l...

It doesn't seem that long ago that I attended Bishop Daniel R. Jenky's ordination. He was a very personable and friendly bishop, whom I met with personally on two occasions. I spoke with him in casual conversation and joked with him. I admired him and could relate to him in many ways -- he grew up in a Catholic Polish neighborhood on the south side of Chicago -- not all that far from where I was raised--and he seemed to be a man of strong faith and courage in his convictions -- a leader with backbone. My impressions of him have proven correct. This past weekend, he spoke out strongly against anti-Catholicism -- especially that shown by the mainstream media and the anti-Catholic courts. Background: A court recently reinstated lawsuits that were previously dismissed because the statute of limitations had passed. Article on the reinstatement is found here . Executive summary: Illinois law required lawsuits to be filed by the time the (alleged) minor victim was 30 years old, wit...

by Judie Brown Recently, I came across an announcement that truly troubled me, not only as a Catholic, but also as a grandmother whose grandchildren will one day be attending college. The news was that on November 11, at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California, legal scholar Douglas Kmiec, also a dissident Catholic, was scheduled to give the 13th annual Newman C. Eberhardt Lecture. Lest we have so quickly forgotten, Kmiec is a "Catholic" who argued for months prior to the election that a Catholic could in good conscience vote for Barack Obama. He did this much to the chagrin of faithful prelates like Archbishop Charles Chaput, persisted right up until Election Day and apparently continues the campaign even now. Kmiec wrote a small tome entitled Can a Catholic Support Him? Asking the Big Question about Barack Obama. The book is simply an extension of his many articles on the subject, in which he repeatedly states, as though he were an authority of sound mind, Catho...

Excellent video which tells the truth about Barack Obama:

Larry King will have Bill Maher, noted religion hater and Catholic basher on his show tonight at 9 p.m. EST. ALL is asking all 300,000 supporters to call the show, express their disgust, and ask Bill Maher why he hates Catholics and Christians. Go to www.firebillmaher.com for more information. Washington, DC – American Life League is asking its 300,000 supporters to call the "Larry King Live" show Tuesday night, August 19, and ask Bill Maher why he hates Catholics. The HBO talk show host will appear on Larry King's cable show to talk abour politics and his show "Real Time." Maher's latest project, "Religulous," a "mockumentary" whose title is a combination of the words "religious" and "ridiculous." Maher makes no secret of his hatred for religion: "I have hated the Church way before anyone else," Maher said in 2002. But the comedian's long history of anti-Catholic vitriol came to a head in April, at the...

MILLER BREWING PROTEST CONTINUES: MILWAUKEE CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS CONTACTED Catholic League president Bill Donohue explained the latest strategy for dealing with Miller’s sponsorship of anti-Catholicism: “We’re not going away. After having sent the most unbelievable photos of decadent anti-Catholicism to all the priests, ministers, rabbis and imams in Milwaukee, we are now hitting the civic associations. Because there are so many, we are choosing a select group each week..." MORE Hooray for the Catholic League! Keep up the excellent work, Bill!

Atheist author Philip Pullman's bestselling novels for children were written specifically to indoctrinate children with atheistic values. Now New Line Cinema is using Pullman's novels to create a controversial new fantasy film. "The Golden Compass," starring Nicole Kidman, is based on Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, which includes "Northern Lights" (re-titled "The Golden Spyglass" in the United States), The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass." From LifeSite News: The trilogy consistently gives a negative portrayal of the Catholic Church. Priests-one of whom is an assassin-are evil and violent while one positive character is an ex-nun who has lost her faith. There is even a pair of "sexually ambiguous" angels. The main problem, however, as one Amazon reviewer noted, is that "The evil in this story is God". The reviewer stated, "I realized part way through the second book, that the char...

The Catholic Carnival is up at Kicking Over My Traces . Dom has a firey post entitled "Edwards excuses anti-Catholic trash-bloggers". Tony at Catholic Pillow Talk also presents some interesting news and comments on this issue as well in his post "Mandy... You're Fired!!!" Check out what Dawn Eden has to say about Amanda Marcotte and her activities in "Sects and the Witty." I always enjoy Jay's insights and comments on political happenings. This post was no exception - his comments on the Edwards biogotry scandal made me chuckle a little at first, then a lot. I wonder if these gals are related to Rosie O.? And, last but not least, check out the funny stuff at The Curt Jester with lots of other great links! Esther reports on the Scandal at 23 Catholic Colleges/Universities and also offers an online petition for readers to sign. It's V***** Monologue time again with lustful language, sexual encounters, and graphic descriptions of lesbian be...

On “The View” today, panelist Joy Behar said that people should “follow their heart” in dealing with sexuality. She then offered, “That is why a lot of the priesthood is so screwed up right now.” Rosie O’Donnell followed with “Celibacy is not part of the human condition. It is not normal, right, everyone is a sexual being.” Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows: “In today’s New York Daily News, there is an article about the sex lives of seven New York-area women. Sarah DiMuro, a 30-year-old blond, must be happy to know that according to the great sage, Rosie O’Donnell, she is an abnormal human being. DiMuro is a virgin. “Ever since O’Donnell joined ‘The View’ in September, the show has gotten out of control. On four occasions between September and the end of December, she has lashed out at the Catholic Church. Ditto for Joy Behar. Their relentless and profoundly ignorant attacks on the Catholic Church and its teachings would never be tolerated by the show’s co-own...