Catholic Fire

Personhood Colorado announces its upcoming press conference on the Roe v. Wade Memorial featuring the star of "Bella," winner of the People's Choice Award at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Hollywood star Eduardo Verastegui will announce his support of the 2010 Colorado Personhood Amendment and comment on the recent success of Human Life Amendments in his native country of Mexico. Verastegui will also urge all Colorado voters to sign the Personhood Petition. Who: Eduardo Verastegui, star of film and television What: Personhood Colorado Press Conference Where: the West steps of the Colorado State Capitol When: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 9:00AM

Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., released the following comments today on the celebration of her Uncle's life.   "Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a Beloved Community where all are treated with respect and dignity," said Dr. King.  "He fought against society's exclusion of people who were treated as less than human because of their appearance. Today, we are compelled to continue Uncle Martin's fight by standing up for those who are treated as less than human because of their helplessness and inconvenience.   "The unborn are as much a part of the Beloved Community as are newborns, infants, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Too many of us speak of tolerance and inclusion, yet refuse to tolerate or include the weakest and most innocent among us in the human family. As we celebrate the life of Uncle Martin, let us renew our hearts and commit our lives to treating each other, whatever our ...

 Today we celebrate Blessed Christina Ciccarelli, prophet, healer, and visionary. Matthia Ciccarelli was born at Luco in Abruzzi, Italy. She was the youngest of six children and her father was Domenico de Pericolo. As she grew up, Matthia felt the call to a life of prayer and penance. She decided to become a cloistered nun. (Cloistered Nuns are nuns who live hidden from the world and spend all their time alone in silent prayer). Matthia entered the convent of St. Augustine in Aquila and took the name Sister Christina. Sister Christina's life as a nun was hidden and silent but the people of Aquila began to find out about the beauty of her work and the life she had chosen. She and the other nuns were bringing many blessings to them through their fervent prayers. Sister Christina was cloistered but she knew the needs of the poor people of her area. She and the nuns sent to them whatever they could. Sister Christina was also aware of the crosses and sufferings people experienc...

 Today's saint is Saint Charles Sezze. Saint Charles was born John Charles Marchioni in Sezze Italy on October 19,1613.  His family was extremely pious, they lived in a rural area and as a child Saint Charles worked as a shepherd.  Due to his lack of education, it is said he learned only the basics and could barely read and write, he joined the Franciscans as a lay brother in Naziano.  He served as a cook, porter, and a gardener. Saint Charles was known for his holiness, simplicity, and charity.  He was generous to travelers and sought out for spiritual advice.  In 1656 he worked tirelessly with victims of the plague.  He also wrote several mystical works including his autobiography titled, The Grandeurs of the Mercies of God.  Tradition states he was called to the bedside of the dying Pope Clement IX for a blessing. Saint Charles died on January 6, 1670 in Rome of natural causes, he is buried in Rome in the Church of Saint Francis.  ...

 Today, from the Franciscan calendar, we celebrate the feast of St. Berard and companions. Six Franciscan friars accepted from St. Francis of Assisi an assignment to go to Morocco. They were to announce Christianity to the Muslims. Friars Berard, Peter, Adjutus, Accursio and Odo traveled by ship in 1219. Morocco is in the northwest corner of Africa and the journey was long and dangerous. The group arrived at Seville, Spain. They started preaching immediately, on streets and in public squares. People treated them as if they were crazy and had them arrested. To save themselves from being sent back home, the friars declared they wanted to see the sultan. So the governor of Seville sent them to Morocco. The sultan received the friars and gave them freedom to preach in the city. But some of the people did not like this. They complained to the authorities. The sultan tried to save the friars by sending them to live in Marrakech, on the west coast of Morocco. A Christian prince and fr...

Fr. Frank Pavone invites you to events on East and West Coasts and describes some of the events that will take place January 22-23. 

  On Friday, January 22, 2010, join hundreds of thousands of pro-life Americans in Washington, D.C. taking a stand against the abortion mandate in proposed health care reform.

St. Paul the Hermit was born in Lower Thebaïd, Egypt in 229 of wealthy and noble parents, but was orphaned by the age of 15. Nevertheless, he was a learned and devout Christian. As a young man, during the persecution of the Christians by Decius in 250, Paul fled into the desert and learned to enjoy his solitary life "alone with God alone" so much, that he remained there for the rest of his life. For ninety years, he lived in the cave, drank water from a nearby spring, and ate from the fruit of a palm tree. He wore leaves. One day St. Anthony, who was ninety, was divinely inspired to visit St.Paul. Though they had never met previously, each greeted the other correctly by name. The two hermits spent some time in the company of one another, and St. Paul informed his younger friend that for 60 years, day after day, a raven had been bringing him a half a loaf of bread. That day, however, the raven brought them a whole loaf of bread - a double ration for them to share. After...

  Benedict XVI has urged Catholics on several occasions to actively participate in political life. Laws against life and the family are showing that Catholic politicians are failing to stand up with conviction to promote Gods vision of man.

Catholic mom blogger Barbara Curtis's daughter, Maddy Curtis, tried out for this season's American Idol, which aired on January 12, and is going to Hollywood!  This video provides a wonderful testimony about the type of family she is from and the love that they share for life and one another. Maddy Curtis, the 9th of twelve children and sister to four siblings with Downs Syndrome (three of which are adopted) could not be sweeter. Her audition of "Hallelujah" had the judges sending her to Hollywood unanimously. Congratulations Maddy, Barb, and family!

Wichita, KS — Operation Rescue announced today that it is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of abortionists who are breaking the law. The campaign, known as Abortion Whistleblowers , is encouraging abortion clinic workers and others to come forward and tell what they know about abortion clinic abuses. The Abortion Whistleblowers campaign will include a series of ads on the radio and on sites like Craig’s List, Facebook , Youtube , and other social networking sites. It will also include direct mailings to each abortion clinic in the nation encouraging workers to come forward. Last year, several former employees of late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart came forward to tell media and pro-life groups of illegal activity at Carhart’s Bellevue, Nebraska clinic. Three of them filed affidavits with the State Attorney General’s office and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, resulting in investigations of Carhart. Other whist...

Christendom College, a private Catholic college located in Virginia, says that it will close its doors on Friday, January 22 and its Student Activities Council will charter busses enabling the entire student body to attend the 2010 March for Life in Washington D.C.   “This is one of my favorite things about Christendom,” said Cyrus Artz, a senior and President of Students for Life. “This college recognizes our responsibility to the unborn and enables the entire College community to participate each year in one of the most important witnesses to the value of human life.”    Read the rest at LifeSiteNews.Com. In addition to the fact that my Spiritual Father attended Christendom College, I knew there was another good reason why I liked Christendom so much!

At the annual March for Life Jan. 22, pro-life groups will use the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision to raise the profile of "personhood." The term is used by a movement in state legislatures to define unborn babies as persons, affording them the same guaranteed right to life as all other Americans. Probably the first definitive statement on the idea came from Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote the majority opinion for Roe v. Wade, when he said: "The appellee and certain amici [pro-lifers] argue that the fetus is a 'person' within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. In support of this, they outline at length and in detail the well-known facts of fetal development. If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment." Read more here.

Thanks to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama US taxpayers are funding abortion throughout the world for the next five years! Via Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D. at Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:  In Washington last week, United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States would engage in a massive funding push over the next five years to promote “reproductive health care and family planning” as a “basic right” around the world. Clinton has previously stated for the record that this includes abortion. The plan includes potentially siphoning off funds currently directed towards fighting HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malaria. Commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the controversial International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Clinton said there were only five years left to achieve ICPD’s goal that “all governments will make access to reproductive healthcare and family planning services a basic right.” Last Apr...

Today's saint is St. Macrina the Elder, a learned woman gifted with wisdom and counsel. Our knowledge of her life is limited and comes mainly from the testimony of the great Cappadocian fathers of the Church as well as from her  grandchildren and the panegyric of St. Gregory of Nazianzus on St. Basil. St. Macrina the Elder is the grandmother of St.Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Peter of Sebaste and Saint Macrina the Younger. She raised Basil. Her home was at Neocæsarea in Pontus. In her childhood she was acquainted with St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, first bishop of her native town, who served as her spiritual father. During the persecutions of Diocletian, she and her husband lived in hiding in a forest at Pontus for seven years, nearly starving several times.  Macrina was widowed and is the patron of widows and poor people. Quote: "I am speaking of the illustrious Macrina, by whom we were taught the words of the most blessed Gregory [Thaumaturgos], which, havin...

January 13, 2010 Saint of the day: St. Hillary of Poiters Video: Pondering on His Coming... Fox News: Sarah Palin responds to the ongoing lies about her (video)   Best kept secrets of John Paul II revealed, his sacrifices... Knights of Columbus rally members to oppose federal funding of abortion   Jill Stanek: Top scientist finally admits abortion-breast cancer link   We're almost there...Your continued help and prayers are needed...time is running out Archbishop Burke warns: A society that masks 'totalitarianism' with 'hope' will destroy itself   The Haitian Earthquake: How to help the victims of Haiti  Pope Benedict meets privately with Christmas Eve attacker and forgives her   Archbishop Miot killed in massive Haitian earthquake   Archbishop Timothy Dolan on Haiti: "Pray and sacrifice" (Video) Tuesday, January 12, 2010   St. Marguerite Bourgeoys: a woman of grace and courage Monday, January 11, 2010  ...

Archbishop Dolan recommends that we donate to help Haiti through Catholic Relief Services. H/T: Whispers in the Loggia. Previous posts: Archbishop Miot killed in massive Haitian earthquake The Haitian Earthquake: How to help the victims of Haiti

From Deacon Keith Fournier:  Father Pierre Le Beller of the Saint Jacques Missionary Center in western France reports that the lifeless body of Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, was found in the ruins of the offices of the archdiocese office. The beloved Bishop was only 63 years old. Reports indicate that he was only one of many who were killed as Churches and Church related buildings collapsed under the devastation of the worst quake to hit this Nation in 200 years. The reports from inside the Nation indicate that bodies are being piled in the streets and there seems to be no end in sight. Massive relief efforts from the United States and many other Nations are underway. The official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano reported on its front page that "The lifeless body of Archbishop Joseph Miot of Port-au-Prince was found this morning under the rubble of the archbishops' residence." The missionary news service of the Holy See FI...

 Pope Benedict XVI has met privately with Susanna Maiolo, the young Italian-Swiss woman who attacked the pope while he was walking into St. Peters Basilica for Christmas Eve Mass. CNA story:  Holy Father meets privately with Christmas assailant