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Showing posts from February, 2012

BOOM...BOOM... BOOM! Damned War Drums again! Israel says it won't warn U.S. when - and if they attack Iran - International - Catholic Online

BOOM...BOOM... BOOM! Damned War Drums again! Israel says it won't warn U.S. when - and if they attack Iran. Some people just need to chill out and try some 'peace and quiet' for a change. We've tried waging war openly against Arab nations since the First Gulf War back in the late 1980's. Perhaps I'm being nostalgic, but is it not about time that we all just heed John Lennon's advice and "give peace a chance?" Israel says it won't warn U.S. when - and if they attack Iran - International - Catholic Online

Sometimes people can speak the truth even when they don't realize it! Here's great example.

Here is a comment offered today from a regular on 'Sylvia's Site' in response to her publication of a victim's impact statement registered as part of a civil action taken against a Diocese based upon an allegation made after the clerics death. He notes in the middle of the document a point in which I doubt he understands just how right he is. First, here's the comment: "It is mind boggling!…it goes on and on and on… Every time I think we all have a part of us that is secretly wishing for the abuse to stop or to finally discover this is all in the past…wishing, hoping, praying!…whatever maintains our sanity in the face of this Evil!… Sadly upon reading this legal document, I am left wondering how many copies could be made with just a few changes to the names…for all the victims of this clergy abuse, this institutional sacrilege… Conservatively?…disturbingly ….a wild guess….100,000…300,000…750,000…copies! …worldwide, over 50-100-200 years…lo

Film director James Cameron leads submarine race to the bottom of the Mariana Trench - Telegraph

James Cameron heads to the Mariana Trench Many thanks to Deep Diver, a friend of this blog for recommending this article.  I've posted a couple of these 'size perspective' articles recently. The first expressed the cosmic scale of the universe from a 'Plank Unit' to the calculated totality of the Universe, mining deeply into the mystery and beauty of God as creator of the big and the small. This one demonstrates the mystery and beauty of plate tectonics that inspires a similar sense of awe. If science and God both fire the same experience of awe within those of us who believe in both, does this not point to an essential union in some fashion between the two? It sure does for me! How about you? Film director James Cameron leads submarine race to the bottom of the Mariana Trench - Telegraph

I know that Chris Matthews is a Democrat... but do you think perhaps he's a fan of Santorum or Gingrich? You be the judge. It's certainly well done.

Remembering Bishop Faber MacDonald, a divine fiddle player | Holy Post | National Post

The Bishop & Blonde Louis Schryer I am fortunate that I live in the one part of the country that can match Cape Breton 'note for note' when it comes to fiddle playing. The Ottawa Valley is home to many of the country's best - with Louis Schryer, arguably Canada's best ever fiddler being my next door neighbor at my cottage. Bishop Faber MacDonald would have been right at home! Remembering Bishop Faber MacDonald, a divine fiddle player | Holy Post | National Post

Has 'Anonymous' been heard of before? Say about 2000 years ago? A group who takes the name 'legion' and is guided by 'No forgiveness, no forgetting' might have a problem convincing Christians of its good intentions. Judge for yourself.

Here's Christopher Hitchen's last column from Atlantic Magazine that is reviewed in the previous post below

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/the-reactionary/8889/?single_page=true

Dolan calls for evangelisation with a smile - Vatican Insider

Dolan calls for evangelisation with a smile - Vatican Insider

They call him '22-minute Dolan'

This one is posted in honor of my brother priest and great friend, Fr. Paul Conway. (OLF-Elliot Lake) He's always been after me for my short week-day masses. Glad to know that I am in good company! OSV Daily Take Blog: They call him '22-minute Dolan'

Some more of Sylvia MacEachern's writings from the past

Evidently Sylvia MacEachern of Sylvia's Site has been writing and publishing for a long time. This is a link to an article she wrote alleging the the Police, Diocese and professionals within the Diocese of Cornwall participated in what she alleges was a giant cover-up. It's interesting to note that after umpteen police investigations and a provincial inquiry failed to substantiate her beliefs that she continues on to make her claims. She seems fixated on the subject, her pre-Vatican II sensibilities evidently leading her to see complicit Bishops and criminal priests hiding under every rock and behind the shrubbery . HiddenMysteries Conspiracy Archive

Bird-flu: Should researchers publish the data on the ultra-contagious mutant strain they created? | News | National Post

If ever there was a case that epitomizes the founding metaphor of this blog, it is this one. The 'tire tracks' this decision might write into our history as a species us not to be understated. What do you think? Keep it secret or bring the research out into the open? I'm not sure what side I'd come down on.  Bird-flu: Should researchers publish the data on the ultra-contagious mutant strain they created? | News | National Post

St. Valentine

ST. VALENTINE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Valentine

Sylvia MacEachern of Sylvia's Site has a long history with the Catholic Church as this article sent to me by Fr. Steve Ballard seems to make clear.

"For more than 30 years, no one — certainly not most bishops, priests, and laity — except a select few prelates, priests, and liturgists in crucial Church positions ever imagined that the liturgical "renewal" was — and remains — driven in a significant measure by homosexual and pedophile clerics to change Catholics' understanding of the nature of the Church, and to express their vision of a new church: one that is "tolerant," "compassionate," and "loving"; not "rigid," "formalistic," and "legalistic." Those who persist in doubting or denying this is the case will have a difficult time after reading investigative reporter Sylvia MacEachern's expose of the clique that has managed the liturgical revolution in Canada since the end of the Second Vatican Council. Her 100-page research project, published in the current edition of The Orator

Married drivers get fewer tickets than common-laws: study | CTV Autos

This could explain a mystery I've pondered for years. It could explain why Quebec drivers (where marriages are as scarce as hen's teeth these days) are so bad! I honestly believe that I take my life in my hands when I have to drive in Montréal.   Married drivers get fewer tickets than common-laws: study | CTV Autos

The essential Whitney Houston tracks - The Globe and Mail

A fitting tribute to the single most remarkable voice of a generation. While my list of favorites is a little more expansive (how could the not include 'I Just Wanna Dance'?), these three would top my list for sure. Her rendition of the American National Anthem, sung at the Superbowl at the end of the season that the Twin Towers fall and America go to war is unmatched in my lifetime. In that year, we were all Americans and her version of that national standard still gives me shivers. Thank you God for the gift of that incredible voice and talent. May she find in the life she now begins the peace that eluded her in this one. RIP... Whitney Houston The essential Whitney Houston tracks - The Globe and Mail

Whitney Houston dead at age 48: Singer's body found at Beverly Hilton hotel | Arts | National Post

  The songs chosen in the linked-to article are among the best that the greatest voice of a generation offered to an adoring public. This rendition of the American National Anthem is the single best version of my lifetime. Sung at the culmination of a season that saw the Twin Towers fall and the Pentagon crippled, it reached the hearts of a world-wide audience which considered themselves to be all "Americans" at that moment in time. It still gives me shivers when I hear it now. It makes me sad to contemplate how that deep sense of good-will towards America was thrown away in a needless war, just as it does when I remember how this gifted singer wasted so much of her life on a drugs. Like the Kings of Pop and Rock & Roll before her, she was a talent that burned itself out all too soon. Thank you God for allowing the world to such a perfect voice and amazing talent. May she find in the life she now begins the peace that alluded her in this one. Like the King of Pop and

US sex abuse lawsuit against Vatican dismissed | todaysthv.com

Lawyers for a man who was sexually abused decades ago by a priest at a Wisconsin school for the deaf have asked a court to dismiss their lawsuit naming Pope Benedict XVI and other top Vatican officials as defendants. Attorney Jeff Anderson had filed the lawsuit at the peak of a European explosion of the sex abuse scandal in 2010, alleging that the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and his deputies knew about allegations of sexual abuse at St. John's School for the Deaf and prevented internal punishment of the accused priest, the late Rev. Lawrence Murphy. The Vatican rejected the lawsuit then as a publicity stunt. Anderson's firm filed a voluntary motion to dismiss in U.S. district court in Milwaukee Friday. Emails seeking comment weren't returned Saturday. US sex abuse lawsuit against Vatican dismissed | todaysthv.com

What Will You Do for Lent This Year? - A Guide for Preparing Now ~ Canterbury Tales by Dr. Taylor Marshall

I've circled Ash Wednesday on my calendar to quit smoking for Lent... and hopefully for good this time. What are you going to do? Decide now and prepare and you'll increase your chances of success. What Will You Do for Lent This Year? - A Guide for Preparing Now ~ Canterbury Tales by Dr. Taylor Marshall

Gobsmacked: What a perfect word! It's taken me a lifetime to discover one word that describes the spiritual experience of prayer.

Gobsmacked!  This singular English word captures perfectly the sense of gratitude and communion that prayer often brings to me. Or, perhaps better put... brings me to.   A few summers back, a brother priest and cherished friend once snapped a quick picture of me in prayer with his cell phone camera as we enjoyed each others company at my cottage, nestled alongside the majestic Ottawa River. With the grace of years of discipline and experience, I saw in that photo the look of a happy man. When I was young and far less practiced in the regimes of prayer, penance and discipline, I think I would have probably thought the old guy in the picture looked spaced out... or asleep! Today, as I once again sat here in prayer and quiet, the word suddenly came to me which captures the expression on my face in that photo: Gobsmacked. I’ve written from my personal experiences of pain, shame, and difficulty in the wake of the clergy sex and financial scandals many times, and in in many places, t

This is not about me!... OK, it's a little about me... But damn it I'm right!

Sylvia & Michael MacEachern Gentle Reader: Below, I offer as exhibit #1 of what I am speaking about as regards the malice that is being encouraged on Sylvia's Site (S.S.) that is so corrosive to justice and truth.  I  said that I was going to bring my message to other forums.  To raise the alert about what had happened on the S.S. regard her  publishing that +Robert Harris (St. John, NB) had endangered the children in a Miramichi parish, when in fact he fulfilled the letter of the law perfectly and with a true pastor's touch as well. Too bad Sylvia decided to blow-up the Bishop's good works and efforts. I believed it important to challenge this calumny before it took root in the public square. I told her what I was going to do... and I did it. ( Yeah for me! Sorry. )   Here we have someone by the handle 'jg' who was one of the individuals with whom Fr. SFB and I tangled with on Sunday. He's writing in response to Sylvia's announcement that I

Nice companion article for VIS that deals with the difference between allegations and incrimination!! Especially liked the last paragraph!

HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE REJECTS UNFOUNDED CLAIMS ABOUT THE IOR AND THE AIF Vatican City, (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office has issued a communique rejecting claims made in an article entitled "Money Laundering: Four Priests under Investigation. The Silence of the Vatican" which appe ared yesterday in the Italian newspaper "L'Unita". Extracts from the communique are given below. "The article ... Unfortunately reveals a considerable lack of serious research by the author. "We must begin by making two introductory observations. The title of the article refers to silence on the part of the Vatican. ... This is completely groundless because the Holy See and the authorities of the Vatican have duly cooperated with magistrates and other Italian authorities. The claims made in the article are merely a reworking of past criticisms. ... They are, in fact, 'recycled' accusations which the same journalist has already published on a number of occasio

Love them or not, no one can deny the influence of Lifesite News within the Catholic and Pro-Life communities. Here's a video promoting their work.

Somedays it's damned near impossible to visit anywhere on the internet these days without getting into a slugfest

( NOTICE: This is an edited and condensed version of the 1st production of this column. My first attempt was too long and unfocused. This second edition strips the argument down to its essence and better accomplishes what I wanted to say. Thank you to those who responded with edit suggestions, helping me to offer a clear argument and defense of the clergy referenced below. Your help was appreciated. Fr. Tim ) Angelo Dundee Sylvia (Sylvia's Site) & Michael MacEachern I noted with sadness the other day obituaries published in the wake of the death of Angelo Dundee , the man who trained Ali to Heavyweight Championship of the World more than once. From the 'float like a butterfly' days of his early victories over Listen and Frasier, to the 'Rope-a-dope' tactics that felled the Goliath Foreman, all the way to the spanking of Spinks, Dundee guided Ali to victory after victory. I well remember those epic contests of brawn and will. They captured the attent

Some Monday morning wisdom from Will Rogers guaranteed to put a smile on your face

The wisdom of Will Rogers ... Will Rogers, died in a 1935 plane crash,  Some of his sayings: 1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco. 2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day. 3. There are two theories to arguing with a woman.  Neither works. 4. Never miss a good chance to shut up. 5. Always drink upstream from the herd. 6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. 7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket. 8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. 9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. 10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there. 11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back. 12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good

The hermeneutic of continuity: On the prospect of being shot and strung up

British comment at it dry best. This should be posted on every Christian website on the net, if only for the quality of the writing and the dry wit and argument. It's all finished with an appropriate British flourish delivered with style and effectiveness worthy of the likes of Swift et al. by choosing the rifle he would request be used for the 'shot' have of the punishment: good British stock... stiff upper lip in the face of death, and all that.  Rule Britannia indeed! The hermeneutic of continuity: On the prospect of being shot and strung up

Catholics cross with Obama over birth-control coverage - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com

Can a government force a Church or individual to do something that violates their principles and convictions? Here are two articles that look at the issue in the USA where Obamacare regulations will force Catholic institutions to provide free contraceptive coverage. Irrespective of the specifics of this issue (birth control) which according to most polls Catholics support individually, it does seem to violate the principle of separation of Church and State. What do you think? Catholics cross with Obama over birth-control coverage - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com White House denies health-care mandate violates Catholic consciences

Birth control pills that might not prevent pregnancy recalled by Pfizer in the U.S. | News | National Post

Maybe there's going to be a baby boom all over again. I'll bet at least that there's a lot of nervous women this morning after reading this story! Birth control pills that might not prevent pregnancy recalled by Pfizer in the U.S. | News | National Post