The self-destruction of Maurice Clarett continues apace.

All the emphasis below is mine. Add it up and see if you can guess what Citizen Clarett was planning to do.

Sports Illustrated: Maurice Clarett arrested after highway chase

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Maurice Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on the former Ohio State running back and finding four loaded guns in his sport utility vehicle.

Officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after a stun gun was ineffective because the former Fiesta Bowl star was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Sgt. Michael Woods said.

"It took several officers to get him handcuffed," Woods said. "Even after he was placed in the paddy wagon, he was still kicking at the doors and being a problem for the officers."

Police planned to charge him with carrying concealed weapons and other counts, Woods said. He was taken to police headquarters to be interviewed, then was moved to the Franklin County Jail.

Wearing tan jail-issue clothes, he talked on the telephone in the booking area, separated from reporters by a window. He was to be held at the jail at least until an arraignment Thursday morning, unless his attorneys work out an agreement for his release, police said.

Clarett made an illegal U-turn on the city's east side and failed to stop when officers, in a cruiser with lights flashing, tried to pull him over, Woods said.

Police pursued Clarett onto eastbound Interstate 70 when he darted across the median and began heading west. Clarett drove over a spike strip that was placed on the highway, flattening the driver's side tires of the SUV.

Clarett exited the highway and pulled into a restaurant parking lot, where officers removed him from the SUV after he failed to obey numerous orders to exit the vehicle, Woods said.

After Clarett was placed in a police van, officers discovered a loaded rifle and three loaded handguns in the front of his vehicle.

Woods said he did not know where Clarett got the guns or why he had them, and that federal authorities plan to trace their ownership.

The 22-year-old Clarett is currently awaiting trial on two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of robbery and one count of carrying a concealed weapon in a separate case. Authorities said he was identified by witnesses as the person who flashed a gun and robbed two people of a cell phone in an alley behind the Opium Lounge in Columbus in the early hours of Jan. 1.

Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday morning for Clarett's attorneys in that case, Nick Mango and Michael Hoague.

Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami to lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, the school's first since 1968. But that was the last game the freshman played for Ohio State.

He sat out the 2003 season after being charged with misdemeanor falsification on a police report, then dropped out of school. He sued to be included in the 2004 NFL draft and lost in court.

A surprise third-round pick in the 2005 draft, he was cut by the Denver Broncos during the preseason.

Roger Goodell is STILL only the second most famous person born in Jamestown, NY.*

Chicago Tribune: Prosperous NFL goes with Goodell
It took Pete Rozelle 23 ballots in 1960 and Paul Tagliabue 12 ballots in 1989, but Tuesday it took Roger Goodell only five ballots to be elected NFL commissioner. The final one was unanimous. Goodell and league counsel Gregg Levy were the only two candidates left by the fourth ballot.

* Lucille Ball will always be #1!

Even black Democrass voters have their limits.

Proving once again that a healthy sense of shame is a good thing, voters have dismissed that crazed psychocow racist, Cynthia McKinney, from the US House of Representatives. It is now time for the space aliens to beam her up to their ship and take her to a planet where she can be happy.

AP: McKinney loses runoff for Georgia seat

Cynthia McKinney, the fiery Georgia congresswoman known for her conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11 attacks and the scuffle she had earlier this year with a U.S. Capitol police officer, lost a runoff election Tuesday for her district's Democratic nomination.

Attorney Hank Johnson, a former county commissioner, won the nomination with 59 percent of the vote, surpassing McKinney by more than 11,000 votes.

McKinney, her state's first black congresswoman, has long been controversial. Her suggestion that the Bush administration had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks helped galvanize opposition and she lost her seat in 2002, but won it again two years ago.

In her latest brouhaha in March, she struck a Capitol police officer who did not recognize her and tried to stop her from entering a House office building.

A grand jury in Washington declined to indict her, but she was forced to apologize before the House. She drew less than 50 percent of the vote in last month's primary.

I don't feel sorry for ol' self-hatin' Joe Lieberman.

The Less-Offensive Senator from Connecticut is a totalitarian leftist baby-killing moron of long standing. Amusingly, this is not enough in today's Party of Blasphemy, Buggery, and 'Bortion. Thanks to the commie creep George Soros and King Goober II's left-fascist gangster thugs, one must also be a cowardly, skirt-wearing, cut-and-run America-laster.

AP: Lieberman vows to run as independent

Hours after losing his Democratic primary to an anti-war businessman, Sen. Joe Lieberman vowed to continue his run for a fourth term as an independent, saying Wednesday that he had to do it for the good of the country and no one could persuade him to drop out.

"I'll always take the calls of friends, but my mind is made up," Lieberman told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday. "I'm going forward. I'm going forward because I'm fed up with all the partisanship in Washington that stops us from getting anything done."

Asked if there was anyone who could call and get him to change his mind, Lieberman replied:

"Respectfully no. I'm committed to this campaign."

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who was born Edith Stein in 1891 at Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland).

Youngest of seven children in a Jewish family. Edith lost interest and faith in Judaism by age 13. Brilliant student and philospher with an interest in phenomenology. Studied at the University of Gottingen and in Breisgau. Earned her doctorate in philosophy in 1916 at age 25. Witnessing the strength of faith of Catholic friends led her to an interest in Catholicism, which led to studying a catechism on her own, which led to "reading herself into" the Faith. Converted to Catholicism in Cologne, Germany; baptized in Saint Martin's church, Bad Bergzabern, on 1 January 1922.

Carmelite nun in 1934, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Teacher in the Dominican school in Speyer, and lecturer at the Educational Institute in Munich. However, anti-Jewish
pressure from the Nazis forced her to resign both positions. Profound spiritual writer.

Both Jewish and Catholic, she was smuggled out of Germany, and assigned to Echt, Holland in 1938. When the Nazis invaded Holland, she and her sister Rose, also a convert to
Catholicism, were captured and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz where they died in the ovens like so many others.

Pray for us, all you angels and saints.


Today's reading for the Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross is 2 Machabees 6:18, 21, 24-31.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 148:1-2, 11-12, 13-14.
Today's Gospel reading is John 12:24-26.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

Yippee! It's party time at Fidel's house!

AP: Kim Jong Il's absence raises speculation

But seriously, let's all hope they are dead.

Sure, she's French. But look at her! Laetitia Casta (The Last)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

Sadly, this is the last set of Laetitia Casta photos, though there are thousands more out there and it could go on indefinitely if I chose to do so.

Wow. Just look at those eyes...

Why stop now? Think of ice cream. I like ice cream a lot, but every meal every day? It would not be ice cream's fault if I got bored with it.

11th Annual Pilgrimage for Restoration: September 27 - September 30 in Auriesville, NY

The Eleventh Annual Pilgrimage for Restoration, brought to you by the Company of St. René Goupil with the National Coalition of Clergy and Laity is fast approaching.

Whether you can join the Pilgrimage for all four days or just on Saturday, it is well worth the effort.

This year's theme is Restoring True Devotion to Mary, Mother of Divine Love.

If you can make it to Auriesville, NY from Wednesday September 27 to Saturday September 30, please come and join other concerned Catholics in pilgrimage and prayer for the sake of His Church.

Catholic College of the Day.

Magdalen College
511 Kearsarge Mountain Road - Warner, New Hampshire 03278
Phone: 877-498-1723 or 603-456-2656
admissions@magdalen.edu

Magdalen College describes itself as "teaching according to the Magisterium of the Church" (always a nice feature for Catholic parents and students looking for a truly Catholic education) a "classical liberal arts curriculum taught in Socratic seminar classes". (Yippee!) Add the beauty of rural New Hampshire, and it sounds like a winner.

CISA: Archbishop says Western greed to blame for African corruption

Once you get past the misleading headline, His Excellency has a point...

From the Catholic Information Service for Africa:

ROME (CISA) – Widespread corruption in Africa would not be possible without the cooperation of Western countries, said Catholic Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria.

The high level of corruption that has crippled economies in Africa and impoverished the people was never there in traditional societies, said the president of the Nigerian bishops' conference and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

“It simply couldn't happen that a king could steal the money of his tribe and send it thousands of miles away to keep it for his family. African corruption would not have been possible without the cooperation of the very people who are now complaining about it!” Archbishop Onaiyekan told National Catholic Reporter. The interview appeared in the U.S.-based newspaper’s June 9, 2006, issue.

The West, he said, held the key to ending official corruption in Africa. “It's not possible that a young man from Nigeria can transfer a half-million dollars to deposit in a bank in any European country, and the regulatory authorities in that country aren't aware of it. They must know where this money came from. They track suspect transactions all the time, so why do they make an exception for stolen money from Africa?”

Yes, technology does make large scale sinning across borders easier, but His Excellency surely knows Electronic Funds Transfers are not the root of all evil.

Let me present a Western example for your edification, kiddies:
Sure, Hugh Hefner (CEO of Big Masturbation) is going to Hell if he does not repent, but the same is true of his readers.

The war on graft is hindered by Western leaders and businessmen who find it more profitable to do business in a climate of bad governance in the developing world. “If the West stops doing business with corrupt governments, they will fall. Africans try to bring these governments down, but often they fail because the governments are sustained and upheld by foreign businesses who believe they can do better business with the corrupt leaders,” Archbishop Onaiyekan said.

“The fight against corruption is hindered from the outside. The reality is we are not free. It's a myth to say that a poor, weak country is completely free to do whatever it likes. There are potentates who do whatever they like to their own people, and who follow instructions from the rich forces who sustain them. These powers from the outside world could have been deployed to help us get better governments, but it's not happening.”

The bottom line? Africa, like the rest of the world needs more Catholicism. Luckily, men like Archbishop Onaiyekan can do something about that.

He gave an example of the Nigerian election in 2003, which was well done in some places, but a sham in others. Less than a week after it, the European Union declared the elections free and fair, he said.

“That was very disappointing. If the EU or the United States had insisted that ‘we can't accept this election,’ we probably would have gotten something better. But the outside powers calculated that they were doing good business with these people. Often this sort of thing doesn't depend on just the ambassador. The major corporations, such as the oil companies, play a big role.”

'God or the Girl' Update.

Remember A&E's tv show God or the Girl? (Scroll to the end of the post.) No, me neither. I thought it was kind of lame...


Catholic News Service: Only 1 on ‘God or the Girl’ reality show chose seminary – or did he?


WASHINGTON (CNS) – Of the four men featured this spring on A&E's reality show "God or the Girl," three of them decided against entering the seminary to pursue a priestly vocation.

The fourth, Steve Horvath of Virginia, who has been on a student missionary assignment in Lincoln, Neb., said he would apply to a seminary. Then he got stuck on the application.

"The last parts that I ended up not completing were... 'What do you think a Catholic priest should be' and 'What is calling me to the Catholic priesthood?'" Horvath said in a July 27 telephone interview from Fairfax, Va.

"I needed some more subjective and personal reasons” than what he had been writing, he said. “In taking that to prayer, I really didn't feel that calling."

Horvath instead will spend a third year as a lay missionary at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

The feedback to the show has been good, he added. "I got one e-mail from a lady who was dying of cancer out in Wyoming, saying that if she had a Catholic priest like me she would have converted," Horvath said.

As for the others profiled in "God or the Girl," Mike Lechniak of Pennsylvania had a girlfriend and a teaching offer. Joe Adair of Ohio, who had been in two religious orders' seminary programs and had been seen vacillating during the series, also decided against the seminary. So did Dan DeMatte of Ohio, who had broken up with his girlfriend to focus on discerning what vocation he had.

Interest in the reality series is being restoked with the availability of "God or the Girl" on DVD. The two-disc set contains the entire series as seen on A&E, plus a 30-minute feature with a fifth young man discerning his vocation which didn't make it to TV, plus deleted scenes and a 20-minute feature with a priest who explains the rituals and religious terminology seen in the series.

Maximus Group, producers of the DVD, have established a Web site, www.godorthegirl.com, with free downloadable study guides and promotional materials for vocation directors, youth directors and other parish leaders. A sticker on the shrink wrap covering the DVD quotes from a review of the series by Harry Forbes, director of the U.S. bishops' Office for Film & Broadcasting: "a surprisingly reverential treatment of a profound life passage."

Reflecting on having been on TV, Adair said, "You have to realize it's a little fact and a little fiction." Adair, who works at John Carroll University in Cleveland, added, "It's kind of like The Da Vinci Code."

Adair's mother, Palma, was seen in "God or the Girl" as pushing Joe toward a priestly vocation.

"I looked like a witch," she said in a telephone interview from her home in Burton, Ohio. However, she added, "the way it ended up was a little more fair than it started out to be."

Palma Adair was seen – and sometimes recognized – at the National Catholic Educational Association convention in Atlanta during Easter week. She and her husband own the Catholic Tour Co. and had an exhibit booth at the convention. The first two hours of "God or the Girl" debuted on A&E on Easter Sunday, followed by another two hours the next day. The concluding hour was shown April 23.

Because visitors to the booth approached her asking her how it all ended, Palma Adair said, "We just told people to watch it," so as not to break the confidentiality pledge signed with A&E.

Palma Adair said she once considered a religious vocation herself. "My own mother was upset when I told her I wanted to be in the Little Sisters of the Poor. I liked working with old people and I really wanted to do it. But my mother cried," she said.

"Maybe God wasn't calling me to this vocation," she added. "All we ever did in our family was plant the seeds for religious vocations, because we believe in it." But on the show, she said, "it looked like I was cracking the whip" on her son to be a priest.

One telling scene from the series showed Joe Adair looking at the menu in a diner, saying to no one in particular, "It takes me forever to make up my mind."

Palma Adair said his rector at Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio, "stopped by our table at NCEA and he saw that and he said, 'That's Joe.'"

Now that Joe Adair seems to have sworn off the idea of the seminary for good, people are "trying to fix him up with girls," Palma Adair said. "We had some friends (visit) last evening, and they know this girl, a chemical engineer; he could come over to the house and meet her. They're thinking 'Oh, he just wants to get married.'"

However, "I don't think Joe will go for that," his mother said. "I've already given him two phone numbers.... He doesn't pursue that. He doesn't go after them."

The Michael and Cathryn Borden Memorial Book of the Day.*

How to Go to Confession When You Don't Know How
by Ann M. S. LeBlanc

"When Father John first mentioned the sacrament of reconciliation to me, I thought, 'Wow. They even invented a new sacrament while I was gone.' Once he had clarified the situation, my next thought was, 'I've got to throw up,' followed by, 'I'm outta' here.'"—from Chapter Two

"If you're nervous about confession, read this book," says the author, who was herself nervous about confession upon returning to the Church after many years away from its enveloping arms. Presented with humor, practicality and a deeply spiritual appreciation of the sacrament, the reader will find here a step-by-step description of exactly how to go about participating in the sacrament of reconciliation these days, helpful tips on what to say and how to make your approach, frequently asked questions by people just like you about the sacrament, including "How long does it take?" and "Isn't it embarrassing if you have to talk about sex?" (answer: "yes"), and suggestions for how to go about forgiving others. Other topics covered include "When Really Bad Things Have Happened to You" and "When the Person You Have to Forgive Is a Priest." This is a gem of a resource for those returning Catholics or new Catholics looking for a bridge to peace and healing.


*Who? Look here.

Medjugorje, again.

Twenty-five years on, it is time for everyone to realize these 30,000 "messages from the Blessed Virgin" are frauds at best and diabolical deceptions at worst.

[All you protestants, mohammedans, hindus, animists, shintoists, and various and sundry other lost sheep are just going to have to get over your pique. I know full well you don't get any of this and you don't care.

A goodly number of you might have noticed how all this Catholic stuff really pisses you off, even if you don't read it. Just the idea of it sets you off. Hmmm...]

Stop Medjugorje Marian apparition claims, bishop tells visionaries

MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia-Herzegovina – The bishop whose diocese includes the Bosnian village of Medjugorje has urged six alleged Marian visionaries to stop claiming that Mary has been visiting them for 25 years.

Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, Bosnia-Herzegovina, said the church "has not accepted, either as supernatural or as Marian, any of the apparitions" said to have been witnessed by a group of people from Medjugorje.

"As the local bishop, I maintain that regarding the events of Medjugorje, on the basis of the investigations and experience gained thus far throughout these last 25 years, the church has not confirmed a single apparition as authentically being the Madonna," he said. He then called on the alleged visionaries and "those persons behind the messages to demonstrate ecclesiastical obedience and to cease with these public manifestations and messages in this parish."

Amen to all that, Your Excellency!

"In this fashion they shall show their necessary adherence to the church, by placing neither private apparitions nor private sayings before the official position of the church," he said.

"Our faith is a serious and responsible matter," he added. "The church is also a serious and responsible institution."

The bishop made his comments June 15 during a homily at a confirmation Mass in Medjugorje's St. James Church. The diocese published the homily in English and Italian July 3.

On June 25, thousands of pilgrims converged on Medjugorje to mark the 25th anniversary of the onset of the alleged apparitions.

Since June 24-25, 1981, the alleged visionaries together claim to have received more than 30,000 messages.

But Bishop Peric said in his homily that "so-called apparitions, messages, secrets and signs do not strengthen the faith, but rather further convince us that in all of this there is nothing either authentic or established as truthful."

He said in February that Pope Benedict XVI expressed similar doubts when they discussed Medjugorje during the Bosnian bishops' visit to the Vatican.
Bishop Peric told the congregation that because the church did not accept the claims of the visionaries it was illicit for priests to "express their private views contrary to the official position" during Mass, in acts of popular piety or in the Catholic media.

Obedience.

He said Catholics were forbidden from making pilgrimages to Medjugorje if by such visits "they presuppose the authenticity of the apparitions or if by undertaking them attempt to certify these apparitions."

Bishop Peric said his views, and those of his predecessor, Bishop Pavao Zanic, who was also opposed to the claims, were supported by the pope. He expressed appreciation to Popes Benedict and John Paul II, "who have always respected the judgments of the bishops of Mostar-Duvno, of the previous as well as the current bishop, regarding the so-called apparitions and messages of Medjugorje, all the while recognizing the holy father's right to give a final decision on these events."

He also warned his audience of a schism emerging in the region between the church and more than a dozen Franciscan brothers and priests who have been expelled by the generalate of the Order of Friars Minor in Rome because of their disobedience to the pope.

He said that the expelled Franciscans "have not only been illegally active in these parishes, but they have also administered the sacraments profanely... or they have assisted at invalid marriages."

May God have mercy on their souls and the souls of those they have led astray.

Bishop Peric said he shared the view of Bishop Zanic that the visions and the Franciscan "schism," which began under Pope Paul VI in the 1970s, are linked.

Surprise!

American Catholics! Stop going to Medjugorje! Stop supporting this infernal fraud and heresy! Your immortal souls are at risk!

Throughout the 1980s, Franciscan Father Jozo Zovko acted as "spiritual adviser" to the visionaries.

But three church commissions failed to find evidence to support their claims, and in 1991 the bishops of the former Yugoslavia declared that "it cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations."

A short while later Father Zovko was stripped of his faculties to exercise any priestly functions by Bishop Zanic in a decree upheld by Bishop Peric.

Charlotte Church begins her campaign for Miss Whore of Babylon 2006.

Ha! You thought Shinehead O'Connor was an ignorant clownish cow!

Catholic News Service: Ignatius stops sale of Charlotte Church works after singer's TV pilot


LONDON - The U.S. publishing company Ignatius Press has refused to sell any works by Welsh singer Charlotte Church after she called German-born Pope Benedict XVI a Nazi and mocked the Catholic Church.

The directors of Ignatius Press said they were offended when the Welsh singer mocked the Catholic Church in the pilot of a proposed eight-part television chat show.

Church, dubbed the "Voice of an Angel" before she turned her talents to popular music, also dressed up as a nun and pretended to hallucinate while eating "communion" wafers imprinted with smiling faces signifying the drug Ecstasy.

May God have mercy on this pathetic little brat's soul.

She smashed open a statue of the Virgin Mary to reveal a can of hard cider inside, said she worshipped "St. Fortified Wine," and stuck chewing gum on a statue of the child Jesus.

It is just like Dr. Octavian in the Spiderman comic books: If only he had used his genius for good...But no, he became the evil Dr. Octopus and wreaked havoc all over town.

Ignatius Press announced that Church's products have been withdrawn from its Web site and catalogue.

"It is with regret that we do this," the company said in a statement to its customers on its Web site, www.ignatius.com.

"Miss Church possesses a great gift from God, and in the past she has used her talent often to offer praise and glory to Our Lord," the statement said.

"We cannot stand by a young woman who uses her stature in the media to mock the Eucharist, slander the Holy Father, and denigrate the vows of religious women," it continued.

"Therefore, our catalogues and Web site will immediately withdraw all compact discs, cassette tapes, DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Miss Church. Please join us in praying for this troubled young woman," the statement added.

Amen to that.

Church declined to comment.

Church, 20, was raised a Catholic and sang for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican at the age of 12.

The pilot for "The All New Charlotte Church Show" was filmed before a live studio audience July 12.

Ignatius Press was founded by Father Joseph Fessio, a California Jesuit who studied under the future Pope Benedict at the University of Regensburg in Germany in the 1970s and who continues to be a close friend.

Pope Benedict, the son of a German policeman opposed to Nazism, was forced into the Hitler Youth movement as a child, and during World War II he served briefly in an anti-aircraft battalion.

Vatican changes dates for 2008 Annunciation, St. Joseph feasts

From Catholic News Service:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Because of conflicts in the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, the Vatican has decided that in 2008 the dates of the feasts of St. Joseph and of the Annunciation of the Lord will be moved.

Working a year and a half in advance to meet the needs of publishers of church calendars, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments published its notification on the 2008 changes in mid-July.

In 2008, if the feast of St. Joseph were to be celebrated as usual on March 19, it would fall on the Wednesday of Holy Week and if the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord were to be celebrated March 25, it would fall on the Tuesday during the octave of Easter.

While the two feasts are among the 14 solemnities marked with special care in the Catholic Church, they do not take precedence over the commemoration of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection.

Therefore, the congregation said, in 2008 the feast of St. Joseph will be celebrated March 15, the day before Palm Sunday, and the feast of the Annunciation will be celebrated March 31, the Monday after the second Sunday of Easter, which also is Divine Mercy Sunday.

Whither the Brides of Christ?

National Catholic Register: Where have the nuns gone? Orders thriving despite ‘double-cross’ claim

Sister Mary Biatta Ziegler, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, sees herself as a “bride of Christ.” Sister Carole Shinnick, a School Sister of Notre Dame, does not.

Sister Mary thinks the title reflects her complete dedication to Christ and the church. Sister Carole, the executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, says that, although she has a deep relationship with Christ, the term no longer is used by the church to refer to women religious.

In a new book, former New York Times religion editor Kenneth Briggs suggests that women’s communities have waned because the church hierarchy quashed renewal efforts and did not give religious the freedom to reform their own communities. Writing in Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church’s Betrayal of American Nuns (Doubleday), Briggs says cultural change and church politics also contributed to what happened, as did the sisters’ “ingrained loyalty” to ecclesial authority.

Since then, the number of women religious in the United States also has decreased markedly, from 179,954 in 1965 to 67,773 in 2006, and opinions about the reasons are as divergent as the views of Sister Mary and Sister Carole.

Sister Mary Biatta and Sister Carole represent contrasting attitudes about religious life that have emerged in the four decades since the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II left a legacy of 16 documents, including Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life).

Although Briggs sees sisters as having been stifled in their quest for reform, he discusses major changes that did occur in religious communities – from the doffing of traditional habits to leaving convents to live in apartments.

It is those changes that many now see as having impacted the number of women entering religious life in recent years.

Mother Anne Marie Holden, superior of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, a community that continues to use a habit and made only minor alterations to their life in response to Vatican II, said she believes the message of Perfectae Caritatis was for each community to return to the roots of the founder without throwing away the essentials of the vows. Instead, she said, many sisters gave up living in community, diminishing their appeal to new candidates.

“To me, that’s so sad,” she said. “So often I’ve heard women say, ‘I could do what some religious are doing [and stay] at home.’”

Women who are interested in religious life today, she said, want a solid prayer life and community, as well as an order that wears a habit.

Study under way

Sister Mary Biatta, a spokeswoman for the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, agreed. Young women considering religious life, she said, are looking for an order with a great love for the church manifested by acceptance of its teachings, a visible witness, which most often means a habit, and a life of prayer and community. Yet, she said, those are the very things that changed so drastically for many sisters after Vatican II.

Sister Mary Biatta’s community held the line on change, apart from a modification of the habit in 1969. “I believe we had a very wise superior at that time who was not going to jump on any bandwagon too quickly,” said Sister Mary Biatta, who also serves as vocation director for her community. “I think that was the greatest reason why we’re still getting vocations.” The sisters, based in Alton, Ill., have continued to grow, receiving four to six new candidates each year.

Other more traditionally minded communities have enjoyed notable success as well. The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, based in Nashville, Tenn., for example, took in 16 new postulants last August, and saw 10 profess final vows and another 15 receive the habit as novices. The community of 220 sisters has a median age of 36. The latest entrants come from across the United States, as well as from Poland and Australia. One has a doctorate in mathematics, another was a doctoral candidate in philosophy, many were teachers before entering.

In an interview with Catholic News Service in February, Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, said communities of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, such as the Nashville Dominicans, have the lion’s share of new vocations, although their membership comprises only 10 percent of the women religious in the United States.

The Council of Major Superiors represents superiors of 90 communities in the United States, while the Leadership Conference represents 292 communities.

Cardinal Rode said the Leadership Conference “goes more in the direction of secularization,” compared to the more traditional Council of Major Superiors.

Neither the Council of Major Superiors nor the Leadership Conference is aware of any statistics that might back up what Cardinal Rode said. Neither has done any projection as to the future of their communities, and neither is worried about any communities going out of existence any time soon.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Annmarie Sanders, director of communications for the Leadership Conference, said LCWR does not track information on the median age of its member communities. Communities belonging to the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious have a median age of 55.

But a study to determine which communities are getting vocations is getting under way, said Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the National Religious Vocation Conference. Brother Bednarczyk said his conference is in talks with the Center for Applied Research Apostolate in Washington, D.C., about such a study. Once it’s done, Brother Bednarczyk said, it will be of great service to religious institutes in the United States.

“There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence of who is receiving vocations and who is not, but the fact is we do not have the hard data,” he said.

Deepening holiness

Sister Carole would not speculate on why more traditional communities seem to be attracting vocations. As a result of reform, she said, “We’ve gone from living on a very superficial level where holiness was measured by how deep your pleats and how shiny your shoes were to a place where we now understand and value that the spirituality of all the faithful is a much more real, everyday part of who we are.”

I believe Sister Carole is fooling herself. Religious communities did not form because of edicts from above. They sprang from the ranks of the faithful because of the need and the desire to dedicate themselves completely to Christ some women and men possess. ("Bride of Christ" is precisely the correct term, Sister Carol.)

In Double Crossed, Briggs downplays the gains of communities such as the Nashville Dominicans by saying that concern with numbers is more akin to America’s obsession with sales figures and thus not apropos to religious life.

He would say that, wouldn't he, kiddies?

He also calls the growth of traditional communities “fleeting and illusory,” adding, “[They] might flourish, after a fashion, loyal to the directives of nostalgic bishops, but the membership of such communities would likely be skewed in the direction of Catholic conservatism rather than, as in days past, representative of a cross-section of the church.”

The Catholic Church is not a social club, kiddies. It is God's instrument on earth that helps save souls. If there are declining numbers of priests, nuns, and monks, it is not because The One True Church is now irrelevant due to the lack of sermons for our iPods. Individuals join religious orders because their faith is strong enough to enable them to clearly hear God's call to them. If you are a Catholic fretting about the state of vocations, stop blaming The Unchanging Faith. Look in the mirror.

God is constant, kiddies. We are the ones who disappoint Him.

Joseph Varacalli, author of The Catholic Experience in America (Greenwood Press), takes another view of such communities, seeing them as part of a restorationist or “neo-orthodox” movement in the church. For restorationists, he writes, the causes of the shortage include “the lack of a fundamental commitment to recruitment, a constant disparagement of the importance of religious life, and the liberalization that has occurred within female religious orders that has made the call far less distinctive, challenging and well defined.”

Sister Carole of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious would disagree.

She does not equate declining numbers of religious women with the reforms that followed Vatican II and thinks that changes in the institutional cycle of the church combined with social trends may have as much to do with the decrease as anything.

Huh?

“I entered religious life in 1960 when there were only three or four viable options for young women,” she said. “You either became a secretary, a nurse, a teacher or you married.... Most young women graduating from high school today have the whole world in front of them and have all sorts of options to choose from.”

I would like to hear Sister Carole explain what she believes God called her to do with her life.

Other factors in the drop in numbers of women religious, Sister Carole said, include Catholic parents having smaller families, making them less likely to encourage their children to pursue religious life, a culture in which heroes for young people are those who achieve celebrity or success, and the deterioration of permanent commitment in the culture.

Benedictine Sister Christine Vladimiroff, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pa., added that in general, people today are making long-term commitments at a later age. Those who do have an interest in religious life have the option of becoming associated with a community in ways other than making a permanent commitment with vows.

Religious life: It's not just a job, it's...well, yeah, it seems like a job...

Her community, for instance, has a longstanding oblate program with more than 200 members.

Sister Christine said the Benedictines of Erie, who no longer wear a habit, have retained an emphasis on prayer and community even as some members have moved away from the monastery to live in houses in small groups. The convent currently has three women in formation.

Sister Carole said she doesn’t necessarily see lower numbers of women religious as a negative.

“I think we’re going through a pruning period,” she said. “I’m not sure we should have been as large as we were in the 1950s.... Religious life was never intended to be an enormous number of people. It’s really a very small, powerful, laser-like focus of people. I don’t think we want to interpret what is happening today as diminishment or in a negative way. I think we’re being reshaped for a new age.”

Sister Carole is seriously wrong. When Vatican II was hijacked by the faithless relativists and One-Worlders in the 1960's and 1970's, God's children could have used a lot more priests and nuns with the guts and the strength of faith to stand up to the "reformers" and fight for all the traditions that had always done what they were supposed to do: Help save souls!

Instead, just when we needed nuns to be exemplars to young women beseiged by sexual insanity, they threw off their chaste habits and decided to look "normal". I have news for you, kiddies. Normal stinks!

Normal is the lowest common denominator of a corrupt and decadent world. Instead of heeding Christ's words locating His kingdom elsewhere, nuns decided this world was what was "relevant", and only by becoming normal women could they relate to the laity. How exactly did that work out for you, Sisters? Don't bother answering. The devastation all around us speaks volumes!

However, Varacalli said those who see new life coming to the church in the form of more traditional orders would argue that there are countless women who would dedicate themselves to religious life if only the church would extend a strong invitation. Thus, he said, the shortage of sisters is artificial and caused by progressive Catholics in charge of religious life.

Have Mercy on Thy Church, Lord. Forgive us for the arrogance and pride that cloud our minds and will keep us from discerning and obeyng Thy Will.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Dominic, a priest and founder of the Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominicans in his honor. St. Dominic created his order to combat heresy and convert souls by harmonizing the intellectual life people's everyday needs. He is also the patron of astronomers. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading for the Feast of St. Dominic is Jeremias 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 14: 22-36.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

Steelers Update.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Offensive line intact, healthy
How good is the Steelers' offensive line? Left tackle Marvel Smith gives a matter-of-fact answer.

"I don't see why we can't be the best line in the league."

Maybe it already is. It was good enough to win a Super Bowl and has returned intact for a second consecutive year.

"That's big," said right guard Kendall Simmons. "We've all been together, played all last season together. We should be able to grow from there."


Steelers' Brooks apologizes
Offensive lineman Barrett Brooks apologized to the Pittsburgh Steelers for his weekend arrest on charges he fled from police on his motorcycle, but said the chase resulted from miscommunication and not any wrongdoing.

The 34-year-old backup lineman for the Super Bowl champions was charged with fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and other traffic violations Sunday. He was taken to Allegheny County Jail, according to Pittsburgh police Sgt. Dennis Washington.

Police said Brooks drove recklessly around a police car and didn't stop, causing officers to chase him for about five minutes. Brooks also drove through a red traffic light and a stop sign, Washington said.

Brooks wasn't intoxicated, but wasn't wearing a helmet while on his motorcycle, police said.


Steelers: No bike ban for Big Ben
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said he won't try to add a ban on motorcycle riding to Ben Roethlisberger's contract, even after the quarterback was seriously injured after a crash in June.

"I think you need to trust your players," Rooney said during an interview before NFL owners meetings in Northbrook, Illinois. "I think everyone probably learned a lesson from what happened."


Steelers can't wait to see Holmes in lineup
He sat out a practice because of a sore hamstring. He was introduced to the NFL by being tackled hard by cornerback Bryant McFadden during a supposedly non-contact practice.

He also dropped a couple of passes and several punts during a sloppy Pittsburgh Steelers practice that didn't please coach Bill Cowher.

A bad opening week of camp for first-round draft pick Santonio Holmes, the former Ohio State star receiver who couldn't seem to keep himself out of trouble after being drafted in April?

Not at all.

There were missteps and missed plays, and some incorrect pass routes that were quickly corrected by Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward, who has become Holmes' training camp mentor. But the Steelers weren't disappointed with Holmes, who figures to play an important role this season now that former starting receiver Antwaan Randle El is with the Redskins.

Since the Steelers began practicing July 30, Holmes has repeatedly flashed the speed that helped him catch 53 passes for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Buckeyes last season. Several times, he beat the cornerback covering him off the line of scrimmage, leading to a wide-open catch or an obvious pass interference.

Sure, she's French. But look at her! Laetitia Casta (Part Eighteen)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

It Takes A Village To Staff A Gestapo Unit Update.

US Senator Hitlerly Schicklgruber (N-NY) may have been too clever by half with her "triangturbation" strategy. The psychotics on the left, (who, while psychotic, are not sociopaths like La Schicklgruber and her once-again hubby King Goober II) are sharpening their long knives as we speak (and Hiterly caterwauls).

Boston Herald: Hatin’ on Hillary: N.H. Dems lambaste Clinton

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Dick Bennett has been polling New Hampshire voters for 30 years. And he’s never seen anything like it.

“Lying b**** . . . shrew . . . Machiavellian . . . evil, power-mad witch . . . the ultimate self-serving politician.”

Heehee!

No prizes for guessing which presidential front-runner drew these remarks in focus groups.

Is Edwards running again? He was Kerry's bitch...Bobby "You've heard of my dad and his futile crusade against Democrass babykilling" Casey wants to be Harry Reid's bitch, but he's running for the US Senate...

But these weren’t Republicans talking about Hillary Clinton. They weren’t even independents.

These were ordinary, grass-roots Democrats. People who identified themselves as “likely” voters in the pivotal state’s Democratic primary.

And, behind closed doors, this is what nearly half of them are saying.


Ewwwwww! Democrasses behind closed door! Blasphemy! Buggery! 'Bortion!

“I was amazed,” says Bennett. “I thought there might be some negatives, but I didn’t know it would be as strong as this. It’s stunning, the similarities between the Republicans and the Democrats, the comments they have about her.”

Bennett runs American Research Group Inc., a highly regarded, independent polling company based in Manchester, N.H. He’s been conducting voter surveys there since 1976. The polls are financed by subscribers and corporate sponsors.

He has so far recruited 410 likely voters in the 2008 Democratic primary, and sat down with them privately in small groups to find out what they really think about the candidates and the issues.

His conclusion? “Forty-five percent of the Democrats are just as negative about her as Republicans are. More Republicans dislike her, but the Democrats dislike her in the same way.”

It has been some time since I sat in a PoliSci class, kiddies, but those are serious negatives.

Hillary’s growing brain trust in the party’s upper reaches already knows she has high “negatives” among ordinary Democrats. They think she can win those voters over with the right strategy and message.

But they should get out of D.C., New York and L.A. more often, and visit grassroots members.

There is one tiny problem with that. Queen-for-life Hitlery doesn't much like the little people. And it shows...

Like she was wearing a flashing red light on her head.

Because we’re not talking about “soft” negatives like, say, “out of touch” or “arrogant.”

We’re talking: “Criminal . . . megalomaniac . . . fraud . . . dangerous . . . devil incarnate . . . satanic . . . power freak.”

Satanic.

Ha! Silly pollster. Democrasses don't believe in Satan.

And: “Political wh***.”

(Note: I don’t usually like reporting such personal remarks, but in this case you can hardly understand the situation without them. I have no strong personal feelings about the senator.)

There are caveats. Any survey can be inaccurate or misleading. And 55 percent of ARG’s sample was either neutral or positive about Sen. Clinton. Thirty-two percent currently say they plan to vote for her in the primary.

But Bennett says he’s never before seen so many N.H. voters show so much hatred toward a member of their own party. He’s never even seen anything close.

He believes top national Democrats are missing this grassroots intensity. Instead, he suspects, they are blinded by poll numbers, which give Hillary a big early lead based on her name recognition.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, agrees.

“There is far more anti-Hillary sentiment in the Democratic Party than the pollsters understand,” he says. In the race for the nomination, “she is ripe for plucking,” he says.

Ewwwwwww! As if anyone could get close enough to do that!

Sen. Clinton’s team could not be reached for comment.

New Hampshire is small, but it’s a bellwether state with clout.

Its primary probably holds the key to the Democratic nomination. And New Hampshire, alone, swung from Bush to Kerry in ’04.

It’s hard to see any Democrat winning the White House without carrying the state in the presidential election. And it’s hard, right now, to see Hillary carrying the state.