Just as a by the way, when’s the last time you stopped to pick or get a bouquet of flowers for our Lady, placing them before a statue of her in your local parish church? I’m asking you priests and bishops too!
Yikes! Baby bear given to HSH! No 50 cal. pistol needed!
O.K. The irony couldn’t possibly be more intense. LOL. O.K., so, no 50cal. pistols needed. Hah!
The Catholic League on the abuse crisis – 1st prep for upcoming bombshell post on HSH
Some Key Misunderstandings Regarding the Child Sexual Abuse Scandal and the Catholic Church
April 27, 2012
William O’Donohue, Ph.D.
Olga Cirlugea, B.A.
Lorraine Benuto, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Nevada, Reno
We are clinical psychologists (the second author is a graduate student in a doctoral training program) who have watched the sexual abuse scandal unfold over the past few decades. We have been treating sexual abuse victims (the first author for over 30 years); we have treated adults who when they were children have been abused by priests. We have been involved in cases where adults alleged that they have been abused by priests, but the priests were denying that any wrongdoing. We currently work in a university based clinic that is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice that allows us to provide free treatment to children who have been sexually abused and adults who have been sexually assaulted. Collectively, we have treated over 2,000 children who have been sexually abused and also have worked in cases where children have falsely accused others of sexual abuse. We have also published books on child sexual abuse (O’Donohue and Geer, 1989: Laws and O’Donohue, 2008). and also a number of peer reviewed journal articles. Thus, we believe we are in a position to make several points regarding this scandal that we believe that are not fully appreciated.
First, we believe that this matter is quite complex—and it needs to be seen with an appreciation of its complexity and not reduced to simple statements. Statements like, “All priests are pedophiles;” “Most priests are pedophiles;”. “The Catholic Church tried to sweep all of this under a rug.;” “Celibacy causes pedophilia;” “Children never lie;” etc are just that—simplistic, even prejudicial, views that do more harm than good. We all need to be careful that the tragedy of some children being abused by some priests are not hijacked to be used by those with secular biases or with longstanding problems associated with prejudices towards Catholics for their political agenda against the Catholic Church. This in an important sense would be a second victimization of these individuals. Below we list what we think is a more accurate understanding of this phenomenon.
A Bit of Key Background: What are the Facts?
The facts—what actually happened—are sometimes difficult to discern. These can be partially shrouded in the mists of history. People offer differing accounts. There are certainly motivations to lie or distort—abusing a child is a serious crime and serious moral failing. But there are also motivations to falsely accuse—individuals can gain significant sums of money in settlements; individuals can have a political agenda against the church, or individuals may even deny that they have abused when they actually have been, to avoid their feelings of shame or embarassment—or even to protect their abuser. The reporting of abuse and deciding what actually has occurred is, again, no simple matter.
In 2002 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned an independent study to address growing concerns about child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States. The Conference enlisted the Jon Jay College of Criminal Justice to conduct this study examining rates and characteristics of the sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. This study presents the best and most objective data on this phenomenon. The researchers found that a total of 10,667 individuals had made allegations of child sexual abuse against 4,392 Catholic priests between 1950 and 2002, and that most such acts took place between 1960 and 1984. The 4,392 priests made up 4% of all Catholic priests in the 14 Dioceses/ Eparchies in the United States.
These statistics contradict the misconception that a majority of priests commit sexual abuse and even that priests are more likely to abuse than the general population. In fact, priests offend at the similar rates as the general population. Another common misconception is that most priests committing child sexual abuse were pedophiles, that is individuals attracted to prepubescent children. It turns out that the majority of victims (almost 75%) were between 11 and 17 years of age; therefore, a more accurate clinical term for these priests is hebephiles (showing sexual preference for children in their early years of adolescence)—rather than pedophiles. The major distinguishing feature of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is that the majority of alleged victims are male (81%), while in the general population females are more likely to be sexually abused (Pereda et al., 2009). This fact also suggest that part of the problem is a hebephilic homosexual orientation on the part of priests—adolescent boys are the most vulnerable population to be victimized—which becomes a political hot potato, given the secular agenda to normalize homosexuality.
Another key difference found in the study is that a little less that half of the priests (1881) were found to be subject to unsubstantiated allegations. An unsubstantiated allegation was defined as “an allegation that was proven to be untruthful and fabricated” as a result of a criminal investigation. This rate of false accusations is much higher than found in the general population. Additionally, 23% of the priests who were accused of abuse were identified as suffering from behavioral or psychological problems ranging from alcohol and substance abuse to depression and a past history of coercive sex, although most never received treatment for these problems. This would suggest that helping priests with their mental health issues would be an important part of future prevention efforts.
More than half of the priests had only one allegation brought against them. Also, it is important to note that a few priests accounted for a disproportionate number of victims: 3.5% of priests accounted for 26% of victims. Even though an investigation was conducted almost every time a report was filed, only 217 or 5.4% of priests were charged with a crime by a district attorney. Of the 217 priests that had criminal charges brought against them, a substantial majority (64%) were convicted; but still a significant number were not found guilty. Most received probation (88%) and/or a prison sentence (73%), while 44% went to jail and 18% were fined.
Do Priests Abuse More Than Other Clergy?
A 2011 John Jay College follow-up study examined sexual abuse in other religious institutions around the U.S. and found that most evidence came from case settlements, policy changes and trials receiving media attention. For example, 10% of Protestant clergy were involved in sexual misconduct, 2-3% of which committed sexual abuse. In 2007 Jehovah’s Witnesses settled 9 lawsuits with victims alleging that the church’s policies protected child sexual abusers. The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reported 3-4 yearly lawsuits over the course of the last 10 years, which translates to allegations in .4-.5% Mormon wards. The Jewish community has founded two sexual abuse survivors’ organizations, Survivors for Justice and Awareness Center, the latter of which provides “the names of 107 rabbis accused of sexual misconduct and 279 other trusted officials (for example, parents and counselors), as well as 85 unnamed abusers”. While we were were not able to find specific numbers concerning the prevalence of child sexual abuse in other religious institutions, we hope that the previous examples serve to show that the Catholic Church isn’t the only religious establishment faced with this problem.
Did Abuse Occur Simply Because Somebody Said it Happened?
The clear and simple answer to this question, is “No”. Although we do not know the exact percentage of false reports, it is our clinical experience and the consensus in the field that the majority of children reporting that they have been abused are telling the truth. It is clear that many children have been abused by adults, including priests, and this is morally reprehensible, a serious crime and effective measures need to be put into placed to prevent this in the future. However, again, as we stated, the matter is complex. Our field, for example, does not have clear statistics regarding the percentage of adults, who allege that they have been abused as children, are in fact telling the truth. Again, we believe that the majority, but not all, are indeed telling the truth. However, adults have unique pathways to false reporting (for example, they can be motivated by money; can be suffering from adult psychological problems such as delusions found in psychosis, etc). What causes false reporting?
Lies
Children and adolescents do not always tell the truth nor are there special topics (e.g., sexual abuse) in which they are incapable of lying. In fact while we don’t know exactly how often they lie about being sexually abused, research shows that those numbers are above zero (e.g. Kendall-Tackett, 1991 and Jones & McGraw, 1987; O’Donohue & Cirlugea, 2012). Furthermore, because children at times recant (meaning that they first stated that they had been abused and later stated that they were not abused; see Bradley & Wood, 1996) we know that children sometimes claim that they have previously lied or at least were mistaken. A variety of factors can influence the likelihood of children making false allegations. For example, children may have been coached by a parent involved in a bitter custody battle to make false statements against the other parent, or may have had a personal vendetta against the alleged perpetrator (see Heaton & O’Donohue, 2012 for a full explication of pathways to false allegations). It’s important to note that children can also lie by claiming that the abuse did not occur when in reality it did. This is more likely to happen if the child was threatened or coerced by the perpetrator.
False Memories
Beyond lying, false memories can also be formed. In fact, well over 100 scientific research studies have shown that both children and adults can and do form false memories. This research was spurred by the infamous McMartin Day Care case in the 1980s Manhattan Beach, California in which over 360 children alleged that they were abused, often in bizarre ways (for example, placed in planes and forced to watch babies being fed to sharks). In what was then the longest and most expensive criminal trial in California history, all parties were found not guilty. Dr. Michael Maloney examined the interviewing of the children and found that the interviewer used improper methods to question the children and that these were extremely suggestive, biased, and which lead to false memories on the part of the children. This spurred a number of academic research studies which attempted to understand what causes and how easy it is to form a false memory.
For example, in a study conducted Ceci and Liechtman (1992) young children were told that a visitor, Sam Stone, was clumsy and always broke thing that were not his. When “Sam” came to visit the children he did not touch or break anything. The next day the children saw a soiled stuffed bear and a torn book. Even though no child had seen Sam do anything, when asked a quarter of the children (25%) hinted that he might have had a part in the problem. Even though the children had not seen Sam do anything, their prior experience of being told that he was clumsy mixed in with their actual experience of observing him and they concluded that he might have had a part in the torn book and soiled bear.
In addition, over the next ten weeks the children were asked misleading questions/statements by the first interviewer such as, “I wonder if Same Stone got the teddy bear dirty on purpose or by accident?” On the tenth week, a second (seemingly independent) interviewer asked what had happened to the toys. The majority of children (72%) accused Sam of having ruined the toys, and nearly half of the children (45%) reported that they remembered seeing Sam do it. Thus the children’s new experiences (being interviewed and having it suggested to them that Sam Stone dirtied the teddy bear) are mixed into the memory of the past event (when Sam Stone came to visit).
Adults are not except from forming false memories. In fact, among adults research has demonstrated time and time again that eyewitnesses often confuse misleading post-event information with what they have witnessed (e.g., Steffens & Mecklenbräuker, 2007) thus developing false memories. Elizabeth Loftus of the University of California, Irvine has consistently found that about 25% of adults are so suggestible that fairly simple suggestions result in significant false memories of events that in fact did not occur when they were children (e.g., that they were lost in a mall).
Repressed Memories
A repressed memory is a memory of some major event that while initially stored in memory (for example, while it is occurring—is allegedly completely erased (allegedly by some sort of process beneath awareness), often for decades, that suddenly emerges often after some triggering event. Historically there has been much debate regarding the existence of repressed memories (McNally, 2003) despite the large amount of scientific evidence that clearly shows that repressed memories simply don’t exist (McNally, 2003; McNally, 2004; Piper, Pope, & Borowiecki, 2000). Furthermore research studies that involve traumatic events that have been verified as having actually occurred indicate that people do not forget their trauma (Pope, Oliva, & Hudson, 1999) and instead traumatic events are actually quite memorable and can even lead to the development of PTSD for many victims (McNally & Geraerts, 2009). McNally and Geraerts (2009) further discuss evidence that suggests that some repressed memories are simply not plausible due to their fantastical nature (e.g., space alien abduction) and usually surface after a problematic recovered memory procedure.
Despite the scientific evidence, the legal system has used repressed memories to convict people, including priests, on charges of child sexual abuse. For example, the Massachusetts Supreme Court affirmed the conviction of Paul Shanely (a defrocked priest accused and convicted of sexually abusing a child who later recalled this abuse and alleged repressed memory) despite an amicus brief signed by almost 100 distinguished psychologists and psychiatrists essentially categorizing the repressed memory phenomenon as junk science (FMS, 2009).
Conclusions
Children have been abused by priests and it is clear that this is a terrible betrayal of trust, a serious injury to these children, and a criminal as well as a moral failing. However, an examination of the best studies suggests that priests abuse at about the rate found in the general population; and that it is not clear that Catholic priests abuse children at a higher rate than other clergy. Certainly, beliefs that “most priests abuse” or that priests are more risk to children than other individuals, are not justified. Second, the pattern of abuse is rather unique: individuals who are victimized by priests are more likely to be adolescents and males. Thus, clinically these are cases of homosexual hebephilia rather than pedophilia—i.e., adolescents are being abused rather than prepubescent children. This does not make it any less of a crime or a moral failing—but it does suggest that an improved understanding of who is at risk which can be particularly important in future prevention efforts. Thirdly, there is evidence that priests have a higher rate of false and unfounded allegations than adults in the general population. Less than half of the allegations were found to be substantiated and even with those that were criminally prosecuted a large number—nearly a third—were found not guilty. This raises important questions about the phenomenon of false allegations. Evidence is reviewed regarding the formation of false memories, and lying for secondary gain. In addition, there is concern that cultural prejudices against the religious and particularly against Catholics can come into play.
Thus, we conclude by warning against a rush to judgment. Concern for past victims, and intelligent prevention efforts to reduce the rate of abuse to zero, certainly must be prioritized. But should also be a priority to make sure that prejudices against priests or against the religious, or against Catholics do not come into play to demonize innocent individuals and to besmirch what can be a noble profession and an important cultural institution.
References Continue reading
Filed under abuse
Thomas Jefferson the Patriot vs. Obama the Anti-American (a must read)
From a reader’s email: Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.
- At 5, began studying under his cousin’s tutor.
- At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
- At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
- At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
- At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
- At 23, started his own law practice.
- At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
- At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America” and retired from his law practice.
- At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
- At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
- At 33, took three years to revise Virginia’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
- At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
- At 40, served in Congress for two years.
- At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
- At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
- At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
- At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
- At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.
- At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.
- At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
- At 65, retired to Monticello.
- At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
- At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
- At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams.
Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:
John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement:
“This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”
- “When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” –Thomas Jefferson
- “It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.” –Thomas Jefferson
- “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care ofthem.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” –Thomas Jefferson
- “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” — Thomas Jefferson
- “To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” –Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property -until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
Filed under politics
Obama the genocidal racist
Perhaps some might think I should be arrested for this.
Instead, think of it this way.
Obama supports Planned Parenthood’s placement of abortion mills in poor, black neighborhoods, guaranteeing the elimination of the black population.
Remember this post: http://holysoulshermitage.com/2012/05/04/black-genocide-president-obama-vs-pastor-clenard-howard-childress-jr/
Gilligan’s Island and the Seven Deadly Sins (Bringing the analogy another step)
The creator of Gilligan’s Island, years after the end of the show, said that he had made the characters analogies of the seven deadly sins:
- The Professor – Pride
- Thurston Howell III – Greed
- Ginger – Lust
- Mary Ann – Envy (of Ginger’s looks)
- Mrs. Lovey Howell – Gluttony
- The Skipper – Anger or wrath
- Gilligan – Sloth
Of course, these are pretty easy to spot and, we might think, avoid, not trusting so much on the grace of our Lord, but on ourselves, because, you know, we’re so clever at seeing these obnoxious things at the ready (or at least we should), right?
And what happens then, with all this trusting in ourselves? Well, we fall a little bit here and a little bit there, not so much, perhaps, but enough to get frustrated, for if we depend on ourselves, we cannot avoid falling. But it doesn’t strike us that we are trusting in ourselves so much because the seven deadly sins are so obvious that, well, that we don’t have to turn to God to avoid them, right? And so it goes, falling a little bit here and there. And then, discouragement, depression, despair… Crash!
With that in mind, let’s review a very short piece of prose that was sent in by a Western North Carolinian. It was first published when the Titanic first sailed (by the way):
This story comes from a research conducted on Ruth Coleman, formerly of College Walk in Brevard, North Carolina. Ruth was a resident there for quite some time. She was highly respected, admired, and adored by her close friends. She also was a published author back in the 70’s and 80’s, in the publication known today as Guideposts, a faith based publication. Guideposts is still published and appreciated by many devoted readers and subscribers.
The Devil’s Auction was originally written by Mr. Roedel Rathvon about 1911. Copyrighted in 1912, the story was published in Guideposts Magazine in 1952.
The Devil’s Auction by Roedel Rathvon
It was once announced that the devil was going out of business and would offer his tools to anyone who would pay his price. On the night of the auction they were all attractively displayed, and a bad looking lot they were. Malice, envy, hatred, jealousy, sensuality, deceit, and all the other implements of evil were laid out, each marked with its price. Apart from the rest was a harmless looking wedge-shaped tool, much worn and priced much higher than the others.
Someone asked the devil what it was. “That’s discouragement” was his reply. “Well, why do you have it priced so high?” “Because,” replied the devil, “it is more useful to me than any other tool. I can pry open and get inside a man’s consciousness with that when I couldn’t get near him with any other tool, and when once inside I can use him in whatever way suits me best. It is so much worn because I use it with nearly everyone; as very few people yet know that it belongs go me.” “You say you use this wedge of discouragement with nearly everyone-with whom can’t you use it?” The devil hesitated a long time and finally said in a low voice, “I can’t use it in getting into the consciousness of a grateful man.”
It hardly need be added that the devil’s price for discouragement was so high that it was never sold. He still owns it and he still uses it!
Of course, Satan is the father of lies. He can’t sell us our sin or weaknesses because those are the only things that we can honestly say are our own!
At any rate, Jesus transforms all these weaknesses into the cross which He commands us to recognize and carry, not looking at them, but looking to Him, following Him. We know with ease just how weak we are because of how he has invited us, drawn us, to His good friendship, to the redemption and salvation He enthusiastically provides.
All the justice, all the mercy, all the goodness and kindness. Nothing is overlooked. Our Lord is just so very majestic in His resurrection, bearing those wounds on His risen body, wounds which are not an incrimination but an invitation to know Him, love Him, adore Him, glorify Him, actively, unapologetically believe in Him. He provides the wherewithal, His grace, His life within us. He is just that good, just that kind.
Filed under Catholic, Spiritual Life
Update [Good news, but...]: Urgent prayers right now for a little girl… oh my… oh my…
Her head is totally swollen and the skull ready to bust as the brain has swollen. No more pain killers either. The pain is horrific. And… and…sigh… she is on an island with no hospital capable of doing an operation and is now being transported by plane across the Pacific to another island where they will attempt the operation… if she arrives alive… God can and does work miracles, if we only ask. Please ask. Hail Mary…
UPDATE 11 May 2012 7:25 AM: No news at all. The flight is long and arduous. Being in a different country presents all sorts of new problems with phones, etc., not to mention everyone being in a tumble of being distraught mixed with hope and stress and prayer and… Hail Mary…
UPDATE 12 May 2012 4:15 AM: The family wants to please thank those who have prayed for this little girl. The family wants you all to know that she pulled through. However, the ordeal is not over, the first battle was the major one. — Thank you so much and please do keep praying. – Now her father has fallen seriously sick and he looks after seven children aged sixteen down to just one years old. A member of the family makes the plea for you to pray for them as this is really hard: a daughter is fighting for her life and now her father is terribly sick. One continues to trust and the family is sure that the Lord is taking care of them all. /// Many have been praying the Emergency Chaplet to the Immaculate Conception.
The mother said to thank you and let you know they are praying for ye as well.
This girl is a member of a family praying the Saint Michael prayer for me. Would you say it, please, once for my intentions and then once for all of ye who are praying this prayer? Thank you!
Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis,
satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute in infernum detrude.
Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle; be our protection
against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Filed under .
Mary, Mother of God, Mother of Priests, Benefactors, Important Books, Florae (of sorts)
Thanks to E.R., who sent in a totally unsolicited financial contribution to the Hermitage. But that was the least of it. Also included was a picture of Mary, Mother of God, Mother of Priests, above. But there is much more. E.R. also enrolled yours truly in he Sacred Heart Association of the Salesians in Rome (Masses, Rosaries, etc.). Very wonderful. I need all the prayers I can get. Thank you, E.R.
C.W. sent in the important and timely Finis Vitae, about the illegitimacy of organ transplants, for which it is falsely claimed that the patient is “dead”, and for which, by the way, they want the patient alive for the best organ viability. The patient is killed with the removal of the organs.
Methods of killing the patients in the U.S.A. might seem genteel, and so family members are confused. In places like China, you just get a bullet to the forehead, organs are harvested and then the rest is sent to Germany where they continue their hitleresque experiementations. Oh, I forgot. Germany stopped taking the corpses when they realized that the “patients” weren’t even patients, but rather healthy political prisoners, such as priests and bishops faithful to Rome. But I digress. Get this book and it’s accompanying pamphlet, or at least the pamphet, which will help you to make the right kind of statement about what you want to happen at the end of your life, helping to ensure that proper morality is followed. Really, get the pamphlet. This is just one of those things you have to do: HERE. When you get that, and see it, you’ll want to get more for others and bring it up in your parish…
Here’s a book I didn’t put on the wishlist. I wanted to get it immediately. This book was only just NOW printed. I think I might have gotten the first copy. Yikes! This is a book I’ll want to study well. It’s Father Gordon MacRae who told me about it over the phone. There are two major studies of cases, with one of those being Father Gordon MacRae. Yikes again! More on this in future posts, please God. This is an essential book for the new evangelization. If there is no justice, there is no believer in mercy. That’s as simple as I can put it. For your copy at Amazon: HERE! Just get it. Scroll down on this page of TheseStoneWalls to see comment 6 of the author.
Now, on to a different topic. Here’s a picture of some local bamboo. Being from Minnesota, I know nothing about it. Is there a way to keep it from spreading where you don’t want it? I think it would be the ideal firewood for meals in the summertime: Light, easy to cut, extremely hot and quick fire. But, is there a surefire way to keep if from taking over a few thousand acres within a short amount of time?
This is… what? I think it’s a comet’s tail or star something…
Get the books.
Filed under Benefactors, books, florae
New Traditional Oratory of Saint Philip Neri being founded in Cincinnati
Click the picture to enlarge. To go to their awesome website: HERE!
This is a wonderful initiative of the New Evangelization. Vocations, anyone!
The Oratory of Saint Philip Neri has always been on the cutting edge of evangelization. They want people in heaven!
I know one of the founding members. This is really very good for the Catholic Church in the U.S.A.
Filed under Catholic, seminarians, Vocations
Terroristic threat to HSH in NC to “right” the “wrong” of claiming Victory! for the “one man & one woman = marriage” amendment in North Carolina
Too sad. It took less than an hour for the threat to come in to the comment box.
At first glance I thought the bitter, though highly educated language used might be just a bit of frustration from a militant “gay” faction.
But then I saw the name of the website that this fellow entered into the comment form. It seems he sells highly illegal, highly lethal, concealed weapons that. are. just. so — how to say it? — “gay”, but lethal nonetheless, a kind of doubled anti-personnel throwing knife/hatchet.
It seems he wants to overturn the “one man & one woman = marriage” vote in North Carolina by way of violence… “soon”.
Filed under homosexuality, Pro-Life, terrorism
VICTORY! One Man & One Woman = The Only Kind of Marriage in North Carolina
Of course, it’s the only real marriage anywhere. This has to do with the Natural Law. North Carolinians got it right. Very cool!
The Vatican Widget arrives at Holy Souls Hermitage. We’re official!
So, there we have it. Unfortunately, there is no way to use javascript on WordPress.com, which is hosting HolySoulsHermitage.com. Only HTML is allowed. Unless one of you readers who is a WordPress.com wizard has a workaround for this. But I’m not holding my breath. It would be cool to have it up and running just above Jenny the Jeep on the sidebar…
Of course, Holy Souls Hermitage was vetted for this, so that’s kind of like a nihil obstat and an imprimatur, right? Well, not exactly. It is what it is. Maybe that makes me eligible for future Vatican blognics with the Holy Father! Yikes! Well, maybe not. Maybe if I were to in Rome, I could just go.
Suggestion: If anyone does have a workaround, or a way to do what they do with a widget but using only HTML code, that would be very helpful to pass on to them. Send it to me to test! Does anyone have, for instance, HTML code that can be used for something simpler, like a headline scroller widget? That would work, and would open Vatican.va to a gazillion more sites. Anyone want to give that a shot?
Filed under .
UPDATE: The Holy See and… Firefox 12? That’s what it looks like to me.
click to enlarge
UPDATE: Here are the browser percentages for Holy Souls Hermitage:
So, what browser is best?
Our Lady Mediatrix of all graces… Today? ALSO today!
This is from a French-Roman style “fiddleback” vestment made for yours truly when I was a chaplain in Lourdes for a couple of years by a wonderful group of ladies from a parish north of Toulouse, whose pastor was concerned that a chaplain in Lourdes responsible for reinstituting the Extraordinary Form of the Mass was surely to have the proper vestments. I think that, in fact, the new vestments were made using bits of pieces of vestments which had been discarded from Lourdes when the shrines suffered wreckovations on every level imaginable. I sure did and do make good use of these vestments to this day!
I received a number of emails from readers in different parts of the world saying that today is, in their local or monastic calendars, also by way of indult, the feast of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces.
I think it was in 1960 that a group of Discalced Carmelite Fathers from the Teresianum made their way to the Apostolic Palace for a private audience with Pope John XXIII, requesting that the Pontiff finally declare, by way of Apostolic Constitution, our Lady to be mediatrix of all graces, reflecting what we read in Sacred Scripture and the Fathers of the Church and note in the liturgy and writings of the saints throughout the ages. Blessed John XXIII replied, to their disappointment, that this was unnecessary, given that there is no one who questions this about our Lady anywhere in the universal Church.
Such a statement is, however, one more rather significant example of this belief that can be noted by subsequent Pontiffs in their reflections on our Lady. As it is, I think various and sundry people have counted some dozens of times that a subsequent Blessed Supreme Pontiff went a step beyond this title of mediatrix, using the phrase co-redemptrix for our Lady, namely, of course, Blessed John Paul II.
Many are offended by this title for the reason that they understand neither original sin nor the immaculate conception of our Lady, and therefore cannot begin to fathom her being the mediatrix of all graces, much less co-redemptrix.
The offense that many of what I would call neo-conservative seminarians and young priests is entirely emotional, that is, it issues from the passion to be politically correct with those who take offense for “ecumenical reasons,” etc. This is both intellectually dishonest and flippant in regard to their mother, the theology* regarding whom they should take more seriously because she is their good mother who loves them so much. Moreover, the fact that a beatified sucessor of Saint Peter should have insisted so much on this title should give them pause to reflect that brow beating others into rejecting our Lady both as mediatrix and co-redemptrix is really rather ugly and obtuse. (*Theology studies God and other things and persons inasmuch as they are related to God. Mary is Mother of God!)
Back to our Lady as Mediatrix! — Briefly: Because Mary was immaculately conceived and therefore had an agility of soul and clarity of vision that was perfect, she could take in, she could understand what was happening to her Son on the Cross. In seeing all the hell which we vomited out on her Son on the Cross, from the first man, Adam, to the last, she could see, in looking upon Him, exactly what we needed from her Son by way of Redemption and Salvation. Seeing this perfectly, her heart being pierced with a sword of sorrow (as Simeon prophesied so many years earlier in the Temple), she could therefore have the capactity to intercede, to pray for us perfectly. All she had to do was to be in solidarity with her Son of the Cross. And she was. This makes her, so to speak, mediatrix of all graces. She does not stand between God and ourselves. There is only One Mediator between God and Man, the God-man Jesus Christ, Mary’s Son. Yes! That’s true. But, think of it this way: is it not appropriate that there be one of us, Mary, who prays for all that which her Son wishes to provide to us? Yes, in justice, this is most appropriate. It is most appropriate that she who is the Mother of the Head of the Body of Christ intercede for us that she might then become also the Mother of all the members of the Body of Christ, for she is Mother of entire Christ, Head and members. Understanding this maternal aspect of her prayer, it is natural to use the title Mediatrix with our dearest Mother. She is such a good and kind mom or mum as some say.
But what of the title of co-redemptrix. Surely that is inconvenient for ecumenical relations. Surely we are to brow-beat others into submission of accepting that this is ultra-exaggerated piety of the fringe conservatives who do not know how to be aloof from being with Jesus as little children of Mary, who do not know how to build consensus at ecumenical gatherings. Sigh…
Once — my dear seminarians and priests (and bishops!) reading this blog — once we explain, catechize and most importantly show our unrelentingly respectful and joyful appreciation of our Lady, being brought up into Jesus’ own love for her, it is this, in fact, which will bring many into the Church.
There are many evangelicals and other non-Catholics, even pagans, who have begun to recite the rosary. I hear of them frequently enough. Take that in… reflect on that… The harvest is ripe! How to begin? First of all, be utterly joyful and thankful to our Lady. Thank her. Say it to her, out loud! Do it! “Thank you, Mary, for being my mother!” Didn’t do it? Can’t do it? Out loud? It makes a difference. There can be a bit of a mental block. “That’s so childish!” No. Childlike. That’s what good sons of their mothers do. Just say it, out loud: “Thank you, mom!” “Thank you, mum!”
I bet that made you smile, didn’t it? I bet it did!
Happy feast day!
Filed under Immaculate Conception
O.K. I’m TOTALLY humiliated. What an embarrassment. “Bears are our buddies!” Sigh…
“Buddy” the bear…
Sigh. I’ve gotten quite a number of emails with incredibly wonderful and detailed advice about guns and dogs and all the blood and guts that goes along with all that. I’m remembering all the stories at “BEAR ARMS” shooting range the other day. I remember all the advice I got from an ex-black ops guy who hunts bears for six months of the year. I was going to put up a special post with all that info… and then… and then… I received this email from a young lady up in Canada. It’s had me laughing since I got it:
Dear Father George,
I’m from a smallish town in northern Ontario, where it’s not at all unlikely to have black bears wandering through our backyards. As well, I largely put myself through school by working as a fish & wildlife technician (and had a special interested in the management of large predators during my studies) and needed a bit of bear safety training as part of that.
I can only really think of two scenarios where firearms were necessary to maintain safety during human-bear encounters. The first, obviously, involved being on the crews that removed nuisance bears from people’s properties. The second involved one of the methods of estimating black bear populations, which involved hanging bait on trees along our bear lines and then returning a couple weeks later to check for activity – which isn’t really the safest activity in the world.
In general, though, it’s pretty easy to avoid black bear encounters (which I’m assuming are the only species your dealing with? ), even in bear country. Here are some tips you might find useful: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Bearwise/
Simply making sure your food is stored in sealed containers (and similarly safely disposing of garbage) would probably go a long way to avoiding any unwelcome visitors.
As well, you know, we actually had an old family friend who had a “pet bear” – I’ve attached a picture. It started when she decided to start feeding the bear ground beef and, as far as I know, grew to the point of feeding several bears. She was never attacked. Though, of course, trying to keep bears as pets is a really bad idea, and feeding them by hand is an even worse idea.
Still, there’s really not much to worry about, as long as bears are treated with respect.
Regards
Laughing and laughing and laughing out loud! So… O.K. I give up altogether. I’m going to go pick some flowers for the Immaculate Conception:
I’ve been trying to work on a couple of killer projects — for which I’ve been asking your prayers, thank you! — thinking that I might be on to something rather significant. You know, blood and guts everywhere. But then I’m brought back in line from thinking that it’s pretty jawdropping to have seen so much blood and guts, and not run away… even though I totally thank our Lord for that grace. You have to understand that from time to time I remember that there’s a young lady whose seen all the hell in the world, and was much, much braver than all of us guys put together: the Immaculate Conception. By her very purity, her clarity of vision, she saw ALL the hell unleashed on Calvary against her divine Son, our Lord, blood and guts everywhere, from the first man to the last. The greatest thing I can do in this short life is to pick some flowers for her, our Mother. I’m still laughing!
Forget rottweilers and 50 caliber pistols to take out the bears invading the hermitage. I’ve got a thurible!
This is just too cool. Thanks to Dismas and his hermeneuticalness.
Besides Philip, another gentleman today recommended a 50 cal. pistol to take out bears, saying that I wouldn’t need two shots. Just one would be way more than enough.
Filed under faunae
C130 Angel Flight training over Holy Souls Hermitage
Didn’t we just now mention the angel flight?
You can’t see it in this picture, but there’s another itsybitsy instructor’s plane out front of this C130, turning this way and that, up and down, all around, unsuccessfully trying to lose the C130. Way cool! The Angel Flight is the one which brings home the HRs. An honor to pilot this flight. This pilot training up on the C130 must have been quite the ace pilot in our recent conflicts. Yikes!
Filed under Military
Bishop Jugis and Bishop Burbidge on voting FOR the one-man & one-woman marriage amendment
One video is Bishop Jugis, one is Bishop Burbidge. Chapeau to fellow North Carlinian seminarian Philip
Filed under Pro-Life, separation of church and state
Thomas Peters’ excellent take on the North Carolina 8 May Marriage Amendment
Thomas sent me an invite to LinkedIn. I’ll have to investigate such as that, and FaceBook, and other things at some future date, perhaps! At any rate, this was an occasion to visit his site: Thomas Peters
Opponents of North Carolina’s Marriage Protection Amendment have completely given up the effort to defeat the amendment on the issue of marriage.
Instead, they’ve chosen to put all of their TV money into ads claiming that the Marriage Protection Amendment will somehow make it harder for the law to protect unmarried women who are the subject of domestic violence. These opponents are even avoiding calling the amendment what it is, instead preferring to call it simply “Amendment 1.”
The Vote FOR Marriage NC coalition, which is organizing the effort to pass the amendment, organized a press conference of local law enforcement officials debunking these false charges and also released a TV ad in response to the opposing sides’s claims. They also link to this study which provides more scholarly and legal evidence that the Marriage Protection Amendment will take away no common sense protections:
On April 18, three professors of law at Campbell University School of Law issued a report called “The Meaning and Potential Legal Effects of North Carolina’s Proposed Marriage Amendment.” In their report, the legal scholars state, “same-sex couples would still be protected under domestic violence laws…and could continue to receive public health insurance benefits.” The professors were speaking as independent legal experts and not on behalf of the university.
“The study by the law professors is the second analysis of our opponents’ claims that has concluded they are false. Opponents of this Amendment know that they are fighting an uphill battle, and as a result, have sadly decided to take North Carolinians on an emotional roller coaster,” said Fitzgerald. “Greensboro News & Record editorial writer Doug Clark studied the claims and concluded ‘they’re crying wolf.’”
North Carolina law (General Statutes 50B-1) provides wide-ranging protections for citizens against domestic violence that are not dependent on the victim’s marital status. Out of the extensive six different sub-categories outlined in this statute, even roommates qualify under these protections regardless of marital status. [Vote FOR Marriage NC]
There are more signs that the movement to redefine marriage is failing to get traction in North Carolina, besides the fact that opponents of protecting marriage have given up their attempts to argue on the grounds of marriage anymore.
For one thing, opponents of the amendment have taken to sign destroying as their primary grassroots activism, it seems. While this is hardly a new tactic for their side, the scale is impressive — roughly half of the pro-amendment yard signs around the state have been stolen or vandalized, according to a campaign spokesperson.
If that’s not “signs” of a desperate movement I don’t know what is.
And so, despite editorials by the New York Times claiming the amendment is nothing more than “bigotry”, and despite the fact that opponents of the amendment are outspending supporters by at least a 2-1 margin (not to mention all the favorable coverage they receive from the media), the amendment appears to be heading towards a win next Tuesday, according to all the recent polls.
Why? Because of a winning coalition of Catholics (bishops and lay people), Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, African Americans, Republicans and Democrats, and a deeply committed and professional campaign (which, I’m especially happy to see, has been utilizing social media very well).
Early voting continues in North Carolina through Saturday and then everyone goes to the polls next Tuesday, May 8th. If you live in the Tar Heel State or have friends and family who do, please choose to support marriage and pray for the protection of this institution, which is a precious gift of God to society.
And join me in watching the poll returns on the night of next Tuesday on Twitter…
UPDATE — by the way, I forgot to mention Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for May: “that initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.” Bravo, North Carolina papists!
Filed under politics, Pro-Life, religion, separation of church and state
What, pray tell, is this on my woodstove? And a request…
No. His name is not “dinner”… breakfast, perhaps, but not dinner.
A request: I have a couple projects I’m working on today. Might I request that Saint Michael prayer once again! Thank you so much!
Filed under faunae
Analysis update: Semper Fi is right! Laughing out loud! Obama and the Marines
h/t Zed. Did I ever mention that my father was a Marine in Guam, Philippines, Japan, China and Korea…. and Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and… I learned the phrase Semper Fi from him as a very little boy. That stayed with me always. My father headed up the famed Checkerboard squadron…
Analysis update: See the comments. Yikes!
SEMPER FI! SEMPER FI! SEMPER FI!
On bears and dogs and… saints! Rottweilers are GREAT!
How about a dog that scares bears to scare any bear that comes by? Rottweilers are a great dog. But then there’s Saint Seraphim of Sarov…
But… but… I’m not a saint! Of course, you have to feed dogs… And Rottweilers are huge, and eat alot. I have eggs, but they would eat a dozen a day! Hmmm… I could have more chickens what with the rooster doing his job…
Filed under faunae
VIDEO UPDATE: Wow! God bless our Veterans! Such a tear jerker… Yikes!
HSH supports our Vets!
VIDEO UPDATE: see comments for behind the scenes video. The pilots wrote this.
Filed under Military
A gun’s too expensive. But I’ve found a way to kill a bear in the hermitage!
After all, I have a fire extinguisher, if I need it.
But where does one get a flame thrower like this?
HERE, for a picture of the bear.
UPDATE: Lots of suggestions coming in. Thanks for that. There’s one I need advice about. Very inexpensive. A super hot — Kodiac Bear grade — pepper spray. I’m thinking that bears are basically blind anyway. Their anger and momentum would have them kill you before they would decide that they don’t like the pepper spray. Wouldn’t it be like a tooting a vuvuzela while standing on the highway, just feet away, seconds away, from being run over by a tractor-trailor? Ineffective? Dunno. There certainly do seem to be many brands of super-hot pepper spray…
Luke 24,1 – But at daybreak, on the first day of the week… Totally ad orientem…
Dead tired with sorrow, hearts ripped out of them, carrying the weight of the entire universe, hardly able to see at that early hour, not least because of the tears streaming from reddened eyes, walking past the cross to the tomb…
Luke 24,6 – Why do you seek the Living One among the dead?
SURREXIT DOMINUS VERE! ALLELUIA!
For the lyrics in Latin and English, click here:
Victimae paschali laudes
immolent Christiani.
Agnus redemit oves:
Christus innocens Patri
reconciliavit peccatores.
Mors et vita duello
conflixere mirando:
dux vitae mortuus,
regnat vivus.
Dic nobis Maria,
quid vidisti in via?
Sepulcrum Christi viventis,
et gloriam vidi resurgentis:
Angelicos testes,
sudarium, et vestes.
Surrexit Christus spes mea:
praecedet suos in Galilaeam.
Scimus Christum surrexisse
a mortuis vere:
tu nobis, victor Rex, miserere.
Amen.
Christians, to the Paschal victim
offer your thankful praises!
A lamb the sheep redeemeth:
Christ, who only is sinless,
reconcileth sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended
in that combat stupendous:
the Prince of life, who died,
reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
what thou sawest, wayfaring:
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
the glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
“Bright angels attesting,
the shroud and napkin resting.
“Yea, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he will go before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen,
our new life obtaining;
have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen.
It’s outside of the Octave, yes, that’s true, but I couldn’t resist.
UPDATE: (a few minutes later)
What kind of hand gun would take down a bear in the hermitage at point blank range?
I took this picture on Holy Souls Mountain road coming back from town today.
Disclaimer: I know nothing about guns other than having one aimed at me in Nicaragua back in the 1980s by Marxist knuckleheads, but I digress.
Question: Would a round or two of perhaps not so well placed 180 grain hard cast lead flat nose gas checked .357 magnum bullets stop the critter, that is, if fired from a non-alloy, steel gun?
A rifle would be too unwieldy in the hermitage. Something small.
As a kid, I ran around with a .22 rifle and various types of shotguns, neither of which are all that effective with bears. It seems that one comes crashing about every month or so right near the hermitage. If a bear figures he can get free food in the hermitage, what then? Don’t forget, I have plastic sheeting for many of the walls and for the door!
UPDATE: N.S. sends in these links: – Read this. - Listen to this - Yikes!
[My guardian angel is saying: "What about me? I'm better than a gun!"]
Filed under faunae
FULL moon at Holy Souls Hermitage (I wonder if the werewolf hunting dogs from hell are going to return)
Remember these guys?
Filed under .
Spring cleaning (with updates)
Taking the good example of Father Gordon MacRae, I’m thinking of doing a bit of spring cleaning today! I’ve had this good intention before and failed. We’ll see!
UPDATE: 12:43 PM. The constant invasions of chickens are not making this easier!
UPDATE: 2:15 PM – In the pictures above, one is looking over the stove and under the stove from almost the same place. In the top picture you can see a chicken outside my front and only ”door”. I’ve done no spring cleaning since, instead, I had a wonderful phone call from Father MacRae. We were again cut off at the 30 minute mark. That’s how the recorded and monitored calls work. We were able to take care of quite a bit of business this time round. I have some tasks to accomplish and then go to town as a follow up on the phone call. So, that will delay spring cleaning until later this afternoon! Yikes!
UPDATE: 4:00 PM – Letters sent to Father MacRae. Picked up the mail and what did I find?
That’s for the brown recluse spider bites, I’m sure. Please note that the onslaught did not start… yet. And hopefully it won’t. I’m no longer in the loft of the barn, but up in the hermitage, well, not that there’s that much difference! Thanks to the benefactor of the iodine! Of course, this can also be used for any chainsaw injuries. Hopefully there won’t be any of those either.
My first use of iodine was putting two or three drops in a glass of water over in India, killing all the beasts before drinking them up with the water!
UPDATE: 8:00 PM – Back at the hermitage. The chickens are tucked in for the night. A bit of wood was gathered and broken up for a quick fire for a meal tomorrow morning. But as to the spring cleaning. No. Way, way too tired today to launch myself into that. And tomorrow’s Sunday. And, it’s already Vespers… So, forget spring cleaning. Some of the things mentioned in the phone call with Father MacRae have been weighing on me. Yikes! Please pray for Father MacRae. He’s been carrying a great deal. I think he’s met every world class Judas, and he’s let this make him more conformed to Christ than ever. Hail Mary…
Filed under .
The VIRTUS Child Protection Program Team: We must be militant homosexualists!
Father Gordon MacRae (About page) recommended that I read up a bit on the abuse crisis, it being that I wasn’t all that well read in all this. I was looking up the name of a key “player” when I came across a paper delivered at the Pontifical Gregorian University during a symposium in February, 2012, only very recently put up on the web, called “The True Cost of the Crisis – Piercings to the Heart of the Church.” The VIRTUS team chose to stay anonymous on paper. I suppose we could find out who they were. Sometimes it’s useful to know the backgrounds of those making the kinds of comments they make.
PRELIMINARY DISCLAIMER
I recently went through all the police checks and the VIRTUS program as part of the process of being admitted to the formation and teaching faculty at the Pontifical College Josephinum. During the question and answer session I noted a number of grave difficulties (among others) that I had with the logic behind VIRTUS. Here are a few:
(1) An actual admitted, incarcerated pedophile in the film was highly praised because of the great concern he supposedly had for the welfare of his teenage victim, whose emotional progress he had been following from prison. The message is that, for instance, priest chaplains of prisons should encourage pedophiles to follow the progress of their victims, convinced of the great concern of pedophiles for their victims. This might be considered criminal sexual stalking in some jurisdictions, all encouraged by Virtus, the “child protection program” from hell.
(2) A number of suspicious behaviors characteristic of pedophiles were listed as a way to determine if someone might be a pedophile, but it was said that two behaviors or more regarding the same person were necessary to be concerned that a person is a pedophile, so that showing porn to youngsters would not, on its own, raise any extremely grave concerns, which is just so wrong on so very many levels. Is the message here that a priest, for instance, should overlook someone showing porn to youngsters until he notes a second red flag? As I say: Virtus, the “child protection program” from hell.
(3) There was no presentation of the fact of the strong statistical indication of homosexual interest in youngsters. This non-mention is a travesty. Are priests to labor under the lie that there is no homosexual preponderance to sexual abuse of youngsters? Oh, did I mention this: Virtus, the “child protection program” from hell?
So, I already have an axe to grind against VIRTUS. That axe is pretty sharp, as you will now see:
* * *
THE 2012 VIRTUS PRESENTATION IN ROME
HSH emphases and [comments]
Before we proceed with our analysis, it is necessary that we dispel any lingering misapprehensions associated with one or more of several myths born of the crisis. These include: 1) the crisis is an American problem [I’m very happy they insisted on this, as I’ve met so many clergy from all over the world who think that this is strictly an American problem since, they say, no one outside of America would ever do anything so wicked. Sigh.]; 2) the crisis has been exaggerated by a Godless media that is antagonistic to people or institutions of faith [We’re not talking about the facts being reported, but the exaggeration, such as the premise that priests are guilty until proven innocent, such as the exoneration of priests receiving little or no coverage, etc. All that and more is the normal modus operandi. The VIRTUS team is not dealing with reality. Is there an ulterior motive?]; 3) the crisis has been instigated by avaricious attorneys whose only objective is to enrich themselves financially [Let’s rephrase that, shall we? How about: “capitalized upon by groups like SNAP and some attorneys.” Let’s not forget that the Attorney General is doing some investigations on just this point.]; and 4) homosexual orientation causes men to be sex offenders. [This is an ideological overstatement of the case. Those with homosexual tendencies must not think that their tendencies are an excuse to rape youngsters, but has anyone ever made this kind of overstatement? Their bracketed note follows in the main text:] [Nota Bene: Sexual offending is not about sexual orientation. [O.K.] The logical corollary to the proposition that homosexual orientation causes men to sexually offend against males, is that heterosexual orientation causes men to sexually offend against females. [Ooops. They stepped into the deep end with that one. Homosexual dis-orientation is a perversion of normal sexual orientation. There is no analogy to be made between homo- and heterosexual on this point.] The reality is that neither homosexual nor heterosexual orientation is a risk factor, but rather, disordered or confused sexual orientation is a risk factor [And there we have it. For VIRTUS, homosexuality is not disordered. This is a rejection of the fundamentals of Natural Law, and is a direct rejection of the teaching of the Church on sexuality. Note well, dear readers, that homosexuality is a disordered sexuality according to Natural Law and the Catholic Church. That which is disordered does not follow that which is reasonable, which is why it is in error and disordered. That which is disordered is more likely to fall into that which is always more disordered. But VIRTUS denies this. It think it is criminal that VIRTUS is allowed to proffer their perverted perspective on priests and laity. Their footnote (1) follows:].] (1) [(1) Terry K, Smith M, Schuth K, Kelly R, et al. The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, 38, 62, 63, 64, 74, 100, 102, 119. [Note well, dear readers, that the John Jay study is not charged with commenting on whether homosexuality is good in and of itself. Nor is the John Jay College of Criminal Justice charged with child protection training. This is an entirely fraudulent citation on the part of VIRTUS. To use Father Gordon MacRae’s favorite term: How Kafkaesque of VIRTUS to use the John Jay study to promote homosexuality as that which is naturally good, thus promoting a reason why homosexual activity is a good, all the while ignoring the importance of the fact that 81% of cases of sexual abuse among clergy have been homosexual.]]
In fairness[!], it should be noted that there are, indeed, elements of truth related to each of the foregoing propositions, but none on its own, nor all of them combined, can even begin to explain and fully describe the misconduct crisis. [This “fairness” statement is a misstatement in that objections to such purposed skewing of the facts by VIRTUS are not answered in this way. Also, this is misleading in that no one has ever claimed that these few points exlain everything. This is a disingenuous sidetracking of real concerns.]
Given our theological tradition of understanding sin and grace [This is code in the VIRTUS understanding of psychology prevalent in perpetrator treatment centers, a relativism which takes whatever traditions and understandings as starting points, whatever they happen to be, with all of that, however, being quite irrelevant to the salvation that this type of psychology purports to bring. The statement of “Given...” is not a given, as we have seen with their total rejection of the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, and, therefore, also on sin and grace.], we also know the crisis as a failing of human nature [Actually, that statement is a rejection of original sin and a blaming of God for creating human nature in a faulty manner, for it fails in itself, according to them. Instead, original sin has much to do with why anyone falls.] and the ever present reality of [personal] sin and temptation [the provenance of which, for VIRTUS, can range from God’s faulty creation, to other factors in society, etc.]. The negative consequences of the crisis that the Church has endured have certainly been affected by the four myths previously identified; but they are not at its heart. [Overstating the myths, and misrepresenting human nature as VIRTUS has done and continues to do, certainly does affect the abuse crisis, and for the worse, considering the huge role that VIRTUS plays. To state that myths are not the provenance of the abuse crisis is tautologous. Note that tautologous statements are sarcastic and serve only to distract one from the non sequitur “logic” being presented.]
* * *
MORE HSH COMMENTARY: That VIRTUS presented more papers than all others in the Gregorian’s abuse symposium does not mean agreement with the content of their papers, though it could. It is surely an indication that VIRTUS is an important player in the child protection program business (and make no mistake, it is big business, with lots of money involved). The politics of the Holy See in welcoming the existence of such a symposium and wishing the studies well has to be understood with a bit of romanità. Commissions of adversarial parties are frequently made with the end of letting the offending parties hang themselves. Then, perhaps, the Holy See may wish to publish a rather more judicious statement. An example of that would be the outrageous Humanae vitae commission, which was totally contradicted by Pope Paul VI.
So, VIRTUS team, don’t get your hopes up to think that you’ve won a battle for your promotion of active homosexual behavior by the clergy. Bishops who promote VIRTUS should think twice about their support for the program and its anti-Catholic premises and instructions so dangerous to those who are vulnerable. If any bishops have been requiring VIRTUS, it would be good to reconsider that, don’t you think? Yep. Do it now, before more children are hurt by VIRTUS. For the entire VIRTUS paper: HERE.
Totally awesome “Postabortion journey – walk with me” blog post: “Stepping outside of my head…” (in preparation for Mother’s Day) Yikes!
Filed under Pro-Life
The reason why Kathleen Sebelius is commencement speaker for Georgetown (her own words)
As Congressional interrogations of Kathleen Sebelius easily made crystal clear, she knows nothing about the law, zilch (see the video of the hilarious if not too sad Congressional proceedings below).
Since her expertise in anything is not the reason, the only motive for her to speak is that she is in the news as a Stalinesque figure, determined to bring an end to the religious freedom of all Catholics, Christians, Jews, and others in the United States and beyond. I was once proud to say that my father went to Georgetown Law School, but no more. Georgetown has chosen to be on the cutting edge of religious persecution.
Here she is, all in her own words:
Filed under Catholic, Persecution, politics, Pro-Life, separation of church and state
Anti-American Constitution, Anti-Catholic Kathleen Sebelius to Speak at Georgetown Commencement Ceremony
JAG sent this in from the Cardinal Newman Society:
In what can only be interpreted as a direct challenge to America’s Catholic bishops, Georgetown University has announced that “pro-choice” Catholic Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and lead architect of the Obama administration’s assault on religious freedom through the HHS contraception mandate, has been invited to speak at one of Georgetown’s several commencement ceremonies.
The Cardinal Newman Society has posted a petition to protest this outrage here: GeorgetownScandal.com. It has also alerted Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl and sent a letter to Georgetown President John DeGioia urging him to immediately withdraw the invitation.
Last week The Cardinal Newman Society released a list of 11 scandalous commencement speakers at Catholic colleges and universities, as well as a report on homosexual “lavender graduations” including one at Georgetown.
The nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university has chosen to honor Sebelius by granting her a prestigious platform at its Public Policy Institute commencement ceremony, despite her role as the lead architect of a healthcare mandate that will force Catholic institutions to pay for contraception, abortifacients and sterilization against their religious beliefs. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has termed the mandate “an unwarranted government definition of religion” that is “alien both to our Catholic tradition and to federal law,” “a violation of personal civil rights” and “a mandate to act against our teachings.”
But Secretary Sebelius’ record on abortion is at least as troubling as the mandate. When Governor of Kansas, Sebelius supported abortion rights and vetoed pro-life legislation. In 2008, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City reportedly told Sebelius, a Roman Catholic, to stop receiving the Eucharist until she publicly recants her position on abortion and makes a “worthy sacramental confession.”
PLEASE SHARE THIS EMAIL!
Filed under Persecution, politics, Pro-Life, separation of church and state
Picture diary: benefactors, brakes, grapes, florae, faunae…
What the brake line should have looked like (above) but didn’t (below)…
Driving with no brakes wakes one up pretty quickly, but the brakes are now fixed, so I’ll depend on the coffee sent in by C.W. Thanks for that!
Meanwhile, jd sent in some brown recluse spider wound post sawyer extractor bandage prep. Wonderful! Hopefully, the chickens will be vigilant in eating the spiders, though I’m killing more everyday. I guess the chickens can’t eat every spider!
The chickens will learn, of course, to stay away from this little fellow as he gets older:
And here’s one of the grape vines showing some promise:
All the world is bursting with blossoms at the moment:
Filed under Benefactors, faunae, florae
Black Genocide: President Obama vs. Pastor Clenard Howard Childress, Jr.
Click on the picture! Yikes!
Filed under Pro-Life
Trisomy 21 and a real Doctor: Jérôme Lejeune!
Click on the picture. I think his cause for beatification has opened.
This is what medicine is all about.
Just saying that while it’s still legal to say it.
Filed under Catholic
These nuns pray for there to be MORE MARTYRS! Vocations, anyone?!
http://www.tyburnconvent.org.uk/home/martyrs.html
Today’s the feast of all the Tyburn Martyrs, by the way.
Losing the brakes on Holy Souls Mountain and Attack Helicopter 64 Apaches
I spent the day in town, hoping to have had the brakes fixed after I lost all the brake fluid going around a hair-pin turn yesterday evening on Holy Souls Mountain road. It was an… um… interesting drive home after that happened. Don’t ask me how I got the truck into town to have the brakes fixed the next day. You don’t want to know. Let’s just say I know how to drive. It’s an extreme sport kind of thing.
If that wasn’t enough excitement, the neighbors kindly gave me a lift back up the mountain, since the brakes hadn’t been fixed by the end of the day. Getting back home, we heard some helicopter war games going on over the ridge on which the hermitage sits.
We couldn’t see them — as they were flying just over the trees – but we all agreed that these were surely not the usual spindlely rescue helicopters that frequently fly over the hermitage. Instead, I remember hearing this kind of engine depth when President Clinton visited Hyde Park, just north of Poughkeepsie, New York. There were, if I remember correctly, nine chinooks in that entourage. A good friend of mine was the pilot for the President’s aircraft. He was the one who drove me to the airport when I started my overseas saga in the late 1990s.
These helicopters last evening, however, seemed to be flying way too low, way too quickly to be chinooks, either dogfighting or just practicing playing catchup to the most rambunctuous of their instructors, and this, right at dusk, when your eyes rebel at adjusting to the still somewhat bright sky, but now the almost murky indistinct forest ridges below, and to the side, and above… tempted to fly by vision, reluctant to use instrumentation to survive. Good training. Personally, I think these choppers were the usual AH 64s. Way cool. Should I have bothered to rush up Holy Souls Mountain the rest of the way, I might have seen something like the picture above, only with more of them.
Filed under Military
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. I pray for benefactors daily, offering Holy Mass for their intentions about once a month. You'll have to force me to take your donations, though. Scroll down for an explanation.
