Pope Visit Czech Republic

Czech-Teens styling the Countries latest Fad for the Pope: Ornate & Modest

The Pope receiving a gift, and undoubtedly smiling for the modestly clad teenagers gazing at him

Holy Father Calling For "Truth" In Catholic Universities

Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the Czech; Pope Benedict held a meeting in the famous Castle of Prague and took the opportunity to speak on Catholic higher education: “I address you as one who has been a professor, solicitous of the right to academic freedom and the responsibility for the authentic use of reason, and is now the Pope who, in his role as Shepherd, is recognized as a voice for the ethical reasoning of humanity... The freedom that underlies the exercise of reason, be it in a university or in the Church, has a purpose: it is directed to the pursuit of truth, and as such gives expression to a tenet of Christianity which in fact gave rise to the university....Indeed,” he continued, “man’s thirst for knowledge prompts every generation to broaden the concept of reason and to drink at the wellsprings of faith. It was precisely the rich heritage of classical wisdom, assimilated and placed at the service of the Gospel, which the first Christian missionaries brought to these lands and established as the basis of a spiritual and cultural unity which endures to this day.”
Digging into the thorny issue of academic freedom in universities, and the autonomy usually claimed by the academic world, Pope Benedict said that the proper autonomy of a university finds meaning in “its accountability to the authority of truth.”

Pope Benedict spoke of "the mending of the breach between science and religion," He concluded his thoughts by saying: “An understanding of reason that is deaf to the divine and which relegates religions into the realm of subcultures, is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures that our world so urgently needs. In the end, ‘fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom." CNS

Catholic Femina Speaks: Catholic Universities have been dropping like flies throughout the twentieth century and have declined even more through out the twenty-first century... still people every where are still funding these institutions that do not teach the truths that Holy Mother Church teaches. I am glad that the Pope has made a stand on his authority as the head of the Church to make these institutions accountable to someone. Cabrini College trying to promote homosexual agendas; Notre Dame giving Obama an honorary degree all in the name of the Catholic Church. Evidence has revealed that one's course of study does impact one's faith, and when a good intending individual attends a college that has the name "Catholic," while there is no Catholicity in their university. The new Newman Guide to Choosing A Catholic College has been released, and the schools on the list show "accountability to truth" as the Pope has demanded and a truly Catholic University. The United States Catholic Council of Bishops should follow the Pope's lead and protect the Church from Universities that ignore Church teachings. Catholic is not a club, rather a tradition of morals and beliefs to uphold. Pope Benedict calls for truth and to be Catholic is to want nothing less.

Belief in God Not Growing

Catholic Femina Speaks: It is disturbing to hear how Christianity is declining in the United States, while Atheism is nearly doubling. It is also sad to see how New England is loosing it's Catholic identity; an area with once over 50% Catholic has dropped to less than 36%."The decline of Catholicism in the Northeast in nothing short of stunning" said Barry Kosmin a leader in the study of religious patterns. This drop has shifted the Catholic center of the US to the southwest with their growing number of faithful due to the influx of Hispanic immigrants. I believe that we are going to see an even greater drop in those identifying themselves as Catholics in the New England area since the United States Bishops have been taking a stronger stand against pro-abortion politicians, falsely claiming Catholicity. Many people who are culturally Catholic will flee if the truth is taught.

Is DOMA Catholic? Or An Invasion On the Church?

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage as a "legal union between one man and one woman for purposes of all federal laws, and provides that states need not recognize a marriage from another state if it is between persons of the same sex." Thirty-nine states have passed legislation and constitutional amendments to protect marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Thirty-five Catholic lawmakers are not backing DOMA; these same lawmakers have a track record of pro-abortion, anti-family voting... One Nation Under God

Catholic Femina Speaks: Is DOMA Catholic? When I first hear about amending the constitution to define "marriage," I thought this was a good thing... After giving it some more thought, I came to the conclusion that this was not to beneficial for several reasons.
First: As a Catholic I do not recognize marriages by the state, only sacramental marriages. Federal rulings on marriage is taking from the Church to give to the state, and I am opposed taking Church power.

Second: Once the government has the power to define marriage, they can redefine marriage to be anything that they want. It is much easier to change existing legislature rather than introduce new stuff.

Third:I know that it is difficult for people to comprehend, but marriage is not a tangible entity, it is a spiritual bond between spouses, only the married couple by their expressed sacrifice of self in marriage validates a marriage not the state. Thus, defining marriage to mean a union between X and Y is pointless because the state cannot know the intentions of the persons involved to validate the marriage.

The Catholic Cammpaign For (In)Human Development

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has been funding organizations that are contrary to the morals and beliefs of the Catholic faith. The evidence provided is accurate and needs to be addressed immediately.
Here is a list of the groups funded by the CCHD advocating abortion or prostitution, or both:
1. The Chinese Progressive Association -- CPA
CPA has been funded by the CCHD for the last four years and was scheduled to receive $30,000 this year. Its 2008 voters guide urged Californians to vote against proposition 8 and proposition 4 requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortions.
2. Los Angeles Community Network -- LA CAN
CCHD has just defunded this organization which was to receive $40,000 this year. LACAN promotes same-sex marriage, contraception, and the morning-after pill.
3. The Rebecca Project for Human Rights
The Rebecca Project, funded by the USCCB for the last four years, joined Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations in signing a “wish list” of reproductive priorities for President Obama to carry out during his first 100 days in office. This list includes proposals to increase funding for contraception and abortion, defunding abstinence programs, and the end of the Mexico City Policy.
4. The Women’s Community Revitalization Project
This organization was scheduled to receive $30,000 from the CCHD. It is a "coalition partner" of WomenVotePA, which advocates abortion, the morning-after pill, contraception, and same-sex "marriage."
5. Young Workers United
Scheduled to receive $25,000 from the CCHD. It publicly supports abortion, same-sex "marriage," and the legalization of prostitution. Their 2008 voters guide opposed proposition 8 and proposition 4 in California. The organization also advocated decriminalizing prostitution and urged and advised San Francisco voters to adopt proposition K.

Another important detail was mentioned by LifeSiteNews.com in its report. The
CCHD cannot fund or defund any organization without permission of the local
bishop, according to the CCHD director Ralph McCloud. This means that the
scandal of CCHS grant-making is not just the problem of the USCCB staff, it is
the problem of all the bishops who sign off on funding for groups like the Los
Angeles Community Network in their dioceses.

Rob Gasper, the founder of Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, is to be congratulated for his investigation. I hope he will continue his investigation into lists of CCHD grantees from earlier years -- I am sure he will find more of the same, unfortunately, for Catholics around the nation whose money was being ill spent. Inside Catholic
Catholic Femina Speaks: We as Christians are called to give of our time, talent, & treasure... and as my husband says "if you want something done right you have to do it yourself." The day of blindly paying organizations to care for the poor and under privileged without investigating the evidence of the organizations morals is ending. People are going to have to go out get their hands a little dirty... find out where their "treasure" is going and confirm that funds are used to support good organizations. There is no better assurance that you are supporting a good Catholic organization than investigating it yourself. The USCCB is not a reliable stamp of approval. Simple questions such as what organizations do you support? Or is Planned Parenthood involved with any of your affiliates? These are good starter questions before supporting a cause. I was shocked over the ACORN scandal, but this is much worse... our bishops have blindly given the stamp of approval to an organization that undermines morality. The Culture of Death has infiltrated the Catholic organizations and the faithful must look before they give. We are responsible for where our money is spent. If our donations are used for abortions, then we are paying for abortions. If donors are interested in where their money is spent, and check up on these organizations less of these issues will arise. People will be more careful to avoid scandal and bribes. Pray for the leaders of the Church, and help them by being interested in the happenings around your diocese.
For Others on this Topic...

Stop The "Sheep Stealing" It's Politically Incorrect!

In a recent statement the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops is calling for an end to evangelizing... they have claimed this is an effort to have Christian unity. The USCCB has said:

Proselytism, or the deliberate targeting of another Christian or group of Christians for the sole purpose of getting them to reject their church to join another, is not allowed. Some people may feel called in conscience to change from one tradition to another, but “sheep stealing” is unacceptable! The term proselytism originated in the context of Judaism, in which the term proselyte referred to someone who, coming from the gentiles, had passed into the Chosen People. So too, in the Christian context, the term proselytism was often used as a synonym for missionary activity. More recently, however, the term has taken on a negative connotation, to mean the promotion of a religion by using means, and for motives, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel; that is, which do not safeguard the freedom and dignity of the human person. It is in this sense that the term proselytism is understood in the context of the ecumenical movement."

Second Vatican Council Says:

Our separated brethren, whether considered as individuals or as Communities and Churches, are not blessed with that unity which Jesus Christ wished to bestow on all those who through Him were born again into one body, and with Him quickened to newness of life-that unity which the Holy Scriptures and the ancient Tradition of the Church proclaim. For it is only through Christ's Catholic Church, which is "the all-embracing means of salvation," that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation. We believe that Our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, in order to establish the one Body of Christ on earth to which all should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the people of God … When the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been gradually overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist, be gathered into the one and only Church in that unity which Christ bestowed on His Church from the beginning. We believe that this unity subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time … Baptism therefore establishes a sacramental bond of unity which links all who have been reborn by it. But of itself Baptism is only a beginning, an inauguration wholly directed toward the fullness of life in Christ. Baptism, therefore, envisages a complete profession of faith, complete incorporation in the system of salvation such as Christ willed it to be, and finally complete in grafting in Eucharistic communion. Catholic Culture

Catholic Femina Speaks: In a Nut Shell: It is not politically correct to have a religion..."Christianity" is just a general term that expresses you believe in the Trinity and a version of the Bible with an Old and New Testament. It gives no commitment to a set of traditions or a set of moral parameters that a religion sets down. People want to think that their conscience formed or unformed is enough of a spiritual compass to lead them to salvation. Right and wrong is not politically acceptable; everyone is right in one way or another. Furthermore since everyone is right then every religion is right and anyone who disagrees with this is in the wrong.

The Truth Revealed: Ecumenism (or non-Catholic religions) is a large part of the world... Christ told us to preach the good news to all the world. Now the USCCB is telling us not to "sheep steal;" because it is not politically correct. This is in contradiction to the Vatican Decree on Ecumenism and is also in opposition to the Second Vatican council as quoted above. We are called by Christ to share our faith, "let your light shine," "proclaim the good news," etc. Understanding other faiths is a challenge, we understand that Christ established the Catholic Church and He said "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." this is the way to heaven that has been revealed to us. Christ gave us the responsibility to be the shepherd to St. Peter; and through apostolic succession this is carried down to our present pope: Benedict XVI. There was never a Shepherd's clause that read don't save those sheep that are following a false shepherd! The USCCB has called "Christian unity a goal that won't happen over night." Even though the Catholic church has successfully reunited millions of Christians with the fullness of the faith annually. I have never considered leading Christians to Christ "sheep stealing," and I never will. Following the commands of Christ and the teachings of the Church are the best way to find a path to heaven. Sharing the faith is not politically correct, but it is the best way to live out the gospel.

Wierd News: Frosty Shrapnel Removed from Man's Lung

RALEIGH, N.C. - Doctors say a North Carolina man who was plagued with coughing fits should be OK now that they have removed a 1-inch piece of plastic from his lung, where it had rested since he apparently inhaled it nearly two years ago while sucking down a soft drink at a Wendy's restaurant. Doctors at Duke University Medical Center say the plastic fragment of an eating utensil — with the Wendy's logo still legible on the side — was likely to blame for the coughing, fatigue and pneumonia spells that plagued John Manley for almost two years. They pulled the fast-food foreign object from Manley's left lung during a Sept. 10 surgery. The 50-year-old Wilmington resident said he probably inhaled it while gulping a drink from Wendy's. NBC

Catholic Femina Speaks: He inhaled the end of his spoon while drinking his frosty?!! If this was a flavor it would be Shrapnel. I love Frosties, but I don't ever eat the spoon... I guess this was a die hard Wendy's fan. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "fast food kills!"

Cabrini College: Not Really Catholic

Cabrini College, a “Catholic” university has started a new effort for diversity. “The work the Diversity Task Force will do, includes a campus-wide assessment, as well as a study of best practices among colleges and universities,” said Dr. Cynthia Halpern, professor of romance languages and co-chair of the task force. “The Office of Student Diversity Initiatives strives to empower students of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome differences in age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic background and geographic origin," Melissa Waters, director of Student Diversity. This expensive new add-on will encourage increasing the number of African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native-Americans (ALANA), and also the amount of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender students (LGBT.) This college has overlooked the teachings of the Catholic Church in regard to homosexuality and this movement is contrary to the faith. The Loquitur

Catholic Femina Speaks: First, Cabrini is not a Catholic college. Just because Catholic is in your title does not make your teachings Catholic. This action is contrary to the faith and this college is not on the Newman guide to Catholic colleges, for good reason. Secondly, I can not be classified as ALANA; but I would be angry that I was lumped with LGBT to be added for diversity. Students are free to attend what ever school they choose and their race should not be the deciding factor if they are seeking real equality. Furthermore my third point, why have an “Office of Student Diversity Initiatives?” College is expensive enough, cut out the pork… funding this ill-thought out anti-Catholic program costs the students more money and makes it harder for students to attend college. If you are looking for a Catholic University, don’t look to Cabrini.

French Preschool Teacher Bites Child?

French court has fined a preschool teacher $1,450 for biting the cheek of an allegedly unruly 4-year-old during a bathroom break. The court in the Normandy town of Lisieux handed down the fine Wednesday over the March 2007 incident in the nearby town of Houlgate. The teacher had denied the boy's claim and said he had been misbehaving. The ruling came after a medical report showed a bruise on his face.The school reprimanded the 48-year-old teacher weeks afterward. In keeping with French judicial practice, the court didn't identify the woman because she is still teaching. MSN

Catholic Femina Speaks: I could not believe this story... I have a three year old, and she is adorable, wonderful, imaginative, and a fibber. As all preschool age children she likes to embellish the truth. On occasions she has told me that her stuffed toys came to life, I feel sorry for the humiliation this woman had to go through over a toddler's accusation. Any court that would take the testimony of a four-year-old over an adult is an abomination. A child of four is bound to have multiple bruises at any time from normal activity, and as this was not a bite mark and there was not reasonable evidence of contact I find this story absurd.

45% of Doctors Plan to Flee Obama Care!

Catholic Answers has posted a questions: Would doctors consider leaving their practice if Obama care goes into effect? The numbers have been calculated and an overwhelming 45% of physicians would leave their practice because they could not offer quality health care in the purposed plan.

Catholic Femina Speaks: Good doctors would flee form this horrible plan, because they could not in good conscience give the care that they should to patients. QALY is a means to give souls a monetary value. Persons created by good have infinite value and the government wants to use productive to determine value in order to weed out those who cost more and produce less. The end of private health care is evident, and worse the Christian doctors will be forced out as well because they will not be able to practice without committing a sin. Doctors are going to be faced with some very scary ultimatums if this Obama care goes through.

ACORN: Aiding to the Sexual Assault on Children

ACORN, (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) calling the actions of some of its employees “indefensible,” has suspended advising new clients as part of its service programs and is setting up an independent review to see what happened.

ACORN chief executive Bertha Lewis said in a written statement that she was “ordering a halt to any new intakes into ACORN’s service programs until completion of an independent review.” Big Government

ACORN has been against bank mergers and has supported institutions that give them pay-offs such as WaMu and Country-Wide. This "supposed non-profit" organization has been carrying on under-handed dealings for a long time and this exposure should help debunk the whole organization. The exposing of the long-term extortion committed by peoples' groups for billions of dollars should merit an audit of Federal Reserve Board, ACORN's partner. Lew Rockwell

Catholic Femina Speaks: The above video is one of two in which ACORN tax advisers giving incite to a man disguised as a pimp... he wanted to expose the inner working of the ACORN organization. This YouTube video has successfully shut-down the organization for the present time. The federal government has been supporting ACORN with federal funding, it is amazing how knowledgeable this "tax adviser" is on smuggling children into the country and keeping under the radar. The ACORN agent appears comfortable in the environment and tries to aid the pimp in the demise and sexual assault on children. The Federal Reserve board hides organizations such as ACORN and the American people no longer want to sit by waiting for government intervention. The people in this Youtube have successful infiltrated the ACORN and revealed it's rotted core and evil intentions. More investigations such as this need to take place so that government will have to audit the Fed!

Lighter Note: America's Got Talent has Ave Maria

Catholic Femina Speaks: I loved cancer survivor Barbara Padilla's performance of the Ave Maria on America's Got Talent!

School Warning Unpatriotic

The ACLU and other critics of the 117-year-old Pledge of Allegiance are pushing for legislation that requires all public school students be given a "Miranda warning" that informs them of their right not to recite the words and instead remain silent. Should schools be required to inform students that they have the right not to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Fox Forum

Catholic Femina Speaks: Should American children pledge allegiance to our country's flag in public schools? This is the flag of the country paying for their education, and I believe that they should show some appreciation to the country that made it possible for them to receive an education. Besides most kids in public school do not know what the "Miranda Warning" is; and it is really a waste of school time. Kids do understand please and thank you... pledging allegiance to our country is letting the men who have died for our country know it was not in vain.

MTV Does Worship Satan

The 2009 Video Music Awards on MTV were held this passed week... No one expected the night to be an evening of Christian virtue. The media has been in an uproar over Kanye West's outburst during Taylor Swift's award acceptance. West was in the wrong, he appeared on the new Jay Leno Show to apologize and stumbled over his words.Historically West has behaved poorly, it was a shame that it had to take away from Swift's award. This instance has grown so out of proportion that president Obama came out to call West a "Jackass;"(and he did not mean democrat...) I am ashamed that our president would resort to name calling; and it shows America that Obama is not much better than West.

The most disturbing part of the evening has been over-looked by the liberal media and the unchristian president... Jack Black lead a prayer to Satan. Black was promoting a new video game: Brütal Legend "Dear Dark Lord Satan" to bless the rock star nominees with "continued success in the music industry." Singers and attendees held hands and bowed in prayer. The display was abhorrent. Many are calling the ploy a humorous joke, but this move offensive and the whole thing has been ignored. Christian Press

Catholic Femina Speaks: Invoking Satan is no joke, Ouija boards, tarot cards, and especially praying to Satan offend God. I feel sorry for the embarrassment of Taylor Swift, but I am more concerned with the offensive actions towards Christians every where. These artists literally sold their soul to the devil praying to him, and asking him to give them success. The actions of Jack Black need to be addressed and the Video Music Awards should apologize to Christians; but the media is not talking about that, and Obama didn't call them a "jacka$$!" Christians are readily persecuted by the liberal media and no one takes note any longer. Actions such as these cannot be ignored any longer and Christians need to contempt for this behavior

Catholic Sports Hall of Fame

The Holy See announced yesterday that they are opening a sports hall of fame. The Vatican has hosted countless competitions and dozens of high-caliber athletes -- most of them lay employees, some of them monsignors and popes.

"Because so few people know about the sporty side of the Vatican and because much of it is oral history that needs to be preserved, one Vatican employee has decided to publish his research. Roberto Calvigioni, department head of sound engineering at Vatican Radio, spoke with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, this summer about the soccer champs, black belts, tennis aces and cycling stars who will appear in his book, which, he explained, is still in the works. Pope John Paul II obviously stands out as the most athletic pope in memory: He was an avid skier, soccer player, swimmer and hiker. Sports are played at all levels of the vatican and even today's Vatican employee teams have monsignors from the Secretariat of State and various Roman Curia offices as well as the Swiss Guards, lay employees from Vatican Radio, the post office, the Vatican newspaper, the museums, the library and even the Sistine Chapel choir. All battle it out for the 'Vatican Cup' and the 'Super Cup' each year." CNS

Catholic Femina Speaks: I love the idea of a Catholic sports hall of fame, athletes are such as big part of young peoples lives it is important to give recognition to those who uphold the Catholic faith. The above picture is of bishops hanging out in a baseball locker room before mass in with the pope. I would love to be able to watch a Vatican sports match or see the USCCB take on the Swiss Guard... I hope that this will be open to the public soon.

Grown Man a Victim of Abortion

"James Pouillon today joined the approximately 4,000 other victims who will be killed today because of abortion," said Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life.

"The taking of all innocent lives must stop. I call on the leaders of the so called 'pro-choice' movement to condemn this killing and to consider all of the people who lose their lives to abortion every single day."

"Mr. Pouillon was known as the 'sign guy' because he had the courage to show people what abortion really is," said Janet Morana, Priest for Life's Executive Director.

"This brutal murder will not deter pro-lifers from continuing to expose the horror of what abortion does, not just to the baby who loses his life, but also to the mother who lives with the truth of abortion the rest of her life."

"In the Fifties and Sixties, people lost their lives to secure the civil rights of those victimized by discrimination," added Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Now, James Pouillon has lost his life in the civil rights cause of the 21st Century, the struggle to protect the right to life of every single person, born and unborn. Mr. Pouillon has not died in vain; the struggle will only be renewed because of his courage and sacrifice." EARNED MEDIA

Catholic Femina Speaks: The culture of death is not solely interested in the demise of unborn infants, this is evident in their targeting elderly and less fortunate. Americans need to be weary of Planned Parenthood, Government health care, and anything that seeks to end the lives of Americans at any stage of development. James Pouilon is a victim of these organizations and his death was because of them. He is a martyr for life and will continue his work in heaven. I know that abortion supporters are ignoring this death because they have idealized abortion and do not want to see it for its fruit: murder.

Obama Lied to Kids...

President Barack Obama gave his speech to the public educated children of America, and in his speech he quoted his book which indicates his parents were married living for two years as husband and wife. Obama told the school children of American that his father "abandoned" his mother when he was two years old. Obama's mother is quoted in his book, Dreams From My Father: "When your father graduated from UH [University of Hawaii], he received two scholarship offers. One was to the New School, here in New York. The other one was to Harvard. The New School agreed to pay for everything – room and board, a job on campus, enough to support all three of us. Harvard just agreed to pay tuition. But Barack was such a stubborn bastard, he had to go to Harvard. How could I refuse the best education? he told me. That's all he could think about, proving that he was the best…" World Net Daily did an investigation into the story, and revealed facts that this is entirely untrue! Ann Dunham left her husband when Barack Obama, Jr. was less than a month old and moved to Washington where she attended college in Seattle. There is no indication of Dunham working in college, or how she paid her bills. The address on the birth announcement wast Obama's grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, this was published in the Honolulu newspapers. Barack Obama Sr. maintained a separate bachelor pad at an address closer to the University of Hawaii.There is no indication that Dunham and Obama Sr. ever lived together, furthermore there is no indication that Dunham or Obama Sr. ever visited each other while she was in Seattle and he was in Honolulu.

Catholic Femina Speaks: I have no qualms with the fact that Dunham raised Obama as a single mother, it takes a lot of courage to raise a child on your own. To claim that she was abandoned by her spouse when in fact the opposite is true; is another story. Obama's mother was not a lovely wife living with her husband when he abruptly left them, as he has led America to believe. She in fact never lived with her husband and as the above time line indicates Dunham moved away. I know that the Obama administration is full of lies, and this may seem like a minor detail... but is a direct attempt to deceive people into sympathising with him. The president wants Americans to believe he has been in their shoes and felt their pain. Even if the whole story is a carefully concocted lie. I know that American want the truth and it hurts that our president would be so low as to try to manipulate the children in difficult divorce situations. But one thing is evident, President Barack Obama knows no limits and will use all means to move his agenda forward.

Life League Ad Challenges Bishops to Stop Obama Care

As Obama prepares to address the nation Wednesday on his health care plan, American Life League has challenged the nation's Catholic bishops to be prepared to shut down Catholic health care and make it clear that they prefer this action to compromising with the intrinsic evils currently contained in various Obama care proposals. "Obama speaks tonight. Christ speaks always. When it comes to health care reform which road will our Catholic bishops take?" the group asked in a Washington Times ad. The ad highlighted six principled positions Catholic-supported health care must include: opposition to abortion, contraception, sterilization, human embryonic stem cell therapy, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Judie Brown, president of American Life League, the country's largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organizationBrown said. "Embrace Obamacare and sell the soul of the Church to government bureaucrats and politicians or embrace the Faith and be prepared to shut down Catholic health care rather than participate in intrinsic evil. We ask the bishops to unite behind Christ and His teachings now while there is still time to have a positive effect on the road ahead."

The ad quotes Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) who in 1997 said:
“The words of the Bible and of the Church fathers rang in my ears, those sharp condemnations of shepherds who are like mute dogs; in order to avoid conflicts, they let the poison spread. Peace is not the first civic duty, and a bishop whose only concern is not to have any problems and to gloss over as many conflicts as possible is an image I find repulsive. "For the American bishops, the choice is simple," Pewsitter

Catholic Femina Speaks: Not all the bishops support the current health care bill; in fact none of the bishops should since it does not line up with the truths of the Catholic faith. Bishops have been calling for health care reform in the name of the Catholic Church, but this is not an issue of faith... it is a mark of socialism. I undoubtedly believe that the beginning of Obama care will mean the end of private health insurance. It will be allowing the government to have power to choose the life and death of Americans. It will seek to remove God from the lives of man and replace Him with a plan to end lives of anyone less than productive. This plan to turn human souls into commodities. Bishops need to speak out against this and work to defeat this attack by the Culture of Death.

Mexican Police Take down Hijackers

Five men were arrested in Mexico when they briefly hijacked an Aeromexico plane landing in Mexico City. The Mexican news reported the hijackers were Bolivian citizens demanding to speak Mexican president Felipe Calderon. The hijackers were all taken from the aircraft in handcuffs by Mexican police. The passengers and crew were all unharmed. Yahoo News

Catholic Femina Speaks: The Mexican Police know how to handle hijackers, go in with guns blazing and take the guys out quickly before anyone gets hurt. The world needs to take note of efficiently they handled the situation. Everyone is safe, no major injuries and it was all so quick that the criminals didn't get the chance to hurt anyone.

This Ad Reminds Me of Obama Care

Catholic Femina Speaks:When I see this commercial it makes me think of the Obama care... you really have to ask the right questions, or there will be a lot of unpleasant surprises later.

Swine Flu Edict For Connecticut Catholics

The threat of Swine Flu is bringing change to Catholic masses in the Norwich diocese, in Connecticut, effective Sunday. Bishop Michael Cote has ordered pastors to discontinue the sign of peace and drinking from the same cup. Also, communion will be taken only by hand instead of by mouth and there will be no hand-holding during prayers. This is the first time the diocese has implemented mandatory swine flu precautions. The diocese says the changes are temporary, but will continue as long as the threat of Swine Flu remains. NBC Local News

Catholic Femina Speaks: So hand holding during mass has stopped when pigs flu… I find this practice of holding hands very distracting, and people get so offended when you don’t hold hands with them, and unnecessary. “Stopping the sign of peace” in mass is not possible, but prohibiting shaking hands is fine. People do not need to shake hands to express the exchange of Christ’s peace; shaking hands is just an add-on for people to make them feel good and serves no real purpose in the mass. Prohibiting receiving from the cup does not hurt anyone, the fullness of the body of Christ is found under both species and there is no need to receive from the cup. Not receiving from the cup does not lessen the individual’s holiness. The reception of communion on the tongue is important; furthermore there are more germs on your hands than in your mouth. The priest is not supposed to touch the tongue during the distribution of communion on the tongue, but when distributing communion on the hand they do touch the hand. I know a lot of people who are very scared of the swine flu but changing the most reverent form of receiving the Eucharist is not a valid means for protection. I hope that the faithful will understand that even though this has passed there is still a need for reverence in Church. If you cannot receive Communion on the tongue, then you must make a conscience effort to receive reverently on the hand. You are receiving Jesus not eating popcorn and this must be reflected in your actions. The swine flu scare is creeping into everything. Wash your hands and use germ-x keep the scare out of church.

ACLU To Defend Hardened Murderer On Trial

Gary C. Mitchell of Ruidoso, the president of the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, will be representing Marino Leyba, Jr. who is accused of killing his 17 year-old pregnant girl friend, Sarah Lovato; her nine month old unborn child, and her father. Leyba shot Loyato in the stomach and in the back; prosecutors are saying that her purposely targeted the unborn child. The president of the ACLU wants Leyba to plead not guilty on the grounds of insanity and will be defending him in the case. Leyba will not be charged with the murder of the unborn child because New Mexico is not one of the 35 states to have unborn child victims law in place. After the killing, state Rep. Larry Larrañaga, an Albuquerque Republican, said he planned to ask Gov. Bill Richardson to allow a debate on an unborn victims bill. Life News

Catholic Femina Speaks: If this does not open your eyes to the evils of the ACLU I don’t know what will. This man murdered three people and the ACLU wants to intervene so that he does not have to pay the consequences for his crime. The only reason that the ACLU has become involved is because this case involves an unborn baby. They want to protect anyone who murders the unborn and do not care about anyone else who might be hurt in the process. This heinous triple homicide is a prime example of why the ACLU is a threat to our society. We need to be reminded why the ACLU was formed and then look at what it has become. Lebya should spend the remainder of his life in prison. The ACLU wants this crazed killer to go free since he murdered an unborn baby and they want to promote the culture of death in all arenas. I pray that this man will not be allowed to go free and that the Americans will see how corrupt the ACLU is.

Obama to talk to School Children at Noon: What?

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

WHITE HOUSE. GOV

Catholic Femina Speaks: I understand the president wanting to talk to children, presidents in the past have given talks to kids... but not a talk like this. Our children do not need to hear about the heardships of President Obama's life or his second chances. Talking about Harry Potter and Michael Jordan just seems like a waste of time or a ploy for popularity with kids. Obama is saying that he is fixing up their classrooms and he expects great things. Children should not be confused by a president who see them as an asset that he wants to capitolize on. If they were babies in the womb he woul want to kill them; since they are sitting at a desk he will endoctrinate them to support the Obama administration.

Take your kids out of school today, or at least opt for them to miss the president's speech.