Catholic Central

RE: New Bulletin 01-01227

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:15:20 PDT

Hope all is well. Just checking to make sure you received my email with your bulletin proof? Were there any changes you’d like me to make to the design?

Thanks,

Carolyn Fraser

Graphic Designer

Liturgical Publications Inc.

cfraser@4LPi.com

800.950.9952 ext. 2489

From: Carolyn Fraser
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 12:03 PM
To: 'catholicentral@gmail.com'
Subject: New Bulletin 01-01227

Hi Fr. Hackel,

Attached is a proof of your new layout. Please let me know what you think and if there any changes you would like. All of the text, pictures, and boxes will be editable once you receive the Publisher template (during your training session with Tracie). If you see any further design changes you want at this point, I would be happy to do that.

Thanks!

Carolyn Fraser

Graphic Designer

Liturgical Publications Inc.

cfraser@4LPi.com

800.950.9952 ext. 2489

The information in this email, and any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended for the attention and use of the named addressee(s). It must not be disclosed to any person without authorization. If you are not the intended recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are not authorized to and must not disclose, copy, distribute, or retain this message or any part of it.

New Bulletin 01-01227

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:03:10 PDT

Hi Fr. Hackel,

Thanks!

Carolyn Fraser

Graphic Designer

Liturgical Publications Inc.

cfraser@4LPi.com

800.950.9952 ext. 2489

Michael Voris Threads Banned on Catholic Answers Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:05:33 PDT

http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=482182

Michael Voris was recently banned from any discussion at the Catholic Answer Forums as reported by Sancte Pater and Angelqueen.

Michael Voris founded St. Michael's Media and is the man responsible for RealCatholicTV.com. I think his recent documentary entitled "Weapons of Mass Destruction" was the last straw because it is a powerful video regarding what really happened during Vatican II and how the Novus Ordo Missae (New Order Mass) came to be.

It must be really that powerful to have it banned at a popular website such as Catholic Answers.

Hooray! The Pope Celebrates the Tridentine Latin Mass!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 04:37:54 PDT

I just can't believe it. The Tridentine Latin Mass, which has been somewhat suppressed for so many years and has been reviled by liberal priests and even bishops, as "an ancient relic", "fossil" and many other words that I don't have the time to mention, is celebrated by no less that Pope Benedict XVI himself. Word has been circulating that he celebrates the TLM in his private chapel, but it was only this afternoon that I have received confirmation of this.

According to an article from the Telegraph, Bishop Bernard Fellay, the head of the Society of St. Piux X, mentioned this during a gathering in Brazil this month. Knowing Bishop Fellay, if it is not true then he should not have acknowledged it in his speech.

Now, more than ever, we need to pray fervently to Our Lady to give our Holy Father the grace to say the Tridentine Latin Mass publicly in St. Peter's Basilica. Is he the Pope mentioned by Our Lady of Fatima? Now, I have more reason to believe so.

For more information regarding The Mass and Vatican II please consider purchasing this book:

This Book Will Blow Your Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:39:14 PST

I just received a free copy of Antonio Socci's "The Fourth Secret of Fatima", a couple of weeks ago through the guys from Fatima Crusader. I wasted no time in reading it.

The book only confirmed my suspicions. The Third Secret of Fatima was not fully revealed! Here are five reasons why I recommend this book?

The author of the book, Antonio Socci, is a mainstream Italian author and anchor man on TV. He is not even a traditionalist so I think I could vouch for his credibility.
He even defended the Vatican believing that the Third Secret was fully revealed on June 26, 2000. Through the investigation however, he became convinced that the secret was not fully revealed.
His arguments are very convincing and he has a lot of evidence to back it up.
This is the exact opposite of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" where credibility and impartiality is concerned.
He includes works from all sides of the debate making it a handy reference for research.

This book must be read by every Priest and Bishop of this planet before it is too late.

Help for Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) Victims

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:12:46 PDT

Typhoon Ondoy left the Philippines with 246 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Please do your share to help the victims by going to the following websites:

Catholic Relief Services - the official humanitarian arm of the U.S. Catholic community
Caritas Manila - the lead Catholic agency for social services and development in the Archdiocese of Manila

For Filipinos living in the Philippines you can visit this official website for a database of relief centers for donations/volunteers:

Ondoy Manila - http://sites.google.com/site/ondoymanila/

Vatican II, Bugnini and the Catholic Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:45:50 PDT

I just received an Inside The Vatican email from Dr. Robert Moynihan. He was reminiscing about his last meeting with the late Cardinal Edouard Gagnon. Cardinal Gagnon was for many years the President of the Holy See's Pontifical council for the Family and he was given a task during the reign of Pope Paul VI of investigating the Society of St. Pius X. Here is the text:

A Dying Cardinal

The Pope flew to northern Italy on Monday for his summer vacation. Two years ago, I flew to Montreal to visit Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, who was on his death-bed. I spoke to him one month before he died

By Robert Moynihan, reporting from Rome

================================

Sometimes, a story unfolds in an hour.

Sometimes, it takes 30 or 40 years.

Sometimes, it never unfolds at all. It remains a secret forever.

================================

I've had some interesting days since my last "newsflash" three days ago, but the people I've spoken to have asked for anonymity. I have to honor that, much as I believe the words of Jesus: "The truth shall set you free."

================================

One thing I can say is that the battles around this Pope are intense, and they range in importance from fundamental issues, on the one hand, to superficial ones, on the other. I'll explain in more detail in coming dispatches, God willing...

But I think it important things to keep in mind, in coming days, these points, no matter what happens:

1) the sacraments (mysteries) of the Church are channels of grace providing direct contact with the Risen Lord of History, Jesus Christ; therefore, other mystical experiences and events, no matter how seemingly beneficial or grace-filled, are of relatively little importance in comparison to these sacraments

2) the Bishop of Rome — the current Pope or any Pope, any successor of Peter — is capable, as are all human beings, of erring in prudential matters, but is guided and protected by a special and infallible charism when he defines faith and morals ex cathedra.

============================

I was a friend of the late Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, who died two years ago at the age of 89 (his dates were January 15, 1918 to August 25, 2007) (photo).

A Canadian who was for many years the President of the Holy See's Pontifical Council for the Family, Gagnon was known in Rome for his full support of the prohibition of artificial contraception in Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. (Note: The demographic collapse of the West is often attributed, in Rome, to the rejection by the West of the teaching of Pope Paul VI in that encyclical. Inotherwords, the social, cultural and historical, as well as moral and spiritual, consequences of the rejection of that encyclical have been profound.)

He died on August 25, 2007 in Montreal at the Saint-Sulpice Seminary.

On hearing of his death, Pope Benedict XVI said that Cardinal Gagnon was a "faithful pastor who, with an evangelical spirit, consecrated his life in service to Christ and his Church."

It is widely known in Rome that Gagnon went on a special mission for Pope John Paul II in the late 1980s to investigate the Society of St. Pius X, found by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (photo), in the hope of finding a way to avoid a schism, and that his mission failed.

It is now generally forgotten that Pope Paul VI gave Gagnon a different mission 10 years earlier, in the late 1970s in Rome.

==================

The following is drawn from an interesting 2007 article by Msgr. Vincent Foy, the oldest diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of Toronto, a canon lawyer by training.

"About 1977 the Pope (Paul VI) asked Bishop Gagnon to conduct an investigation of the whole Roman Curia. There were widespread rumors of corruption and infiltration by enemies of the Church. These led to the often-repeated saying of the Pope that the smoke of Satan had entered the Church [my emphasis]. This was an immense task, which took many months of intense work and many interviews.

"Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, in a (2001) interview with Latin Mass magazine, reprinted in Christian Order this year (2007), gives this account, based on a conversation of Bishop Gagnon with an Italian priest, Don Luigi Villa of the diocese of Brescia.

"Bishop Gagnon (she said) 'compiled a long dossier, rich in worrisome details. He requested an audience with Pope Paul in order to deliver personally the manuscript to the Pontiff. This request for a meeting was denied. The Pope sent word that the document should be placed in the offices of the Congregation for the Clergy, specifically in a safe with a double lock. This was done, but by the very next day the safety box was broken and the manuscript mysteriously disappeared. This theft was reported even in L’Osservatore Romano (perhaps under pressure because it had been reported in the secular press). Cardinal Gagnon, of course, had a copy, and once again asked the Pope for a private audience. Once again his request was denied. He then decided to leave Rome and return to his homeland in Canada'... (end of Hildebrand quote)

(still Foy writing) "Bishop Gagnon wrote me on June 10th, 1979, about ten months after the election of Pope John Paul II (October 1978). He said, in part, 'He (the Pope) must feel that if he started changing or contradicting the VIPs around him he would be engaged in a constant battle and would not be left enough time or strength to preach and write — all you can do for the Church is to pray and fast. We should not judge him — but I am waiting for his settling down after Poland to tell him that I am sorry for him and cannot continue working in the present set-up..."

(For a full report on this matter, see: http://catholicinsight.com/online/features/article_764.shtml)

=====================================

Having known Cardinal Gagnon, and having read these accounts of his work in the 1970s and 1980s, I was always hopeful of conducting a long interview with him. However, the opportunity did not present itself, and in the summer of 2007, I learned that the cardinal was dying. I therefore decided to buy an airplane ticket and travel to Montreal to pay my last respects to him before his passing. This is what happened...

=======================================

Two years ago, on July 22, 2007, I wrote this report to myself; it has never previously been published:

"I am writing this at 11:06 on Sunday morning in Montreal. It is a perfect summer day under an azure sky with a light breeze blowing over the square cobblestones of the piazza in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady -- Notre Dame -- in the center of Montreal.
"I first thought I would not be able to get in to see the cardinal. The courtyard was empty, a sign said the rectory was closed on Sundays, when I looked in there was no one inside, and there was no white bell. So I walked around the basilica, then inside it, spoke with an usher, and he told me I could go back to the sacristy. There, I met a priest, who told me to go back to the same door of the rectory at 116 rue de Notre-Dame. I went back, and pushed the asterisk number. No answer. Again. No answer. Then I saw a man sitting inside at the desk. He had not been there before. I knocked on the window. He buzzed and the door opened and let me in. (The following conversation then occurred.)

==============================

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am an old friend of Cardinal Gagnon. I would like to see him."

"He is very weak, too weak to see anyone."

"I called some days ago, they said I could see him briefly."

"Come, we will go and ask."

I walked behind him into the hallway of the rectory. "Wait here," he said. I waited in a waiting room. There was a Documentation Catholique on the table about the Pope's trip to Brazil.

The priest came back. "He is too weak. He does not wish to see anyone."

"But I have come so far."

"No, I'm sorry," he said. "He is too tired."

I pulled out a copy of my magazine. "Take this and ask him one last time." Reluctantly, he took the magazine, turned and went back down the hall.

Another minutes passed as I waited alone in the reading room. Then, his voice: "Robert? (pause) Robert?" I went to the door and looked down the dark hall. He was standing up on top of four stairs at the end of the hallway. He motioned to me. "Come. He will see you. But only for you to say goodbye to him, nothing more. You can only stay for a moment."

I walked down the hallway and into the room. Light was coming into the livingroom, and off to the left was a door leading in to a less bright bedroom. There, on a hospital bed with intravenous tubes set into his arms on each side, lay a very old, pale man. Two oxygen tubes entered his nostrils. It was Cardinal Gagnon.

"Your Eminence," I said. "I have come to say good-bye to you."

His eyes recognized me. "You are doing good work," he said. "I read your magazine."

"How are you feeling?"

"Very tired," he said.

"I wanted to thank you for everything you have done, the work you have done for the Church."

He barely acknowledged my words.

The priest stood in the doorway of the room. "Come away now, let him rest," he said. "Don't tire him any further."

I reached out my hand and took his hand.

"Your eminence, many years ago, you helped me. I wanted to thank you for that. You helped me at the very start of my career..."

"You have written well," he said. "Continue. Your work is important."

The other priest was insistent now. "Come," he said. "It is time."

"Your Eminence," I said, "you have done so much for the Church...."

He was silent, and his eyes closed.

"Your Eminence, you must be tired. All the struggles over the years..."

Silence.

"Robert, it is time to go," said the priest who had brought me to him.

"Your Eminence, the study you made for Pope Paul VI in the 1970s..."

He opened his eyes and looked directly into mine.

"The study that was stolen," I said.

He knew what I was talking about, I feel sure. He knew immediately and clearly.

"Did you keep any copy of the document?"

"No," he said, and I felt a great weariness in him. "They ordered me to destroy every copy," he said. "And I obeyed."

"So there are no copies of your report?"

"No," he said. He closed his eyes. He seemed enormously, extraordinarily tired. I felt like I was almost cruel, to continue to push him to think, to recall, to speak...

The other priest called to me again. "Robert," he said. "Don't ask him anything else. It is enough now."

But I had one more question.

"Is there anyone else you confided in, who knows the content of your report?"

"There is someone," he said, with a sigh, and closed his eyes as if he were going to fall into a slumber out of his great weariness.

"Who?" I asked.

"Monsignor..." and he coughed as he said the name, and a little spittle came out onto his thin, dry lips...

"Who?" I asked again. "I couldn't hear what you said..."

I bent my head closer to his lips. I put my ears only an inch or two from his mouth.

"Monsignor (name)," he said, and whispered the name. "He helped me prepare the report."

"Monsignor (name)?" I said, repeating the name.

"Yes," Gagnon said.

"Monsignor (first name) (last name)?" I said, giving both his first and last names.

"Yes," said Gagnon. "We worked together on it. He knows everything that it contained."

My heart skipped a beat. I had not obtained the report itself. But I had gotten something almost as good: a living witness...

"Go talk to him," Gagnon said. "As you see, my time remaining in this world will be brief now... You must pray for me."

"I will pray for you," I said.

"The other priest said, 'Come, come, he is too tired now..."

"Will you give me your blessing?" I asked Gagnon.

He lifted his thin, white, bony hand, where there was a long red splotch underneath the skin due to a hemorrage from an intravenous needle.

"Benedicat te omnipotens Deus, Pater et Filius et Spiritus Sanctus." ("May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.")

He moved his hand about an inch and a half, trembling, in the sign of the cross.

He closed his eyes. He was simply too tired to keep them open.

The priest tugged on my arm, and gestured with his eyes towards the door.

I left Gagnon's side and walked out of the bedroom, out of the livingroom, out into the green hallway, down the steps and out to the front door.

"You were lucky," the priest said to me. "You shouldn't have been able to see him today. I am never here on Sunday mornings. I don't know why I came down. And if I hadn't come down, no one would have been here to let you in."

"Thanks for helping," I said.

"You were very lucky," he repeated.

And he let me out the door, and it closed behind me.

Who is behind your news?

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:16:24 PDT

News giants like CNN and the BBC have definitely changed the news cycle. Back in my day, the newspaper was the main source of what's happening and if you want to know the prevailing opinion regarding certain issues. There were only two cycles then, the morning and the evening edition. Now it has become a 24 hour cycle. At home, I watch CNN and during the day the news comes from Asia and later in the afternoon, from Europe, Africa and the Middle East and at night time, the Americas, (US, Mexico, South America). Obviously if you're a news junkie you wouldn't have enough sleep with all the information that keeps popping up every second. Now more people are turning to online news websites and blogs and twitter to keep updated.

With these developments come concern about the influence the media plays in all our affairs and how the major shift from reading the morning paper to live breaking news every hour is changing some habits in how people use that information.

Last week, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput gave a talk to Legatus, an organization of Catholic business leaders and he talked about "Catholics, and The Fourth Estate." The term 'fourth estate' was coined during revolutionary times in France where the three main pillars of society were the clergy, the nobles and the common people. They were referred to as the 'three estates' of French society. The 'fourth estate' refers to the press. Thus the talk centers around the power of the written word and the need of Catholics everywhere to understand how the media works and how they work on us.

Here in the Philippines, the media enjoys a lot of freedom and wields a tremendous influence in our society. It has the power to effect change and the power to shape public opinion. The Archbishop, though he refers mainly to mainstream media in the US, the whole sense of his talk also applies everywhere the media has a powerful influence. He explained, "Most of what we know about the world comes from people we'll never meet and don't really understand, We don't even think of them as individuals. Instead we usually talk about them in the collective -- as 'the media' or 'the press.'

"Yet behind every Los Angeles Times editorial or Fox News broadcast are human beings with personal opinions and prejudices. These people select and frame the news. And when we read their newspaper articles or tune in their TV shows, we engage them in a kind of intellectual intimacy in the same way you're listening to me right now."

He also observed and this really surprised me, that most of us usually do not know the people writing the editorial to a newspaper and those who produce tonight's news broadcast and that is is worth talking about because 'the people who shape our information control the public conversation.'

When I was a Mass Communication student my professor defined news as, 'anything the editor thinks is news.' Now, I am beginning to understand what that means because today I am noticing that most of the people's opinions almost always comes from what they read in the paper or what they watched on TV. Gone are the days of reading the newspaper in the morning. Now, one has only to open a browser and read the news there or perhaps watch a video stream of a news report that was posted a few minutes earlier. There is a huge difference between the old and the new. The Archbishop in his astute observation said that during the book and newspaper days, there was a lot of time devoted to critical thinking and analyzing. Now everything is kept short, brief and sensational and this he says is dangerous.

The Archbishop has really made a lot of good points on this so I encourage you to read the article here to read more of his thoughts during that talk.

The Stoning of Soraya M.

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:57:45 PDT

I just watched Steve McEveety being interviewed by Raymond Arroyo on The World Over this morning. They were discussing about a movie he produced that is receiving a lot of positive reviews. It is entitled, "The Stoning of Soraya M.," and it is about a woman named Zahra who talks to a journalist about the heart-rending tale of her niece, Soraya and the cruel circumstances surrounding her death the day before. Soraya, the condemned woman, was innocent of the charges of adultery brought against her by her husband to get rid of her so he could marry a 14 year old girl.

It is a very powerful movie that tackles the precarious situation of women in the muslim world, the abuse of authority, the misuse of religion and the lack of respect for human rights. The movie was 2nd runner-up to Slumdog Millionaire in last year's Toronto International Film Festival and will open in select theatres on June 26.

The film is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and stars Shohreh Aghdashloo (Zahra), Mozhan Marno (Soraya), Navid Negahban (Ali), David Diaan (Ebrahim), Parviz Sayyad (Hashem) and Jim Caviezel (Freidoune Sahebjam).

I really hope I could watch this film at least on DVD.

Secularization of the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:21:35 PDT

In a homily during the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Pope said that, "Today there arises the risk of a serpentine secularization even within the Church, which can convert into a formal and empty Eucharistic worship, in celebrations lacking this participation from the heart that is expressed in veneration and respect for the liturgy."

How very true. Catholics all over have no idea of what the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is. There are those who think that it is not at all that different with the services of the other sects. In our church, it is quite fortunate for me to belong to the choir because if I end up sitting at the back during Holy Mass, I would not be able to hear the Priest because of the cacophony of noises from people who lack reverence for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.

I sometimes wonder if Our Lord is really there in the Blessed Sacrament? The majority of those who hear Mass seem to believe that He is not there because of the way they dress, and the way they behave.

I think what we need here is for Priests and laity to take the helm and educate the faithful on the tenets of our faith. I have heard a lot of stories of Catholics leaving the church for all the wrong reasons. If there is a strong emphasis on catechesis in all our parishes then it is only a matter of time before our glorious faith is restored and Catholics sticking to the Magisterium.

Mass Material!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:41:47 PDT

Most folks have no idea at all. We are MASS MATERIAL! Yup. If you heard us sing at wedding ceremonies then common sense will definitely tell you that we also sing at Liturgical Celebrations.

We are accepting requests to sing for Holy Mass at:

- Chapels or Churches that don't have an established choral community
- Mass for the Dead
- Schools/Offices/Companies (Thanksgiving Masses)
- Malls / Department Stores (weekdays only)
- Feast Days

Of course, our rates as always are at an all-time low for these services. For more rates and inquiries please visit our website today.

Catholic Answers Faith Stimulus

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:35:22 PDT

Visit the Shop

Free Catalog

Sale Items

In these uncertain times, Catholic Answers wants to help you grow in your faith.

Everyday the political and economic climate is changing. It can be difficult to stay focused on what's really important with so much going on around you.

As a Christian, you know the most important thing is the practice and cultivation of your faith.

Catholic Answers has always been committed to helping others understand and practice their faith. We recognize that these economic times make it difficult to obtain the proper materials necessary to continue learning and understanding the Faith.

We'd like to help you as our loyal customer by making it easier for you to purchase our great Catholic products. So for a limited time we are offering 10-40% off many of our most popular products by Catholic Answers speakers and writers Tim Staples, Jason Evert, Jimmy Akin, Mark Shea, and others.

Visit our new online shop today and take advantage of these great discounts.

Catholic Answers Lenten Special

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:17:03 PST

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Visit the Shop

Free Catalog

New Titles

Special Lenten Offer from Catholic Answers!
Do you dread this time of year? Do you wish that you could make it a more grace-filled period? A time of cleansing and strengthening of your relationship with God, as opposed to just a chore—a period to be endured?

Catholic Answers has two products to help you make this Lenten season count. Spirituality for Beginners: On Retreat with Fr. Benedict Groeschel and A Contemporary Adult Guide to Conscience by Fr. Richard Rego are great resources to help bring you closer to God this Lenten season.

SPECIAL OFFER!
For a limited time, purchase Spirituality for Beginners: On Retreat with Fr. Benedict Groeschel for the special price of $29.95 and get the booklet A Contemporary Adult Guide to Conscience FREE.
Purchase now

Are you ready to begin making real progress in your walk with Christ? Do you want to live your life more fully in-tune with God's will? Would you like to experience the inner peace and true joy that only comes from union with God? In light of a resounding yes, Fr. Groeschel's Spirituality for Beginners is for you. Spirituality for Beginners is a terrific guide for your spiritual journey through the three stages of the interior life—the purgative (beginning) stage, the illuminative (progress) stage, and the unitive (perfect) stage.

It's a journey every Catholic must take—yet most Catholics are sadly unaware of it, and thus remain mired in the purgative stage their entire lives! In this four-CD series, Fr. Groeschel will help you discover which stage you're in now and show you how to make steady progress toward the next stage. Perhaps best of all, he'll help you turn those inevitable dry spells, hard times, and "dark nights" into tremendous opportunities for spiritual growth.

In the second part of this Lenten offer, A Contemporary Adult Guide to Conscience, Fr. Rego makes the observation that we, as a society, have lost the sense of sin, based solely—or at least in part—on the presumption that nearly everyone goes to heaven. The reality, however, is that sin is still very much present.

We need the sacrament of penance, perhaps now more than ever. But lest he leave his readers discouraged and depressed, Fr. Rego offers a way to overcome the bind that sin has on us. We do this through the sacrament of reconciliation. And in his book, Fr. Rego gives his readers the tools to make the most reverent and complete confession possible.

If you want to dramatically advance in your spiritual life this Lent, purchase these two powerful materials now! You'll be glad you did once you see the impact and improvement on your life. You'll soon be a compelling witness to those around you.

Act now and get Spirituality for Beginners for the special price of $29.95 and receive A Contemporary Adult Guide to Conscience FREE.
Purchase now

More on These Fine Products
Spirituality for Beginners audio series by Fr. Benedict Groeschel: When you listen to the CD's and immerse yourself in the personal retreat of Spirituality for Beginners, you'll be both humbled and moved by Fr. Groeschel's wisdom. And, as you begin to put his ideas into practice, you'll soon notice real changes in your spiritual life: a renewed and more inspired prayer life, a stronger faith in God, deeper contrition for your sins, more progress in avoiding sin, a sense of inner peace and growing faith, and a closeness to God like you've never experienced before. And, while no one can claim that walking with God is easy, Fr. Groeschel certainly helps make it easier, no matter how rough your road has been so far.

Here are some of the things you'll discover in these inspiring talks:

What it means to live a truly Christian life—there's more to it than most Catholics know
What to do when you can't forgive someone who has hurt you
How to tell if you are making progress through the three stages
Why trusting God is so difficult—and how to make it easier
How to find God in the details of your life
Why mystery is a fabulous ally—not something to be deciphered or solved—and the heavy price you pay when you lose your sense of mystery
How the parables of Jesus refute the idea that salvation can ever be assured
The hidden danger of using logic to prove your faith or to interpret Scripture—what you lose in the process
Bonus: Fr. Groeschel prays the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament during a Holy Hour; plus, meditations on Scripture and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas
And much, much more!

It won't be long before you find yourself making steady progress on your spiritual journey—regardless of the frustrations you've experienced in the past. The journey itself is full of peril and opportunity. But with Fr. Groeschel's guidance, and the help of the Holy Spirit, you'll soon be making your way to the place God wants you to be. Spirituality for Beginners is an inspiring program that's indispensable for true spiritual growth.

In his booklet, A Contemporary Adult Guide to Conscience, Fr. Richard Rego uses the knowledge he has acquired from thorough study on the teachings of the Catholic Church to explain what the Church considers sinful behavior, and consequently which behaviors must be confessed. Fr. Rego begins by defining venial and mortal sins and discusses how best to confess both types of sin. He then takes you on a step-by-step examination of conscience and explains the elements necessary for a worthy confession.

The examination of conscience is incredibly thorough, including everything from sins against God and faith, to sins against ourselves and others. And with each overall topic, Fr. Rego breaks it down into even more specific subheads.

Here are just a few of the topics he covers:

Sins of disobedience
Sins against human life
Sins of racism
Sins against chastity
And many more

This easy-to-read booklet is the first step in growing closer to Christ. Fr. Rego gives you all the tools necessary to unbind yourself from sin and strengthen your relationship with God.

Act now and make this a Lenten season to remember!

SPECIAL OFFER: For a limited time, purchase Spirituality for Beginners: On Retreat with Fr. Benedict Groeschel for the special price of $29.95 and get the booklet A Contemporary Adult Guide to Conscience FREE.

Purchase now Shipping applied at purchase.

New Online Shop Now Open
Catholic Answers has upgraded its ecommerce platform and completely redesigned its online shop.

The new shop boasts a fresh, contemporary design, easy navigation and checkout process, refined search, state-of-the art security for safe online shopping, easy navigation to other Catholic Answers websites, and much more....

If you haven't been to the online shop lately we invite you to come take a look.

As always you can trust the products at Catholic Answers...if you are not familiar with an author or product there is no need to worry. All of our products have been reveiwed by our apologetics staff. You can be assured that all the materials we carry and promote are faithful to the magesterium of the Church.

EDSA: Catalyst for Change?

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:41:26 PST

I vaguely recall the events that led to the EDSA People Power Revolution. It was 1986 and I was eight years old. Honestly, I was not fully aware of what was happening during that time. I was too young to understand what went into the minds of grownups. As a child, I strongly believed that grownups should solve their own problems and leave us kids alone.

Shortly after EDSA, my mother, myself and together with my siblings went to Saudi Arabia where my father worked to spend our summer vacation there. It was my first trip spoke, dressed (and smelled) differently, where essential freedoms (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc.) were curtailed and where Islam is the state religion. It was there that I felt the impact of EDSA. Suddenly, our OFW's gained a lot of respect wherever they are. It was truly a glorious time for Filipinos everywhere. I personally experienced it one time when my mother asked me to buy some chocolates at the local commissary. They don't have 'sari-sari stores' in Saudi Arabia and since we live in an area where workers in a nearby oil company are housed what they have there is a commissary which is a huge grocery store and boy do they have chocolates! I walked there only to find the store vacant. An arab gentleman saw me and recognized that I was a Filipino because I was the only soul there who did not realize that it was time for noon prayers (Salatu-z-Zuhr). He warmly welcomed me inside and he even gave me a bunch of chocolates for free!

Growing up I have learned the history and a little background on what went on during EDSA. With every passing year I have always relished the hope that somehow things would change.

23 years have passed after the day when the people united in a common goal to rid the country of dictatorship and corruption and restore true democracy. Today, our country is well placed within the top 5 of the world's most corrupt governments and we really do not have a true democracy. Social injustice is still the norm and immorality is an everyday indiscriminate consumption for the masses.

It seems that we have not learned anything at all. However, let me offer you an interesting insight. I have thought about EDSA as particularly unique in that it is not really a revolution which involves drastic change by destroying the present setup and building a new one. It is also a movement that was sparked by the Catholic Church. In the frontlines you would see nuns and priests 'kapit-bisig' driving off tanks and winning the soldiers' loyalty.

I also noticed that the famous statue of the Blessed Mother that was paraded was none other than the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. This alone is really significant because Fatima is a call to prayer, repentance and total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I think what Our Lady is presenting to the Filipino people during that time was an opportunity not to topple the government of Ferdinand Marcos and institute social change. But Our Lady was inviting us Filipinos to a sincere repentance of our sins and to personally consecrate ourselves, our lives, our businesses, our government and indeed our whole nation to Her Most Immaculate Heart.

The lesson of EDSA is this: Spiritual renewal through sincere repentance and a firm intention to follow God's will well as a government that promotes these ideals fervently coupled with true Catholic social action is key to a strong nation and that is the only way my friend.

Disconnected

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:40:10 PST

The title of this post does not refer to my connection status. However, it still relates to the fact that I can't go online at home since our PC monitor took an ultra-narrow path - a thin vertical line from the top to the bottom of the screen, literally.

The timing was perfect - a month full of wedding events and music to listen and transcribe for which a fully functioning pc would take most of the burden.

Nevertheless, I march fearlessly in the night knowing that everything happens for a reason and somehow after a lot of hardwork I would be able to replace what was lost and everything will be back to normal God-willing.

+JMJ+

SSPX, Vatican Reconciliation Imminent?

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:49:35 PST

According to an article from Rorate Caeli and Catholic Online, there appears to be a document on Pope Benedict XVI's desk concerning a decree on the removal of excommunication for the bishops that were ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer.

Article Link:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2008/11/decree-for-removal-of-excommunications.html

If You're Catholic, Then Help Me Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:13:38 PDT

A number of abominable videos have appeared over YouTube and despite protests from a lot of people all over the world, the management has refused to pull out even just one of those blasphemous videos.

What really ticks me off though is their bias towards people of other faiths. I bet you a million bucks that the moment I post a video that pokes fun at Muslims or Muhammad my account will be suspended and my video taken out in a couple of days.

Let us once and for all stand up for our Catholic Faith and send a message to Google CEO Mr. Eric Schmidt that in the interest of fairness they should not allow videos that are offensive to Catholics (in fact, these videos are a violation of their posting guidelines) just as much as they should not allow videos that offend any race, creed and nationality.

The folks at America Needs Fatima is asking you to send an online petition to Google (who owns YouTube) by clicking here. If the link does not work then copy and paste this URL on the address bar of your favorite browser - http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/YT/

Are you just going to allow our Lord Jesus Christ to be humiliated and spat at by people who are doing this simply because they strongly believe that Catholics are wuzzies who don't care about their religion and that anyone can simply get away at insulting and making fun of Catholic beliefs and practices?

Jesus said that if you deny Him then He will deny you before His Father when the dreadful day of judgment comes. ACT NOW!

Stop the Culture of Death!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:55:14 PDT

I was a little bit busy today checking my emails and I almost forgot to do something about my friend's email to me more than a week ago. That friend by the way is Jerwin Aguinaldo and he is currently the Chief Captain of the Apostles of Mary - Catholic Youth League of the Philippines. The email he sent was about the pending anti-life bills in congress and that we should do something about it. Just reading the latest news on the hearings at the Batasan on House Bill 5043 (Reproductive Health Bill) compelled me to forward his email to everyone on my distribution list. I was quite troubled by the statistics:

105 are in favor;
12 are in favor but have not signed;
28 are neutral;
93 are against.

From what I know, the bill needs 120 votes to get approved. Let us not make this happen. Jerwin has just started a signature campaign against these 'Death' bills. Please support life by contacting your congressman or senator and let them know what you think. Be vigilant and monitor the hearings at the batasan. You can also post a blog or let your 'friendsters' know by posting at their bulletin board. Or you can email Jerwin by clicking here to request for copies of the signature sheets. Remember, the faith that you once cherish and have taken for granted may soon be restricted and your freedoms curtailed when these bills are passed. Let us not copy the mistakes of Europe, China and the U.S. Stand up for the unborn! Stand up for God! Stand up for LIFE!

Pope Benedict XVI is an Organ Donor

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:36:59 PDT

I never really knew that the Pope has signed-up to donate his organs until now. There is still on-going debate among scholars on the exact moment of life and death and I believe this will have serious implications. From what I know, after death the Pope's body shall remain intact and shall not be embalmed.

Read the whole article here.

Pro-Life Rally Successful

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:55:17 PDT

Around 12,000 pro-life advocates gathered yesterday afternoon at the University of Santo Tomas to celebrate the anniversary of Humanae Vitae with the theme: "Biyaya ng Buhay, Biyaya ng Pamilya (Blessing of Life, Blessing of the Family)."

Here is a link to the article: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/109416/Thousands-attend-CBCP-led-pro-life-rally-at-UST

Join the Fight For Life!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:17:45 PDT

It is tomorrow folks! Although I won't be able to come I will be devoting my whole day to praying for the souls of the unborn. O Mother of Mercy have mercy on us!

A fun place for Catholic choral groups!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:30:08 PDT

I have just setup a social networking website for Catholic choral groups all over the world. Simply called the, Catholic Choir Network it aims to foster a dynamic sharing of resources, ideas, know-how and hopefully a source of inspiration for everyone as it also aims to promote a better understanding of our Catholic faith in relation to the Sacred LIturgy.

The website is open to parish priests, choir directors, composers, arrangers, lyricists, writers, and singers. As long as your duties involve anything that pertains to a catholic choral group you are most welcome.

The site is still being updated but I hope it won't discourage you from joining. If by any chance you don't fit the description above then please invite any friend you know who is a member of Catholic choral group and have them sign-up.

Traditional Latin Mass in Ayala, Alabang

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:42:48 PDT

Yes you read it right! This Sunday will be the first ever celebration of the 'Extraordinary' form of the Mass (according to the 1962 rite) in Southern Metro Manila.

Pope Benedict XVI's, Summorum Pontificum is definitely in full swing with parishes starting to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass.

My first experience with the Traditional Latin Mass was in 2001 at Our Lady of Victories Church in Cubao which was administered by the Society of St. Pius X. I attended it with a friend of mine and after that, I was hooked. Other than the SSPX the only other church that celebrated the TLM back then was The Church of the High Redeemer. Now, there's the Divine Mercy Parish at Sikatuna Village, Quezon City and other churches for which names I don't remember.

So don't forget this Sunday, June 29 at 9:30am the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul will be the Mass for which millions of Catholic martyrs died for. The very Mass the great Saints and Fathers of the Church witnessed.

This Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Gratto Germanetto, CRS at St. Jerome Emiliani and Sta. Susana Church, Ayala Town Center, Zapote Road, Ayala, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Don't forget to bring your friends and family. Some people say the only people who shows up at those Masses are the elderly. On the contrary, in my almost seven years of going to Our Lady of Victories for the Traditional Latin Mass, the crowd is diverse. I always see a lot of youth and teenagers there (between 15 - 30 years old). In fact the youth are much more attracted to it so if you're young or young at heart come and join us this Sunday.

+JMJ+

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos to ordain priests for Tridentine Latin Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:11:28 PDT

The President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos is set to ordain four priests for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) on May 30.

The ordination will be broadcast live on EWTN. For the complete story click here

Free Choral Concert!

noreply@blogger.com (Jun) — Sun, 18 May 2008 00:53:01 PDT

+JMJ+

Hi everyone!

Pax Christi!

I am pleased to announce that the world renowned and award winning choral group, the UE Chorale - will hold a FREE CONCERT on Wednesday, May 21, 7:30pm at the Our Lady Queen of Peace and Good Voyage Parish Church, Bgy. Queen´s Row West, Molino, Bacoor, Cavite.

Our very own Victor Ramirez (Jay to all who know him) will be one of the performers. He has been very active in our Parish for many years being a member of the Catholic Renewal Choir (heard Sundays 6:30pm), PREX and Coro dela Reina among others.

Their Choirmaster is no less than Mrs. Ana Tabita Abeleda-Piquero of the Philippine Madrigal Singers.

For further inquiries and for driving directions please contact the OLQPGVP church office +63 (46) 517-5912.

The University of the East Chorale Profile
taken from their website http://www.uechorale.com

The UE Chorale is the Official Choir of the University of the East. It was founded in June 1992 as the UE Glee Club consisting of students from the different colleges of the University. Apart from singing for official functions in the University, other activities of the UE Chorale includes participation in the MADZ Et. Al., a yearly festival hosted by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, performances in several Philippine government function and other worthy projects.

Since June 1999, the UE Chorale has trained under their conductor, Ms. Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero, a member of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. She instilled in them discipline, sense of commitment and love for their work, gearing towards musical excellence for world-class performances. After only six months of rigorous training, the UE Chorale won 2nd place in the 1st Concurso Coral de Ateneo (1999), 1st Place in the 28th National Music Competition for Young Artist (NAMCYA) in Regional Finals and Honorable mention in the Nationals.

In June 2003, the group fulfilled its vision of becoming an ambassador of goodwill through concerts and participation in international festivals with a three-month long European Tour visiting the cities of Germany, Austria, and Italy. There were several highlights in this First European Tour with the UE Chorale making its mark as one of the best Choirs in the world by qualifying and winning in two of the most prominent competitions in Europe. In the prestigious 40th International Chorwettbewerb in Spittal, Austria, the University of the East Chorale is the overall Second Place winner in the Polyphonic Art Song category of the International Choirs' Competition besting nine other countries - Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Russia, Sweden, USA, and Austria. A group with its own individual charm and appeal, the UEC won the coveted Publikumspreis when it was voted by the public as the choir in the competition. Being the crowd favorite, the group was the only choir invited to the Office of the Mayor in Spittal an der Drau for a courtesy call.

Joing the ranks of internationally-acclaimed Filipino choirs, the UE Chorale competed in the prestigious 51st Guido d' Arezzo Concurso Polifonico in Arezzo, Italy where they won First Prize in the Competizione Straordinaria category, First Prize in the Nino Antonelli Special Prize category for its rendering of contemporary compositions joined by other eighteen participants from all over the world, and won Second Prize in the Polyphonic Category. By winning in several categories, the group became one of the only two choirs that qualified to vie for the Citta di Arezzo Grand Prize.

Locally, the University of the East Chorale was chosen as the Consumer's Choice Awardee for the Most Outstanding Chorale Group of 2003 and the Grand Prize winner in 2003 Himig ng Koro Chorale Competition.

For June to August of 2004, the UE Chorale again embarked on its Second European Tour visiting the countries of Italy and France. The group competed in an International Choral Competition in Gorizi, Italy and won First Prize in one of the categories and won the most coveted Publikumspreis Award.

In November 2005, the group was invited in different cities in Korea, joined choral festivals and performed in a series of concerts together with National Artist for Music and founder of Philippine Madrigal Singers, Professor Andrea O. Veneracion.

with these recent accomplishments, the University of the East Chorale is blazing a trail of its own, adding awards and accolades to its achievements and proving their mettle in the national and now, in the international choral arena.

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

Romeo K. Escuyos Jr.