Confraternity of Catholic Clergy Proposes Friday, July 31, 2008 as Prayer Day in Reparation for Desecration of the Holy Eucharist

=====ZENIT, The world seen from Rome News Agency=====

Desecration of Host Not Seen as Free Speech
Confraternity Proposes Prayer Day in Reparation

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, JULY 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy is proposing Friday as a national day of prayer and fasting in the wake of the desecration of the Eucharist by a Minnesota professor.Father John Trigilio, Jr., the president of the confraternity, a U.S. association of 600 priests and deacons, sent a statement this week asking Catholics "to join in a day of prayer and fasting that such offenses never happen again."Paul Myers, a professor of biology at the University of Minnesota at Morris, says he desecrated the Eucharist by piercing it with a rusty nail, then he threw it into the trash.The self-professed atheist wrote about the incident on his blog and posted a photo of the desecrated host.The statement of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy said it found the actions of Myers "reprehensible, inexcusable, and unconstitutional. His flagrant display of irreverence by profaning a consecrated Host from a Catholic Church goes beyond the limit of academic freedom and free speech.""Attacking the most sacred elements of a religion is not free speech anymore than would be perjury in a court or libel in a newspaper," added the text.Father Trigilio told ZENIT that the congregation is asking the faithful to make a holy hour before the Eucharist on Aug. 1, the feast of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, and to fast in "reparation for the sacrilegious desecration of the Holy Eucharist."

=====ZE080730092008-07-30======
This article is from the ZENIT news agency.

Athiest Prof. P.Z. Myers Carried Out Threat to Desecrate the Holy Eucharist and the Koran

July 23, 2008 - Today University of Minnesota Prof. P.Z. Myers wrote on his 'blog, "Yes, the sad little cracker has met its undignified end, so stop pestering me. The cracker, the Koran, and another surprise entry have been violated and are gone."

Let us recall Isaiah 53:4-12:

"4 Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.

6 We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.

7 Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.

8 Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people,

9 A grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood.

10 (But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

11 Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.

12 Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses."

We must continue Christ's very own prayer by praying ourselves, "Father forgive him, for he knows not what he has done."

The Continuing Saga of the Professor Who Threatened to Desecrate the Holy Eucharist

The following update was gleaned from this article on the Catholic News Agency's website today (7/23/08): http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=13329.

"This past Sunday, Professor Myers wrote on his blog that he would desecrate a Koran in addition to desecrating a consecrated Host, writing, 'Thanks to all who have demanded that I treat that silly book [the Koran] with disrespect, I’ll have to treat both equally.'

Catholic League President Bill Donohue had recently noted that in 2006 Myers had criticized those who published inflammatory cartoons disparaging the Muslim prophet Mohammed. In a Tuesday statement, Donohue said:

'The latest threat by Myers only makes matters worse. Instead of treating Catholicism with the respect he has previously shown for Islam, he now pledges to disrespect Islam the way he pledges to disrespect Catholicism (once again!). This is his idea of equal treatment.'

Donohue argued that Myers had an opportunity to either rebut or sustain claims that there is a 'moral vacuity' in Darwinian visions of society, depending on whether or not he engaged in the threatened desecrations.

In an interview with Catholic Radio International, Professor Myers portrayed his threats as the result of what he perceives to be Bill Donohue’s forceful tactics rather than any official actions by the Church.

Myers was asked by radio show host Jeff Gardner if any official representative of the Catholic Church had told him he had to believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. 'Well, that’s actually a very good point,' said Myers. 'There’s been no official response from the Catholic Church and I would make a deal here, that I would return these wafers to the nearest Catholic church if the Church would come out and disavow the tactics of Bill Donohue and the people who have threatened my job and have threatened my life,' Myers said."

Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

Subject: press release from Catholic Clergy

Catholic Clergy Challenge Colleagues to Reacquaint Themselves and Their People with Humanae Vitae

Contact: Rev. Fr. John Trigilio, Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, 717-957-2662

BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy celebrated the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the encyclical from Paul VI, by asking every deacon, priest and bishop to reread and re-educate their flock with this prophetic document. The organization also pledged support for all bishops who confront and deny Holy Communion to unrepentant Catholic politicians that support abortion, if prior attempts to enlighten their consciences fail. A national association of 600 priests and deacons, the CCC met in Baltimore, MD, July 14-17 for its 33rd annual convocation. Dr. Janet Smith, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer (HLI) and Fr. Peter West (Priests for Life), Fr. George Restrepo, SJ, and Mr. Thomas McKenna were speakers. All of them discussed the perennial truths taught in Humanae Vitae, namely, that human life is sacred from the first moment of conception until natural death and that it is gravely immoral to separate the unitive (love) and procreative (life) ends of conjugal love. Hence, abortion, contraception, in vitro fertilization, et al. are considered sinful and immoral and to be avoided.Dissent from Humanae Vitae, which was in vogue in the late 1960's is on the decline in Catholicism since the pontificates of John Paul II and now Benedict XVI. While sometimes a difficult teaching to embrace and maintain, it is nevertheless the only means to uphold the natural law and to safeguard the sanctity of the human person, marriage and the family as well as civilization itself.Forty years ago, opponents of Humanae Vitae wanted Pope Paul VI to change the Church's ban on contraception due to the then newly developed birth control pill. Experts point out, however, that since the advent of the Pill, instances of breast, uterine and other forms of female cancer have increased in proportion to the proliferation of the Pill. Sexual promiscuity, deviancy, venereal disease, increase in divorces, illegitimate births, and a host of other social ills threatening society and the Church.The CCC challenges all its brother clergy to teach, explain and defend this most timely encyclical.A plea was made to the national conference of bishops (USCCB) so that an accurate and eloquent English translation of the Roman Missal be approved expediently as long as it does not insult the intelligence of the faithful and does not betray the authentic Latin text. The CCC thanked Pope Benedict for his visible efforts to restore more reverence to sacred worship through personal example when celebrating the liturgy.
http://christiannewswire.com/news/474767236.html
http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=4939

Confraternity of Clergy Issue Resolutions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMEDIA ADVISORYCatholic PRWire
7/18/2008 - PSTMARYSVILLE, PA (JULY 18, 2008) - The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (a national association of 600 priests and deacons) held its 33rd annual convocation this year (July 14-17, 2008) in Baltimore, MD. The following resolutions were approved and issued as follows:

1. We resolve as priests and deacons of the Catholic Church to reaffirm our unequivocal and complete acceptance and support of the magisterial teachings contained in the papal encyclical 'Humanae Vitae' (by Paul VI) as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of this prophetic document. Furthermore, we pledge to explain and encourage our faithful to fully know, understand and comply with authentic Christian morality contained in this encyclical, especially on the intrinsic evils of abortion and contraception.

2. We resolve as pastors and spiritual leaders to aggressively engage our people to defend and protect the sanctity of marriage as a union of one man and one woman. We strongly urge the faithful to exercise their political power as tax paying voters to elect and influence governors and legislators so they will enact state amendments to prevent the alteration, expansion or redefinition of marriage.

3. We resolve to express our profound gratitude to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for his first pastoral visit to the United States this past April and for his pastoral care of the lower clergy. We appreciate his words of support for priests and deacons as he spoke to the bishops of our nation. The CCC also thanks the Pontiff for his visit to Australia for World Youth Day since his love and concern for young people is a model for all pastors.

4. We resolve to follow the lead and continue the work begun by the Holy Father in his efforts to reintroduce more of the sacred into divine worship. The Pope teaches us by example in the gestures, materials, and manner in which he celebrates the Holy Mass.

5. We resolve to urge and exhort our bishops to give us an accurate and eloquent translation of the Roman Missal as soon as possible. Reverent worship of God, which edifies and nourishes the faithful, demands sacred language and sacred ritual (words & gestures). Therefore, we ask for a translation that is not patronizing to the intelligence of our people but instead inspires them to aspire to seek and embrace holiness.

6. We resolve to support every bishop who courageously defends the sanctity and integrity of the Holy Eucharist by denying Communion to notorious and unrepentant politicians who are openly supportive of abortion and/or euthanasia. We applaud those shepherds who make every effort to persuade and dialogue with these politicians in hopes of converting their minds and hearts to be completely Pro-Life. We also acknowledge that those whose obstinate hardness of heart prevent them from abandoning their allegiance to the so-called "pro-choice" defense of abortion make themselves ineligible to receive Holy Communion.

unanimously approved 7-17-08
Rev John Trigilio, Jr (president)

Contact: Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
http://www.catholic-clergy.org PA, US
Rev Dr John Trigilio - president, 717 - 957-2662
Keywords: clergy, confraternity

Two Wolves

(This one is circulating by e-mail.)

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside of all people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace , love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: 'Which wolf wins?'

The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'

Good Suggestion for the Year of St.Paul

During this Jubilee Year of St. Paul in the Catholic Church, among many other things, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged all of us to study the writings of St. Paul. In a recent article that appeared in the National Catholic Register Steve Ray suggested the following very helpful method to follow when tackling St. Paul's writings:

"A great exercise for the Year of St. Paul is to read his letters. How should they be read?
In the Bible they are organized from the longest to the shortest. The best way to read Paul is within the context of the Book of Acts, each read within their historical context, beginning with 1 and 2 Thessalonians, moving onto Galatians and Romans and ending with Titus and 1 and 2 Timothy.
This puts them into the context of the whole New Testament and helps you to see the development of Paul’s thought and doctrine."

Happy reading!

2008 World Youth Day in Australia

http://www.hbgwyd.blogspot.com/

Click on this link and save the site to your "favorites" to follow along with Bishop Rhoades as he shepherds some Diocese of Harrisburg pilgrims at World Youth Day in Australia! The photos that are already up are really great as you can tell from the two I posted here. Enjoy!

Follow-Up to the U. of Minn. at Morris Prof who has vowed to desecrate the Eucharist

Contact Professor Paul Z. Myers at myersp@morris.umn.edu

Phone: 320-589-6343

Curriculum Vitae: http://www.morris.umn.edu/directories/personnel/cv/Myers.html

If you do feel called to contact Professor Morris to defend our beliefs, please be respectful and remember the title of this blog, "Truth in Charity."

TWELVE STEPS TO AVOIDING PURGATORY

This was recently posted on Spirit Daily, and I couldn't agree more. This is for real and is serious stuff folks! Our time here is literally equivalent to the blink of an eye when you compare it to the length of time the earth has existed. Yes, we are to enjoy all of the beauty of the world and the gifts God has given to us during our brief lives, but we must always do so with an eye towards the "end game." How will what we do each day lead us closer to an eternal existence with God, and what do we do each day that only leads us farther away and makes it more unlikely?

TWELVE STEPS TO AVOIDING PURGATORY
from Half The Kingdom

1. In every prayer you say, every Mass you hear, every Communion you receive, every good work you perform have the express intention of imploring God to grant you a holy and happy death and no Purgatory. Surely God will hear a prayer said with such confidence and perseverance.

2. Always wish to do God’s will. It is in every sense the best for you. When you do or seek anything that is not God’s will, you are sure to suffer. Say, therefore, fervently each time you recite the Our Father: Thy will be done.

3. Accept all the sufferings, sorrows, pains and disappointments of life, be they great or small, ill health, loss of goods, the death of your dear ones, heat or cold, rain or sunshine as coming from God. Bear them calmly and patiently for love of Him and in penance for your sins. Of course, one may use all his efforts to ward off trouble and pain, but when one cannot avoid it let him bear it patiently. Impatience and revolt make sufferings vastly greater and more difficult to bear.

4. The greatest act in Christ’s life was His Passion. As He had a Passion so each one of us has a Passion. Our Passion consists in the sufferings and labors of every day. Therefore, let us do our work, accept its disappointments and hardships and bear our pains in union with the Passion of Christ. We gain more merit by a little pain than by years of pleasure.

5. Forgive all injuries and offences for in proportion, as we forgive others, God forgives us. Go to confession. This sacrament does more than “just” rid us of our sins; it gives us a tremendous increase in sanctifying grace. It wins for us a higher place in Heaven, with increased union with God. Each time we go to confession, we are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which might otherwise have befallen us. A devout confession helps us to hear the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and to hear and follow the advice of our guardian angels.

6. Avoid mortal sins, deliberate venial sins and break off bad habits. Then it will be relatively easy to satisfy God’s justice for sins of frailty. Above all avoid sins against charity and chastity in thought, word and deed for these sins are the reason why many souls are detained in Purgatory for a long time.

7. If afraid of doing too much work, do many little things, acts of kindness and charity, give the alms you can, don’t grumble or complain when things are not as you please, don’t complain of others, never refuse to do a favor for others when possible. These and such acts are a splendid penance.

8. Do all in your power for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Pray for them constantly, get others to do so, join the Friends of the Poor Souls and ask all those you know to do likewise. The Holy Souls will repay you most generously.

9. There is no more powerful way of obtaining from God a most holy and happy death than by weekly confession, daily Mass and daily communion. Masses may be arranged after or before someone’s death to expedite their time in Purgatory.

10. A daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament – if only for three or four minutes – is an easy way of obtaining the same grace. Kneel in the presence of Jesus with eyes fixed on the Tabernacle or Monstrance, sure that He is looking at you, then repeat little prayers like these: My Jesus, Mercy. My Jesus, have pity on me a sinner. My Jesus, I love you. My Jesus, give me a happy death.

11. Enroll in and wear the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. “Whosoever dies clothed in this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” This is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Promise, made July 16, 1251 to St. Simon Stock. The Sabbatine Privilege is Mary’s promise to release from Purgatory soon after death all those who: 1) wear the brown scapular 2) observe chastity according to their state in life and 3) say the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary every day. To be eligible for this scapular promise, one must be enrolled in the Family of Carmel. This is a simple ceremony which takes only a moment and may be done by any Carmelite or duly authorized priest. Mary’s motherhood is not limited to Catholics. It is extended to all men. Many miracles of conversion have been wrought in favor of non-Catholics who have practiced the scapular devotion.

12. Use holy water. Holy water is a sacramental that remits venial sin. Because of the blessing attached to it, Holy Church strongly encourages its use upon her children especially when danger threatens such as fire, storms, sickness and other calamities. Every Catholic home should have a supply of holy water. Keep your soul beautifully pure in God’s sight by making the Sign of the Cross carefully while saying: “By this holy water and by Thy Precious Blood, wash away all my sins and the sins of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, O Lord."

Here we go again and even worse this time!

MINNESOTA PROF PLEDGES TO DESECRATE EUCHARIST !!!

Paul Zachary Myers, a professor at the University of Minnesota Morris, has pledged to desecrate the Eucharist. He is responding to what happened recently at the University of Central Florida when a student walked out of Mass with the Host, holding it hostage for several days. Myers was angry at the Catholic League for criticizing the student. Here is an excerpt of his July 8 post, "It's a Frackin' Cracker!":

"Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers?" Myers continued by saying, "if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I'll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won't be tempted to hold it hostage (no, not even if I have a choice between returning the Eucharist and watching Bill Donohue kick the pope in the balls, which would apparently be a more humane act than desecrating a goddamned cracker), but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web."

Contact U. of Minn. at Morris President Robert Bruininks at bruin001@umn.edu

Susan A. Fani
Director of Communications
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
catalyst@catholicleague.org

Prompt Response from UCF to Eucharist Incident

I received a very prompt and personal response to my e-mail to the President of University of Central Florida regarding the recent terrible desecration of the Eucharist by a UCF student. The e-mail response is as follows:

Dear Mr. Lang:

Thank you for taking the time to write about the recent incident involving a UCF student and his mishandling of the Host at a Catholic religious service. Fortunately, we have learned that this student returned it and wrote a letter of apology to church officials.

UCF takes this situation seriously. As soon as we learned of the matter, our student conduct office responded quickly and will continue to deal with it appropriately.

UCF's students enjoy participating in a variety of student organizations, including religious groups. We encourage their members to express their views respectfully, and we expect them to comply with applicable laws and university codes of conduct.

Please know that we appreciate your concern.

Amy Barnickel, on behalf of John C. Hitt, President
Amy J. Barnickel, Sr. Executive Assistant, Office of the President
Assistant Editor, Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education
Doctoral student, Texts and Technology Program
University of Central Florida
P.O. Box 160002
Orlando, FL 32816-0002
(407) 823-1825
Fax (407) 823-2264
abarnick@mail.ucf.edu

The Most Holy Eucharist Taken From Holy Mass By UCF Student

Pray! Pray! Pray! This is a new low. This guy claims to have wanted to take the Eucharist out of Church to show it to another student who was curious about the Catholic faith. Makes sense huh! Why not take the student to the Church? Why not buy him "Catholicism For Dummies?" I don't believe a word of what this idiot is saying. Satan is working overtime at the University of Central Florida, so we must pray that this kid comes to his senses and returns the Eucharist to the Bishop. Pray also that no misguided fool goes after the student, Webster Cook either. God knows he can't afford to spend any time in the hospital as he needs all the education he can get!

http://www.wftv.com/news/16798008/detail.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/06/lavin.wafer.held.hostage.wftv

To express your desire for immediate action by UCF's President, go here: http://president.ucf.edu/hittmessage.html.

South Dakota women must be informed that abortion "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being"

"Truth" wins again! Sooner or later it always will! The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 7-4 decision has upheld South Dakota's informed consent law which requires abortionists to actually tell the truth to the misinformed and misguided women who have come to them or who have been brought to them for abortions! Specifically, any woman who thinks they need to have an abortion in South Dakota must first be told by the abortionist that the abortion "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being," and that the woman has an existing, constitutional relationship with her unborn child.

Yes folks, abortionists in South Dakota have to tell the truth to their "patients" by informing them that that the procedure ends a human life. Guess who was in opposition to telling the truth? Planned Parenthoodlums of course! To show how devious they are, Planned Parenthood actually argued with a straight face that forcing them to tell the truth would violate their free speech! So don't ever believe it when you hear Planned Parenthood or one of their duped supporters claim that Planned Parenthood only cares about the women they serve! You would have to be living under a rock to not know that all the Planned Parenthood cares about is their bottom line! It's all about the money to them. Their twisted thinking is that, "if we have to tell the women the truth, they may actually decide to not kill their baby and we will lose money!"

They and their supporters are so confused, misled, and taken by the Father of Lies himself. No wonder their very existence is based upon the biggest lie of all, that being that abortion is not the killing of a human life just like yours and mine! As a result, all of them need our fervent prayers for knowledge of the truth and a radical conversion of heart. It is only through an all out attack through legislation, peaceful protests, and the praying of rosaries for life that this evil will be eradicated from the face of the earth.

We must all be ashamed and disheartened that we can't stop the Culture of Death immediately in its tracks, and that as a result this will be our legacy. Nevertheless, we must continue the fight for life with the hope that dignity and respect for all human life, especially the most vulnerable of all, will one day be the norm.

Can any FAITHFUL Catholic vote for Obama?

In order for any FAITHFUL Catholic to vote for Sen. Obama, they must inform their consciences by considering the following statements/positions of Sen. Obama:

1. Sen. Obama has stated that if one of his young daughters got pregnant out of wedlock, he would not want her to be “punished with a baby.”

2. At the April 13 “Compassion Forum” at Pennsylvania’s Messiah College, when asked about whether he believes life begins at conception he stated, “I don’t presume to know the answer to that question.” However, in Obama's Father's Day speech at a Chicago church in which the Illinois senator discussed the problem of absent black fathers he stated, "We need fathers to recognize that responsibility doesn't just end at conception."

3. Obama promised a screaming Planned Parenthood crowd last July that, “The first thing I’d do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.” That Act would overturn state pro-life laws nationwide and make abortion the supreme law of the land. Obama also told the pro-choice crowd that Planned Parenthood should be given “discounted drugs” so that “all women” would have access to “affordable contraception.” Obama also referred to the infamous Margaret Sanger as a voice in the "struggle for equality." Yes, the very same Margaret Sanger who was an eugenicist, a racist, and the founder of none other than Planned Parenthood. (Ask the blacks who were to be the subject of her "Negro Project" to restrict or even perhaps elimate certain of the black population whether they felt she was "struggling for their equality!")

4. And of course, Obama boldly proclaimed during a debate with Hillary Clinton that his biggest regret in his political career was supporting the right of the parents of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo to file an appeal in federal court to keep Terry alive by sustaining her feeding tube.

On the life issue, Denver's Archbishop Chaput perhaps said it best when he stated, "But [Catholics who support pro-choice candidates] also need a compelling proportionate reason to justify it. What is a “proportionate” reason when it comes to the abortion issue? It’s the kind of reason we will be able to explain, with a clean heart, to the victims of abortion when we meet them face to face in the next life—which we most certainly will. If we’re confident that these victims will accept our motives as something more than an alibi, then we can proceed.

All faithful Catholics must properly inform their consciences prior to casting their vote in November. All faithful Catholics must seriously and prayerfully consider Archbishop Chaput's words of caution. Can you as a faithful Catholic vote for Obama? Almost anything can be rationalized these days, but intellectual honesty is what is required.