Catholic news network
February, 2010-Month of The
Passion of Our Lord
A Catholic Information Website Listing Local Events And News Of Interest For Minnesotans – Posted Monthly (updated frequently)
|
|
If You LikeWhat We’re Doing At Catholic Newsnet, Tell A Friend |
Last updated: Feb. 25, 2010 |
Comments and Information Welcome at:
“The disappearance of penance, even more, the disappearance of the spirit of penance, should concern us.
Penance is a condition of salvation for individuals and society. Penance never loses its value or timelessness.”
----Pope John Paul II----
“When you do penance for Lent, you imitate Jesus and you strengthen
your will so that when
something evil comes your way, you can say ‘no.’ Give up something that costs
you
something; then you will is stronger to say ‘no’ to more important things.”
----Mother Angelica----
Prayer For Forgiveness
To You, O God, Fountain of mercy, I come, a sinner. May you wash away my impurity.
O Sun of Justice, Give sight to the blind, O Eternal Healer, cure the wounded.
O King of Kings, restore the despoiled. O Mediator of God and Man, reconcile the sinful.
O Good Shepherd, lead back the straying.
O God, have pity on the wretched, show leniency to the guilty, bestow life on the dead,
Reform the impious, and give the balm of grace to the hard of heart.
O most merciful God, call back the one who flees, draw back the one who resists,
Lift us the one who falls, support the one who stands and accompany the one who walks.
Do not forget those who forget You. Do not desert those who desert You. Do not despise those who sin against You.
For in sinning, I have offended You, my God. I have harmed my neighbor and have not even spared myself injury.
I have sinned, O my God, against You, almighty Father, because of my weakness;
Against You, all-knowing Son, because of my ignorance;
Against You, merciful Holy Spirit, because of my malice.
Thus have I offended You, most high Trinity.
Woe to me, a pitiful soul. How many, how great, and how diverse are the sins I have committed.
I abandoned You, Lord. I question Your goodness by yielding to evil cravings and weakening myself with harmful fears.
By such things, I preferred to lose You rather than abandon what I desired, to offend You rather than face what ought not to be feared.
O my God, how much harm have I done by word and deed, and by sinning secretly, openly and defiantly.
Therefore, our of my weakness I beg You not pay need to my iniquity, but rather to Your immense goodness.
And I beg You mercifully to pardon what I have done, granting me sorrow for my past actions and precaution in the future. Amen.
-St. Thomas Aquinas-
Conferences/Lectures/Events
February 1, 2010: The Archdiocesan Office of
Marriage, Family, and Life is hosting a two-hour lecture as part of their focus
on Reclaiming The Culture of Marriage and Life: Understanding the Cultural and
Legal Battle. The lecture includes the issues of marriage and life, how are
these two issues inter-related and what problems arise when they are separated.
The speakers are Father Thomas Duffner and Law
Professor from the
|
February 9 |
|
Maternity of Mary |
|
|
|
February 18 |
|
All Saints |
|
Lakeville |
|
February 22 |
|
St. Michaels |
|
|
|
February 25 |
|
St. Josephs |
|
|
|
February 27 |
|
St. Peters |
|
N. |
February 1, 2010: Sacred Heart is sponsoring Theology On Tap at the Eagle’s Nest Lounge, 4106 Lakeland Avenue in Robbinsdale, with the title being, “What Is Marriage? How To Defend Marriage With Natural Law.” The event for adults ages 21 through 39, single or married, begins with a social at 6:30 pm and talk at 7:00 pm. Please RSVP to 763-537-4561. The topic for the February meeting will be, “The Church, The Modern World, and Whole of Reality.”
February 3, 2010: Theology On Tap in
February 6, 2010: A Retreat for the Newly Married is
being held at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,
February 6, 2010: A Day of
Recollection for Caregivers is being hosted by St. Vincent de Paul Catholic
Church,
February 6, 2010: The Cathedral of St. Paul is
hosting their First Saturday Morning of Recollection Series with Father John
Paul Erickson, whose topic is, “Through Him, With Him, In Him: The Meaning of
Life According to
February 6, 2010: For those whose child died prior to
birth, St. Michael’s Catholic Church,
February 6, 2010: A special morning for men is being
held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in
February 9, 2010: The Men’s Argument of the Month
Club is hosting a debate on the subject of, “Marian Femininity vs Modern Feminism,” with Dr. David Pence and Dr. Oscar Mayers, professor of English and Gender Studies from Saint
John’s University in Collegeville. The event is being held at
February 13, 2010: A Mass in recognition of the World Day of the Sick sponsored by the Curatio and the Order of Malta, with Mass Celebrant Bishop Lee Piche, will be held at the Cathedral of St. Paul at 10:00 am. Following Mass there will be prayer over the sick, for caregivers and healthcare workers. A Reception will be held at 11:154 am in Hayden Hall. Everyone is welcome.
February 18, 2010: St. Olaf Catholic Church is
hosting its morning Faith & Work Breakfast Series, with the November
meeting featuring Mary Louise Klas, who will speak
on, “Anger: Cause or Effect? Power and Control in the Work Place.” Registration
is at 7:00 am with a continental breakfast at 7:20 am followed by the lecture
and questions. The cost is $20 per person. To register, call: 612-332-7471-x
255. St. Olaf is located at
February 19, 2010: In their Lenten Series on the
Spiritual Life,
February 20, 2010: The Galtier
Society is hosting a Lenten Morning of Reflection at St. Olaf’s Catholic Church
in downtown
February 20, 2010:
A Single Parent’s Retreat will be held from 9:00 am to noon at Nativity
Catholic Church,
February 20, 2010: Saturday Morning Monthly Breakfast
For Men is hosting Bishop Lee Piche
as speaker at
February 20, 2010: Catholic Charismatic Renewal is
sponsoring a mid-winter daylong conference titled, “Seek First The Kingdom Of God,” with speaker
at
8:30, and parish Mass at 4:30 pm for those who wish to stay. There is no fee,
but a freewill offering will be taken to cover the costs of the day.
Pre-registration is required. For information, call Pat at: 763-475-2132. (please bring a food donation
for the Franciscan Brothers of Peace food shelf-also needed are men’s winter
gloves)
February 22, 2010: A special film titled, “Planned Parenthood and Racism: MAAFA 21” will be shown at 7:00 pm at the University of Minnesota in Coffman Union’s Room 303, with doors opening at 6:30 pm. The film examines if there is a connection between discrimination of African Americans, abortion and Planned Parenthood. The film is free and open to the public, with a discussion to follow. For information, see: www.maafa21.com
February 22, 2010: Father James Reidy
will be teaching a series of eight classes titled, “Basic Teachings of the
Catholic Faith,” at St. Helena’s Catholic Church,
February 26, 2010: Father Andrew Cozzens will be
speaking on the topic of, “ The Battle with Our Darker
Side,” at St. Helena’s Catholic Church,
February 19, 2010:
In their Lenten Series on the Spiritual Life,
March 6, 2010: The 24th Annual Marian
Congress being sponsored by the World Apostolate of Fatima will feature
Professor Americo Ortiz, the International President
of the World Apostolate of Fatima, who will speak on, “The immaculate Heart of
Mary: Our Hope and Our Role in the Triumph.” Other speakers will include Father
John Gallas, Spiritual Director for the World
Apostolate, who will speak on, “A Call to Courageous Witness and Reparation,”
And Father Jim Parker from the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois who will speak on,
“The Holy Rosary: An Instrument of Divine Mercy.” The event is being held at
March 20 2010:
Catholic Parents On Line is hosting a Lenten Retreat
with Father Robert Altier who will be speaking on,
“Silence In The Presence Of The Lord.” The event is being held at Maternity of
Mary Catholic Church, 1414 North
Dale Street
Conferences Elsewhere
March
26-28, 2010: A Bioethics Conference titled, “Ethical Issues in Suffering
and Death,” will be held at Franciscan University of Steubenville,
March 27,
2010: The National Divine Mercy Conference is being held at
April 17, 2010: A Faith, Family and Freedom Conference is being hosted by the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, which will feature speakers Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum, Chris Manion a columnist with The Wanderer newspaper, and Kitty Werthmann who lived under the rules of Hitler and Stalin. This is a one-day event from 8:00 am to 3:15 pm. For information contact: Don Ludwin at: 773-229-0375.
The Family
Hidden In The Health Care Bill: is a penalty for those who are married. Although marriage has been shown to stabilize families regarding issues of poverty, domestic violence, child abuse and school dropouts, a couple that marries will be charged a 40% higher premium on their health care than if the same couple did not marry. The government is encouraging couples to remain unmarried by rewarding them with a separate health care standard. When a Wall Street Journal reported questioned the Democratic authors of the bill, it was clear that this differential was deliberate, as the staff member said, “You have to decide what your goals are.”
-EagleForum-
Feast Days Of
Note For The Month
|
February 1 |
St. Ignatius
of |
|
February 17 |
Ash Wednesday |
|
February 2 |
Presentation of the Lord |
|
February 187 |
Bernadette Soubirous |
|
February 3 |
St. Blais |
|
February 20 |
|
|
February 10 |
St. Scholastica |
|
February 22 |
Chair of |
|
February 11 |
Our Lady of |
|
February 23 |
St. Polycarp |
For Your Information
This Lent: the very first week, invite someone you know who is no longer a practicing Catholic, to come home to the Church. Especially make known to that individual the extraordinary graces of Divine Mercy Sunday, where, anyone going to Confession and receiving Holy Communion at Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment, which Saint Faustina has stated is an extraordinary grace granted to mankind by Jesus himself for the difficult times in which we live. By inviting this person early during the Lenten season, he will be given the opportunity to take the time afforded him during the six weeks of Lent to consider the idea. Don’t miss this opportunity, for their sakes, as well as the Church.
January 31, 2010: Cardinal Christoph
Schonborn. the Archbishop of
Vienna, will be speaking in the
Mother Teresa of
Heroes Among Us: Nobel Peace
Prize Nominee, Zilda Arns, sister
to the retired Bishop of San Paulo, Brazil, died in the
There Will Be: a $4 million dollar ad during the Super Bowl with the mother of Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tedbow, who led the Florida Gators to win several titles. Doctors had urged Mrs. Tedbow to abort Tim because of a drug it was necessary for her to take in order to save her life that likely would cause serious damage to her pre-born baby. She refused, and had a perfectly healthy child as a result, and wants to tell her story. It is not known exactly how this pro-life message will be presented.
From The Vatican
-ZenitNews-
The Holy Father: has announced major plans for the
year 2010, where he intends to visit the countries of
Nobel Peace Prize Candidate: Argentinean Jew, Barui Tenembaum, founder of the
International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, has dedicated
his life to discovering those whom he calls, “heroic human beings,” which
includes Pope John XXIII. The Foundation pays tribute to the “Saviors of the
Holocaust who risked their lives and freedom to save thousands of Jews from
certain death in the hands of the Nazis during the Second World War.” Mr. Tenembaum learned of the vast efforts of Angelo Boncali, who later became Pope John XXIII, and said, “Time
and time again I cannot but be deeply moved to tears to learn of the feats of
this simple and modest great son of the Italian people.” Details of the foundation's research into Roncalli's efforts are available on its Web site at The
International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation: http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/
The Vatican Reports: that the government in
Fundraisers
February
8, 2010: The Women’s
February
20, 2010: The Butterfly Ball Fundraiser for Gianna
Homes is a black-tie event that includes a champagne reception, interactive
entertainment, an elegant buffet and ballroom dancing. Proceeds go to Gianna Homes, a senior memory care in a residential home,
aimed at providing medical, social and spiritual needs of the affected
individual. For information, see: www.giannahomes.org or donate online
or by mail at:
March, 2010: The Pro-Life Organization, Cradle Of Hope, is sponsoring a Sweepstakes, which is a $100 prize awarded each day throughout the entire month. The best bet is to enter during February, so that you would be eligible every day during the month. If you have not received a 2010 Winter Newsletter, go to: www.cradleofhope.org for information.
The Government
Helen Alvare: a Consultant to the Pontifical Council for the
Laity and Senior Fellow of Law for the Culture of Life Foundation,
has spoken out against the Obama Administration’s appointment of Assistant
Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and
The
President: on December 16, 2009, amended Executive Order 12425 which now
gives the international policing organization, INTERPOL, full immunity to
operate in the
Another
Tax: is in the works, this time from the United Nations which intends to
tax US citizens through their World Health Organization, which intends to
impose a global consumer tax on internet activity and everyday financial
transactions such as paying bills online. These funds would then be used to
transfer drug-making research, development and manufacturing capabilities,
among other things, to the developing world, thereby, “spreading the wealth
around.” The “indirect consumer tax” is only one of a suite of proposals to
finance the global medical industry, which will shift research and development
to other countries. An emerging program known as UNITAID begun in 2006, hosted
by WHO, is being partly financed by a fee on airline tickets in France, Brazil,
Chile, Norway and Britain in order to create a global health-care tax system. –SpiritDaily-
Obama’s Faith Council: is finalizing a draft report, with one of the key debates being whether there should be rules requiring religious groups to cover up religious symbols if the group receives federal funding. For example, if a church receives money for a soup kitchen, it would have to remove or cover all crosses, pictures and the like, every time they serve food to the hungry.
An
Extraordinary Account: was published by The Wanderer newspaper regarding
the use of bombs containing depleted uranium (DU), napalm
and white phosphorus that were dropped on Iraqi cities during a 2004 bombing,
particularly of Fallujah. The lingering effects are seen with the babies, which
are terribly deformed, some with two heads, a single eye in the middle of their
foreheads, missing limbs to such a degree that 75% of the babies were born
deformed and 24% died within one week. Further problems exist with
extraordinarily high rates of leukemia and cancers being reported. These
problems are also affecting our own Gulf War 1 veterans, 50% of whom filed
claims for various forms of cancer, and also have had children with chromosomal
birth defects that are twice the number of the general population, including
brain tumors, heart defects, kidney defects, Goldenhar’s
syndrome where only half the face of the child develops, high rates of leukemia
soon after birth, and a stillborn rate three times the average. (currently the Veteran’s Administration is not
reporting cases to the registries) In
Anyone: who would like to be informed regarding bills before the U.S. Senate and House can go to www.marpx.com to view what is in the bills, and to track its progress.
In The Know About Our Times
In
The Vatican Reports: that nearly twice the number of missionaries in Central and South America were murdered in 2009 than the year before, with Brazil and Columbia leading the statistics, followed by Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and a nun killed in New Mexico. These are terrible stories of beatings, torture and the like, largely perpetrated by youth. Please remember missionaries in your prayers, those people who work to spread the Gospel and may end up laying down their lives.
National
Geographic: reports that the earth’s magnetic pole (not the geographical pole) is moving towards
The
Iraq,
Kirkuk: In another outbreak of violence against Iraqi Catholics, where a
bomb exploded in the marketplace injuring many people, a Church was attacked 30
miles north of Mosul, in another incident three Christians were murdered, and a
Christian student was kidnapped form her university. Many
who have been holding out by staying in
Medjugorje Monthly Message
-We are a Medjugorje-Friendly Website-
January 25, 2010: “Dear Children, May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord Who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
February 2, 2010: Monthly Message to Mirjana: “"Dear children, with motherly love, today I call you to be a lighthouse to all souls who wander in the darkness of ignorance of God’s love. That you may shine all the brighter and draw all the more souls, do not permit the untruths which come out of your mouth to silence your conscience. Be perfect. I am leading you with my motherly hand – a hand of love. Thank you."
On Their Way To Sainthood
Blessed Sister
Mary MacKillop: may become the first Saint from
Prayer Intentions From The Holy Father
For
February, 2010
General Intentions:
For all scholars and intellectuals, that by means of sincere search for the truth,
they may arrive at an understanding of the one true God.
That the Church, aware of its own missionary identity, may strive to
follow Christ faithfully and to proclaim His Gospel to all peoples.
Prayer Opportunities And Retreats
February 5-6, 2010: The World Apostolate of Fatima is
sponsoring an all-night prayer vigil at St. Agnes Catholic Church,
February 5-6, 2010: An all-night prayer vigil will begin at 7:00 pm on Friday evening and conclude at 8:00 am Saturday morning at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 401 Concord Street inSt. Paul. For information, call: 651-228-0506.
February 13, 2010: The Holy Name Society hosts
Solidarity Saturdays on the second Saturday
of each month at St. Olaf Catholic Church,
February 13, 2010: Devotions to the Most Holy Name of
Jesus are held on the second Saturday of each month at
February 14, 2010: A Family
Holy Hour with music, prayer, Adoration and Benediction is being sponsored by
Holy Cross Catholic Church,
February 14, 2010: A
Children’s Holy Hour is being held in the St.Joseph’s
Chapel at St. Michaels Catholic Church,
February 22-24, 2010: An
invitation to men who are considering the priesthood is being extended in a
three evening presentation to be held at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church.
Titled, “The Gift and the Blessing of the Catholic Priesthood,” The first
evening is with Father Bill Baer, Rector of St. John Vianney
College Seminary who will speak on, “Your Future Priests: From Someone Who Has
Met Them,” the second evening will be presented by Monsignor Al Callaghan,
Rector at the St. Paul Seminary who will speak on, “The Unique Call of Men to
the Priesthood Within the Context of the Priesthood of All Believers,” and the
third evening Bishop Lee Piche will speak on the
topic of, “Priests and the Heart of Jesus.” The evening begins with Eucharistic
Adoration at 7:00 pm, the Presentation at 7:15 pm, with Reflection and
Benediction at 8:00 pm. Nativity is located at Prior
and Stanford in
February 27, 2010: The Living
Catholic organization focuses on making Jesus Christ known and loved in homes
and families by providing times of Catholic fellowship and instruction so
families may support one another as they grow in holiness. Children, teens, parents
and adults are welcome to participate at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church,
March 5-7, 2010: All
healthcare workers are invited to a retreat at
March 12-14, 2010: A weekend Ignatian
Retreat is being sponsored by Miles Christi, and will be held at the
Pro-Life
LifeNews
A New 40 Days For Life Campaign: will coincide with Lent this year, beginning on February 17th and running through March 28th The Campaign consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, 40 days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices, and 40 days of active pro-life community outreach. Five of these campaigns were conducted previously which resulted in the closing of 5 abortion centers, 27 employees leaving the business, including Abby Johnson, and the saving of 2168 children and their mothers. This year pro-life advocates in 156 cities from coast to coast, 4 Canadian provinces and three Australian states will participate in prayer at local abortion facilities.
A Poll: sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in December, 2009 found that Americans of all generations are pro-life on abortion. They also found that younger Americans under the age of 44 oppose abortion more than the “baby boomer” generation of those ages 45-64.
Palliative Sedation: Here’s A Slippery Slope. The concept is to aid an imminently dying patient when pain can no longer be controlled by putting the person in an artificial coma, and allowing the illness to run its course. The problem is obvious; some hospices are already considering the term, “death is imminent,” as being as much as a year prior to actual end of life, thus making this a form of slow euthanasia termed, “termination sedation.” Everyone should be informed about this. Full story at LifeNews.com
“Preventative Healthcare Services: is the new euphemism for “abortion” being used in the wording of the Health Care Bill that currently, and thankfully, will likely not be passed by Congress currently. Even though the term “abortion” is not specifically used, this new included term would allow the very pro-abortion Health and Human Services Director, Kathleen Sebelius, to define the term any way she wished, and to apply the term any way she wished.
Haiti, Port Au Prince: In a country that has lost probably 200,000 people due to a terrible earthquake, all Planned Parenthood could think of to do was sent condoms to the devastated area; not food, not water, not medical aid, not help to look for survivors…condoms. Evidently the loss of 200,000 people in a poor culture was not enough of a decrease in population for the leading abortion organization.
Maine, North Berwick: Noble High School was denied
Title X “family planning funds” in the amount of $18,000 for refusing to
distribute “emergency contraception” (the morning-after pill) to students. The
issue of offering any kind of “sexual health services” to students was very
hotly debated by the Board of Education, and passed only by a 5-4 vote. It is
not known if the School Board will have to reassess their earlier ruling. –LifeSiteNews-
Montana, Helena: In January, the Montana Supreme Court issued a ruling that there is nothing in that state’s law to prevent physicians from aiding patients to kill themselves, thereby making Montana the third state in our country to approve euthanasia. Opponents of the measure are already planning to bring the issue to the legislature.
Sweden, Stockholm: Current laws in Sweden protect
women who want to abort perfectly healthy babies because they do not like the
gender of the child. This is a right protected during the first 18 weeks of
pregnancy. Neighboring
Washington, DC: A recent poll conducted by the National Association of Evangelicals revealed that, this group of Christians is most concerned with the moral issue of abortion at the top of their list, followed closely by moral relativism and mistreatment of others. The board includes heads of Christian denominations, pastors and representatives of a number of evangelical organizations, including mission groups, colleges and universities, and publishers.
Washington, DC: A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that a67% of Americans oppose funding abortions with government funds under the government run health care bill pending in Congress. This is just the latest of several recent polls, all of which indicate the vast majority of Americans oppose tax-funded abortions.
Washington, DC: NARAL, (Pro-Choice America) is very seriously considering giving their 2009 Hall of Fame award to late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart of Omaha, Nebraska, who has done all he can to promote the memory and legacy of another late-term abortionist, the late George Tiller of Kansas.
——————— J M J ————————