Mr. Bluelight's Christmas Countdown

For the Sake of Christ's Sorrowful Passion....

For the sake of Christ's most sorrowful passion, may God have mercy on the soul of abortionist George Tiller.

It wouldn't hurt to offer up a few prayers for him either.

The bane of pro-life advocates, Dr. Tiller performed abortions at his Kansas clinic, essentially, up until birth. The 67 year old was murdered this morning in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita. He was a member of the church. May God have Mercy on his soul.

Bishop Rhoades and Notre Dame's Defiance

The letter below was forwarded to me yesterday.
I have since been assured by Jean Scicchitano of the Harrisburg Diocese's Pro-Life Office that it is legitimate and that permission has been given for it to be distributed beyond the original recipient.


Subject: FW: Bishops statement re Notre Dame

Dear Christina,

Thank you for your note of concern which you recently sent to the Bishop’s office regarding the University of Notre Dame.

Maria Wood, secretary to Bishop Rhoades, referred your email to me. Bishop Rhoades has discussed this issue with me, as it pertains specifically to my office.

As is clear from Bishop Rhoades’ most recent commentary entitled "Disturbing advances for the culture of death", President Obama’s policies, and those of his administration, on abortion and embryonic stem cell research violate the moral law and Church teachings on the sanctity of human life and dignity of the person. Bishop Rhoades concurs with Bishop D'Arcy's statement and position on the matter. (Bishop D’Arcy is the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the diocese in which Notre Dame is located). Bishop Rhoades stands firmly with the US Catholic Bishops’ statement called “Catholics in Political Life” which unambiguously says –

The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.

Bishop Rhoades also supports those who exercise their freedom of conscience and speech to express their opposition to the university’s decision to have President Obama as commencement speaker and honoree. In fact, Bishop Rhoades has written to the president of the university to express his disagreement with the university’s action.

It is disheartening and distressing when an institution that is regarded as Catholic, such as Notre Dame, fails to follow the guidelines set forth by the Bishops of the Catholic Church, especially in these vital moral matters. It is not political nor partisan to stand for the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person. President Obama clearly does not stand for or advance the cause of the defenseless unborn and their mothers and families. This is the tragic reality we must come to terms with as Catholics living in an increasingly secular environment. It is heartening on the other hand, to see how many Notre Dame students, faculty and alumni have made their commitment to human life known and how many Catholics and others of good will have done the same.

It is Bishop Rhoades’ hope and prayer that all the institutions that bear the name “Catholic” will affirm the Church’s teachings, expose the culture of death and build up the Culture of Life. Thank you for your selfless commitment to the defense of innocent human life. Please be assured of our prayers.

On behalf of Bishop Rhoades and myself, I am

Sincerely,

Paul CB Schenck, MA (Theol.), LHD

Director Office of Respect Life Activities
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg

I've got to share this...

But first let me say that I will get back to blogging and that I apologize for this extended absence. Health issues are the reason and I'm hoping to be back to things within a week, or so.

Anyway, I just have to share this

Piece by Thomas over at the American Papist.

It is a response to a response sort of thing --- usually not that interesting to read but it is this time. It definitely offers a view of the crassness of the morally relative self-righteous responding to what they view to be self-righteousness.

Did I just hear you say, somewhat loudly, "Huh?"

Just ignore what I wrote and checkout the above link. Hopefully, I'll be more coherent the next time we meet. Peace.

First Catholic University in India Opens

Although this piece is from the same portion of the world as the last post, it is about a vastly different subject and source.
From the Indian Catholic Newspaper:

The Don Bosco University, India’s first Catholic university, was opened by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday at a prayerful function in Guwahati. "Let all involved in the project be filled with the spirit of Don Bosco and the mission of empowering youth with necessary skills and knowledge," wished Gogoi while opening the university.

Archbishop Thomas Menamparmbil of Guwahati released the DBU Brochure and presented it to the Chief Minister. Salesians are known for their schools and colleges in north east India and have set up the region’s first college, St. Antony’s college, in Shillong in 1934.

The college is also the world’s first university college Salesians have opened. The Salesians now have 27 colleges and over one hundred Technical Schools.

Hundreds of Salesian centers serve people across the country [of India] helping people for non formal courses, agricultural development, literacy and to shelter for street children. The newly opened university plans to link and upgrade Salesian educational facilities with its government approved and nationally recognized system.

“This is the first catholic university in India. The project has been sanctioned by the Rector Major and his Council. The Government of India has welcomed the move to set up a Catholic University in India. The Ecclesiastical authorities in India have been very positive in their attitude to the setting up of a Catholic University in India,” said a Salesian web site.

While the Chancellor-designate of the new University, Fr. Joe Almeida welcomed the guests, Fr. Stephen Mavely, the Vice Chancellor, gave a short account of the evolution of the dream of a University. K. Sudha Rao, former vice chancellor of Karnataka State Open University, in the key note address stressed the need of a University in the cultural context of the North East.

Twilight Years

When one imagines their twilight year in a realistic fashion, the possibility of having to use diapers might come to mind. Improper muscle function can be a problem. An inability to self-feed might also be an issue with which the household might have to deal.

That's why it is so nice to have someone with whom to share those difficulties.

I just have to question if it is a good idea to share your second childhood with your newborn first child.

That is what a 70 year old Rajo Devi and her husband Bala Ram, 72, have decided to do.

On November 28th Rajo Devi, post-menopausal for roughly 20 years, delivered a girl who had been conceived by in vitro fertilization treatment at Hisar Fertility Center in Haryana, India. The baby girl weighed in at slightly more than 3 pounds at birth. Both mother and child are said to be doing well. Click HERE for more on this.

May God bless them while the angels watch over them.

A Babe in a Manger - A Priest at His Prayers

A baby merely hours old was found lying in a church's creche in southern Germany

"I was in the church shortly after midday to pray and I heard the baby crying," said Father Thomas Rein, parish priest at St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church in Poettmes.

"We prepared the crib in the pre-Christmas period so children could lay fresh straw in it and ponder on the meaning of Jesus and Lo! There really was a Jesus-child in it!" Fr. Rein said excitedly.

"His cries saved his little life; I would not have noticed him otherwise."

The priest noted a serious concern for the babe's welfare because the church's temperature was below 55 degrees F, "It was only 12 degrees C in the church. There were fears that he could have hypothermia."

Neuburger Pediatric Clinic nurses and emergency staff have named the little one Peter. He is said to be doing well.

Police are only saying that they believe the mother is 38-year-old Romanian woman. The woman is thought to have lived in the Poettmes.

50,000,000 Pennies Mark 50,000,000 Abortion Deaths

Mississippi Memorial Uses 50 Million Pennies to Mark 50 Million Abortion Deaths

Jackson, MS (LifeNews.com) -- A group of pro-life advocates in Mississippi found out as they collected 50 million of the coins for a unique memorial to mark the deaths of unborn children since Roe v. Wade allowed unlimited abortions in 1973.

The Mississippi Baptist Convention put together this one-of-a-kind visual reminder of the number of babies who have died from abortions. The group collected pennies from church congregations across the state and erected a large glass house to store all the pennies the size of a backyard storage shed.

Called the Memorial to the Missing, the penny-filled structure contains a plaque that encourages visitors to the Baptist convention's headquarters -- and the legislature across the street -- to respect life. Full story at LifeNews.com

So All May Eat - Pay as You are Able - Cafe

The Washington Times' Chris Gergen and Gregg Vanourek shown a spotlight on a wonderful nonprofit restaurant located in Denver, Colorado called "SAME Cafe." It is well worth a read. Here is a snippet of Gergen and Vanourek's article:

The 'pay as you can' cafe

This holiday season, many are thinking of those who are less fortunate. Taking that sentiment several steps further, Brad and Libby Birky of Denver have created a nonprofit restaurant called SAME (So All May Eat) Cafe with a "pay as you can" pricing model.

Yes, you read that correctly. Instead of standard menu-based pricing, a donation box is set in the corner, and people are expected to pay what they can. Those who can't afford to pay are asked to help with manual labor: washing dishes, mopping the floor and the like. Those who can afford it often pay a bit more to contribute to the social mission.

The Birky family wanted to do something dramatically different after putting in years of volunteering at various food banks and shelters, where canned food is the standard fare and handouts sometimes are dispensed with cold detachment. At SAME, their philosophy is that everyone - regardless of economic status or station in life - deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity and respect.

SAME is not a soup kitchen. The volunteers are vigilant about asking customers to contribute something, whether money or labor. There also is a spirit of the place, a welcoming family atmosphere.

Isn't that something? If you'd like to read the complete article please click HERE.

THe Holy Father's December Intentions

Papal Intention for Culture of Life

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is praying this month for the expansion of the culture of life.

The Apostleship of Prayer announced the general intention chosen by the Pope: "That, faced by the growing expansion of the culture of violence and death, the Church may courageously promote the culture of life through all her apostolic and missionary activities."

The Holy Father also chooses an apostolic intention for each month. In December, he will pray that especially in mission countries, Christians may show through gestures of brotherliness that the Child born in the grotto in Bethlehem is the luminous Hope of the world."

Pastoral Care

Rev. Joseph Illo of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Modesto, CA recently sent his parishioners a letter which discussed the potential need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation for individuals who voted for Barack Obama in the recent presidential election.

In part, Fr. Illo said:

If you voted for a pro-abortion candidate, I cannot say for certain is you should refrain from Holy Communion. I don't know what you were thinking. But voting for a candidate who promises "abortion rights," even is he promises every other good thing, is voting for abortion. It is a grave mistake, and probably a grave sin. No issue can compare withe the legalized destruction of a mother's child. I am writing because I love you and I care about your relationship with God. I am also writing because God requires this of me as a Catholic priest...

You've gotta love a pastor who for the salvation of his parishioners knowingly set himself up for the furor of our moral relativistic society. Kudos and thanks to Fr. Illo!!!!!

By the way, the emphasis in the above paragraph is in the original text. To read the whole letter, click HERE.

Special Holiday Postmarks

Would you like your little ones to receive a letter from Santa with an actual "North Pole" postmark?

If so, place the sealed, stamped and addressed letter inside a larger envelope that is addressed to:

North Pole Christmas Cancellation Postmaster

5400 Mail Trail

Fairbanks, AK 99709

Be sure that both envelopes bear the appropriate postage so the addressee of the inner envelope receives the Santa mail with the "North Pole, Alaska" cancellation.

Special holiday postmark designs may also be had by routing your Christmas cards through these post offices:

Bethlehem, PA 18016

Carrollton, MO 64633

Christmas Valley, OR 97641

Holly, CO 81047

Holly, MI 48442

Hope, ID 83836

Hope, KS 67451

Hope, MN 56046

Nazareth, PA 18064

Noel, MO 64854

Saint Joseph, MI 49085

Saint Marys, WV 26170

Santa, Claus, IN 47579

Santa, ID 83866

Star, ID 83669

Star, MS 39167

Star, TX 76880

Starlight, PA 18461

Place your addressed cards in a larger envelope that has been addressed to the Postmaster of the office you wish to cancel your cards. At the bottom left corner mark it "Attention: Christmas Re-Mailing."

To have the your mail reaches the ultimate destinations before December 25th, plan so that the package/envelope reaches the cancelling post office by the 15th and be sure to use the proper postage - inside and out.

For a full list of U.S. Post Offices with holiday-based names, please click HERE. Not all on this list will have holiday design cancellations. However, the Post Offices actually listed above are to have a special design.

Bushmen Appeal to Pope

Survival International had the following article on their web site:

The Kalahari Bushmen have appealed to the Pope to support them in their struggle to return to their land, as the Vatican established diplomatic relations with Botswana earlier this month.

A Bushman spokesman said today, ‘We beg the Pope to help, to pray for us so that the government changes its attitude towards us and respects our rights as indigenous peoples of this land.’

The establishment of diplomatic relations was initiated by Botswana’s former president Festus Mogae. He was the architect of the government’s controversial policy to forcibly evict the Bushmen from their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Despite Botswana’s High Court having affirmed the Bushmen’s rights to live in the reserve in 2006, the government of the new president General Ian Khama continues to violate their rights. It has also given the company Gem Diamonds permission to mine diamonds on their land.

Not one Bushman has received a hunting permit, despite the High Court ruling that it was unlawful for the government to withhold permits. Nor are the Bushmen allowed to access the water borehole on their land. The lack of hunting and water has made life extremely difficult for the Bushmen.

Dom Erwin Kräutler, Bishop of Xingu, Brazil, said today, ‘In the 21st century it is more vital than ever that the Catholic Church support indigenous peoples throughout the world in the struggle for their rights.’

On 1 July, the Pope Benedict XVI expressed his solidarity and support for the indigenous peoples of Raposa-Serra do Sol in Brazil when he met them in the Vatican and declared ‘We will do everything possible to help protect your land.’

One Day Advent Retreat

Holiness or Hecticness? Praying in Advent.

One Day Retreat

U.S. National Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

Emmitsburg, Maryland

December 13, 2008

10 - 3

Fr. Jack Lombardi, Grotto Chaplain, will be conducting a day retreat entitled “Holiness or Hecticness? Praying in Advent.” on Saturday, December 13th from 10 am to 3 pm. The day will include Confessions, Spiritual Conferences, Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Fr. Jack, a kind and thoughtful priest, is an experienced retreat master committed to sharing the way of Our Lord with His people. You won't want to miss this opportunity to relax, reflect and refocus as we prepare for the celebration of our Savior's birth.

All are welcome!